Premiership

This is where you will find all of The Rugby Paper’s Premiership news, interviews, reports, opinion and other content.

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Wigan have winner in Andy Powell, says Scott Quinnell

3 May 2013 1 comment

Scott Quinnell has tipped Andy Powell to be a big hit in Rugby League following his decision to cross codes and sign a three-year deal […]

Mike Tindall ‘better than four years ago’ says Nigel Davies

2 May 2013 0 comments

Mike Tindall is close to putting pen to paper on a deal to remain player-coach at Gloucester, according to Cherry & Whites boss Nigel Davies. […]

Elliot Daly benefits from 15-love at first sight

1 May 2013 2 comments

It has not always been the smoothest of transitions for Elliot Daly at full-back this season but according to Wasps backs coach Shane Howarth it […]

Youngs brothers at heart of it in Leicester’s charge

26 April 2013 37 comments

Ben Youngs has hailed the contribution of brother Tom as Leicester close in on a ninth straight Premiership final appearance. Hooker Tom this week received […]

Alex Gray in numbers: from No.8 to 7s, and then to 13 in 15s!

25 April 2013 0 comments

Alex Gray intends following Tom Croft and James Haskell by using England Sevens as a route to international stardom. Gray’s surprising switch to Sevens has […]

Second tier expect end to ‘cartel’ of Premiership

23 April 2013 1 comment

The Championship expect a deal to be thrashed out soon that will put promoted clubs on equal central funding with the existing Premiership elite. The […]

Exeter Chiefs beat London Wasps and look set for Heineken Cup

21 April 2013 2 comments

Exeter Chiefs are in prime position to qualify for the Heineken Cup next season after a 37-24 bonus-point win against London Wasps at Adams Park. […]

James Johnston: “Don’t call me Judas for putting my family first”

19 April 2013 4 comments

Harlequins prop James Johnston has been hurt by abusive fans branding him a ‘Judas’ following his decision, announced in January, to accept a big-money move […]

Money man Kelvin Bryon pulls plug on London Welsh hopes

16 April 2013 1 comment

London Welsh are facing fresh turmoil after the club’s majority shareholder, Kelvin Bryon, revealed he is pulling out at the end of the season. Bryon, […]

Just get rid of the hit-squad to solve this scrum farce

12 April 2013 3 comments

Scrum guru Phil Keith-Roach claims the chaos and controversy surrounding the set-piece would be gone within a month if the IRB removed one sentence from […]

When Halani ‘Aulika stopped being a waisted talent

11 April 2013 0 comments

London Irish prop sensation Halani Aulika would have been lost to the game had it not been for a chance meeting on an Auckland petrol […]

London Wasps saved as £500k tax bill is paid

10 April 2013 0 comments

New Wasps owner Derek Richardson had to settle an outstanding tax bill of £500,000 before completing the long-awaited takeover of the London club on Friday.

George North joins Northampton

9 April 2013 1 comment

The Scarlets announced today they have agreed to release the 20-year-old winger on his request so he could sign a three-year deal with the East Midlands side.

Nigel Wray backs move for Welsh to join Aviva Premiership

9 April 2013 2 comments

England’s Premiership clubs plan to strike a deal with the four Welsh regions which could change the landscape of European competition.

George North is urged to get Test clearance

3 April 2013 1 comment

Wales have asked George North to ensure he protects his international future before completing his proposed £250,000 transfer to Northampton. WRU officials have advised the […]

Top English clubs would ‘welcome’ Welsh tie-up

2 April 2013 2 comments

A senior Welsh official last night claimed that some English clubs would welcome reviving Anglo-Welsh competition – and even the idea of Wales‘ four regional […]

London Irish and Sale almost safe after entertaining draw

31 March 2013 1 comment

London Irish and Sale have almost secured their place in the Premiership as they drew 33-33 in a very entertaining game at the Madjeski Stadium […]

The inside story on fearsome Maurie Fa’asavalu

28 March 2013 0 comments

When flanker Maurie Fa’asavalu signed for Harlequins in 2010, director of rugby Conor O’Shea knew what he was getting: a hard man, an enforcer, someone […]

Northampton Saints will pay £250k to sign big George North

27 March 2013 0 comments

Northampton Saints have offered the Scarlets £250,000 for George North and the deal could be completed within the next seven days. It would be the […]

London Welsh fail appeal

26 March 2013 1 comment

London Welsh have failed their appeal against the five-point deduction and £15,000 fine they received for fielding an eligible player. They were found guilty earlier […]

Revealed: Major gulf in funding of top clubs

26 March 2013 0 comments

Premier Rugby Ltd is facing serious questions over the huge differences between the funding provided to its ‘founder’ clubs compared to promoted clubs. The Rugby […]

Trigger-finger refs stamp out cynicism

22 March 2013 0 comments

Greater vigilance by referees at the breakdown and less tolerance of cynical play has led to a sharp rise in yellow cards during this season’s […]

Wasps must use Tommy Bell to ring in changes for future, says Kenny Logan

21 March 2013 0 comments

Wasps‘ challenge for a top four spot has defied expectations but club legend Kenny Logan insists the focus has to be to find a long-term […]

Matt Stevens is back to his best now he’s 20 stones!

20 March 2013 0 comments

Matt Stevens says piling on the pounds and a change of positions has contributed to him enjoying one of his best seasons. But the 30-year-old […]

Dan Braid has the appetite to satisfy Sale hunger

16 March 2013 0 comments

Sale flanker Dan Braid was so confident that 2013 would turn out to be a good year he saw it in twice. Since arriving in […]

Little and large are big-time with Bath

13 March 2013 0 comments

Matt Banahan has hailed his ‘little and large’ midfield partnership with Kyle Eastmond, likening their relationship to the 1988 comedy classic Twins, which starred the […]

London Welsh left bottom with 5-point deduction and £15,000 fine

8 March 2013 1 comment

London Welsh have been deducted five league points and fined £15,000 after being found guilty to have fielded an ineligible player in the Aviva Premiership […]

Shane Geraghty’s enjoying tough love with London Irish

8 March 2013 0 comments

Playmaker Shane Geraghty puts London Irish’s recent upturn in form down to a tough new approach. The Exiles may have taken a thumping from Northampton […]

Tyson Keats was eligible to play, London Welsh will tell RFU

5 March 2013 0 comments

London Welsh are preparing to launch a powerful defence against the charge that scrum-half Tyson Keats was ineligible to play in the Premiership. The Rugby […]

Saracens go top with bonus-point win over London Welsh

3 March 2013 1 comment

Saracens went top of the Premiership table for the first time in three years following their 35-11 bonus-point win over London Welsh at the Allianz […]

Live: Saracens v London Welsh

1 March 2013 0 comments

Live running commentary from our man Nick Verdier as Saracens take on London Welsh in the 17th round of the Aviva Premiership at The Allianz […]

Welcome to hard work, Anthony Allen tells his old pal Ryan Lamb

1 March 2013 0 comments

Leicester centre Anthony Allen believes that Ryan Lamb, a former fellow young pup at Gloucester, will flourish in the Tigers‘ dog-eat-dog environment. As exclusively revealed […]

“I Kahn fight for my place”, says Northampton Lee Dickson

28 February 2013 1 comment

Lee Dickson’s starting spot at Franklin’s Gardens will come under considerable threat when Europe’s most sought-after scrum-half Kahn Fotuali’i joins Northampton in the summer. However […]

Huge boost for London Irish with vital win against London Wasps

24 February 2013 1 comment

London Irish have received a huge boost in their relegation battle with a vital 30-19 win against London Wasps at the Madjeski Stadium today. With […]

Live: London Irish v London Wasps

22 February 2013 1 comment

Live running commentary from our man Nick Verdier as London Irish take on London Wasps in the 16th round of the Aviva Premiership at Madejski […]

London Wasps confirm Top 4 status with win over Gloucester

17 February 2013 0 comments

London Wasps created a clear gap between them and the rest of the pack in the race for the semi-finals with an entertaining 33-29 win […]

Captain Dean Schofield wants a halt to Worcester exodus

8 February 2013 0 comments

Dean Schofield has spoken of the need for Worcester to keep their homegrown players at the club if they want to move onto the next […]

Alex King can help Northampton Saints be kings of England

7 February 2013 0 comments

Alex King is the man to end Northampton‘s reputation as the nearly men of English rugby, according to two men who have worked with the […]

Courtney Lawes’ power hit changed Gonzalo Tiesi’s life

6 February 2013 1 comment

Courtney Lawes made his usual powerful impact off the bench at Twickenham yesterday – bringing painful memories for Gonzalo Tiesi. Outside centre Tiesi, London Welsh’s […]

You should have stayed a Leicester boy, George

1 February 2013 0 comments

George Ford could be making the biggest mistake of his life by quitting Leicester this summer, according to former fly-half prodigy Ryan Davis. Ford, 19, […]

Halrequins kids will make it tough for Paul Doran Jones

31 January 2013 0 comments

Paul Doran-Jones might be on his way to Harlequins to replace James Johnston but he will have to get past two home-grown props. Johnston’s departure […]

You’ve got to join a bigger club, Lewis Moody tells Matt Kvesic

30 January 2013 1 comment

Matt Kvesic needs to leave Worcester to further his international claims, says former England skipper and World Cup winner Lewis Moody. And Kvesic, whose Warriors […]

Northampton Saints sign Kahn Fotuali’i

24 January 2013 1 comment

Northampton Saints have secured the services of one of Europe’s hottest property as they announced the arrival of Samoan scrum-half Kahn Fotuali’i from the Ospreys. […]

Dave Walder loves mad whirl of rugby, Japanese-style

23 January 2013 1 comment

Dave Walder has found playing in Japan ‘mystifying and infuriating’ – but he does not want his Oriental adventure to end. His second season with […]

Saracens in chase for Europe’s top target

22 January 2013 0 comments

Saracens, fresh from signing Billy Vunipola and James Johnston this week, are among a possee of clubs chasing Ospreys scrum half Kahn Fotuali’i. The Samoan […]

Exile Ed Williamson brushes up for life after rugby

16 January 2013 1 comment

London Welsh‘s abrasive back row forward Ed Williamson is developing a name for himself off the pitch – as an artist. His delicate and precise […]

Saracens snap up Billy Vunipola and James Johnston

14 January 2013 1 comment

As revealed by Neil Fissler in The Rugby Paper back in December, Billy Vunipola will team up with his brother Mako next season after the […]

No end to Dan Caprice’s magical mystery tour

11 January 2013 1 comment

Dan Caprice is not one for letting the grass grow under his feet. Over the past three years he has travelled the Sevens circuit with […]

Let us help get the refs up to speed, say top clubs

10 January 2013 2 comments

Premiership Rugby want to play a more active role in the recruitment and training of referees in future. At present the RFU are responsible for […]

David Ellis – “I can turn Danny Cipriani back into an England star”

9 January 2013 2 comments

Defence coach Dave Ellis says he can help Danny Cipriani get back into the England side. Gifted Sale Sharks playmaker Cipriani has not represented his […]

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