The Rugby Paper

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

Tier 4 commitment can’t be questioned

28 October 2018 0 comments

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: [email protected] JEFF Probyn mentioned the commitment of players in […]

Big fear that season ticket holders may be short-changed

28 October 2018 0 comments

THERE IS no consideration for the fans with these attempts to unify Northern and Southern Hemisphere seasons. With future seasons ending late June before England […]

More clarity please between kit colours

28 October 2018 0 comments

I WATCHED Cardiff Blues v Glasgow last weekend and how on earth can anyone, especially the officials, allow the two teams to play in almost […]

Now Eddie has to prove he’s not a one-trick pony heading for a fall

21 October 2018 0 comments

NICK CAIN HEARS EDDIE JONES’ EXPLANATION ABOUT HIS LATEST SQUAD DECISIONS Questions: Why has Elliott Stooke, left, been preferred to Dave Attwood, right? Politics: Danny […]

Eddie Jones on…

21 October 2018 0 comments

…wrapping Billy Vunipola in cotton wool until the World Cup “I only have him for nine weeks between now and July. In that time, we […]

Amateurs were in it purely for the love

21 October 2018 1 comment

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: [email protected] RUGBY has always been a physical game and […]

Eddie still the man but risk of another RWC flop looms

21 October 2018 0 comments

I ADMIRE the resilience and confidence of RFU CEO Steve Brown, but there is a real risk that 12 months from now he will have […]

Players’ back chat not very appealing

21 October 2018 0 comments

NOT possessing satellite TV, I haven’t seen as much rugby over the first European weekend as some, but I’m worried after watching the two or […]

Why cut funds for Mickey Mouse cup?

14 October 2018 1 comment

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: [email protected] THE WRU announced a record turnover of £97m […]

Kvesic deserves a shot to prove he’s up to Test standard

14 October 2018 0 comments

I AMat a loss as to why Exeter’s Matt Kvesic is being overlooked to fill the openside roll for England. He is playing in a […]

Such waste to leave Wade in the cold

14 October 2018 0 comments

SO Wasps wing Christian Wade appears in yet another TRP Dream Team, but Eddie Jones has reportedly said that Wade is ‘not Test Match standard’ […]

All Black Pirates? Dicky’s delusional

30 September 2018 2 comments

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: [email protected] DICKY Evans and the Cornish Pirates (TRP Sep […]

Wallaby wannabe O’Connor owes Sale a huge debt

30 September 2018 0 comments

I WAS interested to see James O’Connor’s comments in last week’s paper regarding his wish to return to Australia in time for the World Cup […]

Sorry Cips but Faz is out of this world

30 September 2018 0 comments

WHAT is this obsession for Danny Cipriani? It’s crazy and I really don’t get it. You only had to watch the Gloucester game against Saracens […]

World Rugby must realise less is more

23 September 2018 0 comments

COLIN BOAG is correct, there are far too many internationals played each season. The November internationals interrupt the club season and I have no idea […]

Eddie believes Invisible Man Ford can trump Superman Dan

23 September 2018 0 comments

THE mood music emanating from Eddie Jones was up-tempo as he announced his first pared-down training squad of the season with the 12 month countdown […]

Eddie Jones on…

23 September 2018 0 comments

…breakdown issues “We haven’t (any). In South Africa we did incredibly well, we have improved our breakdown by about 80 per cent.” …20-year-old wing Joe […]

Real shame Eddie sees it differently

23 September 2018 1 comment

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: [email protected] EDDIE Jones must be the only person in […]

Correct decision to letter of the law but still harsh on Tigers

23 September 2018 0 comments

THE RED card shown to Will Spencer, the Leicester Tigers lock, was predictably given prominence in the following morning’s sports pages. Correct decision? By the […]

Resistance to the ring-fence fading

16 September 2018 1 comment

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: [email protected] THERE’S talk of the Premiership becoming rugby’s first […]

Invest in lower tiers rather than waste it on Championship

16 September 2018 0 comments

CHAMPIONSHIP clubs receive up to £650,000 a season from the RFU. Clubs below this level get nothing but a contribution towards travel expenses – and […]

Not just Newcastle on receiving end

16 September 2018 0 comments

TOTALLY agree with H. Johnson’s sentiments in his letter “All Clubs are Equal? Not on this Showing” regarding Newcastle’s unfair refereeing calls. Before every game […]

Shame on you Tom, and your ‘team’

9 September 2018 1 comment

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email:[email protected] SEEING Leicester ship 40 points to Exeter was a […]

Surely players are allowed to consider future well-being?

9 September 2018 0 comments

IRRESPECTIVEof any new possible cash input from CVC Capital Partners, Premiership Rugby has to operate a tight financial ship. In that respect I agree with […]

All clubs are equal? Not on this showing

9 September 2018 0 comments

IT IS no wonder there are so many complaints about officials after seeing last week’s Falcons v Sarries game. The amount of offthe- ball hits […]

Sorry Ben, Ealing won’t get Prem help

2 September 2018 1 comment

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: [email protected] BEN WARD please wake up and smell the […]

New Zealand let their club players face Test stars

2 September 2018 1 comment

MANY ask why NZ are so dominant. They suggest their success is because rugby is the national sport. Others say that Kiwis are inherently more […]

Yes, Danny deserves another chance

2 September 2018 0 comments

I AGREE wholeheartedly with Phil Vickery’s comments (about giving Danny Cipriani a chance). I would take it a stage further. England need Danny as much […]

How is a driving maul not blocking?

26 August 2018 1 comment

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: [email protected] I HAVE looked up the word ‘blocking’ in […]

Probyn was spot on with defence of grassroots game

26 August 2018 0 comments

HAVING crossed verbal swords with Jeff Probyn last season, when I thought he was not giving community rugby its full credit, I must write to […]

Grow up Danny, and stop drinking

26 August 2018 0 comments

EVERYONE deserves a second chance after a silly mistake, but giving Danny Cipriani another chance is not the answer, he has had several. His apologies […]

Up the intensity by reducing schedule

19 August 2018 2 comments

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: [email protected] COLIN Boag rightly states (August 12) that the […]

Icebergs lie ahead if the RFU continue on this course

19 August 2018 1 comment

IN last Sunday’s Rugby Paper, Jeff Probyn refers to how the ‘nuclear option’ button may need to be pressed with regard to calling a Special […]

Pumas need a leg up, not the Kiwis

19 August 2018 1 comment

YET again the Rugby Championship fixture draw is skewed towards the All Blacks. They are the only team to get three concurrent home matches. Year […]

How can Mitchell be defence coach?

12 August 2018 0 comments

I’M totally at a loss as to why England would look to bring in John Mitchell to replace Paul Gustard when he is not a […]

Old guard let you down Eddie, now leave them out!

12 August 2018 0 comments

I READ with total dismay that Eddie Jones is going to recall the old guard. Surely the old guard crashed and burned horrifically last season. […]

Lack of pool stage spoilt World Sevens

12 August 2018 0 comments

MOST people seem to agree the recent Sevens World Cup was a great success, but there was one element that caused some concern to coaches, […]

Shame Foden’s off, he still offers a lot

5 August 2018 1 comment

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email:[email protected] GOOD luck to Ben Foden on his new adventure […]

Get rid of the body armour and teach kids how to tackle

5 August 2018 0 comments

THE rise in head incidents in the game have been brought about inadvertently by the law makers. They allowed protective gear on the body which […]

Academy boys key to OE’s success

5 August 2018 0 comments

I READ with interest in the July 22 edition that Old Elthamians are putting in place a plan to challenge for the topflight. I hope […]

Great if Ealing stop this Irish yo-yoing

29 July 2018 0 comments

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: [email protected] WHAT is the problem with expanding the Premiership? […]

Looks like it’s up to OEs to rectify Kent’s under-achievement

29 July 2018 0 comments

NEALE Harvey’s article on Page 1 last week ought to cause the Kent RFU to sit up and take notice. Sadly, it probably won’t; it […]

Be careful or the game will go soft

29 July 2018 1 comment

I’M all for player welfare but the way our game is going, it will soon be touch football and all the players and supporters will […]

Hard job replacing world class talent

22 July 2018 1 comment

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: [email protected] SHOCKED and saddened to see Wales skipper Sam […]

Commentators’ use of metaphors for violence must end

22 July 2018 1 comment

ONE of the pleasures of the summer internationals were the calm and informative commentary performances by John Beattie and Chris Patterson on BBC Scotland. The […]

Alternative to the dismissal system

22 July 2018 0 comments

COLIN Boag (July 15) is rightly against replacing the red card system (dismissal) by something like the Rugby League on report system. Referees are in […]

Irish lifeline rescues Tom from the rugby wilderness

8 July 2018 1 comment

By NEALE HARVEY SARACENS hooker Tom Woolstencroft is ready to fight Lions star Jamie George for his place after being handed a golden chance to […]

Wasps’ great entertainers need proper forward clout

8 July 2018 1 comment

NICK CAIN ANALYSES THE WASPS SET-UP AND HIGHLIGHTS KEY AREAS THEY MUST IMPROVE TO BECOME CHAMPIONS AGAIN Key signing: former England prop Kieran Brookes will […]

Ashton return will up heat on Brown

8 July 2018 0 comments

GREAT to see Chris Ashton sign for Sale and open the door for an England return. Unlike with Steffon Armitage four years ago, Ashton has […]

RFU must nurture grassroots before they wither away

8 July 2018 0 comments

JEFF Probyn is bang on regarding the scandal of RFU junior staff and grassroots rugby being squeezed following apparent incompetence in the management of the […]

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