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English Championship
/ 2 years agoA new spirit of unity is in the air
NICK CAIN For the moment it is jaw-jaw rather than war-war in the Championship’s dispute with the RFU over their right...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoWhy the RFU needs to justify its CVC payments
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK THE recent observation by CVC that rugby union is too fragmented on the...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoEnough! No more ref chat
When is the incessant yapping between players and referees going to end? These appeals and “consultations” are becoming a blight at...
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Champions Cup
/ 2 years agoOnce again, the fans are being taken for granted
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK THE European Cup’s ‘round of 16’ takes some beating when it comes to...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoRFU double standards alive and well
Surprise, surprise, double standards are alive and well at the RFU. The latest example is the decision is to give a...
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English Championship
/ 2 years agoDiamond’s dual role can’t be right
The Twickenham suits are also not averse to turning a blind eye when a conflict-of-interests is involved. Perhaps the RFU’s performance...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoI didn’t see that coming! France as flat as a crepe…
NICK CAIN Ireland's trouncing of France in Marseille – a record Irish win on French soil – trashed most pundits prediction...
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English Championship
/ 2 years agoChamp clubs look set for battle
NICK CAIN The Championship clubs appear to be in no mood for turning, typified by their stand-off with an RFU bureaucracy...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoThe talent is there – now let’s be bold
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK STEVE Borthwick talked of England “turning a corner” when he announced his preliminary...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoNot many will chase after Louis
Louis Rees-Zammit’s decision to chance his arm in American Football could be viewed as a blow to rugby union with the...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoWrong choice for England A
WHEN it comes to competition for places the appointment of Gloucester’s George Skivington and Dom Waldouck as England ‘A’ coaches for...
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Champions Cup
/ 2 years agoSaints looking good but easy win leaves much to be desired
NICK CAIN Northampton are playing attacking rugby which combines skill, speed, flair, and precision, and their hammering of Bayonne on Friday...
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English Championship
/ 2 years agoRFU’s sorry failure to respond to flood
While the game in the East Midlands drowns, the RFU lifeboat is in the dry dock with the crew nowhere to...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoTime for Borthwick to put faith in Itoje
nick cain READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK STEVE Borthwick struck a positive note this week when he made it clear...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoMass rotation could end up a crowd killer
The Premiership wants to be taken seriously, but then makes the cardinal error of not taking itself seriously by trashing its...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoRFU has utterly failed to bring the game together
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK HERE’S wishing The Rugby Paper’s loyal readers, and fans of the game everywhere,...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoHere’s my England squad for Six Nations
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK There will have been times when the honeymoon period predicted for Steve Borthwick’s...
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English Championship
/ 2 years agoSweeney’s words causing deep anger
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK There is something radically wrong when the chief executive of the RFU –...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoHunt is on for next generation of props
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Five years ago there was a scrum feature in The Rugby Paper which...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoSo-called ‘partners’ deserve justice
NICK CAIN One of the most incomprehensible aspects of this season is that the PGP (Professional Game Partnership) is missing one...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoThe Viking will put steel back into Bath
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK THE Viking – a.k.a. RG Snyman – is expected to arrive in Bath...
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Champions Cup
/ 2 years agoSorry to see European Champions Cup lose its shine
The quality of rugby union’s competitions is crucial to its future as a professional sport. However, what we are witnessing is...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years ago£750,000 payoff for Jones just staggering
We have now discovered that Eddie Jones was almost certainly paid the equivalent of a full year’s £750,000 salary in a...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoItoje is the best man to captain England
NICK CAIN - READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Maro Itoje should be England’s next captain following Owen Farrell’s decision to...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoDon’t confuse hatred on social media with responsible debate
NO-ONE in their right mind wanted to see Owen Farrell exit the international stage after announcing this week that he wants...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years ago20 years on and little to give us any real hope
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK THIS week saw the 20th anniversary celebrations of the 2003 England squad winning...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoOur starting XV for 2027
NICK CAIN An England team for the 2027 World Cup is a long shot which would leave most snipers well wide...
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English Championship
/ 2 years agoWelfare of rugby in England is at stake
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK The Championship clubs are standing up to be counted by sticking an iron...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoThe Tank who is adding weight to Bath’s attack
Thomas du Toit may not have featured in as many headlines as Finn Russell, but the South African prop has been...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoWe can’t afford a weak Six Nations
There was a ray of sunshine for the Lions this week when their preparations for the 2025 tour of Australia were...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoGame in England is heading for a storm
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK THE return of England A – the national second team known as the...
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Latest News
/ 2 years agoFor once, ‘Hugh Bacardi’ was speechless…
NICK CAIN HUGH McHardy is one of those irrepressible, generous characters who give such vibrancy to the social and playing fabric...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoBarnes showed why he’s the best
Wayne Barnes retired at the top of his game on Thursday after taking charge of a record 111 internationals, the last...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoPerfect Pollard was the key difference
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK THE aftermath of South Africa’s record fourth win in the World Cup final...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoEngland will struggle to replace Marler and Cole
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Here is a prediction. England will not win another World Cup, or Six...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoWhy wait until 2030? Get this contest going now
The closed-shop in international rugby union was reinforced this week after the second coming of the Nations Championship was announced by...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoOne-sided victory is nothing to celebrate
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK TONY Rowe is one of the most vociferous of the Premiership owners, and...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoCoventry show the right spirit
NICK CAIN If you were looking for an example of the true spirit of the game look no further than Coventry’s...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoWhy take off key players?
NICK CAIN The main factor in France being edged out by South Africa in last weekend’s quarter-final classic was that there...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoThe twin pillars of England’s rebuild
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Ollie Chessum and Marcus Smith play with such enthusiasm when they pull on...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoTime to discover if spine is strong
NICK CAIN One of the oldest methods of assessing the strength of a team is to look at the 2-8-9-10-15 positions...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoMagic money tree can’t last for ever
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK BILL Sweeney does not much care for accountability. It is why his first...
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English Championship
/ 2 years agoPellegrini shows the depth of talent
Pat Pellegrini’s beautifully taken chip-and-chase try for Tonga against South Africa in last weekend’s World Cup clash in Marseille was a...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoSchism which is set to tear game apart
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK There is a schism waiting to happen in the English game, and it...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoFor once, Erasmus makes the wrong call
Rassie Erasmus is not known for missing many tricks when it comes to tactical thinking, whether in selection or playing mind-games....
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoGreat to see Ardao shine on world stage
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK One of the great joys of World Cups is the platform that gives...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoRFU hierarchy must address core financial issues
NICK CAIN The reaction to the landmark RFU Council letter in which 30 members have challenged the current leadership of RFU...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoPrem Cup shows the sham of no relegation
NICK CAIN The early rounds of the new Premiership Cup has shown the RFU-endorsed ring-fencing of English rugby’s top league to...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoWe must not ignore Cipriani’s treatment
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Danny Cipriani’s recent biography has shined a light on the player cliques within...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoBunker boys need to be fair
NICK CAIN Tom Curry’s red card after a bunker review was to be expected under the current laws aimed at preventing...
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