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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Re-born Lancaster is leaving selection to others

29 April 2018 1 comment

IT’S good to see Stuart Lancaster making such a fine fist of coaching Leinster, with praise being showered on the former England head coach from […]

Deano does it yet again

29 April 2018 0 comments

NEWCASTLE’S late win at Leicester on Friday night which helped put them into the Premiership play-offs will have given Dean Richards huge satisfaction. Newcastle’s 25-23 […]

Billy’s back to help Sarries secure home semi-final

29 April 2018 0 comments

By NEALE HARVEY Target: Michael Rhodes ENGLAND No.8 Billy Vunipola returns for Saracens as back rower Michael Rhodes aims to throw down the gauntlet to […]

Relentless Falcons end Tigers’ run

29 April 2018 1 comment

By COLIN NEWBOULT THE Tigers’ incredible 14-year run of qualifying for the play-offs is effectively over – yet it almost seems churlish to discuss the […]

Thompson wary of the Horne factor

29 April 2018 1 comment

WASPS flanker Guy Thompson knows his side’s Premiership title hopes could go up in smoke if they fail to defeat fired-up Northampton at the Ricoh. […]

Stirling wants Yorkshire Carnegie to savour local favour

26 April 2018 0 comments

(Photo: Getty Images) By Jon Newcombe AS Chris Boyd stands by to usher in the winds of change at Northampton, another Hurricane has already been […]

Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson signs new deal

24 April 2018 0 comments

A new long-term deal for the scrum-half challenging Ben Youngs and Danny Care for their England spots

Newcastle Falcons sign Logovi’i Mulipola

19 April 2018 0 comments

Samoan international to leave Welford Road after six and a half years

Bakewell’s got Tigers boxing clever again, says Tom Youngs

18 April 2018 0 comments

Leicester hooker Tom Youngs discloses the boxing sessions that have helped the Tigers pack find their grit

RUGBY MATTERS

15 April 2018 2 comments

Big change is needed to wake the sleeping giants BRENDAN GALLAGHER A new weekly look at the game’s other talking points WATCHING Harlequins against London […]

New Zealand get another helping hand from the schedulers

15 April 2018 0 comments

WHEN are SANZAAR going to pep up their ailing tournament by bringing a little even handedness to the competition? The schedule for this year’s tournament […]

Walker’s in a hurry to make up lost time

15 April 2018 0 comments

By NEALE HARVEY HOOKING prospect Jack Walker is relishing the chance of a head-to-head against Jamie George and Schalk Brits as he aims to put […]

Kiss promises a fight to the death

15 April 2018 1 comment

Keeping the dream alive: Irish beat Quins LONDON Irish head coach Les Kiss has hailed the outstanding work ethic of his side, who must beat […]

Saints come alive to shock the old enemy

15 April 2018 0 comments

By BRENDAN GALLAGHER Through the gap: Ahsee Tuala hands off George Ford to score for Saints PICTURES: Getty Images NEVER under-estimate the galvanising effect of […]

Myler so proud to bounce back

15 April 2018 1 comment

STEPHENMyler, the only Saints survivor from when they last beat Leicester at Welford Road 11 years ago, said: “It’s been a difficult season for us […]

Le Roux’s X-factor unleashes the wonder of Wade

15 April 2018 1 comment

By NEALE HARVEY WILLIE Le Roux hammered out an ominous warning to England with a virtuoso display as Wasps took advantage of Leicester’s slip to […]

Haskell: We’ve got a title in us

15 April 2018 0 comments

WORCESTER failed to banish their relegation worries and boss Alan Solomons said: “The 15 minutes before half-time killed us and if you turn over ball […]

Last-gasp Ackermann keeps Glos hopes alive

15 April 2018 0 comments

By ROGER PANTING Streamlined: Jason Woodward dives over for Gloucester PICTURES: Getty Images GLOUCESTER scored 21 points in the last nine minutes to keep their […]

Clifford out with hamstring horror op

15 April 2018 0 comments

QUINS’ miserable season took a turn for the worse as director of rugby John Kingston reported that Jack Clifford will be out for the season. […]

Vickers drives Falcons nearer that top four

15 April 2018 0 comments

By COLIN NEWBOULT Last-gasp heroes: Newcastle celebrate Rob Vickers’ try PICTURES: Getty Images ANOTHER week, another poor start and another incredible ending involving the Sharks. […]

Diamond: Last five minutes cost us

15 April 2018 1 comment

SALE director of rugby Steve Diamond was pleased with their second half display but was left to rue yet another poor start. “In the second […]

McCormick, the pocket rocket who hit like a heavyweight

15 April 2018 1 comment

ITALY’S Matteo Minozzi – 5ft 8in and 13 stone something – has provided ample evidence this season that contrary to the general perception you don’t […]

Itoje and Faletau’s agent banned by the RFU for betting spree

12 April 2018 0 comments

Matt Hart banned for 22 months for breaching RFU and World Rugby betting regulations

New sponsorship deal to see England’s top flight named Gallagher Premiership

12 April 2018 0 comments

Premiership Rugby have found an American-based company to take over from Aviva

Bath’s Tom Dunn told to lose jelly belly for England

11 April 2018 0 comments

Tom Dunn reveals the straight-talking conversation he had with England head coach Eddie Jones

STATEMENT: Sale respond to Denny Solomona ban

10 April 2018 0 comments

Sale defend wing who received a four-week ban after being deemed by the three-person panel to have used homphobic language

Worcester announce signing of Edinburgh fly-half Duncan Weir

10 April 2018 0 comments

Alan Solomons adds Scotland international to fly-half core for 2018-2019 season

Slater calls for Tiger-like finish to season grind

8 April 2018 1 comment

By NEALE HARVEY Thriving at Gloucester: Ed Slater PICTURES: Getty Images Impressive rise at Chiefs: Jonny Hill ED Slater has ordered Gloucester to adopt the […]

Pellow excited by Chiefs’ embarrassment of scrum-half riches

8 April 2018 1 comment

EXETER backs coach Ricky Pellow concedes stalwart pivot Will Chudley has become collateral damage in a vicious scrumhalf battle that is set for a fight […]

Lowes keen to lure Cope to Carnegie

8 April 2018 0 comments

YORKSHIRE Carnegie head coach Jimmy Lowes will get a close look at one of his transfer targets when Jersey Reds visit Headingley. Lowes, who has […]

Kempson has eye on West’s job

8 April 2018 2 comments

FORMER Northampton prop Robbie Kempson is keen to return Franklin’s Gardens next season to replace forwards coach Dorian West. Saints have already announced that West […]

ON THE BLIND SIDE

8 April 2018 0 comments

Castro’s consortium looking to invest in Tier 2 BY NEILFISSLER Follow me on Twitter: @neilfissler MARTIN Castrogiovanni is looking to get back into rugby and […]

Ambitious Ealing look totempt Joe

8 April 2018 2 comments

Wanted: Wasps No.9 Joe Simpson EALING Trailfinders are looking into launching an ambitious bid to lure Joe Simpson away from Wasps for next season. Simpson […]

Expendables would put up a good fight

8 April 2018 0 comments

JUST for a bit of fun, Blindside has put together a top XV of players who are out of contract at the end of the […]

Two-try Kalamafoni turns Clash into Bash

8 April 2018 1 comment

By NICK CAIN Grounded: Adam Thompstone scores Leicester’s opening try despite Ben Tapuai’s challenge PICTURES: Getty Images SIONE Kalamafoni has already proved himself one of […]

Exiles make most of Quins’ surrender

8 April 2018 1 comment

By BRENDAN GALLAGHER Our hero: Exiles’ Tom Fowlie is congratulated after scoring against Harlequins PICTURES: Getty Images Legging it: Mat Luamanu, of Harlequins, looks to […]

Genge is more bark than bite says Matt

8 April 2018 0 comments

LEICESTER boss Matt O’Connor said his side were peaking at the right time after winning The Clash convincingly: “The second-half was probably as good as […]

Bad start just got worse – Kingston

8 April 2018 0 comments

HARLEQUINS director of rugby John Kingston did not cut a happy figure post-match. “We never got going; we were lethargic from the start and it […]

Ruthless Saracens respond in style after Euro exit

8 April 2018 1 comment

By NEALE HARVEY Adding gloss: Saracens wing Nathan Earle scores the final try Full stretch: Chris Wyles dives over to score for Saracens SARACENS supremo […]

Yarde nips in to beat the buzzer for Sharks

8 April 2018 0 comments

By COLIN NEWBOULT Sale day: Sharks’ Bryn Evans goes over PICTURES: Getty Images Second strike: Wasps’ Josh Bassett scores his second try in the corner […]

Dickens slams second half flop

8 April 2018 0 comments

SAINTS coach Alan Dickens admitted: “There’s embarrassment among the whole squad and coaches. I struggle to understand that second half performance. “In the first half […]

Basic errors let them in – Young

8 April 2018 0 comments

DAI Young was disappointed with some of the errors which saw Wasps concede four tries at the AJ Bell. “We did everything really well for […]

Richards’ boys put in spin by Worcester big-hitters

8 April 2018 0 comments

By TOM BRADSHAW Driving force: Ryan Bower tries to break through the Falcons defence PICTURES: Getty Images Well marshalled: Newcastle defence stop a Bryce Heem […]

Still all to play for insists Deano

8 April 2018 0 comments

DIRECTOR of rugby Dean Richards admitted that he had feared such a result had been on the cards for Newcastle. “Before this game, we felt […]

Romanian failings just a bad joke, or worse?

8 April 2018 0 comments

NICK CAIN The Romania-Spain-Belgium World Cup qualifying scandal has forced the ostriches who thought the match-fixing could never happen in rugby union to pull their […]

No reason to leave Cipriani out now he is tackling his weight

8 April 2018 1 comment

Team player: Danny Cipriani should tour South Africa in the summer PICTURE: Getty Images DANNY Cipriani has not been renowned as the most ferocious tackler […]