As the Christmas festivities wind down, we finally get some time to put pen to paper once more and put our heads together for our annual set of report cards for the top ten nations who compete in the two major annual Test competitions – the Rugby Championship in the Southern Hemisphere and the SixContinue reading “The Lineout’s Annual Report Card Series starts off with a quick look at Canada before we get into the top ten.”
Author Archives: Neil Olsen
The End of Year Test window closes this weekend as England seek to finish the perfect season against Australia and we look back at last weekend’s action and some lessons learnt!
England look set to make history this weekend, which is all the more remarkable when you consider the post-mortem that was going on this time last year after the World Cup, as they seek to finish a perfect season in their final Test against Australia. Meanwhile we look back at some of the action fromContinue reading “The End of Year Test window closes this weekend as England seek to finish the perfect season against Australia and we look back at last weekend’s action and some lessons learnt!”
As the November Test window draws to a close all eyes will be on Twickenham and Dublin as England work towards closing out the perfect season while Australia chases a Grand Slam!
There was plenty of drama last weekend and this Saturday’s proceedings look set to provide more of the same, especially as the stakes for England and Australia are now mounting rapidly as they approach their own showdown next weekend. England look set to end the year on an unprecedented 13 game winning streak and theContinue reading “As the November Test window draws to a close all eyes will be on Twickenham and Dublin as England work towards closing out the perfect season while Australia chases a Grand Slam!”
History is once more on the line as Ireland do battle with the All Blacks in Dublin as the highlight of another great weekend of Test Rugby!
There is no question that all eyes will be on Dublin this Saturday as no matter who they support, rugby fans around the world will be tuning into what promises to be the clash of the year as New Zealand attempt to redress the upset of their defeat to Ireland in Chicago. Ireland buoyed byContinue reading “History is once more on the line as Ireland do battle with the All Blacks in Dublin as the highlight of another great weekend of Test Rugby!”
The Lineout takes a look at some lessons learnt from last weekend’s November Internationals in terms of who’s who in the zoo!
Last weekend saw plenty of excitement as a crop of thrilling encounters took place which gave us some insight into how the New World Order of rugby is starting to emerge now the dust is well and truly settled 12 months on from last year’s World Cup. New Zealand still look the complete package inContinue reading “The Lineout takes a look at some lessons learnt from last weekend’s November Internationals in terms of who’s who in the zoo!”
A terrific weekend of rugby awaits as the November Test window kicks into high gear.
The end of year tours to Europe by the Southern Hemisphere sides really get underway this weekend, and provide us with some highly anticipated encounters between England and South Africa, Scotland and Australia and Wales and Argentina. Italy also have the unenviable task of taking on an All Black team keen to rebound from theirContinue reading “A terrific weekend of rugby awaits as the November Test window kicks into high gear.”
Ireland create history as they dispel the myth that New Zealand are invincible!
We at the Lineout had the fantastic privilege of attending what can only be described as a truly epic game of rugby as Ireland finally, after 111 years of trying, got the All Black monkey off their back and became part of the elite club that has claimed a New Zealand scalp. As a resultContinue reading “Ireland create history as they dispel the myth that New Zealand are invincible!”
New Zealand look set make history this weekend with the longest winning streak ever recorded as they take on the Wallabies in the final Bledisloe match.
While this weekend’s Bledisloe Cup match between New Zealand and Australia may be a foregone conclusion and as such a bit of a dead rubber, history is still there to be made. Currently on a 17 match winning streak New Zealand look set to become the first ever nation in history to make it 18Continue reading “New Zealand look set make history this weekend with the longest winning streak ever recorded as they take on the Wallabies in the final Bledisloe match.”
The Rugby Championship wraps up with New Zealand in a league of their own while at the other end of the spectrum we see the demise of Springbok rugby and Australia and Argentina still with a mountain of work to do!
This was a tournament that ultimately saw New Zealand emerge as the true powerhouse of International Rugby with few if any likely to be able to challenge them. Australia were lucky to carve out a second place finish which still left them light years behind their rivals across the Tasman Straits and with a mountainContinue reading “The Rugby Championship wraps up with New Zealand in a league of their own while at the other end of the spectrum we see the demise of Springbok rugby and Australia and Argentina still with a mountain of work to do!”
Round 5 of the Rugby Championship sees New Zealand remain dominant but challenged by a feisty second half performance from the Pumas, while South Africa score a ramshackle win as Australia once more slips back into mediocrity!
The All Black juggernaut of 2016 continued to roll on unopposed in Argentina this past weekend but once more it was put to the Test by a resurgent Puma side in the second half. We said all along that New Zealand needed to stamp their authority quickly in the first half as Argentina were likelyContinue reading “Round 5 of the Rugby Championship sees New Zealand remain dominant but challenged by a feisty second half performance from the Pumas, while South Africa score a ramshackle win as Australia once more slips back into mediocrity!”
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