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Chris Hewett
/ 4 years agoLet’s hope Leicester can afford Pollard
CHRIS HEWETT THE Panama Papers, the Paradise Papers, the Pandora Papers. Three massive data leaks exposing dodgy dealing in the financial...
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Shane Williams
/ 4 years agoDay a little man stood tall in land of the giants
SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND Little magician: Ange Capuozzo beats Kieran Hardy on his way to setting up the try...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 4 years agoEngland’s attack has not evolved under Gleeson
JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE... EVERY WEEK THIS Six Nations has been competitive, with its usual share of brilliance and letdowns,...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoHard road, but Biggar got there in the end
PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Throughout his long Ireland career, the peerless Jackie Kyle missed a mere four...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoChosen 30 to make the final hurdle
PETER JACKSON GIVEN the Six Nations’ capacity for wreaking havoc on a Grand National scale, it is all too easy to...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoBiarritz’s top-flight dream all but over
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Promotion and relegation matters returned firmly to the forefront of Top 14 rugby minds, after bottom side...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoTemporary stands at Bath reek of double standards
NICK CAIN AT the same time as two clubs, Ealing and Doncaster, have failed the RFU/Premiership ground criteria rules to be...
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Features
/ 4 years agoGalthie looks and acts the part as Brains behind French renaissance
NICK CAIN CHARTS THE KEY CHANGES FABIEN GALTHIE HAS MADE SINCE TAKING CHARGE OF FRANCE FABIEN Galthie’s transformation of France’s fortunes...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 4 years agoDenying promotion wasn’t RFU decision
JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME I was surprised last week that so many people whom I thought...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 4 years agoAli knew Beech Bottom by heart
JEFF PROBYN LAST week I attended a memorial for a player, Ali Mills, from one of my very first clubs which...
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Chris Hewett
/ 4 years agoBorthwick’s only duty is to his team, get over it!
CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST Steve Borthwick had enough on his plate during Leicester’s defeat at Saracens in North London last weekend...
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Shane Williams
/ 4 years agoWales must learn to nail crucial moments
SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND Letting it slip: Antoine Dupont of France steals the ball off Jonathan Davies of Wales...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoExeter’s gain is a big loss for Wales
PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW With a surname like his, Tom O’Flaherty sounds as though he ought to...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 4 years agoJaminet’s boot has given France a new dimension
JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE... EVERY WEEK MELVYN Jaminet is for me the key to France, winning Six Nations titles, Grand...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoCups galore but there’s room for one more
PETER JACKSON FOR decade after decade, the old fogies responsible for running the world’s oldest annual international sporting event steadfastly refused...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoSwitching Steward to centre isn’t the answer
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK COME in No.12, your time is now! That is the call that Eddie...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 4 years agoEngland are going in wrong direction
JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Going to a full Twickenham stadium last Saturday after virtually a two...
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Chris Hewett
/ 4 years agoDupont is heading for greatness like Gareth
CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST It has been reported with a high degree of certainty that Aaron Smith, an undeniably brilliant New...
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Chris Hewett
/ 4 years agoAustralian rules must have Boon crying into his beer
CHRIS HEWETT BACK in the day, when men were men and Australians considered themselves more masculine than the rest of the...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoHow could Francis be deemed fit to return?
PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Professor John Fairclough is staring at a video of the 20th minute collision...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoShaun’s turned Achilles heel into French strength
SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND There was always a chance whenever I played against France of finding a gap or...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoIn adversity, Italy earn legion of admirers
PETER JACKSON EVER since the Five became Six, no captain had found himself in an emergency as grim as the one...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 4 years agoLack of ball carriers has blunted England attack
JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE... EVERY WEEK THERE was some prospect of England doing well in the 2022 Six Nations, although...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoA right mess entirely of the RFU’s making
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK THE minority who support ring-fencing can wail and gnash their teeth as much...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoHas Jones provided value for money?
NICK CAIN BY the end of his seventh year as England coach, Eddie Jones will have been paid £5.25 million in...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoLock star Jolmes is latest UFO to appear
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN The French for UFO is OVNI – which stands for objet volant non identifié. It is a...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 4 years agoIt’s time now for Eddie to plan for life after Tuilagi
JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME There’s something about England versus Wales that always makes me smile whatever...
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Chris Hewett
/ 4 years agoF-bomb was careless but Deano had a case
CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST Some of the things Ron Atkinson said during a long and lavishly rewarded career as a football...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 4 years agoAcademies should start at bottom and work their way up
JEFF PROBYN I’M really surprised that the Premiership are actually calling for the Championship to be expanded to include their Academy...
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Chris Hewett
/ 4 years agoGood on Diamond for telling it like it is
CHRIS HEWETT HATS off to the straight-talking Steve Diamond, “lead rugby consultant” – aka “new boss” – at Worcester. In this...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoBlack wasn’t always on sunny side in Australia
PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW A veritable torrent of tributes has been flowing since Steve Black’s sudden death...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoPied Piper Inga was worth his weight
PETER JACKSON AN icy wind blew in off the Tyne the day Sir John Hall interrupted a Spanish holiday to preside...
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Shane Williams
/ 4 years agoThree tries but Wales pay price for slow start
SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND Running the show: England fly-half Marcus Smith Where was the Welsh side of the second...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 4 years agoCatt’s influence has got the Irish attack purring
JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE... EVERY WEEK MIKE Catt naturally flowed into coaching, as a lot of 10s tend to do,...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoStorm warning! Get Collier on front line
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK WILL Collier has served his time in the shadows, but, as England face...
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Latest News
/ 4 years ago‘Hybrid’ Championship idea must not be given green light
NICK CAIN IT is good to see that the concept of an English Cup competition, pitching Championship clubs against Premiership ‘A’...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoJuggernaut Joseph has found his smile at Pau
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN This has been a bleublanc-rouge letter week for former France U20 phenomenon Jordan Joseph. It started last...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 4 years agoEngland have some big issues to address
JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME With the first break in the Six Nations there’s a chance to...
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Chris Hewett
/ 4 years agoIt’s not who you play, it’s where you play them!
CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST Auckland and Rome are rugby poles apart: the Arctic and Antarctic of the Union game, its top...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 4 years agoSouth African question will take years to answer
JEFF PROBYN THE news that South Africa have signed an extension to continue in the Rugby Championship until at least the...
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Chris Hewett
/ 4 years agoRoberts adds more glitter to his CV
CHRIS HEWETT THE title “Renaissance Man” is a big one to bestow on a mere rugby player, but all things considered,...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoMemory of Gibbs’ try never fades for Dafydd
PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Storm Dudley howled along the Porthcawl seafront as if defying a middle-aged Lion...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoBiggar looks like he’s enjoying himself
PETER JACKSON DAN Biggar, duly lauded for the dropgoal which did for Scotland last week, is to be congratulated for something...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoBeware the dangers of inviting SA to our party
SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND Triumph: Lee Byrne celebrates after scoring a try during the Six Nations Championship match between...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 4 years agoManu must return to help land knock-out punches
JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE... EVERY WEEK THERE were no surprises in England’s win against Italy in Rome, but I guess...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoLegitimate questions deserve real answers
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK BILL Beaumont might well be wondering who controls the global game. Is it...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoLemaitre puts his faith in Mignoni
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Toulon president Bernard Lemaitre pulled something of a recruitment rabbit out of his hat this week, as...
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Chris Hewett
/ 4 years agoWe must make Italy offer they can’t refuse
CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST Hard as it is to sympathise with someone who shoots two men during dinner –a shameful waste...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 4 years agoEddie has got away with his ref attack
JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME The start of the Six Nations last week had everything we have...
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Chris Hewett
/ 4 years agoAllow me to leap to Eddie’s defence!
CHRIS HEWETT WHENEVER we talk of Edward I, which admittedly is not an everyday occurrence, we invariably refer to him as...















