Latest News

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

Magnificent Sam Marques deserves place at the top table

29 September 2024 0 comments

The splendid Samuel Marques – 35 but still going strong and mulling coming out of international retirement – has been declared the ProD2 player of […]

Balding thinking big as Moseley set sights on Championship

29 September 2024 0 comments

By CIARA FEARN FOLLOWING a strong showing last season, Birmingham Moseley have made a fast start this term and have their sights set on a […]

Slow start for Hinckley’s promising new talent

29 September 2024 0 comments

By HANNAH BOYLE Early promise: Saints academy loanee Louis Haley HINCKLEY’S start to the season has not been what many were expecting, with the team […]

Gwilliam’s ambition to build from the bottom

29 September 2024 0 comments

By TOM KELLY Boss: Taff Gwilliam PICTURE: Matthew Walker CANTERBURY director of rugby Taff Gwilliam is deter mined to grow the club so that they […]

Matthews proud to be leading England

29 September 2024 0 comments

■By BEN JAYCOCK PHOEBE Murray and Bo Westcombe-Evans make their Red Roses debuts tonight as England begin their WXV1 title defence in Vancouver against USA. […]

Aussies give Wales the runaround

29 September 2024 0 comments

■By STEVE RILEY Australia ………37 Wales ……………. 5 AUSTRALIA were too hot to handle, running in six tries to claim an opening round victory and […]

Easson pleased with solid defence

29 September 2024 0 comments

■By DANIEL CLARKE South Africa ..31 Japan …………… 24 HOSTS South Africa got their campaign off to a strong start by beating a competitive Japan. […]

Ireland face tough New Zealand test

29 September 2024 0 comments

By BEN JAYCOCK PREVIEW… New Zealand v Ireland Monday. Kick-off 3am IRELAND take on world champions New Zealand this morning looking to make a statement […]

Sio’s late try denies Dutch historic win

29 September 2024 0 comments

NETHERLANDS were denied an historic win over Samoa as Ana-Lise Sio’s last gasp try broke Dutch hearts. Linneke Gevers put Netherlands ahead with an early […]

You need to review, reflect and adapt – Luke Allen

29 September 2024 0 comments

Steve Hill puts the questions to Luke Allen, below, director of rugby at Henley Hawks Why did you get into coaching rugby and how did […]

Lions eye top tier

29 September 2024 0 comments

News BOURNEMOUTH Lions, who play in the sixth tier Regional Two South Central league, have aspirations to reach the Premiership within 10 years under new […]

England A v Australia A at Twickenham Stoop in November

26 September 2024 0 comments

50 Days to go & Family Tickets Available With the rugby season just started, why not see England’s brightest young talent and other top Premiership stars take on Australia. England A […]

Joe El-Abd named England’s new defence coach

26 September 2024 0 comments

Former Bristol and Toulon flanker Joe El-Abd will replace Felix Jones as England defence coach. The Rugby Football Union confirmed 44-year-old El-Abd’s appointment, taking over […]

The Toxicity of the Welsh Rugby media

24 September 2024 0 comments

By Peter Ryan A massive part of today’s sport is traditional and social media. The two have a symbiotic relationship and thrive on each other. […]

South African influence on European Rugby

24 September 2024 0 comments

By Peter Ryan South Africa is a phenomenal rugby nation that is at the top of its game right now. Talent is abundant for head […]

Is Rugby becoming too tactical?

24 September 2024 0 comments

By Peter Ryan Rugby union is a phenomenal sport with a very loyal fanbase. It is known as a more traditional sport in most parts […]

Simon Halliday’s demand for clarity over promotion-relegation play-off

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain The RFU is under fire from the Championship for its failure to provide clarity over the terms of the promotion-relegation play-off before […]

England have got an ‘amazing’ new coach, says George Skivington

22 September 2024 0 comments

Skivington backing for England’s new coach By Paul Rees George Skivington says England have secured a world class conditioning coach in Dan Tobin who is […]

Johann Van Graan: PGP won’t be a problem at Bath

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Jon Newcombe Bath Head of Rugby Johann van Graan is not at all concerned with the challenges posed by the new Professional Game Partnership. […]

Fraser Dingwall: England will stay on track

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Paul Rees Fraser Dingwall is confident the shock loss of two coaches this summer will not derail England who have shown significant signs of […]

Aaron Wainwright proves handy on the oche

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Simon Thomas Wales star man Aaron Wainwright has turned his attention to another sporting passion as he recovers from surgery. The Dragons No.8 tore […]

Simon Halliday: We need clarity from RFU

22 September 2024 0 comments

Simon Halliday believes that the RFU is duty-bound to find a resolution for the Championship clubs because the play-off agreement has been accepted already by […]

Gareth Thomas: I want to hold on at No.1

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Simon Thomas Having finally established himself as Wales’ number one No.1, Gareth Thomas, above, is determined to hold on to the jersey. The Ospreys […]

Being captain is an honour but won’t change me – Alex Dombrandt

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Jon Newcombe Alex Dombrandt has vowed captaincy won’t change him as a player or a person after being tasked with leading Harlequins this season. […]

We should be following F1 example, says Maro Itoje

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Adam Hathaway Maro Itoje has urged rugby’s administrators to follow Formula One out of the grid and give rugby a bigger profile as it […]

James Ratti enjoys his ‘weird ride’

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Simon Thomas James Ratti is the first to admit his “mad journey” to becoming a Welsh international has been “a weird ride”. Back in […]

Helping Wasps would be a ‘slap in the face’

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Jon Newcombe London Welsh board director Jonathan Shankland says allowing Wasps to remerge from the ashes of administration and go straight into the Championship […]

Once again, the RFU is failing second tier

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK A new English season starts this weekend with strife and frustration in the late September air. […]

Twickenham stadium deal may come at a cost

22 September 2024 0 comments

The idea that the renaming of Twickenham as the Allianz Stadium for a reported £100m over 10 years is such a brilliant business deal by […]

Fantasy Rugby 2024/25

22 September 2024 0 comments

PRIZE MONEY WINNER £500 SECOND £250 THIRD £125 LAST £250 MANAGER OF THE MONTH £25 SECOND £10 THIRD £5 LAST £10 Do you fancy yourself […]

Rugby Rivalries that don’t stand the test of time

22 September 2024 0 comments

Rugby Matters by Brendan Gallagher – A weekly look at the game’s other talking points Eyes down all you pub quiz fiends, it’s quiz time […]

Sorry, but it now looks like Eben Etzebeth got away with one

22 September 2024 0 comments

So, for 10 months or more I have been defending Eben Etzebeth, and by implication referee Ben O’Keeffe, for the deliberate knock on incident in […]

Bedford’s DNA impresses powerhouse Joel Matavesi

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Ben Jaycock Joel Matavesi has committed himself to Bedford Blues having been enticed by the club’s expansive and entertaining style of play. Matavesi, 28, […]

Maverick Shea the hardest of them all

22 September 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW NEWPORT heralded the season with a birthday bash on a lavish scale, filling a dining room the […]

Why is so much of the club game hidden behind a paywall?

22 September 2024 0 comments

AS more and more club football basks in the glare of the multi-million audiences on free-to-air television coverage, an increasing amount of club rugby chooses […]

Conor O’Shea backing England A to bridge the gap

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Ben Jaycock England A return to action in November and RFU director of performance Conor O’Shea feels they have a ‘generational team coming together’. […]

Slipper spreads the love as he hits 140 caps

22 September 2024 0 comments

JAMES Slipper has become the most-capped player in Australian rugby history. Loosehead Slipper made his debut against England in Perth back in 2010 and has […]

England aiming for a repeat success

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Ben Jaycock and James Orpin Break: Abby Dow scores against New Zealand and, inset, John Mitchell PICTURES: Getty Images ENGLAND SQUAD FORWARDS: Zoe Aldcroft, […]

Wales and Scotland are in the mood to prove themselves

22 September 2024 0 comments

Star: Jasmine Joyce WXV 2 FOLLOWING their bottom-place finish in the Six Nations, Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham has galvanaised his squad and on Friday […]

Pre-season will stand Rosslyn Park in good stead, says Kieran Power

22 September 2024 0 comments

By Chris Collyer Despite coming up short against Richmond after a last-minute drop goal by Lewis Dennett, Rosslyn Park’s director of rugby Kieran Power believes […]

Shard aims for heights in Lymm’s second go

22 September 2024 0 comments

By TOM KELLY Confident: Tom Shard is aiming high this season LYMM fly-half Tom Shard has urged his team to push on after a successful […]

There’s no Larkin about with Steve at the helm

22 September 2024 0 comments

By JAMES ORPIN Star signing: Josh Matavesi CAMBORNE director of rugby Steve Larkins believes that making the club more attractive to new players has led […]

Reynolds sets sights on seeing Raiders reach full potential

22 September 2024 0 comments

By SAOPE SOKO ONE of the hallmarks of Jordan Reynolds’ tenure as Guernsey head coach has been a relentless focus on tactical innovation. Whether it’s […]

Jonny was great but Jason made the real difference

22 September 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME I MUST admit I get slightly irritated with seeing social media best players posts that seem […]

NEWS EXTRA

22 September 2024 0 comments

Double injury blow for Bristol BRISTOL full-back Noah Heward will be out until the New Year after injuring his hamstring during a training session. The […]

Students getting set for the big kick-off

22 September 2024 0 comments

BUCS RUGBY By TOM JEFFREYS BUCS Super Rugby returns on Wednesday with the Women’s National League absorbed into the BSR umbrella. Hartpury women and Loughborough […]