Team Talk

The two months since the end of the autumn internationals has seemed to crawl by, but at last, international rugby is back.

Ex-England international Paul Sackey gives us his thoughts on England this Six Nations, as well as the emerging talent rising to the top in his old position on the wing.

The Six Nations isn’t the only tournament to kick off this coming weekend, as the U20 edition of the competition also gets underway.

We wrap up our ‘Position Watch’ series this week, by taking a look at the Aviva Premiership’s best full-backs.

Our penultimate Position Watch focuses on the Aviva Premiership’s wingers and in a season where tries have been in anything but short supply, the quality is high.

Last week, we looked at how the top 12 teams in the country use social media and what benefits it gives them.

England Students will face Portugal on Saturday 24th of January in the University Stadium of Lisbon, kicking off at 6pm.

Social media is certainly an ever present in sport in the 21st century. The likes of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have continued to grow and now play a major part for sports teams of all levels.

Round 5 of the European Rugby Champions Cup was another feather in the cap of the new competition, offering up an abundance of tries, end-to-end excitement and compelling contests throughout.

Delivering the Rugby World Cup on home soil stands as England’s biggest challenge in 2015 and two former Red Rose stars are looking to inspire Stuart Lancaster’s men with a world record that will see them take rugby to the North Pole.

The pack and the half-backs are all done and dusted and we’re now on the home straight as we the run the rule over the Aviva Premiership’s inside centres.

The latest round of Aviva Premiership action saw London Irish edge a thrilling encounter versus Exeter Chiefs with the age old crowd favourite; a last play of the game Wilko-esque drop goal, supplied by from Shane Geraghty.

Thirteen may be an unlucky number for some, but not these guys, who all make our XV of the Week from Round 13 of the Aviva Premiership.

The spotlight is on the Aviva Premiership’s fly-halves this week and with all of the players in the top six having legitimate claims on the number one spot, there is no doubt that these have been the hardest rankings to discern thus far.

Having taken a brief sojourn during the international and European weekends, TRU’s Position Watch returns this week, with the Aviva Premiership’s number eights the focus of attention.

With derbies occurring across the British Isles this weekend, there are few greater opportunities for players to raise their stock in the eyes of their national coaches.

Another completely compelling weekend of European rugby is in the books and here is your latest Stock Watch, taking a look at who bolstered their reputation this weekend and who saw their stock plummet. Enjoy.

Following Round 4, European rugby takes some hard-earned time off for the Christmas period, returning in January, but before it begins its festive sojourn, we bring you the final European Rugby Champions Cup XV of the Week in 2014. As ever, let us know where you agree and disagree with our picks.

The home nations enjoyed a good weekend on their return to European rugby, generally impressing against the star-studded squads of the Top 14 and this week’s Stock Watch reflects that with a number of prominent risers.

European rugby was back with a bang this weekend, as the European Rugby Champions Cup Round 3 was the centre of attention in the rugby world. We poured over 800 minutes of intense, compelling rugby to bring you our XV of the week. How does our team stack up against yours? Let us know.