Chris Hewett
How we’ll miss Smith’s brilliant sporting mind
CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED Starring role: Brian Smith playing for Ireland in 1990 Five Nations PICTURE: Getty Images WHERE do we begin with Brian Smith, one...
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Peter Jackson
/ 10 hours agoBarrett hanging on for his final hurrah
PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW WHEN it comes to elite fly-halves raging against the dying of the light,...
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Columnists
/ 1 week agoPeter Winterbottom: Time to find out what Henry Pollock can do from the start as England’s No.8
The former England, Lions and Harlequins flanker believes Henry Pollock has done enough to earn a starting role at No.8, while...
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Columnists
/ 1 week agoNick Easter: Absolutely crazy! RFU eligibility rules are madness and must go…
Nick Easter calls for the RFU to scrap its overseas eligibility rules, arguing England should be free to select their best...
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Features
/ 1 week agoPaul Rees: People are suffering so let’s help, says Phil Vickery
Paul Rees on the legal battles over claims of brain injuries...
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Club Rugby
/ 1 week agoPaul Rees: The WRU’s licence to cull is really about control
Paul Rees argues the Welsh Rugby Union’s decision to reduce the country’s professional regions from four to three is ultimately about...
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Columnists
/ 1 week agoPeter Jackson: Martin Johnson leads praise for the unsung Lions of ’46
Peter Jackson revisits the remarkable 1946 Lions tour of Australia, highlighting the courage, resilience and extraordinary stories of the players who...
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Columnists
/ 1 week agoNeil de Kock: Brendan Venter will bring a new energy to Saracens
Neil de Kock believes Brendan Venter can bring fresh energy to Saracens as he returns as director of rugby, with Mark...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 1 week agoBrendan Gallagher: £1m deal for Northampton Saints star Henry Pollock is a long way off yet
Brendan Gallagher argues Henry Pollock’s growing profile could make him a future marquee player, but believes a £1m Northampton Saints contract...
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Columnists
/ 1 week agoPaul Williams: Wales need to get a kick out of their No.10
Paul Williams argues Wales should prioritise a fly-half with an elite kicking game, rather than chasing the traditional creative No.10, as...
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Feature
/ 1 week agoNick Eastwood’s fiscal talent behind RFU’s success
Nick Cain looks back on the life of Nick Eastwood, former Finance Director of the RFU, who has died at the...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 2 weeks agoBrendan Gallagher: France are keeping the global game alive ahead of the Rugby World Cup
Brendan Gallagher examines how French rugby has become the driving force behind the global game, providing vital support for Tier 2...
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Columnists
/ 2 weeks agoPeter Jackson: All Blacks v Springboks – The thrilling series that will grip the rugby world
Peter Jackson says the return of a four-Test series between South Africa and New Zealand is the blockbuster rugby has been...
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Chris Hewett
/ 2 weeks agoChris Hewett: Jac Morgan is the lad to get the Shed singing at Gloucester
Chris Hewett believes Jac Morgan can become a defining figure for Gloucester as the Wales captain joins a recruitment drive that...
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Columnists
/ 2 weeks agoPaul Williams: It’s time for Welsh rugby to look to the future and not live in the past
Paul Williams argues Welsh rugby must stop dwelling on past mistakes and embrace the major changes ahead as the professional game...
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Columnists
/ 2 weeks agoKyran Bracken: Immanuel Feyi-Waboso blew me away, he’s genuinely world class
World Cup winner Kyran Bracken believes England are heading in the right direction after their Nations Championship campaign, with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso...
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Autumn Internationals
/ 2 weeks agoPaul Rees: France must be northern stars in the Nations Championship
France have emerged as the leading northern hemisphere challengers after the opening phase of the Nations Championship, but Paul Rees believes...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 2 weeks agoBrendan Gallagher: When Bill Oddie dreamt of winning a Blue
Brendan Gallagher recalls the rugby ambitions of comedy legend Bill Oddie, who played as a No.10 for three years in the...
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Columnists
/ 3 weeks agoJeremy Guscott: The TMO is part of our world but the referee must have the final say
Jeremy Guscott believes the TMO is now an essential part of modern rugby, but says World Rugby must introduce clearer protocols...
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Columnists
/ 3 weeks agoPeter Jackson: Not much sign that Wales can close gap
Peter Jackson argues there is little evidence Wales are closing the gap on the world’s best, warning the WRU must replace...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 3 weeks agoBrendan Gallagher: Referees should not be above criticism
Brendan Gallagher argues World Rugby was wrong to punish Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada for criticising the officials, insisting referees can no...
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Columnists
/ 3 weeks agoNick Cain: England’s direction of travel still unclear
Nick Cain believes England’s summer ended with encouraging signs, but says Steve Borthwick still has major questions to answer over discipline,...
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Chris Hewett
/ 3 weeks agoChris Hewett: It’s time for Argentina to spice things up again
Chris Hewett questions why Argentina have lost their reputation as rugby’s great disruptors, arguing the Pumas must rediscover their edge and...
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Autumn Internationals
/ 3 weeks agoPaul Rees: Southern giants lay down an early Nations Championship marker
Paul Rees sees the south on top in the Nations Championship and says the TMO acting as referee is a system...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 3 weeks agoLions musn’t be pussycats
SHOULD the Lions play Italy before heading off to New Zealand in 2029? I don’t see any reason why not. But...
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Autumn Internationals
/ 4 weeks agoPaul Rees: England boss Steve Borthwick fails to make most of his opportunities
Paul Rees believes England’s summer tour produced results but failed to answer the bigger questions, with Steve Borthwick missing a valuable...
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Columnists
/ 4 weeks agoJeremy Guscott: Yes, South Africa are good … but they’re beatable
Jeremy Guscott believes South Africa’s strength in depth makes them the team to beat, but insists the Springboks are not unbeatable...
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Columnists
/ 4 weeks agoNick Cain: England boss Steve Borthwick must sort out his back row now
Nick Cain says Steve Borthwick must stop delaying the big selection calls, insisting Henry Pollock deserves the No.7 shirt and urging...
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Chris Hewett
/ 4 weeks agoChris Hewett: Forget world rankings, it’s trophies that count
Chris Hewett argues that while world rankings have their uses, they count for little compared with winning trophies as rugby’s biggest...
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Features
/ 4 weeks agoPaul Rees: Steve Borthwick must look beyond the showman and trust Henry Pollock for England
Paul Rees examines the contradiction in Steve Borthwick’s England selection policy and why the head coach must look beyond Henry Pollock’s...
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Features
/ 4 weeks agoPaul Rees: Don’t ban criticism of the TMO
Paul Rees believes coaches should be free to question the TMO system as World Rugby searches for ways to speed up...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 4 weeks agoBrendan Gallagher: Nations Championship proves the big boys are still not playing nice
Brendan Gallagher believes the Nations Championship is reinforcing rugby’s old hierarchy, with the sport’s biggest nations continuing to protect their own...
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Club Rugby
/ 4 weeks agoPrem review: Alex Sanderson on building a team to take Sale Sharks back to the top of the Prem
Paul Rees continues his summer series reviewing the Prem season, with the focus this week on Sale Sharks.
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Columnists
/ 4 weeks agoPeter Jackson: Will Jordan’s phenomenal try-scoring feat for All Blacks is Bob Beamon-esque
Peter Jackson traces the evolution of Test rugby’s greatest try scorers and explains why Will Jordan’s breathtaking race to 50 tries...
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Chris Hewett
/ 1 month agoChris Hewett: France’s battalion of centres is unmatched
Chris Hewett believes France’s extraordinary depth at centre gives Fabien Galthie a decisive edge ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup...
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Columnists
/ 1 month agoNick Cain: Tommy Freeman deserves a decent run at 13 for England
Nick Cain argues England must stick with Tommy Freeman at outside centre, insisting Steve Borthwick’s stop-start handling of the Northampton Saints...
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Features
/ 1 month agoPaul Rees: England put on a show to take the heat off Steve Borthwick – for now
England produced a ruthless 11-try display to ease the pressure on Steve Borthwick, but Paul Rees warns the head coach’s problems...
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Columnists
/ 1 month agoJeremy Guscott: England chief Steve Borthwick must start with Henry Pollock against Argentina
Jeremy Guscott calls for Steve Borthwick to unleash Henry Pollock from the start against Argentina, warning England must rediscover their energy...
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Features
/ 1 month agoPaul Rees: Nations Championship has to deliver for rugby to grow
Paul Rees says the new Nations Championship is rugby’s biggest opportunity to grow the game globally – but only if it...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 1 month agoBrendan Gallagher: John Bevan’s story comes to vivid life on stage
Brendan Gallagher applauds the new stage production celebrating the life of dual-code great John Bevan and says rugby has no shortage...
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Columnists
/ 1 month agoPeter Jackson: When Wales scrum-half Glyn Turner made the most of his Argentine trip
Peter Jackson looks back at Wales’ pioneering 1968 tour of Argentina, when scrum-half Glyn Turner seized his chance on the Test...
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Columnists
/ 1 month agoBubble of unreality threatens England
SOMETIMES being in a backs-to-the-wall bubble can work for a team under pressure, but at other times ‘group-think’ can become an...
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Chris Hewett
/ 1 month agoChris Hewett: Captain, my captain (but maybe not yours)
Chris Hewett explores what makes a great captain, arguing there is no single blueprint for leadership as he compares Ben Stokes...
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Autumn Internationals
/ 1 month agoPaul Rees: England’s headless chickens end up getting roasted
It was England’s first match since the review at the end of the Six Nations that pledged change without specifying what...
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Columnists
/ 1 month agoJeremy Guscott: Test matches are the lifeblood of the game
Jeremy Guscott argues international rugby must remain the sport’s priority, defending the expanded Test schedule and the financial reality behind it.
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Columnists
/ 1 month agoNick Cain: Excluding the Willis brothers is costing England
Nick Cain explores how England are harming themselves by excluding Jack and Tom Willis, urging the RFU to scrap its overseas...
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Miscellaneous
/ 1 month agoNick Cain: Nations Championship gets off to a humdinger of a start
The Nations Championship naysayers – and there is an army of them – should take a look at the competition’s inaugural...
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Autumn Internationals
/ 1 month agoBrendan Gallagher watches six Nations Championship Tests in one day – here’s what happened
Brendan Gallagher settled down to watch six Nations Championship Test matches in a row. How did he find it? And did...
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Features
/ 1 month agoPeter Jackson: Louis Bielle-Biarrey leading a race to hit a century
Peter Jackson sees the French flyer reach 92 tries in his career so far as he takes a break ahead of...
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Chris Hewett
/ 1 month agoChris Hewett: Champions Cup revamp sounds good to me
The most predictable story of the week concerned yet another revamp of the much-maligned, used-and-abused Champions Cup, which was once the...
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