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Graham Simmons Graham is now a rugby coach but for 25 years he was Sky Sports’ rugby union reporter, working on Lions’ Tours, England Internationals at home and abroad, the Heineken Cup, the Top 14, the Premiership and the Pro 14. He also spent a decade broadcasting for Sky from Ryder Cups, US Opens and USPGAs.

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Now We Are Six

So long the whipping boys, in its 25th edition, Italy finally joined the Six Nations party and they will now hope to kick on and p…

Opinion
Graham Simmons

The Last Chance Saloon

The final furlong is in sight and every nation will be stretching every sinew in order to depart this Six Nations with a pocketful…

Opinion
Graham Simmons

We need to talk about Steve...

The England head coach is 19 Tests into his tenure and there are still doubts over his suitability to the role, with patience wear…

Opinion
Graham Simmons

The White Hole of Calcutta

Scotland, inspired by Duhan van der Merwe, are becoming a serious problem for England, after another tub-thumping victory

Analysis
Graham Simmons

The Bluffer's Guide to the Six Nations

If you've spotted rugby on Netflix and fancy blending in with the fanatics, this rundown is for you...probably

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Schrodinger's Try

The end-of-game decision to not award Sam Skinner a match-winning try was a prime example of rugby's convoluted laws

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Faz, Fabien and a fabled Friday night

Ireland made a talked-up French side look very ordinary and they must be odds on to win back-to-back Grand Slams

Opinion
Graham Simmons

How the Six Nations opener meets Einstein's parable of quantum insanity

This year's tournament gifts us, first up, the France-Ireland showdown we all dreamed about

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Fudge and almond fruitcake

How to sum up a Rugby World Cup that forced us to shed tears of happiness and heartache, whilst revelling in our beautiful game

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Ox, Koch and Polly

The last dance comes down to toe-to-toe combat between two familiar Southern Hemisphere heavyweights in Paris

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Cojones and Corleones...

Has there ever been a better weekend of Test Rugby? Fans have been spoilt with quarter-finals from the ages

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Threads, twists and objets trouvés

The deep joy of the Portuguese, the domination of the Irish, the despondency of the Scots and Wallabies; the final Pool round had …

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Plates, Bowls and Shields

The knockout stages are shaping up with a few final duels to settle before France 2023 really starts heating up

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Tales of the unexpected

Eddie Jones' downfall, Wales's resurrection and the match of the tournament between Ireland and South Africa lit up the rugby worl…

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Symphonies and fractional crystallisation

Ireland play in glorious, aesthetically-pleasing patterns, while England plod on, the big question is, are the Wallabies heading t…

Opinion
Graham Simmons

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Spectacular tries, thunderclap collisions and contentious decisions defined a blockbuster opening World Cup weekend

Exclusive
Graham Simmons

Nick Evans: ‘One win against Argentina, two feet in the quarters, three games from the trophy.’

The respected Harlequins attack coach gives his verdict on Steve Borthwick's England as they look to stage a turnaround in form

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Mission Impossible?

It's a tough ask to park all the negativity and be upbeat about England's World Cup chances, nonetheless, let's give it a go

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Sweet serendipity

Will the lopsided draw for the 2023 Rugby World Cup be the making or the breaking of the tournament?

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Graham Simmons: 'Scotland were the revelation of the opening weekend'

The Six Nations routinely provides drama few tournaments can match and the only certainty is more surprises lie in store

Opinion
Graham Simmons

It all comes down to the F-Words

The Six Nations will take us from the biting winds of winter to the first buds of Spring, but what can we expect?

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Now is the Autumn of our discontent...

There has been a change in temperature at Twickenham and Eddie Jones is feeling the heat after a series of poor results

Opinion
Graham Simmons

The pitch side poker

Many TV audiences think the role of a post-match reporter is a cinch, but for those who have done the job, it has moments of unadu…

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Time gentlemen, please

The Wallabies are incandescent about Mathieu Raynal's refereeing of the Bledisloe's dying moments, in a denouement that has divide…

Opinion
Graham Simmons

How the forward pass has tied rugby up in knots

Rugby needs its continuity but if a ball is clearly caught ahead of the point it was passed can we not turn a blind eye amidst rug…

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Sledging, shithousery and smack

In the summer Tests there was niggle which saw protagonists like Jonny Hill and Darcy Swain reprimanded, while Sam Cane and Peter …

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Freddie and the Dreamers

Leicester Tigers completed their comeback to the top table of English rugby with a most unlikely of heroes as Saracens' bruisers w…

Opinion
Graham Simmons

The Road To Perdition

While the first European penalty shoot out in 13 years played out to engrossed fans, many were left wondering if there's not a bet…

Opinion
Graham Simmons

To Europe with love

The Champions Cup quarter-finals are upon us and history tells us that the fans are in for an intoxicating mix of nail biting dram…

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Acts of Succession

The RFU's muddled messaging over the successor to Eddie Jones is nothing new after a litany of curious coaching appointments

Opinion
Graham Simmons

France light up the Six Nations leaving England to search for answers

The 2022 Six Nations left France rejuvenated, Italy in dreamland and Ireland sensing firm progress, however on the flip side, Engl…

Opinion
Graham Simmons

Maul things considered

Graham Simmons on why the catch-and-drive, rolling maul has become “rugby’s answer to marital sex”

Interview
Graham Simmons

The life of a head coach: Bossing it

The job of a head coach is all-consuming, so Dai Young, Lee Blackett, Danny Wilson and Dan McFarland lift the lid on what their jo…

Interview
Graham Simmons

The elephant in the room

Stephen Ferris, Scott Quinnell, David Flatman and Matt Garvey lift the lid on the idiosynchrasies of room sharing with very large …

Graham Simmons

End of the road for Warren Gatland

The Lions head coach has been a huge figure in the fabled touring party’s history but it is time to look ahead for 2025

Graham Simmons

Law and disorder

Three top coaches talk about the psychology and the pitfalls of the penalty count

Graham Simmons

Dai against Goliath

It's all to play for as Graham Simmons previews the weekend's Six Nations clashes

Graham Simmons

Change your tune

It's time to ditch God Save the Queen but what should England rugby's new anthem be?

Graham Simmons

Lost for words

A painful inquest will be underway for a side who woefully underperformed against Scotland

Graham Simmons

Last orders

The truncated Six Nations came to a close on 'Super Saturday' leaving armchair fans just about sated

Graham Simmons

Rugby's next frontier

While physical skills were once the focus, mental skills are the future of professional improvement.

Graham Simmons

The privilege of error

Their error count is negligible, so isn’t it time we cut referees some slack?

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