Rugby Player Welfare Part 3: The IRB Responds to Its Critics

Player welfare in the rugby community continues to be a hot topic these days.   Our own Bleacher Report investigative series has outlined some of the major issues within the public debate and has dealt with some of the most important research—or lack there of—in regards to concussion management in rugby. Click here for Part One of Bleacher Report’s Player Welfare Series. Click... 

USA Rugby vs. Canada: Complete World Cup Qualifier Preview

USA Rugby will host Canada in Charleston this Saturday as part of the 2015 Rugby World Cup Qualifiers. This weekend’s home match for the USA Eagles is part of a home-and-away series versus Canada that will see them travel to Toronto’s BMO Field the following weekend. The team that posts the biggest scoreline across the two games will win the World Cup Qualifying series on aggregate and... 

The Most Shocking Rugby Jerseys Ever

Rugby jerseys are at the heart of the sport’s culture and lore. One need only think about the famous green and gold of the South African Springboks, sported by Nelson Mandela at the 1995 World Cup and made world famous in the movie Invictus. The legendary All Blacks of New Zealand turned their country into a blackened stadium of four million during the 2011 Rugby World Cup and Australians saw... 

Rugby Player Welfare Update: "Confirmed" Link Between Rugby and CTE

Player welfare in the sport of rugby has been on the minds of many lately, following the recent comments of Scotland international Rory Lamont. My own investigations, which began prior to Lamont’s statements, are part of an ongoing series here at Bleacher Report. Click here for Part One of Jeff Hull’s Player Welfare series Click here for Part Two of Jeff Hull’s Player Welfare series Lamont’s... 

Rugby Player Welfare, Part 2: ‘Rugby Is Not the NFL’…Not Yet, Anyway

“Rugby is not NFL Football.” That was the claim made by an International Rugby Board (IRB) representative recently. The comment came in response to a series of investigative reports from Ben Heather of New Zealand’s Dominion Post. Mr. Heather has joined others, including your humble correspondent here at Bleacher Report, in looking into the validity of that statement. Rugby versus... 

Women’s Rugby: 2013 Nations Cup Brings More Heartbreak for England

It has not been an easy 2013 for the English women’s rugby program. Once seen as a near unstoppable power in global rugby circles, England’s women have suffered a series of disappointing results that will leave many of their supporters asking questions about the state of the national women’s game. Last February, England lost a pair of matches in the 2013 RBS Six Nations, both... 

Rugby Player Welfare Part 1: The Canary in the Coal Mine

The damning revelations that came to light this week, courtesy of veteran Scotland winger Rory Lamont, were revealed amidst a flurry of troubling reports concerning player trauma in contact sports; many of which are beginning to cause increasing concern within the global rugby community. Your humble correspondent was also in the middle of conducting in-depth research into player welfare in rugby... 

British and Irish Lions: Will the Lions Win Really Matter?

The British and Irish Lions have finally reversed their decades-old failure to secure a Test series win on tour, but will that win have any positive effect on the state of northern hemisphere rugby? One person who is confident that it will is Wales attack coach Rob Howley.  Only a short time after the historic Lions victory, Howley told the BBC that the win will move the bar forward for rugby... 

Rugby 7s World Cup: Just Another Tournament

The 2013 Rugby Sevens World Cup concluded last weekend to a smattering of applause at a nearly empty Olympic Stadium in Moscow. The tournament, which was long thought to be the last of its kind, was saved by a recent International Rugby Board (IRB) decision to continue the competition indefinitely. In retaining the tournament and integrating it into the four-year Olympic schedule, the IRB has claimed... 

Brian O’Driscoll Dropped from Lions: The Right Move but Will It Matter?

Brian O’Driscoll is one of the greatest rugby players of his generation. However, his presence was unlikely to help the Lions to the Test series victory they so desperately need. Perhaps nothing can. O’Driscoll was once the terror of European clubs and international back lines across the globe, including in the Southern Hemisphere. He was part of a long run of powerful Irish teams that... 

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Latest News

• Former England Manager Graham Taylor Dies at Age 72
• Bruce Arena Names USMNT January Camp Invitees
• Karamoko Dembele Makes England U15s Debut After Playing for Scotland in November
• USMNT Watch: Bobby Wood Nets 1st Bundesliga Goal Since September
• Rugby Player Bruno Andres Doglioli Banned 3 Years for Tackling Female Referee