Dean Ryan spoke as beautifully as ever but the most telling statement came from Mike Friday, one of Sky TV’s guest pundits. “Why rob anyone (of) an opportunity to get…
Alan Pearey
Greene King IPA Championship play-offs: let the real battle begin
THE HACKLES are up, the tension unmistakable. After the long grind of a 22-match league programme, the Greene King IPA Championship reaches the play-off stage this weekend and the question…
Sevens World Series: England v Australia Olympics battle heats up
There is no dividing line drawn on the ‘standings’ table on the HSBC Sevens World Series website, but it’s as solid and real as the device on which you’re reading…
Six Nations: England in pole position as title race goes down to the wire
You’re a cricket captain and you win the toss. The pitch and conditions are neutral, so do you bat first and set a target – or back yourself to chase…
Aviva Premiership: we go on the road with the BT Sport team
Two weekends ago I attended the Aviva Premiership games at Bath, Gloucester and Wasps without setting foot in a stadium. Instead, I was in a van in the car park…
Big debate: Should winning be scrapped in kids rugby?
The dropout rate of young adult players has long exercised the minds of rugby’s rulers. Faced by falling participation rates in recent years, the RFU commissioned research into new ways…
Rugby Rant: Don’t scrap the Aviva Premiership salary cap!
If Saracens’ Ed Griffiths was testing the water when he suggested abolishing the salary cap in England, he got badly scalded. Coaches and fellow CEOs were quick to shoot down…
Aviva Premiership: why ringfencing would be disastrous for the English game
Remember those games of British Bulldog you played as a kid? Imagine if instead of having to drop out when you were caught, you could just play on. No penalty,…
Six Nations: ‘Scotland’s Vern Cotter is doing a fantastic job but the front row must go’
If Scotland’s front row needed any extra motivation for Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations match against Wales, they needn’t look far to find it. For Colin Deans, Scotland’s 1984 Grand Slam…
Six Nations: The famous comebacks from years gone by
Momentum. It’s a buzzword of this and any other Six Nations championship. Win your opening game and you’re set fair for the tournament, with every prize within your grasp. Lose…