Young hookers take the plaudits

Round-up By ROB COLE TWO Cardiff hookers grabbed the headlines at the Arms Park, both of them young enough to be...

Bayonne battling to find a new way

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Ex-Bayonne coach Gregory Patat PICTURES: Getty Images new way IT MAY be a Top 14 rest week,...

Forthcoming fixtures

Week beginning Sunday, February 22, 2026 It is advisable to check matches and kick-off times with the clubs SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22...

New Rugby Paper Roundup: England v Ireland – English response or Irish statement? ft Pat McCarry

In this week’s episode of The Rugby Paper Roundup, Assistant Editor Ben Jaycock is joined by Irish rugby writer Pat McCarry...

Six Nations news: Maro Itoje set for 100th cap as England and Ireland look to bounce back at Twickenham

British & Irish Lions captain Maro Itoje will run out for his 100th cap for England on Saturday at Twickenham, eager to...

Six Nations news: Sam Prendergast dropped by Ireland ahead of clash with England

Sam Prendergast has been left out of Ireland’s matchday squad for Saturday’s Six Nations clash away to England, with Jack Crowley...

The best Rugby tournaments to bet on at bookmakers

Those who love Rugby always have the chance to combine their passion for the sport with the opportunity to earn money...

Step-by-step Pinco registration: From filling out the form to the first login

Pinco casino offers over 5,000 games and features for players around the world. You need an account to play with real...

UK Slot Gaming & Mobile Pay: Trends, Usage and Player Behaviour

In the UK, pay-by-mobile has become essential to the UK digital economy, driven by Boku’s carrier billing launch in 2009 and...

Six Nations news: Matthieu Jalibert or Romain Ntamack – where do France go now?

France have gotten off to a blinding start to this year’s Six Nations, kicking their campaign off with bonus point wins...

Six Nations news: Henry Pollock set for first England start against Ireland

Henry Pollock will make his first England start in Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash with Ireland as one of three changes...

Six Nations news: What we learned about every team from round two

Round two of the Six Nations brought Ireland and Scotland their first wins, showcased France’s attacking brilliance, and left England and...

Rugby World Cup 2027: Organisers on course to deliver a thrilling tournament

Australia is putting the final touches to its preparations for the 2027 Rugby World Cup (RWC).

Wales 12-54 France: Les Bleus overpower the Welsh en route to emphatic Six Nations victory

Wales suffered more Six Nations misery as France romped to a 54-12 victory in Cardiff.

No end to England’s Calcutta Cup agony as Scotland come out on top in Six Nations clash

Steve Borthwick watched England’s 12-match winning run hit the buffers – then insisted Henry Arundell’s red card was a bridge too...

Andy Farrell: Ireland’s spirit was fantastic in Six Nations win over Italy

Ireland boss Andy Farrell hailed the character of his team after they overcame gritty Italy in Dublin to get their campaign...

Paul Rees: When roosters turned to feather dusters

A week is a long time in sport. Henry Arundell and George Ford enjoyed the plaudits after the opening round romp...

Brendan Gallagher: I think Sevens is badly in need of an energy boost

I worry about Sevens which, having invested so much energy and emotion into securing Olympic status, seems to have become very...

Josh Hodge keen to end on a high with Exeter Chiefs before joining Newcastle Red Bulls

Josh Hodge hopes to leave Exeter Chiefs on a high this summer when he re-joins Newcastle Red Bulls.

England’s Ollie Chessum says it’s great to be back at full capacity for 2026 Six Nations

Every England victory is sweet but last weekend’s win over Wales was extra special for Ollie Chessum after limping through the...

Leicester Tigers wing Ollie Hassell-Collins still has England ambitions

Ollie Hassell-Collins is set on adding to the two England caps he won three years ago.

Hybrid players get George Ford’s vote for England

George Ford has welcomed the emergence of England’s hybrid players – but warned one size does not fit all.

Harlequins 24-40 Northampton Saints: Archie McParland hat-trick has visitors on the right road

Archie McParland stole the spotlight as his hat-trick helped Northampton Saints to an impressive victory and boost their silverware bid.

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,...