April 2016: Thought 10 : The Springbok Coaching Squad
Thought 10 : The Springbok Coaching Squad
After months of speculation, reams of newsprint and pages and pages of electronic comment, the not-so-secret is out of the bag.
Allister Coetzee is the bravest man in the rugby universe and has accepted...
April 2016: Thoughts 4 Everything’s Broken
Thoughts 4 Everything’s Broken
Isn’t the mindset produced by a holiday an amazing thing? You always come back to the mundane existence of everyday life thinking positive thoughts and expecting the world to have changed while you are away.
After two...
January 2016: The Ticking Time Bomb, Part Three
The Ticking Time Bomb, Part Three
During the last two years I have written a number of articles about rugby’s injury problems, both from the short-term perspective, and with huge concern about the longer term impact of rugby’s constant knocks.
The...
The 2016 Law Amendments Trial
The 2016 Law Amendments Trialhttp://billsrugbyblog.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=461&action=edit#edit_timestamp
World Rugby has announced a number of amendments to the current Laws which are to be tested and trialed in 2016 and 2017. These changes and the timing of the changes are in line with...
World Cup 2015 under the Microscope
The news headlines have screamed the good news in the days since the end of the Rugby World Cup of 2015. There can be no doubt that Rugby World Cup 2015 was a huge success both on and off the field.
Simply the Best
Simply the best is probably the only way to accurately describe the All Blacks 2015 Rugby World Cup victory. There can be no doubt that they are the best team in the world today. Saturday’s Cup Final confirmed this to one and all.
Oh Captain, My Captain
Jean de Villiers has quit the Springbok Rugby World Cup squad after breaking his jaw in the game against Samoa. He has also announced his immediate retirement from international rugby...
The Springbok Team and the 2015 RWC
The entire rugby world was waiting for Friday afternoon and the announcement of both the South African and English rugby squads for the looming Rugby World Cup event.
Where Have All The Scrumhalves Gone?
South African rugby is in something of a quandary. We have a fullback of real international quality, we have two, three perhaps, flyhalves of true international quality. In fact we have some outstanding players of international quality in all positions in a team, except one...
How Sustainable Is The Player Drain?
Not a week goes by without reports of South African, Australian and New Zealand rugby players accepting huge offers in Yen, Euros, or Pounds Sterling to head up to the northern hemisphere to play rugby.
What do you want from rugby anyway?
Let me define “spectators”: They are the people who watch rugby, or any other sport or activity. Various dictionaries will define the meaning in slightly varying terms, but the essence remains the same.
Referee Ramblings May 2015
The Referees
Regular readers of my ramblings will know that the referees and their management of rugby games has been a particular bugbear of mine for some time. I have made regular comment about woeful performances and complete lack of...
Dylan Hartley, Again…
A while ago, on the 17th November last year I wrote about Dylan Hartley, the New Zealand born England hooker and captain of Northampton. This was after he was yellow carded for stamping on Duane Vermeulen’s leg during the Test Match between England and South Africa.
At the conclusion of the 2014 Super 15 season
At the conclusion of the 2014 S15 season I posted an article title “Where To Now Super Rugby” in which I set out some of my concerns regarding the future of Super Rugby.
Where To Now Super Rugby?