NICK CAIN
READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK

There is no nation in the Rugby Union family that was not disrupted by Covid. However, while some, like Ireland, have bounced back with a vengeance, others, like England, have used it to excuse a decline in standards and ambition.
The contrasting fortunes of the Ireland and England Sevens teams tells the tale. On the England Rugby website this week Sevens got short shrift. The news section was blank – despite the team having competed in the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament held in Cape Town last weekend, and the 2022 Commonwealth Games ...