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Tag: RFU

Leicester, Sale hit by points cut

11 February 2024 0 comments

FIVE-POINT league deductions have been placed on Premiership Women’s Rugby clubs, Leicester Tigers and Sale Sharks for failing to achieve a minimum average of 13 […]

RFU double standards alive and well

4 February 2024 0 comments

Surprise, surprise, double standards are alive and well at the RFU. The latest example is the decision is to give a dispensation to Junior Kpoku, […]

Diamond’s dual role can’t be right

4 February 2024 0 comments

The Twickenham suits are also not averse to turning a blind eye when a conflict-of-interests is involved. Perhaps the RFU’s performance director, Conor O’Shea, can […]

Clubs must unite to force real change

4 February 2024 0 comments

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU Email: newsdesk@therugbypaper.co.uk IT strikes me the RFU are not fit […]

England require clearer pathway to unearth gems

4 February 2024 0 comments

MANY rugby followers want to see the return of a clear player pathway for ambitious players within the community rugby structure. The RFU / Premiership […]

We are here for the long term

4 February 2024 0 comments

Newcastle were the only Premiership club to sack their head coach mid-season last year and the Falcons were at it again last month when Alex […]

Double agents out to prove their worth

4 February 2024 0 comments

Ben Nurse talks to two of Portugal’s World Cup stars looking forward to taking on England A Everyone who has ever played rugby has had […]

Ford looks the right Guy to build a bright future

4 February 2024 0 comments

By BEN JAYCOCK It has been a frustrating season for Chester head coach Guy Ford in National Two West, but with an average player age […]

SAS – the attack motto for U18s

4 February 2024 0 comments

By BEN JAYCOCK ‘Speed, attachment, space’ is the motto of England U18s attack coach Will Parkin, who is tasked with unearthing the next generation of […]

Uzokwe: We have a lot more in tank

4 February 2024 0 comments

By BEN JAYCOCK Ealing Trailfinders won seven out of their opening eight games in the Championship, have reached the Premiership Cup semi-finals and average over […]

Rams would be happy to play in RFU’s new Tier 2

28 January 2024 1 comment

By JON NEWCOMBE National One leaders Rams are among the clubs to have submitted an expression of interest to join the new Tier 2 League […]

Champ clubs look set for battle

28 January 2024 1 comment

NICK CAIN The Championship clubs appear to be in no mood for turning, typified by their stand-off with an RFU bureaucracy headed by chief executive […]

What’s in The Rugby Paper: 28/01/24

26 January 2024 0 comments

The countdown is well and truly on for the Six Nations, and you can find an in-depth look at each team’s prospects with expert analysis […]

Paver: Championship a great launchpad

21 January 2024 0 comments

By MARK STEVENS Alan Paver insists the Championship still remains the ‘perfect launchpad’ for young players and coaches to reach the very pinnacle of the […]

Smith chases his American dream

21 January 2024 0 comments

By BEN JAYCOCK Wales star Louis Rees-Zammit is not the only rugby player from the English leagues set to try his luck in America. Despite […]

Magnificent tome tells fantastic tales

21 January 2024 0 comments

Take a bow Neil Fissler and Adam Hathaway – much respected members of this parish – for completing a definitive Who’s Who of English rugby […]

Dupont leads the otherwise engaged XV

21 January 2024 0 comments

As the countdown gets ever closer to the launch of the grand old championship in Marseille on Friday week, it is almost possible to pick […]

All clubs must be able to reach top

21 January 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN SO it’s back to the future with the RFU CEO Bill Sweeney telling the Championship that they either don’t understand or have been […]

Dance was champion of rugby

21 January 2024 0 comments

By NICK POWELL Former Bracknell RFC and RFU president and “stalwart of Berkshire rugby” Jonathan Dance died on Thursday aged 77. Dance, below, served as […]

Diamond replaces Codling at struggling Falcons

19 January 2024 0 comments

Steve Diamond has replaced Alex Codling in charge of the Premiership‘s bottom club Newcastle Falcons. Codling was appointed head coach over the summer to replace […]

‘RFU deal would cut our funds by 50%’

14 January 2024 0 comments

By JON NEWCOMBE Championship clubs would be nearly 50 per cent worse off in real terms if they agree to the Tier 2 funding model […]

RFU’s sorry failure to respond to flood

14 January 2024 0 comments

While the game in the East Midlands drowns, the RFU lifeboat is in the dry dock with the crew nowhere to be seen. If ever […]

Too few actually want to be promoted

14 January 2024 1 comment

Iain Sharpe makes some excellent points (Letters, Jan 7) in taking issue with views on the RFU’s second-tier revamp expressed in this column at the […]

Cambridge revival is not enough to catch dashing Pirates

14 January 2024 0 comments

By STEVE JACKSON Cambridge …….33pts Tries: Asiedu 8, Caven 49, Brownlie 61, 80; Merigan 73 Conversions: James 9, 62, 74, 80 Cornish P ……….40pts Tries: […]

Nottingham launch bid to raise £50,000 after flooding

14 January 2024 0 comments

By BEN JAYCOCK It’s been an unhappy new year for Nottingham as a record flood in the Lady Bay area last week has put the […]

With Smith and Mitchell, there should be fireworks

14 January 2024 0 comments

Paul Rees talks to Topsy Ojo and finds the TV pundit in optimistic mood for both club and country Topsy Ojo gets a reminder every […]

Happy players are more likely to stay

14 January 2024 0 comments

Former Richmond director of rugby Steve Hill talks to Cai Griffiths, the ex-Ospreys prop now director of rugby at London Welsh who play at Level […]

Regional results

14 January 2024 0 comments

Results and tables supplied by the RFU … Continue reading… Access all our premium content from as little as 14p per day! SUBSCRIBE Already […]

Proposed hybrid contracts causing major debate

14 January 2024 0 comments

By NICK POWELL On the most recent edition of The Rugby Paper Podcast, Jeff Probyn joined host Ollie Little and our regulars – Nick Cain, […]

Skivington to head up England A coaching team

10 January 2024 0 comments

Gloucester boss George Skivington will take charge of the England A team that will face Portugal next month. Skivington captained England men’s second team, formerly […]

Borthwick wants to dominate Six Nations

7 January 2024 0 comments

By ADAM HATHAWAY England boss Steve Borthwick has vowed to put his side back on the Six Nations map and leave thoughts of the next […]

Board cause so many problems

7 January 2024 0 comments

THERE remain many problems in the structure of English rugby, all attributable to the Board of the RFU. To deal with only one aspect which […]

Time to rebuild RFU for the good of all

7 January 2024 0 comments

DURING my early 20s I played for an East Midlands club in Level 9. It was a great experience for a young man making his […]

Sorry Chris, but we’re heading up another cul-de-sac

7 January 2024 0 comments

I KNOW it has been the season of goodwill, but Chris Hewett’s comment that the RFU is pointing in the right direction with its plans […]

Pitfalls ahead for England’s new management company

7 January 2024 0 comments

AN England player group taking over the squad negotiations on remuneration – whether from RFU hybrid contracts, match fees, or sponsorship deals – may seem […]

Call for more diversity among referees

7 January 2024 0 comments

Jon Newcombe talks to high-level ex-ref David Rose On Boxing Day, Sam Allison became the first black referee to take charge of a Premier League […]

Set-piece domination still the key to victory

7 January 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME I always try to be honest in what I write, but I just can’t believe that […]

Regional results

7 January 2024 0 comments

Results and tables supplied by the RFU … Continue reading… Access all our premium content from as little as 14p per day! SUBSCRIBE Already a […]

Halliday: No way we can agree RFU deal

31 December 2023 1 comment

By NICK CAIN Simon Halliday has condemned the threat by RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney to relegate the 11 Championship clubs if they fail to […]

Rae: Championship has much to offer

31 December 2023 0 comments

By JON NEWCOMBE Coventry head coach Alex Rae has launched a staunch defence of the Championship in the wake of Bill Sweeney’s disparaging comments about […]

RFU has utterly failed to bring the game together

31 December 2023 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK HERE’S wishing The Rugby Paper’s loyal readers, and fans of the game everywhere, a happy and healthy […]

Reasons to be cheerful for rugby’s year ahead

31 December 2023 0 comments

Paul Rees canvasses the views of Premiership directors of rugby and finds there is a fair amount of optimism IT IS another year the professional […]

At last we are going in right direction

31 December 2023 0 comments

It is always easier to bury English rugby’s alleged leaders than to praise them, but it would run counter to the seasonal spirit not to […]

We need ‘whole game solution’

31 December 2023 1 comment

IT is significant that the latest statement by the Championship clubs, seeking to protect their position in the English rugby hierarchy, highlights the need for […]

County champs should return

31 December 2023 0 comments

BEN Coneybeare describes the ‘scintillating atmosphere’ at the recent Redruth versus Camborne Cornish derby in front of over 3,000 fans. Thanks to the vagaries of […]

TV deal for Tier Two

31 December 2023 1 comment

WITH Coventry attracting a record crowd of 5,047 to Butts Park Arena for the Boxing Day clash with Nottingham, Ampthill RFC attracting their largest ever […]

Talented players will still miss out

31 December 2023 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME With the start of a new year, it’s the beginning of a new RFU and Premiership […]

Coach to Coach with Martin Webdale

31 December 2023 0 comments

Former Richmond director of rugby Steve Hill, below, talks to Martin Webdale, the head coach at Loughborough University, above Steve Hill: How and why did […]