Richard Cockerill, the director of rugby at Leicester, has been around the block a bit, and most things that rugby throws up would not surprise him, but even he is…
England
Aviva Premiership: Who is on every club’s Christmas wish list?
By Alex Shaw The 12 Aviva Premiership clubs will be writing their letters to Santa Claus this week packed with requests to help them take the next step both domestically…
Dylan Hartley polarises opinion but his ban signals good news for England
Depending on which side of the fence you sit on, and no-one is sitting on it, Dylan Hartley is either a brilliant England captain who has made the odd mistake,…
Stuart Lancaster finds redemption over the Irish Sea
Just over a year ago Stuart Lancaster’s world fell apart and judging by his expression as England exited their own World Cup before the knock-out stages you would have got…
Varsity Match: Can Cambridge stop the rot?
Records are there to be broken and Cambridge University will draw comfort from current form as they attempt to end an unprecedented run of six Oxford University victories in the…
Analysis: Mapping the 46 tries of England’s perfect 2016
Self-awareness spurs ambition like nothing else. Despite a perfect year in terms of results, Eddie Jones’ England need no reminding of their standing in the global order. With New Zealand occupying the…
Autumn Internationals: The Lions squad for 2017 is shaping up
Any Lions squad member selected in April will have to have multi-faceted skills, one-trick ponies need not apply. Any tourist needs to have talent and resolve in abundance, game intelligence…
Analysis: England’s Autumn stock take
By Alex Shaw What a difference a year makes. After bowing ignominiously out of their own Rugby World Cup at the pool stage in 2015, England have embarked on a…
Five rugby talking points from November
Six Nations finally gets bonus points November saw the Northern Hemisphere’s premier test competition finally adopt the bonus point system. It is long overdue. Many will argue that the new…
Analysis: Mapping June’s scrum battle between England and Australia
If Eddie Jones’ year in charge of England has taught us anything, it is that the 56 year-old has become an expert at using press duties to set an agenda.…