Opinion
'England's blanket of despair feels overdone - they are not a team in freefall'
For all the doom and gloom, small fixes would take Steve Borthwick's team from the funeral parlour to the parade ring.
Neil Squires
20 Nov 2024, 8:12
Contributors
Neil Squires
Neil Squires is the ex-rugby union correspondent for the Daily Express and has covered eight Rugby World Cups and 30 Five/Six Nations Championships. He has also written four books on the sport including the well-received but commercially catastrophic House of Lancaster, released with impeccable timing, to coincide with England's 2015 World Cup campaign.
Exclusive
Jack Nowell: 'Bath should get a backlash from La Rochelle this weekend'
Once a Champions Cup winner with Exeter Chiefs, the England wing returns to the West Country in the colours of serial champions La…
Neil Squires
06 Dec 2024, 15:45
Opinion
Borthwick's Babes primed to take New Zealand by storm
With Test centurions Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs and Courtney Lawes absent, there is a youthful feel to England's touring party
Neil Squires
12 Jun 2024, 18:32
Interview
Jon Callard: 'It'll be just like the old days. Last one off to Twickenham turn the light off'
Twenty-eight years after their last Premiership title, Bath tread a path to HQ once so familiar.
Neil Squires
04 Jun 2024, 17:02
Interview
Tom Dunn: ‘Bath was a massive ship facing the wrong way.'
The piratical hooker has been at the coalface through a turbulent 12 years and wants to leave a tangible legacy.
Neil Squires
30 May 2024, 16:56
Opinion
Why Gloucester and England will miss Jonny May, the great entertainer
The popular speedster has made the most of his natural gifts and will hope to leave English rugby by lifting a cup with his belove…
Neil Squires
23 May 2024, 9:33
Interview
'Nobody wants to go the entire season without a league win' - Falcons aim to avoid equalling record
Newcastle have one match left to break their winless run or join Rotherham and London Welsh in Premiership history.
Neil Squires
14 May 2024, 3:28
Interview
Ben Youngs: 'The job description of a 9 has changed. Gibson-Park and Dupont are leading the evolution'
It is the most poorly paid position in the Gallagher Premiership but never has the influence of a scrum-half been so high
Neil Squires
09 May 2024, 3:15
Interview
Alex Mitchell: Saints 'are in a very good place at the moment'
Northampton have mirrored the England scrum-half's own rise and will travel with confidence to face Leinster in Dublin.
Neil Squires
01 May 2024, 11:17
Interview
Rugby’s forever man Mike Brown: 'I'm a driven individual'
Mike Brown may be considered past his sell-by date but he remains a Premiership force at 38.
Neil Squires
27 Apr 2024, 4:39
Opinion
'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in'
What is the point in having South African teams in the Champions Cup if they demean it when it comes to the showpiece games?
Neil Squires
17 Apr 2024, 7:37
Opinion
'Star power of individual players can grow overall size of rugby's pie'
It is typical of rugby union, the ultimate team game, that Marcus Smith's individual brilliance is mistrusted in certain quarters
Neil Squires
10 Apr 2024, 12:23
Opinion
Are English sides underdogs at the business end of Europe?
There maybe six Premiership sides still standing as we head into the Champions Cup knockout stages, but how many will progress fur…
Neil Squires
05 Apr 2024, 4:55
Exclusive
Luke Cowan-Dickie: 'I didn’t feel right. I felt like I was going to pass out. Everything was going black in front of me'
The abrasive Sale Sharks hooker feels he owes his new club a favour when he faces his beloved Exeter Chiefs
Neil Squires
28 Mar 2024, 11:00
Opinion
Is it about time we gave George Ford a bit of respect?
The England fly-half put in a classy performance against France and looks to have sealed Steve Borthwick's trust
Neil Squires
19 Mar 2024, 12:17
Opinion
'Borthwick may conclude George Martin is now indispensable'
All the best teams have an enforcer’s presence and in George Martin, England have a natural
Neil Squires
13 Mar 2024, 13:19
Opinion
A question of nationality
Players playing in this year's Six Nations come from all over the globe and reflect the diverse society we live in
Neil Squires
05 Mar 2024, 10:55
Exclusive
Our friends in the North
Yorkshire has produced an abundance of talent for the English rugby team and it is a county with rich seams of talent
Neil Squires
28 Feb 2024, 6:49
Opinion
'Murrayfield carries with it the feeling of a mugging waiting to happen'
Pipers, pillars and pain: Scotland's backyard has proved unsettling for many an England team
Neil Squires
20 Feb 2024, 10:32
Opinion
High time conversion charge downs were consigned to history
Players being allowed to charge down conversions but not penalties adds unnecessarily to rugby's complexity.
Neil Squires
13 Feb 2024, 7:41
