Analysis
Autumn Nations Series
Rated: How did your nation fare in the end of autumn report card?
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Contributors
Sam Larner
Sam is an analyst and writer. He began is analysis career with Blackheath back in 2014 after a rugby injury. Despite occasional forays back into playing, he is much more at home behind a laptop or while coaching. He combines writing about rugby and working with players and teams to help them to find an advantage against opponents. His words have appeared on Planet Rugby, Rugby World, and the World Cup website.
38 Articles
Latest
International Rugby
Irish indiscipline, Welsh attack, Boks dominance: Standout stats Wk 4
8
8 days ago
Autumn Nations Series
Scotland's implosion and drop goal efficiency are stats of the week
48
15 days ago
International Rugby
Why don’t red and yellow cards always have the impact we might expect?
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23 days ago
Autumn Nations Series
The Autumn Nations Series standout stats from week one
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29 days ago
Analysis
Why bonafide ball carriers can help any rugby attack
The addition of Will Skelton and Rob Valetini showed how important ball-carriers are in changing the shape of one's attack
Sam Larner
30 Jul 2025, 14:58
Analysis
What does the data tell us about Andy Farrell's first Test Lions combinations?
By analysing combinations used across key positions, we might just be able to read the tea leaves and predict the squad for the op…
Sam Larner
16 Jul 2025, 3:17
13
Opinion
Ten of the best players to recruit from France’s ‘perfect’ ProD2
With Premiership and URC teams forced to think laterally in recruitment, which players from France's second tier might they target…
Sam Larner
19 May 2025, 7:52
1
Analysis
What the data tells us about the make-up of the 2025 British and Irish Lions squad
Andy Farrell has picked a squad rich in age and experience and the hope is they don't get run off their feet Down Under
Sam Larner
12 May 2025, 4:11
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Analysis
The technical tweaks that could send Wales back to rugby's top table
Even though Matt Sherratt wasn't able to engineer a win, he showed tentative signs of a new Welsh way that could make them more co…
Sam Larner
27 Mar 2025, 4:51
10
Analysis
What trends you should be looking out for in this year's Six Nations
The rugby law book is constantly evolving and we could see some new tactics taking hold during the tournament
Sam Larner
01 Feb 2025, 2:13
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Analysis
Which Six Nations squad is best prepared to succeed today and in the future?
The data can give us an indication which squad is best prepared for a period of success and English and Italian fans should be hap…
Sam Larner
31 Jan 2025, 8:48
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Opinion
Top 100: Why do the best players come from the best teams?
The Top 100 is unsurprisingly rammed with players from the top teams but could players in less fancied teams prosper up the food c…
Sam Larner
12 Dec 2024, 13:39
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Analysis
Who fired and who flopped? A team-by-team review of the Autumn Nations Series
From South African supremacy to Welsh woes, an in-depth look at how each team developed - or regressed - during November.
Sam Larner
04 Dec 2024, 4:07
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Opinion
'Luck undeniably plays a part in rugby, even if it might be taboo to admit it'
Every team benefits from a certain amount of luck but underlying performances rather than league position are a more reliable guid…
Sam Larner
06 Oct 2024, 13:59
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Analysis
Could Leicester replace colossus Jasper Wiese with ‘Moneyball’ approach?
Leicester may not be able to afford a ready-made replacement but could compensate in other ways for their South African No.8's exi…
Sam Larner
29 Aug 2024, 2:07
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Analysis
The best unplayed players in the Premiership who could do a 'Dupont'
Some gifted players had less than the 592 minutes of action in the 2023-24 season that a certain Antoine Dupont had in 2015-16
Sam Larner
31 Jul 2024, 14:09
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Analysis
Eight of the best free agents on the rugby market
With the domestic season coming to an end there is a plethora of exciting rugby talent up for grabs, desperate for a new opportuni…
Sam Larner
31 May 2024, 23:27
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Analysis
What assistant coaches actually do, and why Parling and Bleyendaal will succeed
The giant Englishman could drive Australia's lineouts to new heights, as could the former Munsterman with Leinster's attack.
Sam Larner
02 May 2024, 7:57
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Opinion
Grassroots rugby 'needs to fit around people's lives or face further challenges'
Rugby's inability to adapt to changing times means the grassroots game is struggling as other formats prosper.
Sam Larner
24 Apr 2024, 6:09
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Analysis
Ireland reign supreme but there is one area they're worse than Wales - Six Nations
Andy Farrell's back-to-back champions continue to set the standards but there is still room for improvement.
Sam Larner
19 Mar 2024, 2:42
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Opinion
Are Wales on track to complete a successful rebuild?
Warren Gatland picked a callow, inexperienced side for this year's Six Nations and the jury is out whether their rebuild is on tra…
Sam Larner
14 Mar 2024, 15:17
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Analysis
Are you not entertained by Steve Borthwick's exciting England? - Six Nations
For all the naysaying, the raw numbers show England's wow factor is growing.
Sam Larner
13 Feb 2024, 2:24
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Analysis
A bluffer's guide to French teams in the Champions Cup
Who is in form and who are the players to watch among the eight French teams in Europe's elite competition?
Sam Larner
08 Dec 2023, 6:14
2
Analysis
Unsung, underpaid, overworked: Are analysts any closer to ‘solving’ rugby?
Analysis is now part of the game's fabric but how much does raw data move the game forward?
Sam Larner
30 Nov 2023, 2:03
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