Too many forward passes are not being picked up

SIX games already played in this year’s Six Nations, and in the first five games the winning teams have benefited by...

Scotland deprived of a rightful win

SCOTLAND were robbed last weekend by pathetic refereeing from both the ref and the TMO in their game against France. Their...

Quesada swoops to select Lynagh

By SAM JACKSON Called up: Louis Lynagh in action for Quins LOUIS Lynagh has been selected for Italy’s training squad ahead...

Long breaks do us no favours – Rayer

By BEN JAYCOCK Bedford Blues have made a promising start to this season’s truncated Championship but director of rugby Mike Rayer...

The piano shifters are playing modern tune

CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED Much of the “tactical” kicking across the opening rounds of the Six Nations would have left Fred...

Prepare for scrum time ad breaks…

CHRIS HEWETT OF all the unlikely questions to be asked in this corner of the paper, try this one for size:...

Everitt’s boys get it right in end

By SAM JACKSON Zebre ............... 19 Edinburgh...... 24 EDINBURGH fought back to beat Zebre with three second half tries having trailed...

McDowall on fine form to put Glasgow in the clear

By BRYN PALMER Glasgow...........40pts Tries: McKay 1, 37, McDowall 3, 75, Ashfar 44, Cordero 69 Conversions: Thompson 2, 4, 38, 45;...

Leinster back in the swing

By JOHN FALLON Leinster ......... 47 Benetton ......... 18 LEINSTER captain Scott Penny praised the way his men took charge after...

Former Welsh stars back in action to boost Ospreys

By BEN JAYCOCK PREVIEW... Ospreys v Ulster Today. Kick-off 3pm, Liberty Stadium FORMER Wales stars Justin Tipuric, Nicky Smith and Alex...

Coombes leads from the front to lift Munster

By ROGER PANTING Scarlets .............. 7pts Tries: Roberts 50 Conversions: Titcombe 50 Munster ........... 42pts Tries: Coombes 10, 23, O’Sullivan 62,...

Lions ……………. 10 Bulls ……………..25

THE Bulls consolidated their position among the URC’s frontrunners as they claimed a bonus point victory over their South African rivals...

Sharks ………… 21 Stormers ……..25

THE Stormers handed the Sharks a ninth consecutive defeat in the URC with a narrow victory in Durban. Sharks continue to...

Belgium impress to see off Poland

Belgium............ 31 Poland .............. 10 Belgium might have fallen just short of a semi-final play-off place but they rounded off an...

No stopping Portugal as they put on a show

By BRENDAN GALLAGHER Romania ......................... 24pts Tries: Cojocaru 20, Gontineac 43 , Neagu 59 Conversions: Conache 21, 44, 60 Drop goals:...

Georgia pour on the power to overwhelm Spain

Georgia..............38pts Spain .................... 3pts Richard Cockerill’s Georgia fired a warning shot to any pretenders to their Rugby Europe crown with a...

Ireland’s class will be hard to overcome

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW IF ONLY Wales could take an old leaf out of the record book...

Six Nations endures Wretched Saturday

PETER JACKSON GIVEN the Six Nations’ unfailing capacity to hype up its final round as Super Saturday, last weekend’s double-header at...

Red Roses: Helena Rowland

Loughborough Lightning fly-half Birthplace: Doncaster Date of birth: 19/09/99 Community club: Aylesbury RFC Red Roses debut: vs Italy November 2020 Caps:...

It’s ten out of ten for Lynn’s table toppers

By THOMAS LLEWELLYN Gloucester-Hart .... 29pts Tries: Beckett 25, Buggy 36, Else 56, Matthews 63, K Jones 79 Conversions: George 57,...

Short-term contract takes Grace to Bath

By SAM JACKSON Former Wales rugby league star Regan Grace has signed a short-term contract with Bath. The 27-year-old switched to...

Rebel Kemeny on his way to Northampton

AUSTRALIA back row Josh Kemeny will join Northampton from Melbourne Rebels ahead of next season. The 25-year-old flanker has made 27...

Dream Team – Rory Bartle

RORY BARTLE, THE FORMER NORTH OTAGO, LONDON SCOTTISH, JERSEY REDS, GLOUCESTER & WALES U20S LOCK, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS...

Young Guns: England U20s and Sale prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour

By BEN JAYCOCK With an ageing front row, England are crying out for youthful props who can go toe to toe...

Morse: Warburton is my inspiration

By SIMON THOMAS Rising star Morgan Morse has revealed how he has drawn inspiration from the words of former Wales and...

Scarlets battle for pair

Scarlets are ‘fighting hard’ to keep star forwards Vaea Fifita and Sam Lousi. Fifita, 31, above, is in his second season...

Baloucoune eyes Olympics

Ulster wing Robert Baloucoune is eager for the chance to compete at the Paris Olympics with Ireland. Baloucoune, 26, was previously...

Dutch and Germans proving their worth

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER Round Three of the Rugby Europe championship concludes...

Benvenuto! Great to see Lynagh eventually opting for Italy

RUGBY MATTERS   EVEN though I recently predicted in The Rugby Paper podcast that Louis Lynagh would be a starting wing...

No time to go soft on neck roll

Why isn’t the neck roll an automatic yellow card anymore? In fact, why isn’t the neck roll refereed much anymore full...

Borthwick is still in search of right mix

Paul Rees predicts a close encounter in the Calcutta Cup but sees Ireland winning another Grand Slam THE second round of...

To have played 41 times for Wales is a blessing

My Life in Rugby with Emyr Lewis - The former Wales, Llanelli & Cardiff No. 8 looks back on his career...

We need action, not words, England

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME WITH the second game and a second victory, it seems that all...

Sleepy Tigers are punished by alert visitors

By VINNY MORLEY Sedgley P ........ 14 Bishop’s S........22 TIGERS suffered their third loss in a row at home as visitors...

Moseley hold on in close encounter

By JON MEADOWS B Moseley ..............32 Darlington MP.......28 MOSELEY just edged out their visitors in a close encounter. The hosts quickly...

It’s the happiest of days for Heath

By GRAHAM COX Blackheath ............22 Chinnor.................... 17 AN outstanding perfor mance from Blackheath helped to halt a sequence of four home...

Albion back on track as Ford feel the heat

By JOHN BUTCHER Plymouth A ..... 24pts Tries: Duncan 6, Mills 36, Cowan-Dickie, 46 Collier 79 Conversions: Putt 7, 10 Cinderford.............

Top man Hoyt has final say on big day for  the Rams

By RICHARD ASHTON Rams ........................33 Leicester Lions .... 12 A SUPERB first-half performance set Rams on their way to a bonus-point...

Joy for Park is a tale of Titan woe

By RHYS STRATTON Rosslyn Park..........38 Taunton Titans..... 14 ROSSLYN Park returned to winning ways with a comfortable win over relegation-threatened Taunton...

Richmond prove too strong for Sale

By DARA KANE Richmond................ 31 Sale FC..................... 19 RICHMOND pulled off an impressive home victory against a Sale side that did...

Shanahan is craving home comfort  from Blackheath

By BEN JAYCOCK Blackheath head coach James Shanahan says a supporter asked whether his side could drive around for an hour...

Baker’s late blow sinks the plucky strugglers

By ANDREW SMITH Sheffield T...... 34 Huddersfield...32 ALATE Will Baker penalty deep into added time gave 14-man Sheffield Tigers an unlikely...

Indisciplined Fylde pay highest price

By BRIAN TILLEY Tynedale.................45 Fylde.........................22 TWO penalty tries and a red card cost an impressive Fylde side heavily in an entertaining...

Dominant Dale prove too strong

By EDWIN WILLIAMS Wharfedale............3 9  Hull Ionians............ 19 DALE produced another dominant display to see off the challenge of Hull Ionians....

Oh boy! Newborn the hero for Titans

By LUKE JARMYN Rotherham T....32pts  Sheffield............ 14pts FLANKER Harry Newborn powered through in the corner for Rotherham’s fifth try as Titans...

Missed Billingham chances gift Hull the victory

By MIKE BROWN Billingham..............24.  Hull............................ 30 BILLINGHAM were left to rue missed chances as Hull stole in to take the spoils....

Pilkington helps to plot a Lymm party

By NICK DOYLE Lymm........................ 15 Otley.......................... 14 THERE was cause for great celebration as Lymm savoured their first league win against...

It’s six of the best as Tykes march on

By TOM KELLY Preston G................. 14  Leeds Tykes...........45 THE Grasshoppers put up a fight in the rain, but Leeds Tykes showcased...

In-form Fisher aiming to net a big catch for steel city club

By BEN JAYCOCK Sheffield have enjoyed a miraculous improvement from last season, helped along the way by scrum-half Elliot Fisher, who...

Guernsey get raided as recent form goes wanting

By MIKE MARSHALL Guernsey.......... 12 Dorking..............36 GUERNSEY Raiders’ good form of late came to a halt as Dorking eventually controlled the...