England finally have their axis, but Ireland and France the ones to watch November 4, 2022 Here it is – the day has finally arrived: England are set to field a 10,12,13 axis against Argentina on Sunday of Marcus Smith, Owen Farrell and Manu Tuilagi. This is the kind of backline team sheet we thought we’d see early on in Jones’ tenure – albeit a different No10 would have been in [...]
Ollie Phillips: Premiership turmoil, Bangkok and Russell finished? October 20, 2022 I have steered clear of talking about Premiership clubs Wasps and Worcester Warriors thus far given the uncertainty surrounding the futures of the players, but I feel like I should offer some thoughts. Look at the talent across the two clubs: Ollie Lawrence, Jack and Tom Willis, Alfie Barbeary and the rest. The players are [...]
Ollie Phillips: England should embrace Premiership’s rugby style September 30, 2022 Last Sunday’s storming contest in which Exeter Chiefs edged Harlequins 43-42 was, in my opinion, a perfect example of where the tectonic plates of rugby are starting to move. Gone are the days of overly structured play and coming in are sturdy defences paired with incredible counter-attacking moves. I think that’s where we have seen [...]
Ollie Phillips: Bath will sneak win against troubled Wasps September 23, 2022 I’m going to call it: I think Bath will pick up their first Premiership win of the season this weekend against Wasps. While they struggled against Bristol Bears and Sale Sharks in their opening two matches, I get a sense that they could be about to snap out of their losing habit. There’s an opportunity [...]
Ollie Phillips: The Premiership is by far the best league in the world September 16, 2022 Last week’s Premiership action further convinced me that the English Premiership is the best league in the world. Other than Worcester Warriors’ loss at London Irish, where the troubled away side were understandably rusty, I really couldn’t have called which way the other matches would go. How Gloucester turned around a 21-point deficit was astonishing, [...]
Ollie Phillips: Why I am taking on the China Sevens coaching job July 29, 2022 I’ve spent a lot of my life involved in rugby sevens but I haven’t taken on many challenges as big as the one I have just embarked on with China. I am heading up the coaching team for China’s sevens programme, and will be heading out there shortly for the next few months. I am [...]
Ollie Phillips: Home nations within reach of rugby history July 15, 2022 Let’s be frank: the quality of rugby we have seen across this month of internationals hasn’t always been high – it’s been stop-start, mismatched and controversial at times – but it has been competitive. Heading into the final round of their Test series, Ireland are level with New Zealand, Scotland are equal with Argentina, England [...]
Ollie Phillips: England must solve Smith-Farrell conundrum July 8, 2022 Tomorrow’s match against Australia is a must-win for England, having been well beaten in the opening Test of the series in Perth last weekend. They were on top for the majority of the game but just failed to capitalise in the moments where it was pretty even – their two late tries saved face in [...]
Ollie Phillips: My Premiership Rugby awards June 24, 2022 The season is over, Leicester Tigers are champions and I have enjoyed it completely. The lack of relegation has created new interest for me, and we’ve seen some real bolters, like Henry Arundell, earn an international chance on the summer tours. But now that all has been said and done, here are my Premiership awards. [...]
Ollie Phillips: Leicester versus Saracens final rounds off great season June 17, 2022 South west London will be the centre of the rugby world this weekend when one of the most competitive seasons of Premiership action reaches its climax. You’ve got Leicester Tigers, buoyed by brilliant home form this year, and have a serious amount of off-field emotion in tow. And you’ve got Saracens who are hated by [...]
