Blackheath ….42 Esher …………….14

■By GRAHAM COX AN encouraging final dress-rehearsal for Blackheath who quickly recovered from an early setback to outscore their opponents six...

Olowofela helps Nottingham see off Cambridge

Nottingham ..........29 Cambridge ............19 ■By ROB WILDMAN TWO first-half tries from new arrival Jordan Olowofela helped fire Nottingham to victory by...

Late tries give Ealing the edge over Richmond

Richmond ..............26 Ealing T ..................35 ■By TIM FORRESTER EALING Trailfinders edged this keenly contested pre-season game with late tries by Carlo...

Shelford ……….57 Cambridge II ….0

■By JOSHUA BARNES @therugbypaper SHELFORD shone under the lights with a huge blowout win over nearby rivals Cambridge. It was at...

Caldy …………..47 Sale FC …………12

■By JAMES JOHNSON A DOMINANT first half display set Caldy up to dismantle Sale FC at Paton Field. The home side...

Plymouth ……..28 Exeter Uni ……40

■By PATRICK MARSH NEWLY-promoted Exeter University completed their preparations for life in Division 2 West with a convincing victory over National...

Ampthill ……….42 Glamorgan ……..5

■By MUHAMMED SHER AMPTHILL continued their preparations for the new Championship season with an impressive win in the Welsh capital, registering...

Gloucester power to away triumph

Munster ..................19 Gloucester ............28 ■By DAVID ROBINSON GLOUCESTER opened their first pre-season fixture with a win over Munster at Musgrave Park....

Chinnor ………………40 Worthing …………….17

■By JACK JOHNSON CHINNOR finished pre-season with a commanding victory over Worthing Raiders as they scored six tries at Kingsey Road....

Bath off to a flier with a blitz of Cov

Coventry ..............7pts Bath ....................38pts By SAM KERR Bath scored six tries in their first match of pre-season as head of rugby...

Potent Park’s attack run riot

Rosslyn Park 66 Tonbridge J ....10 ■By RHYS STRATTON ROSSLYN Park ran out as dominant winners in their final preseason fixture...

Parker leads a Bury bonanza

Bedford A ........38 Bury St Eds ....45 ■By MUHAMMED SHER THERE was certainly plenty of value to be had at Putnoe...

Saints march past Champ Bedford

Northampton 40 Bedford ..........26 ■By JACK JACOBS NORTHAMPTON Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson began his tenure with a win over...

Hot Bears blow away Dragons

Dragons ..................28 Bristol ....................45 ■By SAM JACKSON BRISTOL Bears delivered a late fightback to beat Dragons at Rodney Parade in their...

Tynedale …………..28 Darlington MP ……52

■By NATHAN EDWARDS LIAM Checksfield hit a hat-trick as Darlington Mowden Park picked up a positive result in their final pre-season...

Lucky Irish edge a 10-try thriller

Jersey Reds ..29 London Irish ..31 ■By IAN ROBSON @therugbypaper JERSEY Reds and London Irish shared 10 tries between them in...

Wasps pack a perfect 10

Doncaster ............0pts Wasps ................56pts By DAN WILLIAMS Touchdown: Matteo Minozz goes in for his second try PICTURES: Gareth Lyons Wasps kicked...

Expect Pivac to pick his best side from here on

SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND With the Rugby World Cup just over a year away, Wayne Pivac will likely have...

We must become tough to beat

PAUL REES There are few grander training bases in sport than Bath’s. The club has a 99-year lease at Farleigh House,...

England will relish American challenge

ROCKY CLARK England's most capped player and World Cup winner A Summer full of high-profile women’s sport is followed by an...

Now let’s go for the jugular, urges Slipper

By GARY FITZGERALD Australia ..........25pts Tries: McReight 2, 56, Koroibete 47 Conversions: Lolesio 3, 57 Penalties: Lolesio 7, 64 South Africa...

Marika tackle inspires victory

Marika Koroibete was ecstatic after helping the Wallabies return to winning ways and making one of the most ferocious tackles Test...

Boffelli puts the boot into All Blacks

By BRENDAN GALLAGHER New Zealand....18pts Tries: Taukeiaho 10, Clarke 31 Conversions: Mo’unga 33 Penalties: Mo’unga 28, 46 Argentina ..........25pts Tries: Gonzalez...

Montoya is so proud but Cheika warns of a backlash

Pumas skipper Julian Montoya couldn’t hold back his emotions after this historic victory. “I’m very proud of our team,” he beamed....

Fans need to buckle up for a bumpy ride

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER It feels like the Gallagher Premiership is tottering...

French go from strength to strength

AFTER a difficult week for English club rugby, it is both instructive and a little chastening to look over La Manche...

My Life in Rugby with Jonny Hylton

The former Wasps, Worcester, Cornish Pirates and Esher winger One of the things you can’t coach is pace and I was...

France set to rock with the best league in the world

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW French flair: La Rochelle may be champions of Europe but they finished fifth...

Remembering DK, the speedster who made a name for himself

PETER JACKSON KEN Jones died last Wednesday, barely a fortnight after his 82nd birthday and some 60 years after becoming the...

Glad to see Rennie has loyalty top of his list

NO word in the rugby lexicon has been battered from pillar to post more often than loyalty, once a priceless virtue...

It’s not pitch perfect just yet for Bury coach Ford

By BEN JAYCOCK NATIONAL 2 EAST Bury St Edmunds’ preseason preparations have been affected by a lack of rain – but...

Rich will give Blood, sweat and tears for a faster start

By BEN JAYCOCK NATIONAL 1 Richie Williams is hoping his Cambridge side ‘can reach their full potential’ this season as they...

Tigers must look to edge the tight matches, insists Barrow

By BEN JAYCOCK NATIONAL 2 NORTH Sedgley Park Tigers missed out on the title by just four points last season –...

Barber gets ready to cut down his old pal Sneddon

By BEN JAYCOCK NATIONAL 2 WEST Mike Barber is looking forward to locking horns with former teammate Scott Sneddon as his...

The day Pumas joined world rugby’s top table

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful Iconic Rugby...

The game paying too much for its players

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Top gun: Semi Radradra is a marquee player for Bristol PICTURE: Getty...

BRITISH RUGBY FIXTURES

SATURDAY SEP 3 WELSH LEAGUES PREMIERSHIP: Aberavon v Bridgend, Carmarthen v Llandovery, Llanelli v Swansea, Merthyr RFC v RGC, Newport v...

Gatecrashers ready to spoil the party again

CLUB 0F THE WEEK BY BRENDAN GALLAGHER ROTHERHAM Founded: 1923 Ground; Clifton Lane (Capacity 3,628) Club honours: North East 1 champions:...

Young Guns: Bristol Bears fly-half Sam Worsley

Having learned off the likes of AJ MacGinty and Callum Sheedy, ‘triple threat’ fly-half Sam Worsley is looking to make his...

Support for 7s ace after rare cancer diagnosis

NEWS EXTRA By NEIL HARVEY FORMER Wales Sevens player Ethan Davies has announced he has a rare form of cancer. The...

Forthcoming fixtures

Weekend beginning Friday, September 2, 2022 It is advisable to check matches and kick-off times with the clubs ... Continue reading......

Concern as refs switch to other side

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Another of French rugby’s leading gamekeepers turned coach this week, as Top 14 referee Maxime Chalon put...

My sacking by England was bizarre, says Ashton

By NICK POWELL Brian Ashton was not bitter when he reflected on his removal as England coach, although he did describe...

Wasps put their faith in Dodson

WASPS head coach Lee Blackett believes new signing Cam Dodson could become the gem the cashstrapped club are looking for. Dodson,...

Cattigan family call for inquiry following her death

THE family of Scotland international Siobhan Cattigan have called for an independent inquiry into her death, saying undetected rugby-related brain damage...

In this week’s Rugby Paper – available on Sunday

Two huge upsets have thrown the Rugby Championship wide open, and you can find reports and analysis from both of those...

Brian Ashton – ‘I could be really bitter and twisted if I wanted to be but I’m not’

Brian Ashton was not bitter when reflecting on his disappointing removal as England coach, although he did describe the sacking as...

All Blacks unchanged as Pumas head to Christchurch

New Zealand have kept faith in the same team that beat South Africa while Argentina have made three changes, ahead of...

Wallabies ring changes for Springboks clash

Australia have made half-a-dozen changes as they prepare for the first of two vital Rugby Championship games against South Africa. The...

The Rugby Paper Podcast: Episode Twenty-Eight with Brian Ashton

Columnists Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett rejoin Ollie Little once again for a fascinating look at coaching in the modern game,...