The news that Glasgow Warriors have released their Scottish test-capped second row Kieran Low on a loan deal to Saracens probably didn’t break the internet in the same manner as just about everything else is said to do so these days, but it nevertheless impacted tangentially on something that The Mole had been thinking about over the last few months. Continue reading
"Slow, cumbersome and like Bambi on ice": is that right, Jerry?
If Richie Gray came from New Zealand, you’d still be thinking that he’s right up there with any of their players to keep an eye on. Instead, he’s from Scotland and there’s no competition whatsoever. Continue reading
Joe Tuineau, All-American ... eh, All-Fijian? Sorry, All-Tongan
Keep an eye out for Tongan second-row Big Joe Tuineau in the World Cup opener. His backstory is pretty unique. Continue reading
Israel and Mils in happier times
Thank you, Graham Henry. The charismatic Kiwi funny-man [que?] made the Mole’s mind up for him, dropping 98-cap Kiwi legend Mils Muliaina from the starting line-up of the New Zealand team that faces Tonga in the opening match of RWC11. Continue reading
All the potential to be the best Irish scrum-half of the last thirty years
Whaddaya mean 'one-dimensional'? I can do happy AND sad.
Manu Tuilagi – arnchajusickovim? The Rosbif press have a habit of hyping their players out of the stratosphere at the first sign of international accomplishment. Maybe all national rugby correspondents are guilty of it, and we just pick on poor old Angleterre; certainly the Irish rugby media have never been slow to sing the praises of Keith Earls or Luke Fitzgerald. However, I think it’s fair to say that no Northern Hemisphere rugby press is quicker to acclaim or to damn than the hacks of Fleet Street and Wapping. Continue reading
What does this guy actually do?
In considering who to look out for in the Aussie team, it’s tempting to look beyond the obvious and think about Pat McCabe in the No12 jersey, the Warwick Taylor-esque straightman to the glittering talents that surround him. Continue reading
Latest In The Line of Puma And Stade Fullbacks
Martín Rodríguez Gurruchaga was an amateur fullback playing for Atlético del Rosario and Pumas Sevens Rugby when he was called into the Argentine squad for the November 2009 tour of Britain. His call-up was intended to serve as cover for a severely understrength midfield short an injured trio of experienced Pumas in Marcelo Bosch, Felipe Contepomi and Juan Martín Hernández. Continue reading
As good a try-scorer as there is in world rugby
Clermont Auvergne have been a very potent and visible force in French and European rugby over the last couple of years, and Irish fans will be very familiar with a number of their players. Continue reading
That's One Big Dude
The huge Samoan Joe Tekori has most recently been seen by most Irish and British rugby fans tearing up Twickenham and Cardiff for the Barbarians in their end of season friendly against England http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xj0onb_big-joe-tekori_sport and ridiculous ‘test match’ against Wales [yes, the Welsh awarded caps; they came with a little mullet at the back]. Continue reading
Digging Like a Demented Mole 