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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.

Six Nations 2025: What's good and what's bad from this year's tournament
From stricken heroes to magnificent tries and everything in between, RugbyPass profiles the best and worst of this year's champion…
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Neil Squires
18 Mar 2025, 8:04
Ben Curry is mounting a case to be the Lions Test super-sub
England's back-row 'finisher' has shone off the bench throughout the Six Nations, and may just have compelled Andy Farrell to take…
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Neil Squires
12 Mar 2025, 6:27
25 Six Nations Memorable Moments: 5 to 1
Wales' late, late show, Sexton's drop-goal, Russell's pass, Super Saturday 2015 and Wales' first Slam since 70s, but which is No.1…
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Bryn Palmer   Jamie Lyall   Neil Squires   Owain Jones   Pat McCarry
07 Mar 2025, 4:41
25 Six Nations Memorable Moments: 10 to 6
Wales rock England, Scotland banish hoodoo, and France and Ireland end Grand Slam waits among our next five iconic moments.
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Bryn Palmer   Jamie Lyall   Neil Squires   Owain Jones   Pat McCarry
06 Mar 2025, 1:14
25 Six Nations Memorable Moments: 15 to 11
Dupont's freakish power, O'Driscoll's genius, Scotland's sensational comeback and a Croke Park cracker feature in our next five o…
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Bryn Palmer   Jamie Lyall   Neil Squires   Owain Jones   Pat McCarry
05 Mar 2025, 5:05
Why moving Tommy Freeman to centre could ignite England's attack
Steve Borthwick may profit handsomely from getting the ball into the Northampton fulcrum's hands more often than he can on the win…
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Neil Squires
05 Mar 2025, 1:32
25 Six Nations Memorable Moments: 20 to 16
Capuozzo’s sizzling break, Robinson's electric sidestep and Gatland's third Grand Slam feature among the second five of the tour…
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Bryn Palmer   Jamie Lyall   Neil Squires   Owain Jones   Pat McCarry
04 Mar 2025, 6:51
25 Six Nations Memorable Moments: 25 to 21
Bouthier's 90m boot, Zebo's fancy footwork and Hodge's gala day feature among the first five of the tournament's most iconic momen…
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Bryn Palmer   Jamie Lyall   Neil Squires   Owain Jones   Pat McCarry
03 Mar 2025, 8:34
Does a crowd have the right to boo their team if they're not being entertained?
When Alex Mitchell lofted another kick into the heavens, the Twickenham crowd groaned. Do they have a right to complain about the …
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Neil Squires
26 Feb 2025, 7:41
‘Golden boy of English rugby may be destined to be frustrated super-sub'
Reduced to serving as a last-quarter game-changer would be a waste for a player with Marcus Smith's skills.
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Neil Squires
19 Feb 2025, 9:12
'The decision not to allow Finn Russell back on at Murrayfield was an enlightened one.'
With the heightened awareness around concussion the decision not to send Finn Russell back on the field was significant
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Neil Squires
17 Feb 2025, 3:57
Sacking Twickenham would reignite Shaun Edwards' Lions dream
The defence guru pledged he would 'swim to Australia' for a place on Andy Farrell's staff. Another rearguard action this weekend w…
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Neil Squires
04 Feb 2025, 12:24
How England can get the best out of Ollie Lawrence
The powerful England centre has the skillset to tour with the Lions but needs a big Six Nations to prove it
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Neil Squires
29 Jan 2025, 7:01
'Jamie George may feel he has been made the fall guy for England's autumn'
The deposed - and now injured - captain faces a scrap to win back his place as a first-choice pick in the England team
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Neil Squires
23 Jan 2025, 3:40
'The hairdryer treatment is like caviar, you don't use it very often'
Influential half-time outbursts from Michael Cheika and Phil Dowson show the infamous hairdryer can still be effective.
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Neil Squires
15 Jan 2025, 1:27
Why teenager Henry Pollock is 'ready now' to play in new-look England back row
The Northampton Saints tyro and Saracens barnstormer Tom Willis are strong Six Nations contenders, according to Lawrence Dallaglio…
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Neil Squires
09 Jan 2025, 2:37
Will Bristol's daredevil 'Bears-ball' deliver the trophy they crave?
The Bears play a devil-may-care brand of attacking rugby but can it spirit them to the Premiership Rugby title?
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Neil Squires
18 Dec 2024, 3:02
‘The problem with this year’s Champions Cup? Too many English clubs’
The current strength of the Premiership does not warrant eight of its 10 clubs being involved in Europe's elite tournament.
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Neil Squires
13 Dec 2024, 1:54
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…
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Neil Squires
06 Dec 2024, 12:45
'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.
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Neil Squires
20 Nov 2024, 5:12
'Two groups of dancing bears': The cross-code clash making a comeback for charity
For the first time in 21 years, rugby union and rugby league go head to head to raise money for motor neurone disease charities.
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Neil Squires
14 Nov 2024, 9:08
'Exciting' or 'a terrible rule'? Why escort runners could define the Autumn Nations Series
World Rugby's new directive could have far-reaching consequences for the style and tactics of an evolving game.
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Neil Squires
07 Nov 2024, 1:17
'There will be no honeymoon period for Borthwick's wedding usher El-Abd'
England's new defence coach is an energetic presence, but amidst a job share and tight time constraints, has much to prove.
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Neil Squires
01 Nov 2024, 2:14
Gabriel Ibitoye: Bristol's white-knuckle blueprint can '100% win trophies'
For the past 18 months, the Bears wing has been one of England's sharpest weapons, though national honours continue to elude him.
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Neil Squires
25 Oct 2024, 3:08
'The picture looks bleak for Diamond's seemingly impossible job'
The Newcastle Falcons supremo wants no sympathy, but his team looks like a Championship side operating at the wrong level.
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Neil Squires
15 Oct 2024, 9:53
Rory Underwood's other-worldly England record may never be broken
A phenomenal mark of 48 tries, achieved against the odds, is still a distant prospect for today's top English wingers.
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Neil Squires
10 Oct 2024, 7:05
'New kids on the Premiership block will catch Borthwick's eye'
The England coach will be heartened by the emergence of three talented young tight-head props.
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Neil Squires
02 Oct 2024, 4:40
'The Premiership's values can renew the league's diminished profile'
A solid culture, in contrast to some other sporting events, can help rugby increase its footprint in England.
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Neil Squires
26 Sep 2024, 6:41
'Should Northampton Saints book another open-top bus? Probably not'
High-profile departures and salary cap laws will render back-to-back Premiership titles a huge ask.
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Neil Squires
20 Sep 2024, 1:52
Why leading Harlequins could help Alex Dombrandt find favour with England again
The powerful No 8 ‘has a positive energy' and will 'really embrace' being made captain, believes former skipper Chris Robshaw.
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Neil Squires
13 Sep 2024, 1:28
Why England should host 'magnetic' Test series against southern hemisphere giants
Test series add something extra, and England should follow where South Africa and New Zealand lead.
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Neil Squires
09 Sep 2024, 9:34
'A 10-team Premiership sells the English game, its devotees and broadcasters short'
The top flight is competitive and watchable, but its 20th September start date feels much too late.
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Neil Squires
29 Aug 2024, 4:05
Dissenting voices mask the fact rugby fans can watch more live footage than ever
With Premier Sports strengthening their position as the home of rugby, rugby fans are voicing their dissatisfaction at added costs
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Neil Squires
21 Aug 2024, 4:30
England's next golden generation must be given opportunity to thrive
Mark Mapletoft's young bucks have tasted glory but is there now a clear pathway to Steve Borthwick's senior team?
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Neil Squires
25 Jul 2024, 6:06
'RFU would live to regret moral guardian angel Sinfield's departure'
Though no longer England defence coach, Kevin Sinfield's value to the RFU should be blindingly obvious.
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Neil Squires
17 Jul 2024, 0:47
Slow-burner George Furbank catches light as England attempt to storm All Blacks stronghold
The Northampton Saints full-back has cut a dash from deep and added some much-needed width to England's attack
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Neil Squires
11 Jul 2024, 14:25
Bloodied but unbowed Dan Cole prepares for final hurrah
The adamantine Leicester Tigers tighthead knows he hasn't got long left at Test level and deserves every bit of praise coming his …
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Neil Squires
03 Jul 2024, 0:01
Johnson happy to stay in shadows but coaching absence 'a terrible waste'
The England legend was badly burned by his experience as manager but his career is missing a post-script.
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Neil Squires
26 Jun 2024, 9:57
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
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Neil Squires
12 Jun 2024, 15:32
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.
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Neil Squires
04 Jun 2024, 14:02
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.
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Neil Squires
30 May 2024, 13:56
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…
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Neil Squires
23 May 2024, 6:33
'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.
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Neil Squires
14 May 2024, 0:28
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
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Neil Squires
09 May 2024, 0:15
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.
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Neil Squires
01 May 2024, 8:17
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.
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Neil Squires
27 Apr 2024, 1:39
'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?
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Neil Squires
17 Apr 2024, 4:37
'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
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Neil Squires
10 Apr 2024, 9:23
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…
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Neil Squires
05 Apr 2024, 1:55
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
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Neil Squires
28 Mar 2024, 8:00
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
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Neil Squires
19 Mar 2024, 9:17
'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
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Neil Squires
13 Mar 2024, 10:19
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
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Neil Squires
05 Mar 2024, 7:55
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
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Neil Squires
28 Feb 2024, 3:49
'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
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Neil Squires
20 Feb 2024, 7:32
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.
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Neil Squires
13 Feb 2024, 4:41
For England's dashing debutants, the hard works starts now
Similar to England against Italy Stuart Lancaster blooded six debutants at the 2012 Six Nations but beyond Owen Farrell, who can n…
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Neil Squires
07 Feb 2024, 5:53
Nine reasons to be thankful for the Six Nations
From Finn Russell to 'cheesecake' via Shaun Edwards' thunder face, a sideways look at what to expect in this year's Championship
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Neil Squires
01 Feb 2024, 2:29