Columnists

It’s time for take – off, England

3 March 2024 0 comments

Paul Rees says that, with Ireland at home and France away to come, Borthwick’s men must become relentless IT WAS three years ago last weekend […]

Price takes the tough times in his stride

3 March 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW AS THE supreme tighthead prop of his generation, Graham Price played 91 times for Wales and the […]

JPR, rugby’s supreme warrior

3 March 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THEY packed Llandaff Cathedral to its 12th century rafters on a St David’s Day like no other for 80 minutes of songs and […]

The flying Scot who still leads the field

3 March 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON Until Scotland’s converted Junior Springbok struck last weekend, England had not been hit by a Five or Six Nations’ hat-trick since Maurice Richards’ […]

Great start, England, but then it fell to pieces

3 March 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Triple top: Duhan van der Merwe beats Ben Earl to score his hat-trick try at Murrayfield […]

Big clubs are hit by ‘doublon’ clashes

3 March 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN We always knew the World Cup would play havoc with the Top 14 season – as soon as the 2023/2024 schedule […]

Borthwick’s conundrum: Stick or twist for Ireland

25 February 2024 0 comments

PAUL REES It was England’s first real test this Six Nations as they faced a team that expected to defeat them rather than fantasise about […]

Low degree of danger? This man is just lethal…

25 February 2024 0 comments

BRENDAN GALLAGHER There was a curious moment in the last minute at Murrayfield last night when a message suddenly flashed up on our screens “Duhan […]

Edwards in firing line as France lose rhythm

25 February 2024 0 comments

OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK IT’S too easy to say that France have fallen off and are no longer the team they were, after a […]

As usual, Gibson-Park enjoys life in top gear

25 February 2024 0 comments

BRENDAN GALLAGHER It’s more than a little sobering to think that Ireland’s win over Wales on Saturday was probably their “iffy” performance of their 2024 […]

Yet again, Ealing prove they have what it takes

25 February 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Ealing Trailfinders’ narrow defeat by Leicester in the Premiership Cup semi-final last weekend has blown most of […]

Merit on the pitch should be decisive

25 February 2024 0 comments

There has been a long-standing tradition in rugby union that everyone is entitled to their opinion, and when Ealing Trailfinders hosted Leicester last weekend TV […]

Waugh’s battle is going to be tough

25 February 2024 0 comments

CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED WHO has the toughest job in rugby? It certainly doesn’t belong to the loadsamoney establishment lawyers plotting a course across the […]

Ealing showed they are worthy

25 February 2024 0 comments

Ealing Trailfinders knew it was a big day and they gave it a proper lash. A single point behind Leicester with 90 seconds left on […]

Still out in front, the rocks of ages

25 February 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW They have been resting in the front row of the Pantheon now for almost half a century, […]

Swift move to fit in another international

25 February 2024 0 comments

ANOTHER so-called Test match is squeezed into a congested calendar with such indecent haste that nobody can be sure as to the identity of the […]

Lawes can bring some order

25 February 2024 0 comments

Paul Rees says the former England captain who has signed for Brive will have much to offer when he retires Brive will be delighted that […]

When the B grade was full of A stars

25 February 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER AS England A crank back into action today against Portugal A after […]

Don’t let refs help the time wasters

25 February 2024 0 comments

THE sheer perversity of referees helping time wasting goal kickers looking to run the clock down by helpfully counting down the seconds has warranted mention […]

Lisbon? Let’s go…

25 February 2024 0 comments

There are no Six Nations fixtures next weekend but the all singing, all dancing Os Lobos are playing Spain in their REC semi-final in Lisbon. […]

We need to progress, both on and off pitch

25 February 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME NOW the teams have had their week off hopefully they have had the chance to reassess […]

Russell gives Scotland edge for Calcutta Cup

18 February 2024 0 comments

JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK The Calcutta Cup is a great occasion whether it’s at Murrayfield or Twickenham, and there is an edge […]

It’s time to take a risk, England need to get the fans on their feet

18 February 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK As we approach the Six Nations midpoint, England are more like a Thames barge making slow headway […]

A new spirit of unity is in the air

18 February 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN For the moment it is jaw-jaw rather than war-war in the Championship’s dispute with the RFU over their right to be part of […]

The piano shifters are playing modern tune

18 February 2024 0 comments

CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED Much of the “tactical” kicking across the opening rounds of the Six Nations would have left Fred Flintstone wondering what happened […]

Prepare for scrum time ad breaks…

18 February 2024 0 comments

CHRIS HEWETT OF all the unlikely questions to be asked in this corner of the paper, try this one for size: could it be that […]

Ireland’s class will be hard to overcome

18 February 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW IF ONLY Wales could take an old leaf out of the record book and make history repeat […]

Six Nations endures Wretched Saturday

18 February 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON GIVEN the Six Nations’ unfailing capacity to hype up its final round as Super Saturday, last weekend’s double-header at Murrayfield and Twickenham can […]

Dutch and Germans proving their worth

18 February 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER Round Three of the Rugby Europe championship concludes in Amsterdam this afternoon […]

Benvenuto! Great to see Lynagh eventually opting for Italy

18 February 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS EVEN though I recently predicted in The Rugby Paper podcast that Louis Lynagh would be a starting wing for England at the […]

No time to go soft on neck roll

18 February 2024 0 comments

Why isn’t the neck roll an automatic yellow card anymore? In fact, why isn’t the neck roll refereed much anymore full stop? I sat up […]

Borthwick is still in search of right mix

18 February 2024 0 comments

Paul Rees predicts a close encounter in the Calcutta Cup but sees Ireland winning another Grand Slam THE second round of the Six Nations was […]

We need action, not words, England

18 February 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME WITH the second game and a second victory, it seems that all is well in the […]

Toulon need to win over the critics

18 February 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Sometimes it’s not immediately obvious whether a side is in good shape or not. A simple look at the Top 14 […]

After two wins, it just gets harder from here for England

11 February 2024 0 comments

SIX NATIONS 2024 PAUL REES England named an unchanged side for the first time since the 2019 World Cup, but although Steve Borthwick was rewarded […]

Are England in transition? Not really, and they should be kicking on purposefully

11 February 2024 0 comments

BRENDAN GALLAGHER Two very average teams produced a pretty sub par Test match in front of an intermittently mute Twickenham crowd with the volume only […]

That was a try – but the record will not reflect it

11 February 2024 0 comments

SIX NATIONS 2024 BRENDAN GALLAGHER THERE is a three-volume book to be written on false dawns, shattered dreams and broken hearts in Scottish rugby and […]

This Irish dynasty will keep on going

11 February 2024 0 comments

JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK WAS the speed of the Irish recovery after the World Cup surprising? No, because I don’t call it […]

Why the RFU needs to justify its CVC payments

11 February 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK THE recent observation by CVC that rugby union is too fragmented on the broadcast and commercial fronts, […]

Enough! No more ref chat

11 February 2024 0 comments

When is the incessant yapping between players and referees going to end? These appeals and “consultations” are becoming a blight at the professional end of […]

The day John took on the NZ bully boys

11 February 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Barry John shall forever occupy a unique place in the rugby Pantheon in celebration of his readiness […]

All Blacks in Dublin will be the acid test

11 February 2024 0 comments

CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED EARLY February is not obviously the moment to select a highlight of the calendar year. Especially if that highlight is still […]

Short-term ban means Willemse is evading natural justice

11 February 2024 0 comments

Natural justice is conspicuous by its absence in the union game. Think of the relegation-free protectionism of the Six Nations and the Premiership, or the […]

Legend who had no wish to be one

11 February 2024 0 comments

Paul Rees says it was hard not to fall in love with rugby as a young boy, watching his hero play for Cardiff RIP the […]

Superstar who paved the way for many more

11 February 2024 0 comments

BRENDAN GALLAGHER IT’S hard to quantify genius let alone compare one genius with another – although that never stops us trying – but for what […]

Take away the contact and you don’t have a game left

11 February 2024 0 comments

With the Six Nations now in full swing the last thing the game needs is further condemnation about how it’s played but last week the […]

Ireland look like the team to beat

11 February 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Heading into week two of the Six Nations we were all wondering who will have made […]

Calvet’s likely to step in at Agen

11 February 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN France Under-20s coach Sebastien Calvet has emerged as favourite to replace Bernard Goutta on the conveyor-belt of managers at ProD2 side […]

England look ready to throw off the chains

4 February 2024 0 comments

SIX NATIONS 2024 PAUL REES CLOSE yet comfortable summed up a contradictory England performance. Exposed in defence at times, they smothered Italy after the interval, […]

It wasn’t quite Bazball but George’s men did enough to get the job done

4 February 2024 0 comments

BRENDAN GALLAGHER WELL, it wasn’t quite the ‘Bazball’ rugby that Jamie George apparently aspires to – did we really expect things to change overnight? – […]

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