What a weekend that was! Surprises galore and expectations shattered – but as a spectacle we couldn’t have asked for a better opening weekend. We had been wary of England but they ended up being the star performers of the weekend. Wales went missing completely in the first half of their match in Paris, whileContinue reading “Round 1 of the 2019 Six Nations threw the formbook out the window but left us hungry for more as we head into Round 2!”
Author Archives: Neil Olsen
It’s back and promises to be even bigger than the last three years combined – the 2019 Six Nations!
One of the great rugby highlights of the year gets underway on Friday. Last year’s Six Nations was an absolute thriller and this year looks set to be even more of a roller coaster. With less than nine months to go before the World Cup, this year’s Six Nations will tell us much about whatContinue reading “It’s back and promises to be even bigger than the last three years combined – the 2019 Six Nations!”
The Lineout’s Annual Southern Hemisphere Report Cards for 2018 – Part 4 – South Africa
As we do at the end of every year and with their seasons over till February, we look back at the highs and lows of the Southern Hemisphere season and hand out our verdicts on the big four Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. With less than nine months left before the biggest rugbyContinue reading “The Lineout’s Annual Southern Hemisphere Report Cards for 2018 – Part 4 – South Africa”
The Lineout’s Annual Southern Hemisphere Report Cards for 2018 – Part 3 – New Zealand
As we do at the end of every year and with their seasons over till February, we look back at the highs and lows of the Southern Hemisphere season and hand out our verdicts on the big four Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. With less than nine months left before the biggest rugbyContinue reading “The Lineout’s Annual Southern Hemisphere Report Cards for 2018 – Part 3 – New Zealand”
The Lineout’s Annual Southern Hemisphere Report Cards for 2018 – Part 2 – Australia
As we do at the end of every year and with their seasons over till February, we look back at the highs and lows of the Southern Hemisphere season and hand out our verdicts on the big four Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. With less than nine months left before the biggest rugbyContinue reading “The Lineout’s Annual Southern Hemisphere Report Cards for 2018 – Part 2 – Australia”
The Lineout’s Annual Southern Hemisphere Report Cards for 2018 – Part 1 – Argentina
As we do at the end of every year with their seasons over till February, we look back at the highs and lows of the Southern Hemisphere season and hand out our verdicts on the big four Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. With less than nine months left before the biggest rugby showContinue reading “The Lineout’s Annual Southern Hemisphere Report Cards for 2018 – Part 1 – Argentina”
2018 – Canada’s long year in the wilderness!
Whichever way you cut it – 2018 was a long and painful year for Canada and one which they will no doubt want to forget. It was salvaged at the death by a solid performance in the World Cup repechage tournament, which saw them snatch the last place up for grabs in this year’s globalContinue reading “2018 – Canada’s long year in the wilderness!”
Tier 2 Teams most likely to cause a stir in Japan this year!
As we like to do once the year is done and dusted, we look back at a handful of Tier 2 countries who caught our eye this past year using our usual report card system. Furthermore, with the added frisson of a World Cup in prospect at the end of this year, we’ve chosen theContinue reading “Tier 2 Teams most likely to cause a stir in Japan this year!”
The Lineout’s Team of 2018
So as we do at the end of every year, we look back on the last twelve months of International Rugby and pick our Team of the Year. A team is nothing without a good bench, so in fairness to all the outstanding performances we’ve seen from some remarkable players this year, we always pickContinue reading “The Lineout’s Team of 2018”
Rugby – a personal journey
Not our usual fare, but with the holiday season upon us, we thought we’d add a personal note to our regular musings. As the international season takes a much-needed break over the holidays, we thought we too would make a departure from our customary thoughts on the global game and add in a personal twistContinue reading “Rugby – a personal journey”
The Lineout 