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Matt Williams: Ireland must learn from successful teams that beat the All Blacks

Matt Williams: Ireland must learn from successful teams that beat the All Blacks

Leinster philosophy ringing true as players developed in the province show skillset

Sun Nov 21 2021 - 06:52
Matt Williams: Ireland must be perfect in every department to conquer All Blacks

Matt Williams: Ireland must be perfect in every department to conquer All Blacks

Greatest test in world rugby awaits and Ireland have a chance to prove themselves

Sat Nov 13 2021 - 06:00
Matt Williams: Japan’s rise owes a lot to Weary Dunlop’s rejection of cruelty and hate

Matt Williams: Japan’s rise owes a lot to Weary Dunlop’s rejection of cruelty and hate

Former Wallaby endured torture as a POW but then brought the countries together

Sat Nov 06 2021 - 08:00
Matt Williams: Confidence, momentum and belief are vital this November

Matt Williams: Confidence, momentum and belief are vital this November

Ireland do not have enough quality playmakers on the pitch to match the All Blacks

Sat Oct 30 2021 - 07:00
Matt Williams: I'm ashamed I missed warning signs that Bressie needed my help

Matt Williams: I'm ashamed I missed warning signs that Bressie needed my help

Likes of my former Leinster backrower and Keith Earls can be an inspiration to many

Sat Oct 23 2021 - 08:43
Matt Williams: Johann van Graan’s reign bearing sweet fruit at Munster

Matt Williams: Johann van Graan’s reign bearing sweet fruit at Munster

His side are displaying a level of team skill that I haven’t witnessed in 25 years watching them

Sat Oct 16 2021 - 09:00
Matt Williams: World Rugby asleep at the wheel as game continues to drift

Matt Williams: World Rugby asleep at the wheel as game continues to drift

Others will fill the void if the governing body won’t deliver the reform rugby players and supporters alike demand

Sun Oct 10 2021 - 07:00
Matt Williams: Ireland must build on positive rugby of the provinces

Matt Williams: Ireland must build on positive rugby of the provinces

Ulster, Munster and Connacht are all following Leinster’s lead in the way they play

Sat Oct 02 2021 - 06:00
Matt Williams: Time for players to rediscover the lost art of the torpedo punt

Matt Williams: Time for players to rediscover the lost art of the torpedo punt

The 50-22 law empowers attacking teams to exploit some of that crucial empty space to telling effect

Sun Sept 26 2021 - 08:00
Matt Williams: Wallabies win was one for the good guys in the battle for rugby’s soul

Matt Williams: Wallabies win was one for the good guys in the battle for rugby’s soul

Springboks are butchering our beautiful game but running rugby is fighting back

Sat Sept 18 2021 - 06:00
Matt Williams: Lions and Springboks have done rugby a grave disservice

Matt Williams: Lions and Springboks have done rugby a grave disservice

The rugby on offer has been ugly and the off the field behaviour uglier still in South Africa

Sat Aug 07 2021 - 06:00
Matt Williams: Rugby in desperate need of a major overhaul to its antiquated laws

Matt Williams: Rugby in desperate need of a major overhaul to its antiquated laws

First Lions Test the perfect example of the negative blight now ruining the game

Sat Jul 31 2021 - 01:00
Matt Williams: Powerful managers alone will not save football from rampant thuggery

Matt Williams: Powerful managers alone will not save football from rampant thuggery

Violent ‘fans’ must be treated as the criminals they are

Sat Jul 17 2021 - 08:00
Matt Williams: We did not achieve our mission in boycotting apartheid South Africa

Matt Williams: We did not achieve our mission in boycotting apartheid South Africa

Lions squad waiting in a biosecure bubble to play hosts raises some serious questions

Sat Jul 03 2021 - 08:00
Matt Williams: Lions spin can’t simply gloss over Covid reality in South Africa

Matt Williams: Lions spin can’t simply gloss over Covid reality in South Africa

Questions must be asked over the validity and morality of this tour

Sat Jun 19 2021 - 06:00
Matt Williams: Johnny O’Hagan is a Leinster institution and a legend

Matt Williams: Johnny O’Hagan is a Leinster institution and a legend

Hago has faithfully prepared Leinster teams on every day the club has ever lifted a trophy

Sat Jun 05 2021 - 09:30
Matt Williams: Ronan O’Gara’s intellect can unlock Toulouse’s few weaknesses

Matt Williams: Ronan O’Gara’s intellect can unlock Toulouse’s few weaknesses

Brilliantly-coached La Rochelle could cause another upset and win first Champions Cup

Sat May 22 2021 - 06:00
Matt Williams: Learning to flex your resilience muscle is a vital life lesson

Matt Williams: Learning to flex your resilience muscle is a vital life lesson

If the other team win on the scoreboard that does not equate to failure for your team

Sun May 09 2021 - 06:00
Matt Williams: Rugby is getting in the way of its own success

Matt Williams: Rugby is getting in the way of its own success

Arcane laws and increasingly complex officiating need to be urgently addressed

Sat Apr 24 2021 - 01:00
Matt Williams: In the Champions Cup it’s use it or lose it, attack or perish

Matt Williams: In the Champions Cup it’s use it or lose it, attack or perish

Failure to develop skills means some sides are declining rapidly – proof is on the scoreboards

Sat Apr 10 2021 - 08:30
Matt Williams: One win over England doesn’t mean Ireland’s problems are solved

Matt Williams: One win over England doesn’t mean Ireland’s problems are solved

This was Ireland’s best performance since March 2018 - it needs to become habitual

Sat Mar 27 2021 - 07:00
Matt Williams: England beast is driven by a hunger for rugby’s ultimate prize

Matt Williams: England beast is driven by a hunger for rugby’s ultimate prize

Eddie Jones’s obsession with winning the World Cup puts his team into a different class

Sat Mar 20 2021 - 08:21
Matt Williams: Inadequate attacking plan costing Ireland dearly

Matt Williams: Inadequate attacking plan costing Ireland dearly

Coaches must change tactics against Scots or a banquet of consequences is inevitable

Sat Mar 13 2021 - 06:00
Matt Williams: Offloading skill has been obliterated from this Ireland attack

Matt Williams: Offloading skill has been obliterated from this Ireland attack

Strategies must be changed as Ireland aren’t getting the most out of talented backline

Sat Feb 27 2021 - 07:00
Matt Williams: France leaving nothing to chance in quest for World Cup glory

Matt Williams: France leaving nothing to chance in quest for World Cup glory

French team that will run out in Dublin the product of a decade of planning primed to peak in 2023

Sat Feb 13 2021 - 06:30
Matt Williams: An empty stadium will affect the Welsh and aid the Irish

Matt Williams: An empty stadium will affect the Welsh and aid the Irish

The absence of vocal locals at pandemic games has made away teams the big winners

Sat Feb 06 2021 - 07:30
Matt Williams: The Irish backs’ alignment is too wide and too flat

Matt Williams: The Irish backs’ alignment is too wide and too flat

Ireland are repeatedly ignoring the essential lessons inside the gain line theory

Sat Jan 30 2021 - 08:00
Matt Williams: A Lions tour in a raging pandemic would be folly

Matt Williams: A Lions tour in a raging pandemic would be folly

Proposed Rainbow Competition also a non-starter given current Covid rates

Sat Jan 16 2021 - 06:00
Matt Williams: Alexander the Great offers an important lesson for rugby coaches

Matt Williams: Alexander the Great offers an important lesson for rugby coaches

Players must be given the space to push their decision-making to the point of failure

Sat Jan 02 2021 - 05:00
Matt Williams: Players must be educated to take responsibility for their own brain health

Matt Williams: Players must be educated to take responsibility for their own brain health

The will to keep getting selected or prolonging careers can lead players to hiding symptoms

Sat Dec 19 2020 - 08:00
Matt Williams: Scrum stoppages turning rugby into a boring spectacle

Matt Williams: Scrum stoppages turning rugby into a boring spectacle

Complex laws are stripping away sport’s core belief of running with ball in hand

Sat Dec 05 2020 - 06:30
Matt Williams: Ireland can learn to win from recent New Zealand defeats

Matt Williams: Ireland can learn to win from recent New Zealand defeats

If Ireland do what they have been doing, then they will get what they have been getting

Sat Nov 21 2020 - 08:30
Matt Williams: Let’s see if Andy Farrell has what it takes as head coach

Matt Williams: Let’s see if Andy Farrell has what it takes as head coach

Ireland don’t have to silence the crowd, but they need to be wary of Antoine Dupont

Sat Oct 31 2020 - 08:00
Matt Williams: Ireland’s strategy of ‘heads up attack’ will not work without strategic thinking

Matt Williams: Ireland’s strategy of ‘heads up attack’ will not work without strategic thinking

Irish attack needs new innovative plan to create space then attack that space

Sat Oct 24 2020 - 05:00
Matt Williams: Springboks to inevitably join Six, or will it be Seven Nations?

Matt Williams: Springboks to inevitably join Six, or will it be Seven Nations?

Rugby across the globe is experiencing some mysterious and desperate decision-making

Sat Oct 10 2020 - 07:00
Matt Williams: The sky is not falling in on Irish rugby - but Ireland do need a new plan

Matt Williams: The sky is not falling in on Irish rugby - but Ireland do need a new plan

Leinster’s Saracens defeat does not mean Ireland are destined to lose to England

Sat Sept 26 2020 - 06:00
Matt Williams: To beat Leinster, Ulster need attacking mindset

Matt Williams: To beat Leinster, Ulster need attacking mindset

An Ulster win in the Pro14 final would be one of Irish rugby’s greatest upsets

Sat Sept 12 2020 - 06:00
Matt Williams: So-called red and blue armies don’t drive rivalry, hatred does

Matt Williams: So-called red and blue armies don’t drive rivalry, hatred does

We’d a ringside seat into the raw and loud realities of the grunts, bangs and sledging

Sat Aug 29 2020 - 08:00
Matt Williams: Players’ sacrifice must outweigh the rest of society

Matt Williams: Players’ sacrifice must outweigh the rest of society

The reward for this monastic existence? An economic boost and they get to play rugby

Sat Aug 15 2020 - 07:00
Matt Williams: Time wasting and stoppages are making rugby unwatchable

Matt Williams: Time wasting and stoppages are making rugby unwatchable

Scoring system needs to be re-thought to encourage fast play and less breaks

Sat Aug 01 2020 - 07:00
Matt Williams: Two weeks in a hotel room with a broom handle shoved up your nose

Matt Williams: Two weeks in a hotel room with a broom handle shoved up your nose

Australia’s experience shows how difficult rugby’s return in Europe will be

Sat Jul 18 2020 - 08:00
Matt Williams: Six Nations must recognise the desire for revolution outside Europe

Matt Williams: Six Nations must recognise the desire for revolution outside Europe

Playing in the summer the tip of the iceberg as game drifts further from its core values

Sat Jul 04 2020 - 06:00
Matt Williams: Kiwi rugby is back and celebrating series win over Covid-19

Matt Williams: Kiwi rugby is back and celebrating series win over Covid-19

I forgot how much I missed the sight of grown men acting like children, just for fun

Sat Jun 20 2020 - 07:00
Matt Williams: World needs team sport more than ever in these tough times

Matt Williams: World needs team sport more than ever in these tough times

Rugby continues to be a great educational outlet, just as it was intended

Sat Jun 06 2020 - 07:00
Matt Williams: Daunting task facing coaches to teach what once came naturally

Matt Williams: Daunting task facing coaches to teach what once came naturally

Coronavirus will further limit kids’ opportunities to work on rugby’s key skills

Sat May 23 2020 - 12:05
Matt Williams: To stop rugby going south, teams could simply go south

Matt Williams: To stop rugby going south, teams could simply go south

Australia and New Zealand are perfectly placed to help the rugby phoenix rise again

Sat May 09 2020 - 06:00
Matt Williams: I’ll say a few rugby prayers that Gus Pichot pulls off a miracle

Matt Williams: I’ll say a few rugby prayers that Gus Pichot pulls off a miracle

Bill Beaumont’s success would show rugby’s old order and northern hemisphere dominance

Sat Apr 25 2020 - 07:00
Matt Williams: Time for World Rugby to pick up the ball and run with rule changes

Matt Williams: Time for World Rugby to pick up the ball and run with rule changes

Cleaning up rucks and lowering target area for tackles to waist-high would help greatly

Sat Apr 11 2020 - 08:00
Matt Williams: The economic earthquake for European rugby is coming

Matt Williams: The economic earthquake for European rugby is coming

Needs of English and French clubs must be placed second to the international game

Sat Apr 04 2020 - 07:00
Matt Williams: We all need a bit of Bud Maher’s resilience right now

Matt Williams: We all need a bit of Bud Maher’s resilience right now

My grandmother kept her optimism through her 93 years despite all life threw at her

Sat Mar 28 2020 - 07:00
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