The USA may be missing from the Rugby World Cup in France later this year. However their domestic scene is thriving with yet another new winner of Major League Rugby in the shape of the New England Free Jacks. Driven by a great first phase attack, and reinforced by a physical defence the Free Jacks …
Continue reading “Flight of the Free Jacks: Dominance through Defence and Attack”
New Zealand will enter the 2023 World Cup in an unfamiliar position. At every edition of the World Cup since 2007 the Kiwis have been world number 1. This time however they will be underdogs in France. They haven’t reached the heights of previous years but still possess a world leading attack as well as …
Continue reading “New Zealand’s Strategy to Shock the World in 2023”
The Rugby Championship began with a disappointing defeat for the Wallabies as they lost 43-12 against the Springboks. While the defeat will leave a sour taste we began to see the changes that Eddie Jones is looking to make this Australian side his own. Today we examine how Jones’ use of wingers varies from Rennie …
The Rugby Championship returns this weekend and with a World Cup around the corner it forms a crucial stage of preparations. The current World Champion Springboks are playing host to the Wallabies as they begin their international year. Let’s look at how they have played and what we can expect come Saturday. Playmaking Full Back …
Continue reading “Springbok Back Three: Key For Rugby Championship Success”
The Crusaders are the standard setter in Southern Hemisphere rugby having underlined this status with a 7th Super Rugby title in a row. Today we dive into the building blocks behind their triumph. First we look at how they use forwards in their attack before focussing on their ability to change the point of attack. …
Continue reading “Deconstructing Dominance: Analysing the Crusaders’ 7th Title Triumph”
In the final written piece of this deep dive into Leicester Tigers, we look at the strength of their kicking game. One of the key parts of any rugby side is their approach to the kicking game. As the modern game has developed controlling territory and “playing in the right areas of the pitch” has …
Welcome to the second part of this series breaking down Leicester Tigers. Today we take a look at the formidable Leicester Tigers defence. The defence built by the superb Kevin Sinfield were the only side to restrict their opponents to below 20 points per game. A superb achievement given some of the attacking talent in …
Continue reading “Chop, Jackal and Scramble: How Tigers Designed Their Title Winning Defence”
Our story begins with a side languishing second from bottom. At the end of 2019/20 season Leicester were a side who had won just 6 games, and scored under 400 points. To resurrect themselves, in the space of two seasons is an admirable feat. But what exactly is behind the Tigers’ return to glory? In …
Continue reading “The Brutal Attack behind Leicester’s Title Winning Season AND How to beat it”
Italy provided the shock of the Six Nations beating the Welsh in Cardiff. The Azzurri won their first game in seven years off the back of a new-found pragmatic attack, and their suffocating defence. The Pragmatic Approach Italy adopted a more pragmatic approach in the 2022 Six Nations. They were previously a side happy to …
In the second round of the United Rugby Championship, viewers were treated to a clash between the Lions and the Scarlets. A fascinating clash, as the Lions looked to keep their winning record, while the Scarlets looked to bounce back. The fixture also saw Dwayne Peel return to Llanelli. He has begun to imprint his …
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