Premiership

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

“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 […]

England Ben Morgan’s advance no shock to Brad Harrington

24 July 2012 0 comments

Brad Harrington has not been surprised by the impact Ben Morgan has had in an England shirt. Gloucester‘s new No.8 has established himself as a […]

I’m now tougher and smarter, says returning golden boy Danny Cipriani

20 July 2012 1 comment

Danny Cipriani says the defensive frailties which have blighted his career have been sorted out and that his critics will see a tougher, more mature […]

Ryan Walkinshaw: “I aim to make Gloucester a flagship club in Europe”

20 July 2012 0 comments

Ryan Walkinshaw is a remarkable young man. Thrust into the cut-throat world of global business at the age of 23 following the untimely death of […]

Promising London Wasps back row Sam Jones happy to learn from Haskell

20 July 2012 1 comment

Sam Jones was just a schoolboy apprentice the last time James Haskell was playing in a Wasps shirt – now the England international returns to […]

Bath winger Tom Biggs has still got that blond ambition

20 July 2012 0 comments

Winger Tom Biggs believes his England ambitions will remain on the backburner while Bath are languishing in the lower reaches of the Premiership table. The […]

Dominic Waldouck: I need a new challenge

10 July 2012 0 comments

Wasps centre Dom Waldouck is leaving to join Northampton Saints. Waldouck, who had a year to run on his contract at Wasps, handed in a […]

Charlie Sharples : “Ducking out on England was my best career move”

10 July 2012 0 comments

Charlie Sharples insists it was a simple decision to miss England‘s summer tour, even if he concedes he admits he has fallen further down the […]

It’s our fairytale and we aim to slay those giants says London Welsh

10 July 2012 0 comments

London Welsh face the toughest possible start to life in the Premiership with opening games against Leicester and champions Harlequins. But Kelvin Bryon, the club’s […]

Josh Matavesi magic means attack, attack for Worcester Warriors

10 July 2012 0 comments

After playing alongside Frans Steyn and Juan Martin Hernandez in the Racing Metro midfield, Worcester new boy Josh Matavesi is keen to sprinkle some of […]

Sarecens out to take the JP Morgan’s trophy back says Jackson Wray

10 July 2012 0 comments

One of the many consequences of London Welsh‘s elevation into the top flight is that there will be a new champion in the J.P. Morgan […]

Promoted London Welsh will take look at Gavin Henson

3 July 2012 0 comments

London Welsh boss Lyn Jones has been armed with a war-chest to sign eight “headline players” who will underpin the club’s first ever Aviva Premiership […]

Toby Booth’s snub made Guy Armitage turn his back on London Irish

3 July 2012 0 comments

Guy Armitage has opened the door to one day playing for France after revealing that Toby Booth’s snub at London Irish forced him to quit […]

We’ll get Cipriani settled in – then it’s up to him

3 July 2012 0 comments

Steve Diamond is not a man for standing still. Since returning to Sale as executive director of sport in January 2011, life under the former […]

Look out, Leicester Tiger Tom Croft wants his England jersey back

3 July 2012 2 comments

Tom Croft’s mild manner on the pitch might fool some but several months on the sidelines have brought out the fierce competitor in the Leicester […]

New Gloucester coach Nigel Davies reckons Mike Tindall will help make Gloucester great

3 July 2012 2 comments

Nigel Davies, Gloucester‘s new director of rugby, is banking on the experience of Mike Tindall to help fire the club towards domestic and European glory. […]

Northampton Saints winger Vasily Artemyev can help take Russia towards the top of world game

3 July 2012 0 comments

Henry Paul has hailed Northampton wing Vasily Artemyev as an inspiration for aspiring Russian stars and reckons the country can become a major rugby power. […]

Give our tier-two English coaches a chance says coaching guru Kevin Bowring

3 July 2012 0 comments

The RFU’s Head of Elite Coach Development, Kevin Bowring, wants to see more English-qualified coaches follow Glenn Delaney’s example and make the step up from […]

London Irish new signing Shane Geraghty hoping to get back in England picture

26 June 2012 0 comments

Shane Geraghty declared he has “unfinished business” with club and country after revealing that Brian Smith’s plans for London Irish persuaded him to cut short […]

New Newcastle Director of Rugby Dean Richards is hunting for Heineken Cup Glory

26 June 2012 0 comments

The despair, the darkness, the doubts have been lifted from Dean Richards’ shoulders since his appointment as Newcastle director of rugby, replaced by a familiar […]

Sale Sharks’ pack has bulked up and ready to front up

26 June 2012 0 comments

Sale‘s pack is ready to front up and make its mark in the Premiership next season, according to Henry ‘Meathead’ Thomas. The Sharks’ set-piece endured […]

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