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Nick Cain
/ 9 years agoNick Cain: Crooked feeds are making a mockery of our game
These days TV commentators are clearly under orders from broadcasters not to mention them, but our readers say that crooked scrum...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 9 years agoJeff Probyn: Let’s hope it’s not referees who decide this Six Nations
The one thing we didn’t need has already happened and we have only just started what should be a contest between...
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Shane Williams
/ 9 years agoShane Williams: Why I worry for Wales in Edinburgh showpiece
Wales usually expect to win in Scotland, but I think this month’s trip to Murrayfield could be the toughest game of...
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Peter Jackson
/ 9 years agoPeter Jackson: Eddie Jones finds redemption in Welsh Colditz
Eddie Jones had taken a long time to reacquaint himself with Cardiff since the Wallabies gave him the last rites for...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 9 years agoBrendan Gallagher: Joost was a joy to watch and an utter nightmare to play against
Rarely, if ever, have the sporting gods given so abundantly before retracting their favours so suddenly and without sentiment. To see...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 9 years agoJeremy Guscott: It was bench warfare and England had the finishers
England are yet to find their best form in 2017 but, boy, are they making themselves into a phenomenally hard team...
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Peter Jackson
/ 9 years agoPeter Jackson: This farewell to a Bok hero was fit for a king
They carried his oak coffin out of Loftus Versveld a few minutes before three o’clock on Friday afternoon at the end...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 9 years agoJeff Probyn: Bonus points will hamper the development of Italy
Isn’t it strange how sometimes things happen that on the surface seem to be totally unrelated, but then have mind-blowing consequences?...
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Nick Cain
/ 9 years agoNick Cain: Six Nations offers Boks a route to salvation
As the Six Nations gets underway there is an issue that should be uppermost in the minds of its council, and...
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Peter Jackson
/ 9 years agoPeter Jackson: Stern Vern allows himself a smile as Scotland box clever
Murrayfield rejoiced yesterday at catching a glimpse of a moment even more truly historic than the Grand Old Championship‘s first bonus...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 9 years agoJeremy Guscott’s verdict: Te’o and Care’s cameos may force Eddie’s hand
Ben Te’o offered more of a threat in the final 12 minutes than the entire back division in the 68 preceding...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 9 years agoBrendan Gallagher: Play Itoje and Daly in their natural positions
Sometimes we can get carried away and expect too much from out young players with their extravagant talents encouraging us to...
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Peter Jackson
/ 9 years agoPeter Jackson: Open or shut case at Millennium Stadium
Just as the United Nations have America and the Mexican wall on their agenda, so the Six Nations have had Wales...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 9 years agoJeff Probyn: They’re all out to derail Eddie’s English chariot
In just a few more days, the waiting will be over and the greatest rugby tournament in the world will begin....
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Nick Cain
/ 9 years agoNick Cain: Sherylle Calder will keep focus on big prize
Sherylle Calder’s capacity to make a difference as a visual skills coach can be measured by the three-year contract she has...
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Shane Williams
/ 9 years agoShane Williams: Wales can challenge but Ireland are my tip
I’m confident Wales can challenge for the Six Nations title. Rob Howley did well in November to get three wins on...
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Nick Cain
/ 9 years agoAlchemist Eddie must again find the right formula
England go into the Six Nations in the grip of an injury drought that will test their well of playing talent...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 9 years agoJeremy Guscott: Finn’s big question is can he keep Ireland guessing
Finn Russell will be a big part of how Scotland do against Ireland in next weekend’s Six Nations game in Edinburgh,...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 9 years agoJeff Probyn: RFU mustn’t blame ‘incomers’ for increase in abuse of refs
With the excitement of the closely-fought battles for Champions Cup quarter-final places in this year’s competition, it would be easy to...
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Shane Williams
/ 9 years agoShane Williams: Let’s hear it for Howley’s gamble on young guns
I’ve said for a while that I would like to see a few new faces in the Wales squad for the...
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Nick Cain
/ 9 years agoThis is no way to treat the minnows of Europe
That Rugby Union has one set of rules for the rich and another for the poor was highlighted starkly this week....
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 9 years agoHair Bear Adam Jones finds happy new lair at the Stoop
One of the best, most direct and honest, Rugby autobiographies written in recent years was Bomb by Adam Jones which modestly...
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Peter Jackson
/ 9 years agoPeter Jackson: Like it or not George, facts are facts!
George North put his two big feet into the concussion debate the other day in sneering contempt of the media over...
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Nick Cain
/ 9 years agoHow Eddie Jones aims to tame the French monsters
When Dylan Hartley was knocked cold after colliding with the knee of Uini Atonio, France’s gargantuan Kiwi-Samoan tight-head, in Paris last...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 9 years agoJeremy Guscott: A reborn Warburton can still make big Lions contribution
There are not many who have achieved what Sam Warburton has in the game, and even fewer who have done it...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 9 years agoBrendan Gallagher: Payback as Lions bare their teeth in New Zealand
Only those of a certain age can fully appreciate the excitement, and sheer disbelief, as news filtered back in the summer...
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Nick Cain
/ 9 years agoNick Cain talks to Des Seabrook, the coach of the North who beat the All Blacks in 1979
Des Seabrook was the architect of one of the greatest wins an English team has had over the All Blacks, when...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 9 years agoJeremy Guscott: Patience needed while refs negotiate the speed bump
The focus on the refereeing of high tackles has grown massively since last weekend’s games. The high tackles by Brad Barritt...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 9 years agoJeff Probyn: Modern referees are paid professionals, so act like it
Sometimes you get things wrong and then, when you realise and try to even things up for those you feel you...
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Peter Jackson
/ 9 years agoPeter Jackson: Warburton’s too good to be left in the cold for long
In hindsight, Sam Warburton might have seen the writing on the wall as well as everywhere else on the day of...
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Shane Williams
/ 9 years agoShane Williams – This won’t rule Sam out from Lions role
Sam Warburton‘s decision to give up the Wales captaincy won’t be one he’s taken lightly, but I think it’s the right...
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Nick Cain
/ 9 years agoCaptain? First Alun-Wyn must earn his place!
One of the oldest truisms in the game – and especially where Lions selection is concerned – is that the captain...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 9 years agoJeff Probyn: New tackle laws could help bring attacking rugby back
The start of a new year always brings anticipation for what lies ahead but also the chance to take a look...
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Peter Jackson
/ 9 years agoPeter Jackson: The day Big Bad Jim forgot his old pals act
The years keep rolling by but when it comes to dispensing their own brand of rough justice, a pair of Welsh...
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Shane Williams
/ 9 years agoShane Williams: Halfpenny should go to Scarlets, not Blues!
Leigh Halfpenny has a big decision to make on his future – but I believe it’s time for him to come...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 9 years agoBrendan Gallagher previews the last two rounds of the Champions Cup
The European Champions Cup – which will forever remain the ‘Heineken’ for those of a certain age – can sparkle at...
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Nick Cain
/ 9 years agoNick Cain: Johnno and Tigers are made for each other
When it comes to filling the managerial vacuum at Leicester left by the sacking of a larger-than-life character like Richard Cockerill,...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 9 years agoJeremy Guscott: It’s a tough job but refs can be their own worst enemy
The game is never short of talking points, and refereeing is facing some serious challenges going into 2017. After my 43...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 9 years agoJeff Probyn: Offer proper protection for all… or the game could die
As the repercussions of George North‘s concussion story look set to rumble on through the New Year, now is surely the...
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Peter Jackson
/ 9 years agoPeter Jackson: I see a man on a tractor roaring in to lead Lions
Now 2017 has dawned, no New Year would be complete without a few gongs inspired by the events of the old...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 9 years agoBrendan Gallagher’s ten to watch in 2017
Ardie Savea, above: Outrageously gifted All Blacks flanker and younger brother of Julian. Combines at bit of Michael Jones and Jerry Collins....
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Nick Cain
/ 9 years agoNick Cain’s wishes and expectations for rugby in 2017
Rugby Union in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland has a host of reasons to be cheerful in 2017. At the apex...
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Shane Williams
/ 9 years agoShane Williams: Rhino-skinned Dan Biggar has the self-belief to reach very top
Dan Biggar was one of the most confident men I played with and I always knew he had something special. So...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 9 years agoBrendan Gallagher: Fasten your seatbelts for a rip-roaring 2017
The great thing about the New Year, for the rugbyhead anyway, is that everything seems to accelerate after January 1. The...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 9 years agoJeremy Guscott: George Ford has to play with a smile on his face again
George Ford faces another huge decision in the coming weeks, as from today he is officially allowed to hear offers from...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 9 years agoJeff Probyn: Jones wanted an abrasive leader, well he’s got one
Somehow the words leopards and spots have sprung to mind this week, having once again had to listen to all those...
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Peter Jackson
/ 9 years agoPeter Jackson: Candid Phil Steele shares his demons to help others
Phil Steele has earned himself a rewarding reputation as a technical-zone television reporter and after-dinner speaker, a veritable bundle of laughs....
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Nick Cain
/ 9 years agoWorld Rugby made a mistake by picking Beauden Barrett as Player of the Year
Maro Itoje should have been World Rugby’s Player of the Year by a clear margin ahead of New Zealand fly-half Beauden...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 9 years agoBrendan Gallagher: Germans are defying odds to climb up the rankings
So suddenly Germany are ranked 23rd in the world, hard on the heels of recent World Cup qualifiers Namibia and Uruguay...
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Shane Williams
/ 9 years agoShane Williams: James Davies ban spot on but Dylan Hartley put so much at risk
There is simply no place in rugby for abusing match officials, but any talk of the Scarlets sacking James Davies for...
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