Some of the highlights of this year’s three-Test series between South Africa and France were the stellar performances from Jan Serfontein in midfield. The Springbok centre endured an injury-plagued 2016, and Damien de Allende’s failure to take the chances afforded to him in the 12 jersey opened the door for Serfontein to make it … Continue reading The Return Of The Coming Man
This year’s Lions series asked more questions than it answered about the two Test sides involved, but it’s hard to argue that the tourists came out of it the better. Warren Gatland defied expectations by getting his side to play attacking, ball-in-hand rugby rather than territory, and he put aside his preference for certain players, … Continue reading Fall From Grace
Warren Gatland’s appointment as head coach of the 2017 British and Irish Lions Tour of New Zealand was met with little surprise and jaded responses last September, which probably had a lot do to with the fact that it was a one-horse race. Joe Schmidt ruled himself out of contention at the first mention of … Continue reading Apocalypse Now
From an Irish supporter’s perspective, there’s a unique satisfaction to be taken from denying England a Grand Slam, especially on the final day of the Championship. Much like in 2011, Ireland rebounded from a dismal loss to Wales and played with an intensity that a Grand Slam-chasing England side couldn’t live with for large parts of … Continue reading Shades of 2011
A lot of comparisons have been drawn between Ireland’s capitulation against Wales on Friday night and their lethargic underperformance on the opening day of the tournament in Murrayfield. While they lost both games for similar reasons, it would be remiss not to mention that each of those Tests unfolded differently. Ireland started slowly against Scotland … Continue reading That Sinking Feeling
There are strong parallels between the current Welsh side and the Ireland team that stuttered from loss to loss during the latter stages of Declan Kidney’s tenure: they’ve run out of ideas and there’s a pervading sense of lethargy to their performances, but they’re capable of pulling the occasional good game out of a hat. … Continue reading Red Dragon
The mark of a good team is the ability to win even when they are not at playing at their best, and Ireland’s hard-fought victory over France on Saturday night was a prime example. Ireland’s game plan was apparent from the opening minutes: control possession and territory, dictate the tempo, kick to the corners, and … Continue reading True Grit
