OPINION
Fudge and almond fruitcake
How to sum up a Rugby World Cup that forced us to shed tears of happiness and heartache, whilst revelling in our beautiful game
Graham Simmons Graham is now a rugby coach but for 25 years he was Sky Sports’ rugby union reporter, working on Lions’ Tours, England Internationals at home and abroad, the Heineken Cup, the Top 14, the Premiership and the Pro 14. He also spent a decade broadcasting for Sky from Ryder Cups, US Opens and USPGAs.
OPINION
Ox, Koch and Polly
The last dance comes down to toe-to-toe combat between two familiar Southern Hemisphere heavyweights in Paris
OPINION
Cojones and Corleones...
Has there ever been a better weekend of Test Rugby? Fans have been spoilt with quarter-finals from the ages
OPINION
Threads, twists and objets trouvés
The deep joy of the Portuguese, the domination of the Irish, the despondency of the Scots and Wallabies; the final Pool round had …
OPINION
Plates, Bowls and Shields
The knockout stages are shaping up with a few final duels to settle before France 2023 really starts heating up
OPINION
Tales of the unexpected
Eddie Jones' downfall, Wales's resurrection and the match of the tournament between Ireland and South Africa lit up the rugby worl…
OPINION
Symphonies and fractional crystallisation
Ireland play in glorious, aesthetically-pleasing patterns, while England plod on, the big question is, are the Wallabies heading t…
OPINION
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Spectacular tries, thunderclap collisions and contentious decisions defined a blockbuster opening World Cup weekend
EXCLUSIVE
Nick Evans: ‘One win against Argentina, two feet in the quarters, three games from the trophy.’
The respected Harlequins attack coach gives his verdict on Steve Borthwick's England as they look to stage a turnaround in form
OPINION
Mission Impossible?
It's a tough ask to park all the negativity and be upbeat about England's World Cup chances, nonetheless, let's give it a go
OPINION
Sweet serendipity
Will the lopsided draw for the 2023 Rugby World Cup be the making or the breaking of the tournament?
OPINION
Graham Simmons: 'Scotland were the revelation of the opening weekend'
The Six Nations routinely provides drama few tournaments can match and the only certainty is more surprises lie in store
OPINION
It all comes down to the F-Words
The Six Nations will take us from the biting winds of winter to the first buds of Spring, but what can we expect?
OPINION
Now is the Autumn of our discontent...
There has been a change in temperature at Twickenham and Eddie Jones is feeling the heat after a series of poor results
OPINION
The pitch side poker
Many TV audiences think the role of a post-match reporter is a cinch, but for those who have done the job, it has moments of unadu…
OPINION
Time gentlemen, please
The Wallabies are incandescent about Mathieu Raynal's refereeing of the Bledisloe's dying moments, in a denouement that has divide…
OPINION
How the forward pass has tied rugby up in knots
Rugby needs its continuity but if a ball is clearly caught ahead of the point it was passed can we not turn a blind eye amidst rug…
OPINION
Sledging, shithousery and smack
In the summer Tests there was niggle which saw protagonists like Jonny Hill and Darcy Swain reprimanded, while Sam Cane and Peter …
OPINION
Freddie and the Dreamers
Leicester Tigers completed their comeback to the top table of English rugby with a most unlikely of heroes as Saracens' bruisers w…
OPINION
The Road To Perdition
While the first European penalty shoot out in 13 years played out to engrossed fans, many were left wondering if there's not a bet…
OPINION
To Europe with love
The Champions Cup quarter-finals are upon us and history tells us that the fans are in for an intoxicating mix of nail biting dram…
OPINION
Acts of Succession
The RFU's muddled messaging over the successor to Eddie Jones is nothing new after a litany of curious coaching appointments
OPINION
France light up the Six Nations leaving England to search for answers
The 2022 Six Nations left France rejuvenated, Italy in dreamland and Ireland sensing firm progress, however on the flip side, Engl…
OPINION
Maul things considered
Graham Simmons on why the catch-and-drive, rolling maul has become “rugby’s answer to marital sex”
INTERVIEW
The life of a head coach: Bossing it
The job of a head coach is all-consuming, so Dai Young, Lee Blackett, Danny Wilson and Dan McFarland lift the lid on what their jo…
INTERVIEW
The elephant in the room
Stephen Ferris, Scott Quinnell, David Flatman and Matt Garvey lift the lid on the idiosynchrasies of room sharing with very large …
End of the road for Warren Gatland
The Lions head coach has been a huge figure in the fabled touring party’s history but it is time to look ahead for 2025
Law and disorder
Three top coaches talk about the psychology and the pitfalls of the penalty count
Dai against Goliath
It's all to play for as Graham Simmons previews the weekend's Six Nations clashes
Change your tune
It's time to ditch God Save the Queen but what should England rugby's new anthem be?
Lost for words
A painful inquest will be underway for a side who woefully underperformed against Scotland
Last orders
The truncated Six Nations came to a close on 'Super Saturday' leaving armchair fans just about sated
Rugby's next frontier
While physical skills were once the focus, mental skills are the future of professional improvement.
The privilege of error
Their error count is negligible, so isn’t it time we cut referees some slack?
