Ollie Phillips: Tackle-bag carriers must not poison England squad June 14, 2023 It must be a weird feeling being one of the fringe players in England head coach Steve Borthwick’s first World Cup training squad, because the odds are that you’ll be dropped. Next Monday sees the addition of players from Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers – I estimate that to be more than 10 and closer [...]
Ollie Phillips: England should let the shackles off at front row and midfield June 9, 2023 On Monday morning, England head coach Steve Borthwick will name his initial training squad for this year’s Rugby World Cup. Though players from the four sides who made the Premiership semi-finals will not be included in the first squad of the summer, it’s hard to get excited given some of England’s selection woes. Today I [...]
‘Quality of rugby incredible but off field the sport is a total mess’ June 2, 2023 It has been a totally infuriating season as a rugby fan. There’s no denying the product on the field is outstanding – last week’s Premiership final showed that – but the sport needs to be honest with itself off the field and sort itself out. Rugby union as we know it is in bedlam; broadcast [...]
‘I’m happy to see Sale in Premiership final but Sarries will win title No6’ May 26, 2023 I should preface this column by saying that I am really happy Sale are in the Premiership final this Saturday. It’s not only good for the area but it’s good for rugby to see a new face at the showpiece Twickenham event – one that has not been there since 2006, when I was playing [...]
Leicester and Saracens star in my Premiership rugby Team of the Season May 12, 2023 It is that time again when everyone with an interest in rugby names their Premiership Team of the Season. I am no different, so here goes. It took a small amount of debate with City A.M. colleagues but, all in all, this was one of the easiest XVs to put together. Front row Gloucester loosehead [...]
‘Gloucester cannot blame injuries, they’ve fallen off a cliff in 2023’ May 5, 2023 Alongside the coaches, players, fans and pundits, I have no idea how Gloucester have fallen so fast and hard in the Premiership table. And I am not having injuries as an excuse. Third after five games, seventh after eight and 10th after 19; the fall from grace has been pretty dramatic. And it’s not the [...]
Record breaking Women’s Six Nations match is great send-off for Middleton’s England April 28, 2023 This weekend’s Six Nations showdown between England and France is a glass ceiling-smashing moment for women’s sport. More than 53,000 fans will be at Twickenham to watch this year’s championship decider. That bodes really well for the 2025 World Cup, with the Rugby Football Union hoping to sell out the final at the same stadium. [...]
Ollie Phillips: It’s time for RFU axe its short-sighted England selection policy April 15, 2023 I won’t hold my breath, but Jack Willis’s decision to stay at Toulouse ought to sound alarm bells at the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and cause them to reconsider their refusal to pick overseas-based players for the England team. That stance might be sustainable when your clubs can pay the same as those in France [...]
It’s been fun but English clubs will now bow out of Champions Cup April 7, 2023 Though English clubs represent three of the eight Champions Cup quarter-finalists, I think this weekend the gulf in class between them and the giants left in the competition will show and the trio will be knocked out. Leicester Tigers, Exeter Chiefs and Saracens remain in the hunt for European honours and are in action across [...]
Champions Cup rugby: ‘I predict eight home wins out of eight’ March 31, 2023 Though the fixtures suggest a couple of upsets, I am going out on a limb and saying that there will be eight home wins in the Champions Cup round of 16 ties this weekend. It’s one of those weekends where I will be putting my phone on vibrate and just enjoying what is set to [...]
