England ring the changes as Marcus Smith and Fin Smith both start against Fiji

England have overhauled their team for Saturday’s match against Fiji with full-back Marcus Smith and fly-half Fin Smith given starts at...

Tom Farrell handed Ireland debut at 32 against Japan

Munster centre Tom Farrell will become the oldest back to make an Ireland debut in the professional era after being selected...

Joe Heyes: ‘Infatuation’ with Dan Cole made choosing England over Ireland easy

Joe Heyes has revealed his “infatuation” with Dan Cole ensured that pledging national allegiance to Ireland over England was never an...

Lewis Moody overwhelmed by ‘outpouring of love’ since MND diagnosis

Former England captain Lewis Moody has been touched by the “outpouring of love and support” which followed his motor neurone disease...

New Rugby Paper Roundup – England vs Fiji: Why does Nemani Nadolo predict a Fiji win at the Allianz Stadium Twickenham?

In this week’s episode of the Rugby Paper Roundup, Assistant Editor Ben Jaycock is joined by former Fiji international Nemani Nadolo...

England face full-back dilemma with Freddie Steward doubtful for Fiji clash

Freddie Steward has emerged as a doubt for Saturday’s clash with Fiji at Allianz Stadium in what could be a significant...

FC 26 Best Guide: Pro Tips to Level Up Your Game

Now that EA Sports FC 26 has dropped, the pitch has leveled up for every fan of virtual football. The new...

England’s Henry Pollock shines bright in Steve Borthwick Bomb Squad

Steve Borthwick hailed the impact of Henry Pollock as he helped inspire England to a 25-7 win over Australia and get...

England 25-7 Australia: Henry Pollock puts England on the road to redemption

Henry  “Peroxide” Pollock wants to be noticed, and the bleached-blond young flanker made sure the Wallabies will not forget him in...

Luke Cowan-Dickie’s painful journey towards 50th cap for England

Luke Cowan-Dickie raised his bat for his 50th England cap yesterday and admitted he had got there the hard way –...

Leicester Tigers back rower Emeka Ilione is ruled out for three months

Leicester Tigers back rower Emeka Ilione will be out for up to three months after injuring his shoulder in the narrow...

Alan Dickens calls for better preparation from Newcastle Red Bulls

Alan Dickens is using the break from the Prem to look at how Newcastle Red Bulls prepare for games on the...

England’s Fraser Dingwall happy with Steve Borthwick’s new tactic

Fraser Dingwall has backed England boss Steve Borthwick’s plan to shake up his backline in the rest of the Autumn Nations...

Maro Itoje: I’m putting what I learned with the Lions into practice for England

Maro Itoje brought the lessons learned from his successful Lions captaincy in Australia into England camp as the autumn internationals got...

Bath’s big beasts are helping Archie Griffin

Having a Springbok and a British & Irish Lion in his position at his club inevitably reduces Archie Griffin’s game-time for...

Brendan Gallagher: Keep it simple, England, and forget the gimmicks

Trying to get a handle on this England team is not always easy, but after their eighth win on the bounce,...

Jeremy Guscott: Time for France to put down a marker

France, champions of Europe, against South Africa, double World Cup winners and newly crowned Rugby Championship title holders, in Paris on...

Ireland 13-26 New Zealand: All Blacks take charge to deny Ireland repeat win

Ireland’s hopes of repeating their historic first-ever win over New Zealand in Chicago nine years ago came unstuck at Soldier Field...

All Blacks XV launch second-half blitz to take advantage of tiring Barbarians

■ By SAM JACKSON Barbarians .......19pts Tries: Ntlabakanye 1, Roos 16, Mbonambi 23 Conversions: Preez 17, 24 All Blacks XV ...33pts...

Scotland 85-0 USA: One-way traffic as Scots put foot down

Scotland ran riot with 13 tries as they romped to their biggest-ever win at Murrayfield against a totally outclassed USA in...

Japan 7-61 South Africa: Springbok superiority too much for Brave Blossoms

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is a mouthful, but it’s a name rugby fans will certainly remember as a stellar performance at Wembley allowed...

Butler takes charge as Munster are too good for Puma XV

■ By MAX BARRON Munster ............31pts Tries: Butler (2), O’Connell, Coombes, O’Brien Conversions: Butler (3) Argentina XV ...28pts Tries: Sanchez Valarolo,...

Nick Cain: Avoid the circus and keep strategy simple

We are told the bench is now the ‘swingometer’ that dictates who wins at international and top club level.

Nick Cain: Believe it! All Blacks are there for the taking

New Zealand may not be the imperious double World Cup winners they were in 2015, but at the start of the...

WRU are going to make same mistakes again

WITH the Welsh Rugby Union having announced the reduction of professional teams in Wales from four to three, I fear that...

Lower league clubs must not pay players

WHAT is going on in junior rugby when teams in level six and below are paying players? Some teams seem to...

Let ref put the ball in

JUST to add my thoughts to the ongoing debate around the scrum and especially the problems with “crooked feed”. In order...

Disciplinary decisions were not inconsistent

THE media has an important role to play in the rugby disciplinary system. Informed commentators help explain to the public the...

Time to scrap Prem ring fence

NEWCASTLE are already adrift at the bottom of the Prem. Five matches played; five defeats, with a negative points difference of...

Well played, Steve

REPORTS that England’s senior coaching staff met up with their cricketing counterparts before their match against Australia is the kind of...

Geoff Parling is backing Leicester Tigers to push on

Leicester have made a steady start to the season, but Geoff Parling has warned their top four rivals that there is...

I loved watching Gavin Henson play, says Jacob Beetham

When Jacob Beetham thinks back to the players he most enjoyed watching when growing up, one name stands out – Gavin...

Radford: We need a killer instinct

NEW defence coach Lee Radford says Scotland must develop a “killer instinct” if they are to close the gap on the...

Lewis on sidelines for a while

WALES prop Dillon Lewis is braced for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after tearing his calf. Lewis, 29, picked up...

Northampton Saints 26-17: Quick-fire Saints shoot down Quins

Two second-half tries in quick succession helped maintain Northampton Saints’ unbeaten record this season in all competitions with victory over Harlequins...

We tried a bit too hard, says Dowson

SAINTS boss Phil Dow-son felt his young team had tried too hard to impress especially in a hectic first half. “We...

Bristol Bears 19-49 Bath: Luckless Bears are given the runaround

Bath, the holders of the Prem Cup, kept alive their hopes of retaining the trophy with a convincing bonus-point victory over...

Davis: Power game was key

BATH’S skills coach Ryan Davis was happy with Bath’s first domestic win in Bristol since 2008. He said “It’s always difficult...

Newcastle Red Bulls 8-10 Leicester Tigers: Orlando Bailey’s on target to seal it for Tigers

If opportunity is the mantra of the Prem Cup, then Orlando Bailey took his with both hands to score the crucial...

We weren’t clinical with our chances, admits Dickens

ALAN Dickens was adamant they deserved more than one point for their efforts. The Newcastle head coach told TRP: “I do...

Sale Sharks vs Gloucester: Mike Forshaw’s happy to be helping Sharks again

Buoyed by the return of Mike Forshaw for the Prem Cup windows, Sale Sharks will field a youthful, energetic side for...

Sale Sharks vs Gloucester: Fit-again Josh Hathaway adds touch of quality to back line

Wales international Josh Hathaway returns from an ankle injury sustained in pre-season to make his first appearance of the campaign away...

Warriors call in ref to work on discipline

WORCESTER Warriors brought in a referee to work with the squad in training sessions this week in an attempt to improve...

Jack Nowell: I love the challenge in France

A wounded animal is when it is at its most dangerous and La Rochelle intend to right some wrongs from last...

DREAMTEAM

ED PASCOE, THE FORMER REDRUTH, CORNISH PIRATES, ENGLAND COUNTIES, CORNWALL AND CURRENT ROYAL NAVY SECOND ROW, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE...

Chris Hewett: ‘Finishers’ need to be put in their place

Imagine you are peering across halfway at a pack of forwards so big, knotted with muscle and profoundly pug-ugly that the...

Galthie’s secret squirrel exercise

CHRIS HEWETT FACED with last week’s espionage bulletin from France, the owlish master spy George Smiley would have cleaned his spectacles...

Building from the wreckage! Steve Tandy’s task to reignite Wales

As Welsh rugby lurches from one calamity to the next as if trying to navigate a maze blindfolded, the worst of...

Dave Walder: Exeter Chiefs are bringning their A-game in push for silverware

Exeter Chiefs attack coach Dave Walder is confident they can maintain their early-season form and challenge for silverware after director of...

Northampton Saints’ Josh Kemeny is hoping for Australia return

Josh Kemeny wants to add to his two Australia caps and does not think staying with Northampton Saints will be an...