What’s in The Rugby Paper: 07/01/24

Second host first this Saturday in the Premiership, and we’ll have coverage of Exeter Chiefs vs Northampton Saints alongside three other reports in The Rugby Paper this Sunday.

From those two clubs we have interviews with Chiefs’ Ollie Devoto and Saints’ Tommy Freeman, and from the former Peter Jackson discusses the tug of war between England and Wales over Immanuel Feyi-Waboso after he tracked down Anthony Johnson – the man who introduced Feyi-Waboso to the game at Rumney U11s.

The four games across Friday and Saturday precede the final clash of the weekend, and our pages will also have an in-depth preview of the West Country derby between Bath and Gloucester as the visitors look to halt their eight-match losing run in the league.

It’s been contrasting fortunes for the Cherry and Whites’ women’s side, Gloucester-Hartpury, and the reigning top flight champions will be looking to extend their unbeaten start to the campaign as they face Loughborough, one of three matches we’ll have from the Women’s Premiership Rugby.

They’ll be reports from postponed fixtures from National League One, Two North, Two East and Two West, and Nat One’s Rams fly-half Fraser Honey picks the strongest team he’s played with or against in our Dream Team feature.

Elsewhere among our features, former Super Rugby fly-half and full-back Jono Lance discusses his career in My Life in Rugby and David Rose reflects on being the last referee from an ethnically diverse background to take charge of a first-class game in England in 2013.

Finally, with the Six Nations now less than a month away, Paul Rees analyses the England coaching changes and the direction the team is heading and Nick Cain explains why Borthwick cannot afford to reward mediocrity with his England captaincy choice.

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