Owen Doyle: Rugby has big problems but Irish legend’s advice can steer it back on track
Willie John McBride’s proposals around replacements probably go too far for some, but he has the right idea
The Whistleblower
Owen Doyle: Rugby’s law makers must speed the game up or it risks losing its appeal
The number of box kicks is a massive concern for the game, and they mostly come from slow breakdown ball
Leinster, scrums and set pieces under threat: Is rugby failing its supporters?
After a controversial weekend of rugby, questions mount over set-piece integrity and coaching loyalty
Owen Doyle: Referees need to take back responsibility to reduce plague of off-field reviews
Eben Etzebeth’s egregious eye-gouge is impossible to mitigate, even if it was retaliatory
Owen Doyle: Ireland v South Africa was a poisonous match, but don’t blame the referee
If Aviva Stadium debacle doesn’t convince World Rugby to fix the sport, nothing will
Owen Doyle: Referee laboured long and hard yet still got Springboks red-card call wrong
Poor discipline and a measure of bad luck contributed to costly one-point loss
Outcry over Lood de Jager red card shows rugby chiefs need to take a stand
Rugby chiefs must hold their nerve and empower officials to punish dangerous on-field acts
Owen Doyle: Unwarranted Tadhg Beirne dismissal highlighted a problem in rugby officiating
Foul play review officer seemed to be the only person in Soldier Field who thought incident merited a red
Owen Doyle: The frequency of nasty injuries in elite matches is a concern
Pick and drives lead to the brain of hookers like Dan Sheehan taking repeated hits
Owen Doyle: Why are we persisting with Mike Adamson and his perplexing decisions?
Referee’s performance in Connacht game was not up to the required standard
Owen Doyle: Modern lineouts are a nonsense – here’s why they need to change
England’s skill in 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning manoeuvre a far cry from what we see today
Owen Doyle: It is nonsense that Berthoumieu’s biting sanction was reduced for apologising
Ireland’s Aoife Wafer was bitten by flanker in the World Cup defeat to France
Owen Doyle: French determination to ensure a straight throw-in to the scrum a bold, welcome initiative
It’s not simply about the scrum-half delivering a straight ball. The mechanics of the scrum must also change to ensure the hooker can strike safely
Tom Curry walked tightrope in first Lions Test, but maybe he knew tackle would go unpunished
Referee inconsistencies laid bare in Lions clash, but it wasn’t the worst-offending match of the weekend
First game of Lions tour showed why the lineout is heading for same farcical fate as the scrum
Referees’ consistent failure to penalise violations is cheapening the lineout
Owen Doyle: Rugby players seem to think they can interrogate referees. It needs to stop
Officials must lay down a marker with teams during Lions tour
Owen Doyle: Conflating cheating with ‘character’ will make refereeing rugby impossible
URC chief executive’s failure to condemn gamesmanship around Jaden Hendrikse’s ‘cramp and wink’ is perplexing
Owen Doyle: Rugby’s failure to punish violence and gamesmanship risks pushing a generation away
Amateur players are abandoning the sport over fears of sustaining brain damage
Rugby’s 20-minute red card is a dangerous departure that risks devaluing the importance of player safety
It will be in operation during Lions tour, with players sent off replaced after 20 minutes
Owen Doyle: Leaving an arguable try scoring decision totally in the TMO’s hands does not stack up
All referees should insist on seeing the replays when so many points are at stake
Owen Doyle: On the knockout stage, referees need to deliver their best performance
Scotland’s Sam Grove-White, Ireland’s Eoghan Cross and Wales’s Adam Jones could all up their games in charge of the whistle
Owen Doyle: The laws of the game are clear - Leinster should have had a penalty try
The decision facing referee Pierre Brousset in the last-minute of the Champions Cup semi-final was complex, but there should have been only one outcome
Owen Doyle: World Rugby session will have big focus on 20-minute replacement red card
There will be huge interest in the outcomes of the World Rugby’s specialist group studying the breakdown
Owen Doyle: Chaotic cock-up cost Munster and it reflects badly on a number of people
The lineout is supposed to be a contest for possession, but this trial appears to be heading in the opposite direction
Owen Doyle: As game faces an existential threat, World Rugby must not duck the replacements question
Use of 7-1 split is clearly against the spirit of the game
Referee tolerated too much chat and needless sledging from Munster
Weekend injuries go some way to explaining why participation is falling quickly; it’s hardly a mystery
Alex Nankivell’s straight red for collision with Cian Prendergast was right call
Bunker was missing in action at MacHale Park, as Connacht left it too late to fire on all cylinders
Owen Doyle: Time for referees to stop running shy of showing red cards
Shocking hit on Ireland’s Hugo Keenan by Italy’s Ross Vintcent in Six Nations match an obvious example of need for ultimate sanction
Owen Doyle: Some decisions made in the Ireland v France game were utterly bizarre
Antoine Dupont injury should draw attention to major problem at the breakdown in rugby
Owen Doyle: World Rugby should leave the lineout alone and fix the scrum
World Rugby's lineout law trial risks veering into black comedy
Owen Doyle: Ireland were major beneficiaries of the new 20-minute red card against Wales
Ireland were major beneficiaries of the new 20-minute red card against Wales
Ref should have given Ireland a penalty try but Henshaw can count himself lucky
Unlike James Doleman at Murrayfield, Nika Amashukeli’s communication at Twickenham was ideal – firm, concise, precise, polite
Owen Doyle: Nika Amashukeli showed again why he is the best referee in the world
Leinster were fortunate against Bath with the sequence of events leading up to Obano red card
Chris Busby resigning shows Mack Hansen issue has been botched from first to last
Affair raises serious questions for URC and IRFU, and is unlikely to do much for recruitment and retention of referees
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Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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