[https://salespodder.com/content/images/wordpress/2011/09/2003-england-rugby-world-cup-winners.jpg] As the latest Rugby World Cup kicks-off in New Zealand there’s been a great deal of reflection in England upon the past two tournaments. England were crowned champions in 2003 and runners-up in 2007. When they conquered all, England

So the GB team hit its target for the World Athletics champs. I was riveted by the event this past week. It had so much compelling raw sport drama with countless close comps, the latest Usain Bolt soap instalment and discovering Sally Pearson. As for my team, seven medals was

The Boss wants everyone to pull together as a team. The quota-busters at the coal-face prefer to plough their own furrow. In as much isolation as possible. Here’s the paradox. Every single sales function I’ve ever worked with has called itself a “team”. Yet as I write I

[http://www.formans.co.uk/home.php] What a terrific day the Hackney Wick festival [www.hackneywickfestival.org.uk/] indeed was. A highly promising space in the locale of the stunning Olympic Park. Currently being transformed by a bohemian influence, with all manner of entertaining lesbian colonies, acid casualties and

I do love my sport-selling insights. And I can hardly contain myself waiting for my once home town Edgbaston match. Will England topple India to climb to World Number One Test Cricket Team? For the first time… Much has been written about not only this incredible ascent, but can England

What a pleasure to watch Darren Clarke unexpectedly romp home to golf Major glory on Sunday. The record book updates are startling. No one has first won one of the big four after so many attempts. Only a handful of 40-plus aged players have a slam to their name, let

A last thought as provoked by the tennis just gone. The undoubted turning point of the Nadal-Murray semi-final was at 15-30 Nadal serving, at 1-2 down and having lost the first set. It was beautifully illuminated by Boris Johnsonthus [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/borisjohnson/8614808/Wimbledon-2011-Game-set-and-tax-why-Andy-Murray-will-always-get-clobbered.html]

A bonus blog having just watched the women’s tennis slam final in London. It turns out the title of this post was both a text sent by former champ Billie Jean King (to Maria Sharapova before she won the 2008 Open in Melbourne) and a book she co-wrote. As

Birmingham City won their first major silverware since ’63 this season. Then got relegated. Not pretty. Only now do I feel able to mention this in public. This is because we now must have “hope in our heart” with a new manager. Two thoughts occurred to me from this season

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Meadows] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_van_Commenee] The Dutch head of UK Athletics enjoys a reputation as somewhat of a hard man. Charles van Commenee could well be the most cartoonesque one-man case study on tough man-management in world sport. I thoroughly

[http://www.tensator.com/showroom/tensabarrier-posts.aspx] I learned of one brand name in the marketplace for those barriers you get where the seat-belt style fabric slots into a pole, so beloved by airports and New York clubs. I caught the start of the Istanbul Grand Prix today, and the

The World’s fourth priciest footballer recently suffered an embarrassing 903-minute wait for his first goal at his new club. Fernando Torres [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Torres] was the subject of plenty of pundit advice during his drought. Most of it was rubbish of course, but a pair

So England failed to nail the Grand Slam. Hammered by an Ireland presumably embarrassed they’d been previously absent from the tournament. Catching the interviews from the game beforehand I was struck by one response from a young Scottish player. In assessing the impact of beating Italy to avoid the

I watched a documentary on a plane from 2004 about a legendary 80s Decathlon rivalry. Les grands duels du sport heard plenty from both affable German Jürgen Hingsen and irreverent Brit Daley Thompson. The German was thought the superior athlete, regularly holding the world record, yet never beat his tougher

Arh, yes. The revelling in such Ashes glory. With so much to admire from an English perspective, cricket writers have since been beside themselves to try and put fingers on how such a monumental thrashing of the big enemy came to pass. One example came from the always enjoyable Vic

Has there been a more one-sided Ashes day’s play in living memory? Not one single observer seems to think so. England’s dominance over woeful Australia was as superior as it was surprising. With the Perth hammering metered out by the hosts, you’d have though momentum was all

With the Ashes Down Under starting with such an enthralling First Test, I’m reminded to talk cricket. In fact, there are two types of sport aren’t there? American sports, and the proper ones that everyone else plays. Firmly in the latter category for me is indeed the wonder

Extreme athlete (and fantastic eco-warrior)Braam Malherbe [www.braammalherbe.com] recently ran 4,218km along the Great Wall of China. It took 98 days, at an average of 43km a day. It was the latest in a long list of fund-raising efforts and climate and inequality awareness projects. Also apparently

A documentary crew filmed the year preceding Delhi’s Commonwealth Games for its 16 year old gold medal diver, Tom Daley. Despite being more about the inter-personal dynamic between father and son, there was one juicy selling moment. It came from British Diving’s Performance Director, the highly qualified [http:

Reacting to an abysmal World Cup, the BBC wasted our licence fee with Gary Lineker’s pitiful Can England Win The Next World Cup [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9051737.stm]. Whoever told the presenter he makes an investigative journalist needs to be shot. Lacking coherent argument,

The Ryder Cup is terrific. It’s such a shame that in keeping with the worldwide sporting malaise, its administrators leave the interest of the paying spectator in tatters. Still, after a rejigged intinerary, The Europe team were behind. Their coach, Colin Montgomerie, felt that his golfers were flat and

The allure of snooker seems on the rise. Although nowhere near its Eighties heyday, the current World Open is gathering plenty of comment. The quickfire first to three frames format of the early rounds apparently puts a lot of pressure on shots to which such force would not normally apply.