Columnists

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

Duty of Danny Care: How Eddie Jones rates

10 November 2024 0 comments

Paul Rees examines the record and reputation of the ex-England coach who divides opinion wherever he goes A man apart: Eddie Jones took charge of […]

Let’s get truth on Eddie’s regime

10 November 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER Trying times: Eddie Jones coaching England PICTURES: Alamy THIS Eddie Jones stuff. […]

England need to be more consistent

10 November 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Man in the middle: Referee Angus Gardner seemed to be doing his best to ensure England […]

Another failure to use the bench properly from England

3 November 2024 0 comments

By Paul Rees It was Groundhog Day for England as they slumped to a fourth successive narrow defeat. A difference this time was that they […]

Wallabies have ability to spring a surprise

3 November 2024 0 comments

By Jeremy Guscott – Outspoken and unmissable every week… It would be a mistake to underestimate the abilities of Joe Schmidt, especially considering what the […]

Aussies are hurt by own protectionism

3 November 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week Whether the Wallabies emerge with a Grand Slam or a slump of almighty proportions – […]

Shame that Georgia are kept out of sight

3 November 2024 0 comments

By Chris Hewett – Thinking Allowed The most significant contest of the November international series? Take your pick. Ireland-New Zealand in Dublin on Friday night? […]

Wales get set for big Sunday crunch…

3 November 2024 0 comments

By Peter Jackson – The man truly in the know One weekend five summers ago, Wales went to No.1 in the rankings based on a […]

Don’t let these tasty clashes pass you by

3 November 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER IT’S always famine or feast with international rugby and I guess that’s […]

New England group will cause uncertainty

3 November 2024 0 comments

By Jeff Probyn – A front-row view of game So just when we thought that everything was getting sorted between the RFU, the clubs and […]

Tommy Freeman can push England to victory against All Blacks

27 October 2024 0 comments

By Jeremy Guscott – Outspoken and unmissable every week… Any analysis of England’s chances of beating New Zealand starts with the forwards. The reality is […]

Steve Borthwick needs strength in depth

27 October 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week The 17 RFU central contracts announced by Steve Borthwick on Friday pale into insignificance compared […]

Bath’s ‘bomb squad’ needs to be defused

27 October 2024 0 comments

CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED CLOSE your eyes and imagine batting on a fiery Caribbean track in the 1980s, when West Indian fast bowlers ruled the […]

Murray’s on a wing – and a prayer …

27 October 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW BLAIR Murray began the week ‘in a state of shock’ at having gone from nowhere on one […]

Call time on this pantomime ploy

27 October 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER THIS 60-second shot clock twaddle. If we must continue to plough down […]

WR should fund free second opinion

27 October 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME IMUST admit to being a little surprised by last week’s paper where the articles by Nick […]

All Blacks will have to be at their best against England

20 October 2024 0 comments

By Jeremy Guscott – Outspoken and unmissable, every week… In some ways the New Zealand system means that they are not at full strength between […]

Time for England to walk the walk

20 October 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain Right here, right now, English rugby union craves forward momentum. It needs something to knock the negatives surrounding our sport into the […]

It would be grand for Wasps to return

20 October 2024 0 comments

By Chris Hewett – Thinking Allowed Prize assets: Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and, inset from top, Tom Willis, Gabriel Oghre, Alfie Barbeary, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Greg Fisilau and […]

French quick to dismiss ‘soft red’

20 October 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW ONLY France could ban one of their most notorious agents provocateurs for life, then clear the way […]

Steve Borthwick’s work in progress

20 October 2024 0 comments

Paul Rees takes a look at England’s options, and talks to the Newcastle chief about turning things around… Steve Borthwick’s squad for the autumn internationals […]

Confused path to rules of combat

20 October 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER Man in the middle: Former Wasps prop Will Green PICTURE: Getty Images […]

Don’t sub captain just after half-time

20 October 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME In charge: Jamie George in action for England PICTURE: Getty Images WE have only a few […]

Tommy Freeman can take charge of England’s defence

13 October 2024 0 comments

By Jeremy Guscott – Outspoken and unmissable every week Tommy Freeman is one of those players who, when he gets the ball and sees an […]

Will Collier shows what England are missing

13 October 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week Will Collier’s command performance for Castres against Toulouse in the Top 14 last weekend should […]

Worldwide Springboks still get it together

13 October 2024 0 comments

By Chris Hewett – Thinking Allowed Assuming those with their ears to the ground haven’t gone deaf, Handre Pollard, the Springbok with the Midas toecap, […]

Mark Ella & Co were the true pass masters

13 October 2024 0 comments

Rugby Matters by Brendan Gallagher – A weekly look at the game’s other talking points Nineteen eighty four might have been one of the most […]

High ticket prices for All Blacks cast dark shadow

13 October 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW WHEN the RFU finished doing their sums for the autumn series of Twickenham’s centenary season, the revenue […]

Sorry to say, but it’s their own fault

13 October 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME THERE is something I always admired about the RFU, it has always attempted to be fair […]

Manu Tuilagi makes mark for Bayonne

13 October 2024 0 comments

French Column, by James Harrington While the focus of French rugby attention is on Stade Ernest Wallon and the return to action of a certain […]

Time for Marcus Smith and Ben Spencer to link up

6 October 2024 0 comments

By Jeremy Guscott – Outspoken and unmissable every week… There’s speculation that Alex Mitchell and George Ford are unlikely to feature for England in the […]

Steve Borthwick should call up these young props

6 October 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week It was surprising that neither of England’s U20 world champion props, Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale) or […]

Wallace Sititi is following in father’s footsteps, but for how long?

6 October 2024 0 comments

By Chris Hewett – Thinking Allowed Cast your minds back, those of you who are sufficiently long in the tooth, to Melbourne in late October […]

Antoine Dupont & Co need to take on the very best

6 October 2024 0 comments

Rugby Matters By Brendan Gallagher – A weekly look at the game’s other talking points I think we established long ago that my admiration of […]

Los Pumas have worked hard to forge own identity

6 October 2024 0 comments

Brendan Gallagher reports on how one country has built a rugby stronghold down in South America There was a time back in the noughties when […]

I’ll play for Wales again, says Francis

6 October 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Strong man: Tomas Francis scoring for Wales against Georgia at last year’s World Cup PICTURE: Getty Images […]

Sorry, Geoff, but let’s not de-power scrums

6 October 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME EVERY week I can’t wait for Sunday to come around so that I can read The […]

England should be aiming for treble top in the Autumn Internationals

29 September 2024 0 comments

By Jeremy Guscott – Outspoken and unmissable, every week… The autumn internationals against the traditional southern hemisphere big three, and Japan, are next on England’s […]

Minimum standards criteria must apply to all

29 September 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week Do title-chasing Bath – and other top tier clubs – meet the Premiership’s own ground […]

Fiji deserve to play with best in world

29 September 2024 0 comments

By Chris Hewett – Thinking Allowed Every underdog has its day, as Daniel Dubois reminded us in knocking an entire cathedral’s worth of bells out […]

Drop group action and examine selected cases

29 September 2024 0 comments

Rugby Matters – A weekly look at the game’s other talking points by Brendan Gallagher I was very struck the other day by our conversation […]

It’ll be tough for Steve Diamond to get Newcastle Falcons up the table

29 September 2024 0 comments

By Jeff Probyn, A front row view of the game The start of the Premiership season last week threw up, as usual, very few surprises. […]

15 who have a chance to shine in the Premiership

29 September 2024 0 comments

Brendan Gallagher selects a team of young, and not so young, players in the Premiership to keep an eye on this season. The new season […]

Ten years on and a handful still stand

29 September 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Veteran: George Ford playing against Australia in November 2014 PICTURE: Getty Images NOVEMBER 8, 2014 and some […]

Jeremy Guscott: I can’t call a winner, but it’ll be exciting

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Jeremy Guscott OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK The beauty of the last Premiership season was it was incredibly competitive, and this was reflected in […]