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The Breakdown newsletter

Robert Kitson rounds up the latest rugby union action in his free email

4 April 2023

  • Stormers players celebrate during their win over Harlequins

    South African sides face Champions Cup acid test as air miles mount

    Schedule is a logistical nightmare but Springbok players have long thrived in the competition so their clubs cannot be underestimated

28 March 2023

  • Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jack Nowell

    Cross-fertilisation: English players going abroad is a progressive move

    Traditionalists will frown but sabbaticals and wildcards could increase skills and talent pool while making for a better game

21 March 2023

  • France’s Antoine Dupont tackles Ireland’s Mack Hansen on the line in Dublin during the highest quality Six Nations match in years.

    Six Nations verdict: dominant Ireland and super Dupont take the plaudits

    A record-breaking 91 tries, a match for the ages, ‘Florence Dallaglio’, and an England side who ‘weren’t good at anything’

14 March 2023

  • Ireland celebrate scoring a try against Scotland

    Unstoppable Ireland heading for a ‘greenwash’ with England toiling

    The Irish have never won a grand slam in Dublin but could deliver a beautiful day this Saturday for their greatest team

7 March 2023

  • Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith

    The age old fly-half debate: should England trust Farrell, Ford or Smith?

    Everybody knows the playmaker is first among equals but perceptions change and the position is an indicator of intent

28 February 2023

  • Ireland's James Lowe celebrates as James Ryan scores a try in the Six Nations win over Italy

    The road to joy: why the best in the Six Nations are putting fun above fear

    The world’s top rugby union teams at the moment are those who can strike the right balance between risk and reward

21 February 2023

  • Mike Brown dives over to score a try against Saracens on Sunday

    Mike Brown and Leicester’s veterans show heart and soul has no age limit

    Leicester’s win over Saracens on Sunday was a timely reminder that elite sport is not just a matter of youthful exuberance

14 February 2023

  • Garry Ringrose escapes Sekou Macalou’s clutches to run in for Ireland

    Grand slam and then the world? Fun for Ireland may only just be beginning

    Ireland were glorious in a Six Nations classic against France and Scotland are on the up, but Wales and England have fallen back

7 February 2023

  • Italy's Tommaso Menoncello offloads to Ange Capuozzo during the narrow Six Nations loss to France.

    Argument for Eight Nations will grow if rugby gospel wants to be spread

    The Azzurri gave France a fright last weekend and, with a new chief at the helm, boosted talk of expanding the competition

31 January 2023

  • New Zealand's Mark Telea commits a high tackle foul on England's Jonny May in November.

    RFU must square fiendish circle on tackling after spectacular blunder

    Having made a monumental PR cock-up, administrators must consider the game as a whole, including grassroots

24 January 2023

  • Six Nations captains Jamie Ritchie, Ken Owens, Owen Farrell, Antoine Dupont, Johnny Sexton and Michele Lamaro pose with the Six Nations trophy.

    Enticing Six Nations campaign is rugby union’s big chance to shine

    From potential ‘new coach bounce’ to the power of Ireland and France, championship can raise interest before the World Cup

17 January 2023

  • New Wallabies head coach Eddie Jones

    Borthwick, Gatland and Jones have to pedal hard in new jobs – and quickly

    The coaching trio have no time to experiment as the race towards this year’s Rugby World Cup enters its final stages

10 January 2023

  • Referee Karl Dickson talks with Owen Farrell

    Inconsistent tackling of dangerous hits has Farrell teetering on a fine line

    Rugby union fails to reliably separate serious foul play from unfortunate misjudgments and is erratic with lengths of bans

3 January 2023

  • Ellis Genge and Owen Farrell

    Leading from the front: who should be England captain under Borthwick?

    England’s new head coach has a vital decision to make between Owen Farrell, Ellis Genge and Courtney Lawes

27 December 2022

  • Julián Montoya of Leicester with the Premiership final trophy; Ruby Tui of New Zealand; and Edoardo Padovani of Italy

    The Breakdown’s review of the year: Ruby Tui brings a breath of fresh air

    The Women’s Rugby World Cup final was a landmark occasion but demise of Wasps and Worcester signals difficult times

20 December 2022

  • Steve Borthwick at Twickenham

    Borthwick brings clarity and passion – he and Sinfield can lift England gloom

    It is already possible to see why a downcast England team might respond positively to the new coach’s arrival

13 December 2022

  • Zach Mercer has excelled for Montpellier after being deemed surplus to requirements by England.

    England have plenty of good players but new coach must pick right ones

    Eddie Jones’s replacement could field five different XVs with Zach Mercer’s Premiership return set to further boost depth

6 December 2022

  • La Rochelle lift the Champions Cup

    Champions Cup’s success story eroded by model of free-market economics

    Something feels out of joint with the European competition after introduction of South African teams and the unwieldy format

29 November 2022

  • Chris Robshaw attends Cowes Week earlier this year

    ‘It’s the scars I wear’: Chris Robshaw on England, leadership and what comes next

    Reflecting on highs and lows of an 18-year career, the former England captain wants to use his experience to help others

22 November 2022

  • Georgia celebrate their famous victory against Wales

    Georgia and Portugal prove tectonic plates of global rugby are shifting

    Historic results prompt renewed questions about the structure of rugby’s top table before new nations league discussions
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