Let us have our old game back, warts and all – give power to the referee and scrap the Television Match Official

Rugby referees have seen their authority undermined by video replays. Get rid of them and allow the man in the middle to decide Needless: There was a farcical moment at Twickenham when Nigel Owens stopped Beauden Barrett from taking a conversion to belatedly consult the TMO over a try he had already awarded Photo: ACTION IMAGES […]

Size does matter, but how much?

Michael Moynihan In the aftermath you may have missed it, but the remarks bear revisiting. Paul O’Connell, speaking before Ireland played South Africa last weekend, had an observation or two about physical presence. “There is no doubt about it, the physical part of the game is suited to the South Africans,” said O’Connell. “There is […]

Former NFL players revolt against pill-popping ‘no pain, no gain’ culture

A typical collision in an NFL game. Retired footballers abuse opioid pain pills at a rate more than four times the general population. Photograph: Christian Petersen/Getty Images. Powerful league under pressure from class action lawsuit and DEA investigation Some former NFL players are alleging that before games they were given Toradol, an anti-inflammatory drug commonly […]