Matt Williams: Leinster’s defensive system is failing – Ireland must avoid same mistakes in November battlesIf Ireland adopt same defensive system, New Zealand and Argentina will carve that failing rushing defensive system apartFri Oct 04 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: The push to select global Wallabies to face Lions is gaining momentumIf Joe Schmidt’s national squad includes the best of those playing overseas, Australia can prove a match for the touring side next summerFri Sept 27 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Talk of fading All Blacks is disrespectful and ridiculousIn advance of Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup clash, claims that New Zealand are a spent rugby force could not have come at a worse time for AustraliaFri Sept 20 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Rugby’s failure to remain tech-savvy is a blight on the sport Ball-tracking is just one technology that could help referees and TMOs get key calls rightFri Sept 13 2024 - 13:13
Matt Williams: Springboks’ swagger only likely to galvanise New ZealandRugby has a way of cutting down the tallest of poppies and the All Blacks have a score to settle with South Africa following the World Cup final defeatFri Aug 30 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Family, rugby and whales - cling to the gracefulness of passing thingsA stroll along Sydney’s coast brought a reminder of the value of spending time wellFri Aug 23 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Liberated Springboks rediscover their rugby soul Showing the influence of new attack coach Tony Brown, South Africa produced sensational rugby against outclassed Australia while Felipe Contepomi’s brilliant Pumas shocked New ZealandFri Aug 16 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Joe Schmidt’s biggest problem in Australia stems from the Kiwis who came before him New trial laws in the Rugby Championship could make the sport more entertainingFri Aug 09 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Olympics Rugby Sevens shows why 15s rugby should adopt some of the sport’s lawsLow tackling and an increase in aerobic fitness that reduces players’ size create a faster, safer and more enjoyable gameSat Aug 03 2024 - 06:00
Matt Williams: In cynical times, savour the new coaches who want to make the world a bit betterHelping my old club in Sydney find a new leader was an uplifting and a reassuring experienceFri Jul 26 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Hard to be confident World Rugby will soon grasp nettle of scrum law reformMatt Williams: The root cause of low ball-in-play time in matches can be traced back to the current scrum laws presided over by rugby’s governing authoritiesFri Jul 19 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Ireland v South Africa showcased a rugby loophole that is a sure-fire recipe for injuryIreland and South Africa's second Test may show further evidence that Springboks are getting better and rugby is still not as safe as it should beFri Jul 12 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: South Africa will win this test against Ireland, and the reasons are clearPaul O’Connell has hinted at an approach that could trouble the Springboks - but an Irish victory on Saturday would require a truly exceptional performanceFri Jul 05 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: French Top 14 fast becoming what English Premier League is to soccerIf a solution is not soon found to create a feasible global club calendar, Australian rugby may soon face an era of irreversible declineFri Jun 28 2024 - 15:41
Ridicule less - remember that your sporting heroes are human Not having an Irish team in the URC decider could be a good thingFri Jun 21 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: When Munster are at their best they believe that the universe is against themThis type of mindset has brought back Munster’s killer pride in performing at Thomond Park to once again make it a fortressFri Jun 14 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Developing powerful mental strength key to becoming a championMatt Williams: The young player asked ‘what do i have to do to become a champion’. The answer is more complex than perhaps he could graspFri Jun 07 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: With the French only getting stronger, Irish clubs will struggle to win Champions Cup againBefore last week’s final, in a straw poll conducted across several former Leinster players, they all believed that Toulouse would winFri May 31 2024 - 13:00
Matt Williams: Toulouse are formidable, but Leinster’s mentality monsters could earn fairy-tale endingWhoever responds best to rugby’s oldest question could prevail in Saturday’s Champions Cup finalFri May 24 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: New law proposals are a gross failure of stewardship from World RugbyIf scrums and mauls are what excite you most about rugby, the good times are set to carry on rolling. The rest of us may sufferFri May 17 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Leinster and Toulouse prepare for a battle royale in Champions Cup finalLes Toulousains are kings of unstructured attack, but do not underestimate the power of Leinster’s self-belief and bravery of spiritFri May 10 2024 - 14:00
Matt Williams: Leinster must invoke the spirit of Croke Park as they close in on destinyLeinster’s rushing defence system will be tested on the vast expanses of Ireland’s historic stadium by a highly-skilled Northampton teamFri May 03 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Time to refine current red card laws in the interests of rugby justice World Rugby to consider a proposal to globally trial a new variation of red card laws successfully implemented in Super RugbySat Apr 27 2024 - 06:00
Matt Williams: Ross Byrne rising to Leinster challenge could help Ireland hit heights in South AfricaAndy Farrell could yet again benefit from Leo Cullen’s exceptional talent as a selectorFri Apr 19 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: La Rochelle have learned how to press all of Leinster’s buttonsLa Rochelle’s dominance over Leinster has its roots in the troubled relationship between Munster and LeinsterFri Apr 12 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: No matter how it’s dressed up, this is the Champions Cup’s Round of Farce Any pretence of Europe’s leading club competition being a meritocracy before the quarter-final stage has been abandonedFri Apr 05 2024 - 18:01
Matt Williams: The IRFU invested in providing rugby in schools. They have succeeded while others have failedIt is something I have been preaching for years, into far too many sets of deaf ears inside Australian rugbyFri Mar 29 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Still wiping her son’s blood from my hands she asked, ‘Will he have a scar?’There is a tall young man, with a tiny scar on his forehead who is living proof that blood, sweat and tears, when mixed with rugby, can change your lifeFri Mar 22 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Those calling Ireland losers have both life and rugby well out of perspective Although there won’t be back-to-back Grand Slams, the possibility of lifting a trophy at the Aviva awaitsFri Mar 15 2024 - 14:00
Matt Williams: Beauty of rugby veiled behind its complexity - nothing in our game is a certaintyIt is true that when we compare the evidence of Ireland’s form over the opening games of the Six Nations to that of the English, it is impossible to not have Ireland as firm favouritesFri Mar 08 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: The taxi driver did it his way and won hands downThe driver was a good man who deserved a quality answer but it was early Monday morning and as he had rightly identified I was grumpy and ‘rugbyed out’Fri Mar 01 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Smart balls and AI set to augment our on-field officiatingDespite tech developments, teams like progressive Ireland will continue to refine talent for brilliant executionFri Feb 23 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Rugby’s Frankensteins are encouraged to revive a style of play that is killing the gameBecause of World Rugby’s laws, most matches consist of ... nothingFri Feb 16 2024 - 11:00
Matt Williams: Clinical Ireland operating at a much higher level than Italy Ireland can only be undone if they show disrespect to Italy and under Andy Farrell’s leadership that’s highly unlikelyFri Feb 09 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Ireland vs France will be decided by two crucial factorsHow young outhalf Jack Crowley adapts to the hostile and unforgiving environment at the Velodrome in Marseille may well determine Ireland's prospects against FranceFri Feb 02 2024 - 06:00
Matt Williams: Joe Schmidt faces unenviable tasks in trying to save Australian rugby from catastropheThere is no quick fix for Australian rugby, and while Schmidt is a high quality coach, he is not a panaceaFri Jan 26 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Crowley needs space to grow if Ireland are to preserve long line of generational 10sWhile we never want to coach the creativity out of a talented player, Crowley also has to be educated as to when to pull the triggerFri Jan 19 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: They say never meet your heroes - with JPR they were wrongThe late Welsh great was charismatic beyond measure, athletic and brave, and his instinctive, joyous attack made him an icon. Meeting him was life-affirmingFri Jan 12 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: New tackle line could radically change how rugby is played World Rugby’s curious lack of action appears to have forced individual national bodies to act, with what has been until now great haste and little thoughtFri Jan 05 2024 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Don’t try to cut down Leinster’s tall poppy, hail the home-grown excellenceDespite encountering a slew of obstacles, Leo Cullen once again has his team competing at the highest of standards. It is an extraordinary success storyFri Dec 29 2023 - 14:00
Matt Williams: Dear Santa, please can you arrange for Owen Farrell to play for England again?Tis the season to send a message of support to one of international rugby’s finest playersFri Dec 22 2023 - 12:30
Matt Williams: Leinster’s Will Connors should be commended for not just cleaning the inside of his kettleWatching young surfers in Sydney brought to mind the commitment required to reach the top in sportFri Dec 15 2023 - 12:00
Matt Williams: O’Gara’s greats will go out the gate because Leo’s Lions are made of ironLeinster and La Rochelle’s latest showdown has all the hallmarks of the Thrilla in Manilla or Rumble in the JungleFri Dec 08 2023 - 06:00
Matt Williams: Be careful not to scare your kids off sport and lifeIf my father had played it too safe, I might never have experience the joys of bodysurfing, and so much moreFri Dec 01 2023 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Rugby revolution needed to liberate our backlinesGame as we knew it is being ruined as unjust scrum laws are starving backlines of possession and stopping their full participation in our gameFri Nov 24 2023 - 12:00
Matt Williams: Rugby is in a bad state but our leadership plays dumbThe spectacle is suffering, and referees are being attacked by morons, because of a broken systemFri Nov 17 2023 - 14:00
Matt Williams: David Humphreys should split his new IRFU role in three Ireland's new performance director should realise it is impossible for just one person to look after the men’s, women’s, Sevens, club and underage gameFri Nov 10 2023 - 06:00
Matt Williams: It’s diabolical that the laws of rugby punish the team in possessionIn four World Cup Finals, or 320 minutes of rugby, South Africa have scored only two tries - but won all four gamesFri Nov 03 2023 - 12:00
Matt Williams: South Africa play rugby in a way it was never meant to be playedSouth Africa’s bomb squad plays rugby in a way in which it was never meant to be playedFri Oct 27 2023 - 11:50
Matt Williams on Irish rugby: The ultimate heartbreak rests in understanding the truth. You failedFor Andy Farrell's Ireland there is no retreating to the game’s safe place because the game itself is the source of the heartbreakFri Oct 20 2023 - 12:00
