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Winning the fight on the groundJosh Syms’ excellent new series, focusing on techniques adopted by both sides at the breakdown, illustrates the amount of coaching time now devoted to body positions in contact. Analyst Nick Bishop looks at how the Lions used it to great effect in the 2017 All Blacks series.
Why Scotland are sending opponents homeward ‘tae think again’Scotland have won 13 out of their 21 matches, and five out of their last seven under coaches Vern Cotter and Gregor Townsend. They have beaten Australia home and away and they have run the mighty All Blacks close. Analyst Nick Bishop looks what is behind their renaissance.
The benefit of coaching out of your comfort zoneRonan O’Gara is set to swap French Top 14 side Racing 92 for the Crusaders in New Zealand next month in a bold bid to improve as a coach and broaden his understanding of the game. Writer Graham Jenkins looks at O’Gara’s motivation for heading down under to the Crusaders.
How did the trial laws at the breakdown work out in end-of-year tour internationals?World Rugby’s trial laws for 2017 included some potentially game-changing alterations at the breakdown. The end-of-year tour internationals in November provided the first crucible in which to test the new laws at elite level. Analyst Nick Bishop examines their effect and how teams adjusted.
Money talks in World Cup bid processIn the wake of their success, even France acknowledged that the current financial model and the selection criteria make it almost impossible for any nation outside the deep-pocketed French and English to take on the role of tournament hosts. Writer Graham Jenkins explores the reality of the ‘voting’ and the future tournament prospects.
Is the All Blacks midfield beginning to gel?Analyst Nick Bishop considers whether the the current All Black’s midfield combination finally starting to ‘gel’. Or should we expect more changes before Japan 2019 WRC?
Rolling, rolling, rolling… why a double movement can cure the problem of isolationIn theory, the laws of World Rugby require everyone involved in the tackle on offence or defence to move away from the ball immediately. In practice there are two chances of this happening – ‘slim’ and ‘none’! Analyst Nick Bishop explains why.
Is the congested calendar slowly killing the game?Graham Jenkins considers ongoing debate about the physical and mental demands of what is quite clearly an over-congested season.
The All Blacks scrum and the theory of marginal gains“Aggregation of marginal gains… the 1% margin for improvement in everything you do.” Put all those little micro-wins together, and one day you will see an almighty change in the world outside them. Analyst Nick Bishop explores what Sir Dave Brailsford UK cycling approach has to do with the All Black’s scrum
Running attacking decoy plays in theory and practiceThe viability of using decoys on attacking plays has become absolutely essential at all levels of the professional game. Analyst Nick Bishop looks at how effective decoys/block are in attack plays.
Concussion: Back to BasicsConcussion awareness has raised considerably in recent years. Dr Sam Barke (Return2Play) looks at the next part of the issue – how to effectively recognise and manage the injury.
How successful was Premiership's Philadelphia experiment?As the dust settles on the Aviva Premiership’s latest attempt to crack the United States market, Graham Jenkins reflects on what the league can learn from their Philadelphia experiment.
