Paul Rees

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

Borthwick puts his foot on the accelerator

7 January 2024 0 comments

Paul Rees looks at how England, without Owen Farrell at the helm, could turn into an attacking force Steve Borthwick’s England promise to look very […]

Reasons to be cheerful for rugby’s year ahead

31 December 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees canvasses the views of Premiership directors of rugby and finds there is a fair amount of optimism IT IS another year the professional […]

The French out in front? That’s not how it looks

24 December 2023 0 comments

With 12 victories in 16 games, Paul Rees reflects on a promising start by English clubs in the Champions Cup It has been a chastening […]

Too many are being pushed to the edge

10 December 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees says it’s time to ensure players spend less time in the gym and more with the ball in their hands Max Malins […]

Race for the top is going to be close

10 December 2023 0 comments

The Premiership is taking a short rest after eight rounds and by Christmas will have reached the halfway stage. It is a consequence of a […]

Big clubs ready to rumble

3 December 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees looks forward to the Champions Cup, kicking off this weekend THE Champions Cup returns this week with a tweaked format that does away […]

Georgia happy to be joining the party

3 December 2023 0 comments

The Challenge Cup is being used to widen boundaries. A Georgian side, Black Lion which will play its home matches in Tbilisi, has been included […]

Set-pieces which make the difference

26 November 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees canvasses expert opinion on how scrums and lineouts can separate the two codes of rugby Last month, World Rugby launched a new version […]

Scottish genie turning on the magic at Bath

19 November 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees looks at Finn Russell, the big-money signing who is making a name for himself in the West Country Big-name signings have become rare […]

Unassuming Charlie, the water carrier

19 November 2023 0 comments

One of the attractions of rugby union is that it is a game which provides a refuge for the likes of Finn Russell and Charlie […]

Borthwick has tough decisions to make

29 October 2023 0 comments

PAUL REES FOURTH in the Six Nations, third in the World Cup. Redemption rather than progress for England given the pool they were in and […]

Small steps, but it may be a quiet revolution

29 October 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees is pleased to see World Rugby introduce three changes which will help grow the global game World Rugby is often accused of taking […]

Why we won’t see the likes of this victory again

29 October 2023 0 comments

What the planned changes will not do is revive the old-fashioned international tour that used to be a feature of the amateur game, although the […]

Coventry show how it should be done…

29 October 2023 0 comments

Paul Smith takes a look at rugby values…and which club in particular is walking the walk while England talk the talk To those for whom […]

England go with heads held high

22 October 2023 0 comments

PAUL REES England did everything but win. They were ahead after two minutes and held on to the lead until there were two minutes to […]

Curtain falls on dynamic duo

22 October 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees sees Johnny Sexton and Dan Biggar exit stage left as their epic international careers come to a close ALL things must pass, none […]

Top teams getting too far ahead

22 October 2023 0 comments

The World Cup kicked off to a barrage of complaints about the draw for the groups, which was made three years before the start of […]

Big four are streets ahead

15 October 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees says the 40 group matches have highlighted the difference in the two sides of the draw World Rugby’s plans for a 24-team tournament […]

Not enough clarity, too much confusion

8 October 2023 0 comments

PAUL REES A victory but a step backwards. After three matches that were largely stress free, Danny Care burgled Samoa with a try from a […]

Time for the mind games to take centre stage

8 October 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees wonders whether a demanding run-in for the favourites will open the door for England and Wales THE World Cup has reached the stage […]

Bunker system may expand to other contests

8 October 2023 0 comments

It was always going to be a World Cup in which discipline would be crucial with a zero tolerance on head high tackles which lacked […]

Northern stars enjoying life in the new order

1 October 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees sees the wheel turn, proof of how despair for some teams can quickly turn into dreams Was it only eight years ago that […]

Gatland right to put his faith in Tompkins

1 October 2023 0 comments

After Wales’s home defeat to England in the Six Nations, a match which went ahead after their players backed down from a threatened strike that […]

Growing options for Borthwick

24 September 2023 0 comments

PAUL REES It was Chile, and England were hot stuff. They had three outside-halves on the pitch in the final 30 minutes and pulled their […]

Minnows beginning to prove their worth

24 September 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees reports on how World Rugby’s investment below decks has started to make a difference THE Adelaide Oval is arguably the most scenic venue […]

Ford does not need escort to guide England

24 September 2023 0 comments

Joe Marler likes to say it as it is. The England prop is not one to cloak his words in euphemism or disguise his thoughts […]

Reviving the lost art of the drop goal

17 September 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees sees George Ford join an impressive list of players whose quick thinking has made the difference GEORGE Ford resurrected not only England’s reputation […]

Time aspiring nations received more even-handed officiating

17 September 2023 0 comments

IT WAS hard not to feel for Fiji at the end of one of the epic World Cup matches. Not because Semi Radradra dropped a […]

Where does this leave Farrell?

10 September 2023 0 comments

PAUL REES Steve Borthwick tore up his playbook with the team he selected to face Argentina and his boldness saw a team that had sleepwalked […]

It’s time for islanders to prove their worth

10 September 2023 0 comments

Analysis >> Paul Rees says Bill Beaumont’s slow but steady approach as chairman of World Rugby is seeing its reward WORLD Rugby rarely receives a […]

Heat ramping up on Borthwick

27 August 2023 0 comments

PAUL REES AS THE start of the World Cup looms, the heat increases. Steve Borthwick has been mopping his brow increasingly as the summer series […]

Beer talk: Eddie happy to stay in the headlines

27 August 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees on how the Aussie coach is creating the news – again – by talking to his old mate EDDIE Jones may still be […]

Borthwick must put trust in players

20 August 2023 0 comments

PAUL REES ENGLAND need someone to shoulder the burden, but they keep sticking their shoulder into the head of an opponent. The outrage at World […]

Confusion rules over high tackle crackdown

20 August 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees says there needs to be clarity over challenges that come after a carrier’s late change of direction Rugby’s disciplinary system encourages players who […]

Ford puts England on the front foot

13 August 2023 0 comments

PAUL REES There was a moment six minutes into the second-half which summed up England. Courtney Lawes stole a lineout near Wales’s line, prime attacking […]

Avoid being robots, England

13 August 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees says discipline will be key to success in France and urges Borthwick’s men to think for themselves The conversation in the sauna turned […]

Next week matters for Borthwick’s men

6 August 2023 0 comments

PAUL REES There is a danger of reading too much into a pre-World Cup friendly between two sides some way below strength, but the charitable […]

South Africa know right recipe

23 July 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees makes his case for why Springboks will be a very different animal come the World Cup In this instant age, one result makes […]

Paying a high price for alcohol

16 July 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees reports on why fears of crowd trouble at the World Cup in France are beginning to increase SOUTH Africa’s impressive victory over Australia […]

North and south set for global showdown

9 July 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees considers the implications of a biennial 12-team international tournament due to begin in 2026 It has taken years to agree, but from 2026 […]

Take it to the limit one more time

2 July 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees says the heat will be on for England and Wales as the training ramps up It is boot camp season. Every four years, […]

Fading myth of invincibility

25 June 2023 0 comments

As the World Cup approaches, Paul Rees reports on why the All Blacks need to hit the ground running For the first time in 28 […]

Players discuss stresses of life

25 June 2023 0 comments

The times they are indeed changing. It was not so long ago that if a player used the services of a sports psychologist, they were […]

Borthwick has it all to play for

18 June 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees considers the head coach’s options as he prepares to name his World Cup squad on August 7 England may have struggled in recent […]

Too many promises, too little scrutiny

11 June 2023 0 comments

After London Irish became the third club casualty of a brutal season, Paul Rees considers what might happen next If thoughts are worth a penny, […]

Helping to develop the best referees

4 June 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees talks to Chris White about the specialist programme which has trained some of the top refs in world rugby Chris White refereed in […]

15 stars of a bonkers season

4 June 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees selects his team of the tournament from the Gallagher Premiership 2022/23 The most emotionally charged Premiership campaign finished as it started, overshadowed by […]