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
What the raw statistics from the World Cup say about the attack-defence balance in the global game [part 1]The first part of this two-piece survey Nick Bishop researches key stats thrown up over the course of the competition. In the second he will then apply them to the direction of a seminal match (France vs South Africa quarter final)
Has New Zealand solved the puzzle of the rush defence? [part 2]Has the the Rush defence puzzle been truly solved? Nick Bishop details the evidence from the recent RWC final.
Has New Zealand solved the puzzle of the rush defence? [part 1]Can a Kiwi attack handle an all-out Test-level rush defence?
In Part 1 of the 2 part analysis, Nick Bishop explains how since 2017 the Rush Defence has shut down the All Blacks vaunted attack.
How to construct an effective kick-chase gameAny team looking to build up solid fundamentals in a contestable kicking strategy, England’s RWC2023 semi final performance is great example.
Nick Bishop details how their kick-chase nearly took them to winning the game.
How to find a simple attacking solution from set-pieceCoaches at all levels of the game, and in all sports are always looking for simple, robust solutions that work – the simpler, the better.
Nick Bishop details what Set Piece Strike Play is working for a number of teams to date in the RWC2023.
How to find the right roles for twin number 10’sMost number 10’s are either strategist/game-managers or they are instinctive ball-players.
Nick Bishop looks at how England are successfully fitting their number 10 ‘strategist’ and ‘wizard’ into their starting lineup and attack structure.
What does good multi-phase offence look like?You do not have to win the lion’s share of collisions in order to play winning attacking rugby.,
It is still possible to find space in multi-phase attack if you have the will, the structures and the personnel to do it.
Using No 1 ranked Ireland and their recent RWC match against Romania as the example, Analyst Nick Bishop explains how it can be done.
Why the ‘droppie’ may be coming back into fashion!Nick Bishop details how drop goals like George Ford’s are a simple and risk-free method of keeping the scoreboard ticking over.
How to beat the pressure with both feetHowever rare the genuinely ambidextrous may be, it is still important for rugby players at all levels to cultivate the same ability to ‘play both ways’ as Nick Bishop highlights in this week’s analysis using France’s No 9 Dupont as his prime example.
How to control the game with an accurate exit strategyNick Bishop balances the Exit Strategy ledger outlining the exiting in the case the All Blacks dominate their exit strategy against the South African return team.
