Nick Cain

This is where you will find all of The Rugby Paper’s Nick Cain news, views, opinion and other content.

This Premiership cartel is strangling our game

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week Welcome to gridlock. Everything that is wrong with the English club game, and the governance […]

The 7-1 bench split must be given the boot

16 March 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week The reality of the 7:1 bench split is unmasked. The development ushered in first by […]

Tommy Freeman deserves a run in the centres

9 March 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week The England midfield has been a mishmash of failed partnerships, wishful thinking, haphazard revolving-door selection, […]

Pressure is building on the RFU Board to stand down

9 March 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week The Whole Game Union has added its weight to the call by Francis Baron for […]

Ben Youngs lifts the lid on Steve Borthwick – but too late

9 March 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain Ben Youngs lifted the lid last week on Steve Borthwick being a “risk-averse” coach, and stated that the kick-first strategy adopted by […]

Support for change at RFU keeps on building

2 March 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week As the SGM vote calling for regime change at the RFU approaches, it is critical […]

Cut bench in half to make a game of it

23 February 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week The bench is damaging rugby union, and this Six Nations should be a watershed moment […]

Six Nations – England need to be more consistent

16 February 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week Driving force: Tom Willis has the power to make headway up the middle PICTURE: Getty […]

Freddie Steward, take a tip from the best…

9 February 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week Freddie Steward was not England’s worst performer against Ireland. However, the ease with which he […]

Stop giving No.9s so much protection

2 February 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week Welcome to the 2025 Six Nations, and, unfortunately, a new abomination of a law trial […]

Time to be brave and start with Henry Pollock at flanker for England

26 January 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week Are England fit for purpose going into the Six Nations? Steve Borthwick listed a lack […]

Do the right thing, Bill Beaumont, and tell Bill Sweeney to be on his way

26 January 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain Bill Beaumont has a duty to advise Bill Sweeney that his tenure as RFU chief executive is over, rather than face […]

Good news on Maro Itoje, but England’s problems persist

19 January 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week Having been a long-time advocate of Maro Itoje as England captain, my first reaction to […]

Ollie Lawrence’s play-acting was shameful to watch

12 January 2025 0 comments

Ollie Lawrence’s sham injury in the closing minutes of a knife-edge finish between Northampton and Bath at Franklin’s Gardens last weekend has seen some commentators get themselves in an almighty tangle.

Hybrid Hash will tie Steve Borthwick in knots

5 January 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week The description ‘Hybrid Central Contracts’ does not inspire confidence. Hybrid usually means a bit of […]

Steve Diamond adjusts the cap to fit

29 December 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week The season of good cheer got a kick-start last week with Steve Diamond’s musings about […]

No surprise as France show how it’s done

29 December 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain Vannes versus Bordeaux is one of my highlights of the 2024-25 season so far, because if you want to see a vibrant, […]

Bill Beaumont needs to show clear thinking

22 December 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week Bill Beaumont is stepping into a saloon in which the tables and chairs have been […]

Beaumont needs to show clear thinking

22 December 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK BILL Beaumont is stepping into a saloon in which the tables and chairs have been smashed, and […]

Beaumont needs to show clear thinking

22 December 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK BILL Beaumont is stepping into a saloon in which the tables and chairs have been smashed, and […]

Ring fence has made English rugby go soft

15 December 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week The most positive aspect to come out of the opening round of the European Cup […]

My British & Irish Lions team are ready for take-off

8 December 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week… There is a view that picking a Lions Test team almost seven months before the […]

Pressure builds on RFU chief to resign

1 December 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain Tom Ilube’s tenure as RFU Board Chairman, and his financial credentials, will come under increased scrutiny with the news that Crossword Cybersecurity […]

It’s time for a root and branch clearout at RFU

1 December 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week In what sort of world does the wage packet of one administrator in a sports […]

Steve Borthwick can’t afford another run of failure

24 November 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week When it comes to “jam tomorrow” England teams have produced more jars of it than […]

Mega-league plan will have to overcome huge hurdles

17 November 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week If 200 of the world’s highest-paid players are about to join the rugby union version […]

Simon Gillham must get justice for the Championship

17 November 2024 0 comments

Simon Gillham’s arrival as chair of the Championship/Tier 2 Board should be good news for English club rugby. Gillham, below, who spent 20 years in […]

Building blocks for England’s future

17 November 2024 0 comments

England A’s fixture against their Australian counterparts at The Stoop at 2pm today is an essential building block for any head coach to assess the […]

Steve Borthwick’s bench policy needs work

10 November 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week The bench miscalculations cooking England’s goose in the final quarter of matches is coming full […]

Aussies are hurt by own protectionism

3 November 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week Whether the Wallabies emerge with a Grand Slam or a slump of almighty proportions – […]

Steve Borthwick needs strength in depth

27 October 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week The 17 RFU central contracts announced by Steve Borthwick on Friday pale into insignificance compared […]

Time for England to walk the walk

20 October 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain Right here, right now, English rugby union craves forward momentum. It needs something to knock the negatives surrounding our sport into the […]

Will Collier shows what England are missing

13 October 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week Will Collier’s command performance for Castres against Toulouse in the Top 14 last weekend should […]

Steve Borthwick should call up these young props

6 October 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week It was surprising that neither of England’s U20 world champion props, Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale) or […]

Minimum standards criteria must apply to all

29 September 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week Do title-chasing Bath – and other top tier clubs – meet the Premiership’s own ground […]

Once again, the RFU is failing second tier

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK A new English season starts this weekend with strife and frustration in the late September air. […]

It’s time for Itoje to stand up and prove his worth

8 September 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Tough task: Maro Itoje will have to be at his best to lead Saracens to success in […]

England must find answers …and fast

1 September 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Left in the lurch: England boss Steve Borthwick and, inset, Felix Jones, left, and Aled Walters PICTURES: […]

It’s time to call for three-man scrum

25 August 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Uncontested scrums are a blight on the fifteens game, and my solution to get rid of them […]

An age-old problem for Farrell and Lions

18 August 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK ‘Dad’s Army’: Bundee Aki will be 35 when the Lions arrive in Australia. PICTURES: Getty Images Head […]

Poor terrestrial coverage is doing the game no favours

18 August 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN THE NFL has infiltrated free-to-air broadcast channels in the UK, such as the BBC and ITV, using weekly content like ‘The NFL Show’ […]

Erasmus now the creator supreme

18 August 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN RASSIE Erasmus is a breath of fresh air, a coach who combines innovative out-of-the-box thinking with a detailed understanding of the core strengths […]

A sporting heritage that needs protection

11 August 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK WHAT’S in a name? A huge amount if you consider what Wembley means to football fans, the […]

Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies will provide a tough test for Lions

4 August 2024 0 comments

Nick Cain gives his thoughts on the 2025 British Lions series against Australia, saying the Aussies will be hard to beat under Joe Schmidt.

France show us how to do it – again

4 August 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN THE 2024 Olympic Sevens was a massive showcase for Antoine Dupont’s extraordinary sporting talent, but also for rugby union, not just in France, […]

Build the future on front row brilliance

28 July 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK THE England U20 scrum is the best in the world, and in winning the 2024 U20 World […]

England need to beat the big boys

21 July 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK It is intriguing to see England being touted already as serious 2027 World Cup contenders on the […]

Overseas stars are blocking new talent

14 July 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK There is a double standard in English rugby that stands out as a carbuncle-like sign of the […]

RFU still has urgent questions to answer

7 July 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK The biggest story of the season in the domestic game in England came three weeks ago when […]

Time for England’s rock-steady crew

30 June 2024 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK NOW comes the acid test of England’s attacking progress. When Steve Borthwick side face New Zealand in […]

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