Ollie Phillips: European rugby, McGuigan and Laporte December 16, 2022 The opening round of European Champions Cup action left me slightly confused; there were some cracking matches but also some really disappointing results. The SA Sharks’ win over Harlequins down in South Africa was proper entertainment, as was Lyon’s loss to the Bulls on the African continent. But Leinster’s demolition of Racing 92 was disappointing [...]
Ollie Phillips: Loss of Eddie Jones gives England Rugby mega opportunity December 9, 2022 Well last week I said I didn’t think the Rugby Football Union had the bottle to sack head coach Eddie Jones despite me saying that he should go. How wrong I was. I do think the call to sack the Australian has come a couple of years late – he himself has said previously about [...]
Ollie Phillips: I fancy England to beat an All Blacks team lacking leaders November 18, 2022 The All Blacks are the only team in rugby to transcend the sport so, for many of England’s squad, tomorrow’s match will feel bigger than the visit of world champions South Africa next weekend. When the All Blacks are in town it’s more than about 80 minutes of rugby; it’s the heritage, the history, the [...]
Ollie Phillips: Pace on the menu as Eddie Jones tweaks England recipe against Japan November 11, 2022 England’s team selection for tomorrow’s match against Japan tells you that Eddie Jones wants much more pace in his side. They looked lacklustre when losing 30-29 to Argentina in their opening Autumn Nations Series fixture last weekend but the inclusion of Jack van Poortvliet and Sam Simmons in the starting XV should add much-needed tempo. [...]
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 [...]
