On the Ball: The Rugby Union Conference

Today is the first day of On the Ball: The Rugby Union Conference! I am very excited to be co-hosting this virtual, free event along with Steven Flynn of Kings Chambers. For full details of the event, including the schedule…

The Veilomani Report – World Rugby’s Governance Review

I am very pleased to have assisted Pacific Rugby Players Welfare ("PRPW") with the drafting of the Veilomani Report - its submissions to World Rugby's Governance Review. Veilomani is the Fijian term for loving one another and working together constructively.…

Creating an Eligibility Test for the World Rugby Council

It is election time for World Rugby. The elections for both the Chairman/Vice-Chairman and Executive Committee of rugby’s international governing body are underway, with the result to be formally announced on 12 May 2020, and there has already been plenty…

A detailed review of disciplinary proceedings at Rugby World Cup 2019 (Part 1)

The following article was co-authored by Kevin Carpenter and I, and published by LawInSport. It has been in the pipeline for some time, but we hope that it provides a comprehensive analysis of the disciplinary decisions of Rugby World Cup…

Rugby’s Week from Hell

The past week might just have been the worst week of rugby news in history. Not ‘the worst’ because it has been dull – far from it – ‘the worst’ in the sense that almost all the news has been…

Rugby’s ‘World’ League: A Cash Cow Cartel

This article was originally published in The Rugby Magazine a new media platform bringing rugby to life; stories, history, analysis and the most comprehensive fantasy rugby game available.   "Fans want to see meaningful games; they don’t want to see fatigued…

Autumn Internationals Disciplinary Review

The 2018 Autumn Internationals have come and gone without a single red card or suspension – in the men’s game, at least. Surely, this is something we should be celebrating? A cleaner and safer game is in the interests of…

Rugby’s Summer of Crime

This summer, rugby has hit the headlines for many reasons – not all of them good. There have been a trio of incidents which have seen players charged with criminal offences, leaving something of a shadow hanging over the sport…

Pulu & Nacewa: the Invalidity of Eligibility

In what is merely the latest drama surrounding World Rugby’s eligibility rules, former Niue international sevens player, Toni Pulu, has been declared eligible for Australia. The new Brumbies signing hit the headlines this week after rumours circulated that he had…

Changing Rugby’s Eligibility Rules: a short-term fix for a long-term problem

Pacific Rugby Players Welfare (PRPW) has announced its intention to petition World Rugby for drastic changes to its international eligibility rules. The desired amendment would allow players who have already represented a ‘Tier 1’ nation, such as New Zealand, to…