Featured

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

O2 Inside Line: Six Nations episode 2

6 February 2013 1 comment

This week we have Brad Barritt and Alex Goode reviewing the win against Scotland while looking ahead to Ireland and their infamous choke tackle. Go […]

Billy Twelvetrees and Manu Tuilagi look set to take on Ireland

5 February 2013 0 comments

Billy Twelvetrees storming debut for England yesterday has opened the way for him to partner Manu Tuilagi in a lethal centre partnership in Dublin next […]

England Sevens’ triumph in pictures

4 February 2013 0 comments

Relive England Sevens‘ triumph in Wellington this weekend with our exclusive photo gallery. Pictures courtesy of Ross Setford/MB Media.

England win the HSBC Wellington Sevens

2 February 2013 0 comments

England have snatched a thrilling victory in extra time to beat Kenya 24-19 and win the New Zealand Sevens title. Sam Edgerley pounced to score […]

Gutsy Scotland A claim England Saxons’ scalp again

1 February 2013 0 comments

Scotland A earned a very gutsy 13-9 win over the England Saxons in Newcastle tonight. This is the second win in as many years for […]

England U20 get under way with win over Scotland U20

1 February 2013 1 comment

England U20 have began the defence of their Six Nations crown with a 15-6 win over Scotland in Plymouth tonight. Scotland fly-half Tommy Allan put […]

England beat All Blacks to reach Wellington Sevens quarter-finals

1 February 2013 0 comments

England Sevens reached the quarter finals in Wellington to set up a Calcutta Cup sevens showdown with Scotland on the other side of the world […]

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 […]

Billy Twelvetrees set for England debut

29 January 2013 0 comments

Billy Twelvetrees looks set to make his England Test debut on Saturday against Scotland in the Six Nations opener. His very good first half of […]

Sean Maitland poised for Scotland Test debut against England

29 January 2013 0 comments

Kiwi-born winger Sean Maitland is set to make his Test debut on Saturday as Scotland meet England at Twickenham in the opening game of the […]

Grand Slam worth £100k per player this season

29 January 2013 2 comments

The Six Nations Grand Slam will be worth a record £5m to the winner when the tournament kicks off next weekend. Despite the recession, prize […]

England Saxons scrap past Ireland Wolfhounds

25 January 2013 1 comment

England Saxons scored 14 unanswered points to claim a 14-10 win over the Irish Wolfhounds in Galway tonight. A try from Leinster‘s Kevin McLaughlin and […]

Stuart Lancaster keeps ‘gutted’ Tom Varndell in loop

25 January 2013 0 comments

Tom Varndell got the phone call he had been expecting last week and again he was left out in the cold – but his record-breaking […]

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. […]

Dan Luger trains his sights on David Strettle for England call

24 January 2013 0 comments

England must abandon their policy of fielding two full-backs, according to one of their most prolific wings Dan Luger. And, says Luger, David Strettle deserves […]

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 […]

Quarter-finals showdown for ferocious Leicester Tigers

20 January 2013 0 comments

Leicester claimed a spirited 9-5 win over Toulouse at Welford Road this afternoon to qualify for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals. The outcome of the game […]

Saracens qualify to set up Ulster clash

20 January 2013 0 comments

Saracens secured their place in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals with a convincing 40-7 bonus-point win over Edinburgh at Vicarage Road. They will host Ulster in […]

Rob Baxter and Toby Booth could be called up by England

18 January 2013 3 comments

Rob Baxter and Toby Booth could be helping England in the summer if Stuart Lancaster gets his way. The England head coach will go to […]

“Don’t be nervous, beat that breakdown, lads!” – Shontayne Hape

17 January 2013 0 comments

Get to grips with the breakdown and everything else will fall into place. Those words of wisdom for League converts Kyle Eastmond and Joel Tomkins […]

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 […]

£100,000 each – cost of a Lion in Australia

15 January 2013 3 comments

The Lions have agreed to pay out more than £100,000 for every player chosen to go to Australia at the end of the season. In […]

Eli Walker gets Wales call up

15 January 2013 0 comments

Slick-running Ospreys winger Eli Walker has been named in the Wales’ Six nations squad by interim coach Rob Howley today. The 20-year-old has been impressive […]

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 […]

Leicester Tigers set for ‘winner-takes-all’ clash with Toulouse

13 January 2013 1 comment

Leicester Tigers have set themselves for a ‘winner-takes-all’ clash with Toulouse after securing a 15-15 draw against the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium today. The […]

Northampton beat Castres but look set for Amlin future

11 January 2013 0 comments

Northampton Saints are almost out of the Heineken Cup despite a 18-12 win over Castres at Franklin’s Gardens tonight. With Ulster certain to top Poll […]

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 […]

Billy Twelvetress named in England’s Six Nations squad

9 January 2013 1 comment

Billy Twelvetress has been named by Stuart Lancaster in the England Elite Player Squad for the upcoming RBS Six Nations. The uncapped Gloucester centre, one […]

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 […]

Joel Tomkins states his case for England defence

8 January 2013 0 comments

The defensive prowess of Joel Tomkins makes him a genuine contender for an England call-up, says Saracens team-mate Dave Strettle. With England boss Stuart Lancaster, […]

London Wasps outplay and dominate Bath to go fourth

6 January 2013 0 comments

London Wasps made their way into the Top 4 with a dominant 29-15 win over Bath at Adams Park today. What a turnaround from a […]

Saints and London Irish claim big wins at Exeter and Gloucester

5 January 2013 0 comments

Northampton confirmed their new-found form with a comprehensive 30-19 win over Exeter at Sandy Park today. A try from Ken Pisi along with eight points […]

Leicester go top of Premiership with win against Worcester

4 January 2013 1 comment

Leicester went top of the Premiership table following their narrow 19-14 victory over Worcester at Sixways tonight. David Lemi with a try and Andy Goode […]

“Christian Wade must add to his X-factor” – Joe Rokocoko

4 January 2013 0 comments

Joe Rokocoko admits he sees plenty of his younger self in Christian Wade, but the former All Black insists the Wasps wing must not make […]

“England can’t ignore me forever” – London Wasps Tom Varndell

30 December 2012 2 comments

Premiership top-try scorer Tom Varndell says he has unfinished business with England and is desperate to had to his four caps. It’s four years since […]

Sale Sharks still alive with bonus-point defeat at London Wasps

23 December 2012 0 comments

Sale secured a last gasp losing bonus-point against London Wasps to keep their hopes of avoiding relegation alive this afternoon. While Wasps had the game […]

Josh Lewsey is backing Ben Foden to win battle of No.15s

21 December 2012 0 comments

Ben Foden has seen his full-back throne usurped by two younger pretenders but England‘s World Cup winner Josh Lewsey believes the Northampton man will return […]

London Wasps flyer Tom Varndell firing on all cylinders

21 December 2012 0 comments

When it comes to spare time, tweeting and playing video games rank pretty high on most rugby players’ list of hobbies. But yesterday, Tom Varndell […]

Premiership round 11: preview and predictions

21 December 2012 0 comments

Bath v Saracens Bath Rugby have made six changes to the starting line-up that beat Calvisano in the Amlin Challenge Cup last weekend as they […]

Jet-heeled Carlin Isles aims to be America’s darlin’

21 December 2012 0 comments

‘I want to be great and show the world what I can do – I want to be one of the best XVs and Sevens […]

Top 14 giants vie to shower riches on Dan Carter

19 December 2012 0 comments

Toulon have entered the race to sign Dan Carter with the battle against fellow moneybags Racing Metro set to make the All Blacks fly-half the […]

James Percival looks to Wales for Test spot

18 December 2012 1 comment

Worcester second row James Percival has had talks with Warren Gatland about switching allegiances from England to Wales. Despite being part of the England U21 […]

Louis Deacon’s aiming to get back on England’s radar

14 December 2012 0 comments

Louis Deacon refuses to concede his England days are over despite the emergence of youngsters like Joe Launchbury. Rising star Launchbury, 21, was voted man […]

Heineken Cup round 4: Preview and Predictions

14 December 2012 0 comments

Pool 1 Edinburgh v Racing Metro After over a year on the sidelines, Edinburgh welcome Ben Cairs back in their starting line-up for the reception […]

Amlin Cup round 4 preview

14 December 2012 0 comments

Gloucester v London Irish Gloucester’s Nigel Davies has rung the changes for the return visit of Irish to Kingsholm tomorrow, despite his sides 29-22 victory […]