This is a game England should have won – it was the next logical step in their progression under Stuart Lancaster and this will act […]
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Opponents confirmed for 2013 QBE internationals
England will play three consecutive Test matches against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand in next year’s QBE Internationals, The Rugby Football Union confirmed today. All […]
20 Questions: Jimmy Gopperth – Newcastle fly-half
Happy with your season so far? Can’t complain. We’re unbeaten in the league and, on the back of a great performance against Tonga last Tuesday, […]
Fearless Freddie Burns gets his chance – Mike Tindall
Gloucester player-coach Mike Tindall believes 22-year-old Freddie Burns will have no problem stepping into international rugby should he feature against the All Blacks tomorrow. The […]
“We’re getting more and more confident” – Tom Varndell
London Wasps are travelling to Sandy Park tomorrow to face Exeter looking to carry on their good run of form against one of the toughest nut to […]
Owen Farrell starts against All Blacks for England
As expected, Owen Farrell will lead the England attack on Saturday against New Zealand starting at fly-half. The new IRB Player of the Year nominee […]
Premiership round 10: previews and predictions
Harlequins v Worcester Harlequins have made three changes to the starting XV that played Bath last weekend for the reception of Worcester tonight. Seb Stegmann […]
Wales v Australia teams
Wales v Australia teams Wales have made four changes to the side that lost to the All Blacks last weekend for their match against Australia […]
RaboDirect Pro12 round 10 preview
Ospreys v Cardiff Blues Samoan international Kahn Fotuali’i return from international duties to start at scrum-half captain the Ospreys as they host the Blues in […]
Nick Cain: Thomson’s escape shows bias towards All Blacks
The fawning towards all things All Black by the game’s officials goes on unabated with the latest example being the one-week ban given to Adam […]
England won’t regret saddling up with Matt Parker
Matt Parker will have no problem in transferring his cycling success to the rugby field, according to one of his key associates. Parker, one of […]
My Life in Rugby: Budge Pountney – former Northampton and Scotland back row
When Northampton won the Heineken Cup in 2000 you won’t see a single picture of me and Alan Bateman at the post-match celebrations. The rest […]
Peter Jackson: The force is no longer with Welsh club rugby
There used to be a time when Wales–England matches required a heavier police presence on the field than off it, when the boys in blue […]
Lions Greatest XV: full-backs
As the last line of defence, the full-back must be a good tackler with safe hands and a fair bit of pace to come into […]
Dan Carter set to start for the All Blacks
There will be a battle of the IRB player of the year nominees at fly-half between Owen Farrell and Dan Carter on Saturday as the […]
Manu Tuilagi can turn into a playmaker like Ma’a Nonu
Of all the conundrums Stuart Lancaster needs to solve before the All Blacks come to town, the most pressing is – to paraphrase the musical […]
Farrell shortlisted for IRB Player of the Year
England fly-half Owen Farrell has been nominated for the International Rugby Board’s Player of the Year award. Farrell has been shortlisted alongside All Blacks duo […]
Dream Team: Sililo Martens – former Scarlets, Sale and Tonga scrum-half
1. Andrew Sheridan – Lived in the gym and would eat little children for lunch! He was always very dedicated to his training and scrummaging […]
John Mitchell officially joins Sale
As expected and revealed in The Rugby Paper over a month ago, John Mitchell has taken over as a member of Sale‘s Rugby Strategy Management […]
Jeff Probyn: RFU ‘blazers’ are value for money – unlike others!
The relevance of the RFU Council was brought into question in last week’s paper by former chairman of the management board Martin Thomas. He said […]
Openside gambit from Luke Wallace: “I’ll oust Chris Robshaw”
Ultra-competitive Harlequins flanker Luke Wallace believes he could provide the long-term answer to England‘s search for a genuine openside. And he has put Quins team-mate […]
“We must be the No.1 team in the world now” – Gary Street
With England wrapping up their second consecutive Test-Series win over the Black Ferns last night, Gary Street was adamant his side was now the best […]
England Women beat New Zealand to seal Series win
England have secured their second consecutive Test Series win over New Zealand with a 17-8 victory in Aldershot yesterday. With the score stuck at 10-8 […]
Brian Mujati set to leave Saints for Racing with Tonga’uiha
South African Brian Mujati is set to leave the Midlands for Racing Metro at the end of the season. 28-year-old Mujati is reportedly eager for […]
Referee Nigel Owens blocked Chris Robshaw’s call change
Captain Chris Robshaw tried to change his mind over his dramatic decision to kick for the posts rather than chase a winning try in yesterday’s […]
Live: England Women v New Zealand Women 2nd Test
Live running commentary from our man Nick Verdier as England Women take on New Zealand in the second of their three-Test Series in Aldershot. Live […]
Premiership round 9 review
Bath (beat Harlequins 21-18) While the talk is all about Gloucester in the West Country, Bath are quietly becoming a force to be reckoned with […]
Wasps appoint new CEO
London Wasps announced today the appointment of Nick Eastwood as the club’s new Chief Executive Officer. Eastwood, a former Finance Director at the RFU for […]
Autumn Internationals week 3 Round up
I’ve never believed in the media hype but if people are wondering the effect of the press on players just look at Chris Robshaw‘s decision […]
Freddie Burns called up by England
Freddie Burns has been called up to the England squad ahead of the clash against New Zealand next Saturday. The Gloucester fly-half has been in […]
Spirited London Wasps tame Leicester Tigers
London Wasps remained unbeaten at home with a spirited 14-12 win over the Leicester Tigers at Adams Park today. As a result, the Men in […]
Room 101: Duncan Bell – Former Bath and England prop
1. Speeding fine injustice Now, don’t get the wrong idea…I’m no ‘Driving Miss Daisy’, nor, by the same token, am I Ayrton Sienna. But for […]
Scarlets claim historic win in Cork against Munster
The Scarlets claimed an historic 13-6 win against Munster in dreadful weather conditions in Cork today. The score was close all game but a try […]
Andy Robinson quits Scotland’s head coaching role
Scotland head coach Andy Robinson has announced today he is stepping down from his role with immediate effect. The decision follows their embarrassing 21-15 defeat […]
Live: Munster v Scarlets
Live running commentary from our man Nick Verdier as Munster take on Scarlets in the ninth round of the RaboDirect Pro12 at Musgrave Park in […]
Nick Cain talks to Danny Cipriani about his challenge at Sale, tackling and England
Danny Cipriani has found himself in the headlines over the last few weeks, but they have not been of his own making. Sir Clive Woodward’s […]
Live: London Wasps v Leicester
Live running commentary from our man Nick Verdier as London Wasps take on Leicester in the ninth round of the Aviva Premiership at Adams Park […]
England lose to Springboks at HQ
England suffered a 16-15 defeat to South Africa in a bruising battle at Twickenham today. It was all about penalties in the first half with […]
Young Gun: Ethan Waller – Northampton prop
His brother already has a Heineken Cup final appearance to his name, and was the only player to turn out in every Northampton Premiership game […]
Saints beat the Exiles at the Gardens
Northampton secured their second win in as many weeks with a 23-16 success over London Welsh at Franklin’s Gardens. Two first half tries helped the […]
Gloucester cement place in Top 4 with win over Sale
Gloucester have cemented their place in the Top Four of the Premiership with a dominant 29-3 win over Sale at Kingsholm. In difficult conditions, Freddie […]
Jeremy Guscott: Wales must act quickly to stop the talent drain
With the news that Jamie Roberts has decided to move on from Cardiff Blues, Roger Lewis chief executive of the Welsh RU and the chairmen/benefactors […]
Live: England v South Africa
Live running commentary from our man Nick Verdier as England take on South Africa in the third of their Autumn Tests at Twickenham. Live coverage […]
Goode gets the goods for Worcester against Saracens
Andy Goode was once again on song with the boot as Worcester secured a try-less 12-3 win over Saracens at Sixways. The former England fly-half […]
Donald boots Bath to victory at The Rec
Stephen Donald won the battle of the boot against fellow All Black Nick Evans to help Bath to a 21-18 over Harlequins at The Rec. […]
England Women beat Black Ferns in first Test
England women have drawn first blood in the three-Test series against New Zealand with a spirited 16-13 win at Esher RFC tonight. England took a […]
20 Questions: Vasily Artemyev – Northampton wing
How’s your season been so far? It’s been very challenging but very enjoyable. Northampton‘s a good place to be and a great place to play […]
“We stopped doing the hard graft up front” – Northampton’s Ken Pisi
Last week against the Dragons, Northampton ended a four-game losing streak which saw them go from unbeaten at top of the Premiership to fifth in […]
Nick Cain: Bending the ref’s ear should be binned
One of the worst aspects of the new TMO intervention on foul play is the sharp increase in players badgering referees and their assistants to […]
“They have thrown the challenge back to us” – Black Ferns’ Brian Evans
Black Ferns head coach Brian Evans is under no illusion over the scale of the challenge ahead as his side begin their three-match series against […]
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