Rugby Matters

S Africa is crying out for its own league

21 April 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS – A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER IF I remember my A level geography correctly, Africa is moving […]

Great to see Swiss move up the ladder

21 April 2024 0 comments

There will be a new name mixing it with the bigger teams in the Rugby Europe Championship next season after Switzerland clinched their first promotion […]

André, high priest of French running rugby

14 April 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER A weekly look at the game’s other talking points Andre Boniface, who died earlier this week aged 89, and his younger […]

Here’s hoping we see another drop of magic

7 April 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER IT’S Northampton against Munster in Europe today and for me that can […]

25 years of hurt and counting for Scotland

7 April 2024 0 comments

Scotland fans should look away now but this week – April 10 to be precise – will be the 25th anniversary of their last Championship […]

Time we demanded more from players

1 April 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER THE other weekend – although it could probably be any weekend – […]

Ten Italian tyros who will hit the headlines

24 March 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS IT’S BECOME almost a mantra or article of faith recently that reinforcements, in the form of a squadron of hungry young guns, are […]

Lucky? No, that was pure skill

17 March 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER THE sainted Antoine Dupont might be on a sabbatical but France enjoyed […]

Did that just happen? Five other jaw dropping moments

17 March 2024 0 comments

FRANS STEYN DROPPED GOAL (2010) The huge Bok centre was playing for Racing at Clermont. His side were trailing 14-12 when Clermont cleared their lines […]

Sorry Cockers, but it’s Portugal for me

10 March 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER I wish the doughty warriors of Georgia no ill will – on […]

We are going to miss you guys a lot

10 March 2024 0 comments

All career-ending injuries are to be mourned but the last couple of weeks or so have been hard to digest for Italy fans and indeed […]

How one player really can make a team tick

3 March 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER WHY have France fallen off a cliff ?Can it really all be […]

It doesn’t feel right to see Italy at the bottom

3 March 2024 0 comments

Various non rugby specialists have contacted me this week asking why Italy are currently bottom of the Six Nations table. Patiently I have described the […]

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. […]

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 […]

50 years ago, and it’s a different world

4 February 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS – BRENDAN GALLAGHER A weekly look at the game’s other talking points IT’S funny how some things 50 years ago feel so much […]

Unlucky Bev had just the two caps

4 February 2024 0 comments

It was remiss of this column not to note the passing of former Bristol and England prop Bev Dovey last month aged 85. Dovey, below, […]

Farrell’s jumping from fire…into fire

28 January 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS I don’t know about you but it’s occasionally been a bit of a torture watching Owen Farrell struggle with himself ever since England’s […]

The tackle: Different options are available

28 January 2024 0 comments

Dafydd Jenkins’ yellow card last week for Exeter against Bayonne has caused much debate with most people agreeing that is was almost physically impossible for […]

Scots should focus on developing own talent

21 January 2024 0 comments

The international merry-go-round continues. After the best part of a decade of striving for England honours Exeter Chiefs prop Alec Hepburn has suddenly decided he […]

Magnificent tome tells fantastic tales

21 January 2024 0 comments

Take a bow Neil Fissler and Adam Hathaway – much respected members of this parish – for completing a definitive Who’s Who of English rugby […]

No hiding place in those final trials

14 January 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER For some reason, the good old days have been getting a shoeing […]

When JPR enjoyed his day at court

14 January 2024 0 comments

The late JPR Williams has many claims to sporting fame and one of the more esoteric is that he played in the first ever Open […]

When the selectors made the right calls

7 January 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER IT’S 2024 – a belated Happy New Year by the way – […]

Sir Dicky’s New Year honour is hugely deserved

7 January 2024 0 comments

Everybody west of the Tamar, and indeed way beyond, was delighted that Dicky Evans was elevated to Sir Dicky in the New Year Honours list […]

The day Bancroft created history

7 January 2024 0 comments

TODAY sees the 130th anniversary of the first successful penalty kick in Test rugby with Billy Bancroft, below, landing a tricky 30m effort from wide […]

When Merlene Ottey’s leotard grew nine sizes

31 December 2023 1 comment

RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER A weekly look at the game’s other talking points NEW Year’s Eve and rugby always brings to mind England’s slightly eccentric […]

Time of goodwill to all (well, nearly all)

24 December 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER hands out his Christmas goodies… HO HO HO. I’m normally more of a scrooge than a Santa at Christmas but, to […]

Toulouse’s victory over Quins is top of my list

17 December 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS THE greatest single performance in the Heineken Cup? That’s a tricky one, there have been so many, but when pressed I normally opt […]

Millar knew how to keep ref onside

17 December 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS Dr Syd Millar was many things – Ballymena stalwart, redoubtable Ireland Test prop, successful Ireland coach and innovative rugby administrator at the dawn […]

Following in fathers’ footsteps

17 December 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS The tradition of “sons of” playing for France U20 is well and truly established now and seems to know no boundaries. Indeed, England […]

I can’t see how a single action can cover it all

10 December 2023 0 comments

Lawyers and the legal system move in mysterious ways but as a layman it’s difficult to understand how the law firm Rylands Garth hopes to […]

Time to enforce law on quick tapped penalties

3 December 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS I can’t remember the last time I saw a quick tapped penalty taken correctly yet refs and assistant refs are absolutely draconian in […]

A game in desperate need of some answers

26 November 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER A weekly look at the game’s other talking points IF THERE is one thing I have learned over the last six […]

When relegation battle was the key

19 November 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER A weekly look at the game’s other talking points Twenty years on from England’s World Cup triumph – Wednesday is the […]

Young guns who fired the triumph of 2003

19 November 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS While we rightly ruminate on the 20th anniversary of England’s World Cup triumph we should also doff a 30th anniversary cap to a […]

Marta try was my favourite moment

5 November 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER A weekly look at the game’s other talking points SO that’s a wrap and after this final debrief I suggest we […]

Lions of Europe would be a fine team to watch

5 November 2023 0 comments

A long time ago I concluded that the self-interest of the Six Nations runs so deep, and they are so frightened of rugby advancing elsewhere […]

England’s finest right to the end

29 October 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER Now here’s a little in-house admission. A couple of months ago, when […]

Lagisquet’s effort cannot be ignored

29 October 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS World Rugby could desperately do with an injection of PR savvy not to mention a certain generosity of spirit. Take their awards ceremony […]

Why the final step is often one too many

22 October 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER If I had a fiver for every time I’ve heard the expression […]

Pleased Dickson made the right call

22 October 2023 0 comments

Did you, like me, cheer inwardly when Karl Dickson could be heard on comms explaining that not all hits to the head are foul play […]

A French-inspired XV to take on the world

15 October 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER A weekly look at the game’s other talking points The ProD2 Twitter account – sorry X account – conveyed congratulations earlier […]

Why do Aussies let so many escape?

15 October 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS The problems facing Australian Rugby are many and numerous but a largely unmentioned issue would appear to be letting outstanding Australia-qualified and Aussie […]

Keep Portugal in game

8 October 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER Portugal might have become the surprise package of RWC2023 for some, but […]