By JON NEWCOMBE PREVIEW… Benetton v Bath Today. Kick-off 1pm, Stadio di Monigo Ready for action: Vilikesa Sela and, right, Tommaso Menoncello PICTURES: Getty Images […]
By James Harrington Oyonnax’s seven-try 53-10 bonus-point win over ProD2 rivals Soyaux-Angouleme on Friday – their first victory since October 25 – was a relief […]
By Sam Jackson Clermont………..28 Benetton…………. 0 Clermont out-muscled Benetton to cruise to a commanding bonus point victory with Peceli Yato and Barnabe Massa both grabbing […]
By Ben Jaycock Stormers……….. 14 Toulon………….. 24 Match Action Toulon beat the Stormers in front of a bumper crowd at Nelson Mandela Stadium. The visitors […]
Match Preview By Jon Newcombe Bordeaux v Leicester Tigers Today. Kick-off 1pm, Stade Chaban-Delmas Joe Heyes is hoping that Leicester can rekindle a bit of […]
Preview Today. 1pm INVITATIONAL outfit the Cheetahs, led by DoR Frans Steyn, picked up two wins from four last season and qualified for the knockouts […]
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN IS there an early winter equivalent to the idiom about solitary swallows and the impending arrival of summer? Because – whatever […]
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN TOP 14 transfer speculation is always thoroughly entertaining, and this season has – so far – been no exception. In fact, […]
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Not wanted: Charles Ollivon has been omitted from the France squad by coach Fabien Galthie PICTURES Getty Images FRANCE head coach […]
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN THE November break cannot come quickly enough for Stade Francais, no matter what happens against Clermont in Paris on Saturday night […]
By Peter Ryan – @PeterRyanSports Wales said goodbye to another legend recently Jonathan Davies’ professional rugby career is over. It has been a storied rugby […]
By Gary Fitzgerald European glory days came thick and fast for Ross Molony during his love affair with his boyhood club Leinster. Yet, despite making […]
French Column – By James Harrington Racing 92’s veteran centre Henry Chavancy reached a remarkable career milestone on Saturday when he came on to replace […]
FORMER All Black winger Sitiveni Sivivatu has joined fifth-tier side Marlborough as a technical advisor. Sivivatu retired in 2011 having won 46 caps for New […]
JJ Hanrahan, the Munster, Northampton, Clermont, Dragons, and Connacht fly-half, chooses the best XV he has played with or against… 1. David Kilcoyne – I […]
James Harrington French column Last season, Stade Francais finished second in the Top 14 to qualify directly for the semi-finals – where an after-the-hooter conversion […]
RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER Impressive: Joel Merkler in action for Toulouse PICTURE: Getty Images IT’S been […]
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN FRANCE international Melvyn Jaminet is to appeal against a 34- week suspension and €30,000 fine imposed by the FFR’s disciplinary committee […]
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Promoted ProD2 winners Vannes will kick off their first-ever season in the Top 14 at home against 23-time French champions Toulouse […]
SARACENS have signed former England U18 forward Harry Wilson from Doncaster. The 27-year-old, who can play lock or back row, scored four tries for the […]
RUGBY MATTERS GO west young man. The phrase, attributed to American newspaper editor Horace Greeley, became a byword for the expansion of the United States […]
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN THE English Football League’s Championship play-off final is sometimes referred to as ‘the richest game in football’, with £100million of spoils […]
FRENCH COLUMN By JAMES HARRINGTON Jimmy Gopperth won’t be the oldest-ever player to feature in the Top 14 next season after all, after his Provence […]
By JON NEWCOMBE Still only 28, Rory Jennings is seeking the seventh full-time contract of his nomadic career after being released by Newcastle. By his […]
By JAMES HARRINGTON The ProD2 supplied a final glorious regular-season round for the ages in a perfectly timed reminder to broadcasters interested in bidding for […]
CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED SINCE time immemorial, rugby has been cloaked in its own cliches: Prince Obolensky was always “dashing”; Colin Meads lived his life […]
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN A matter of weeks after ProD2 strugglers Biarritz were sold for €1, Toulon owner Bernard Lemaitre suggested he might be willing […]
By BEN JAYCOCK The Sharks have endured an emotional rollercoaster this season but, after booking their place in the Challenge Cup final with yesterday’s sensational […]
JAMES HARRINGTON – FRENCH COLUMN More people than ever are flocking through the turnstiles of Top 14 and ProD2 matches, according to figures published by […]
Paul Rees looks ahead to the Champions Cup semi-finals where Quins and Saints are facing an uphill battle BEFORE this season’s Champions Cup started, there […]
In the course of wheeling their way into the Challenge Cup quarter-finals last weekend against the Cheetahs, the Michelin Men of Clermont brought a somewhat […]
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN To the relief of fans, white smoke was finally seen over the stand tops of Biarritz’s Parc des Sports d’Aguilera recently, […]
By PAUL REES PREVIEW… Toulouse vRacing 92 Today. Kick-off 3pm, Stade Ernest Wallon ROMAIN Ntamack starts his first match since suffering knee ligament damage in […]
Clermont ……..27 Cheetahs …….22 ■By BEN JAYCOCK THREE-TIME Challenge Cup winners Clermont held off a Cheetahs fightback to earn a place in the last eight. […]
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN LOUIS Carbonel’s immediate Top 14 future is in Montpellier. The question is: for how long? The Toulon-born fly-half has been the […]