Cov’s chief: We’ll drop to Nat leagues

By LUKE JARMYN Coventry chief executive Nick Johnston says the Championship club remains prepared to drop down to the national leagues...

Fresh calls to get rid of the caterpillar ruck

By LUKE JARMYN Hartpury’s director of rugby John Barnes has called for the eradication of the caterpillar ruck – and for...

Carpenter looking to make his mark

From ADAM HATHAWAY in Japan Sale's Joe Carpenter is aiming for a cap with Steve Borthwick’s Red Rose touring side but...

Winters leads brutal ride across USA in aid of Doddie

By NICK CAIN Even for men as mentally and physically durable as former England Grand Slam back rowers Peter Winterbottom and...

May on his way to play in France

Former England winger Jonny May is to join French second division side Soyaux Angouleme on a two-year deal, starting next season....

Four-match Obano ban

BATH prop Beno Obano has been given a four-match ban after being sent off during last Saturday’s Premiership final defeat by...

Borthwick: We want to get kids engaged

By ADAM HATHAWAY in Japan Steve Borthwick has urged his side to help youngsters in England fall in love with rugby...

Saints chief confident they will build on title triumph

NORTHAMPTON chief executive Mark Darbon is confident Saints can build on their Premiership title and be a force for season to...

Townsend targeting four wins out of four

By BRYN PALMER Scotland will have a target on their backs this summer but Gregor Townsend has urged his squad to...

Webber to run the Hounds

By JON NEWCOMBE Former England hooker Rob Webber has been appointed interim head coach of Chicago Hounds for the remainder of...

Thomas keen to make things happen

By SIMON THOMAS To get an idea of what Ben Thomas will offer as he returns to the Wales fold, it’s...

Tuima: I have to move up the ladder

By MARK STEVENS Even by his own expectations, it’s been quite the year for Exeter Chiefs forward Rusi Tuima. Handed his...

Ward and Hunt both delighted by Mitchell’s impact

By MARK STEVENS With just over a year to go until the start of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, excitement is...

Borthwick should go with Marcus first up

JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE... EVERY WEEK It will be a choice between Harlequins’ Marcus Smith and Northampton’s Fin Smith at...

Bulls hold firm to keep Leinster out

By SIMON THOMAS Bulls ................................... 25pts Tries: Goosen 30, Petersen 42, 67 Conversions: Goosen 31, 43 Penalties: Goosen 40, 61 Leinster..............................20pts...

Hanekom praises ‘amazing support’

MAN of the match Cameron Hanekom paid tribute to the Bulls supporters following the victory at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld. “The fans...

Munster can’t live with slick Warriors

By JOHN FALLON Munster .............................10pts Tries: Frisch 56 Conversions: Crowley 57 Penalties: Crowley 13 Glasgow.............................17pts Tries: Steyn 24, Cancelliere 51 Conversions:...

Jordan targets revenge mission

Glasgow out-half Tom Jordan said that having been in South Africa last month for two games is going to be a...

Exeter confirm signing of former Irish prop

EXETER have confirmed the signing of former London Irish prop Will Goodrick-Clarke from Ealing Trailfinders. As revealed in The Rugby Paper...

Green tipped to take chance with England

By LUKE JARMYN Key Harlequins figures believe that if Tyrone Green doesn’t get picked for the Springboks this summer, then he’ll...

Springboks call up 11 uncapped players for tour

Call up: Quan Horn THE South Africa squad includes 11 uncapped players and a cohort of players from the 2023 and...

Mistake to select Tom and not Ted

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Ted Hill must be wondering what else he has to do to get...

All Blacks will be ready to roll

NICK CAIN Rumours that New Zealand are in a state of flux heading into their two-Test summer series against England should...

Return of relegation is reason to cheer

NICK CAIN The restoration of promotion and relegation, which this column has advocated non-stop since the RFU’s ring-fence moratorium in 2021,...

Effort and enterprise the key for Saints

PAUL REES SEES PLENTY OF HIGHLIGHTS BUT WARNS THE GAME MUST SHOW IT CAN PAY FOR ITSELF Northampton’s first Premiership title...

Quartet help Cardiff pull off unlikely double

Peter Jackson discovers which clubs and players come out best and worst when it comes to red and yellow cards Despite...

Sorry, but Obano did not have to do that

CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED The best definition of madness in rugby? There are several contenders: picking a fight with Eben Etzebeth...

Another lesson from the French

CHRIS HEWETT Now that Vannes have made it into the top tier of French rugby and the people running things across...

The unexpected revolutionary

Paul Rees says this should be a summer of opportunities for England and head coach Steve Borthwick Steve Borthwick is an...

I think RFU will bow to Prem clubs

LETTERS SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: newsdesk@ therugbypaper.co.uk ON Friday...

Stick with the rules

NOTHING personal against England U20’s player Junior Kpoku but how come he plays in France for Racing 92 yet is still...

Booth wants to see more from Ospreys

By SIMON THOMAS OSPREYS coach Toby Booth says having bowed out in two quarter-finals will fuel their appetite to achieve even...

Dream Team – Andy Booth

For this week's Dream Team Andy Booth, the former Neath, Swansea, Cardiff, Cambridge University, and Wales B scrum half, chooses the...

Hill’s recall flies in the face of loyalty

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Cory Hill walked out of the Wales squad last summer, preferring to join...

The day Meredith made history

PETER JACKSON Courtenay Meredith spent the last 71 years of an exceptionally long life with something to shout about over what...

It’s a right Lark as Bristol rally

Saracens ....... 21 Bristol .............29 HOOKER Lark Atkin-Davies’ hat-trick was at the heart of an incredible comeback as Bristol overcame Saracens...

Gloucester go on the rampage

Gloucester-H ...50 Exeter ............. 19 GLOUCESTER-Hartpury racked up a half century of points in a dominant home win over Exeter Chiefs....

Bears bid to hunt down the top dogs

By BEN JAYCOCK FINAL PREVIEW... Bristol Bears v Gloucester-Hartpury Saturday June 22. Kick-off 3pm, Sandy Park Gloucester-Hartpury will be aiming to...

Baa-Baas call for Whitelock

NEWS EXTRA TWO-TIME World Cup winner Sam Whitelock will join up with the Barbarians squad for Saturday’s Killik Cup clash against...

Balmain agrees one-year deal with Saracens

NEWS EXTRA GLOUCESTER prop Fraser Balmain has moved to Saracens on a one-year contract. The experienced 32-year-old has played 231 matches...

England punished by lively Georgia

• By BEN JAYCOCK Georgia.............. 45pts England..............17pts ENGLAND U20 endured a repeat of last year’s wobbly World Championship preparations as Mark...

Aussie Hewat joins Leicester as attack coach

LEICESTER Tigers have appointed Australian Peter Hewat as attack and backs coach. The 46-year-old leaves his job as head coach of...

There is no warm welcome for Spain

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER Gone but still winning. Sort of! London Irish...

Team Brittany show what might have happened in Cornwall

RUGBY MATTERS GO west young man. The phrase, attributed to American newspaper editor Horace Greeley, became a byword for the expansion...

Last-minute try makes it perfect for Oxfordshire

Men’s Division 2 by Ben Jaycock Cheshire ……….37pts Tries: Longmore 6, Cole 28, Penalty 37, Elliott 39, Blackwell 60 Conversions: Attis...

Kent hold on to take honours in thriller

Men’s Division 1 Kent …………………. 31pts Tries: Denham 48, Jones 50, 65 Conversions: Evans 49, 51, 66 Penalties: Evans 5, 36,...

North Midlands get ready to face ‘a tough challenge’

Men’s Div 3 Preview Devon v North Midlands Today. Kick-off 1pm, Twickenham DEVON are red hot favourites for today’s Division 3...

Seven-try Yorkshire put Surrey to the sword

Women’s Division 1 Surrey ……………… 7pts Tries: Grove 76 Conversions: Hill 77 Yorkshire……….37pts Tries: Green 9, Gould 33, Brown 40, Akwiwu...

Durham happy to let their hair down

Women’s Div 2Preview Durham v Hampshire Today. Kick-off 3pm. Twickenham DURHAM head coach Ryan Pink says his side have reached a...

Devon hitting form at just the right time

Women’s Div 3Preview Cumbria v Devon Today. Kick-off 11am. Twickenham LAST season’s finalists Devon take on Cumbria in the Division 3...