Jonah Lomu: Rugby Union's Great Decoder

By Shane Thomas

Sunday, 18th June 1995. I am 11 years old.

Having recently become a fan of rugby union, I am sitting on the rug in the front room of my home in Streatham, excitedly awaiting the upcoming World Cup semi-final between New Zealand and England. Despite the All Blacks going into the game as favourites, I was enthused at the prospect of an England victory.

England Need To Leave Their Complacency At Home

By Shane Thomas

In early 2012, the England men's cricket team was in a pretty good place. They soundly beat Australia a year previous to retain the Ashes, and then followed that up by thumping India 4-0 to become the world's best ranked Test side. They had assumed the mantle of the sport's playground bullies, and travelled to the United Arab Emirates to continue in this vein.

England's Children Taught Their Harshest Lesson

By Shane Thomas

I imagine it's always a thorny issue for a parent when their child hits a stage of near adulthood. One has to take care not to stifle their path to independence, but must also be cognisant of not giving them so much autonomy that they're not yet ready to handle.

It's a difficult balancing act[1], and is a task that Stuart Lancaster can probably relate too. When he goes through the futile but inevitable process of recounting what went wrong against Australia, and this entire World Cup campaign, he'll wonder if his players were the sporting equivalent of a group of adolescents, unable to be trusted to stay home on their own.

The Politics Of Sport - Why Do They Keep Getting Away With It?

By Shane Thomas

The point of a verdict in an inquiry, investigation, or legal proceedings is to act as a full stop. To clear the fog of questions surrounding an issue, remove the anxiety of indecision, and let us breathe because we now know where we stand.

The Women's World Cup - 5 Key Points

By Shane Thomas

At this point, I'd wager those who consider themselves progressive football fans are beginning to forget this summer's Women's World Cup. News of transfer rumours, and scrutinising the upcoming Premier League fixtures are at the forefront of one's mind, while the vicissitudes of the 24 teams in Canada are fading - like the remnants of a fever dream a few hours after waking up. Well, allow me to prolong the fever by enumerating five key take-aways from the tournament:

The Ashes 2015 Preview

By Shane Thomas

With the probable exception of the Summer Olympics, there's no sporting event I relish more than the Ashes. My dislike of the summer months is tempered by England versus Australia: five Test matches; a true and comprehensive examination of the cricketing strength of the two nations; cricket's oldest rivalry.

International Football's Changing Face

By Shane Thomas

One of the major narrative threads to come from this World Cup (given that much of the media refuse to acknowledge how the tournament is hurting part of Brazil's population) is how many of the more heralded nations have been below their best. As the business end of the competition begins, the four nations in the semi-finals have been inconsistent in terms of dominance.

The Last Laugh

By Shane Thomas

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." - Mike Tyson.

In the summer of 2013, Engand trounced Australia to win the 2nd Test by 347 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the 2013 Ashes series. In his post-match press conference at Lord's, Australia captain, Michael Clarke declared his belief that his Australia side could win the final three matches of the series to regain the Ashes. This statement elicited bouts of derisive laughter from the press, and likely many England cricket fans.

The Politics Of Sport - Good Immigrants

By Shane Thomas

Immigration may seem a peculiar topic when talking about sport, but it's something that has sprung to mind since Mo Farah has become one of Britain's most beloved sporting stars over the past couple of years.

The Politics Of Sport: A Caucasian Haven

By Shane Thomas 

This post has a couple of trigger warnings: 1) It will contain racist language, used for the purposes of reportage. 2) All of the video links embedded in this post are 'Not Safe for Work', due to both content & language. 

It's not often that I foray into the world of darts, but this story is one that shouldn't go ignored.

England's Final Test

By Shane Thomas


England have been a significant power at the top end of world cricket for long enough now to prove that it's no fluke. Fans can rub their eyes and realise they're not dreaming. After a generation of enduring mediocrity, and sometime worse, the phrase "English cricket" is no longer a national punchline.

Olympics Stars #5 - Sally Pearson

By Shane Thomas


While Australia often show up to the Olympics with hopes of finishing high in the medal table, it's not often that they look to the track for their successes. But in Sally Pearson, the 100 metre hurdler, they have arguably the most likely gold medal that we'll see in the Olympic Stadium.

Episode 47 - 2011 in Review (Part 3)

No guest host, but still tons of sport to review on this episode. Our penultimate year in review show takes on Cycling, Cricket, Swimming, Darts and Golf.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

Episode 44 - Basil D'Oliveira's Ashes Century in 1968

A big innings for the England cricket team, but an even more important one for the rest of the world. There was a time when South Africa's policy of apartheid was freely tolerated by many other countries. We talk about how one man swinging a cricket bat helped to change all that.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

Shane Williams: Rugby's Little Engine That Could

By Shane Thomas


Last Saturday, Wales played Australia in a post-World Cup encounter. However the near 62,000 people inside the Millennium Stadium were not there to watch a rugby union match. They were there to honour for the final time, winger Shane Williams.

Since making his international debut 12 years ago, Williams has been a legend of Welsh rugby. He is his country's record try scorer, the third highest try scorer of all time, and was awarded the IRB's award for World's Best Player in 2008.

The Excitement Of Test Cricket - So Where Is Everyone?

By Shane Thomas

Today provided us with arguably the most madcap day of Test cricket in 2011. Day 2 of the 1st Test between Australia and South Africa in Cape Town gave us a section of all four innings of play. The day started with Australia on 214/8, with them eventually being all out for 284, inspired by a superb knock of 151 from Michael Clarke.

At this point in the match, sanity went on holiday. South Africa came to the crease to begin their riposte and were promptly bowled out for a paltry 96, with Shane Watson going through the Proteas bating line-up like the proverbial dose of salts, taking 5 for 17 off only 20 deliveries. But whatever the Aussie bowlers can do...

All Hail The Playground Bullies

By Shane Thomas

This is a weird time to be a supporter of the England cricket team. For as long as I've watched the sport, English cricket has been little more than a punchline. Summer after summer brought mediocrity, annoyance and often defeat. While things began to improve at the turn of the millennium - never more so than the epic 2005 Ashes series - English cricket had a place; which tended to be looking up at the Australians, as they conquered all and sundry to underline their position as the world's best.

The Ashes Review - What England Did Right

By Shane Thomas

After years of disappointment and humiliation, England won an Ashes series in Australia for the first time in 24 years. Their 3-1 victory was a credit to the players and coaching staff, who all played their part in dominating the once mighty Australians and delighting those who stayed up at ungodly hours to watch and/or listen to the action. This has been one of English cricket's finest achievements, but what were the key factors that led to such a comprehensive success:

What's That Coming Over The Hill? - England's Next Test

By Shane Thomas

It seems that England are not allowing themselves to wallow in any form of self-congratulations after vanquishing Australia. And that's just as well. While winning an Ashes series in Oz is historic, it's no longer the game's pinnacle. Australia are not amongst the game's best sides any more. Right now, the world's best Test team are India. So it's apropos that the Indians visit these shores in the summer.

The Ashes - Series Ratings

By Shane Thomas

ENGLAND:

Andrew Strauss - Had a nightmare start after getting out to the third ball of the series. But recovered to have a solid time in Oz with the bat. His furious counter-attacking century was key to England's revival in the second innings in Brisbane. He wasn't at his best with the willow but never needed to be. His calm authority permeated through the side to allow them to perform at their best, particularly in the face of some fierce criticism after the heavy defeat in Perth - 8