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Top 14: Paul Gustard to stay at Stade Francais after all

30 March 2025 0 comments

French Column – By James Harrington So, Paul Gustard will remain at Stade Francais next season after all, despite asking to be released from the […]

Andy Farrell ‘open minded’ about picking France-based players for British and Irish Lions tour

27 March 2025 0 comments

For exclusive stories and all the detailed rugby news you need, subscribe to The Rugby Paper website, digital edition, or newspaper from as little as 14p a […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

Romain Ntamack: I’d love to take on All Blacks

23 March 2025 0 comments

By James Harrington – French Column So, Romain Ntamack wants to go to New Zealand in July. New Zealand have already made it clear they […]

I joined in with La Marseillaise, but quietly – Florent Rossigneux

16 March 2025 0 comments

MY LIFE IN RUGBY THE FORMER RACING 92, SYDNEY UNIVERSITY, STADE FRANCAIS, RICHMOND, WASPS, BEDFORD & LONDON WELSH BACK-ROWER FLORENT ROSSIGNEUX As a player, you […]

Young Guns – Kepu Tuipulotu

16 March 2025 0 comments

Young Guns – England U20 & Bath hooker Kepu Tuipulotu could have played for Wales, Tonga or England but committed himself to the Red Rose […]

There’ll be no cheating while I’m in charge, says new boss

16 March 2025 0 comments

THE Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), the body that runs the Top 14 and ProD2 professional men’s rugby divisions in France, has a new president […]

Stade are willing to fight for Gustard

9 March 2025 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN STADE Francais’ billionaire owner hinted last week that head coach Paul Gustard’s reported move to Leicester may not be quite as […]

Great (for some) to see Nonu return

2 March 2025 0 comments

YOU have to laugh – always assuming you’re not the one who has to tackle him. We speak of Ma’a Nonu, one of the most […]

Time to put foot down and let the turbo kick in

2 March 2025 0 comments

Paul Rees looks back on England’s performances so far and says they should take the hand brake off and race ahead WIN or lose, England’s […]

Survival the name of game for Stade

2 March 2025 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN AS approximately no one once said, a year is a long time in rugby. After the 17th round of the 2023/24 […]

A Tour de France we’d all love to see for the British & Irish Lions

23 February 2025 0 comments

By Brendan Gallagher That hardy perennial, the possibility of another Lions Test against France, has poked its head above the frosty surface again after reports […]

Top 14: Racing 92’s delight at smash and grab

23 February 2025 0 comments

French Column – By James Harrington Racing really needed that. A first win in the Top 14 since they beat Pau on the road in […]

Six Nations best matchups of the weekend: Calcutta Cup fly-half clash crucial for Lions chances

22 February 2025 0 comments

By Charlie Elliott After fallow week, the Six Nations is back with a bang. Some eye-watering games are scheduled to take place over the weekend, with Matt […]

Top Five Strangest Endings in Rugby History

17 February 2025 0 comments

By Charlie Elliott Over the weekend, Major League Rugby’s opener between Miami Sharks and Old Glory DC went viral following the strange ending to the […]

Bayonne make it tough for Bordeaux

16 February 2025 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Change of heart: France prop Tevita Tatafu has decided to stay at Bayonne PICTURES: Gety Images FOURTH hosted first yesterday, as […]

Patrice Collazo’s mission to rescue Racing 92

9 February 2025 0 comments

French Column – By James Harrington Lo! And, indeed, behold! Former Montpellier, Toulon, Brive and La Rochelle coach Patrice Collazo has parachuted in to save […]

Coach Stuart Lancaster sacked by Racing 92

2 February 2025 0 comments

By Sam Jackson Former England boss Stuart Lancaster has been sacked from his job as Racing 92 head coach. The 55-year-old joined Racing in 2023 […]

Dark clouds hanging over selection of duo

2 February 2025 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN EVERY member of a France team must contribute to preserving an exemplary image,” reads the opening paragraph of the FFR’s hastily […]

Lancaster leaves Racing

2 February 2025 0 comments

On his way: Stuart Lancaster and Racing 92 have parted company PICTURE: Alamy STUART Lancaster and Racing 92 have parted ways with less than half […]

Damian Penaud in the mood to break his ducks for France

26 January 2025 0 comments

By Peter Jackson – The man truly in the know Flying high: Damian Penaud scoring for France against Ireland during last year’s Six Nations PICTURE: […]

Race is on to win a place in RWC 2027

26 January 2025 0 comments

Rugby Matters – A weekly look at the game’s other talking points, by Brendan Gallagher Qualification for the Rugby World Cup from Rugby Europe – […]

Italy Six Nations Preview – Ange Capuozzo must make most of forward power

26 January 2025 0 comments

Brendan Gallagher predicts another good championship after two wins and a draw last time out Can Italy build on their best-ever Six Nations season in […]

Laborde: Three away fixtures is going to be tough

26 January 2025 0 comments

FRANCE JUNIOR World Cup finalists France will be hoping for a much improved Six Nations after finishing a disappointing third last year, winning two and […]

Toulouse show offstrength in depth

26 January 2025 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Scottish ace: Blair Kinghorn was on the scoresheet for Toulouse PICTURES: Getty Images UGO Mola’s remarkable Toulouse, shorn of 10 key […]

Five players who have scored five or more tries in a single game

20 January 2025 0 comments

By Charlie Elliott After Damian Penaud’s heroics for Bordeaux Begles against Sharks over the weekend, having broken the Champions Cup record for tries in a single game […]

Match Preview – Brad Barritt backing the new boys as Saracens welcome Castres

19 January 2025 0 comments

By Paul Rees Today. Kick-off 3.15pm, StoneX Brad Barritt won the Champions Cup three times with Saracens and believes the club are on course to […]

Beefing up club rugby may start a trend

19 January 2025 0 comments

HERE’S a novel idea: a fresh European tournament specifically aimed at clubs based on the continent of Europe, as opposed to a European tournament featuring […]

First-half blitz sets Scarlets on their way to Challenge Cup knockouts

19 January 2025 0 comments

By Roger Panting Scarlets ………..38pts Tries: Macleod 7, 22; Murray 26, Davies 32, Rogers 37, Van der Merwe 51 Conversions: Lloyd 7, 22, 32, 51 […]

Montpellier turn power on to finish in top spot

19 January 2025 0 comments

By LUKE JARMYN Newcastle ……………………… 7pts Tries: Hearle 32 Conversions: Wilkinson 33 Montpellier…………………. 26pts Tries: Bernadet 1, Serfontein 46, Akrab 59, Martins 64 Conversions: Darmon […]

Encore for exiled prop star Rabah Slimani

19 January 2025 0 comments

French Column by James Harrington Last Wednesday, Fabien Galthie named six uncapped players in his 42-strong list for the first match of the senior men’s […]

Levani Botia – My wife didn’t know I played rugby until she saw me on TV

16 January 2025 0 comments

By Brendan McGilligan Flicking between the channels on the television, Emele Veivuke landed on a rugby match. Not being a rugby fan, she took no […]

Teddy Thomas reflects on career success, fatherhood

12 January 2025 0 comments

Lifting the most prestigious European competitions within rugby is only achieved by a small percentage despite the countless number of children who dream of this when they first step out on the pitch.

‘Je ne regrette rien’: Lewis Ludlam loving life at Toulon

12 January 2025 0 comments

Lewis Ludlam insists he will return to Northampton one day but has no regrets about leaving the town or England behind for now.

11-try blitz as Chiefs suffer record defeat

12 January 2025 0 comments

By MARK STEVENS Exeter Chiefs ………………. 17pts Tries: Brown-Bampoe 8, 48, Hammersley 70 Conversion: Slade 49 Bordeaux Begles ……….. 69pts Tries: Lucu 10, 31, Penaud […]

Baxter: It looks like a bit of a stuffing

12 January 2025 0 comments

EXETER director of rugby Rob Baxter could not hide his disappointment after watching his side slip to a record Champions Cup defeat. He said: “The […]

Castres in good shape but Bulls fade away

12 January 2025 0 comments

■ By TOM WALKER Castres ………… 49 Bulls ……………… 10 A SECOND-STRING Bulls were all but eliminated from the Champions Cup as Jake White’s side […]

Bath v Clermont: Joe Cokanasiga- “It is all down to chatting to the boss”

12 January 2025 0 comments

Joe Cokanasiga has credited a frank conversation with head of rugby Johann van Graan for his purple patch of form for Bath.

Black Lion ….. 16 Bayonne ………41

12 January 2025 0 comments

BAYONNE blew a helpless Black Lion away with a dominant six-try bonus point triumph on the road. The routine victory continues Bayonne’s impressive campaign that […]

Franco Molina is following in Rob Baxter’s footsteps

12 January 2025 0 comments

By Mark Stevens In the rugby world, players often emerge as leaders not only through their skill, but through their character, shaping their teams in […]

We need to watch rugby in the raw

12 January 2025 0 comments

By Chris Hewett – Thinking Allowed According to Inkoo Kang, a leading critic at The New Yorker magazine and, almost by definition, a writer whose words […]

A spirit of adventure comes at high price

12 January 2025 0 comments

Crowd pleaser: Cadan Murley scores for Quins against Leicester in front of nearly 80,000 at Twickenham PICTURES: Getty Images NO matter what the Premiership serves […]

Let’s hope the best of Regan Grace is yet to come

12 January 2025 0 comments

By Peter Jackson – The man truly in the know Ever since St Helens discovered him in Port Talbot playing for Aberavon Harlequins, Regan Grace […]

We can learn a lot from French

12 January 2025 0 comments

By Jeff Probyn – A front row view on the game There is so much that is wrong with the game in England, could it […]

Fabien Galthie’s Six Nations dilemma: Who gets the vote at 10?

12 January 2025 0 comments

French Column – By James Harrington There are bigger rugby weeks to come in 2025, but the Wednesday between January’s twin Champions and Challenge Cup […]

Great to see a big match on ITV

5 January 2025 0 comments

Big game: Tommy Reffell on the attack for Leicester against Harlequins PICTURE: Getty images WELL said Peter Warren, TRP letters 29/12/2024. If you enjoy a […]

A Tier Two XV to have you out of your seat

5 January 2025 0 comments

Rugby Matters – A weekly look at the game’s other talking points By Brendan Gallagher You won’t ever see my 2024 Tier 2 All Stars […]

Century of highs for La Rochelle

5 January 2025 0 comments

FRENCH COLUMN JAMES HARRINGTON AN IMPRESSIVE milestone at Stade Marcel Deflandre was reached last night, where La Rochelle hosted their 100th sell-out match in a […]

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