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 use the left-footed kicking game to your advantageA good left boot could help stretch the backfield defence to both corners of the field. The recent tour match between Ireland and the Maori All Blacks was an object lesson in the importance of left-footed kicking.
How to find the pressure points with the midfield kicking gameThe kicking game is employed in between the two 10m lines for attack purposes. However, as Nick Bishop explains, it only really works if you have a specific target in mind.
How to set the tackle trapNick Bishop highlights in this week’s analysis how by setting ‘tackle traps’ the attacking side can help the referee and the game as a spectacle.
Does New Zealand need a true lineout number 8 in the Kieran Read mould?The previously unbeaten Blues lost a total of ten of their own throws to the lineout in their Super Rugby Pacific 2022 final loss to the Crusaders.
Nick Bishop details the key to the Crusaders’ successful lineout plan.
How to use the attacking lineout drive to split the defenceThe maul remains one of the most contentious issues in rugby. Nick Bishop looks at the latest contentious development by a team, in this instance the ACT Brumbies, of playing as far ahead of the ball as possible at the maul.
How to double up at the defensive breakdownWin more of the collisions between attacker and defender and go forward in the tackle, and you will probably win the game – that is how the theory goes.
Using the recent European Champions Cup final, Nick Bishop puts some context to the theory.
Why a scrum-half has to be the fittest man on the teamThe modern scrum-half not only has to be the fittest man on the paddock in terms of aerobic endurance, he also has to be able to use his judgement. as evidenced in Nick Bishop’s analysis.
How far can you clean out ahead of the ruck?What is considered too far for support players clearing out?
A ‘reasonable’ distance with ‘advantages’ as Nick Bishop details in this week’s analysis.
How to use the reverse-pass to split the wood up the middleNick Bishop explores how a sussessful old move – the reverse pass, is gaining popularity to open new defences.
How to shave the odds by narrowing the gap at lineout timeLineout defence is becoming ever more important in the modern game, as the lineout becomes the by far the major weapon of choice for set-piece attack.
Nick Bishop details ways in which teams are successfully defending the Lineout.
