SARACENS proved they are still ahead of the field with last Saturday’s triumph over Sale, but I back Alex Sanderson’s side to give them an […]
Latest Posts
How Ellie fell back in love with the game
By BEN JAYCOCK HAVING turned away from the sport as a teenager, Sevens flyer Ellie Boatman is now revelling in the newly formed Great Britain […]
Dream Team with Dan Barnes
The Jersey and former London Scottish, Rosslyn Park, Henley and Wasps academy centre, chooses the best XV he has played with or against… 1. Beno […]
Hard to see who can catch Saracens
JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK It’s hard to predict whether this will be the start of a period of dominance for Saracens but […]
Gatland releases Carre after he fails to hit targets
Cardiff prop Rhys Carre has been released from Wales’ World Cup training squad having “failed to meet individual performance targets”. “Rhys Carre has been released […]
Graham struggling to land a new deal
By JON NEWCOMBE EXCLUSIVE Homeless, a second child on the way and no job. That is the brutal reality confronting Gary Graham as one of […]
Time to call up X-factor reserves
NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Where can Steve Borthwick find the X-factor players to take England back to the top of the […]
Too many young players rejected too soon
Georgia’s U20 victory over England is an example of one country making the most of their resources, while the other is failing to do so, […]
Davies makes her mark as Wasps bow out
By FERGUS MAINLAND Wasps…………………..22 Bristol………………….. 41 After 38 years in the top tier of women’s rugby, Wasps bowed out with a loss to Bristol Bears. […]
It’s 12 in a row for Saracens
By HARRY SCOTT-MUNRO Loughborough……. 14 Saracens…………….. 21 Saracens secured a 12th straight bonus-point win but results elsewhere meant they will travel away from home in […]
Rogers makes sure for Chiefs
By JAMES FOWLER Gloucester-H………. 19 Exeter…………………..58 Exeter Chiefs produced a scintillating performance to thrash table topers Gloucester-Hartpury at the ALPAS arena. The visitors were the […]
Thrilling deadlock at Sixways
By SAM BYTHEWAY Worcester……………33 Harlequins…………..33 Harlequins and Worcester ended their seasons with a thrilling draw in fabulous conditions at Sixways. Lauren Brooks opened the scoring […]
Thorpe steers Sale home
By TOM BULMER DMP Sharks………….. 5 Sale Sharks…………34 An entertaining clash saw Sale Sharks win the battle over their northern namesakes in Round 18. Sale […]
Warriors laugh off Farrell switch
ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Wigan Warriors have moved to put distance between themselves and a reported big-money cross-code move to take England skipper […]
Arundell and Pearson on Bath’s radar
ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Bath will waste no time this week to cherry-pick the best talent if, as expected, on Tuesday, London Irish […]
Van Vuuren keen to join Premiership
ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Lions lock Pieter Jansen Van Vuuren, who is reaching the end of his deal with the Ellis Park-based outfit, […]
Cardiff facing battle for prop Rae
ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Cardiff are keen on signing Bath tighthead prop D’arcy Rae, below, but they are facing a late bid for […]
Rimmer’s top job after race storm
ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER At the end of last week, Ralph Rimmer was appointed as an independent adviser by the government to work […]
Helping to develop the best referees
Paul Rees talks to Chris White about the specialist programme which has trained some of the top refs in world rugby Chris White refereed in […]
Time we got round to telling full story
CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST “No story lives unless someone wants to listen.” So said J KRowling, who knows a thing or two about storytelling: the […]
Freedom of speech cuts both ways
If Steve Hansen did a million things right over the long stretch of a storied career as an All Black think-tanker, not even his closest […]
I love playing in ‘rugby city’, says Williams
By BEN JAYCOCK James Williams has enjoyed a breakthrough season in the top flight with Bristol Bears but is disappointed his side couldn’t reward their […]
Stewart steps up for Ireland squad
Ulster hooker Tom Stewart, who set the record for the most tries in a URC season with 16, is one of four uncapped players in […]
No Webb or Carre but plenty of talent
SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND We have a summer of international rugby to look forward to before Wales get to the World Cup in […]
One night in St Helens made us all feel good
SHANE WILLIAMS For all those ‘Doubting Thomases’ out there who keep thinking there is nothing good left in Welsh rugby then Wednesday night at St […]
15 stars of a bonkers season
Paul Rees selects his team of the tournament from the Gallagher Premiership 2022/23 The most emotionally charged Premiership campaign finished as it started, overshadowed by […]
Shock for England as Georgia take it
England U20s tour to Georgia By BEN JAYCOCK Georgia……………40pts Tries: Tsirekidze 11, Khutsishvili 14, Tohamiashvili 38, Ohumburidze 49, Dvali 67, 74 Conversions: Khutsishvili 12, 15, […]
Bracken strikes to give Mapletoft winning start
Georgia………….36 England…………41 CHARLIE Bracken scored a 78th minute winner to hand new boss Mark Mapletoft a debut win over Georgia last weekend. England took the […]
McCaw tips Wales to cause carnage
THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW When it comes to talking about ‘carnage’ at the World Cup, nobody is more impeccably qualified on the subject […]
Keyboard warriors target Carre case
The Welsh Rugby Union has been bombarded from all directions all year that it seems almost unfair to point out that they are under renewed […]
Eddie is putting his mind to it
PETER JACKSON Australia scrum-half Nic White came up with an interesting observation on Eddie Jones finding room for three psychologists in the Wallaby entourage as […]
My Life in Rugby with Allan Jacobsen: ‘Simple Minds? No, I put up posters of David Sole’
The former Scotland prop and all-time appearance record holder for Edinburgh When I was a boy growing up in the 80s I didn’t have posters […]
Stunning Munster are the best of the bunch
RUGBY MATTERS – A weekly look at the game’s other talking points What with an epic Champions Cup final and a very high-quality conclusion to the […]
Bastareaud deserves his cheering send-off, too
Sergio Parisse’s long farewell has taken centre stage recently but let’s hear it also for Mathieu Bastareaud who also took his farewell at the Stade […]
After 96 years, Kent get to wear a county crown again
Bill Beaumont County Cup Division One By BEN JAYCOCK Kent are seen as an ‘unfashionable county’ with zero of their clubs represented inside the top […]
Lancashire woe as Smith’s last-gasp kick goes wide
KENT secured their first Bill Beaumont Men’s County Championship in 96 years with an incredible 39- 37 comeback win over Lancashire, who came up just […]
Ireland on fire as Oxfordshire too strong for Essex ESS
By MO SHER Division Three Essex………………………………………………7 Oxfordshire………………………………… 42 nBy THE defending champions showed their class in Ealing to eventually overpower a game Essex side, six […]
Division Two
Dorset & Wilts.37 Durham…………..15 A BRUISING contest went the way of the men from the south, who combined brutal power, intricate finesse and calmness of […]
Lancashire find it pays to talk
Gill Burns Cup By BEN JAYCOCK Before the County Cup season started, Lancashire women’s head coach Chris Hall encouraged his side to spend more time […]
Wallace keeps Bucks at bay
Champions: Lancashire celebrate at Twickenham PICTURES: RFU LANCASHIRE secured the Gill Burns County Championship with a sublime display to beat Buckinghamshire 25-15. Tries from Zena […]
Young Guns: Scarlets & Wales U20 scrum-half Archie Hughes
Archie Hughes is looking to show the Scarlets and the world what he can do at the U20s World Championship later this month in South […]
Harvey set for life on the other side
By RICHARD KITZINGER After 11 seasons with Taunton Titans, Brett Harvey has decided it’s time to enjoy the game from the other side of the […]
Wilkins leaving Saints for France
NORTHAMPTON back rower Karl Wilkins has left to join French second-tier club US Montauban. The 27-year-old made 14 appearances over two seasons after returning to […]
Interviews set for WRU chair
INTERVIEWS for a new independent chair are set to start after the WRU finalised a shortlist of candidates as part of a major overhaul of […]
Sleeping giant that is struggling to wake up
Peter Jackson consults his stats book to see which teams are the best-supported in Europe’s big leagues Crowd pleasers: Leicester Tigers No.9 Jack van Poortvliet […]
Luctonians, Lions share spoils
THE BEST XV FROM THE 2022-23 SEASON Ben Jaycock canvassed the views of our National Two West reporters to compile The Rugby Paper’s 2022-23 Team […]
Oosthuizen goes home to be a Shark again
NEWS EXTRA SPRINGBOK prop Coenie Oosthuizen will leave Premiership finalists Sale to return to South Africa and re-join URC side the Sharks. The 34-year-old joined […]
Exeter’s Simmonds signs for Pau
TOP 14 side Pau have signed Exeter Chiefs fly-half Joe Simmonds on a twoyear deal. The 26-year-old, who captained Exeter to the 2020 European Champions […]
Scarlets make van den Berg forwards coach
FORMER South Africa lock Albert van den Berg, 49, is the Scarlets new forwards coach, replacing Ben Franks who has returned to New Zealand.Van den […]
Burnfield quits Quins to join newcomers
ENGLAND second row Rowena Burnfield will leave Harlequins to join Premier 15s newcomers Ealing next season. Ealing director of rugby Giselle Mather said: “The example […]
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