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Tag: Nick Cain

Naive England suffer defeat against Australia at Twickenham

17 November 2012 0 comments

England suffered a 20-14 defeat to Australia at Twickenham today for the second of their Autumn Test. Berrick Barnes kicked a drop goal and a […]

Nick Cain: Sheridan snub is no way to win Test match

16 November 2012 2 comments

If the main role of an international coach is to win Test matches, then it stands to reason that his main selection criterion is to […]

Lions Greatest XV: centres

15 November 2012 0 comments

Centres are the playmakers and finishers who make the most of the chances created by the fly-halves inside them, and The Lions have had some […]

Nick Cain assesses the challenge ahead for England against the big three

11 November 2012 2 comments

Now comes the reckoning. Forget about all the window-dressing surrounding the good intentions of Stuart Lancaster’s young hopefuls and cut to the harsh reality of […]

Record win for England at HQ against Fiji

10 November 2012 0 comments

England dominated Fiji 54-12 at Twickenham today for the first game of their Autumn campaign. Stuart Lancaster’s boys scored seven tries including a penalty try […]

Nick Cain: Change the eligibility rules and stop vultures

9 November 2012 1 comment

The vultures, in the form of New Zealand, Australian and English talent scouts, are circling the South Pacific skies in growing numbers according to Fiji’s […]

Nick Cain talks to Andrew Sheridan about his ongoing ambition to play for England and the Lions

4 November 2012 2 comments

Andrew Sheridan is in the form of his life, the main axle in the Toulon juggernaut that is smashing the heavyweight packs in the French […]

Nick Cain: Champions? Suddenly Tigers look also-rans!

2 November 2012 1 comment

A Leicester side which is hurt, angry, and staring at a third Heineken Cup pool exit on the bounce will probably have enough rounds left […]

Lions Greatest XV: scrum-halves

1 November 2012 0 comments

The best scrum-half I have seen, or am ever likely to see – that was the verdict on Gareth Edwards from Willie John McBride, the […]

Nick Cain talks to Northampton and England hooker Dylan Hartley about growing up

28 October 2012 2 comments

Can Dylan Hartley make the quantum leap and become world class? Last season there were few signs of the Northampton and England hooker springing upwards […]

Nick Cain: All Blacks are simply the best – at PR hype

26 October 2012 4 comments

The 2011–2012 All Blacks are on the brink of becoming one of the great sides, with their victory in Soweto over South Africa last weekend […]

Lions greatest XV: No.8

25 October 2012 1 comment

The position in the middle of the back row is tactically one of the most influential on the pitch, because the ball is either in […]

Nick Cain looks at the TV sub-plot beneath this season’s Heineken Cup

21 October 2012 0 comments

If the English clubs want clout when it comes to the future of the European Cup, as in bargaining power, then this is a season […]

Nick Cain: Jonny for the Lions? His form says Yes

19 October 2012 1 comment

Jonny Wilkinson’s statement this week that there’s no way he could say no to an invitation to be part of the 2013 Lions touring party […]

Nick Cain looks at the lack of back-up for Stuart Lancaster’s penalty takers

14 October 2012 0 comments

When there is enough footage of goal-kickers winning big matches to pave the M4 corridor between Twickenham and the Millennium Stadium, it seems strange that […]

Nick Cain: This waste of George Ford’s talent is so senseless

12 October 2012 6 comments

There are imperfections in most rugby structures, but, when it comes to getting the right outcome for the national team, England’s stick out like a […]

Nick Cain talks to the multi-talented Alex Goode about his ability to play full-back and fly-half

7 October 2012 0 comments

Alex Goode has shown that he can carve out time and space in the crash-bang mayhem of international rugby, and that priceless asset makes him […]

Nick Cain: Not pausing for a second, the scrum is still a mess

5 October 2012 1 comment

The scrum is under sustained attack in the modern game with barely a match at elite level where the referee does not penalise half the […]

Nick Cain talks to Exeter blindside Tom Johnson about his remarkable rise from grass roots to Test level

30 September 2012 0 comments

Tom Johnson is not so much a late bloomer as a one-man Indian summer. The Exeter Chiefs blindside flanker was a 5ft 10ins, 13 stone […]

Nick Cain: Sort out this mess or risk destroying the 2012 vibe

28 September 2012 0 comments

Mark McCafferty has come under withering fire after negotiating a unilateral £152m television rights deal for English club rugby with BT Vision, and the Premiership […]

Nick Cain assesses some early problems for the 2013 lions

23 September 2012 0 comments

Will a Lions tour party ever leave these shores without having a ball-and-chain clapped to their ankle? This week’s coach-naming Press conference was at a […]

Nick Cain: Half-baked TMO trial needs re-focussing

21 September 2012 0 comments

It is the duty of a modern professional sport to use technology to arrive at fair rulings and eliminate errors by officials as far as […]

NICK CAIN finds London Welsh skipper Jonathan Mills is a Realist with an optimistic streak

16 September 2012 0 comments

Jonathan Mills is full of pioneer spirit despite the giant survival task facing him and his newly promoted band of London Welsh brothers. As the […]

Nick Cain: Lancaster must pick his diamonds now

14 September 2012 0 comments

Stuart Lancaster appears to have taken it as a given that he will be England head coach until his contract ends in January 2016. However, […]

“Jonny Wilkinson remains in the frame,” says Warren Gatland

12 September 2012 0 comments

Jonny Wilkinson is not yesterday’s man as far as Lions coach Warren Gatland is concerned. Gatland opened the door to the 2003 England World Cup […]

Nick Cain: Packer-style circus is real threat to rugby

29 August 2012 0 comments

There has been a recurrent message doing the rounds since the 2011 World Cup which the existing rugby establishment, based on the IRB and national […]

Nick Cain talks to Neil Back about Lions, Tigers and Woodward

22 August 2012 1 comment

Neil Back identifies strongly with the team GB athletes who have lifted the country with their performances at the London Olympics over the last few […]

Nick Cain: All Blacks on top with or without Williams

22 August 2012 0 comments

If the Six Nations are playing catch up with the Southern Hemisphere powers, then the new Rugby Championship will be about South Africa, Australia and […]

Nick Cain: Pumas out to prove their first-class credentials

8 August 2012 1 comment

Argentina have received an early reminder that New Zealand, South Africa and Australia see them as the poor relations of the inaugural southern hemisphere Rugby […]

Nick Cain: Lion king of Leeds will ride to the rescue

7 August 2012 0 comments

When it comes to understanding the importance of nurturing and building a brand, Sir Ian McGeechan’s track-record with the Lions takes some beating, and that’s […]

Nick Cain: Robbo’s lumbered with Scotland’s Brave boasts

17 July 2012 0 comments

Disney are about to release Brave, an Asterix-clone feelgood fairytale about the ancient Scots. Perhaps Mark Dodson, the Scottish Rugby Union’s chief executive, got a sneak […]

Nick Cain: Fixture list gives Lions a mauling for starters

10 July 2012 0 comments

The Lions are the biggest brand in rugby alongside the All Blacks. The Lions generate huge interest, lining the coffers of the host country, and […]

Nick Cain: Don’t believe the spin, we still have long way to go

26 June 2012 1 comment

If the mission statement of Clive Woodward’s 2003 world champion outfit was, “To Be The Best”, then the one that comes most readily to mind […]

Nick Cain: Bully-boy forwards win it for the Springboks

19 June 2012 0 comments

The England U20s should be green with envy following South Africa’s 22-16 World Junior Championship final victory over New Zealand in Cape Town on Friday […]

Nick Cain: This should have been child’s play for England

14 June 2012 0 comments

Containment is a very dangerous game in an 80-minute sport, and the England U20s paid the price of a policy as ill-conceived as it was […]

Nick Cain: Country is divided on inflexible Heyneke Meyer

3 June 2012 1 comment

Heyneke Meyer knows that ultimately his reign as Springbok coach will be defined not on whether he produces a South Africa team with thrills, frills, […]