Italy 33-61 England: Marlie Packer’s punch puts the Italians on the floor

Marlie Packer sent a stern reminder to her back row rivals that she is not going away anytime soon after the...

Will Genia backs the Henry Pollock hype but feels England need to be more fluid

Will Genia is firmly on the Henry Pollock hype train but believes England must evolve into a more dynamic side if...

Francis Moore: Ealing Trailfinders play and act like a Prem side

Ealing Trailfinders centre Francis Moore believes the unbeaten record-breaking Champ leaders are already operating like a Prem outfit as they build...

Leicester Tigers 41-17 Northampton Saints: Phil Dowson’s side cut down by razor-sharp Tigers

Geoff Parling refused to get carried away despite his Leicester Tigers’ serving up a six-try thrashing to title rivals Northampton Saints.

Jeremy Guscott: Secrecy surrounding England review makes no sense

The RFU review into the 2026 Six Nations was never likely to make great reading after England lost four Championship matches...

Life in the second row suits Northampton Saints’ Ed Prowse to a tee

Second rows are regularly used at wing forward but Northampton Saints’ Ed Prowse has settled into the position after being converted...

Charlie Ewels insists Bordeaux defeat will make Bath a better side

Charlie Ewels had a lightbulb moment in Toulouse in 2023 showing him Europe’s best were not invincible – and reckons Bath’s...

Bristol Bears 26-41 Saracens: Sarries fix their sights on play-offs

Saracens are on the march. A third successive victory may have kept them in sixth place, but with home games against...

Gloucester 21-15 Sale Sharks: Last-gasp Charlie Atkinson cuts down Sharks

Gloucester flyhalf Charlie Atkinson took the opportunity of displaying his talents to onlooking England head coach Steve Borthwick with a man...

Exeter Chiefs vs Bath: Max Norey out to prove his worth for Rob Baxter’s side

Max Norey had little hesitation in signing a new contract with Exeter Chiefs despite a lack of starts for the club.

Newcastle Red Bulls vs Harlequins: Jason Gilmore believes Alex Dombrandt deserves an England recall

Harlequins chief Jason Gilmore believes Alex Dombrandt is in the form of his life and merits a recall by England this...

Alison Kervin: The game is flourishing – don’t make it different

If you have been to any women’s rugby matches recently, you will have witnessed scenes that were unimaginable a decade ago:...

Scotland 28-69 France: The French demolish Scots to set up grand finale

France powered into a title decider against England after running in 11 tries in a ruthless victory in Edinburgh.

Ireland 33-12 Wales: Power of the Irish is too much for the Welsh

Ireland’s forward dominance told as a peerless Aoife Wafer steered Scott Bemand’s side to a commanding victory over Wales.

Nick Cain: Detailed? Robust? No… It’s a farcical non-review

The RFU’s review into England’s 2026 Six Nations nosedive was a whitewash that told the English rugby public, and the media,...

Peter Jackson: Leigh Halfpenny bravery wins royal approval

Peter Jackson pays tribute to Leigh Halfpenny’s courage, humility and unforgettable career, from his iconic Twickenham tackle to Lions glory and...

Peter Jackson: Leo Cullen should know that the press aren’t cheerleaders

AS head coach of Leinster, Leo Cullen runs a squad crammed with more capped players than any other club, province or...

Fit-again Van der Merwe is quickly back in his old routine

■By GEORGE LAWRENCE Dragons ………….15pts Tries: Lewis 28, Keddie 45 Conversion: O’Brien 29 Penalty: O’Brien 7 Edinburgh …….. 24pts Tries: Ashman...

Ospreys 27-20 Scarlets: Jac Morgan takes his leave in fine style

Jac Morgan marked his final home appearance for the Ospreys with a late match-winning try against Scarlets as they secured the...

Rampant Warriors in command at the top

■By BEN JAYCOCK Glasgow …………40pts Tries: Dempsey 19, Steyn 24, Matthews 32, 54; Schickerling 65, Rowe 74 Conversions: Horne 20, 26,...

Sharks ……….46 Benetton …….. 7

JURENZO Julius scored a hat-trick of tries as part of a ruthless Sharks display which ensured Benetton were hammered at Kings...

Bulls …………..56 Zebre …………. 19

JOHAN Ackermann’s Bulls ran in eight tries in the Loftus sun to push their play-off claims with Willie le Roux pulling...

Osborne sparks Leinster charge

nBy JAMES STEPHENS Leinster ………..31 Lions………………. 7 LEINSTER strengthened their push for a top-two finish with a bonus-point victory over at...

Kok hat-trick has Ulster in the fight

nBy SAM JACKSON Ulster ……………38 Stormers……….38 STORMERS fought back for a share of the spoils at Kingspan in a match defined...

Connacht cash in on Barron’s red

nBy DAVID LYONS Connacht ……..26 Munster…………. 7 CONNACHT dominated the first half at Dexcom Stadium, taking a commanding 19-0 lead into...

Paul Rees: ‘Europe’ is a formidable mountain to conquer

Paul Rees looks at the challenges teams face on the road in the Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup plus more...

Ealing Trailfinders 52-14 Bedford Blues: A perfect finish for Ben Ward’s invincibles

Ealing Trailfinders completed a perfect winning league season in Elior Champ Rugby as they ran in eight tries to see off...

Blackheath 22-10 Plymouth Albion: The Club close in on the second tier

After an interval of 27 years, Blackheath are just one step away from a return to domestic rugby’s second tier, following...

Lancashire 38-18 Yorkshire: Alex Looney’s side control round one showdown

Bill Beaumont Division One By Gareth Lyons Lancashire……..38pts Tries: Giliand 5, Ellam 21, Deans 29, Freeman 44, Sturgess 58, Rylance 67...

National Two North Dream Team: Sheffield’s seven show their steel

Ben Jaycock canvassed the views of The Rugby Paper’s National Two North reporters to select the 2025/26 Team of the Season

Results

Lydiate joins Wales coaching staff

NEWS EXTRA DAN Lydiate will leave Dragons to become a full-time member of Steve Tandy’s Wales coaching team. Wales face Barbarians,...

Regional results

Steelmen keen to join the party

■By ROB COLE SUPER RYGBI FINAL PREVIEW… Ebbw Vale v Llandovery Today. Kick-off 4:45pm, Eugene Cross Park THREE teams have dominated...

Ironmen keep grip on the title

Premiership round-up MERTHYR have retained the Welsh Premiership title after yesterday’s 26-18 bonus-point victory at Bargoed. The Ironmen knew securing maximum...

FANTASY RUGBY 2025/26

UP TO AND INCLUDING SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2026 Welcome to the latest update of this season’s TRP Fantasy Rugby which covers...

LEADERBOARD

Brendan Gallagher: French director calls the shots

Dastardly French TV directors have been quietly controlling big games in France for a couple of decades now so in one...

Bordeaux need to seal deal for Louis

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN TO describe Louis Bielle-Biarrey as hot rugby property is an understatement so criminal it would go straight...

Champions Cup analysis: Leinster return to Bilbao as fifth star quest continues

After seeing off a resilient Toulon side at the weekend – becoming the first Leinster team ever to beat the southern...

RFU backs Steve Borthwick to lead England into the 2027 Rugby World Cup after review

Steve Borthwick has been backed by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to lead England into next year’s Rugby World Cup following...

2026 Super Rugby Americas – Round 10 summary: Capibaras and Selknam grab vital wins in play-off push

In Round 10 of the 2026 Super Rugby Americas, Capibaras triumphed over Pampas to stay in the hunt for a home semi-final in...

Leinster 29-25 Toulon: Leo Cullen’s side hold on to keep the French side at bay

Leinster’s bid for a fifth star to end their eight-year Champions Cup title drought rolls on after securing a place in...

Ollie Lawrence: Bath have got the tools to be kings of Europe

Ollie Lawrence reckons it is time for Bath to take things to new heights in today’s Champions Cup semi-final against Bordeaux-Begles.

England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso suffers injury concern as Exeter Chiefs exit Europe

England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso looked to be knocked unconscious following a collision with Ireland international Jacob Stockdale during Exeter Chiefs’ Challenge...

Ulster 29-12 Exeter Chiefs: Nathan Doak leads the charge as Rob Baxter’s side are taken apart

Nathan Doak inspired Ulster to reach their first Challenge Cup final as they produced a commanding display to dismantle Exeter Chiefs...

Leicester Tigers & England full-back Freddie Steward insists he is ignoring the internet trolls

Freddie Steward has learned not to get wound up by keyboard warriors as he winds himself up for a big finish...

Gloucester & Wales centre Max Llewellyn is looking to strike double top

Max Llewellyn is on a double mission heading down the final straight of a frustrating and difficult season for both him...

Joaquín Moro: I had no doubts that Leicester Tigers were the club for me

Joe Santamaria talks to Joaquín Moro, the Leicester Tigers flanker who is following in some famous footsteps.