Columnists

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

Jeff Probyn: Time to bin the sin bin and keep the game fair

23 January 2013 0 comments

In a week that should have been all about the new Elite Player Squad the spotlight continues to burn on the referees after yet more […]

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 […]

Jeremy Guscott: Soul of London Irish has been ripped out

19 January 2013 3 comments

In sport you get so many highs and lows, and the great thing is its unpredictability. Given the great year of sport we have just […]

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 […]

Peter Jackson: Dragons big dilemma – when to cash in on Toby

17 January 2013 0 comments

They say Toby Faletau is not for sale, that those across the border and across the Channel eager to buy him are wasting their time. […]

Jeff Probyn: I didn’t need a letter to know my dad backed me

16 January 2013 0 comments

I think it is fair to say that 2012 was Stuart Lancaster‘s year more than anyone else in rugby, despite no major competition wins. Many […]

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 […]

Jeremy Guscott: Lancaster needs a wing man to drive home his bombers

12 January 2013 1 comment

I’ll argue all day long that the key ability in a winger is that when you give them a try-scoring opportunity, they must take it. […]

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 […]

Peter Jackson: Magnificent Ospreys put life back into Wales

10 January 2013 0 comments

After the Grand Slam, the Grand Slump as befitting a nation where extreme mood swings tend to be the norm. After five straight wins and […]

Jeff Probyn: There’s hope, despair and the road to redemption

9 January 2013 2 comments

Now the end of the year approaches, we can reflect on the first half of the season and look forward to next year’s rugby. So […]

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. […]

Jeremy Guscott: Lions place is Sexton’s to lose in Six Nations

5 January 2013 0 comments

Jonathan Sexton is in pole position to be the Lions first pick for the Test No.10 shirt now that his main rival, Wales fly-half Rhys […]

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, […]

Peter Jackson: Let’s hear it for these Ospreys heroes!

3 January 2013 0 comments

Toulouse had been to Wales many times before last week, losing the odd game by the odd point here and there. They would have had […]

Jeff Probyn: No guarantee that artificial pitches will boost scrum

2 January 2013 0 comments

Some time ago I wrote about my doubts concerning Saracens‘ ambitions to play on an artificial pitch and whether it would really happen, given the […]

Jeremy Guscott: Farrell can bring fresh ideas for the Lions

29 December 2012 0 comments

The Lions are about the integration of the coaches as much as the players, and Warren Gatland has made good choices in picking Rob Howley, […]

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 […]

Peter Jackson: Wales may rue Gatland snub for Edwards

27 December 2012 1 comment

Shaun Edwards spent the week keeping a profile low enough as to be positively subterranean over Warren Gatland‘s decision to make him surplus to Lions […]

Jeff Probyn: Heineken Cup row could damage the Six Nations

26 December 2012 0 comments

The Heineken Cup, despite all the trials and tribulations is rumbling along in its usual fashion, with all but one group topped by either English […]

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 […]

Jeremy Guscott casts an expert eye over where England go from last week’s tumultuous victory

22 December 2012 1 comment

Despite the importance of the Heineken Cup mid-pool round, it’s still hard to forget England and New Zealand because last weekend’s match was so compelling. […]

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 […]

Peter Jackson: Halfpenny finds his currency on the rise

20 December 2012 0 comments

The battering taken by Wales during a troubled month threatens to have long-term consequences even for those who managed to stay in one piece. Recovering […]

Jeff Probyn: Lions tour could damage Lancaster’s World Cup bid

19 December 2012 1 comment

Last week’s surprise win against the current world champions was thoroughly deserved as the players delivered on all counts and it made everybody sit up […]

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 […]

Peter Jackson: Shameful, this waste of Hook’s huge talent

13 December 2012 1 comment

James Hook will have returned to France last weekend wondering about his future with Wales after a month in the margins. His lowly profile during […]

Jeff Probyn: Lancaster’s balancing act is crucial for World Cup hopes

12 December 2012 0 comments

Balance is something that every successful team must have and from before my glory days to England‘s World Cup winning team it’s the one thing […]

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 […]

Peter Jackson: T-shirt test revealed Gavin was an outsider

6 December 2012 1 comment

Gavin Henson has been branded a non-team player by the Wales coach who gave him his international baptism eleven years ago. Lynn Howells, in charge […]

Jeff Probyn: Lack of collective thinking cost us World Cup victory

5 December 2012 0 comments

I am rather surprised by some people’s reactions to the reasons why England‘s young team failed to make the right choices in last week’s game […]

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 […]

Jeremy Guscott: England lack cool heads at key stage

1 December 2012 0 comments

This is a game England should have won – it was the next logical step in their progression under Stuart Lancaster and this will act […]

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 […]

Peter Jackson: The force is no longer with Welsh club rugby

29 November 2012 1 comment

There used to be a time when Wales–England matches required a heavier police presence on the field than off it, when the boys in blue […]

Jeff Probyn: RFU ‘blazers’ are value for money – unlike others!

28 November 2012 4 comments

The relevance of the RFU Council was brought into question in last week’s paper by former chairman of the management board Martin Thomas. He said […]

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 […]

Jeremy Guscott: Wales must act quickly to stop the talent drain

24 November 2012 1 comment

With the news that Jamie Roberts has decided to move on from Cardiff Blues, Roger Lewis chief executive of the Welsh RU and the chairmen/benefactors […]

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 […]

Peter Jackson: It wasn’t just the money that lured Jamie away

22 November 2012 3 comments

Once this column revealed the sheer scale of the offer from Racing Metro a fortnight ago, it was just a matter of time before Jamie […]

Jeff Probyn: French laissez faire makes English exports play better

21 November 2012 1 comment

What is it about the Press that always makes them want someone picked by England who is not in the squad? Week after week we […]

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 […]

Jeremy Guscott: Flood’s time is now – he has to seize the moment

17 November 2012 1 comment

Come on Stuart, show us what you’ve done with this team of yours. I know it’s not even a year since Stuart Lancaster took over […]

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 […]

Peter Jackson: This ratings war is such a phoney battlefield

15 November 2012 0 comments

Wales beat England last time out at Twickenham during the course of their Grand Slam. A few months earlier, they had gone to within one […]

Jeff Probyn: ‘Understanding the game’ won England World Cup

14 November 2012 0 comments

As England‘s coaches prepare their squad for the autumn internationals it seems they have chosen to go back to the past for inspiration. England’s attack […]

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 […]

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