Will we see another Six Nations surprise? (3 min read)

 

Last weekend round 4 of 5 was played in the 2026 Six Nations Rugby competition. It was one of the most unbelievable weekends in the history of the tournament.  Scotland played one of the best games of rugby ever seen in the 6 Nations by beating France 50-40, a scoreline nobody saw coming.  And Italy did something they have never done - their Men's national team beat England in a test rugby match. 

Viva Italia! (3 mins)

Winter Olympics medals standings 5pm EST on Feb 9th

Italy is having a moment.  Many of the best athletes from around the world are gathered in Italy right now to compete for Olympic glory.  

Upcoming "Four Nations" finale will decide the world's best Rugby team right now

South Africa's Springbok rugby team secured their biggest-ever win against New Zealand's All Blacks in Wellington on September 13, 2025, with a dominant 43-10 scoreline in the "Four Nations" Rugby Championship.  After trailing 10-7 at halftime, the Springboks scored 36 unanswered points in the second half, that included a flurry of tries from numerous Springboks.  The highlights and player reactions are in the video below.   

The Rugby Championship "Four Nations" tournament

In 1996, a rugby competition was established to create a southern hemisphere equivalent to the Northern Hemisphere's Six Nations Championship.  The Six Nations Rugby is phenomenally popular in Europe and has even developed a large fanbase in North America given the widely acclaimed Netflix Series, Six Nations: Full Contact.

Six Nations Rugby Points Permutations

The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union tournament contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales.  It holds the distinction of being the oldest international rugby tournament and one of the world's oldest sporting competitions.   

OLYMPICS SUMMARY (BEFORE PARIS)

Here is a summary of statistics and results from the Summer Olympics over the course of history (last 128 years).  The first table is the historical medal count for all Modern Summer Olympics prior to Paris 2024:

	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States	1061	830	738	2629
2	Russia	608	515	501	1624
3	Germany	438	457	491	1386
4	Great Britain	284	318	314	916
5	China	263	199	174	636
6	France	223	251	277	751
7	Italy	217	188	213	618
8	Hungary	181	154	176	511
9	Japan	169	150	178	497
10	Australia	164	173	210	547

Pre-Paris historical number of medals per million of population for the top countries (Russia includes former USSR, Germany includes former East and West):

A breakdown of who'll qualify for the Champions Cup rugby

Today, Saturday May 25th, 2024, saw Leinster's woes continue as French side Toulouse emerged victorious in a thrilling extra-time battle in the 2023-24 Investec Champions Cup Finals. This 31-22 victory marks a record-extending sixth European title for the French giants, leaving their Irish counterparts heartbroken for the third year running.

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?

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. 

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.

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.  

Cape Town Sevens rugby result

Yesterday, December 10th 2023, beautiful Cape Town, South Africa, hosted the final day of the second leg of the HSBC Sevens Series Rugby in perfect weather.  All the Men's and Women's teams played quarterfinals, semis and finals rugby matches on Sunday in front of a boisterous rugby-mad crowd. 

World Rugby Classic Bermuda: A Week of Legends and Camaraderie

World Rugby Classic Bermuda is a unique event that brings together former international rugby players, most of whom are over 33 years old, for a week of intense competition and camaraderie. Taking place annually over the week of Veteran's Day/Remembrance Day, the tournament provides a stage for these legends to relive their glory days while showcasing their enduring passion for the sport. This year, the competition was fiercer than ever, with teams from France, USA, Canada, Ireland, Argentina, Italy, the British Lions, and South Africa battling it out for the coveted trophy. 

The Springboks do it again, 4 time world champs!

                               

In a thrilling display of grit and determination, on October 28th 2023 South Africa etched their names in Rugby World Cup history once again, defeating New Zealand 12-11 in a nail-biting final at Stade de France in Saint-Denis (Paris), France. This triumph marked South Africa's fourth Rugby World Cup title, cementing their position as one of the sport's most dominant teams. From the outset, the match was a tense affair, with both teams showcasing their defensive prowess. South Africa's resolute defense, led by captain Siya Kolisi, proved to be a formidable obstacle for the All Blacks, who struggled to break through their unwavering wall of green and gold. South Africa's flyhalf Handre Pollard proved to be the difference-maker on the night, maintaining his 100% kicking record in Paris and guiding the ball through the posts with four crucial penalties. His accuracy and composure under immense pressure were instrumental in maintaining South Africa's lead throughout the match.  

France Stuns All Blacks in Rugby World Cup Opener

And...we are back from a summer break with a bang! Last night, September 8th 2023, the Rugby World Cup kicked off as hosts France stunned the sport's most dominant team historically, the All Blacks, by 27 points to 13. The match, played at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, was a pulsating affair that saw both teams trade blows in front of a passionate crowd. The French started brightly and took an early lead through a try from Damian Penaud. The All Blacks responded with a try of their own from Mark Telea, but France continued to press forward and were rewarded with a second try from Penaud, this time in the corner. The All Blacks fought back in the second half and reduced the deficit to just three points, but France were not to be denied. Two late tries from Melvyn Jaminet and Antoine Dupont sealed a memorable victory for the hosts. 

Auckland Rugby Showdown

The All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby side, are the most successful rugby team in the world. They have won the Rugby World Cup three times and they have a winning percentage of over 77% in international matches. This means that any team that plays the All Blacks is facing a very tough challenge, and even more so when playing them on their home soil. New Zealand is a passionate rugby country. The All Blacks are considered national heroes, and the atmosphere at a rugby match in New Zealand is electric. This can be a major factor in home advantage, as the crowd can really get behind the team and create a hostile environment for the opposition. And the All Blacks have a unique playing style. They are known for their aggressive running game and their ability to score tries from anywhere on the field. This can be a very difficult style to defend against, especially in New Zealand, where the conditions are often favorable for running rugby. 

And your Major League Rugby winner is the New England Free Jacks

The 2023 Major League Rugby Championship Final was played today, Saturday July 8th 2023, at SeatGeek Stadium in Chicago, Illinois. The match featured the San Diego Legion and the New England Free Jacks, who were the top two teams in the league's regular season. The Legion entered the match as the favorites, having won a league-record 14 consecutive games. However, the Boston-based team were able to pull off the upset, winning 25-24.