School time is over, says Will Rowlands

By Rob Cole Will Rowlands says “school time is over” for Warren Gatland’s Welsh squad and it is now time to...

Strong scrums must be rewarded – Adam Jones

By Paul Rees Adam Jones has called on the lawmakers to ensure sides with a strong scrum are rewarded amid rising...

Itoje full of hope for new PGP deal

■ By ADAM HATHAWAY MARO Itoje has given a snapshot of how the new PGP agreement between clubs and the RFU...

Slade: We’re facing tough times at Chiefs

■ By GARY FITZGERALD HENRY Slade may be focused on England matters right now but at the back of his mind...

England’s heartache goes on as Ford fails to land the killer blow

■ By NICK CAIN at Twickenham England ............................. 22pts Try: Feyi-Waboso 45 Conversion: Smith 45 Penalties: Smith 5, 13, 31, 60;...

Another failure to use the bench properly from England

By Paul Rees It was Groundhog Day for England as they slumped to a fourth successive narrow defeat. A difference this...

Braveheart Wallace Sititi takes top billing as the star of the show for All Blacks

By Brendan Gallagher You could write a short book on how England somehow managed to lose that match in the final...

Darcy Graham on the rampage to ignite Scotland

By Bryn Palmer Scotland ........................... 57pts Tries: Rowe 9, Graham 15, 18, 53, 62; Jones 21, 79; van der Merwe 72...

Townsend praise for Darcy and Duhan double act

SCOTLAND head coach Gregor Townsend paid tribute to the “outstanding” Darcy Graham as he drew within one of fellow wing Duhan...

O’Driscoll: Ireland don’t fear ABs

BRIAN O’Driscoll predicts Irish eyes will be smiling again this week as they stick a hefty boot into the All Blacks’...

England front row not good enough

I AGREE with Jeremy Guscott and Nick Cain in last week’s article. England’s front row are not good enough. I’ve been...

Throw plans to segregate fans into the dustbin

THE fact that Premiership administrators are considering segregating away supporters demonstrates that people charged with managing the game have very little...

Bevan happy with his baptism of fire

■By SIMON THOMAS SO much has happened in the life of Ellis Bevan over the last six months but one moment...

DREAM TEAM

SCOTT HALL, THE NOTTINGHAM AND FORMER NORTHS EAGLES AND LEICESTER BACK ROW, SELECTS THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH OR...

Wallabies have ability to spring a surprise

By Jeremy Guscott - Outspoken and unmissable every week... It would be a mistake to underestimate the abilities of Joe Schmidt,...

Hill out to cash in on England chance

■By PAUL REES You’re in: Ted Hill was called up by England to replace Ollie Chessum, inset PICTURES: Getty Images AS...

Aussies are hurt by own protectionism

By Nick Cain - Read his expert opinion every week Whether the Wallabies emerge with a Grand Slam or a slump...

England will need to tame Sua’ali’i

THE Wallabies may be stuck between a rock and a hard place, but England will still need to be wary of...

Doncaster let it slip as Sale come from behind

■By ANDREW SMITH Doncaster .........37pts Tries: Olowofela 33, 43; Wacokecoke 37, Currie 40, Veainu 65 Conversions: Bennett 33, 37, 40 Penalties:...

Spirited Caldy give Falcons a workout

■By LUKE JARMYN Caldy .......................12pts Conversion: Rabbette 58 Tries: Rabbette 57, Wynn 69 Newcastle ............ 33pts Tries: Spencer 4, O’Sullivan 8,...

New faces take the plaudits for Saints

■By ROB WILDMAN Northampton ........31pts Tries: Pollock 15, Ramm 23, Litchfield 38, Hendy 53, Baker 59 Conversions: Makepeace-Cubitt 15, 23, 53...

Opoku grabs his chance to make sure for Cov

■By PETE MURDOCK Nottingham ...... 15pts Tries: Olowofela 44, Ecclesfield 70 Conversion: Arden 45 Penalty: Arden 13 Coventry .......... 34pts Tries:...

Battling Scottish make Quins work hard

■By DAN ROBERTSHAW L Scottish .........22pts Tries: Scot 30, Simonds 40, Wardell 58, Brown 80 Conversions: Wilstead 80 Harlequins .......35pts Tries:...

Ealing delight as Sarries cut down

■By OLLIE AUST Ealing ..................... 29pts Tries: Farrar 2, Bird-Tulloch 5, 25, Penalty 32, Kernohan 43 Conversion: Jones 3 Saracens ...............19pts...

Bears get in the mood with Blues demolition

■By MARK STEVENS Bristol ............. 67pts Tries: J Jenkins 2, Marmion 6, Fricker 12, Thacker 19, 71; Bates 23, Elizalde 25,...

Ampthill given 11-try lesson in class from Bath

By BEN WHITE Ampthill ................. 0pts Bath ...................... 73pts Tries: McConnochie 2, 51; Tuipulotu 11, 25, 39; Staddon 42, Spandler 58,...

Gloucester are made to battle all the way

■By CARWYN HARRIS Hartpury ............26pts Tries: Morgan 11, Denty 35, Austin 43, Penalty 72 Conversions: Bazalgate 11, 35 Gloucester ....... 31pts...

Ten-try Chiefs show Pirates no mercy

■By MIKE SINCLAIR C Pirates .................. 7pts Try: Houston 23 Conversion: Houston 23 Exeter .................... 68pts Tries: Rigg 2, 40; Brown-Bampoe...

Shame that Georgia are kept out of sight

By Chris Hewett - Thinking Allowed The most significant contest of the November international series? Take your pick. Ireland-New Zealand in...

France have talent to spare

ON the face of it – and, indeed, at the heart of it – a back row combination of Charles Ollivon...

Aussies facing reality check

ANALYSIS PAUL REES LOOKS AT THE CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR THE HOME NATIONS AS THE AUTUMN INTERNATIONALS GET UNDER WAY AUSTRALIA start...

South America look to keep on building

By JOE SANTAMARIA Top dogs: Argentina celebrate beating Australia in Rugby Championship PICTURES: Getty Images AS Sebastián Piñeyrúa’s historic six-year term...

Assiratti’s making the most of his second chances

By SIMON THOMAS WALES prop Keiron Assiratti has revealed how close he came to dropping out of professional rugby – just...

Wales get set for big Sunday crunch…

By Peter Jackson - The man truly in the know One weekend five summers ago, Wales went to No.1 in the...

Maesteg Harlequins a beacon of hope

AT a time when too many clubs all over England and Wales have gone to rack and ruin, Maesteg Harlequins shine...

Holders looking to get it right

Preview Gloucester v Sale Today. 2pm Title holders Gloucester-Hartpury are looking for a response against strugglers Sale after suffering back-to-back defeats...

Exeter on top in battle of the big guns

■By HARRY SCOTT-MUNRO Exeter ............................. 29pts Tries: Doidge 8, F Robinson 38, Sinclair 56, Rogers 66 Conversions: Tessier 9, 39, 67...

Bristol have no answers as Callender leads romp

By STEWART McCULLOUGH Bristol ................ 19pts Tries: David 7, Bonner 28, R Marston-Mulhearn 37 Conversions: Reed 7, 28 Harlequins ...... 34pts...

Host of stars back for Tigers

Preview Leicester v T’finders Today. 3pm LEICESTER welcome back several Test players as they search for their first win of the...

Scarratt excited by new pathway

■ By MAX HARRIS Champions: Gloucester-Hartpury celebrate their title triumph ENGLAND centurion Emily Scarratt is delighted with the new women’s BUCS...

From shelf stacker to first-team contender

■By PAUL REES GEORGE Makepeace-Cubitt was stacking supermarket shelves at the start of the year but the England Under-20 outside-half is...

Cheika has instilled fight and grit into Tigers -Smith

■ By GARY FITZGERALD Battle-hardened: Leicester coach Michael Cheika MICHAEL Cheika is a throwback to the old head coaching days at...

Don’t let these tasty clashes pass you by

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER IT’S always famine or feast with international rugby...

Beziers need to clean up their act

THE once-mighty Beziers are making the news in France again but for the wrong reasons. On the field they are becalmed...

Rowntree’s old charges fall short in a thriller

■By BEN JAYCOCK Munster ........... 24pts Tries: Haley 35, Penalty 40, Hodnett 50, Farrell 60, Conversion: Butler 60 New Zealand ...38pts...

Baxter: I want to make things better

■By PAUL REES ROB Baxter will not be walking away from Exeter, the only club still looking for a Premiership victory...

I love it when I’m out in front of The Shed

Jon Newcombe hears from George Barton about his switch from No.10 to 15 and the propects for the Cherry & Whites...

I’ll stick with La Rochelle -O’Gara

NEWS EXTRA RONAN O’Gara has ruled himself out of the running to replace Graham Rowntree as Munster head coach. Munster announced...

Griffin’s not stopped by heart issue

WALES and Bath prop Archie Griffin is set to be fit for the autumn internationals despite being diagnosed with a heart...

Pearce walks in his father’s footsteps

■ By PAUL REES PADDY Pearce is living a dream after emulating his father and great-uncle by playing for the club...