News By Nick Cain
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British and Irish Lions
/ 3 days agoNick Cain: Wallabies paid price for unprofessionalism during Lions Tour
The Lions are back on the winning trail, but the high stakes surrounding the 2025 tour, whether sporting or commercial, means...
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British and Irish Lions
/ 3 days agoNick Cain: No return to Australia for the Lions without legal guarantees
Should Australia get the Lions back in 12 years? The answer is that Rugby Australia would have to commit to a...
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British and Irish Lions
/ 1 week agoNick Cain: Joe Schmidt’s bogus words jeopardise Lions’ future
There was a chance of three whitewashes taking place this weekend. The first was whether the Lions would claim a 3-0...
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Latest News
/ 1 week agoNick Cain: Without a deal, R360’s credibility is on the line
The R360 phantom is up-and-running again with Louis Rees-Zammit rumoured to be involved following his exit from the Jacksonville Jaguars and...
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British and Irish Lions
/ 2 weeks agoBritish and Irish Lions 29-26 Wallabies: Hugo Keenan’s last-gasp lunge seals epic victory
Australia ........................... 26pts Tries: Slipper 23, Gordon 29, Wright 31 Conversion: Lynagh 29 Penalties: Lynagh 5, 11, 54 British & Irish...
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Columnists
/ 2 weeks agoNick Cain: Henry Pollock must play with 7 on his back
Henry Pollock looked lost at times against a First Nations & Pasifika selection which wanted to get in the faces of...
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British and Irish Lions
/ 3 weeks agoBritish and Irish Lions 27-19 Wallabies: Round One to the Lions as Finn Russell pulls strings
Australia ............................19pts Tries: Jorgensen 28, Tizzano 67, McDermott 78 Conversions: Donaldson 68, 78 in association with British & Irish Lions ........
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Columnists
/ 3 weeks agoNick Cain: Maverick Rassie Erasmus is doing us all a service
Rassie Erasmus is one of rugby union’s most controversial characters, but he is also an international coach who thinks deeply about...
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British and Irish Lions
/ 1 month agoNick Cain: Joe Schmidt may force British and Irish Lions to move on
Joe Schmidt will be hailed as a miracle man if the Wallabies succeed in blindsiding the Lions to edge the forthcoming...
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Columnists
/ 1 month agoNick Cain: Felipe Contepomi committed selection hara-kiri against England
England deserved most of the plaudits lavished on them after their comprehensive four try 35-12 dismantling of Argentina last weekend. Fin...
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British and Irish Lions
/ 1 month agoNick Cain: Jack Willis deserves to be part of this British and Irish Lions party
It is one of the biggest travesties in this sport that Jack Willis could be destined to never pull on a...
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British and Irish Lions
/ 1 month agoNick Cain: Owen Farrell’s British and Irish Lions call-up shouldn’t cause discord
The furore surrounding Owen Farrell being brought into the Lions squad as a replacement for Elliott Daly has stirred the nepotism...
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Columnists
/ 1 month agoNick Cain: England must concentrate on a power game against Argentina
We are about to find out about the depth in England’s playing resources, and whether the Premiership produces enough players ready...
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British and Irish Lions
/ 1 month agoNick Cain: Lessons of Dublin must be learned for the British and Irish Lions
One of the strangest elements about the 2025 Lions starting line-up in the non-tour match against Argentina in Dublin was...
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Latest News
/ 1 month agoNick Cain: Let’s hope the Whole Game Union wins the day
The attempts by some within the Twickenham administration to characterise the Whole Game Union’s campaign to bring about democratic change at...
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British and Irish Lions
/ 2 months agoNick Cain: Don’t let Joe Schmidt take British and Irish Lions for a ride
The Lions are being taken for pussycats by Australia coach Joe Schmidt. Contrary to the assurance given by Phil Waugh, the...
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Columnists
/ 2 months agoNick Cain: Whole Game Union is hoping to land a longshot
There is an RFU AGM on Saturday, and it could pass by with a barely discernible ripple, or deliver a seismic...
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Columnists
/ 2 months agoNick Cain: Steve Borthwick will want young guns to fire on Argentina Tour
The idea being touted that England’s two-Test tour of Argentina at the beginning of July will be the unearthing of a...
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British and Irish Lions
/ 2 months agoNick Cain: Argentina selection’s bad news for British & Irish Lions
The devaluing of fixtures throughout the professional game is becoming a blight, and an understrength Argentina facing the Lions on Friday...
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Columnists
/ 2 months agoNick Cain: Wallabies need to find some form – and sharpish
Australia's whole will have to be much greater than the sum of its parts to win the imminent Lions series if...
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Columnists
/ 2 months agoNick Cain: Henry Pollock needs to wise up – old pros will be keen to take him out
Henry Pollock’s upward trajectory has been so stellar that there was always going to be a queue of gnarled old pros...
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Latest News
/ 2 months agoNick Cain: This American dream will only end in tears
The Premiership/ RFU’s stampede for money, and the pitfalls that come with it, is reflected in the franchise fix proposed by...
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Columnists
/ 3 months agoNick Cain: Time for Steve Borthwick to ignore the easy options
The main challenge facing Steve Borthwick this summer is to maintain England’s momentum by winning a two-Test tour of Argentina with...
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Latest News
/ 3 months agoNick Cain: Ben Spencer steps up to prove his worth for Bath
It's been a long time between drinks for Bath’s faithful fans when it comes to winning worthwhile silverware, so no one...
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British and Irish Lions
/ 3 months agoNick Cain: British and Irish Lions must get tough by delivering an ultimatum
The longer the Lions Board continues to be as soft-toy cuddly as the mascot that tour youngster Henry Pollock will have...
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Columnists
/ 3 months agoNick Cain: Championship rebrand can be a real game-changer
The rebranding this week of England’s second professional league as Champ Rugby could be a game-changer in English club rugby, and...
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British and Irish Lions
/ 3 months agoNick Cain: Andy Farrell still at 6s and 7s in his British and Irish Lions back row conundrum
While Henry Pollock is the talk of the town, and deservedly so following his meteoric rise and selection for the 2025...
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Champions Cup
/ 3 months agoNick Cain: At last! Welcome words reinforce value of jeopardy
One of the few signs of clear-thinking rugby union sanity this week came from Simon Gillham, the chairman of the Tier...
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Champions Cup
/ 3 months agoNick Cain: Backing of franchise rugby is myopic, hypocritical and self-serving …
The parallel universe which some of the main movers and shakers in the RFU/ Premiership currently inhabit has revealed itself in...
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Miscellaneous
/ 4 months agoNick Cain: Invest in the Championship – as well as women’s game
The money cut from the funding to Championship clubs in the last five years is believed to be very close to...
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Columnists
/ 4 months agoNick Cain: Bruce Craig’s protectionism is not what we want
The decision by Bath owner Bruce Craig to break cover by jumping on the franchise bandwagon this week is no revelation,...
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Columnists
/ 4 months agoNick Cain: Blueprint for the future lacks rational thinking with franchise idea
By Nick Cain - Read his expert opinion every week We are coming to the franchise crunch. Finally, after five years...
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Latest News
/ 4 months agoNick Cain: Payments may not be swift for Worcester Warriors
The spin over substance element in the administration of the game in England has been highlighted by fears that Worcester’s undertaking...
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Columnists
/ 4 months agoNick Cain: Premiership clubs need to set higher standards
The most concerning aspect of the Harlequins no-show against Leinster at Croke Park last weekend, which finished in a 62-0 European...
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Latest News
/ 4 months agoNick Cain: Time to dismantle the ivory towers
TV adverts are a mixed bag, but at their best they paint a picture that nails an irksome aspect of modern...
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Columnists
/ 4 years agoDash for cash must not damage rugby’s ethos | Nick Cain
THE £32m takeover of Saracens by a polyglot international consortium comes with a health warning as the club’s erstwhile banker and...
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Columnists
/ 4 years agoTime must be called on endless game breaks | Nick Cain
PERPETUAL stoppages have become the scourge of international rugby. The biggest culprits in this regard are South Africa. The world champions...
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Columnists
/ 4 years agoI fear Eddie will revert to old guard in autumn | Nick Cain
BETTER late than never. Eddie Jones has finally rattled the cage in selection, at last making changes that should have happened...
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Latest News
/ 4 years agoThis smearing of Gatland as conservative is claptrap | Nick Cain
Nick Cain fails to understand how people can question Warren Gatland as a coach given his record at the Test level
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Columnists
/ 4 years agoUnion game is on a hiding in Australia | Nick Cain
AUSTRALIAN rugby will always be measured against that of their closest neighbours – which unluckily for them happens to be New...
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Columnists
/ 4 years agoIt’s high time globetrotter Eddie honed home stars | Nick Cain
After surviving a review into a poor Six Nations campaign, Nick Cain is stumped by Eddie Jones' continued day-tripping to other...
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Columnists
/ 4 years agoEverything was stacked against Lions from the start | Nick Cain
No, rugby is not coming to an end. This Lions tour posed significant challenges to both teams, it was just the...
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Columnists
/ 4 years agoForward pass should have wiped Le Roux try | Nick Cain
It's time to sort something out for definitive indication of whether a pass is forward or not
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Columnists
/ 4 years agoRassie Erasmus’ blunderbuss blasts all moving targets | Nick Cain
Rassie Erasmus' video was a clear indication of the effects severe pressure can have on national hero status, writes Nick Cain
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Columnists
/ 4 years agoJonker’s call is bonkers and insult to the Lions | Nick Cain
The appointment of Marius Jonker as TMO for a series between the Springboks and Lions is farcical
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Columnists
/ 4 years agoLet’s pour cold water over this Rassie Erasmus ruse | Nick Cain
A head coach as a waterboy? The incursion of non-playing staff on the pitch has been a problem brewing for years
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Columnists
/ 4 years agoMighty Mouse can put a scare into giant Boks | Nick Cain
Hamish Watson can be the force that brings down the Springboks at the breakdown, writes Nick Cain
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Columnists
/ 4 years agoHigh ball doubt may cost Stuart Hogg Lions slot | Nick Cain
STUART Hogg’s high points this season in leading Scotland to away victories over France and England in the Six Nations, as...
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Columnists
/ 4 years agoCar crash European Cup rules will wreck a great Cup | Nick Cain
THE European Cup is on a slippery slope. It is rapidly being downgraded from a competition which was about becoming champions...
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Columnists
/ 4 years agoChampionship is sinking: RFU won’t rescue it! | Nick Cain
Nick Cain's column focusseses on the apparent lack of resistence to ring-fencing the Premiership















