Leinster finally pay the price for their cynicism

BRENDAN GALLAGHER Every journo is surely allowed one “told you so” moment in their career and mine arrived last night when...

Superstar Parisse signs off in style

By BEN JAYCOCK Glasgow............................. 19pts Tries: Steyn 55, 73; Cancelliere 68 Conversions: Horne 56, 74 Toulon ............................... 43pts Tries: Serin 4,...

Warriors will learn from this – Smith

Glasgow head coach Franco Smith accepted that his side were outplayed but believes this experience will help his players in the...

Falcons set for freshen up after turbulent time

By PAUL REES NEWCASTLE finished bottom of the Premiership after heavy defeats in their last three matches, but they are confident...

Odogwu gets Italy chance

ITALY have called up former England prospect Paolo Odogwu as one of five uncapped players in their pre-World Cup training squad....

Tomi aiming for top after switch back to Scarlets

By LUKE JARMYN Welsh flyer Tomi Lewis is adamant that moving back to his native land and working with head coach...

GB sevens players pondered boycott

By BEN JAYCOCK Several Great Britain Sevens players thought about refusing to participate in this weekend’s London leg of the World...

RFU failed to enforce regulatory standards

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Nothing holds a mirror up to all that is wrong with the elite...

Parisse and Ollivon sparkle

NICK CAIN Toulon's 43-19 European Challenge Cup victory over Glasgow was notable not just for the style in which the French...

Teen Ogden hails impact of veteran star Chudley

By BEN JAYCOCK Tyro Coventry scrumhalf Fin Ogden has been taken under the wing of Premiership veteran Will Chudley this season....

Yarde’s heading for exit at Bayonne

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Former England winger Marland Yarde will be looking for a new club this summer after...

Leinster face fight for Boyle

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Leinster are trying to keep highly-rated prop Jack Boyle from moving to the Premiership this...

Easter on wanted list in America

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Nick Easter, who played at three World Cups with England, has emerged as a target...

Moneybags Racing keen to sign Smith

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Racing 92 are serious about tempting Marcus Smith to quit south-west London for a move...

Eddie has no time for sentiment, mate

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Eddie Jones is due in London for the first time since taking over as Australia...

Clubs queue up for Kibirige

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Former England sevens winger Zach Kibirige is in demand, with five clubs bidding for his...

No debate, Hill has to be the Immortal No.6

CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST UP, you could not make it. BT Sport, whose coverage of English club rugby has been close...

How England could use that Limerick spirit

CHRIS HEWETT BACK in the dim and distant, when down-to-earth Munster were the side to beat in Ireland and hifalutin Leinster...

Stage set for mind battle between old friends

Paul Rees previews the Premiership final Alex Sanderson is a two-club man. He spent the bulk of a playing career that...

Rowntree’s Red Army ready to roll

Saturday's United Rugby Championship final between the Stormers, the holders, and Munster at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town is a...

Prop Sarah is revelling in her turn in the spotlight

By BEN JAYCOCK Sarah Bern has gone from having the lights turned out on her training sessions to sharing the same...

Bears make it seven wins on the bounce

By JESSICA TOLKIEN Bristol.......................24 Exeter....................... 21 Bristol secured a bonus-point win against Exeter in their round 16 clash and now head...

Williams-Morris stars with hat-trick

By SAM BYTHEWAY DMP Sharks...............0 Loughborough....... 71 Loughborough secured just their fifth win of the league season with a powerful 12-try...

Sarries survive Botterman red to close gap

By HARRY SCOTT-MUNRO Worcester............... 15 Saracens.................38 Saracens survived a red card to Hannah Botterman to close the gap on the top...

Deadly Sharks enjoy feeding frenzy

By MATT MERRITT Wasps......................... 7 Sale...........................88 With only three games of elite rugby left before they are dropped from the Premier...

Gloucester-HartpuryvHarlequins Today

PREVIEW... Acid test awaits for Quins play-off hopes By BEN JAYCOCK HARLEQUINS face a big test at table-toppers Gloucester-Hartpury with Amy...

When it’s your time to go, you just know

SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND Well, I didn’t see any of that coming! Two retirements within an hour of each...

My Life in Rugby with Alex Tait: ‘Being a one-club man means so much to me’

The former Newcastle and England U20s full-back and winger talks about his life in the game I am immensely proud to...

Dallaglio’s turned into Nostradamus

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Of the 12 clubs to have won European rugby’s supreme prize, only one...

Toulouse’s homemade champions

The original champions of Europe could have put their collective feet up on Saturday knowing that neither contender in Dublin would...

Hertfordshire sign off by smashing 50

By KIERAN FREE Cheshire ........ 24 Herts ................ 54 Hertfordshire signed off their championship with an emphatic victory on the road...

Somerset go clear after early struggle

By HUGH DUDER Somerset ........41 Hampshire ..... 24 It took Hampshire just three minutes to open the scoring as Rory Penfold...

Bentley’s late score seals it for Lancashire

By LUKE JARMYN Lancashire ........ 29pts Tries: Higginson 2, Wilkinson 43, Bentley 72 Conversions: Smith 3 Penalties: Smith 15, 30, 40,...

Hennessy produces the late magic to break Cornish hearts

By BILL HOOPER Cornwall ......... 31 Kent ................. 34 Kent broke Cornish hearts with a deserved win in the Cornish sunshine...

Unlucky Cumbria fall short of semis

By JAMES LEWIS Cumbria ...........36 Durham ...........26 Cumbria prevailed in a ferocious encounter at Aspatria – but missed out on a...

Short’s fast start gets Glouc going

By DAVID BALLHEIMER Devon ............... 10 Glouc’shire .....40 Gloucestershire inflicted a big defeat on Devon at Plymouth Albion, but finished behind...

Half-century helps Dorset & Wilts ease past Berks

By ANDY ARTER Berkshire ........ 19 Dorset & W.....50 Dorset & Wilts travelled to Reading in search of the bonus point...

East Midlands book their place in final four despite defeat

By MO SHER Leic’shire ........ 15 E Midlands ..... 10 Leicestershire finished off their campaign with a hard-earned win against East...

North Mids wrestle control to reach semis

By SAM THOMAS N Midlands .....38 E Counties ......26 A ten-try thriller at Droitwich saw North Midlands eventually win in comfortable...

Essex set up decider with Oxfordshire

Division 3 round-up ■By MO SHER THE game of the day was in Thurrock, where Essex pipped Sussex 32-31 – the...

Gill Burns Cup

Round-up JUST Lancashire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey remain unbeaten in Division 1 after two rounds of action. Last year’s champions Leicestershire got...

Wiese wins the players’ player gong

NEWS EXTRA Standout: Tigers No.8 Jasper Wiese LEICESTER No.8 Jasper Wiese has been named the Rugby Players’ Association players’ player of...

Powell replaces Cokayne at Quins

LEICESTER have signed England and Harlequins hooker Amy Cokayne for the 2023-24 Premier 15s season.The 26-year-old has won 72 caps for...

Surgery ends Curry’s World Cup dream

Agony: Sale’s Ben Curry SALE Sharks flanker Ben Curry is set to miss the World Cup after being ruled out for...

Front row pair extend deals with Gloucester

ENGLAND hooker Jack Singleton has signed a contract extension at Premiership side Gloucester. The 26-year-old, who has three caps, joined from...

Young Guns: Bath & England U20s fly-half/full-back Sam Harris

Sam Harris was delighted with his match-winning conversion for England U19s earlier this month, but is keeping his feet firmly on...

Sharks deserve far more recognition

BRENDAN GALLAGHER Rugby has its favourites and we in the media are as guilty as any of promoting them above others...

New Zealand schools side in ’93 was the best ever

The greatest national schools team ever? That debate kicked off on Twitter recently and my mind immediately went back 30 years...

Refs must demand immediate release

Another game, yet another big “jackal” injury, this time it was the unfortunate Ben Curry as he bent low to turnover...

Riley back as Park lead the field

Now that the National Two North season has run its course, Ben Jaycock canvassed the views of our reporters to compile...