Premium - News, interviews, reports, analysis and opinion

Tag: Premium

Simon Halliday’s blast: The RFU keeps ignoring the Championship

23 March 2025 1 comment

By Nick Cain Simon Halliday has slammed the proposed loan bail-out for Newcastle Falcons, the Premiership’s basement club, and the continued lockdown on promotion-relegation. Halliday […]

It’s France, not the British and Irish Lions, for Shaun Edwards

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Peter Jackson Shaun Edwards will be tackling a ‘unique challenge’ in the Southern Hemisphere this summer instead of making a long overdue comeback with […]

Recruitment freeze as Newcastle Falcons look for £5m

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Paul Rees Newcastle have frozen recruitment until their finances are sorted out with other clubs considering a £5m loan to make sure the Falcons […]

Henry Slade: Exeter Chiefs want to finish with a flourish

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Mark Stevens Henry Slade aims to use the frustrations of missing England’s final two Six Nations matches as fuel for the remainder of the […]

Thomas du Toit’s ready for Afo Fasogbon challenge

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Jon Newcombe Thomas Du Toit has taken a keen interest in the development of another player who’ll be wearing No.3 today, Gloucester’s 6ft 4ins […]

Marcus Smith will come back bouncing, says Danny Wilson

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Gary Fitzgerald Danny Wilson insists Marcus Smith will “come bouncing back” into The Stoop ready to light up the Premiership and Europe after giving […]

Fraser Dingwall glad to make an impact for England

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Paul Rees Flying in: Fraser Dingwall in action for England against Wales PICTURES: Getty Images Fraser Dingwall waited more than a year for his […]

Take care of Tom Curry, England are urged

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Paul Rees Alex Sanderson believes England will need to manage Tom Curry’s minutes if the flanker is to reach 100 caps. Curry, who has […]

Pat Lam says his focus is on Bristol Bears amid Wales rumours

23 March 2025 0 comments

Pat Lam insists he remains focused on his “massive job” at Bristol Bears after emerging as the bookies’ favourite to become Wales head coach. “It’s […]

Peato Mauvaka handed three game ban

23 March 2025 0 comments

France hooker Peato Mauvaka has been banned for three games for a headbutt on Scotland scrum-half Ben White during the Six Nations match in Paris. […]

Phil Vickery: Ellis Genge has been a real beauty

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Gary Fitzgerald Ellis Genge has been praised for his leading role in helping lay the foundations for England’s Six Nations resurgence. World Cup winner […]

The future looks bright for versatile players – Danny Care

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Ben Jaycock Super sub Danny Care built a 100-cap England career off the back of impacts from the bench but says that in the […]

That was all too easy for England

23 March 2025 0 comments

Steamroller: Tom Roebuck scores for England against Wales PICTURE: Getty Images Did Wales make England look good, or are England good..? Yes, and yes to […]

Jeremy Guscott’s British and Irish Lions XV – Maro Itoje has the respect to be captain

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Jeremy Guscott – Outspoken and unmissable every week This Lions selection is based on players who are in form and have stated their case […]

Saracens 12-23 Harlequins: Jamie Benson keeps nerve to kill off Sarries

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Brendan Gallagher Saracens ……………………… 12pts Tries: McFarland 4, Elliott 39 Conversion: Burke 5 Harlequins ………………….. 23pts Tries: Waghorn 60, Porter 78 Conversions: Benson 61, […]

Harlequins boss Danny Wilson: Resting our stars worked

23 March 2025 0 comments

Harlequins head coach Danny Wilson was delighted his decision to rest three returning England squad members paid dividends. “Last season we put too much pressure […]

Bristol Bears 52-38 Exeter Chiefs: Hat-trick for Jack Bates but little to savour

23 March 2025 1 comment

By Paul Rees Bristol Bears ………………. 52pts Tries: Bates 2, 27, 56; Williams 6, 15; van Rensburg 10, Randall 40+2, Luatua 46 Conversions: Slade 6, […]

Rob Baxter planning for next season for Exeter Chiefs

23 March 2025 0 comments

Rob Baxter said Exeter’s second coaching shake-up of the season had nothing to do with the heavy Premiership Cup final defeat to Bath last Sunday. […]

We’ve left ourselves a mountain to climb, admits Northampton Saints boss Phil Dowson

23 March 2025 0 comments

Phil Dowson vowed champions Northampton would learn from the “harshest of lessons” dished out by Leicester. “We going to have to have a long hard […]

Northampton Saints 0-33 Leicester Tigers: Spirited Tigers too smart

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Rob Wildman Northampton Saints …….. 0pts Leicester Tigers ………… 33pts Tries: Radwan 4, van Poortvliet 10, Cracknell 13, Clare 75 Conversions: Pollard 10, 75 […]

Newcastle Falcons 15-39 Sale Sharks: George Ford leads from the front for sharp Sale

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Luke Jarmyn Newcastle Falcons ……..15pts Tries: Neild 21, Palframan 80 Conversion: Connon 22 Penalty: Connon 32 Sale Sharks ………………… 39pts Tries: Rodd 9, R […]

Steve Diamond: That was not good enough

23 March 2025 0 comments

Newcastle chief Steve Diamond had a face like thunder and insisted the off-field issues reported earlier in the week “gave no excuses”. If new investment […]

Bath vs Gloucester: Seb Atkinson keen to get it right against Bath

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Jon Newcombe PREVIEW… Bath v Gloucester Today. Kick-off 3pm, Recreation Ground Seb Atkinson says Gloucester will look to take inspiration from Bristol’s 36-26 win […]

Injuries to big names won’t stop Bath, says Johann van Graan

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Jon Newcombe Johann van Graan has batted away suggestions that Premiership leaders Bath will have to adapt their power-based game plan after losing Ollie […]

Tom Curry wins my Six Nations True Grit award

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain The “True Grit” award for the 2025 Six Nations has to go to Tom Curry. I will admit to being one […]

Christophe Ridley deserves credit for England’s scrum

23 March 2025 0 comments

The data-driven fanfare for England’s scrum after the Six Nations is overblown, especially when you consider much of it is based on how many penalties […]

This Premiership cartel is strangling our game

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week Welcome to gridlock. Everything that is wrong with the English club game, and the governance […]

Rob Baxter puts his faith in England U20s stars for Exeter Chiefs

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Paul Rees Rob Baxter expects the seven Exeter players who were involved in England’s recent Under-20 Six Nations campaign to be pressing for first-team […]

Ambitious Will Porter keen to show he deserves to start for Harlequins

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Gary Fitzgerald Will Porter is dreaming of following some of his team-mates on the senior international stage. But the scrum-half admits he first needs […]

Dream Team – Come Joussain

23 March 2025 0 comments

COME JOUSSAIN, THE LEICESTER AND FORMER NOTTINGHAM, STADE FRANCAIS & CARCASSONNE LOCK, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH OR AGAINST… Forwards 1. Nicky […]

Two point tries for rolling mauls? The giants who are spoiling it for all of us

23 March 2025 0 comments

Chris Hewett – Thinking Allowed Poor old Italy came up with plenty of solutions to the problems posed by Ireland in last weekend’s Super Saturday […]

British and Irrish Lions facing Pacific Island side is a terrific move that will spread the love

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Chris Hewett A few weeks ago, this column reached the startling conclusion that despite masses of evidence to the contrary, the words “rugby” and […]

United Rugby Championship: Super-sub Scott Wilson grabs late winner for Ulster

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Luke Jarmyn Dragons …………30pts Tries: Owen 1, Anderson 20, Williams 34 Conversions: Reed 1, 21, 35 Penalties: Reed 14, 47, 63 Ulster …………… 34pts […]

United Rugby Championship: Stormers too good for gallant Scarlets

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Roger Panting Scarlets ………… 17pts Tries: Mee 29, Nicholas 48 Conversions: Lloyd 29, 48 Penalty: Lloyd 68 Stormers ………..29pts Tries: Loader 13, Fourie 16, […]

United Rugby Championship: Ospreys hold on in ‘crazy match’ against Connacht

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Simon Thomas Ospreys ……………………….. 43pts Tries: Giles 16, 32; Hardy 34, Kasende 36, 57; Walsh 44 Conversions: Edwards 17, 33, 35, 37, 45 Penalty: […]

United Rugby Championship: Harri Millard snatches it for Cardiff

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Roger Panting Cardiff ……………20pts Tries: Donnell 21, Millard 63 Conversions: Sheedy 21, 63 Penalties: Sheedy 31, 50 Lions………………. 17pts Tries: Ntlabakanye 11, F Horn […]

United Rugby Championship: Slack Edinburgh let it slip

23 March 2025 0 comments

Benetton………. 21 Edinburgh…….. 18 By Bryn Palmer Edinburgh’s play-off prospects were dealt a major blow by Alessandro Izekor’s late breakaway try to move the Italians […]

United Rugby Championship: David Kriel hits the target for Bulls

23 March 2025 0 comments

Bulls……………… 21 Leinster…………20 By Sam Jackson David Kriel’s last-gasp penalty ended Leinster’s unbeaten URC record as the Bulls edged a tight contest in Pretoria. From […]

United Rugby Championship: Glasgow Warriors have to dig deep against Munster

23 March 2025 0 comments

Glasgow………..28 Munster………..25 By Bryn Palmer Glasgow remain on track for a home quarter-final playoff but had to dig deep from 25-14 down with 15 minutes […]

United Rugby Championship: Siya Kolisi double sees Sharks edge past Zebre in thriller

23 March 2025 0 comments

Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi scored two tries as the Sharks edged a nine-try thriller at Kings Park. Kolisi finished off several forward drives to open […]

Three PWR titles in a row makes fine finale for Sean Lynn at Gloucester-Hartpury

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Ben Jaycock Zoe Aldcroft hailed her trailblazers after Gloucester-Hartpury secured an unprecedented ‘three-peat’ last Sunday to wave legendary head coach Sean Lynn off in […]

Michael Cheika determined to leave Leicester Tigers on a high

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Paul Rees Michael Cheika is determined to leave Leicester on a high having decided not to extend his one-year contract with the club. Cheika, […]

Thorburn calls for a restart ‘at every level’

23 March 2025 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW PAUL Thorburn has seen Wales take a few batterings since his touchline goal put them on the […]

Laughton signed the best

23 March 2025 0 comments

NEVER in the once troubled conflict between the codes can anyone have made life so uncomfortably hot for the RFU and WRU than a plumbing […]

Women’s Six Nations: Scotland make it a Wales treble

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Ben Jaycock Scotland ………………………. 24pts Tries: Bonar 36, Orr 44, Bartlett 65 Conversions: Nelson 37, 45, 65 Penalty: Nelson 17 Wales …………………………….. 21pts Tries: […]

Women’s Six Nations: Sharpshooter Bourgeois on target to put France on right track

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Sam JAckson Ireland…………… 15pts Tries: Wafer 22, 67; Jones 46 France…………….27pts Tries: Vernier 7, Menager 18, Boulard 74 Conversions: Bourgeois 8, 19, 75 Penalties: […]

We need to be more precise, says Exeter Chiefs captain Jack Yeandle

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Mark Stevens After a season that has fallen short of the lofty standards set in previous campaigns, Exeter Chiefs club captain Jack Yeandle believes […]

Cornish Pirates flex muscles to put London Scottish on back foot

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Mark Stevens C Pirates ……….. 41pts Tries: Trewin 9, 35, Agbongbon 28, Moody 42, 49, Hiscocks 62 Conversions: Houston 10, 29, 36, 63 Penalty: […]

Ampthill take some time to get into their stride against Nottingham

23 March 2025 0 comments

By Ben White Ampthill ………. 43pts Tries: Marshall 9, 30; Barton 15, Mapapalangi 24, McNulty 69, Penalty 78 Conversions: Barton 16, 25, 31, 70 Penalty: […]

Hartpury 29-26 Bedford Blues: That was a step back for us, says Joey Conway

23 March 2025 0 comments

By William Bull Hartpury ………………………. 29pts Tries: Davies 2, Austin 16, 37; Holliday 50 Conversions: Bazalgette 3, 17, 51 Penalty: Bazalgette 13 Bedford ……………………….. 26pts […]

Tag: Premium

Recent Posts

Search