Phil Harlow (archive)
- Mark Orlovac
- 20 Mar 07, 01:45 PM
London - So after five weekends of thrilling action, the dust has settled on another Six Nations campaign.
Before the tournament started, our team of ±«Óătv Six Nations bloggers sat down to select a combined team of the tournament and we did the same three games in.
Now hostilities have come to an end, the votes have been painstakingly counted and we can exclusively reveal what we think is our definitive starting XV.
Triple crown winners Ireland provide six of the team, with champions France and Italy having four players apiece.
Youngster David Strettle is England's only selection while Wales and Wooden Spoonists Scotland miss out altogether.
Six players from the original team have kept their places, and interestingly five of them are in the pack.
Let us know what you think of our selections, what we've got right, what we've got wrong, and let us know how your Six Nations XV would look.
Continue reading "Team of the Tournament"
- Phil Harlow, ±«Óătv Sport journalist
- 18 Mar 07, 10:30 AM
Cardiff - James Hook's outstanding display against England has given new hope to a Wales team that had looked bereft of it for much of the Six Nations.
But it has also provided coach Gareth Jenkins with a rather tricky selection dilemma in the very near future.
Continue reading "Do believe the hype"
- Phil Harlow, ±«Óătv Sport journalist
- 18 Mar 07, 09:21 AM
Millennium Stadium - Wales secured their first win of the Six Nations and avoided the Wooden Spoon with a hard-earned 27-18 win over England in Cardiff.
See what you think of my player ratings for both sides.
Continue reading "Wales v England player ratings"
- Phil Harlow, ±«Óătv Sport journalist
- 14 Mar 07, 02:39 PM
Bath - England coach Brian Ashton may have only made to face Wales on Saturday.
But he certainly retains his reputation as a ruthless selector.
After starting all Six Nations matches so far, Josh Lewsey has been cast out of the entire squad following a disappointing performance against France.
His replacement by Sale winger Mark Cueto, who has never played at fullback for his country before and who has made only a handful of appearances in the position for his club, suddenly means his international future is looking a little uncertain.
Continue reading "Will Lewsey feature in Ashton's future plans?"
- Phil Harlow, ±«Óătv Sport journalist
- 13 Mar 07, 11:14 AM
London - As we count down to the , there are still four teams with a chance - mathematically speaking, at any rate - of winning the title.
If, like me, maths in not your strong point, pens, paper, a calculator and a protractor may well be required for what follows....
Continue reading "Our Six Nations permutations guide"
- Phil Harlow
- 7 Mar 07, 01:08 PM
Bath - England's players could not have asked for better conditions to practise the heads-up rugby to which they aspire.
On a beautiful sunny morning at the University of Bath, England's training session got underway an hour later than scheduled at 11 o'clock, much to the relief of the waiting pack of photographers.
But any insights into what to expect from England are few and far between with media access to the session strictly limited to 20 minutes.
And when I say strict, I mean strict.
Continue reading "Clock ticking on England training"
- Phil Harlow
- 27 Feb 07, 12:48 PM
After the pivotal third weekend, the is starting to look more settled.
France are the only team who can still achieve the Grand Slam, while Wales, with three straight defeats, are looking up at the rest of the sides.
Ireland are on course for a Triple Crown, but England took a big step backwards with their massive defeat in Dublin.
Italy showed they are a genuine force in the tournament with their first ever away win over a misfiring Scotland.
I've assessed the state of play with two weekends left to go.
Continue reading "Six Nations state of play"
- Phil Harlow
- 24 Feb 07, 05:48 PM
Ireland produced a tremendous display to record their best ever win over England in a pulsating encounter at Croke Park.
See if you agree with my ratings for both sides.
Continue reading "Ireland v England player ratings"
- Phil Harlow
- 17 Jan 07, 01:29 PM
My rugby âcareerâ peaked in the early 1990s as a member of the now-legendary Mitcham junior side which reached - and lost - the Surrey Cup final two years in a row.
Since those heady days I have turned out for Croydon and Chipstead as one of the least prolific wingers in England, while writing on infinitely more talented players on the ±«Óătv Sport website.
Iâve also worked on a variety of other sporting events including the World Snooker Championship, Wimbledon and rugby leagueâs Challenge Cup and Grand Final.
Outside of sport, I love my music and purport to be a DJ... even if only two people have let me play in public to date.
Iâm also getting married in the summer (sorry girls), and am discovering the joys of wedding planning on an almost daily basis.
As for claims to fame, Iâm struggling. My mum used to teach Millwall midfielder Neil Ardley, and he was âa nice ladâ apparently.
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