Former England lock Geoff Parling has joined Joe Schmidt’s Australia coaching set-up as the build-up to next summer’s Lions tour intensifies. Parling, 40, had previously […]
Latest Posts
No space for Georgia
Wales will not be playing Georgia this autumn, with Fiji, Australia and South Africa lined up on November 10, 17 and 23 respectively. The two […]
Saracens know how to win – Tompkins
By BEN JAYCOCK With the Premiership run-in hotting up, Saracens centre Nick Tompkins claims ‘experience matters’ in these blockbuster end-of-season contests and says his side […]
Leicester in discussions to hire new attack coach
By PAUL REES Dan McKellar has told Leicester fans to buckle up for the ride next season as the club closes in on appointing an […]
Langdon is quick to make his point
By PAUL REES Northampton have placed an emphasis this season on putting pace in the legs of their players and that suits Curtis Langdon, a […]
Faletau ruled out for rest of season
WALES No.8 Taulupe Faletau has fractured his shoulder and will not play again this season. The 33-year-old was injured on his Cardiff comeback last week […]
Lawes inducted into Hall of Fame
COURTNEY Lawes will be inducted into the RPA Hall of Fame at the RPA Awards on Wednesday May 29. The 34-year-old former England captain, who […]
Falcons face battle to break their duck
By PAUL REES TIME is running out for Newcastle as they seek to avoid joining Rotherham and London Welsh as clubs who finished a Premiership […]
Scotland lock Gray heads for Exeter exit
SCOTLAND lock Jonny Gray has left Exeter with immediate effect to “explore other playing opportunities”. The 30-year-old joined the Chiefs in 2020 but has not […]
Scarlets move in to sign Hepburn
Scarlets have signed Scotland prop Alec Hepburn from Exeter for next season. The Australian-born 31-year-old helped the Chiefs win the Champions Cup in 2020 and […]
Leinster all-stars set for blockbuster battle
By BEN JAYCOCK Having finally toppled their Champions Cup bogey team La Rochelle, next up for Leinster is Premiership pacesetters Northampton Saints and flanker Will […]
DREAM TEAM
BEN ADAMS, THE CAMBRIDGE AND FORMER COVENTRY, BEDFORD BLUES, QUEENSLAND COUNTRY & AUSTRALIA SEVENS BACK ROWER, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH OR […]
Time for Saints to be true to themselves
JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK THE contest between the 9-10 pairings of Leinster’s Jamison Gibson-Park and Ross Byrne and Northampton’s Alex Mitchell and […]
Porter delivers as Quins stay in hunt
By BRENDAN GALLAGHER Harlequins ……………………41pts Tries: Northmore 1, 26; Lewies 33, Murley 45, Porter 67, 73 Conversions: Smith 27, 34, 46; Evans 74 Penalties: Evans […]
‘For us today, it was do or die’
Quins skipper Alex Dombrandt was delighted after the Londoners’ crucial victory over Northampton. “We make it tough for ourselves sometimes,” he said. “But we’re very […]
Leicester stunned by Bristol late show
By ROB WILDMAN Leicester Tigers ………….19pts Tries: Ollie Hassell-Collins 17, 48; van Wyk 63 Conversions: Pollard 18, 63 Bristol Bears ………………..21pts Tries: Lahiff 68, 74; Bradbury […]
Thacker made the difference, says Lam
Bristol boss Pat Lam lauded substitute Harry Thacker after his team had overturned a 19-0 deficit to beat Leicester. “This game is always the one […]
Saracens back in the old routine
By ROGER PANTING Bath ……………………………………. 12pts Tries: du Toit 57, Redpath 62 Saracens……………………………15pts Conversions: Tries: Spencer 62 Parton 12, Segun 40 Conversions: Farrell 40 Penalties: […]
We managed to rediscover our energy, says McCall
SARACENS director of rugby Mark McCall hopes his side’s improved display will be a springboard for the rest of the season. “Even though we beat […]
Sharks look to have edge in Diamond derby
By JON NEWCOMBE PREVIEW… Newcastle Falcons v Sale Sharks Today. Kick-off 3pm, Kingston Park SALE boss Alex Sanderson has thanked Steve Diamond, his opposite number […]
Diamond still confident he can make a big difference
By PAUL REES Starting: Guy Pepper LAST season’s beaten Premiership finalists would not seem the ideal opponents after conceding a record number of points in […]
Vermeulen: It’s payback time for the Chiefs
By JON NEWCOMBE PREVIEW… Gloucester v Exeter Chiefs Today. Kick-off 3pm, Kingsholm BRUISING back rower Jacques Vermeulen wants Exeter to put their foot on the […]
Skivington looking for players to prove themselves
By PAUL REES Dasher: Josh Hathaway GEORGE Skivington has told his players ahead of today’s clash with Exeter at Kingsholm that they may have nothing […]
Leinster’s workload merits little sympathy
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK LEINSTER are worried about the pressure that could prevent them from winning a European Cup and URC […]
Crunch time for red lines
THE crunch is coming as negotiations between the Championship and the RFU/Premiership over promotion-relegation intensify, with the Premiership ring-fence moratorium finishing after this season. My […]
Kick off with Cup
THE Papa John’s Cup has staggered into its second season with almost as many walk-overs as matches played, despite an increase in RFU travel funding. […]
Wales earn first win but still finish in bottom spot
By SAM JACKSON Wales……………..22pts Tries: Phillips 15, Pyrs 43, Tuipulotu 77 Conversions: Bevan 44, George 78 Penalties: Bevan 51 Italy………………..20pts Tries: Minuzzi 17, Granzotto 55, […]
Faultless England demolish France
By BEN JAYCOCK France………………….. 21pts Tries: Vernier 17, M Menager 27, 69 Conversions: Queyrol 19, 28, 70 England………………..42pts Tries: Muir 4, Matthews 11, 72; Jones […]
O’Brien keeps her cool to make sure for Ireland
By JOHN CLEMENT Ireland……………15pts Tries: Corrigan 41, Moloney 58 Conversions: O’Brien 59 Penalties: O’Brien 73 Scotland ………..12pts Tries: Martin 7, Thomson 49 Conversions: Nelson 51 […]
RED ROSES
MADDIEFEAUNATIEXETER CHIEFS BACK ROW Birthplace: Leeds Date of birth: 18/05/02 Community club: Marist St Pats RFC Red Roses debut: vs Italy March 2024 Caps: 5 […]
Connacht work hard for valuable five points
By ROGER PANTING Dragons………….27pts Tries: Hughes 5, R Williams 40, Dyer 54 Conversions: Evans 5, 40, 54 Penalties: Evans 49, 62 Connacht ……… 34pts Tries: […]
Leinster manage to stem the flow
By BRIAN FINN Stormers ……. 42 Leinster………..12 LEINSTER suffered another chastening experience in South Africa as their understrenth side were hammered by five tries to […]
Cardiff left in a mess by lively Edinburgh
By ROGER PANTING Cardiff ………………. 7pts Edinburgh………. 24pts Tries: Carre 43 Conversions: de Beer 43 Tries: Schoeman 26, Ashman 62, Venter 76 Conversions: Healy 26, […]
Kok hat-trick swings nail-biter Sharks’ way
By SIMON THOMAS Scarlets …………27ptsTries: Elias 18, Mathias 51, Nicholas 76 Conversions: Costelow 19, 52, 77 Penalties: Costelow 3, 9 Sharks ……………32pts Tries: Kok 5, […]
New low for Ospreys as Bulls go on rampage
By LUKE JARMYN Bulls ……………….61pts Tries: Grobbelaar 7, Kriel 21, Arendse 29, 54, Moodie 38, 42, Papier 44, Penalty 61, Le Roux 76 Conversions: C […]
Lions …………….13 Munster ………33
By KEVIN FALLON GRAHAM Rowntree was extremely proud of his men as the champions wrapped up a second bonus point in succession in South Africa. […]
Ulster …………..38 Benetton ……. 34
By JOHN FALLON ULSTER interim coach Richie Murphy is hopeful they have turned a corner and are poised to secure a knockout place in the […]
Glasgow finally get act together
By BRYN PALMER @therugbypaper Zebre …………….. 9 Glasgow……….40 GLASGOW overcame a stodgy first half in Parma to maintain their pursuit of a top-two finish with […]
Time for officials to stop favouring teams in top six
ONCE again rugby referees at the top end are under scrutiny, but the people concerned appear to be bombproof as they stroll along into top […]
Pay women a sustainable wage
I WAS interested to read the article on Shaunagh Brown last week. My wife, a former England U19 pack leader in 2003, made the decision […]
Bears ready to battle for silverware
By BEN JAYCOCK Preview Final Bristol Bears v Saracens Today. 2pm Driving: Akina Gondwe in action for Saracens DAVE Ward has named an unchanged squad […]
Preview Seventh place play-off
Harlequins v Trailfinders Today. 2.30pm HARLEQUINS head coach Amy Turner makes two changes from the side that ran in five tries against Leicester a fortnight […]
Lightning are too strong for Sale
By DAVID BALLHEIMER Fifth place play-offf play-offfLoughboro’ …..26 Sale……………….22 LOUGHBOROUGH Lightning claimed fifth place with a 48–34 aggregate win at Franklin’s Gardens. Lightning carried a […]
Exeter in the mood to land bronze
Preview Third place play-off Exeter Chiefs v Gloucester-H Today. 12.30pm EXETER Chiefs will be gunning for third place in this season’s Allianz Cup to set […]
The boys down west who know how to win
CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED THE way they see it down Exeter way, only one team is flying the flag for the region as the Premiership […]
The day Sir John picked up the bill
STEVE Diamond always had a way with words – some of his stories concerning Danny Cipriani during the wayward outside-half ’s time on the Sale […]
Wales on a mission to survive or decline
ANALYSIS >> PAUL REES ASKS WHETHER THE COUNTRY WHICH HAS WON 12 GRAND SLAMS CAN STILL AFFORD TO RUN FOUR REGIONAL SIDES ACHASTENING season for […]
To play for Gosforth & Bath was wonderful
MY LIFE IN RUGBY ROB CUNNINGHAM THE FORMER SCOTLAND, ANGLO-SCOTS, BOROUGHMUIR, BATH, GOSFORTH, TYNEDALE & NORTHUMBERLAND HOOKER WHEN Jack Rowell approached me to join Bath in […]
Wales no longer the big shots
THE schedule of 21 Tests over five weekends in November offers renewed evidence of the spiralling gap between Ireland and Wales. While once the IRFU […]
Awayday struggles
HAVING endured more than their share of hard times in following a club which once described itself in all immodesty as ‘The Greatest’, Cardiff supporters […]
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