Articles
Nick Bishop Here's what Nick thinks...
About Nick Bishop
Nick has worked as a rugby analyst and advisor to Graham Henry (1999-2002), Mike Ruddock (2004-2006) and latterly Stuart Lancaster (2011-2015). He also worked on the 2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia and produced his first rugby book with Graham Henry at the end of the tour. Since then, three more rugby books have followed, all of which of have either been nominated for, or won national sports book awards. The latest is a biography of Phil Larder, the first top Rugby League coach to successfully transfer over to Union. It is entitled “The Iron Curtain”. Nick has also written or contributed to four other books on literature and psychology.
“He is currently writing articles for The Roar and The Rugby Site, and working as a strategy consultant to Stuart Lancaster and the Leinster coaching staff for their European matches.”
Nick Bishop's latest articles
How to “cheat” effectively in maul defence!Law-making in Rugby Union is constantly trying to maintain pace with developments in a fast-moving professional game and for the most part, it is struggling to keep up. Analyst Nick Bishop highlights the area of the maul has now replaced the ruck as a case in point.
The one-two-punch: how to break down a red zone defenceDefences often become more resistant in the red zone because they no longer have to defend the depth of the field, they only have to defend its width. Analyst Nick Bishop illustrates how a one-two play combination is effective in breaking down the red zones defences.
Como armar una secuencia de ataque desde formaciones fijas - al estilo de Joe SchmidtEl analista Nick Bishop detalla como los lanzamientos de juego de cuatro fases que el ex entrenador de Irlanda Joe Schmidt utilizo contra Japón en la reciente copa del mundo, resultaron ser un arma muy efectiva a la hora de atacar.
How to build an attacking sequence from set-piece - the Joe Schmidt wayAnalyst Nick Bishop details how ex-Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt four phase sequences proved potent against Japan during the recent RWC.
How to beat a bigger team - lessons from the lineoutOne of the major issues which can arise for rugby teams at all levels – but more especially for sides playing amateur football – is how to combat a differential in size and power. Nick Bishop looks at how to combat height and size at the lineout.
Why defence won South Africa the World CupUltimately it was defence which proved to be South Africa’s trump card for a third time at the 2019 RWC. Analyst Nick Bishop details the nuances of South Africa’s Rush defence that proved so effective
England vs. New Zealand – what a difference a week makes!Only seven short days separated the All Blacks’ attacking success against a rush defence versus Ireland and their failure against England’s version. Analyst Nick Bishop explains how the Speed and accuracy of the analytical process helped England learn and adjust their defence to blunt the All Black’s attack.
How the All Blacks are looking to beat the rush in JapanAll Blacks Attack coach Ian Foster had a point to prove against an Andy Farrell coached defence, and to his credit, he proved it. Analyst Nick Bishop examines how he did it.
How to cross the finishing line in the modern gameThis week Analyst Nick Bishop explores how the notion of the corner-flag no longer being ‘in touch’ has opened up the idea of acrobatic and spectacular three-dimensional try-scoring for the finishers in the RWC.
How Japan are finding an edge at the World CupJapan use the full width of the field on attack more consistently than any other side in the tournament. Analyst Nick Bishop highlights how it is not a matter of swinging the ball aimlessly from one side of the field to the other; rather, of accurate inter-passing between backs and forwards in midfield designed to exploit overloads in the wide channels.
