Leo Fielding, the Blackheath and former London Scottish and Cinderford centre/full-back, chooses the Best XV he has played with or against… 1. Trevor Davison – […]
Latest Posts
Good on Farrell for putting his family first
JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK Owen Farrell’s decision to step away from England duty was a surprise, but almost all of the comments […]
Barbeary double has Bath in joyful mood
BY MARK STEVENS Bath ……………………………….41pts Tries: Barbeary 7, 66; Redpath 21, Spencer 43, Cokanasiga 63, Butt 71 Conversions: Russell 22, 64, 67, 72 Penalty: Slade 31 […]
Baxter: We lose direction quickly
Rob Baxter insisted his young side will need to address on-field discipline if they are to keep pace with the frontrunners in the Premiership. Baxter […]
Battling Saints too strong for Saracens
By BRENDAN GALLAGHER Saracens ……………………… 12pts Tries: Parton 59, Lewington 72 Conversion: Vunipola 73 Northampton Saints…… 18pts Tries: Sleightholme 51, Mitchell 66 Conversions: Smith 52 […]
Dogged defence delights Dowson
Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson was proud of how his side managed to boss the breakdown while maintaining discipline. He said: “We talked a […]
Bears hit 50 to leave Gloucester in a heap
By ROGER PANTING Bristol Bears ………………..51pts Tries: Malins 10, Genge 19, Randall 25, 41; Harding 30, Batley 48, Thacker 71 Conversions: Sheedy 19, 25, 30, […]
‘We have lost some of our ferocity’
Following this latest defeat, Gloucester coach George Skivington believes his side needed a reset. He said: “For most of last season our pack was dominant […]
Itoje is the best man to captain England
NICK CAIN – READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Maro Itoje should be England’s next captain following Owen Farrell’s decision to make himself unavailable for […]
Don’t confuse hatred on social media with responsible debate
NO-ONE in their right mind wanted to see Owen Farrell exit the international stage after announcing this week that he wants to prioritise his and […]
We are getting better at the basics, says coach Millard
Harlequins boss Billy Millard explained that improved fundamentals were key to Quins finding their groove as they bounced back from consecutive defeats. “For us to […]
Smith calls shots as Quins put on a show
By NICK POWELL Harlequins ………………….. 36pts Tries: Green 9, Care 43, Riley 51, Joseph 59, 72 Conversions: Smith 11, 44, 61; Evans 73 Penalties: Smith […]
Falcons are trapped with nowhere to go
CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED IT WAS a clear-cut case of “capitalism gone mad” as the loadsamoney class snapped up English club rugby in the spending […]
Exodus of talent isn’t always a disaster
Sabbaticals are all the rage. Sam Cane, the New Zealand captain who chased gold at the recent World Cup but ended up seeing red, is […]
Cross is determined to keep Reffell quiet
By JON NEWCOMBE In-form Newcastle flanker Sam Cross returns to the scene of his first professional game confident the Premiership’s bottom side can pull off […]
Winger who is learning new tricks with Tigers
By PAUL REES PREVIEW… Leicester Tigers v Newcastle Falcons Today. Kick-off 3pm, Welford Road Ollie Hassell-Collins appeared to be in for a rugby lifestyle change […]
John was the first to sidestep celebrity
PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW OWEN Farrell‘s maternal grandfather had only just begun creating the ultimate Anglo-Irish dynasty when word from the […]
Nos Da, Dennis, my lovely boy
Dennis Gethin would have been highly amused had someone told him that his 12-year presidential reign on this side of the Atlantic equalled Franklin Delano […]
Cane is on message as a Goliath
Sam Cane made sure of saying all the right things about the Japanese League on his arrival in the Land of the Rising Sun as […]
Red Roses: Natasha Hunt
GLOUCESTER-HARTPURY SCRUM-HALF Birthplace: Gloucester, Date of Birth: 21/03/89 Community Club: Drybrook RFC, Red Roses Debut: 2011 vs USA, Caps: 67 Why I play rugby: I […]
Dominant Saracens get ready for lift-off
By EDDIE MCATEER Harlequins ……………………0pts Saracens …………………….31pts Tries: Campbell 25, Packer 38, Farries 59, 78; Penalty 65 Conversions: De Goede 26, 60 SARACENS continued their […]
Jones looking forward to Tigers’ double header
By BEN JAYCOCK First try: Meg Jones scoring against Gloucester PREVIEW… Leicester Tigers v Loughborough Today. 5.30pm AS well as competing in an inaugural derby […]
Beckett and Sing secure the spoils in derby clash
By STEWART MCCULLOGH Bristol Bears ….. 0pts Gloucester-H … 12pts Tries: Beckett 5, Sing 54 Conversions: Sing 5 GLOUCESTER-Hartpury head coach Sean Lynn praised his […]
Quite right, Jerry Time to cut subs
SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: [email protected] JEREMY Guscott was absolutely correct in his article […]
Game is bigger than RFU Board and Premiership
THE more I learn of the dire situation English rugby finds itself in, the more I worry that our government is not the only institution […]
Don’t give lifelines
IF Wasps, Worcester, and London Irish are gifted lifelines, then it would be an absolute disgrace – surely it can never be allowed to happen? […]
Oghre enjoying life with Bristol
By PAUL REES Gabriel Oghre was one of a number of players who last season found themselves having to pick up the pieces after their […]
Matavesi happy he is back home in Cornwall
By MARK STEVENS Among the quaint villages and historic towns that dot the local landscape, Josh Matavesi has once again discovered the magic of his […]
Coach to Coach with Taff Gwilliam
Steve Hill speaks to Taff Gwilliam who last season lead Kent to their first County Championship title since 1927 and is currently director of rugby […]
A case of third time lucky for Neville
RUGBY MATTERS – A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER Sport is full of sliding doors moments, and one of the […]
Time to enforce law on quick tapped penalties
RUGBY MATTERS I can’t remember the last time I saw a quick tapped penalty taken correctly yet refs and assistant refs are absolutely draconian in […]
Heartbreak for Ospreys as Benetton snatch it
By ROB COLE Benetton ……….. 18pts Tries: Bernasconi 16, Da Re 76 Conversions: Umaga 17 Penalties: Umaga 65, 69 Ospreys …………. 13pts Tries: Nagy 42, […]
Six-try Bulls gear up for Saracens
By BEN JAYCOCK Bulls …………… 44 Sharks ………… 10 THE Bulls showed their quality with a six-try thrashing of the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld before […]
Stormers start to show some form
By SAM JACKSON Stormers ……..31 Zebre ……………..7 THEY are not looking like the URC champions they once were but the Stormers’ straightforward win over Zebre […]
14-man Lions too good for Dragons
By HAMISH Lions……………… 49pts Tries: van Wyck 11, Horn 28, 70; van der Merwe 43, 77; van der Berg 57 Conversions: Nohamba 29, 44, 53, […]
Frawley runs home late winner
By KEVIN FALLON Connacht ……..22 Leinster ………. 24 CIARAN Frawley was the hero for Leinster as he struck for a match-winning try in the 81st […]
Ritchie earns Everitt praise
By JOHN FALLON Ulster ………….. 24 Edinburgh …….27 EDINBURGH coach Sean Everitt said they were good value for their first win in Belfast in five […]
Rowntree: We need to get better
By JOHN FALLON Munster ……….40 Glasgow ……….29 GLASGOW coach Franco Smith said they could have few complaints about the outcome at Musgrave Park against the […]
Big clubs ready to rumble
Paul Rees looks forward to the Champions Cup, kicking off this weekend THE Champions Cup returns this week with a tweaked format that does away […]
Georgia happy to be joining the party
The Challenge Cup is being used to widen boundaries. A Georgian side, Black Lion which will play its home matches in Tbilisi, has been included […]
Iosefa-Scott happy he took chance with Chiefs
By PAUL REES Josh Iosefa-Scott was stunned when Exeter contacted his agent two years ago. The 22st England qualified prop was playing for Waikato and […]
Gray inspires Hartpury to leave Cov at starting gate
By PAUL SMITH Coventry ………..29pts Tries: Tries: Kvesic 9, Chilvers 19, Rigg 55, Wand 80 Conversions: Mitchell 9, 55, 80 Pens: Mitchell (52) Hartpury Uni […]
Delight for Scottish as they grab first win of season
By MATTHEW LUDDINGTON London Scots ………………. 19pts Tries: Ingall 2, Marshall 40, Musk 80 Conversions: Lloyd-Seed 40, 80 E Trailfinders ………………. 17pts Tries: Willemse 18, […]
Winless Cambridge push scrappy Nottingham all the way
By ROB WILDMAN Nottingham……22pts Tries: Woodward 9, Ramage 13, Owen 29, Dickinson 46 Conversions: Hollingsworth 13 Cambridge ……. 19pts Tries: Caven 4, Hanks 6, Edwards […]
Doncaster hoping to make most of long trip
By BEN JAYCOCK PREVIEW… Cornish v Doncaster Pirates Today. Kick-off 2.30pm Mennaye Field DONCASTER Knights embark on one of the longest trips of the season […]
Looking back is not Morley’s way to take his team forward
By BEN CONEYBEARE Success is addictive, and once a team has had a taste of it, they can become preoccupied with chasing the phantoms of […]
In-form Chinnor show why they are riding high
By RHYS PAUL Leicester L …… 15 Chinnor………….40 CHINNOR maintained their top-of-the-table challenge with a comprehensive victory. The Lions started strongly and took the lead […]
Honey seals sweetest win in classic contest
By RICHARD ASHTON Rams ………………22pts Tries: McRae 40, Jones 58, Kalling-Smith 74 Conversions: Honey 40, 58 Penalties: Honey 79 Tries: Daly 3, 61 Conversions: Putt […]
Luis has a Ball as Stortford win dourest battle
By JOHN ALLANSON Bishop’s S…………… 13 Darlington MP……… 6 THE freezing cold conditions made handling difficult and, as far as could be discerned from the […]
Hosts pay price as visitors Sale away
By MIKE AMOS Taunton Titans…..32 Sale FC…………………56 A TAUNTON yellow card and three penalties against them saw three kicks to the corner, three mauls and […]