Columnists

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

England’s outsiders deserve a chance

22 December 2024 0 comments

JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK IT’S just six weeks before the start of the 2025 Six Nations, and since Steve Borthwick became England […]

Bill Beaumont needs to show clear thinking

22 December 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week Bill Beaumont is stepping into a saloon in which the tables and chairs have been […]

No Franco Mostert? That’s got to be a mistake

22 December 2024 0 comments

By Chris Hewett – Thinking Allowed Here’s a funny thing: one of the more prominent rugby sites on the worldwide web super information highway thingy […]

When a World Cup triumph got you a washing machine

22 December 2024 0 comments

By Peter Jackson – The man truly in the know So America’s golfers will be paid £400,000-a-man at the Ryder Cup next year for what […]

At least the French are going full-bore in Champions Cup

22 December 2024 0 comments

By Peter Jackson Neutrals the world over will relish the prospect of Toulouse and La Rochelle invading Cardiff at season’s end for the seventh all-French […]

My Christmas day XV

22 December 2024 0 comments

Rugby Matters – A weekly look at the game’s other talking points by Brendan Gallagher Backs 15 Mark Mapletoft (England): Born December 25, 1971: Made […]

England must find a way to deliver

22 December 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME WITH Christmas fast approaching, it’s time for us all to look forward to better things and […]

It’s time for Bath to take control

15 December 2024 0 comments

By Jeremy Guscott – Outspoken and unmissable every week… Bath need to make a statement against Benetton at the Stadio Monigo today if they are […]

Ring fence has made English rugby go soft

15 December 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week The most positive aspect to come out of the opening round of the European Cup […]

The global travellers who light up game

15 December 2024 0 comments

By Chris Hewett – Thinking Allowed There is nothing especially funny about short-term memory loss, but it may just have an upside when it comes […]

Georgia just want a fair chance – Richard Cockerill

15 December 2024 0 comments

By Peter Jackson – The man truly in the know One day soon, Josef Tkemaladze will renew his presidential invitation to Wales requesting the pleasure […]

Hellfire Corner gives a warm welcome to all

15 December 2024 0 comments

Rugby Matters by Brendan Gallagher – A weekly look at the game’s other talking points Rugby was undergoing a massive boom 150 years ago so […]

I can’t believe the RFU chiefs will walk away

15 December 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME I CANNOT believe that anyone would expect that Bill Sweeney or Tom Ilube will willingly walk […]

Oyonnax must live without Joe El-Abd

15 December 2024 0 comments

By James Harrington Oyonnax’s seven-try 53-10 bonus-point win over ProD2 rivals Soyaux-Angouleme on Friday – their first victory since October 25 – was a relief […]

Time for Bristol Bears to step up to the plate

8 December 2024 0 comments

By Jeremy Guscott – Outspoken and unmissable every week… English clubs like Saracens, Leicester, Bath, Northampton and, to a lesser extent, Harlequins have got pedigree […]

My British & Irish Lions team are ready for take-off

8 December 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week… There is a view that picking a Lions Test team almost seven months before the […]

Oh, for a one-stop TV shop for the lot

8 December 2024 0 comments

CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED Gogglebox: Bath taking on La Rochelle on Friday night PICTURE: Getty Images HERE’S a brain teaser: if you happen to be […]

Get rid of the regions and call for Cotter, says Ring

8 December 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW MARK Ring never thought Welsh rugby would come to this; their four regional teams failing en masse […]

The Six Nations logo is an AI experiment that’s gone wrong

8 December 2024 0 comments

Rugby Matters by Brendan Gallagher – A weekly look at the game’s other talking points I see the new Six Nations logo has got a […]

RFU Council must make a stand for whole game

8 December 2024 0 comments

By Jeff Probyn – A front row view of the game Now the Autumn Nation Series is over – with all four games at the […]

France won’t play All Blacks in USA

8 December 2024 0 comments

French Column – By James Harrington The FFR has rejected a proposal from New Zealand to relocate the third Test of next July’s tour to […]

Pressure builds on RFU chief to resign

1 December 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain Tom Ilube’s tenure as RFU Board Chairman, and his financial credentials, will come under increased scrutiny with the news that Crossword Cybersecurity […]

Springboks going to need a bigger trophy cabinet …

1 December 2024 0 comments

Peter Jackson looks back on a season where, once again, South Africa proved to be the best team on the planet Now that they have […]

Scotland must not waste potential

1 December 2024 0 comments

By Jeremy Guscott – Outspoken and unmissable every week… An assessment of where Scotland and England are after the autumn series, with another Calcutta Cup […]

It’s time for a root and branch clearout at RFU

1 December 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week In what sort of world does the wage packet of one administrator in a sports […]

Scotland deserve fair share of British & Irish Lions

1 December 2024 0 comments

By Chris Hewett – Thinking Allowed We may be exaggerating here, but not by much: since the wonderful Tom Smith made the last of his […]

My body is telling me to quit, says Rob Evans

1 December 2024 0 comments

By Peter Jackson – The man truly in the know Wales are about to be hit by another loss despite spending the final weekend of […]

Good to see the Eagles soaring again

1 December 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points – By Brendan Gallagher That’s a wrap for the autumn Tests and it would […]

Borthwick needs to sort out defence

1 December 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Promising: It would be good for Asher Opoku-Fordjour to gain more experience before the next World […]

England have bullets but not the right gun

24 November 2024 0 comments

JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK I WAS optimistic about England’s chances at the start of the autumn series, given the closeness of the […]

Steve Borthwick can’t afford another run of failure

24 November 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week When it comes to “jam tomorrow” England teams have produced more jars of it than […]

Kolbe’s majesty is a delight to behold

24 November 2024 0 comments

CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED CHESLIN Kolbe won the “man of the match” award for his two-try contribution to South Africa’s victory over England, thereby proving […]

It’s not looking good for Lions from Wales

24 November 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW ONLY once in the last 100 years have the Lions chosen to play an entire Test series […]

Time to recognise Etzebeth’s talents

24 November 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER IT’S THE World Rugby annual awards tonight, held of course in that […]

England can find a little bit of cheer

24 November 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME SO HERE we are on the final day of England’s autumn international series with all of […]

Why does it always go wrong in the last quarter for England?

17 November 2024 0 comments

By Brendan Gallagher Where do England minds go in the final quarter of big rugby games? Why do they lose focus and intensity and why […]

Jac Morgan could lead Wales into new era

17 November 2024 0 comments

By Jeremy Guscott – Outspoken and unmissable every week… Wales do not have much chance of beating Australia today in Cardiff if we use the […]

Mega-league plan will have to overcome huge hurdles

17 November 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week If 200 of the world’s highest-paid players are about to join the rugby union version […]

Simon Gillham must get justice for the Championship

17 November 2024 0 comments

Simon Gillham’s arrival as chair of the Championship/Tier 2 Board should be good news for English club rugby. Gillham, below, who spent 20 years in […]

Building blocks for England’s future

17 November 2024 0 comments

England A’s fixture against their Australian counterparts at The Stoop at 2pm today is an essential building block for any head coach to assess the […]

We will all suffer in the land of the giants

17 November 2024 0 comments

By Chris Hewett – Thinking Allowed It was the rugby version of Easy Street, the 1917 silent movie in which Charlie Chaplin, playing a policeman, […]

Pundits need that forward thinking

17 November 2024 0 comments

Ian Robertson put it most colourfully. “I work with backs,” said the celebrated BBC radio commentator on being asked to coach the Cambridge students into […]

Rising tide of criticism closing in on Warren Gatland

17 November 2024 0 comments

By Peter Jackson – The man truly in the know Warren Gatland will spend another Sunday praying for deliverance from the landslide now threatening to […]

I am calm and loving my life, says Danny Cipriani

17 November 2024 0 comments

Paul Rees talks to the former England No.10 as he agrees to put his boots on one final time to help raise money for MND […]

Chalking off White’s try was a mistake

17 November 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER No try: Ben White’s touchdown was ruled out PICTURE: Getty Images IT […]

England still can’t hold it together

17 November 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Class act: Marcus Smith has brought a new dimension to England’s attack PICTURE: Getty Images SO […]

England a licence to thrill

10 November 2024 0 comments

JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK Key man: Ollie Lawrence should be able to inject more pace into England attacks PICTURES: Alamy SOUTH Africa […]

Steve Borthwick’s bench policy needs work

10 November 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week The bench miscalculations cooking England’s goose in the final quarter of matches is coming full […]

When value for money is not part of the deal

10 November 2024 0 comments

CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED ENGLAND’S bench strategy against New Zealand – goodbye “bomb squad”, hello “squib squad” – has been investigated, psychoanalysed, convicted on all […]