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Shane Williams
/ 10 years agoShane Williams’ column: Sam Burgess is a beast, but is he really ready yet?
Sam Burgess is a beast but he could also be the chink in England‘s armour that Wales can exploit. England have...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 10 years agoBrendan Gallagher’s RWC absent friends XV
15 Israel Dagg (NZ) Arguably the star of the tournament four years ago, certainly a key player with five tries and...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 10 years agoJeff Probyn’s column: Hopefully England will go one better than us in ‘91 and win it
With the phoney war over, now is the time for the squad to focus on the challenges that lie ahead. The...
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Peter Jackson
/ 10 years agoPeter Jackson’s column: Hair Bear Adam Jones has to take his share of the blame
Michael Clarke retired from the Test arena on a point of honour. Adam Jones did so in a fit of pique. ...
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Nick Cain
/ 10 years agoNick Cain’s column: Is Teflon Rob Andrew ensuring he hangs onto his job?
Maybe it’s a cunning plan? Rob Andrew’s version of lulling England‘s opponents in the 2015 World Cup into a false sense...
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Shane Williams
/ 10 years agoShane Williams’ column: Injuries like these can hit spirit of entire squad
It’s fair to say that was Warren Gatland’s worst nightmare. What we hoped would be a huge send-off for the lads...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 10 years agoJeremy Guscott’s verdict: Muscleman Jonny May sums up England’s transformation
What a difference a fortnight makes. England were ten times better than the side that meekly went down to France and...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 10 years agoBrendan Gallagher’s verdict: Yes Rob, the future is bright, but it’s all about the here and now…
That was an angry England team out there yesterday, especially in the first half, and I’m not surprised after their no-show...
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Nick Cain
/ 10 years agoNick Cain: Trim bench to five to keep players healthy
The timing of Warren Gatland‘s comment that “one or two more serious knocks” could end George North‘s career, made on the...
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Peter Jackson
/ 10 years agoPeter Jackson: Mauro Bergamasco debut ruined by England’s lucky break
Mauro Bergamasco and the World Cup go back a long way, to a chilly Sunday in Yorkshire during the last century...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 10 years agoBrendan Gallagher pays tribute to Bakkies Botha
It’s all a bit rock’n’roll for Bakkies Botha at present. Farewell gigs in Cape Town, Tokyo and, most recently, at the...
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Nick Cain
/ 10 years agoNick Cain on why Brad Barritt is England’s go-to centre
Brad Barritt has a reputation for being England’s midfield rock. We are talking about a centre who is not just teak-tough...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 10 years agoJeff Probyn’s column: We’re running out of time to get the scrum working
As Stuart Lancaster tears up the selectors’ hand book and does what was expected, the whole of England’s rugby community will...
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Nick Cain
/ 10 years agoNick Cain’s verdict on England’s World Cup squad
Apart from Stuart Lancaster saying that he had to make choices that brought tears to his eyes, it was business as...
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Shane Williams
/ 10 years agoShane Williams’ verdict: At last we’ve seen the real Wales again, bring it on!
Now that was more like it! What a difference experience can make to a side. Two weeks ago Wales were all...
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Nick Cain
/ 10 years agoNick Cain: Man-of-the-match Justin Tipuric holds the key to unlocking the breakdowns
They are coming round the corner hard, fast, and in numbers, as Warren Gatland’s sides tend to do – and England...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 10 years agoBrendan Gallagher recalls the biggest World Cup upsets in history
Shock results – upsets – are not a common occurrence at World Cups where generally thing go very much to form. Indeed...
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Nick Cain
/ 10 years agoNick Cain’s column: James Horwill axe shows how the mighty can fall, fast
James Horwill’s arrival at The Stoop to join his new Harlequins team-mates will probably come sooner than he expected following his...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 10 years agoJeremy Guscott’s column: Fortune will favour the brave in Ireland
The England-Ireland World Cup warm-up game on September 5 has huge significance for both sides. The managements can spin this however...
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Peter Jackson
/ 10 years agoPeter Jackson’s column: Ironman’s meteoric rise stands test of time
The eighth World Cup will generate more money than the previous seven. It may even produce a Six Nations winner but...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 10 years agoJeff Probyn’s column: Two ‘big hits’ not enough to put Sam Burgess ahead of Henry Slade
Looking back at last week’s game and the England team’s performance against France at Twickenham, I have the feeling that I...
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Shane Williams
/ 10 years agoShane Williams’ column: Absolute honour to play with a true great like Ryan Jones
Of the hundreds of memories I cherish from playing with Ryan Jones for the Ospreys, Wales and the British & Irish...
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Nick Cain
/ 10 years agoNick Cain takes stock of how the England pack rates against the world’s best
Forwards, and how many of them he needs, will be at the top of Stuart Lancaster‘s agenda as he contemplates cutting...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 10 years agoJeff Probyn: How those cunning Aussies threw World Cup wide open
That’s it! All bets are off after last week’s results in the Rugby Championship as the favourites for both games failed...
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Nick Cain
/ 10 years agoNick Cain looks ahead to next season’s Champions Cup which kicks off two weeks after the World Cup final
How big will the World Cup hangover be, and which of this season’s European Champions Cup contenders will be hit hardest?...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 10 years agoBrendan Gallagher’s feature: Record-breaker Richie McCaw was on a different level from the start
It was a dirty Dublin night in November 2001 when our shambles of a taxi driver eventually located the Killiney Castle...
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Nick Cain
/ 10 years agoNick Cain’s column: Sorry, but the North/South divide is as wide as ever
Of the seven World Cups that have preceded the 2015 edition which kicks off next month all but one have been...
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Shane Williams
/ 10 years agoShane Williams’ column: Chopping Richard Hibbard will leave Wales exposed
Warren Gatland has wielded his axe and cut some really prominent players from his World Cup squad after last week’s heavy...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 10 years agoJeremy Guscott’s column: Size, skill and speed, the Wallaby backs have it all
Despite the heavy defeat the Wallabies just got from New Zealand, when it comes to backline talent, I believe the 14...
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Peter Jackson
/ 10 years agoPeter Jackson’s column: Mike Phillips axe gives Gareth Davies a glimpse of redemption
Gareth Davies changed the course of history in Rome on Super Saturday, albeit not in the way he would have wanted...
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Peter Jackson
/ 10 years agoPeter Jackson’s column: TV drops Gareth Edwards… unlike Lions and Wales
Wales never went anywhere without him and neither did the Lions. Just as the unbeatable Joe Calzaghe never lost a world...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 10 years agoJeff Probyn’s column: Schools should link up with grassroots clubs for legacy
Last Wednesday I attended the first of what I would assume are many planned fund raisers for the hoped for legacy...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 10 years agoJeremy Guscott: Jonny May must keep improving to make himself invaluable
There is always a dilemma for international coaches such as Stuart Lancaster when it comes to cutting players, because it is...
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Nick Cain
/ 10 years agoNick Cain talks to England’s world class lock Courtney Lawes about his vital role in RWC 2015
Courtney Lawes hits twice as hard in the tackle as most of his Red Rose team-mates, and it has earned him...
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Shane Williams
/ 10 years agoShane Williams’ Wales verdict: Poor scrum performance remains my big concern
Message to all Welsh rugby fans – don’t panic! As far as World Cup warm-up games go what happened against Ireland...
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Nick Cain
/ 10 years agoNick Cain’s column: Axeman Stuart Lancaster must sharpen his plans in midfield
One of the enduring issues during Stuart Lancaster‘s tenure as England head coach has been a revolving door selection policy at...
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Peter Jackson
/ 11 years agoPeter Jackson’s column: Winning is same in any language for Michael Cheika
Michael Cheika speaks French, Italian and Arabic. He is also known to be fluent in coarse Anglo-Saxon and looks forward to...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 11 years agoJeff Probyn: Too much expectation riding on the shoulders of England
I’m sure you have all seen the TV adverts featuring the England players being carried on the shoulders of supporters as...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 11 years agoBrendan Gallagher’s Rugby World Cup bolters
Danny Barrett (USA): One of the great hopes surrounding the US Eagles Sevens programme is that some of the talent identified...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 11 years agoBrendan Gallagher’s column: Scandalous delay that haunts the World Cup
One of the biggest drawbacks of Rugby Union’s obsession with amateurism was that the Rugby World Cup was belatedly dragged kicking...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 11 years agoBrendan Gallagher previews the Bledisloe Cup
This year’s quick-fire Rugby Championship seems to be hurtling to a conclusion almost before it began but the organisers couldn’t have...
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Shane Williams
/ 11 years agoShane Williams’ column: I’m proof that bolters can earn a late RWC call
Some people may question the need for warm-up games before a World Cup but I am living proof of how they...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 11 years agoJeremy Guscott’s column: Still time for Sam Burgess to prove his vast potential
The big word is that Sam Burgess will get a place in Stuart Lancaster final World Cup squad. It’s big news...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 11 years agoJeff Probyn’s column: You’re right Steve, new maul is ‘bloody boring’
How unusual, a New Zealand coach bemoaning the opposition’s tactics despite winning the game. Steve Hansen’s complaint about the Argentinian driving...
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Shane Williams
/ 11 years agoShane Williams’ column: Wallabies are never beaten, just ask Wales!
Same old players, same old Wallabies. Not for the first time, Australia were the second-best team on the pitch and yet,...
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Jeremy Guscott
/ 11 years agoJeremy Guscott’s column: Bok boys can do lot more than just bash
It would be a huge surprise if these sides continue to play this type of expansive rugby in the World Cup,...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 11 years agoBrendan Gallagher’s column: Sometimes it’s better just to put your feet up
I don’t know if Wales’ fitness guru Paul Stridgeon and Bristol coach Sean Holley are Jos Stone fans and I certainly...
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Peter Jackson
/ 11 years agoPeter Jackson’s column: Over-load on players so wrong says Larder
George Ford played 32 matches for club and country last season, more than any of his international contemporaries anywhere in Europe....
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Peter Jackson
/ 11 years agoPeter Jackson’s column: Vernon Pugh was right, we’re playing too many Tests
Fifty years ago, Jack Kyle held the record as the world’s most-capped player with 46 matches for Ireland. It had taken...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 11 years agoJeff Probyn’s column: Why do altitude training if it may hinder your speed?
As we approach the Rugby World Cup and hear more and more details of how the teams are preparing, I have...
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