ANALYSIS: How Wallabies' 'precise, intelligent plan' blunted world's best player and showed way forward
It was late 2004, and the autumn leaves were spiralling gently out of the trees as I pulled up at the gleaming, all-in-one Welsh…
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Nick Bishop has worked as a rugby analyst and advisor to Graham Henry (1999-2003), Mike Ruddock (2004-2005) and most recently 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. Three more rugby books have followed, all of which of have either been nominated for or won national sports book awards. Nick’s latest is a biography of Phil Larder, the first top Rugby League coach to successfully transfer over to Union, entitled “The Iron Curtain”. 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 and Pro 14 playoff matches. Leinster achieved the double of European Champions Cup and Pro 14 league winners in 2018. They repeated their Pro 14 win in 2019 and finished runners-up to Saracens in Europe.
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It was late 2004, and the autumn leaves were spiralling gently out of the trees as I pulled up at the gleaming, all-in-one Welsh…
Welcome to another round of Coach’s Corner, and thanks to all those who offered colourful comments or questions that provided a basis for discussion.…
The relief at the post-match presser was palpable. It spread all over the face of Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie. It was not a…
There will be no damp squibs, no slow fizzling of the embers on this end of year tour. With Dave Rennie’s Wallabies only winning…
We’ve all seen them. Those moments in the old Western movies where the gunfighter enters the saloon, to a sudden silence. There are cheroots…
Things are on the move in Rugby, both north and south of the equator. The game is shedding clubs in the Gallagher Premiership, with…
‘It is only natural for the eye to follow the ball. Most misjudgements in rugby come from that fact’. That phrase is a perfect…
The groove cut by Ireland’s Johnny Sexton on the July tour of New Zealand has cut very, very deep. The evergreen 37 year-old went…
“In olden days, a glimpse of stocking, was looked at something shocking. Now, Heaven knows! Anything goes!” Those words come from a Frank Sinatra…
There is a big black cloud looming on the horizon for the Wallabies. New Zealand are about to undertake their usual Bledisloe Cup tour…
Perception is a funny thing. After four rounds of the Rugby Championship 2022, all of the teams are on two wins and two losses,…
It is not often that you get a word of sense out of a player coming off the field in the middle of an…
Thanks to all for the fascinating discussions on The Roar forums since the weekend. Lots of food for thought! I want to pass through…
At half-time in the match between the Wallabies and the Springboks at the Adelaide Oval, the camera shot rose slowly until the venerable cricket…
Since the beginning of the international season in early July, Wallabies have been dropping like flies. The highest-profile casualty on the mini-tour of Argentina…
The second round of The Rugby Championship produced the kind of complete reversal last seen on the July tours. Wins for the South in…
I last met Sir Graham Henry on a visit to Cardiff a few years ago. The Welsh capital is a rugby city, and the…
Once again, I’ve culled some of the pressing issues, and many a pithy comment, from forums to articles on The Roar earlier in the…
1984. The memory of the Wallaby warm-up is still as clear as that golden autumn day at the County Ground in Exeter. In the…
With no matches over the last couple of weekends, I’ve taken the liberty of using the ‘Coach’s Corner’ format to bring some questions of…
Good stuff JD!
New blood, plenty of mongrel, unreturned texts: What we learnt from All Blacks squad announcement
Not bad for Saints OM, mostly 13/wing utility – but they shipped 86 tries second worst in the league on D (especially wide D) so he won’t help there. Best to tailor expectations to reality not fantasy.
Exclusive: Rebels sign ex-All Blacks gun as Hodge replacement, Brumbies hang onto Wallaby
Mick, maybe you could have saved Eddie from his England exit by pointing out he didn’t need all the research and analysis guys, just a well-travelled journo alongside him, with an eye that can take everything in at one glance! Then he might still have a job in West London 😂
Northern View: Whole world 'laughing their tits off' at bang average battlers, Dupont the greatest No.9 in generations
Lots in flux atm H. We’ll see.
Yes, it comes to something when England can’t even reduce the game to a boring slug-fest, doesn’t it? 😁
Northern View: Whole world 'laughing their tits off' at bang average battlers, Dupont the greatest No.9 in generations
Great point H, and a more interesting one than any made in the article itself!
Since the EP abandoned relegation try scoring has gone through the roof. Teams are much more content to develop their styles of play throughout the season, and not ‘contract’ around defence and kicking if they are under threat to drop.
So there is much more ball movement and the refs tend to clamp hard on defensive spoiling around the ruck. It will prob benefit English rugby in the long term but there are teething problems, for sure.
Northern View: Whole world 'laughing their tits off' at bang average battlers, Dupont the greatest No.9 in generations
In fact I’m not too sure if they have that much depth there. For example no yet convinced Flament is such a great replacement for Woki (who was himself converted from 6). Both Willemse and Meafou ofc qualify by residency!
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
Canes midfield has looked pretty solid so far. Good size in the centres and on the wing.
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
As opposed to figurative LOL 😁
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
Not much time left over for any CC’s right now Ken!
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
Don’t recall Simmons ever having a gut G!
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
Poss but you’d be stretching the envelope.
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
Looked it up and it was Hosea + Michael Wood starting, Frost on bench duty.
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
Yep Smith and Blythe are triers for sure, but the other three have an edge in quality when it comes to international football.
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
Thx.
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
You should hear the prayers in Wales atm!
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
We can talk for a long time on that one. 😔
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
Top post Mo.
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
I must say I tend to think of Gleeson/Bobby V as an either/or situation.
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
For a bloke carrying 120 kilos or more he’s fast off the deck!
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
This is getting like one of those old Carry On movies. Stop it you two/three.
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
That would be ‘frack’ Ken. 👍
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
Get to tackle, Flop. Simple 😁
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
Geoff prob would – but he’s his own man and would not stand any nonsense from EJ!
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
Yep ultimately they will be wanting to flip the Crusaders, so I guess they will be working towards that. RTS did look better in possession of the ball, one good plus for them.
Why Brumbies star is becoming a pivotal figure in Eddie's RWC hopes - and the big blow to the Wallabies
This is TWAS-twaddle and you probably know it. 😂
Meafou is far more advanced than Amatosero and last season kept Richie Arnold out of the Toulouse starting lineup.
If he was avalable for France for the WC, they would start him instead of Willemse.
Exclusive: 'I won't wear another jersey' - 'Mini Will Skelton' reveals why he's returning to Australian rugby