The Roar
The Roar

The Roar

Nicholas Bishop

Expert

Joined January 2016

2.43m

Views

378

Published

42.4k

Comments

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.

Published

Comments

Older Submissions

Eddie seems to like setting up a bit of friction before these games doesn’t he, and create a bit of a siege mentality – ‘nobody likes us and we don’t care’.
Where you see the Argie, you will soon find the Bus (because he’s not a coach) and the Swede-by-way-of-HK, Mr. Chook! I too was surprised that it blew up quite so quickly though… Liking your airline story 👍

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

In order to win the World Cup you have a to build a team to do it, and that means gaining the experience of how to win matches in diff ways, against top opponents. England cannot even win most of their 6N games right now, in fact Italy are the only certainty.

So there is no secret master-plan which we mortals cannot divine. It is simply that England are not very good atm, and the Wallabies represent a chance for them to get better. Whether they can take that opportunity with their current coaching staff, I do not know.

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

Well you prob are a time traveller (back in time to rugby’s Stone Age?) but the article was written before the match was played… 😂

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

There’s a lot of it about H!

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

I’ll have a look at some likely WB combos next week H 👍

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

Indeed James 👍

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

I like that challenge from both sides of the ditch ATW. I think Marika will fancy himself up against big Joe C.

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

Yes you and your aliases would be more concerned about that. 😂 👎

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

He didn’t play against France last season though Obs – it happened v Japan in the pre-tour game from memory..!?

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

faux-Quin deMarcused Smith thing

Sounds like an entree in one of those ‘haughty’ Richmond restaurants Hazza!

With Billy V back in for Dombrandt it will reinforce Faz not Marcus, though Billy is quite slimline now and keen to kick and offload (especially kick).

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

Let’s hope not – and hope Leicester-Saracens is not a guide.

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

I don’t think Jed Holloway is a Test number 6 Nicko – he has added bulk to play second row and I doubt he has the speed across the ground – and these Tests will be played fast on hard top grounds…

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

I’m sure Eddie will be tempted at some stage to slot Faz back into 10 Neil, though I doubt it will happen on this tour. He’ll need to give them three matches to gel, unless there is a complete disaster ofc. As it stands it is quite easy to see Samu Kerevi terrorizing that midfield combo. if I was working for the WB I’d be looking at ways to mount a big challenge in midfield.

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

He had his shot v the BB’s and it was not a roaring success AH…

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

I think Jamie George took over at roughly the right time JD, Dylan had paid his way.

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

He’s not a great captain and I would like to see Itoje handed that role. But Eddie is stubborn, what can I say?

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

They kicked a bit more but their prep was not that of a Test team coming to Twickers Miz – pretty much the opposite!

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

They wanted to win, but prep was haphazard as George Kruis pointed out afterwards. Can only conclude England depth not what it is cracked up to be.

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

Why is it disrespectful? It was up to England to demand respect, and they did not. They were supposed to be a properly-prepared home team, so you would expect them to win, esp with one man extra.

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

I know Stuart and the other coaches and senior players were keen to go, despite the clashes with the domestic fixture list which meant a number of Saracens and Northampton players were not available for the first two Tests.

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

Terminal stupidity AH?? I am not sure Shaun Edwards face would really fit at HQ, nor Andy Farrell for that matter…

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

Yes I do believe this is a strategic part of the bundle JD. Just as nations will look to extend their calendar on the EOYTs.. Obv no money in it for the northern nations in July, so they’d have to come for purely rugby reasons.

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

yep JD. We played them six times during Stuart’s time in charge.

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

I recall that game distinctly, because it was the one Ireland deserved to win!

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d

Yes there was a time in the early days of SR when the countries seemed to become heartily sick of playing each other, esp when SA were losing heavily!

Coach’s Corner special: what will England bring to the party in July?

View Comment
Rugby
 
1d
Newer Comments Older Comments
close