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Why the Lions series confounded expectationThe recent series between the New Zealand All Blacks and the British & Irish Lions was one which confounded expectation. Received wisdom suggested that the Lions needed to dominate set-piece and gain ascendancy over the Kiwi tight forwards in order to succeed. Analyst Nick Bishop looks at what actually did happen during the series.
What is the currency of the British & Irish Lions after New Zealand 2017?The simple answer to the question in the title of the article is $69 million NZ dollars. That is the monetary amount that educated estimates suggest will be generated by the Lions cycle (every four years) for the host union. Analyst Nick Bishop outlines who benefits most from the tours and ways it could be improved for all involved.
No winner but World Rugby still losesThe British & Irish Lions’ tour of New Zealand came to an enthralling and painfully frustrating conclusion at Eden Park on Saturday night. The occasion may have failed to provide a winner but there was certainly a loser. Leading writer Graham Jenkins explores the sport’s shortcomings that can no longer be ignored by World Rugby.
How the All Blacks sidestepped the Lions rush defence in the first TestOne of the great questions in the build-up to the Test series between New Zealand and the British & Irish Lions was: How will the All Blacks attack the Lions’ rush defence? – masterminded by Ireland defence coach Andy Farrell. In this week’s article, leading analyst Nick Bishop explains how it was achieved.
Building Confidence In PlayersMental skills coach Zane Winslade looks at what it means and how best to build players confidence.
Integrating the forwards into phase attackWhy are teams from New Zealand the best in the world at integrating their forwards into attacks as they develop through phases. Analyst Nick Bishop shows how the Blues put into practice what Ex All Black coach Sir Graham demonstrates at his recent Stanford clinic.
Sarries focused on the journey - not the destinationCrowned Kings of Europe once again last month with a hard-fought 28-17 victory over French rivals Clermont Auvergne, Sarries then saw their hopes of a ‘double double’ dashed by Exeter Chiefs in an epic Premiership semi-final defeat just a week later. Leading writer Graham Jenkins looks at what’s behind Saracens ongoing success.
How to use the ‘double pump’ to unlock the Press defenceLeading analyst, Nick Bishop looks at the use of the pump-fake or double pump as another method of dislocating the Press defence, but on this occasion by keeping ball in hand.
Talent Is Not Enough - Aviva Premiership ReviewYou don’t have to be a genius to predict future performance by using previous performance. However, Gainline Analytics review the Premiership performances based on their recruitment based methodology rather than the typical performance based. See how the nuances of their predictions and the season played out.
Lions racing against time to beat the All BlacksAs daunting the prospect of facing the world’s best side on their own patch, the most formidable challenge facing the British & Irish Lions this summer is arguably not the All Blacks but the precious little time they have to ready themselves for an eagerly-awaited Test series. Leading writer Graham Jenkins looks at what Warren Gatland is doing to address the situation.
Unlocking the Press defence (part 2) – using the kick-passIn Nick’s most recent article, he looked at the chip kick and this week discusses how Beauden Barrett uses the kick-pass to great effect break down the Press defence.
New learning and a way to unlock the Press defenceOne of the biggest challenges for both sides during the up-coming Lions tour to NZ will be how to find ways to break down the versions of Press defence which will be employed by both sides. Leading rugby analyst Nick Bishop examines merits of both sides likely approach.
