Spectator sport
The parallels between Anna Kournikova and Emma Raducanu
Who can turn lying on a hospital gurney into a photo op? Emma Raducanu can, of course – beaming as…
Harry Kane is many things – but he’s not a leader
What’s not to love about David de Gea? Manchester United’s goalkeeper might appear to have it all: a humongous salary,…
Football’s growing shame
It would take a brave man to pick a fight with Roy Keane, and nobody could quarrel with his view…
In praise of Sharron Davies
It’s been quite a while since we celebrated any of Sharron Davies’s considerable achievements in the pool – well, a…
What’s going wrong with English rugby
Rejoice, as you don’t normally say after a hammering like the peerless French dished out to England at Twickenham. But…
A Test match for the ages
Readers of a certain vintage might be familiar with the work of J.A. (Charles) Cuddon, a teacher at Emanuel School…
England rugby must try harder
The first two rounds of the Six Nations have exploded across the sporting landscape insuperlative – draining displays of skill…
Why England vs Scotland is always one to watch
If you think the Calcutta Cup is just any old rugby match between England and Scotland, then the latest in…
Is Eddie Jones’s fate written in the stars?
Something is happening here, and you do know what it is, don’t you Mr Jones? Stargazers – and even some…
Let’s scrap the January transfer window
Norwich City are a likeable club, and currently run by a pleasant-seeming bloke called Allan Russell. He used to be…
Wesley Hall represents everything that cricket should be
Few sights in the history of cricket have been more thrilling – or more terrifying for batsmen – than the…
Eddie Jones must go
So should he stay or should he go? That’s Eddie ‘I don’t really care what other people think’ Jones, currently…
Rugby’s new golden age
This column may have been somewhat negative about the future of rugby recently – so how cheering to report a…
The future of sport is in the Middle East
When the burly honchos of the Rugby League World Cup gushed about taking the game to new heights, no one…
Rugby union needs its own Richard Thompson
Dear oh dear, as exasperated kings are known to murmur – just look at the state of rugby union. But…
English rugby is in crisis
Make no mistake: the game of rugby, which many of us love so much, is in serious trouble: it will…
Is there any limit to what Erling Haaland can do?
Don’t bother watching those gazillion-dollar TV prequels to The Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. Who needs gratuitous…
Drama at Lord’s: Stumped is a treat for cricket fans
So farewell to cricket’s The Hundred tournament, or what seemed by the end to be beefy South Africans in ‘Butterkist’…
I fancy Emma Raducanu’s chances at Flushing Meadows
British tennis fans famously only acknowledge the sport exists for a couple of weeks in the middle of summer in…
What Richard Thompson can do for English cricket
Well alleluia, English cricket doesn’t seem able to put a foot wrong these days. After hitting three cherries with Rob…
I’ve seen the future of motor racing, and it’s quiet
Are petrolheads’ days numbered? I only ask because having just been introduced to the quiet, petrol-less world of Formula E,…
How Kyrgios saved Wimbledon
What separates this year’s ‘empty seats on centre court’ scandal from every other year’s ‘empty seats on centre court’ scandal?…
Is any sporting event more brutal than the Tour de France?
That great Frenchman the Marquis de Sade would have been justly proud of the Tour de France had he lived…
The brilliance of Ben Stokes
Test cricket, bloody hell! For years, it’s been getting the last rites – now it’s the most exciting way anyone…
Rob Burrow is in a league of his own
What a privilege the other night to see Rob Burrow, the Rugby League legend, win Autobiography of the Year at…