Exeter Chiefs 48-14 Gloucester: Campbell Ridl hits heights to put Rob Baxter’s side at the top

On a day for roses and romance, Exeter Chiefs found their perfect match as Campbell Ridl’s love affair with the try-line...

Saracens 26-31 Leicester Tigers: Josh Manz in the right place to steal it for the visitors

Josh Manz savoured Leicester Tigers’ dramatic victory against Saracens at StoneX Stadium as the visitors sealed their Prem Cup semi-final place.

Bath 33-24 Bristol Bears: Forwards stick together to get Johann van Graan’s side over the line

Bath’s hard-fought victory set up a titanic clash with Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park on Saturday, with the winners likely to...

Scotland U20s 17-33 England U20s: Two in a row for the dominant English

England U20s made it two wins from two with an assured victory at Hive Stadium, producing a clinical second-half display to...

Six Nations 2026: Wales v France – Fabien Brau-Boirie adds weight in midfield for the French

Pau’s 20-year-old centre Fabien Brau-Boirie will make his France debut in a new-look midfield as head coach Fabien Galthie makes two...

Six Nations 2026: Wales v France – Dafydd Jenkins is looking on the bright side

Dafydd Jenkins is drawing inspiration from the way his club Exeter Chiefs have turned things around as he heads into Wales’...

Ireland 20-13 Italy: Azzurri’s best pushes the Irish to the limit in Six Nations thriller

The days of this contest being known as the ‘graveyard fixture’ in Dublin are all over after Italy pushed Ireland close...

Scotland 31-20 England: The English left for dead by the storming Scots in Six Nations clash

Grand Slam no more. The Murrayfield hoodoo has struck again, as Scotland, the bogey team that have haunted England throughout Gregor...

England’s Freddie Steward gives his backing for the shorter Six Nations schedule

Freddie Steward has given the new Six Nations format the thumbs-up despite it cutting down rest time for players.

Grant in at No.9

HARLEQUINS have signed scrum-half Jack Grant until the end of the season from New South Wales Waratahs. The 32-year-old, who spent...

There is plenty for us to do – Farrell

ANDY Farrell praised his side’s character while acknowledging there’s plenty of work to be done. “It was a hell of a...

Six Nations 2026: Wales v France – Olly Cracknell gets the nod as Steve Tandy urges his side to put things right

Wales head coach Steve Tandy has brought in Scarlets centre Joe Hawkins and Leicester No.8 Olly Cracknell, with props Rhys Carre...

Jeremy Guscott: Wales just must keep 15 players on the pitch against France

It’s hard to know where to start with Wales because I can’t remember a Welsh team being in this position since...

French power too much for Wales

Wales .......................24 France......................34 WALES delivered an impressive performance but didn’t have enough to topple France as the reigning champions pulled away...

Battling Italy push Ireland all the way

Ireland.....................30 Italy ..........................27 IRELAND bounced back from their heavy defeat to France to win a thrilling eight-try spectacle in which the...

Nuu: I want to pay back Doncaster

■ By CHRIS COLLYER NEW Zealand-born Junior Nuu has made the leap up to Champ rugby by signing at Doncaster after...

Stop tinkering with the laws, please

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: newsdesk@therugbypaper.co.uk WHY do we have...

Refs have a better ‘feel’ for the game

AS A retired referee of some 15 years standing, I read with interest Chris Hewett’s article on referee suffering being a...

DREAM TEAM

JOE MAKYSYMIW, THE FORMER LEICESTER, CONNACHT, DRAGONS AND AGEN LOCK, SELECTS THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH OR AGAINST... 1....

Nick Cain: Save our scrums! Refs must do their jobs

There was a snapshot from the second to fourth minutes of the opening match of the Six Nations between France and...

Nick Cain: Wallabies are on a National Rugby League recruitment drive

The Wallabies are doing a counter-attack raid on rugby league Down Under ahead of the 2027 World Cup which could see...

Chris Hewett: Wingers who light up the greatest show

The key ingredients of a successful World Cup are few in number but broad in sweep: a critical mass of genuinely...

Time for the scrum to have its own clock

CHRIS HEWETT ANYONE watch the Super Bowl, which used to be the most ad-intrusive sporting event on the planet until ITV...

Unbeatable Ealing push Hartpury out of the way

■By LUKE JARMYN Hartpury ............19pts Tries: Holliday 25, 43, 64 Conversions: Bazalgette 26, 65 Ealing T ............ 46pts Tries: Stronge 2,...

Coventry take their time to get into gear

■By PAUL Tries: Reeves 7, Ferrie 18, 65; Barton 29, Adderly-Jones 47, Bavadra 61, Opoku 68, Strong 79 Conversions: Mathews 18,...

Scottish left at the gate as Worcester go on rampage

■By BLUEBELL NICHOLLS L Scottish ..........7pts Try: Ferdinand 55 Conversion: Sheppard 55 Worcester .......66pts Tries: Wallis 3, 26, 60; Lane 12,...

Doncaster Knights 50-12 Bedford Blues: Darren Fearn’s dazzling side put the boot into Blues

Doncaster Knights produced a dazzling display at Castle Park, where they surprisingly smashed one of the form sides in the league,...

Sinclair hits the target to make sure for Pirates

■By JOHN LYON Caldy .................21pts Tries: Gallagher 24, Higginson 53, Akehurst 75 Conversions: Wilkinson 24, 53, 75 C Pirates ..........41pts Tries:...

Goss in at the corner to snatch it for Chinnor

■By BEN WHITE Ampthill ............29pts Tries: Kildunne 3, Mapapalangi 8, Jones 31, 36; Auvaa 49 Conversions: Grimoldby 37, 50 Chinnor ..............30pts...

Nottingham do enough to thwart Cambridge

■By LUKE JARMYN Nottingham ......21pts Tries: Ecclesfield 27, Roper 41, Allen 60 Conversions: Parks 28, 42, 61 Cambridge .......17pts Tries: Eckersley...

Saracens stick with Sellors

PREVIEW... Saracens v Bristol Bears Today. Kick-off 1.30pm, StoneX FREE-SCORING Saracens return to the StoneX for the first time in nine...

Table toppers turn on the style

■By BLUEBELL NICHOLLS Gloucester-H .. 45pts Harlequins .......22pts Tries: Williams 9, Tuipulotu 26, 31; Jones 50, Heard 60, Muir 68, Simpson...

We need to dig deep – Salvin

PREVIEW... Exeter Chiefs v Loughborough Today. Kick-off 1pm, Sandy Park EXETER will look to go one better than last weekend when...

Sharks keep Trailfinders at bay

■ By JOSEPH TERRY Trailfinders .....31pts Sale Sharks .....36pts Tries: Penalty 16, Blanco 30, 40+5; Leatherman 43, Ponsonby 56 Conversions: N...

Frenchman in a hurry

PETER JACKSON Starlet: Fabien Brau-Boirie PICTURE: Alamy PAU introduced him to the Top 14 last season at the age of 18...

Peter Jackson: Peter Squires, a true local hero

Peter Squires shall forever stand out among England’s true all-rounders, the first county cricketer to play a Test match for the...

Peter Jackson: Iceberg ahead! Wales in mountainous seas

Before Antoine Dupont raised the art to new levels of excellence, a succession of Napoleonic scrum-halves scarcely any taller than the...

Paul Rees: Wales needs to rediscover its old rivalries to help the National side

Paul Rees argues that it's time for the regional game to be shown the same concern as the national team...

Highlanders too good for Crusaders

By BEN JAYCOCK Triple top: Highlanders trio Caleb Tangitau, Cameron Millar and Tanielu Tele’a celebrate their win PICTURES: Getty Images CAMERON...

My Life in Rugby: Augustin Slowik – Promotions are the real deal

Augustin Slowik, the former Bristol Bears, Worcester, Eastern Suburbs, London Scottish, Jersey Reds, Nice and Blackheath full-back, reflects on his life...

Travelling fans can’t be left at side of the road

THERE aren’t many downsides to being a staunch supporter of Les Bleus but this year’s compressed Six Nations itinerary – with...

Gulley believes Exeter’s best yet to come

By JOSEPH TERRY EXETER University loose-head Tom Gulley believes his team will show they have the most heart in BUCS Super...

Points machine Hayes at it again

National League 1 By DAVID BEADOWS Rotherham T .........47 Dings C..................... 12 LLOYD HAYES weighed in with 22 points as league...

Cleet is difference in big Park battle

By TOM MARKHAM Sedgley Park ........ 19 Rosslyn Park .........33 RAMPANT Rosslyn Park cruised to victory over Sedgley Park. The game...

Thunder helps Sale storm to top triumph over Lions

By GARETH DANIELS Sale FC...............52pts Tries: Robins 1, Dixon 9, Green 20, Thunder 22, 43, 67; Boxall 76, Walsh 79 Conversions:...

Moseley are beaten by Smeaton in win for Heath

By GRAHAM COX Blackheath ............55 B Moseley .............. 12 BLACKHEATH celebrated a half-century of points in beating Moseley. A position of...

It’s 10 out of 10 in pursuit of glory…

By JOHN BUTCHER Plymouth A ............26 Tonbridge J ...........20 PROMOTION-CHASING Plymouth Albion avenged their October defeat to a high-tempo and exciting...

Hayman hat-trick for happy hosts

By RICHARD ASHTON Rams ........................45 Clifton ......................25 MAX HAYMAN’S hat-trick helped Rams return to winning ways with a helter-skelter home triumph....

Earle feels honoured to be having a Ton of fun!

By BEN JAYCOCK Speedy: Tonbridge Juddians wing Nathan Earle NATHAN EARLE admits his move to National One side Tonbridge Juddians was...

Hosts put up a Hull of a fight against leaders

National League 2 North By RICHARD GORE Hull..................... 10 Sheffield.......... 24 HULL put up a brave fight against runaway league leaders...