It must be incredibly disappointing for this England side to get that close to a Grand Slam and lose in the manner they did at […]
Latest Posts
20 Questions: George Skivington – London Irish lock
Describe London Irish‘s season to date? A big learning curve before Christmas when I underestimated how hard it would be to gel things together. But […]
Nick Cain: Change now or else!
There’s been a marked reluctance in English rugby ranks to accept that the 2015 Rugby World Cup draw is by far the biggest banana skin […]
Heineken Cup quarter-finals: teams
Clermont v Montpellier Clermont: Byrne; Sivivatu, Rougerie (Capt.), Fofana, Nalaga ; Radosavljevic, Parra; Domingo, Kayser, Zirakashvili; Cudmore, Hines; Vosloo, Bardy, Bonnaire. Replacements: Paulo, Bedaty, Kotze, Pierre, […]
Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals: teams
Wasps v Leinster London Wasps: Daly; Wade, Masi, Bell, Varndell; Robinson, Simpson; Taulafo,Thomas, Swainston; Palmer, Wentzel (Capt.); Launchbury, Sa. Jones, Johnson. Replacements: Lindsay, Payne, Taylor, […]
James Stephenson to join Warriors
Worcester Warriors have boosted their backline ahead of next season with the signing of exciting Bedford Blues winger James Stephenson. Stephenson, who joins on a […]
Gloucester swept aside by Biarritz
Gloucester’s European campaign came to an abrupt end last night with a 41-31 defeat to Biarritz in the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals at Kingsholm. Mike […]
Andrew Sheridan is backed for Lions call-up by rival Dan Cole
Leicester prop Dan Cole prepared for his first competitive tussle with Andrew Sheridan next week by insisting the Lions cannot afford to ignore the form […]
My Life in Rugby: Dan Scarbrough – former England, Leeds, Saracens and Racing Metro full-back
I got my first cap in a World Cup warm-up game against Wales in 2003 knowing that I had one shot to be on the […]
Peter Jackson: Hold it all! England have won the title…
When the Six Nations discuss the ‘on-going’ issue of bonus points, they would be well advised to examine the distorted impact it would have had […]
Wasps snap up Bedford flyer
London Wasps have signed highly rated young winger Josh Bassett from Bedford Blues. Bassett topped the RFU Championship try-scoring charts last season with 14 and […]
Mike Tindall captains Gloucester against Biarritz
Mike Tindall returns to the Gloucester starting line up and will captain the Cherry and Whites as they welcome Biarritz to Kingsholm in tonight’s Amlin […]
Nick Cain assesses the potential outcomes of the Heineken Cup quarter-finals
Can England’s leading club sides come up trumps when it is all on the line, or will they follow in the footsteps of Stuart Lancaster’s […]
Sevens ace Cory Allen set to be Wales’ next big thing
It hardly seems fair for Wales to unearth another back with the size of Goliath and accuracy of David’s slingshot but that is just what […]
Dream Team: John Andress – Worcester and former Ulster, Harlequins and Exeter prop
1. Ceri Jones – He’s a good mate of mine and someone I’ve got to know well down the years. He’s a cracking player and […]
Jeff Probyn: Selection of Marler cost England the game
As the wheels fell off England‘s Chariot in Cardiff I couldn’t help thinking that it was probably for the best. The meteoric rise in the […]
Bath confirm Matt Garvey signing
As revealed by Neil Fissler in The Rugby Paper months ago, London Irish forward Matt Garvey will join Bath next season. Capable of covering both […]
George North is urged to get Test clearance
Wales have asked George North to ensure he protects his international future before completing his proposed £250,000 transfer to Northampton. WRU officials have advised the […]
Top English clubs would ‘welcome’ Welsh tie-up
A senior Welsh official last night claimed that some English clubs would welcome reviving Anglo-Welsh competition – and even the idea of Wales‘ four regional […]
Room 101: James Tincknell – Doncaster centre
1. Sleep jackers There is nothing I like more than a good night’s kip. However, living where I do, in a shared house, it is […]
London Irish and Sale almost safe after entertaining draw
London Irish and Sale have almost secured their place in the Premiership as they drew 33-33 in a very entertaining game at the Madjeski Stadium […]
Young Gun: George McGuigan – Ireland U20 hooker
This year’s Six Nations has been a frustrating one for Ireland U20s but for Newcastle hooker George McGuigan the most important part was securing the […]
Jeremy Guscott: Don’t despair, we will come good
Stuart Lancaster has said he wants his England side to have amassed 600 caps between them before the 2015 World Cup…and yesterday in the Millennium […]
20 Questions: Rob Buchanan – Harlequins hooker
Looking forward to today’s LV Cup final? Everyone wants to play in finals and after the way we played against Bath last weekend, I think […]
Premiership round 19: teams
Bath v London Welsh Bath: Devoto; Agulla, Banahan, Eastmond, Rokoduguni; Donald, Stringer; James, Webber, Wilson; Hooper (Capt.), Day; Louw, Gilbert, Fearns. Replacements: Batty, Catt, Perenise, Skirving, […]
RaboDirect Pro12 round 19: teams
Cardiff Blues v Ospreys Cardiff Blues: Halfpenny; O. Williams, Evans (Capt.), Hewitt,Robinson; Patchell, L. Williams; Hobbs, Breeze, Andrews; Paulo, Reed; Paterson, Warburton, Hamilton. Replacements: Dacey, […]
Nick Cain: Gatland must think French
There are not many Lions coaches who go into a tour on the back of a vintage Six Nations, and Warren Gatland is no exception. […]
Shane Williams, Sean Holley and Gareth Chilcott talk about touring with the Lions
A star studded cast of sporting heroes assembled in front of around 100 privileged audience members at the Park Plaza Hotel in Cardiff on Tuesday […]
Billy Twelvetrees has vision to perform Ma’a Nonu role for England
Brian Ashton believes that centre Billy Twelvetrees holds the key to the next stage of England‘s evolution as an attacking force. After scoring 38 points […]
My Life in Rugby: Glenn Gelderbloom – former Western Province, Leicester and Plymouth centre
I’ve got my wife Sacha to thank for two Heineken Cups and three Premiership titles because she convinced me when I was reluctant to join […]
Northampton v Leicester: preview
This weekend’s big Aviva Premiership game is at Franklin’s Gardens, where Northampton Saints play host to their local rivals Leicester Tigers. The Saints currently lie […]
Peter Jackson: Welsh will grab Lions share for Australia
After smashing the team that smashed the All Blacks, Wales will take the Lions’ share when the Test series begins against Australia this summer. No […]
The inside story on fearsome Maurie Fa’asavalu
When flanker Maurie Fa’asavalu signed for Harlequins in 2010, director of rugby Conor O’Shea knew what he was getting: a hard man, an enforcer, someone […]
Dream Team: Dan Montagu – Nottingham No.8
1. Mark Irish – He is a great hard-working forward, who gets around the field. He is a rock and has a solid ability at […]
England star Ollie Phillips backs Sevens to make global impact
Each year, the National School Sevens grows bigger and stronger to be the world’s largest school tournament and, with 626 teams coming from 450 schools, […]
Jeff Probyn: End this cult of ‘superstar’ refs and sort out the scrum
If there is one thing that has made this Six Nations Championship more memorable than most, it is the controversy that has surrounded the referees. In almost […]
Nikki Walker to join Edinburgh
Scotland international Nikki Walker has been released early from his contract with Worcester Warriors and will move to Edinburgh next season. The 31-year-old winger joined […]
Northampton Saints will pay £250k to sign big George North
Northampton Saints have offered the Scarlets £250,000 for George North and the deal could be completed within the next seven days. It would be the […]
Baxter and Gustard to tango with England
Exeter Chiefs Director of Rugby Rob Baxter and Saracens Defence and Forwards Coach Paul Gustard will join the England coaching team for the tour to […]
Referees for Lions tour named
Chris Pollock, Craig Joubert and Romain Poite have been named as the three match officials for the upcoming British and Irish Lions tour. Kiwi Pollock […]
Premiership Try of the Week – Round 18
London Wasps centre Elliot Daly’s wonder-try against Northampton on Saturday has been voted the Premiership Try of the Week for the Round 18. Wasps launched […]
London Welsh fail appeal
London Welsh have failed their appeal against the five-point deduction and £15,000 fine they received for fielding an eligible player. They were found guilty earlier […]
Revealed: Major gulf in funding of top clubs
Premier Rugby Ltd is facing serious questions over the huge differences between the funding provided to its ‘founder’ clubs compared to promoted clubs. The Rugby […]
Room 101: George Skivington – London Irish lock
1. Man of the Match nominations There’s a few times when I’ve played in games and thought I’d be in contention for the MOM award […]
Nick Cain assesses the relative strengths and weaknesses of England and Italy
Italy have yet to beat England in the Six Nations, and, given that their only away win in the tournament since they joined it 13 […]
Young Gun: Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi – Northampton prop
Being picked to start for England U20s on home soil at Franklin’s Gardens against Italy – Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi admits he could not have asked for […]
Jeremy Guscott: Grand Slam won’t faze this England
Wales are a dangerous side if they bring their best game to Cardiff on Saturday against England because they have ability man-for-man in their backline. […]
20 Questions: James Gaskell – Sale lock/flanker
Tough season to date? Very, both physically and mentally. But as a younger player you might as well learn the hard way and hopefully it’ll […]
Nick Cain: Let Welsh go Scott-free and return their points
Tyson Keats is innocent. Mike Scott is not. That was the only verdict that was clear in the Friday night disciplinary fog as the RFU […]
London Welsh can only wait
London Welsh have been heard in their appeal in the Tyson Keats case last night in London but the RFU said in a statement that […]
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