Guest columnists

This is where you will find all of The Rugby Paper’s Guest columnists news, views, opinion and other content.

The culture of playing through pain has got to stop – it is so outdated

25 August 2024 0 comments

Barney Davies, a 24-year-old who retired from the game with concussion issues, is urging a new approach The stigma around toughness in rugby, particularly the […]

Best team in the world, I screamed

21 July 2024 0 comments

OLAMIDE SODEKE ENGLAND U20 SECOND ROW Friday night was the highlight of my short-lived rugby career so far and was the perfect way to start […]

Our aim is to make everyone proud

30 June 2024 0 comments

OLAMIDE SODEKE ENGLAND U2O SECOND ROW Having landed in South Africa last Sunday, we’ve already had a memorable time on and off the pitch. This […]

I’d put my faith in Mitchell to spark England

27 August 2023 0 comments

KYRAN BRACKEN NO MATTER what Steve Borthwick does he’s just getting lynched by the public. There’s a certain pool of people who think Marcus Smith […]

Saracens still the team to beat

27 August 2023 0 comments

KYRAN BRACKEN The Champions Cup is always a great competition but right now there’s too much of a financial divide for any team in England […]

Libbok deserves a chance at No.10

23 July 2023 0 comments

NEIL DE KOCK FORMER SARACENS AND SPRINGBOKS SCRUM-HALF HAVING beaten the Springboks in Auckland, the All Blacks certainly have one hand on the trophy due […]

Borthwick knows what he wants at 9

16 July 2023 0 comments

NEIL DE KOCK FORMER SARACENS AND SPRINGBOKS SCRUM-HALF STEVE Borthwick, who took over from Eddie Jones as England head coach in late 2022, hasn’t had […]

We must keep building on World Cup success

23 December 2022 1 comment

ROCKY CLARK ENGLAND WORLD CUP WINNER AS women’s rugby ripped through the world this autumn, and New Zealand were crowned world champions following a thrilling […]

Time for the forgotten men to return

11 December 2022 0 comments

Tom Bradshaw urges the new England coaching team to give these players a chance Decisions, decisions, decisions. Or maybe that should be indecision, indecision, indecision. […]

Hats off to NZ as they win sixth world crown

13 November 2022 0 comments

ROCKY CLARK ENGLAND WORLD CUP WINNER THE National Grid will surely have got a surge when hundreds of thousands of people put their kettles on […]

Happy it’s Hunter who will take on my baton

16 October 2022 0 comments

ROCKY CLARK WORLD CUP WINNER Captain marvel: Sarah Hunter Influential: Marlie Packer What an encounter! It promised to be special and it didn’t disappoint. Two […]

England must step it up for Le Crunch

9 October 2022 0 comments

ROCKY CLARK WORLD CUP WINNER So the wait is over. Five years after England lost the 2017 World Cup final against New Zealand, could this […]

Lawes gets my nod but Eddie has a tough call – Dean Richards

28 August 2022 0 comments

FORMER ENGLAND No.8 ‘Big boys don’t cry’ sang Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons (I know it’s girls really but just go with it), which […]

England will relish American challenge

28 August 2022 0 comments

ROCKY CLARK England’s most capped player and World Cup winner A Summer full of high-profile women’s sport is followed by an autumn of excitement too. […]

Right move to rest Marx, he’s crucial for World Cup

21 August 2022 0 comments

NEIL DE KOCK THE FORMER SOUTH AFRICA AND SARACENS SCRUM-HALF Two rounds into the Rugby Championship and each team has won one and lost one. […]

Having DMP in the league is vital for women’s game

21 August 2022 1 comment

ROCKY CLARK ENGLAND WORLD CUP WINNER On the eve of the Women’s Allianz Premier XVs fixtures announcement, the league postponed the publication due to “unexpected […]

Jack’s authority shows he’s the lad for England

7 August 2022 0 comments

KYRAN BRACKEN FORMER ENGLAND SCRUM-HALF It’s interesting that, in England, scrum-half has traditionally been considered less influential tactically than fly-half, with the focus almost always […]

Tale of two Tadhgs has sad ending for Eddie | David Flatman

21 March 2021 2 comments

THE two Tadhgs, Beirne and Furlong, achieved such dominance that England were rarely on the front foot. England looked meek in front of the overwhelming […]

Tips for quitting smoking with LYFT Nicotine Pouches

5 November 2019 0 comments

Smoking has serious negative health effects. These effects are dire especially if you are a professional athlete. This is because the carbon monoxide in tobacco […]

Factors you should consider when getting into sports betting

3 June 2019 0 comments

There is an increasing interest in sports betting with everyone trying to boost their bankroll. The betting industry is vast and rapidly expanding, and many […]

Hopefully I’ll be given a luckier break this time! England 7s captain Tom Mitchell talks Commonwealth Games

11 April 2018 0 comments

The last Commonwealth Games in Glasgow was a mixed experience for me. It was massively exciting and the build-up was amazing but, personally, it went […]

Catherine Spencer: Litchfield will get new chance to join in 2019

14 September 2017 0 comments

As the dust settles on the World Cup and we see the trophy sail to New Zealand to sit proudly alongside the men’s we have […]

Gary Gold: Time now for Boks to unleash wonderkid

17 August 2017 0 comments

The wave towards the 2019 World Cup is gathering pace and while the wily old veterans will be in situ for all four of these […]

Catherine Spencer: Stop judging us by the scorelines, men’s game had mismatches, too

16 August 2017 0 comments

In front of a not-so full crowd (arguably due to tournament format) England secured a fairly straightforward ten-try victory over Spain. But, somehow, I found […]

Catherine Spencer: These professional Red Roses are red hot favourites to defend title

9 August 2017 0 comments

In 2008 we played France away in the Six Nations and recorded England‘s biggest victory over Les Bleus, winning 31-0. We were superb that day […]

Dan Leo: Charitable mindset has held back Pacific rugby

3 August 2017 0 comments

Much of the kiwi media-fare leading up to the third test between New Zealand and the Lions focussed on Kieran Read and the fact it […]

Mike Ford: My love of risk-taking has landed me in the USA

3 August 2017 0 comments

The opportunity to try something new appealed to me when Dallas Griffins owner Phil Camm asked me to head up the club’s rugby operations ahead […]

Andy Goode: You’ve got to be a big noise now, Demetri!

28 July 2017 0 comments

The fly-half merry-go-round has been in full swing throughout a frenetic last few months with a host of No.10s switching clubs in the Premiership or arriving […]

Dan Leo: Samoa left with mountain to climb after All Blacks error

28 July 2017 0 comments

After a brutally long season the ever-dwindling holiday period is finally upon us. Four weeks to rest those aches and pains, put the feet up […]

Gary Gold: Boks reborn with Venter working for the defence

27 July 2017 0 comments

The fact that the All Blacks drew the three-match series with the British and Irish Lions would have been of concern to them. Hence they […]

Lions watch: back rows

18 April 2017 0 comments

New Zealand have been kings of the contest for the ball in the loose for as long as anyone can remember, and even though techniques […]

Lions Watch: locks

14 April 2017 0 comments

The giants of the second row have always loomed large in the folklore of the Lions as the driving force behind the most successful tours. […]

Lions watch: tightheads and hookers

7 April 2017 0 comments

New Zealand have the highest strike rate off set piece possession in the world game. That is why it is imperative that the Lions jolt […]

Lions watch: scrum-halves

31 March 2017 0 comments

Given the influence that Conor Murray had on the 2013 Lions series victory in Australia, and on Ireland’s progress since then, the Munster scrum-half is […]

Lions watch: fly-halves

24 March 2017 0 comments

The Six Nations provides Warren Gatland with the most exacting series of trials that any Lions chief selector could wish for. This is especially true […]

Lions watch: centres

17 March 2017 0 comments

The ebb and flow of Lions selection at centre during this Six Nations turned decisively in England’s direction when Jonathan Joseph grabbed the lead part […]

Lions watch: wings

10 March 2017 0 comments

Warren Gatland is going to be spoiled for choice when it comes to selecting his 2017 Lions wings. The head coach has such a variety […]

Lions watch: full-backs and loosehead

3 March 2017 0 comments

Stuart Hogg is the name on everybody’s lips as the candidates for full-back in the 2017 Lions tour party showcase their talents in the Six […]

Tom Mitchell: The heat is on – we must get it right or go home

25 July 2014 0 comments

The England 7s Captain gives the inside story from the athletes’ village.

Tom Mitchell: Keep the pathway clear for students to reach very top

2 May 2014 1 comment

We are a few days away from the penultimate tournament of the 2013/14 HSBC World Sevens Series in Glasgow and therefore only a couple of […]

Tom Mitchell: Konichiwa from Japan’s capital

20 March 2014 0 comments

Konichiwa! That is pretty much the extent of our grasp of the lingo out here. Of all our stops on the Sevens world tour, Tokyo […]

Tom Mitchell: Semi-final defeat to New Zealand hurts but we can’t wait for Tokyo

18 February 2014 0 comments

As we return to England with another fourth-place finish there is a now familiar feeling of so close yet so far. But if anything our […]

Tom Mitchell: What happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas so now we can concentrate on Wellington

6 February 2014 0 comments

Ten days of temptation is plenty and we’ve battled Sin City for long enough. After three days of intense competition we’ll be happy to leave […]

England Sevens captain Tom Mitchell: Sevens in Sin City

23 January 2014 1 comment

When people think of Las Vegas they think of high rollers, world famous shows, Caesar’s Palace and the MGM Grand. It is fair to say […]

Tom Mitchell: Sevens deep in the desert

29 November 2013 0 comments

Of all the nine tournaments on the IRB series, the Dubai 7s is perhaps the one that best brings home the bizarre nature of our […]

Tom Mitchell: Gold Coast behind us, Dubai next

30 October 2013 0 comments

We are back in the gym and working hard. Sessions on the running track and training park are back to their pre-season intensity. Once again […]

Behind the England Sevens’ scenes with Tom Mitchell: Countdown to round One…

10 October 2013 0 comments

Sitting on a sun drenched balcony in Australia looking out over Surfers Paradise the idea six gruelling games of 7s might not be the first […]

Tom Mitchell: Welcome behind the scenes of England Sevens

26 September 2013 0 comments

For a lucky few of us an endless summer is about to start. The HSBC World Sevens Series commences in three weeks on the Australian […]

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