What’s in The Rugby Paper: 31/12/23

Harlequins host Gloucester in their annual ‘Big Game’ at Twickenham on Saturday, part of extensive coverage from the Premiership and the URC in The Rugby Paper on New Year’s Eve.

That match will be one of four Premiership matches we will be across, with a preview for the final game of the year on Sunday as Leicester host in-form Bath.

There are four URC games involving all the Welsh and Irish sides in the division on New Year’s day, and as well as covering the Boxing Day action and all the matches from earlier in the weekend, we will also be looking ahead to another critical bank holiday in the league.

On Saturday Edinburgh and Glasgow duel for the 1872 Cup, and as well as a report from that contest we will also be interviewing Warriors prop Callum Smyth in our Young Guns column.

Mark Mapletoft picks the strongest XV he has played with or against in our Dream Team feature, whilst we’ll also have a Tier 2 Dream Team showcasing the best players from rugby’s emerging nations in 2023.

Continuing with our features, flanker Sadia Kabeya reveals her ambitions to inspire more black women into the sport as this week’s Red Rose, and Martin Webdale – head coach at National 2 West and BUCS Super Rugby Lougborough University – sits down with Steve Hill in our Coach to Coach piece.

Columnist Chris Hewett looks at how World Cup finalists New Zealand have backtracked in the world rankings after ruling the rugby world for almost a decade, and we pay tribute to those in the rugby world we’ve lost this year.

Thank you to all our readers for your continuing support through 2023, and we look forward to seeing you again in 2024!

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