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Shane Williams
/ 2 years agoWelsh Lions are strong enough to down Fijians
SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND IT’S the ‘Flying Fijians’ in France yet again for Wales ... and we all know...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoFrance’s love of the game is clear to see
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK - AT THE WORLD CUP THE French love nothing more than a good...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoSweeney must be held to account
BILL Sweeney has ducked so far below the parapet when it comes to answering questions about the RFU’s administration of the...
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Chris Hewett
/ 2 years agoCipriani’s spat more suited to Colosseum
CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED ONE of these fine days, with the grace of God and a following wind, a World Cup...
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Chris Hewett
/ 2 years agoToo many clubs, not enough players
If it ever turns out that the governing body at Twickenham has a monopoly on rugby wisdom, we are all up...
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Paul Rees
/ 2 years agoIt’s time for islanders to prove their worth
Analysis >> Paul Rees says Bill Beaumont's slow but steady approach as chairman of World Rugby is seeing its reward WORLD...
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Peter Jackson
/ 2 years agoDai Watkins, a magnet for every hit-man in north
PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW David Watkins used to be fond of telling two anecdotes from his bruising...
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Peter Jackson
/ 2 years agoCamberabero was light years ahead of his time
Didier Camberabero is in his early Sixties now, twice as old as when he decorated a work of French art at...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 2 years agoStick with 20 teams but bring in Trophy
RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER A weekly look at the game’s other talking points IT’S very rare, in fact unique, for me...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 2 years agoDiagram shows how difficult it is to tackle head-on
THE RFU are of course totally correct in their desire to improve and “make safe” tackling techniques at grassroots and junior...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 2 years agoTime right for second crown to come north
JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME THE opening weekend of matches will tell us a lot more about...
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James Harrington
/ 2 years agoJoy to see the hosts burst out of bubble
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN THE Rugby World Cup party kicked off in France on Friday. Things have been simmering along with...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoBorthwick seems set on rewarding failure
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK AS England limped into Le Touquet after being beaten by Fiji, the preparations...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoMy England team to challenge Argentina
The wishful thinking that if England beat Argentina it will be a cakewalk from Pool D into the knock-out stages took...
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Chris Hewett
/ 2 years agoShould we care about the world rankings?
CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED THE way Clive Woodward saw it back in 2003, the International Rugby Board’s new-fangled ranking system was...
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Chris Hewett
/ 2 years agoDiamonds on the soles of his shoes
Siya Kolisi? What a man. If rugby is built on the stories it tells about its finest practitioners – the fables...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 2 years agoMixed reviews on opening nights…
RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER NOT long now ... but first comes the...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 2 years agoTricky to get the message
So apparently we will be watching something called the Investec Champions Cup this season – all mention of Europe now seems...
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Peter Jackson
/ 2 years agoHealy sorry to be joining Crocks XV
PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW After 14 years at the sharp end of Test combat, Cian Healy never...
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Peter Jackson
/ 2 years agoSpringboks flick the power switch
South Africa beat everyone to the punch by having the nerve to turn their substitute bench into virtually a complete auxiliary...
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Peter Jackson
/ 2 years agoTeague’s TV block
Mike Teague, a Lion among Lions during the series victory in Australia, says he has no intention of watching the World...
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Peter Jackson
/ 2 years agoWhen Deans & Co enjoyed free beer
When the Scottish and Welsh pioneers landed in New Zealand for the first World Cup, they saw an advertisement that made...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 2 years agoMillions set to enjoy all of the razzmatazz
JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE... EVERY WEEK RUGBY World Cups are an exciting time because they are the biggest shop-window for...
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Shane Williams
/ 2 years agoWales must be at their best to take on Fiji
SHANE WILLIAMS THERE will be a few nervous players from the Home Unions getting on planes and heading to France today....
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Jeff Probyn
/ 2 years agoWe need to reopen pathways to top of the game
Eddie Jones has blamed the RFU for the demise of the game in England for not producing enough quality players. I...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 2 years agoTime for England to justify £100k fee
JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME WELL I was wrong with my prediction last week, as England proved...
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James Harrington
/ 2 years agoRacing ramp up interest in Ford
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN In July, The Rugby Paper reported that ‘grand’ Top 14 side Racing 92 had Sale and England...
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Paul Rees
/ 2 years agoHeat ramping up on Borthwick
PAUL REES AS THE start of the World Cup looms, the heat increases. Steve Borthwick has been mopping his brow increasingly...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 2 years agoAll true rugby fans will delight in this long overdue Fijian victory
BRENDAN GALLAGHER NOBODY ever really owes you anything in sport..... but it’s my firm belief that rugby owed Fiji this historic,...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 2 years agoMy concerns: attack, defence and attitude
OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE... EVERY WEEK WATCHING England now is the most frustrating thing in the world. I want them to do...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoEngland heading to the Badlands
STEVE Borthwick has taken a fork in the road which has led England into the Badlands of international rugby. With two...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoBoks have the clout to retain the crown
South Africa’s record 35-7 blitz of New Zealand at Twickenham on Friday night showed that the reigning world champions have the...
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Features
/ 2 years agoI’d put my faith in Mitchell to spark England
KYRAN BRACKEN NO MATTER what Steve Borthwick does he’s just getting lynched by the public. There’s a certain pool of people...
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Features
/ 2 years agoSaracens still the team to beat
KYRAN BRACKEN The Champions Cup is always a great competition but right now there’s too much of a financial divide for...
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Chris Hewett
/ 2 years agoBig cats likely to dine on minnows
CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED IT MUST be a sobering prospect for the makeweights, travelling to a World Cup with a bunch...
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Chris Hewett
/ 2 years agoHansen’s secrets not hard to guess
There has been quite the hue and cry down there in All Black country following the latest twist in trans-Tasman affairs....
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Paul Rees
/ 2 years agoBeer talk: Eddie happy to stay in the headlines
Paul Rees on how the Aussie coach is creating the news - again - by talking to his old mate EDDIE...
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Features
/ 2 years agoNow South Africans are the team to beat
SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND THIS may still be the phoney war period, but what a statement the world champion...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 2 years agoBig beasts need to set the right mood
RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER A weekly look at the game’s other talking points SO where did the last four years go?...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 2 years agoBrothers linking arms for Chile
Chile is a minute rugby community compared with many giants of the game and is inevitably centred on geographical pockets of...
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Peter Jackson
/ 2 years agoVeteran Earls out on his own
Like his native Limerick, there has never been anything flash or fancy about Keith Earls which goes some way to understanding...
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Peter Jackson
/ 2 years agoTreacherous route for top-ranked team
Before they know it, a pair of sacked England coaches will be back in Paris on World Cup business to oversee...
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Peter Jackson
/ 2 years agoTop Cat’s rousing farewell journey
Finlay Calder shall never forget how Clive Rowlands stood four-square behind him after the Lions‘ traumatic start to their victorious series...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 2 years agoI still think England could surprise a few
JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME SO here we are again, losing a player as a result of...
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James Harrington
/ 2 years agoOyonnax are worth place at top table
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Promoted ProD2 champions Oyonnax demonstrated – if there was still any doubt after last weekend’s impressive opening...
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Paul Rees
/ 2 years agoBorthwick must put trust in players
PAUL REES ENGLAND need someone to shoulder the burden, but they keep sticking their shoulder into the head of an opponent....
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 2 years agoIt’s time for England to climb out of their self-imposed bunker
BRENDAN GALLAGHER OK, I’ve counted to ten and imagined myself snoozing in a hammock on some Pacific atoll. I am calm...
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Shane Williams
/ 2 years agoDyer’s yellow was a flawed decision
SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND THERE’S no point beating around the bush and waffling on about positives because what we...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 2 years agoIt’s time for Scotland to spring a surprise
JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE... EVERY WEEK SCOTLAND have been a decent side for a while now, but they struggle to...
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Nick Cain
/ 2 years agoDon’t let RFU make an ass of the laws
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK THE Owen Farrell disciplinary fiasco has multiple layers, but the one that looks...
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