Tag Archives: england

Touching Wood

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Sam Roberts

Another Eddie Jones’ selection, another eyebrow raised. Tom Wood’s inclusion has people talking. In selecting the Northampton man, Jones knows he has made a surprising choice. In press conference, Jones talked about Wood’s work ethic and hair. “Tom Wood is like … Continue reading →

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Catching Bath

Posted on September 18, 2016 by Sam Roberts

Bath, the city: with its Bath stone buildings, creamy yellow in the September sun, rising up and around like the sides of a colosseum. It is a natural amphitheatre; all the roads seem to lead towards the centre. And under an … Continue reading →

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Hitting the target and not finding your bullets – Aviva Premiership Round 2 Review

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Sam Roberts

Click here to read my report on the Aviva Premiership and see my ‘Team of the Week’. No two weeks are the same in the Aviva Premiership. Ask Dan Mugford, or indeed Gloucester. Sale’s Mugford steered his last minute penalty villainously … Continue reading →

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The here and now

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Sam Roberts

Click here for me for the Rugby Blog – one final time As Nigel Owens and TMO Ben Skeen deliberated over whether the ball had gone forward off Haylett-Petty or Maro Itoje in Saturday’s third test between Australia and England … Continue reading →

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This is England

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Sam Roberts

Me for the Rugby Blog Stripped to the waist, amidst the maelstrom that was Melbourne’s AAMI Park, Dan Cole stood oozing Englishness. Having been de-robed with comical ease whilst attending one of the many scraps that broke out in the … Continue reading →

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The name on the back of your shirt

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Sam Roberts

I spoke to Jonathan Joseph, he said some beautiful things, so I wrote them down. Me for the Rugby Blog A year ago, Jonathan Joseph was getting dressed up and heading out to the Rugby Players’ Association awards. He would … Continue reading →

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Inbetween the talking

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Sam Roberts

Good riddance is an odd phrase. With its positive negativity. Something a doting parent would say to a heartbroken child. Protective, vicariously angry at the rejection, trying to instill a belief that things will be better off without ‘them’. When we … Continue reading →

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Remember, Remember…

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Sam Roberts

Dates and times: history is full of them. Some traverse the ages, others drift into obscurity. How people will document this year’s bonfire night from a rugby perspective is likely to be nothing more than a footnote on a rewritten … Continue reading →

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New Kids on the Block

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Sam Roberts

As the Rugby World Cup enters the knockout stages, the Aviva Premiership wakes from its enforced slumber, kicking off this Friday (16th) with three games. There have been a number of ‘transfers’ and detailed below are some that caught my … Continue reading →

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In days like these…

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Sam Roberts

“You know what hope is? Hope is bastard, hope is a liar, a cheat and a tease; hope comes near you, kick its backside, got no place in days like these…” Ben Folds and Nick Hornby, Picture Window So there … Continue reading →

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