Nick Cain

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

Nick Cain: Baxter can improve England’s set-piece

12 April 2013 1 comment

Stuart Lancaster has made a smart move in asking Rob Baxter to join the England set-up as forwards coach for the tour to Argentina this […]

Nick Cain picks his 2013 Lions tour party with some surprising ins and outs

7 April 2013 1 comment

No Brian O’Driscoll. No Chris Robshaw. Neither men make my 2013 Lions tour party for the straightforward reason that others are better equipped to help […]

Nick Cain: Change now or else!

5 April 2013 2 comments

There’s been a marked reluctance in English rugby ranks to accept that the 2015 Rugby World Cup draw is by far the biggest banana skin […]

Nick Cain assesses the potential outcomes of the Heineken Cup quarter-finals

4 April 2013 0 comments

Can England‘s leading club sides come up trumps when it is all on the line, or will they follow in the footsteps of Stuart Lancaster’s […]

Nick Cain: Gatland must think French

29 March 2013 1 comment

There are not many Lions coaches who go into a tour on the back of a vintage Six Nations, and Warren Gatland is no exception. […]

Nick Cain assesses the relative strengths and weaknesses of England and Italy

24 March 2013 0 comments

Italy have yet to beat England in the Six Nations, and, given that their only away win in the tournament since they joined it 13 […]

Nick Cain: Let Welsh go Scott-free and return their points

22 March 2013 1 comment

Tyson Keats is innocent. Mike Scott is not. That was the only verdict that was clear in the Friday night disciplinary fog as the RFU […]

Nick Cain looks at the England build-up to Italy – and beyond to the Lions

17 March 2013 0 comments

When teams which have battled to get within reach of big prizes start to batten down the hatches and ban words like ‘Grand’ and ‘Slam’ […]

Nick Cain: Welsh are embroiled in new fight for justice

15 March 2013 1 comment

There are times, as we all know, when the law is an ass. Usually this coincides with legal technicalities getting in the way of, or […]

Nick Cain assesses the dramatic fight for survival at the bottom of the Premiership

10 March 2013 2 comments

If relegation is meant to be all about dull, unambitious, lock-tight rugby then London Welsh and Sale have not been listening. Nor, for that matter, […]

Nick Cain: Lions levy hits their own fans

8 March 2013 1 comment

The latest twist in the Lions Test ticket story is that the Australian Rugby Union has refuted the statement from a senior Lions administrator that […]

Nick Cain talks to Tom Wood about his triumphant return to England’s back row

3 March 2013 0 comments

Tom Wood is the embodiment of the new England. He is a fierce marauder who uses his mobility and work-rate to pressurise the opposition, his […]

Nick Cain: Here’s the real reason for Warren Gatland’s outburst

1 March 2013 2 comments

None of the explanations I’ve heard so far for Warren Gatland‘s ill-conceived comments about the divisive potential of having too many English players in a […]

Nick Cain looks at the key areas which will decide today’s battle at the Aviva stadium, Dublin

24 February 2013 0 comments

It is a decade since England last won in Dublin in the Six Nations. In the interim there have been heartache and heavy defeats inflicted […]

Nick Cain: Yes to bonus points, no to TV-driven fixture lists

22 February 2013 0 comments

There are so many contradictory knee-jerk spoutings about the Six Nations that you sometimes wonder whether Glenda Slagg has taken up residence in the Twickenham […]

Nick Cain talks to Fred Michalak who has gone from enfant terrible to mature superstar

17 February 2013 2 comments

Fred Michalak is France’s main man going into this Six Nations, with all the signs pointing towards flaky Fred having been transformed into formidable Fred. […]

Nick Cain: Can Stuart Lancaster do everything?

15 February 2013 0 comments

There are a couple of questions that need urgent answers since Stuart Lancaster‘s extraordinary elevation this week from being the England head coach, for just […]

Nick Cain : Ben Morgan set to fire with Telfer ‘bullet up his bum’

10 February 2013 1 comment

Ben Morgan couldn’t be in more illustrious company. A quick scan of who the Gloucester and England No.8 will be contending with in this season’s […]

Nick Cain: the Scots are no pushovers

8 February 2013 0 comments

Two months ago there was not a single scribe, broadcaster, or media pundit anywhere who predicted England would beat New Zealand. And with England and […]

Nick Cain talks to England and Tigers hooker Tom Youngs about Toulouse and Six Nations

3 February 2013 0 comments

Tom Youngs talks as he plays. Direct, to the point, honest, and over the past year his hard-working, uncomplicated attitude has opened up an international […]

Nick Cain: Wasps good enough for Dally, so why not Billy?

1 February 2013 0 comments

Billy Vunipola’s decision to leave Wasps and join forces with his brother, Mako, at Saracens is surprising given that he is only in his second […]

Nick Cain looks at the current status of the Heineken Cup

20 January 2013 3 comments

If there was ever a time for the English clubs to emphasise that they are the real deal and not the ‘Great Pretenders’ of European […]

Nick Cain: Suddenly the England scrum is Gr-eight again

18 January 2013 1 comment

There were not many No.8 options for England at the start of last season, and it had become another problem position. When Stuart Lancaster came […]

Nick Cain talks to Saracens flanker Will Fraser about his ‘inspirational’ brother

13 January 2013 0 comments

Will Fraser goes through a ritual before every match he plays for Saracens. The rugged openside flanker has his wrists and thumbs bandaged, and on […]

Nick Cain: The Gong Show and the Goon Show 2012

11 January 2013 1 comment

It’s the season of awards, from the BBC’s Sports Personality show to the New Year Honours. Gongs are being handed out at a furious pace […]

Nick Cain talks to Dean Richards about his remarkable return to rugby

6 January 2013 0 comments

Dean Richards has no peers in the English club game when it comes to building champion teams, and he is at it again at Newcastle. […]

Nick Cain: Toulon are a triumph for French TV as well

4 January 2013 1 comment

The most startling statistic to come out of Round 4 of the Heineken Cup was not so much Toulon‘s nine try, 62-0 annihilation of Sale, […]

Nick Cain: Heineken Cup needs refreshing for the fans

28 December 2012 0 comments

Another Heathrow hotel meeting, and another Heineken cup impasse. That was the outcome from the battle of the suits this week as English and French […]

Nick Cain says the best coaches never believe they cannot improve a winning team

23 December 2012 2 comments

England will not be de-railed this season by skidding on the media and blog froth that has surrounded his squad since their record win over […]

Nick Cain: Group of Death can deal mortal blow to 2015

21 December 2012 1 comment

Forget all the flannel following the nightmare RWC 2015 draw that England and Wales have to beat everyone of note to win a World Cup […]

Nick Cain talks to Warren Gatland about the 2013 tourists to Australia

16 December 2012 0 comments

When Warren Gatland held court at Cardiff Castle this week to do an early 2013 Lions stock-take with the autumn series in its last knockings, […]

Nick Cain: Robshaw got it wrong but so did Lancaster

14 December 2012 1 comment

The debate over Chris Robshaw‘s late penalty call against South Africa has raged all week, and nothing has been added to it that even remotely […]

Nick Cain assesses how to halt the all-round might of the all-conquering All Blacks

9 December 2012 0 comments

If this autumn series has taught us anything as England attempt to turn the tide against New Zealand, it is that the All Blacks are […]

Nick Cain: Grayson stricken by Midlands fly-halfitis

7 December 2012 2 comments

Paul Grayson’s exit from Northampton after being at Franklin’s Gardens as an assistant coach and player for 19 years suggests that the former England and […]

Nick Cain talks to Chris Ashton about try scoring, Munster and the Lions

3 December 2012 0 comments

Chris Ashton divides opinion like no other current international in Britain, or Ireland. There are those who see the England wing as a cocky ‘disrespectful’ […]

Nick Cain looks at the challenge facing England at Twickenham next weekend

2 December 2012 0 comments

If Stuart Lancaster thinks he’s got injury problems with Dylan Hartley, Courtney Lawes and Tom Croft on the sidelines then he should spare a thought […]

Nick Cain: Thomson’s escape shows bias towards All Blacks

30 November 2012 0 comments

The fawning towards all things All Black by the game’s officials goes on unabated with the latest example being the one-week ban given to Adam […]

Nick Cain talks to Danny Cipriani about his challenge at Sale, tackling and England

25 November 2012 1 comment

Danny Cipriani has found himself in the headlines over the last few weeks, but they have not been of his own making. Sir Clive Woodward’s […]

Nick Cain: Bending the ref’s ear should be binned

23 November 2012 2 comments

One of the worst aspects of the new TMO intervention on foul play is the sharp increase in players badgering referees and their assistants to […]

Nick Cain talks to Geoff Parling, the thinking player’s lock forward

18 November 2012 0 comments

Geoff Parling is not one of the big beasts of the second row. In fact, England‘s lineout leader admits that he still wouldn’t weigh as […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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