The best club rugby in the world gets complicated

A big weekend of global sports is upon us. 

Singapore hosts the Rugby Sevens and LIV Golf. F1 comes to Miami.  SailGP comes to Bermuda. There are NSL events in Rhode Island and Nashville.  The Investec Champions Cup rugby semifinals happen in Ireland and in France.  Finally, the Challenger Cup semifinals take place too on Saturday.  This is the second division of European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR).  

The EPCR Challenger Cup semis are both being contested in England.  The matchups are the Sharks (Durban, South Africa) vs Clermont (Central France) and Gloucester (west of England) vs Benetton (outside Venice, Italy).  After the finals are played on May 24th one of these four teams will emerge victorious and thereby qualify for the Investec Champions Cup next season, the "Champions League" of European rugby, and the strongest club rugby competition in the world.

But how does it all work, you may wonder?

Your chance to own a professional sports team

If I told you there was a new professional sports league in the US where the teams were named the Tornadoes, the Colts, the Grizzlies, the Crushers, the Knights, and the Dragons, what sport would you think of?  The US big four sports certainly come to mind.  And the new LIV Golf tour has team names like that.  Pickleball and Padel are growing fast, but they are not really fierce enough to warrant names like that, are they?  So, what sport could it be, maybe they are rugby team names. 

A Ryder Cup of Squash?

The view greeting you when you fly in to Bermuda

(Author's note:  First published in November 2012)

Every November for the last five years, I have attended the Bermuda Squash Challenge. This year there were 64 amateur squash players from various countries around the world in attendance. The nations represented were the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, South Africa and Bermuda of course. It is never very hard for those that travel to enjoy everything the island has to offer. There is world class golf, sailing, snorkeling and diving; and at the end of one of these long hard days in the sun one can enjoy a nice refreshing 'dark and stormy' or two, or more.

LIV looms large as the Masters tees off in Augusta

Yesterday at Augusta National Jon Rahm hosted the Masters Champions Dinner, an annual event for all the prior winners of the golf tournament. The golf itself kicks off today at 10.30am EST after a rain delayed start. It promises high drama both on and off the course. While 13 LIV Golf players are set to tee off among the 88-man field, their participation remains a contentious issue within the sport.

SailGP ignites NZ with record crowds, crashes and a dolphin delay

The SailGP season is exciting and complicated.  The most recent leg in Christchurch, New Zealand, saw the Black Foils (the home team) win and take the top spot on the leaderboard from Australia.  The US team lies 6th after 9 events. There are only 4 more events this season, all 4 of which are in the North America region, so at least one is a drive or short flight from you if you are based in the US or Canada.   

A Humble Southern Hemisphere Hero #2, Siya Kolisi

"Rise: A Siya Kolisi Story" is a powerful and inspiring documentary that chronicles the journey of Siya Kolisi, the first Black captain of the South African national rugby union team, the Springboks. The film delves into Kolisi's remarkable rise from poverty and adversity to become a national hero, leading the Springboks to a historic victory in the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He also led the team to victory in the subsequent Rugby World Cup last year in 2023.  He is one of only two captains to have achieved this in the history of the sport of rugby. 

Liverpool's Quadruple Hopes Dashed by Man U

The FA Cup, also known as the Emirates FA Cup due to sponsorship, is a storied knockout tournament in England.  It's the oldest national football competition in the world, dating back to 1871.  

The FA Cup is unique and distinct from the Premier League itself in that it involves professional teams from both the Premier League and English Football League, but also some semi-professional clubs. That means hundreds of teams vying for glory!  

Super Saturday points permutations for the 6 Nations

This Saturday is the fifth and final round of the 2024 Six Nations matches.  The firm favorite to win this year are Ireland.  They face Scotland at Dublin's Aviva Stadium.  England face France in Lyon a few hours after the Dublin match.  The Ireland-Scotland rugby match holds immense significance for the home team, with the entire Championship title on the line.

A Humble Southern Hemisphere Hero #1: Leo Messi

Lionel "Leo" Messi may be a global icon today, but once upon a time he was a young boy with big dreams in a small town in Argentina called Rosario. At that time Argentinian economy was not doing well and the people were suffering. In Rosario itself the unemployment rate around then was at least 20%. Messi was born in 1987, the third child out of four in his family. His parents both had blue collar jobs and they lived a humble life. Young Leo followed his brother and cousins to play football (soccer) every day. It was Messi's grandmother that eventually bought the young man his first football boots when he was 8 years old.  

Who is the Greatest Of All Time in F1?

Hamilton is not the first world champion to move to Ferrari with grand ambitions.  But history offers mixed results for such high-profile moves.  Let us take a walk down memory lane shall we.

Hamilton announces 2025 move to Ferrari in F1 bombshell

The recent announcement of Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari in 2025 sent shockwaves through Formula One. Hamilton is a 7-time world champ and, arguably, the greatest ever F1 driver. Ferrari is the sport's most decorated team.

    The Ferrari team boasts an illustrious and successful history in Formula One, it has 16 World Constructors' Championships, the most in F1 history.  And it has 15 Drivers' Championship wins.  

Back-to-Back Super Bowl glory for Kansas City Chiefs

The confetti still shimmers in Las Vegas, and the roar of Arrowhead Stadium echoes in the hearts of Chiefs fans everywhere. Yes, the Kansas City Chiefs have done it again, securing their second consecutive Super Bowl title with a thrilling 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. This was only the second time in history that overtime was played in a Super Bowl, and the first time under the new rules.

Olympic Rugby is coming to Los Angeles early

Sevens rugby is coming Los Angeles early, 4 years before it appears in the LA 2028 Olympic Games. The HSBC Sevens Series is the premier sevens rugby tournament in the world, featuring the best 12 men's and 12 women's teams. The Los Angeles leg of the series is always a popular event, and this year's tournament is shaping up to be even bigger and better than ever before.  

From Down Underdog to Wizard of Oz

The 2024 Australian Open that wrapped up this weekend was a thrilling tournament that saw some unexpected results. On the women's side, Aryna Sabalenka successfully defended her title, defeating Qinwen Zheng in the final. Sabalenka is now a two-time Grand Slam champion and has established herself as one of the best players in the world. In the men's singles final, 22-year-old Jannik Sinner staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Daniil Medvedev in five sets, claiming his first Grand Slam title. Sinner became the youngest Australian Open champion since Pete Sampras in 1994. 

SailGP, a glimpse into the future of sport

SailGP is revolutionizing the world of sailing, taking it to exhilarating new heights. Just imagine Formula One cars moving on water. The speeds are terrifying to an observer. The closer you are the crazier it is. To those on the boat its insane. They are not riding aboard a sailboat, they are riding flying machines that skim across waves at breakneck speeds, hulls mere inches above the water. 

Squash's Olympic trials and tribulations are not over

The sport of squash is 200 years old and has had - at its peak - around 25 million regular participants hailing from almost every country on earth. Squash boasts a thriving international presence, with the PSA professional circuit drawing top talent from across the globe. From the powerhouse nations of Egypt, England, and France to rising stars in Peru, Colombia, and the US, the sport's competitive landscape is incredibly diverse and exciting. This global reach makes squash a perfect fit for the Olympics, where athletes from all corners of the world come together to celebrate excellence and sportsmanship.