John Winter Today, the NFL draft is a major television spectacle with non-stop reporting of every single pick and trade. Camera crews travel to the player’s homes and there is endless discussion of the choices. It wasn’t always this way. For years, drafts happened in back rooms with no coverage. Before that, there was no draft. How … Read more
There are two flankers in the starting fifteen players on a rugby union team. They wear the six or seven shirts and are often distinguished as the “blindside” and “openside” flanker. This article describes the role of a flanker in rugby and the differences between the two types. What Do Flankers Do In A Rugby … Read more
We looked at the statistics for tackles during the 2021 Six Nations Rugby Championship. This article uses these figures to calculate how many tackles are made by players in a rugby match. You may be surprised to see that there are huge differences between player positions. How Many Tackles Do Rugby Players Make? This graph … Read more
Bill McLaren was a legendary commentator on rugby matches. He was renowned for his turns of phrase. Many of his quips and quotes live on in the fond memories of rugby supporters. You’ll find some lists of McLaren quotes that don’t clarify who he’s talking about. The proud scot also liked to use Scottish phrasing … Read more
Here is our pick of the five best blindside or openside flankers to play for England. This article runs through their most memorable achievements and why they’ve made our cut. Neil Back Wavell Wakenfield (revolutionized flanker play) Richard Hill Peter Winterbottom Chris Robshaw (yes, we said it!) So, how did we decide the player rankings? … Read more
It’s tough to pick the best English flanker, and we went back and forth between three different choices. The main reason that Neil Back is our choice it is that he wasn’t just one of the most highly skilled players. He proved that forwards who aren’t natural behemoths can dominate matches in the modern game … Read more
Here is our pick of the five best blindside or openside flankers to play for Ireland. This article runs through their most memorable achievements and why they’ve made our cut. Sean O’Brien Fergus Slattery David Wallace Stephen Ferris Gordon Hamilton (a left-field pick, we know!) Top Five Irish Flankers Three of our top five flankers … Read more
To decide on the best Irish flanker in rugby history, we drew up a shortlist of world-class players who played blindside or openside flanker for Ireland. Whittling down the shortlist was hard enough. But only one can be chosen as the best of all time. It’s a tough job, but someone had to step up … Read more
Rugby cleats and American football cleats look similar and may seem interchangeable. But there are as many subtle differences between the two types of shoes as there are in the sports themselves. Rugby players should be aware of the differences as each sport has its own rules and regulations. In particular, American football studs may … Read more
Here are the names of Welsh rugby players who played for Wales who made their international debut since the sport went professional. The International Rugby Board agreed to allow professional rugby in August 1995. This is why I cut off the list at this date. Welsh Rugby Player Names In the Professional Era The list … Read more