Features

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

New funding deal for Championship clubs revealed

22 August 2012 0 comments

As revealed in our The Rugby Paper on August 5th, the RFU has unveiled today a new four-year funding deal for Championship clubs. Each club […]

“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 […]

Dragons’ Ian Nimmo causing a ruck by launching betting website

21 August 2012 1 comment

Newport Gwent Dragons lock Ian Nimmo has laid bare what he calls the gambling culture at the heart of rugby dressing rooms after launching a […]

“Don’t write me off yet,” says Wales scrum-half Dwayne Peel

21 August 2012 1 comment

Dwayne Peel, frozen out of international rugby for the last 18 months, starts the new season with a defiant message for Wales: “I’m not finished […]

My Life in Rugby: David Flatman – Bath and England prop

21 August 2012 0 comments

When I was at Saracens I was ten times more scared of going to training than I was of playing – at least in matches […]

Man Behind the Match: Jon Callard and the 1998 Heineken Cup final

21 August 2012 0 comments

Bath were not given much of a chance of becoming the first British and Irish side to win the Heineken Cup. Their fate in 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 […]

Ospreys hooker Richard Hibbard hurt by fingers of blame but points to future

20 August 2012 3 comments

Wales villain Richard Hibbard admits that he was forced into hiding after being singled out for losing the summer series to Australia. The Ospreys hooker, 28, […]

Dream Team: James Grindall – Bristol and former Leicester scrum-half

20 August 2012 0 comments

1. Andrew Sheridan – We played age group rugby together and he was an absolute beast running over people playing No.8. 2. Trevor Leota – […]

Moment in Time: Newcastle and the 2001 Tetley’s Bitter Cup final

20 August 2012 0 comments

Sensational game, sensational finish. Widely considered to be one of the best cup finals of all time, two star-studded teams went at it from first […]

Aussie blow as captain David Pocock is out of All Blacks clash

20 August 2012 0 comments

David Pocock will miss Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup clash against the All Blacks in Auckland after it was revealed the Australian captain needs keyhole surgery on […]

Henry Thomas relishing Andrew Sheridan Heineken Cup rematch

17 August 2012 0 comments

Henry Thomas is eager for the chance to turn the tables on former tutor Andrew Sheridan this season after Sale‘s graduation to the Heineken Cup. […]

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 […]

Retiring prop Matt Stevens gave quitting England ‘lot of thought’

15 August 2012 0 comments

Saracens boss Mark McCall insists Matt Stevens’ decision to retire from international rugby was not made on the spur of the moment. The 29-year-old prop […]

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 […]

We know we’ll get thumped says Argentina captain Felipe Contepomi

15 August 2012 1 comment

Argentina‘s record points scorer Felipe Contepomi drew parallels with Italy‘s entrance into the Six Nations ahead of the Pumas’ debut in the Rugby Championship against […]

Lock of ages? French turn back clock for Brits

15 August 2012 1 comment

The burgeoning British colony in France hurls itself into Top 14 action next weekend, an assault force headed by surely the oldest pair of locks […]

Man Behind the Match: Rob Andrew and the 1995 Rugby World Cup Quarter-Final

14 August 2012 1 comment

England went into the 1995 World Cup quarter-final in Cape Town having seen many highs since the desperate low of losing the 1991 World Cup […]

Moment in Time: Sale Sharks and the 2002 Parker Pen Shield

14 August 2012 1 comment

Lift-off for Sale Sharks. This was the day when chairman Brian Kennedy’s vision of creating a powerhouse team in the north-west of England finally came […]

20 Questions: Danny Care – Harlequins and England scrum-half

13 August 2012 1 comment

Enjoying pre-season at Quins? Loving it! It’s great to be back around all the boys again. It is hard work but everyone is looking to […]

Room 101: Tom May – Northampton and former England centre

13 August 2012 3 comments

1. Warm ups I don’t know if it’s because I have been playing for what seems like a long time now but I really hate […]

Young Gun: Luke Treharne – Exeter and Wales U18 full-back

13 August 2012 1 comment

A contemporary of George North in the Scarlets academy, Luke Treharne and the giant Welsh winger made a ferocious midfield combination in west Wales. Where […]

My Life in Rugby: Ollie Smith – former Leicester, England and Lions centre

13 August 2012 1 comment

Making the British and Irish Lions tour in 2005 was an achievement I couldn’t really comprehend. The squad was announced on the Monday and then […]

Dream Team: Scott Barrow – Fylde and former Leeds centre

13 August 2012 1 comment

1. Simon Emms – Very fast for a chunky fella. One of the most athletic props I’ve played with, including Premiership guys. We played at […]

Fixtures unveiled for 2012-2013 LV= Cup

8 August 2012 1 comment

Saracens will kick off the 2012-13 LV= Cup season against current title holders Leicester Tigers in the opening round of the new season’s campaign. The […]

Tommy Bowe is back home to help Ulster maintain momentum

8 August 2012 0 comments

Tommy Bowe is back home with Ulster Rugby and reveals that envy, as much as ambition, will be driving him on this season. “Watching them […]

Wales teen wonder Tom Prydie aiming to fly high again

8 August 2012 1 comment

Tom Prydie and Kristian Phillips aim to relaunch their careers this season after falling into the international wilderness. The former Ospreys wing wonders, part of […]

RFU fury over Graham Henry’s slur against Wayne Barnes

7 August 2012 0 comments

Sir Graham Henry could face legal action following an admission that he wondered whether match-fixing was to blame for New Zealand’s shock World Cup quarter-final […]

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 […]

Serge Betsen shrugs off the Sir Graham Henry fixing accusations

7 August 2012 0 comments

France legend Serge Betsen has laughed off Graham Henry’s claims that the infamous 2007 World Cup quarter-final in Cardiff could have been fixed. Henry this […]

Serge Blanco lets me know if I’m kicking too much says Iain Balshaw

7 August 2012 2 comments

World Cup winner Iain Balshaw knows all about instinctive rugby and would love England to show more of it. We meet in Biarritz on France‘s […]

Final offer from RFU would see Championship clubs receive £4.3m backing

7 August 2012 0 comments

Championship clubs are close to agreeing a funding deal for the next four seasons after receiving what has been described by one insider as a […]

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 […]

Man Behind the Match: Jason Robinson and the 2006 Premiership final

6 August 2012 0 comments

World Cup hero, Lions star, Great Britain rugby league icon, multiple trophy-winner with Wigan … Jason Robinson’s cv is awesome and leads some to offer […]

Moment in Time: Northampton Saints and the 2000 Heineken Cup final

6 August 2012 0 comments

Few people had rated Northampton’s chances of lifting the Heineken Cup. Still fewer gave them a prayer after they had lost their second Pool match […]

20 Questions: Tomas O’Leary – London Irish scrum half

6 August 2012 0 comments

How are you settling in at London Irish? It’s been good so far and I’m getting to know the boys now. The spirit in the […]

Young Gun: Gerard Ellis – London Irish hooker

6 August 2012 0 comments

Glenn Delaney has already converted Tom Youngs from a centre into an international hooker and he is confident he can repeat the trick with London […]

Dream Team: Dan Seal – Bedford and former Bath prop

6 August 2012 1 comment

1. Alan Paver – He’s been the cornerstone of the Pirates scrum for nearly a decade and knows the dark arts better than anyone. 2. […]

Room 101: Mark Mapleoft – Harlequins coach

6 August 2012 0 comments

1. Reality TV Take a bow Bradley Wiggins, not only for his outstanding Tour de France exploits but his post-race press conferences last week. A […]

My Life in Rugby: Brett Davey – Doncaster Director of Rugby

6 August 2012 0 comments

Slotting the last-minute penalty to win the Principality Cup Final in 2002 was nerve-wracking but it was incredible to seal a famous win over Llanelli. […]