Premiership

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

“I’ve got to oust Nick Easter to achieve my dream,” says Tom Guest

14 September 2012 1 comment

Harlequins No.8 Tom Guest admits his international aspirations will remain on hold unless he can elbow aside Nick Easter and nail down a starting spot. […]

Saracens Mako Vunipola is in shape to make up for lost time

13 September 2012 0 comments

On the face of it Mako Vunipola’s life at Saracens could not have begun any better – two starts, two man-of-the-match awards – however, the […]

Premiership Round 2 review

10 September 2012 0 comments

Bath (beat Wasps 30-23) They arrived at the Rec on the back of an unconvincing win at Worcester facing the flying Wasps but they rolled […]

Inspirational Dylan Hartley lead Northampton to bonus-point win over Exeter

9 September 2012 0 comments

Dylan Hartley put down an early marker for a Lions selection with a superb performance to help Northampton claim a 24-21 bonus-point win over Exeter […]

London Wasps will have to meet fire with fire at Bath says Dai Young

7 September 2012 1 comment

London Wasps head coach Dai Young reckons his side will have to meet fire with fire if they want to comeback from the Rec with […]

Premiership Round 2: preview and predictions

7 September 2012 1 comment

Bath v London Wasps Lee Mears will make his 250th appearance tomorrow in a Bath side with two changes from the team that claimed their […]

Chance to have controlling interest lured Shane Geraghty back to Irish

7 September 2012 0 comments

Fly-half Shane Geraghty has relished the link-up with Brian Smith and says the opportunity to be the fulcrum in London Irish‘s new-look backline was enough […]

So far so good for London Irish’s new ‘offloading machine’ Seitaimata Sa

5 September 2012 2 comments

Plenty of Rugby League converts take months if not years to adapt to the intricacies of Union, but London Irish-bound Setaimata Sa says his Kiwi […]

Top clubs may fight salary cap in court

4 September 2012 0 comments

The legality of Premiership Rugby’s salary cap is set to be challenged under European Union competition law, according to a leading club insider. Emboldened by […]

Saint-Andre’s regime is to blame for Sale’s slump, says Pete Anglesea

3 September 2012 2 comments

Former director of rugby Philippe Saint-Andre must shoulder the blame for Sale‘s slump in fortunes, according to forwards coach Pete Anglesea. But Anglesea insists the […]

Premiership preview (1 day to go): Harlequins, Leicester, Saracens

31 August 2012 0 comments

With the Aviva Premiership starting tomorrow, we take a look at what lays ahead for the last three of the 12 teams. Today, Harlequins, Leicester […]

Aviva Premiership Round 1: Team News and Predictions

31 August 2012 0 comments

Exeter v Sale Tom Johnson returns to the Exeter team after making his England debut on their summer tour to South Africa while new signing […]

Conor O’Shea challenges Harlequins to become a great team

31 August 2012 2 comments

Good teams win titles, but great teams back it up time and again. That is the view of Harlequins‘ head honcho Conor O’Shea as his […]

Premiership preview (2 days to go): Northampton, Exeter, Sale

30 August 2012 0 comments

With the start of the Aviva Premiership only two days away, we take a look at what lies ahead for the 12 teams. Today, Northampton, […]

Dylan Hartley says Northampton don’t need Chris Ashton

30 August 2012 1 comment

Northampton captain Dylan Hartley says winger Chris Ashton is gone and forgotten after turning his back on the club to join Saracens. Ashton, 25, racked […]

Fijian Josh Matavesi can lead the Worcester Warriors great offensive

30 August 2012 0 comments

Worcester boss Richard Hill reckons Josh Matavesi could provide the X-Factor to spark the Warriors’ backline into life. Hill’s men struggled to cross the whitewash […]

Premiership preview (3 days to go): London Irish, Bath, Gloucester

29 August 2012 0 comments

With the start of the Aviva Premiership only three days away, we take a look at what lays ahead for the 12 teams. Today, London Irish, […]

Loyal Matt Smith content to be an unsung hero at Leicester Tigers

29 August 2012 0 comments

No player better embodies the qualities of the archetypal Leicester player than Matt Smith – Tigers through and through, massively appreciated inside the confines of […]

Alex Gray hopes fast start can earn green light at London Irish

29 August 2012 1 comment

London Irish No.8 Alex Gray is hoping for ‘second season syndrome’ in reverse as he looks to put a disappointing first year at the Exiles […]

Premiership preview (4 days to go): Worcester, London Wasps, London Welsh

28 August 2012 0 comments

With the start of the Aviva Premiership only four days away, we take a look at what lays ahead for the 12 teams. Today, Worcester, […]

“I’m more than just a fast mover,” says Wasps winger Christian Wade

28 August 2012 1 comment

Wasps winger Christian Wade is sick of being labelled simply a speed merchant and is determined to prove he has more than one trick up […]

Saracens Andy Saull working to build same power as Jacques Burger

24 August 2012 3 comments

English rugby has been crying out for a classic openside who can link play in the loose, turn over the ball in the tight and […]

New Exeter signing Ian Whitten is out to prove he’s not just a stop-gap

24 August 2012 1 comment

Ian Whitten spent last season stepping in whenever needed at Ulster – now at Exeter he intends to make himself part of the furniture. There […]

Prop stars give Worcester’s Matt Mullan best of both worlds

22 August 2012 1 comment

Mentored by Phil Vickery at Worcester and Graham Rowntree with England – Matt Mullan doesn’t have to look too far for scrummaging advice. It’s been […]

“I’ve come South to toughen myself up,” says Scotland giant Richie Gray

22 August 2012 2 comments

Richie Gray wants to emulate boyhood hero Martin Johnson and become a master of the dark arts of forward play following his move to the […]

‘Battered’ Sale Shark flanker Hendre Fourie in battle to play again

20 August 2012 0 comments

England flanker Hendre Fourie has suffered another setback in his comeback from a debilitating shoulder injury. The 32-year-old admits that the no-holds-barred approach which has […]

Cipriani and Gray to make Sale debuts

17 August 2012 0 comments

Danny Cipriani and Richie Gray are set to make their Sale debuts after being selected among the replacements for tomorrow’s friendly game against Glasgow Warriors. […]

Waldouck handed first Saints start against Leinster

17 August 2012 0 comments

New Northampton Saints signing Dominic Waldouck has been selected to make his home debut for his new club in tomorrow’s pre-season friendly against Heineken Cup […]

Gary Gold and Bath look at tie-up with Super Rugby side

15 August 2012 2 comments

Bath are considering forming an alliance with a Super Rugby side in a groundbreaking move which could involve trans-hemisphere player swaps. Former Springbok assistant coach […]

Reformed Shark Andy Powell is the new ‘Sebastien Chabal’

15 August 2012 1 comment

Sale Sharks are to extend Andy Powell’s contract in recognition of the Welshman’s emergence as ‘the new Sebastian Chabal.’ The Premiership‘s sole surviving northern club […]

Elliot Daly’s rise means Dai Young won’t miss Dominic Waldouck

15 August 2012 1 comment

The emergence of Elliot Daly as a star for Wasps this year made director of rugby Dai Young‘s decision to let Dominic Waldouck go a […]

Step aside you Brownlees rugby has the Claassens

15 August 2012 1 comment

The Brownlee brothers have provided no shortage of excitement with their Olympic triathlon exploits but rugby will be able to enjoy its own sibling rivalry […]

London Welsh: “We’ll stick to our principles”

15 August 2012 0 comments

Ed Jackson believes the culture at London Welsh this season will not change despite the arrival of a host of foreign imports. As revealed in […]

Let me wing it like Alesana says new Tiger Adam Thompstone

15 August 2012 0 comments

Alesana Tuilagi racked up more than a half-century of tries for Leicester at an average of better than one every three games so when Adam […]

London Welsh capture hard men Kirill Kulemin and Paulica Ion

7 August 2012 0 comments

London Welsh have plunged into the European transfer market and signed a pair of international forwards born behind the then Iron Curtain. The Exiles have […]

Ben Ryan asks: Can Ashton adapt to Sevens in time?

7 August 2012 0 comments

Chris Ashton and Alex Goode’s interest in being included in Great Britain’s Sevens squad for the 2016 Olympics Sevens has been welcomed by Ben Ryan. […]

Saracens talisman Schalk Brits is hooked on helping talented young guns

7 August 2012 0 comments

Saracens hooker Schalk Brits says he expects to take an occasional backseat at the club this season to accommodate the development of young English protégés […]

Long wait is over for new Gloucester prop Huia Edmonds

7 August 2012 1 comment

Hedging his bets in trying to reach the Premiership and play for Australia in the World Cup almost scuppered Gloucester hooker Huia Edmonds’ chances of […]

Rugby League ace Martin Gleeson ready to switch to Rugby Union

31 July 2012 0 comments

Great Britain Rugby League centre Martin Gleeson is ready to switch codes and follow the Union trail blazed by Jason Robinson 12 years ago. After […]

George Ford has the attitude to be a truly great No10 says Dave Alred

31 July 2012 0 comments

In just under 18 months Dave Alred had transformed golfer Luke Donald from world No 32 in the rankings to world No 1 and, if […]

Bath call in Jason Robinson to mentor Kyle Eastmond

31 July 2012 1 comment

Cross-code legend Jason Robinson is mentoring Kyle Eastmond in a bid to help the former St Helens and England RL man become a star in […]

Saracens pair will push for role in Rio 2016 Olympics

31 July 2012 0 comments

England duo Chris Ashton and Alex Goode are prepared to put their Premiership careers on hold when Sevens makes its inaugural appearance at the 2016 […]

I was fed up facing the same teams all the time says Jersey new boy Richard Haughton

31 July 2012 1 comment

Richard Haughton has revealed how he turned down offers to remain in the Premiership in favour of a move to Championship newcomers Jersey. The 31-year-old […]

New captain Declan Danaher reveals six players will run the London Irish ship

31 July 2012 0 comments

Declan Danaher, after 13 years at Irish, was the obvious choice to captain the Exiles next term but the flanker has revealed that it will […]

Kick-chase will destroy the game warns London Irish new boss Brian Smith

24 July 2012 0 comments

Brian Smith has blasted South African-style ‘kick-chase’ rugby, insisting it is killing the game and that English teams should instead look to New Zealand for […]

Northampton captain Dylan Hartley urges Saints to shake off that losers’ tag

24 July 2012 0 comments

Saints captain Dylan Hartley has demanded his side shake off their tag as the nearly men of English rugby. While Northampton have won plenty of […]

Exeter winger Matt Jess: “Team ethic is only concern for Chiefs”

24 July 2012 0 comments

When Bath chairman Bruce Craig told the club’s end-of-season dinner that there wasn’t a single player in his side whom he would swap for an […]

It’s time for Nathan Catt to sparkle says Bath new boss Gary Gold

24 July 2012 1 comment

This is the season that loosehead Nathan Catt will stop being talked of as a potential talent and start becoming a senior player at Bath, […]

Leicester Jordan Crane looking for Leicester Tigers and England place

24 July 2012 0 comments

Jordan Crane is itching to put a season-long absence behind him and challenge Thomas Waldrom for his place in the Leicester side. Crane, 26, has […]

Why those gentlemen of league are on the defensive

24 July 2012 0 comments

While rugby league’s national standing has waned as union’s has risen since the introduction of professionalism, its influence on the XV man code remains as […]

Premiership

Recent Posts

Search