(Guest Post) The Politics of Sport: Divided Ireland - A Footballing Rivalry

By Sathesh Alagappan

For the first time this summer, both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will be playing at the European Championships, making it a fitting time to explore the long-running rivalry between these not-so-friendly neighbours.

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.

Euro 2012 Preview

By Shane Thomas

GROUP A:

POLAND:

The co-hosts are the lowest FIFA ranked team in the tournament, but there's a history of hosts (or co-hosts) overachieving at the Euros; Sweden in '92 and England in '96 being strong examples.

The Lessons To Learn From Dublin

By Shane Thomas

Let's not mince words. England weren't beaten by Ireland at Landsdowne Road last Saturday (I'm going to try to avoid referring to it as the AVIVA Stadium), they took a beating. This is a relatively young England side who have achieved success in quite a short time. Ireland on the other hand, are a team of slightly grizzled, gnarled players, who have begun to look over the hill since winning the Grand Slam back in 2009.