Sale lock still in hunt for new club

ON THE BLINDSIDE Sale Sharks lock Matt Postlethwaite is still looking for a new club, with his contract with the Premiership...

Boyle turns down Exeter approach

ON THE BLINDSIDE Exeter have failed with their attempts to land young Leinster prop Jack Boyle who has decided that his...

Law-tinkerers are a danger to the game

CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST THE odds on Owen Farrell travelling to the World Cup as England’s starting No.10 are even shorter...

A new trophy, same old tricks …

CHRIS HEWETT It is one thing for a populist Prime Minister to ride a wave of duplicity before crashing head-first into...

Fading myth of invincibility

As the World Cup approaches, Paul Rees reports on why the All Blacks need to hit the ground running For the...

Players discuss stresses of life

The times they are indeed changing. It was not so long ago that if a player used the services of a...

Hill keeps climbing the peaks in France

Jon Newcombe talks to top coach Richard Hill after he secured yet another promotion in the French leagues Former Bath and...

Why this merger just might be the way to go

SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND Another week in Welsh rugby and another potential drama emerges. They always say the close...

Williams heading for Japan

WALES and Lions wing Liam Williams has left Cardiff midway through his contract to join Kubota Spears in Japan. The 32-year-old...

Irish weren’t given enough time – Ojo

■By NICK POWELL LONDON Irish’s record try scorer Topsy Ojo says it’s regrettable that the club weren’t given more time to...

Eligibility rules are cause for concern

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER These newish eligibility regulations are still open to...

Hoping a phoenix can rise from the ashes…

The London Irish story has taken a horrible, cruel, turn recently but remains an extraordinary tale worth telling and in the...

Tupou on track to return for Wallabies

Wallabies star prop Taniela Tupou is on track to make his return from injury against the Springboks in their Rugby Championship...

Nienaber keeps faith with World Cup stars

By PAUL REES SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH Africa’s squad preparing for the Rugby Championship contains 19 players who were involved in the...

Foster mixes it up with experience and youth

New Zealand have named five debutants in a 36-man squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship. The squad is a mixture of...

Familiar faces find some new identities

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Nine New Zealanders, four Australians, a goalkicking Irishman and an English prop are...

Limited by a flawed structure

Back in those blessed years when the Heineken Cup often delivered matches of greater passion and technical skill than the Six...

Sensational Jonah, the game’s first global star

Brendan Gallagher looks back at the players who shone on the biggest stage, this time he goes back to 1995 and...

Mandela inspires rainbow nation

The 1995 World Cup is a multi stranded story we never tire of. Nelson Mandela, elected at South Africa’s first President...

My Life in Rugby with Nili Latu: ‘Playing for my country was never about money’

The former Tonga, Hurricanes, Chiefs, Newcastle, Green Rockets and Red Dolphins No.8 My playing career with Tonga (a record 54 caps)...

Noot: Blackheath aiming for top six

By BEN JAYCOCK Alex Noot has stressed that his new Blackheath side are not there to merely make up the numbers...

Moseley move for Brough

National 1 side Birmingham Moseley have signed Dan Brough from Cambridge, who won the league to secure promotion to the Championship....

Death of former Kynoch captain

SUTTON Coldfield man and keen rugby player Daniel Higgs recently passed away, aged 49. Higgs, below, played for many years with...

Craig leaving Gloucester for Scarlets

Scotland lock Alex Craig is joining Scarlets from Gloucester. Like their regional rivals, Scarlets are cutting costs and have lost lock...

Two-year trial for tackle law in Wales

THE WRU is introducing a restriction on the height of the tackle allowed in the community game in Wales in a...

Bizer’s the latest star to join Ealing

USA fly-half Meya Bizer is the latest international to join Ealing Trailfinders’ new Premier 15s side. The 30-year-old has won 27...

Young Guns: Ampthill hooker Ben Pogson

Ben Pogson is “ecstatic” he has managed to land a contract at Championship side Ampthill after the difficult news last October...

Charalambous on Scottish mission

By BEN JAYCOCK After aiding the club’s survival bid last term, London Scottish new signing Rhys Charalambous is hoping to use...

Baldwin happy to take chance at Falcons

By SAM JACKSON Wales and Ospreys hooker Scott Baldwin has called time on his playing career to become defence coach at...

Blackett’s blueprint deserves attention

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Jeff Blackett is not a name that will spring to mind if...

Team of the season is packed with brilliance

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN The 2022/23 Top 14 season is done. Toulouse are champions for the 22nd time, after pipping ambitious...

Heavenly finish as Crusaders snatch title

By CAMERON STEPHENS Super Rugby Pacific Final Chiefs .................. 20pts Tries: Stevenson 22, Narawa 42 Conversions: McKenzie 24, 44 Penalties: McKenzie...

Pienaar keeps control to guide Cheetahs home

Currie Cup Final By DAN LYON Cheetahs ..........25pts Tries: Fortuin 29, Jasper 39, Kruger 52 Conversions: Pienaar 40, 53 Penalties: Pienaar...

Gloucester and Exeter prepare for “Queensholm” showdown

A new winner will be crowned as the champions of the Women’s Premier 15s as Gloucester-Hartpury and Exeter meet at the...

An Upswing in Rugby’s Popularity from Niche to Mainstream

Rugby has an exciting and rich history, making it one of the world’s most popular physical sports. It has a massive...

Series 2, Episode 24: European Cup format and reattempting an England XV

This week on the Rugby Paper Podcast, host Ollie Little is joined by columnists Brendan Gallagher, Nick Cain and Chris Hewett...

What Are the Advantages of Using Rugby Voucher Discount Codes in the UK

Rugby voucher discount codes are a fantastic way to save money when purchasing rugby-related goods in the UK. Using these codes,...

Five Advantages of Best Payout Casinos to Gamblers

When it comes to online gambling, one of the key factors that players consider is the payout rate or the return...

2023 – Can it change the sport of Rugby? What’s missing? 

As the most celebrated event in the oval ball sport comes closer with the Rugby World Cup 2023 in France, we...

Heineken pull plug on Europe

By SAM JACKSON EXCLUSIVE Global brewing giants Heineken are to step down as title sponsors of rugby’s Champions Cup, leaving tournament...

England squad on £100,000-a-man at World Cup

By PETER JACKSON & JON NEWCOMBE England's World Cup squad will be paid £100,000-a-man at the World Cup in France this...

Purdy out to make his name overseas

By BEN JAYCOCK As many professional rugby players are discovering, the financial problems in the Premiership are making it tough to...

Bristol swoop to snap up Van Rensburg

By BEN JAYCOCK Bristol Bears have leapt upon London Irish’s misfortune by signing South African centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg. The...

Borthwick: Mercer a contender for France

By GARY FITZGERALD Steve Borthwick claims Zach Mercer has “grown” into a true World Cup back row contender for during his...

Hunter and Cox named in Birthday Honours list

By NEIL HARVEY Former England women’s captain Sarah Hunter has been awarded and CBE and professional referee, Sara Cox an MBE...

We’ll keep on fighting, says Newcastle owner

By PAUL REES Newcastle owner Semore Kurdi has rubbished claims that the club is willing to be relegated to the Championship...

Millard moves up at Quins

Harlequins have appointed Billy Millard as director of rugby, with Tabai Matson switching from head coach to become director of performance...

It’s not a level playing field in second tier

I WOULD just like to correct a passage in the article with Steve Thompson last week (TRP, June 11), when he...

How do Saracens survive on gates?

IT was interesting to see the average home attendances for the Premiership clubs for the past season. What I can’t quite...

Champ clubs refuse to delay new deal

By JON NEWCOMBE Furious Championship clubs have voted against proposals to push back the new Professional Game Agreement (PGA) by another...