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Features
/ 1 year agoDudley was right about the money…
JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME IT SEEMS that Dudley Wood, the former RFU secretary (equivalent of the...
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James Harrington
/ 1 year agoTop 14: All set for exciting race to the finish
French Column - By James Harrington Twelve Top 14 teams were involved this Champions and Challenge Cup round-of-16 weekend. The two...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 1 year agoJeremy Guscott: Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions coaching team shows he has an eye on the future
By Jeremy Guscott - Outspoken and unmissable, every week... Before I went on a Lions tour I knew a bit about...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoRFU must prioritise return of promotion to Premiership
By Nick Cain - Read his expert opinion every week In defeat, defiance. For supporters of the incumbent RFU administration who...
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Chris Hewett
/ 1 year agoExplosion of tries is turning into a circus
By Chris Hewett - Thinking Allowed Some of us remember “Mr Creosote”, the Monty Python character who, after a light dinner...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoMaro Itoje ready to follow in steps of Sir Gareth Edwards
By Peter Jackson - The man truly in the know Maro Itoje has climbed so high so swiftly that he will...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 1 year agoThe day Alex ‘Grizz’ Wyllie gave the British and Irish Lions pack a monstering
Rugby Matters - A weekly look at the game’s other talking points, by Brendan Gallagher It's a shame fly-on-the-wall sports documentaries...
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Columnists
/ 1 year agoJeff Probyn: Regional powers will help grow the game
By Jeff Probyn - A front row view of the game With the SGM now concluded, the English game will be...
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James Harrington
/ 1 year agoTop 14: Paul Gustard to stay at Stade Francais after all
French Column - By James Harrington So, Paul Gustard will remain at Stade Francais next season after all, despite asking to...
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British and Irish Lions
/ 1 year agoJeremy Guscott’s British and Irish Lions XV – Maro Itoje has the respect to be captain
By Jeremy Guscott - Outspoken and unmissable every week This Lions selection is based on players who are in form and...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoThis Premiership cartel is strangling our game
By Nick Cain - Read his expert opinion every week Welcome to gridlock. Everything that is wrong with the English club...
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Chris Hewett
/ 1 year agoTwo point tries for rolling mauls? The giants who are spoiling it for all of us
Chris Hewett - Thinking Allowed Poor old Italy came up with plenty of solutions to the problems posed by Ireland in...
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Miscellaneous
/ 1 year agoThorburn calls for a restart ‘at every level’
PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW PAUL Thorburn has seen Wales take a few batterings since his touchline goal...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 1 year agoBrendan Gallagher: Switzerland precision too sharp for Germany
Rugby Matters - A weekly look at the game’s other talking points by Brendan Gallagher Amid the torrent of international rugby...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 1 year agoEngland still need to have a plan B
By Jeff Probn - A front row view of the game Well, what a Six Nations we have just had with...
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International Rugby
/ 1 year agoRomain Ntamack: I’d love to take on All Blacks
By James Harrington - French Column So, Romain Ntamack wants to go to New Zealand in July. New Zealand have already...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 1 year agoJeremy Guscott: Time to shrug off the straitjacket, England
By Jeremy Guscott - Outspoken & unmissable every week... If you put the England backs behind the French pack would they...
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Letters
/ 1 year agoThe 7-1 bench split must be given the boot
By Nick Cain - Read his expert opinion every week The reality of the 7:1 bench split is unmasked. The development...
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Chris Hewett
/ 1 year agoOscar Jegou shows the All Blacks how it’s done
By Chris Hewett - Thinking Allowed All the talk down New Zealand way is of “Succession”. No, they haven’t made a...
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Features
/ 1 year agoMatthew Tait Should I have focused on one position? I don’t know
Paul Rees looks back at Mathew Tait’s career and finds out how he - and his family - are now living...
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British and Irish Lions
/ 1 year agoBritish and Irish Lions’ support team keeps on growing
By Peter Jackson - The man truly in the know The 1974 Lions took off from Heathrow with a management team...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 1 year agoTime to talk about the 1995 you-know-what
RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER IT’S ODD how some Grand Slams get lost...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 1 year agoEngland’s defence too good for Italy
JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Out on his own: Marcus Smith breaks clear to score England’s fourth...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 1 year agoJeremy Guscott – England must put foot on the gas
By Jeremy Guscott - Outspoken & Unmissable every week... Some of the reasons for the changes Steve Borthwick has made against...
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Peter Jackson
/ 1 year agoSix Nations: Wales edge closer to unwanted record
By Peter Jackson At Murrayfield 70 years ago, Wales played the role of polite guests to perfection, enabling their supposedly hopeless...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoTommy Freeman deserves a run in the centres
By Nick Cain - Read his expert opinion every week The England midfield has been a mishmash of failed partnerships, wishful...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoPressure is building on the RFU Board to stand down
By Nick Cain - Read his expert opinion every week The Whole Game Union has added its weight to the call...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoBen Youngs lifts the lid on Steve Borthwick – but too late
By Nick Cain Ben Youngs lifted the lid last week on Steve Borthwick being a “risk-averse” coach, and stated that the...
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Chris Hewett
/ 1 year agoHowzat! Azzurri are left stumped
CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED Box office: England’s Elliot Daly scores against Italy in last year’s Six Nations match PICTURE: Alamy AS...
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Chris Hewett
/ 1 year agoLytchett Minster 2s? Now they were decent…
By Chris Hewett - Thinking Allowed Anyone seeking to capture the essence of rugby’s transformation over recent decades need not wrestle...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoEligibility journey of Benhard Janse van Rensburg
By Peter Jackson - The man truly in the know At Eden Park on June 20, 2014, the cream of England’s...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoQuestions over Garry Ringrose’s ‘lenient’ ban refuse to go away
By Peter Jackson - The man truly in the know The Rugby Paper’s investigation into the Six Nations giving Romain Ntamack...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 1 year agoGeorgia’s flyer Akaki Tabutsadze on his way to the top
Rugby Matters - A weekly look at the game’s other talking points, By Brendan Gallagher It's the Rugby Europe Championship final...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 1 year agoEngland need a true, open pathway
By Jeff Probyn - A front row view of the game So, Bill Beaumont is calling for a game in unison...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 1 year agoJeremy Guscott: Go for it, England, and don’t play safe
By Jeremy Guscott - Outspoken & unmissable every week... Sport can be about small margins, and it is amazing how quickly...
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Miscellaneous
/ 1 year agoSupport for change at RFU keeps on building
By Nick Cain - Read his expert opinion every week As the SGM vote calling for regime change at the RFU...
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Chris Hewett
/ 1 year agoA win’s a win for England? Up to a point, my lord…
By Chris Hewett - Thinking Allowed If England intend to make a habit of winning games on their backsides, they should...
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Peter Jackson
/ 1 year agoRomain Ntamack vs Garry Ringrose – The same offence but two outcomes, why?
By Peter Jackson - The man truly in the know Romain Ntamack and Garry Ringrose broke the same law in separate...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoPlayer welfare ignored again with Romain Ntamack’s red card
By Peter Jackson Referee Paul Williams’ report to the tribunal of Romain Ntamack’s hit on Ben Thomas 10 minutes from the...
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Peter Jackson
/ 1 year agoWhen the crowd just kept on growing
By Peter Jackson The largest crowd ever seen at a rugby match converged on Murrayfield this weekend 50 years ago, a...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 1 year agoWhen Ireland’s warriors sent French packing
Rugby Matters - A weekly look at the game’s other talking points, by Brendan Gallagher With eight wins against France since...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 1 year agoNow Philippines added to list of honour for the Varsity
By Brendan Gallagher Back in the day, the Varsity Match on the second Tuesday in December was virtually an England trial...
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Features
/ 1 year agoIreland vs France – When two tribes prepare for war
Paul Rees says Saturday's heavyweight clash between Ireland and France could be the match of the Six Nations The Six Nations...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 1 year agoSix Nations: Time for England to focus on tries
By Jeff Probyn - A front row view of the game With another week off, there is now more time to...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 1 year agoJeremy Guscott – French stars need to get on the same page
By Jeremy Guscott - Outspoken & Unmissable every week... How will France respond in Rome after losing to England? I don’t...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoCut bench in half to make a game of it
By Nick Cain - Read his expert opinion every week The bench is damaging rugby union, and this Six Nations should...
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Chris Hewett
/ 1 year agoThe time’s ripe for a summit of the egos
By Chris Hewett - Thinking Allowed Summits are all the rage right now, “rage” being the operative word, and as the...
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Chris Hewett
/ 1 year agoScrums in danger of falling off the stage
By Chris Hewett We do not yet know whether the Sabercats or the Seawolves will emerge the stronger, or whether the...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 1 year agoThis Italian squad are good – but not quite their best side
By Brendan Gallagher Having reported on Italy since the early 1990s, I wouldn’t hesitate to nominate the current crop as...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 1 year agoA Tour de France we’d all love to see for the British & Irish Lions
By Brendan Gallagher That hardy perennial, the possibility of another Lions Test against France, has poked its head above the frosty...














