Three talking points from the Champions Cup semi-finals

- April 24, 2019April 24, 2019

Saracens and Leinster will face off in the Heineken Champions Cup final for the first time, having overcome Munster 32-16 and Toulouse 30-12 respectively in the semi-finals at the weekend. Combined winners of the past three competitions, the two heavyweights were among the favourites from the start and will now

Three talking points from the Gallagher Premiership

- April 17, 2019April 17, 2019

Another great round of Premiership rugby at the weekend: three of the relegation contenders earned much needed victories, the top two in the league both lost and the midtable became more congested than ever. Here are three talking points. Everyone still has something to play for Those arguing the Premiership should be

Why ringfencing could improve the Premiership as a spectacle

- April 16, 2019

Talk of a ringfenced Premiership ceases to quieten down. The issue remains at the forefront of English rugby’s collective consciousness, countless pundits and supporters totting up the pros and cons of such an idea. There are many of both, with telling arguments making ringfencing appear simultaneously logical and senseless. If

Gallagher Premiership: Analysing the final relegation battle run-ins

- April 11, 2019April 10, 2019

We are in the midst of the closest Premiership relegation battle in years. While the top of the table is part secured, with Exeter Chiefs, Saracens and Gloucester all but sure of a playoff place, the bottom end of the table is becoming an increasingly fraught and desperate contest. At the

The Bad Habits that are Creeping into Rugby

- April 11, 2019April 10, 2019

Rugby is a game for thugs played by gentlemen, so the old adage goes. For the most part, it remains true. The majority of players still treat officials as though they have received a knighthood; rival supporters still cheer, laugh, and sometimes cry beside each other; when the full-time whistle

Three talking points from the Champions Cup quarter finals

- April 2, 2019April 1, 2019

European rugby returned at the weekend with the Champions Cup quarter finals, and what a brilliant set of matches they were. Saracens, Munster, Leinster and Toulouse took the victories – here are three talking points from the round. Saracens versatility is ominous for their rivals For a team to lose one of

Three questions England still need to answer before the World Cup

- March 27, 2019March 27, 2019

Now the dust has settled on the 2019 Six Nations, we can reflect on England’s campaign. In the end it feels like something of a missed opportunity. Second place is certainly an improvement on last year’s fifth, but although we made progress – with an impressive victory over Ireland and

England’s collapse shows they still need more leaders

- March 20, 2019March 20, 2019

Thirty minutes into the game on Saturday and England were writing history. 31-0 up; the biggest ever lead in the first half of a Calcutta Cup match. What unfolded after that moment threatened to write history in another way. No side has ever come back from more than 24 points

Six Nations 2019: England need to blend power with vision

- March 13, 2019March 13, 2019

Eddie Jones deployed England’s heavy artillery in their 57-14 win over Italy – a wrecking-ball backline featuring the heavyweight trio of Ben Te’o, Manu Tuilagi and Joe Cokanasiga together from the start for the first time. The three backs’ combined weight is more than that of the three heavyweight boxers,

Has Eddie Jones lost faith in his finishers?

- February 28, 2019February 28, 2019

Sometimes, when things aren’t going your way, you need to make a change – but on Saturday Eddie Jones left his back-up plan rooted firmly on the bench. It seems England’s ‘Finishers’ are no more. We are back to having mere ‘replacements’. Against a tenacious Wales, English fans’ expectations got a