Letters

This is where you will find all of The Rugby Paper’s Letters, opinion and other content.

Give Joe Cokanasiga a run on the wing

10 November 2024 0 comments

Steve Borthwick has proven during his career that he is a great coach and he is starting to show that he is a good selector […]

The game was ours to lose – and we did

10 November 2024 0 comments

HISTORY really does repeat itself, England’s team selection is proof of that. Why take Marcus Smith off ? He was having a terrific game kicking […]

Dream Team – Donovan O’Grady

10 November 2024 0 comments

DONOVAN O’GRADY, THE SWITZERLAND AND BLACKHEATH SCRUM-HALF WHO WORKS FOR THE RPA, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH OR AGAINST… Forwards 1. Simon […]

England front row not good enough

3 November 2024 0 comments

I AGREE with Jeremy Guscott and Nick Cain in last week’s article. England’s front row are not good enough. I’ve been saying that since England’s […]

Throw plans to segregate fans into the dustbin

3 November 2024 0 comments

THE fact that Premiership administrators are considering segregating away supporters demonstrates that people charged with managing the game have very little understanding or empathy with […]

We should shout about what we see

27 October 2024 0 comments

WE have, over the last few weeks, enjoyed a feast of rugby. The matches have been extremely well fought, showed brilliant skills, have had high […]

Cut red cards to 10

27 October 2024 0 comments

REGARDING the new 20 minute red card penalty, I feel that 20 minutes is a tad longer than is necessary, and creates an unfair advantage […]

All stand together

27 October 2024 0 comments

IN this PC, all inclusive, non-exclusive world that we are now supposed to be living in, the very idea of designated sections for away fans, […]

Bath pushing boundaries

27 October 2024 0 comments

Winners: Francois van Wyk scores a late try to help Bath defeat Harlequins last week PICTURES: Getty Images BATH put on a streetwise masterclass last […]

Why World Rugby has missed the point

27 October 2024 0 comments

IT occurred to me, whilst catching a glimpse of last weekend’s NFL match at Wembley, that the advent of professionalism in rugby union featured two […]

Sorry, but the RFU’s plan lacks vision

27 October 2024 0 comments

YET again the RFU has woken up in the middle of the night and is shocked by how dark it is. Throughout the professional era […]

Tommy Freeman can push England to victory against All Blacks

27 October 2024 0 comments

By Jeremy Guscott – Outspoken and unmissable every week… Any analysis of England’s chances of beating New Zealand starts with the forwards. The reality is […]

We’ll become Sharks with teeth again, promises Sanderson

27 October 2024 0 comments

ALEX Sanderson vowed to get Sale back on track after they shipped 40 points away from home for the third time this season. “I know […]

Restoration of trio cannot be justified

20 October 2024 0 comments

IT appears to me that the authorities at the RFU have lost their moral and ethical compass in inviting these three clubs to join the […]

Thanks, Jeff, your piece was spot on

20 October 2024 0 comments

THE main purpose of this letter is to thank you for your existence and quality. I used to play from 11 to 21 (when six […]

Figures don’t add up

20 October 2024 0 comments

IN his column in a recent edition of The Rugby Paper, Peter Jackson states that the RFU are set to earn a whopping £16 million […]

Return of the big clubs has my vote

20 October 2024 0 comments

I UNDERSTAND the arguments against offering an olive branch to the three ‘Phoenix clubs’, as detailed in Nick Cain’s column last week, due to the […]

Are we watching Quins Reserves?

20 October 2024 0 comments

Ace: Harlequins’ U20 World Championship-winning centre Sean Kerr starred for London Scottish last week PICTURE: Getty Images I’M sure the London Scottish-Harlequins link is working […]

I’d have included Butler in the mix

20 October 2024 0 comments

REALLY enjoyed Brendan Gallagher’s article. As a former player in the Sixties, Seventies and early Eighties, I was fortunate to play with or against many […]

Laws made a difference

20 October 2024 0 comments

I VERY much enjoyed reading the article on how positions have changed over the last 50 years. It would be interesting to see something similar, […]

No-one is forced to play the game

13 October 2024 0 comments

BEING an ex-rugby player from the age of 12 to 40, I am in complete agreement with Brendan Gallagher in his recent article (Sept 29). […]

Lucky Warriors

13 October 2024 0 comments

LAST week’s Rugby Paper included the following statement: “Worcester Warriors, who went into administration in 2022, have been formally invited by the RFU to consider […]

Too much travelling

13 October 2024 0 comments

THE article about Macclesfield last week mentioned the excessive travel time in National League West. There is a problem because this ‘Region’ is from Camborne […]

Red Roses improving all the time

13 October 2024 0 comments

Star player: Emily Scarratt in action for England PICTURE: Getty Images I’VE been thoroughly impressed by England during this WXV tournament. Having dominated Europe for […]

Don’t try to keep up with richer leagues

13 October 2024 0 comments

IN response to Neil Edwards’ letter of Sept 29 and further in support of Jeff Gage’s letter of Oct 6, crowds in any second tier […]

Too much debt is a cause for concern

13 October 2024 0 comments

WITH reference to Nick Cain’s column (Sept 29) on Premiership finances, it just goes to show that our game at the highest level is living […]

Scrums are at the heart of the game

6 October 2024 0 comments

SCRUMMAGING is one of the pillars of this great game – remove them and we’re in dangerous territory. I do empathise with Geoff Cooke; games […]

Time to add Japan and Fiji to Rugby Championship

6 October 2024 0 comments

THE endless mistreatment of Fiji as a second rate rugby nation is another disastrous admin blunder in the sport’s professional era. As Chris Hewett stated […]

With promotion, clubs might invest

6 October 2024 0 comments

IN The Rugby Paper’s letters page (Sept 29), Neil Edwards describes how Championship clubs’ crowds are too low to allow serious investment in players by […]

Championship crowds are still too low

29 September 2024 0 comments

With all the talk about the RFUs treatment of the Championship there never seems to be any real analysis of the strength of these clubs […]

That’s not what I call a good idea ITV

29 September 2024 0 comments

Brilliant idea ITV! Put your freeview Premiership highlights programme on an obscure channel. Schedule it for a Wednesday lunchtime. Replace Flats and Topsy’s amusing, insightful […]

Dual registration likely to distort competitiveness of recipient clubs

22 September 2024 0 comments

SO as the new season starts for the top tiers there is now a route between Championship and Premiership via a playoff, but the financial […]

Great to see Christian Wade back

22 September 2024 0 comments

It’s great to have Christian Wade back in the Premiership, with Gloucester. It’s hard to comprehend how such a prodigious talent was allowed to slip […]

Time to leave scrums to the professionals?

22 September 2024 0 comments

I would be interested to hear your readers’ views about aspects of the current state of the community game in England. My own club, Bradford […]

Dream Team – Jake Sharp

22 September 2024 0 comments

JAKE SHARP, THE FORMER SARACENS, BEDFORD, LONDON SCOTTISH & COVENTRY FLY-HALF, WHO IS NOW TRANSITION MANAGER FOR NORTHAMPTON SAINTS, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS […]

Jeremy Guscott: I can’t call a winner, but it’ll be exciting

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Jeremy Guscott OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK The beauty of the last Premiership season was it was incredibly competitive, and this was reflected in […]

We must work on attracting more people into the game

15 September 2024 0 comments

Thank you to Tracey Turner for the lengthy appraisal of the challenges facing English rugby and the suggested solutions. Thank you, too, to The Rugby […]

Premiership Cup better with 20 teams

15 September 2024 0 comments

Whilst having some sympathy with both Cambridge and Chinnor, newly promoted to the RFU Championship I feel I must take issue with Paul Sheenan who […]

Quite right, Brendan, don’t indulge All Blacks

15 September 2024 0 comments

I couldn’t agree more with Brendan Gallagher’s suggestion that we must stop indulging the All Blacks and their haka. He missed a couple of points […]

The haka is indeed a dance of welcome, and not a challenge

15 September 2024 0 comments

Brendan Gallagher is correct in saying that the haka is not a challenge. If this were really the case, why would the haka invariably be […]

LETTER: RFU rewards failure in Premiership Cup

8 September 2024 0 comments

Following my previous letter on the subject, the RFU decision to bar Cambridge and Chinnor from the Premiership Cup now looks more cockeyed.

LETTER: England Rugby needs a coaching pathway

1 September 2024 0 comments

Is England’s inability to select the right coaches, ones committed to the challenge, due to the hierarchy and structure of English Rugby?

LETTER: Finn Russell third choice for 2021 British & Irish Lions

1 September 2024 0 comments

How can Jeremy Guscott claim Finn Russell was the No.1 fly-half selection after the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa?

LETTER: Four-day trip to see France vs England in 1931 only £5

1 September 2024 0 comments

I was most interested in Brendan Gallagher’s article last week on French rugby and spending 16 years in the wilderness.

LETTER: England Rugby wrong to focus solely on money

1 September 2024 0 comments

Firstly, I agree with Colin Boulton in Peter Jackson’s column last week: so much has gone out of the game in the name of ‘professionalism’.

Clubs should be in Premiership Cup

25 August 2024 0 comments

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: [email protected] SPEAKING as a Coventry fan, being drawn along […]

I’m feeling sorry for the Wallabies

25 August 2024 0 comments

AS an England supporter, I used to revel in Australia being beaten, mainly because it was so rare. However, now I’m finding myself feeling sorry […]

Losing Jones is bad news for England

25 August 2024 0 comments

FELIX Jones quitting as England defence coach shows a lot is going wrong behind the scenes in Steve Borthwick’s coaching staff. I really enjoyed watching […]

LETTER: Twickenham name change to Allianz Stadium welcome

18 August 2024 0 comments

I wholeheartedly agree with Chris Hewett regarding the forthcoming Twickenham name change to the Allianz Stadium.

LETTER: Premier Sports is not what rugby needs

18 August 2024 0 comments

Once again, the powers that be in rugby have decided to reduce the potential audience for our beloved sport.

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