Leicester squad keeps on growing

Leicester have signed scrum-half Joe Powell, back row Matt Rogerson and fly-half Kieran Wilkinson (pictured) and re-signed lock Mike Williams. Leicester...

Radwan’s aiming to fly high with Falcons

By BEN JAYCOCK Despite finishing bottom and with relegation set to return in next season’s top flight, Newcastle Falcons winger Adam...

Sanderson delight as Cowan-Dickie signs up

Sale Sharks have signed England and British and Irish Lions hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie from Exeter Chiefs. The 30-year-old had been set...

Cardiff land prop Litterick

Cardiff have signed Harlequins prop Rhys Litterick for next season. The 24-year-old front row from West Sussex is Wales-qualified through his...

A man-mountain who needs to be stopped

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Posolo Tuilagi is a force of nature who stands between England U20 and...

England missing that killer instinct

Steve Borthwick has been liberal with the superlatives when describing the performances of some of the players in his England World...

Postlethwaite goes on trial at Exeter

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER  Exeter Chiefs have taken former Sale Sharks lock Matt Postlethwaite on trial this week after...

Patchell’s switch

ON THE BLINDSIDE Wales fly-half Rhys Patchell who was thought to be heading to France after being released by The Scarlets...

Racing 92 rule out move for Smith

ON THE BLINDSIDE Marcus Smith staying with Harlequins beyond the final year of his contract, which ends next summer, moved a...

French to keep eye on hooker

ON THE BLINDSIDE | Neil Fissler French Top 14 sides will monitor Luke Cowan-Dickie’s progress with Sale Sharks with interest after...

Kiss favourite for Reds

ON THE BLINDSIDE NEIL FISSLER Former London Irish boss Les Kiss has emerged as the clear favourite to replace former All...

When law and spirit are not the same

CHRIS HEWETT We've heard an awful lot – far too much, frankly – about the spirit of cricket just recently, and...

Another lesson from the French

We are still a few days away from Premiership Rugby’s latest “big reveal”: the fixture list for the 2023-24 campaign, featuring...

Challenge Cup invite for Black Lion and Cheetahs

Georgian team Black Lion and South African side Cheetahs have been invited to join the 2023- 24 European Challenge Cup. Organisers...

‘I wanted to keep on working with Steve’

By ADAM HATHAWAY Richard Wigglesworth admits staying close to head coach Steve Borthwick was one of his biggest motivations to take...

Exeter sign Millar-Mills

Exeter Chiefs have signed England international Harriet Millar-Mills ahead of the new Premiership Women’s Rugby campaign. The 32-year-old former Wasps and...

World League will add to the pressure

SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND ALL the excitement in the game at the moment surrounds the upcoming World Cup in...

North and south set for global showdown

Paul Rees considers the implications of a biennial 12-team international tournament due to begin in 2026 It has taken years to...

James: We’ll just keep improving

By BEN JAYCOCK Lifelong Sale Sharks fan Sam James is hoping his side go one step further next season and lift...

Saracens tempt Galligan back from Harlequins

SARACENS have resigned England second row Rosie Galligan from Harlequins. The 25-yearold left Sarries for Quins in 2021, and made 30...

Middleton keen to help Japan move up a notch

Simon Middleton has taken on a new role as high performance adviser to the Japan national women’s 15s team. Named World...

Wales pull another one from nowhere

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW When it comes to finding players from anywhere and nowhere for World Cups,...

Cripps, the hard man overlooked by Big Five

PETER JACKSON Brandon Cripps earned his stripes in the twice-weekly mayhem of the Welsh club scene during an era when more...

Spirited England out for revenge

By BEN JAYCOCK PREVIEW...England v France (Today, Kick-off 6pm) England U20s have the opportunity to make amends for their dismal defeat...

Ireland ready for tough challenge as SA look for sprint finish

PREVIEW...Ireland v South Africa (Today, Kick-off 3.30pm) Richie Murphy's Grand Slam winners Ireland face their biggest challenge yet as they meet...

Baby Blacks set for Aussie clash

Preview: New Zealand v Australia (Today, 1pm) New Zealand have had to settle for a fifth-place semi-final against arch rivals Australia...

Wales in the mood to rumble

By BEN JAYCOCK PREVIEW...Wales v Georgia (Today, Kick-off 3pm) Wales U20s defence coach Craig Everett says his side are ‘chomping at...

Italy determined to end on a high

Preview Italy v Fiji Today. 10am ITALY are hoping to ensure that after a bright start to the World Championships that...

Japan keen to break their duck

Preview: Argentina v Japan (Today, 12.30pm) Japan head coach Rob Penney has made 11 changes for this afternoon’s ninth-place semi-final against...

France are too strong for battling Welshmen

POOL A By BEN JAYCOCK Wales................ 19pts Tries: Driscoll 40, Florence 47, Houston 71 Conversions: Edwards 41, 48 France.............. 43pts Tries:...

Another failure for New Zealand

N Zealand ..........62 Japan................... 19 MACCA Springer scored a hat-trick but New Zealand fell short of the 67 point margin that...

Seven-try Ireland beat Fiji to finish top of the group

By SAM JACKSON Ireland.............. 47pts Tries: Gleeson 8, 35; Sheahan 12, Hadden 22, McCarthy 57, 78, Osborne 68 Conversions: Lynch 9,...

Bracken sparks England defiance

POOL B By BEN JAYCOCK England .............. 22pts Tries: Bracken 4, Cleaves 36, Jibulu 43 Conversions: Slevin 5, 37 Penalties: Slevin...

Beets double does it for SA

POOL C S Africa ........... 24 Argentina ....... 16 CORNE Beets scored two late tries as hosts South Africa beat Argentina...

My Life in Rugby with Richard De Carpentier: ‘It felt a bit surreal when I ran out at Murrayfield’

The former England sevens international and Leicester, Worcester, Harlequins and Bath back rower talks about his life in the game When...

Young stars need more room to grow

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER A fascinating Junior World Cup has reached the...

The day I couldn’t land a blow on McCaw

It's impossible to avoid the Ashes at present and I was musing last week when we had that kerfuffle over the...

The day Jonny saved his best until the final play of the game

Brendan Gallagher looks back at the players who shone on the biggest stage Johnno or Jonny? Who was the iconic English...

When Johnno’s Dad’s Army had one last hurrah

There are those, and I would be one, who still consider RWC2003 the best run and most enjoyable tournament to date...

Wade would be my wild card on the wing

Q&A Ben Jaycock speaks to former Wasps, Leicester and England winger Tom Varndell about the state of the game in 7s...

We trained for hours in baking sun – then lost!

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME As England ramp up their preparation for this year’s Rugby World Cup,...

90 players in search of a new club

JAMES HARRINGTON | FRENCH COLUMN What links 16 props, 12 hookers, 10 second rows, 15 back rowers, 13 scrum-halves, 11 wingers,...

Dupont is looking to take a sabbatical

Antoine Dupont could take a sabbatical year after the 2024 Olympic Games, reports in France suggest. The France captain, 26, is...

Richardson keen on Scotland role

By GRANT SHUB When Dylan Richardson was called up to play for Scotland against Japan at Murrayfield in 2021, the South...

Hill and Fisher helping out in Kuala Lumpur

THE Penguins international coaching academy continued its worldwide campaign by funding two coaches to work with schools and Cobra RFC in...

Young Guns: Newcastle fly-half Louie Johnson

Instinctive Newcastle fly-half Louie Johnson has set his sights on breaking into the Falcons first team after finishing his final tournament...

In this Sunday’s Rugby Paper (09/07/23)

We might be in midsummer but there’s still plenty of match action to find in The Rugby Paper on a busy...

The eligibility rule change is changing rugby! All you need to know!

It’s a Rugby World Cup year!  Another crucial year comes by for the oval ball sport, where fans flock to the...

Series 2 Episode 26: Championship future, U20 World Cup and building up to the main event

On this week’s edition of the podcast, Brendan and Chris assess Simon Halliday’s comments on the future of the English second...

U20s World Cup: France, Ireland, South Africa and England through, New Zealand and Wales out

Reigning champions France topped the seeds heading into the semi-finals of the U20s World Cup with England, Ireland and South Africa...