Author: Dan Cottrell

There are three good reasons to think that the wheels have not come off the Aussie-Cheika revival. However, I do think the national coach has missed one trick… 1. England have upped their game No one thinks otherwise – England are a better team than they were at the World Cup. They are consistent at the core areas of the game, set-piece, kicking and defence and so will squeeze out tough games more regularly. We could say it’s been all up to Eddie Jones and others might say he’s simply taken the same bunch of players, kept them fit and…

Last week I predicted that England would win by 3. In one sense they almost did, with Australia chasing the game at the death and coughing up a try when running the ball from deep. But, like that last point, the game turned on so many one-off factors that each twist pretty much balanced itself out over an enthralling match. That means we must look for trends and not margins to see why England will win next week. Instead of focusing on a few captaincy, option-taking, selection or refereeing decisions, let’s reason on what’s really going to make a difference.…

Much as we hope that the Wallaby-England June series will be about technical expertise and tactical nous, I’m afraid that I think it will be about which team holds it nerve. It’s personalities that will win this test series There are three crucial areas to be considered for which team will hold its nerve and therefore execute their skills to win the test series. First: Australia have a home field advantage that comes with history. Few sides, apart from their trans-Tasman rivals, have beaten them regularly in their own backyard. Even then, the All Blacks don’t ever expect to win. That confidence allows Michael…

Pommy coaching guru Dan Cottrell gives us the 5 ways the British and Irish Lions will beat the Wallabies. Can you disagree?

What is it about the playing the Poms that makes better Aussie teams lose when they should, by rights, be winning? Since 2000, England has won nine out of the 16 matches, including the two crucial ones. That goes against the grain of Aussie performances against other UK sides (unless in the rain against Scotland!). And you can’t say that England have been a huge rugby force apart, from 2001–2003. So why does England triumph more than the form book suggests? Let’s get that elephant in the room dealt with first. Yes, it looks like Andrew Sheridan, but even he…