Articles
Nick Bishop Here's what Nick thinks...
About Nick Bishop
Nick has worked as a rugby analyst and advisor to Graham Henry (1999-2002), Mike Ruddock (2004-2006) and latterly Stuart Lancaster (2011-2015). He also worked on the 2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia and produced his first rugby book with Graham Henry at the end of the tour. Since then, three more rugby books have followed, all of which of have either been nominated for, or won national sports book awards. The latest is a biography of Phil Larder, the first top Rugby League coach to successfully transfer over to Union. It is entitled “The Iron Curtain”. Nick has also written or contributed to four other books on literature and psychology.
“He is currently writing articles for The Roar and The Rugby Site, and working as a strategy consultant to Stuart Lancaster and the Leinster coaching staff for their European matches.”
Nick Bishop's latest articles
How to exploit the ELV on defensive scrum-halves [from scrum] – part 2Nick follows on from his earlier article on how the scrum has now became a favourite weapon of attack and the short-side was the red-hot area target zone.
Why the ‘Dupont’s Law’ change really makes a differenceThe ‘Dupont’ law tweaks have already had a concrete impact on the value of the kick return, one which totally belies the relatively small scope of the word ‘tweak’ as Nick Bishop illustrates.
How to build your lineout drive attack in the ‘red zone’Get creative with your limitations, to turn them into a strength appears yo be Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks mantra as Nick Bishop illustrates.
How to exploit the ELV on defensive scrum-halvesNick Bishop evaluates the possible effect of the new ELV – shielding of the attacking scrum-half from interference at ruck and maul, introduced at the start of the RC2024.
How to use the use ‘the nail’ to generate LQBWith LQB at such a premium, Nick Bishop examines whether ball-placement after the tackle is a more reliable method of creating it than gain-line dominance.
Why the ‘caterpillar countdown’ can change the face of rugbyNick Bishop provides some insights on the effect the new ‘5 second use it at the ruck’ rule will have on the game.
How to work the latest gadget play in short-range attackOne of the latest trial laws insists that it will no longer be possible to choose a scrum from a free-kick. Nick Bishop looks at what innovations may result especially close to opposition’s goal line.
How to apply R & R at the attacking breakdownWhen things do not always work out as planned at the modern breakdown you need to apply some R&R.
Nick Bishop explains what type of R&R is needed in this week’s analysis.
How to cut the corner at cleanout time – using the ‘side window’The first cleanout support player is a critical decision-maker as Laurie Fisher points out in his Breakdown Attack series.
Nick Bishop details when successfully deployed this technique can often lead to concrete attacking opportunities. (at all levels)
How to manage the frontal cleanoutIt is like a pitcher in Baseball trying to hit the corner of the plate, there is only a small front window.
Nick Bishop highlights how Laurie Fisher’s first-man, frontal cleanouts at the breakdown pays dividends for attacking teams.
