Absolutely delighted to be in the latest Love of Rugby podcast!! Give it a listen if you want to hear my impassioned defence of kicking youtu.be/PqwpP2Ob-5Q?...

Delighted that England's most capped male rugby player had this to say about Attacking the Space. We're a month away from the release date, so if you have a rugby fan in your life, pre-order them Attacking the Space! Link: geni.us/AttackingThe...

Did you know? The % of tries coming from goaline or 22m restarts have increased by 70% since 2021-22 according to @Oval_Insights But why? I investigate in the latest Substack: samlarner.substack.com/p/planning-t...

How do you defend midfield scrums? With 50/22s forcing defences to cover the backfield but expansive teams looking to attack from anywhere, how do you defend them? I discuss that on today's Substack samlarner.substack.com/p/tactics-de...

I absolutely love France and French rugby so I am delighted to share that Attacking the Space will have a French release and a French publisher. The English version will be out at the end of NEXT month! Have a look on Waterstones for Attacking the Space to pre-order or go into your local bookshop.

"He's not that kind of player" - well...he is. He did it.

It is a little tedious listening to Austin Healey when he's like this. Just unrelenting moaning - it's a bit like sitting next to the worst possible person in a pub.

Thread: Points of Order Since 2021-22 there has been a 12.8% increase in the number of points scored per match. But how has that happened? @Oval_Insights will show us the way! 1)

So hey, I wrote a book! So Rugby, What's That? is a grand adventure through all things rugby- From the great game's origins over a thousand years ago, to Ilona's USA and Siya's Springboks, stopping off at Jonah, Johnny, and the endless joy along the way! Pre-Order NOW at sorugbywhatsthat.co.uk

Mayo with that? Perry Mayo is leading the way in the Pro D2 with 8 tries for @usonneversrugby. But those are just the headline stats, dig a little deeper and it's even more impressive. samlarner.substack.com/p/mayo-with-...

Mayo with that? Perry Mayo is leading the way in the Pro D2 with 8 tries for @usonneversrugby. But those are just the headline stats, dig a little deeper and it's even more impressive. samlarner.substack.com/p/mayo-with-...

On the eve of the big game, a quote for Attacking the Space from a great Kiwi! It was an absolute pleasure working with Jimmy Gopperth over in Marseille at the 2023 Rugby World Cup and it was a delight to get this quote back. Pre-orders: geni.us/AttackingThe... 1)

On today's Substack, is it a good idea to move forwards into the backs on a permanent basis? I'm not so sure but I walk through the pros and cons here. open.substack.com/pub/samlarne...

Per Oval_Insights data: Last season in the URC and Prem 18.5% of matches featured at least a 6-2 bench split. So far this season it is up to 30% Just one 7-1 this season in these leagues though.

Delighted to announce that when you buy your copy of Attacking the Space you will get a foreword from Mike Prendergast. Mike has been the person I've learnt most about rugby from and I am delighted that you'll get to see his thoughts about the development of the game. 1)

Something different for today! I spoke with Ben Stevenson of Vannes to breakdown the game for a winger. Why wingers come off their wings, defensive decision making, Ben's worldie of a try against Provence & in this clip we talk pendulums! samlarner.substack.com/p/pros-eye-view-ben-stevenson

Interesting to see James Lowe being used as a sort of roving second scrum half. The Mark Telea role.

Not sure what's going on with this game but the sound, pitch, atmosphere are all a bit rubbish. Was really looking forward to this and got some non rugby watching mates to watch it and I'm struggling to keep them engaged.

Busy couple of weeks, but the Substack is back with an analytical deep dive into uncapped Scot Alex Masibaka who has come up through Pro D2 With stats from @Oval_Insights Link: open.substack.com/pub/samlarne...

Do you want to pre-order Attacking the Space? The book that made the best pundit in rugby say this 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 Then you can find the link here - geni.us/AttackingThe...

Saracens start to the season has been extraordinary. They have scored 168pts through the first four games. Since 2000 only three teams in URC, Top 14, Pro D2, and Prem have scored more: Clermont (18-19) - 176pts Ospreys (16-17) - 174pts Cheetahs (19-20) - 173pts 1)

If people have a smart take on why R360 is a good idea then fine. I could disagree but it's fair to have that opinion. However, this is total bollocks.

This season really is looking up for the Chiefs. Such a strong team who, if they can steer clear of injury crisis, can make the playoffs.

Do you want to know more about the two growing tactics which are impacting lineouts? This article has you covered! open.substack.com/pub/samlarne...

Very enjoyable game in Cardiff. Delayed now by the fact the referees can't hear each other. But, first half was really entertaining.

Big problem for Newcastle is that they got the cash too late to compete this season but it is a very very long season and if they're this bad for the whole season then you can sense the joy will ebb away. Remember, they have lost Blamire, Chick, and Radwan from last season.

Newcastle Red Bull sinking without a trace here. They are still a building team and have had to make a lot of late signings. It probably will get better but dear me, this is really tough going at the moment.

If you missed my big announcement last month, I have a book out in January. Jimmy Gopperth described it as: 'A must-read. Sam's detail and understanding of the game will open your eyes' A pre-order makes a massive difference and you can do it here: geni.us/AttackingThe...

In today's Substack (samlarner.substack.com) I've gone in-depth on this try and how Exeter counter attacked so well from this kick. But, more importantly, how they simplified the game down and what we can learn from it. 1)

In today's Substack (samlarner.substack.com) I've gone in-depth on this try and how Exeter counter attacked so well from this kick. But, more importantly, how they simplified the game down and what we can learn from it. 1)

Before tonight's kick-off, have a look at my article looking at last night's performance from both Gloucester and Sale and how they played with depth which resulted in both positive and negative outcomes. open.substack.com/pub/samlarne...

Sale Sharks kicked to touch for that second try (not awarded). Felt it was an odd choice Last year they kicked at goal 83% of the time in the first half and 77% overall in situations like that. I think we will see kicks at goal start to die this year! Data @Oval_Insights

I created a Breakout XV for this season. I looked to pick a team for the season who played a combined fewer than 5,000 minutes in the Premiership last year. How did I do? samlarner.substack.com/p/the-breako...

Delighted to be sponsoring my team Didsbury Old Bedians via the book this year. I've always wanted to sponsor a grassroots team and now the opportunity has arisen! If you want to buy the book ahead of our launch in January. You can get it here: geni.us/AttackingThe...

I think I'd rather try and stop a wardrobe fall down a set of stairs than tackle de Goede.

That's that for Canada! De Goede Be Bestey tonight but the whole of the Canadian team were unreal.

Black Ferns now winning the kicking game. Nervous times for Canada.

60m break and the very next phase the entire Canadian defence is back and onside....how do you do that??

It's getting scrappy but that's not helping the Black Ferns yet. Try here could well and truly kill this off.

These Canadian hits are so beautifully violent. One holds the NZ player up and the others go into to tear the ball free. Then repeat and repeat and repeat.

New Zealand have already made over 100 tackles in this game. In the quarter-final they had made 143 tackles (to 17 for South Africa). This game feels very very different though.

Breathtaking Game! Canada so brilliant, crisp passing, accurate running, pace. Everything. Hard to see how New Zealand come back as is, but they were good when they were good. Need to do that for more than 2 minutes of the game though. Not over yet.

Want to know how to score worldies? Have a look at today's Substack all about making breaks and making them stick. With some 2v1 chat... samlarner.substack.com/p/friday-tac...

In a year of massive upheaval, are Gloucester in a better place heading into this season? samlarner.substack.com/p/analysing-...

Sam is absolutely one of the best rugby stat heads around, as well as being great at communicating them. If you're into understanding the measurements of a sport, then this book is a must have!

That big news I teased yesterday? I've written a book! Attacking the Space: Inside Rugby's Tactical and Data Revolution is the book I wanted to read as a rugby obsessive kid. It will be released on the 29th January 2026, the pre-order link is: geni.us/AttackingThe... 1)

The latest Substack looks at Cardiff's off-season and asks whether, in Welsh rugby, staying still is the same as moving forward. Have a read below: samlarner.substack.com/p/analysing-ca…

Today's SubStack is all about Wandering Wingers. samlarner.substack.com/p/friday-tacti… Things have been busy of late as I'm also working on the women's World Cup but I'm hoping to be back to regular scheduled viewing next week!

Today's Substack is about the Exeter Chiefs and how they are set going into this season. Towards the end, I make a bold out of character prediction that I cannot justify via the data.... open.substack.com/pub/samlarne...

Busy week for the Substack! This article is part of the regular Friday Tactics series. The question is whether you should kick to touch from your own 22 or keep the ball in play. It turns out not all teams are the same... samlarner.substack.com/p/friday-tac...