Cut tickets prices to get more fans in

THE amount of empty seats at Champions Cup /Challenge Cup games last week seems to have increased, probably due to the...

Wales dream drives Grey through the pain

By LUKE JARMYN Dreams of playing for Wales again and getting another shot at top tier professional rugby in the URC...

Dream Team with Andy Northey

The Former North of England, Northampton, St Helens RLFC, Waterloo, Rotherham & Sedgley Park centre chooses the best XV he has...

Time for England to focus on attack

JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE... EVERY WEEK The incoming England head coach, with Steve Borthwick the strong favourite to be appointed...

Cowan-Dickie puts Chiefs in command

By MIKE SINCLAIR Exeter................................. 44pts Tries: Ewers 11, Cowan-Dickie 16, 30, 46, Slade 36, Kata 56 Conversions: J Simmonds 11, 30,...

Hepher excited by new wave

Exeter head coach Ali Hepher is “excited” to see his new wave of young prospects like Sam Maunder, Dafydd Jenkins and...

Coach McFarland left to wonder as Ulster show true grit to give La Rochelle a scare

By GARY FITZGERALD Ulster..................29pts Tries: Henderson 43, Cooney 59, Vermeulen 63, Stewart 75 Conversions: Cooney 44, 60, 75 Penalties: Cooney 80...

Atkinson on target to steer Leicester home

By ROB WILDMAN Leicester........................... 23pts Tries: Wiese 18, Montoya 26 Conversions: Atkinson 18, 26 Penalties: Atkinson 37, 51, 69 Clermont............................. 16pts...

Borthwick just won’t talk about England

Leicester boss Steve Borthwick gave the clearest public hint afterwards that he could be on the way to join England very...

Lyon pushed aside as Sarries march on

By PAUL REES Lyon......................................20pts Tries: Kaabèche 27, 32; Smith 41 Conversions: Smith 42 Penalties: Smith 65 Saracens........................... 28pts Tries: George 13,...

Winning in France is huge – George

Jamie George was proud of the character shown to secure the win despite going down to 14 men. “We’re happy with...

Jones had no right to take England to finals

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK It is predictable hearing England players who were virtually given selection sinecures by...

Clubs still in limbo as RFU fail to plan ahead

Wasps are in the Championship next season following the RFU board’s approval of their structure under new owner Chris Holland, and...

Stormers keep Irish on the back foot

By BRENDAN GALLAGHER Stormers............................ 34pts Tries: Englebrecht 8 Dayimini 41, Zas 45, Pokomeal 80+1 Conversions: Libbok 9, 42, 46, 80+2 Penalties:...

Captain Rogerson: We’re disappointed to come up short

London Irish captain Matt Rogerson is taking the positives from their defeat to the Stormers. “There’s a lot of good stuff...

It’s time to look at a new route to Europe

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW ONE Sunday afternoon in Watford 20 years ago, Saracens hosted a match designed...

Laporte does not forgive – or forget

Peter Jackson Once upon a time, during the early stages of his seven-year reign as France head coach, Bernard Laporte strode...

Famous win puts an end to Ospreys Euro drought

By SAM JACKSON Montpellier..... 10pts Tries: Paenga-Amosa 55 Conversions: Carbonel 56 Penalties: Carbonel 4 Ospreys............. 21pts Tries: Parry 20, K Williams...

Weakened Gloucester hammered by Leinster

By GARY FITZGERALD Leinster................57pts Tries: Lowe 12, 54; van der Flier 17, Kelleher 25, 40; Ryan 36, McGrath 46, Larmour 75,...

Edinburgh front up to keep their hopes alive

By BRYN PALMER Edinburgh.......... 31pts Tries: Mata 19, Pen try 36, Savala 47, Vellacott 65 Conversions: Boffelli 19, 48, 66 Penalties:...

Bosch keeps Sharks on track

By BEN JAYCOCK Bordeaux......... 16 Sharks.............. 19 Curwin Bosch scored 14 points as the Sharks dug deep to see off Bordeaux...

Newcastle to make move for Teague

ON THE BLIND SIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Follow me on Twitter: @neilfissler Newcastle Falcons are keen on bringing Rory Teague back...

Simpson on his way back to Saracens

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Gareth Simpson is set to return to Saracens next season after impressing in a two-week...

Tigers keen to tempt speedster Bassett

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Leicester Tigers are pressing ahead with their recruitment plans for next season and are bidding...

Oh brother! Joe may join Sam in France

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Wanted man: Joe Simmonds is attracting interest from France PICTURES: Getty Images Joe Simmonds could...

Ealing go West to beef up pack

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Moving: Tom West Ealing Trailfinders have moved to strengthen their front row ahead of their...

Au revoir! French not captivated by Europe

CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST ENGLAND’S elite clubs barely saw the French for dust in the early years of the European Challenge...

Cowards who hide on the internet

CHRIS HEWETT It would be inaccurate to say that the Pau coach Sebastien Piqueronies’ manhandling of the Scottish referee Sam Grove-White...

Big names will help the game develop in Japan

SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND THE season kicked off in Japan yesterday and I was delighted to see my old...

The gobby Australian who still had more to give

Paul Rees says the RFU should have stuck with Eddie Jones, just like the FA kept fait with Gareth Southgate England...

Dragons denied at the death by TMO call

By ROB COLE Dragons ............. 21pts Tries: Roberts 28, 62 Conversions: Hanrahan 63 Penalties: Davies 3, 15, 17 Pau ......................27pts Tries:...

Glasgow find it tough going to take down Perpignan

By BRYN PALMER Glasgow...........26pts Tries: McLean 18, Jones 24, Pen try 66, Cancelliere 78 Conversions: Weir 19, 25 Perpignan........ 18pts Tries:...

Parisse has too much class as Toulon give Bath lesson

By BRENDAN GALLAGHER Toulon .................29pts Tries: Wainiqolo 14, Rabut 23, Deavaux 37 Cordin 54 Conversions: Biggar 15, 24, 38 Penalties: Biggar...

First-half blitz puts Scarlets on right course

By DAVID ROBERTS Cheetahs ..........26pts Tries: Hartzenberg 3, Fortuin 63, Kapepula 68, Oliver 73 Conversions: Pienaar 3, 68, 73 Scarlets ..............

Double injury blow spoils Connacht’s awayday win

By JOHN FALLON Brive ................. 24pts Tries: Fabien 65, 75, Raffy 61 Conversions: Laranjeira 61, 66, 75 Penalties: Sanchez 9 Connacht...

Adams shows he’s the man for Gatland

By LUKE JARMYN Newcastle........... 10pts Tries: Stuart 44 Conversions: J Thomas 45 Penalties: J Thomas 30 Cardiff................. 47pts Tries: Adams 8,...

Breakdown will be key against Zebre, says MacGinty

Focus: AJ MacGinty FLY-HALF AJ Mac-Ginty, who will be up against former Bear Tiff Eden at Ashton Gate when Bristol take...

How baseball kept Bish on right track

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER Ken Poole, the head of economic development for...

Mystery surrounds Robinson departure

BRENDAN GALLAGHER It was a week of departures for Romania, one unexpected but the other less so. First the shock resignation...

Pirates trying to turn the tide

Preview C Pirates v Doncaster Today. 2.30pm CORNISH Pirates coach Gavin Cattle sees today’s game as a fantastic opportunity to make...

Half-back heroes seal deal for hosts

By PAUL SMITH Coventry............................ 48pts Tries: Martin (4, 11), Pellegrini (20), Talbot-Davies (25), Brown (31), Peters (43), Poole (49) Conversions: Pellegrini...

Red-hot Jersey make most of big freeze

By TOM INNES Jersey Reds.... 45pts Tries: Clarke (5, 14), Lewis (27), Longwell (40), Grey (49), Cook (55), Brown (66) Conversions:...

Sale sink Tykes with second-half showing

By BEN CROPPER Leeds Tykes .... 15pts Tries: Jukes (6), Turagabeci (20) Conversions: Maxwell-Whiteley (9) Penalties: Maxwell-Whiteley (6) Drop goals: None...

Gordon gives Park the Matt finish

By RHYS STRATTON Rosslyn Park .........48 Esher ........................32 Rosslyn Park ended the calendar year with an impressive bonus-point win. Park opened...

Toa to the fore to secure derby win

By JOHN BUTCHER Plymouth A .....26 Taunton T ........14 Plymouth Albion took the honours in a hard-fought contest to secure the...

Met hit back to snatch a derby victory

By ELISE HAMERSLEY Cardiff Met finished 2022 in the top four and put an end to their losing streak after beating...

Derby win ends Avery Fields jinx

By BILLY PAGE Bournville...............22 Newport (S)............ 12 Bournville leapfrogged opponents Newport in the table after running out winners in a local...

Green and Gold’s home from home

By MICHAEL WHITFIELD Barnes......................26 Guernsey................. 14 With Barn Elms frozen solid, Barnes RFC still made themselves at home as they played...

It’s three shades of Gray as Caley scores hat-trick

By NICK CROWE Westcliff................. 16 Rochford H..............22 A hard-fought local derby in freezing conditions in front of a vocal crowd saw...

Kildunne runs in a treble for students’ recovery

By LUKE MARSH Loughborough... 34pts Tries: Kildunne, 1, 14, 68, Naylor, 28, Hoyt, 41, Jennings 54 Conversions: Smith, 15, 28 Stourbridge..........