#Shaun Edwards

1 - Who will win the World Cup? On home soil, and with a star-studded squad full of pace and power, there is no doubt that France are the team to beat. However, this looks like being one of the most open World Cups ever, with at least six teams capable of going all the way. Bring it on. 2 - Can Ireland break their glass ceiling? Heart says yes,…

Warren Gatland is ready to kick-start his second stint as Wales head coach with a bang. During his first tenure as Wales boss, Gatland stuck with the same lieutenants throughout the entirety of his 12 years in charge. If people thought it was going to be a case of same old Gatland this time around, they were wrong with the New Zealander selecting…

South Africa and France have almost always enjoyed a cordial rugby relationship, but that friendship was tested over the acrimony of the Rugby World Cup 2023 (RWC 2023) vote. Long story short, South Africa's was the preferred bid, but the French delegation lobbied behind the scenes and "won" the right to host RWC 2023. It led to rancour and…

Wales head coach Warren Gatland is looking to former England assistant coach Paul Gustard to fill the defence vacancy in his backroom staff. Gatland is finalising his support staff ahead of the upcoming Six Nations campaign, and PA understands that Gustard is a leading contender to fill one of the vacancies. Returning for his second stint at Wales,…

South Africa have fallen to fourth place in the World Rugby Rankings since their triumph in Japan back in 2019, having lost 10 of their last 26 test matches. Ireland currently sit on top of the rankings, while France won a Six Nations grand slam last year and New Zealand retained their Rugby Championship title. Edwards believes South Africa proved…

Rugby World writers pick rugby highlights of 2022 Yes, we compiled our own list of the biggest rugby moments 2022, but we thought we'd also ask some of Rugby World's contributors around the game to find out what they loved most in the last year of rugby. Here's what some of them had to say! Josh Graham Content editor "The rugby moment of 2022 was…

The official men's World Rugby rankings have, for some time now, been widely dismissed. Too often the prescriptive modelling does not accurately reflect the true balance of power. At present World Rugby's top fivereads: 1. South Africa (90.61) 2. France (88.88) 3. All Blacks (88.75) 4. Ireland (88.22) 5. England (84.50) This week, following the…

Here are the latest rugby headlines for Tuesday, July 5. Jamie Roberts has rubbished the narrative that Wales have missed their best chance of beating South Africa, and believes they can be even better in Bloemfontein this weekend. Wales lost agonisingly in the dying minutes in Pretoria last weekend, but Roberts saw enough to be encouraged heading…

Eddie Jones has been keen to manage expectations and play down England's tag as favourites to win the 2020 Six Nations, pointing to how sides have "deteriorated" after playing in a World Cup final, but the state of the teams around England suggest he should be quietly confident. England were some way ahead the other northern-hemisphere sides in…

I am surprised England sacked Eddie Jones because he has a brilliant record at World Cups and it is only nine months away. He reached the final with Australia in 2003, won it with the Springboks in 2007, did incredible things with Japan in 2015 and was runner-up with England in 2019. He is a big tournament guy and I don't remember many coaches…

Wales will be preparing to face a France looking to secure their first Grand Slam in the Six Nations since 2010 when the sides meet at the Principality Stadium on Friday. The leaders have picked up big wins against Italy, Scotland and Ireland with only tonight's hosts and England stopping them from winning the competition for the first time in 12…

Next weekend, the 2022 edition of European rugby's treasured showpiece begins and there is huge expectation of a classic Six Nations campaign. Sportsmail's panel of experts - columnists Sir Clive Woodward, Danny Cipriani and Andy Nicol, along with former Wales coach and captain Rob Howley and former Ireland full back Geordan Murphy - debate the…

The port city of Marseille is no stranger to debate. Each election cycle this ancient place is used by the governing and the challenger to prove a point. Ask a hundred French what they think of Marseille and at least seventy will mention crime, with a generous dose of'code words.' To critique Marseille as a seething hotbed of vice, contraband, turf…

3pts Scotland to score six or more tries at 8/11 (Paddy Power) 2pts Scotland (-27) to beat Italy on the handicap at evens (General) 1pt Scotland to win by 31-40 points at 7/2 (Paddy Power, Betfair) 1pt Chris Harris anytime try-scorer in Scotland v Italy at 5/2 (Paddy Power, Betfair) 1pt England try first scoring play v Ireland at 4/1 (Betfair,…

Rassie Erasmus is a surprise absentee among five contenders to succeed Eddie Jones as England head coach, according to bookmakers. Jones will be stepping down from his role after the 2023 World Cup in France, but the Australian is again under fire after the Roses suffered a shock 30-29 defeat by Argentina at Twickenham on Sunday. Earlier this year,…

The Autumn Nations Series is set to begin, where the best teams in the world are primed to face off in what will almost definitely be a thrilling month of action. There are a variety of intriguing subplots and this delves into the big talking points ahead of the action starting. Just under four points separates the top five teams in the…

Last year's Six Nations was the perfect illustration of just how tight the tournament is and how fine the margins are. Winners Wales were sent off 16-1 shots after a poor 2020 campaign, 6-5 favourites England finished fifth, while the three teams who finished between the pair ended up with identical records of three wins and two defeats. Of the ten…

When Clive Woodward coached England he tried to cover all bases to the point where his back-up team even included a visual awareness coach. Cut to Wales heading for the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. They had the visual awareness side of things covered only in the sense that head coach Tony Gray wore glasses. Woodward knew that nothing could be…