6 Nations 2016 - 23 Under 23

Ok, some spots were thin pickings, especially in the half-back area, but the criteria for this side was that firstly the player has to be 23 or under, and secondly that they have to have been in their contry's 6 Nations squad. This side is based on the performance the players gave during the 6 Nations. If a player is in here that didn't see any game time, it is because we couldn't find anyone else to sub in for them. Having said that, that is a rare occasion, because most of this side shone for their country, and prove how bright future is for rugby in the Northern Hemisphere. Take a look.

6 Nations 2016 - Team of the Tournament

 Based solely on their performances in this year's 6 Nations tournament, this is our XV that, on current form, may just give the Kiwis a bit of a scare, although sometimes we've been forced to pick the best of a bad bunch.

6 Nations 2016 - Team of the Week - Round 4

This weekend saw England wrap up the 6 Nations title with a largely good performance against Wales, and we also saw a crushing victory for Ireland and a good performance from the Scots as they beat the French. Let's look at our team of the week, starting with the front row.

6 Nations 2016 - Team of the Week - Round 3

Good victories for Wales, Scotland and England at the weekend have put those players in good stead to claim a coveted spot in Four Balls's Team of the Week. if you haven't seen last week's, here it is. Now; let's crack on.

Talking Rugby In French - English to French Rugby Dictionary

Whether you're learning French, just moved there, on holiday during a game or even lucky enough to make the visit over for a 6 Nations match, it's always useful to know what the commentators or other fans are saying, so here are a few words/phrases you may want to learn before you head off.

6 Nations 2016 - Team of the Week - Round 2

In what was a relatively underwhelming week in terms of the quality of rugby that was played, we have endeavored to pick our best team. The Southern Hemisphere boys may well be shaking their heads in disgust at what they saw at the weekend, and rightly so, but we've selected a group of players that didn't destroy all hope for Nothern Hemisphere rugby, although the first two players we will mention played in one of the worst games to have graced television...

6 Nations 2016 - Key Men and Predictions

England:

With a change in head coach, how can England bounce back from a horribly disappointing World Cup campaign? Well, it starts with the right team selection, something Stuart Lancaster got so drastically wrong against Wales in the RWC. The future of English rugby is knocking on Eddie Jones’s door and he’d be foolish to ignore it. This isn’t suggesting that every youngster should start, but Beaumont will certainly be ready to play his part, and the likes of Itoje, Daly, Kvesic should all start given their form and the solutions they provide to England’s weaknesses in the World Cup. Our suggested starting lineup for the Scotland match suggests the direction Jones should go in, and if it wasn’t for Hartley being named captain we would very likely have seen Jamie George in that hooker spot. However, because the infamous New Zealand born Dylan Hartley is England’s captain, he will need to rise to the occasion and will be a key man for the men in white throughout this campaign. Any stupid penalties or any cards and the world gets to laugh at him and the England management. Good discipline will be so vital throughout this tournament.

RWC 2015 Team of the Tournament

As we reflect on the greatest World Cup of all time, we take the chance to pick our dream team. This is not necessarily the players that have performed the best at this tournament, but it is the team that has impressed the most.

Let's start by looking at the front row:

Kenny Logan's Reaction To Australia vs Scotland

This was really poor from Logan to jump on Joubert's back immediately, he talks about reflecting on what had happened when hardly a minute had gone by and he had no time to gather the facts of to properly analyse what had just happened.

A Note On Australia vs Scotland Feat. Craig Joubert and THAT Incident

It's easy to say Australia should thank the ref for their place in the Semi-Finals of the Rugby World Cup, but Scotland should thank;

1) Foley for being terrible today, including his stupid kick that got charged down.

2) Slipper playing a moronic pass in the key pivot position which led to the intercept try. Why are Australian even putting a replacement prop in that position?

3) The non-existent defending at the ruck that led to the other Scottish try. Australia appeared to try their best to give Scotland some tries today.

RWC 2015 - Quarter-Final Previews and Predictions

Now, our prediction of England to win the World Cup may have gone slightly terribly wrong, but the rest of it looked OK in the grand scheme of things, including the Georgia victory over Tonga, although punting for France to top their group was another misjudgement. Still, onwards and upwards, let's have a look at what lies ahead in the Rugby World Cup.

 

Australia vs Scotland - RWC 2015 Quarter-Final Prediction

This one will be rather straightforward. The Australians showed how they can punish teams with good, quick ball against England, and then they went on to prove against Wales that even with 13 men they can prevent a team scoring. Scotland on the other hand are lucky to be here. They scraped past Samoa, and beat a fatigued Japan side that arguably deserved a spot in the quarter-finals more than the Scots. If Scotland's defence is as sloppy as it was against Samoa, this could be truly embarassing for Cotter and his men.

RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015 - POOL B PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS