Italy end 31-year drought in Romania

Romania ..........13 Italy ................45 Fly-half Tommy Allan scored 15 points as Italy secured their first win in Romania in 31 years....

Rona has suitors in France and Australia

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Offers: Curtis Rona Follow me on Twitter: @neilfissler LONDON Irish centre Curtis Rona is in...

Gatland’s not going to Glasgow

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Warren Gatland has said he would consider moving back to Europe when his contract with...

Flyer Watson set for take off to Treviso

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Marcus Watson, one of seven players that Wasps announced in May was leaving the club,...

Bordeaux ready to buy Du Preez out of Sale deal

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER In demand: Dan Du Preez Bordeaux have moved to take Sale Shark No.8 Dan du Preez...

Bath begin search for Ewels cover

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER BATH are ready to enter the transfer market after it was confirmed that club skipper...

Bulls keen to re-sign ex-Tigers back row

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Target: Van Staden MARCO van Staden, whose departure from Premiership champions Leicester Tigers was announced...

Knights give Smith a lift from school

■By JON NEWCOMBE ROBBIE Smith is pleased to have swapped the classroom for his first full-time rugby contract at Steve Boden’s...

Prop star Koch takes coach role at Ampthill

SOUTH African World Cup-winning prop Vincent Koch is joining Ampthill as a scrum coach. Koch, 32, who is switching to Wasps...

Cheika gets off to winning start

■By BEN JAYCOCK Argentina ..............26 Scotland ................18 Michael Cheika was victorious in his first game in charge of Argentina last night...

Fiji unfazed by new-look Tonga

PACIFIC CUP NATIONS Fiji dampened the hype surrounding Tonga’s new all-star cast as they blew away their Pacific Island rivals 36-0....

All Blacks give Irish a lesson in control

■By JOHN FALLON New Zealand ..42pts Tries: Barrett 21, Reece 30, Tupaea 36, Savea 38, 53, Sowakula 70 Conversions: Barrett 22,...

Farrell: Plenty of positives, but we have to fix set-piece and be clinical

Andy Farrell is confident Ireland can pick up the pieces from a frustrating opening Test and have a right crack at...

Sullivan stars as Maori AB call shots

@therugbypaper Maori AB ........32 Ireland ............17 IRELAND made a poor start to their tour as they were well beaten by the...

England are running out of time to find their identity

Paul Rees looks at what Eddie Jones needs to see from his players as they prepare for next year’s World Cup....

Bedfordshire fixture clashes not helpful

email: newsdesk@therugbypaper.co.uk IT is unbelievable that Ampthill and Bedford Blues have home matches scheduled on the same day on eight occasions...

Tigers may regret letting Moroni go

I WONDER whether Leicester’s decision to release Matias Moroni to Newcastle would come to be seen as premature in the light...

How to ensure fans respect the kicker

WATCHING the first Australia v England Test yesterday, the crowd were being very disrespectful to Owen Farrell when he was taking...

Value for money more important than ever

COLIN BOAG Anyone keeping a close eye on the Premiership clubs, and their announcements about departing and arriving players, can’t fail...

DREAM TEAM

PERRY-JOHN PARKER, THE TONBRIDGE JUDDIANS AND FORMER ESHER, EDINBURGH, OSPREYS, ROTHERHAM, ROVIGO, DIJON & OLD ELTHAMIANS LOCK CHOOSES THE BEST XV...

Slammin’ Sam just won’t let story end

CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST Three decades and a thousand miles down the road, die-hard All Blacks supporters still unfurl their “Bring...

Pride of the Maori shines through

It is not the optimum moment to wonder whether there is still a point to Barbarians rugby – the reincarnation of...

South Africa power too much for battling Irish

Ireland ..............24pts Tries: O’Grady 48, Michel 61, Crothers 80 Conversions: Prendergast 49, 62; Malone 80 Penalties: Prendergast 21 South Africa ....33pts...

Richards keeps England on course

■By BEN JAYCOCK France ................20pts Tries: Montgaillard 33, Penalty 63 Conversions: Auriac 34 Penalties: Auriac 29, 50 England ............29pts Tries: Richards...

Scots have no answer to Italian

Scotland ............14pts Tries: Harrison 28, Stirrat 79 Conversions: Cunningham 30, Townsend 80 Italy ....................34pts Tries: Cuminetti 1, Ortombina 25, Frangini 33,...

Wales have to work hard to get the better of Georgia

■By BEN JAYCOCK Wales ................30pts Tries: Edwards 8, Houston 27, 60, Hawkins 40 Conversions: Phillips 40, 61 Penalties: Edwards 19, Phillips...

Sascaro keeps his cool to win it for Argentina

OCEANIA U20s WRAP AGUSTIN Sascaro’s 79th minute penalty led newcomers Argentina to a 24-21 victory over Australia in the opening match...

Young Guns – Bristol Bears winger Harry Rowson

Bristol Bears academy winger Harry Rowson is the latest young star to sign a dual university partnership as he joins BUCS...

McGuigan so close to top spot

Peter Jackson consults his stats book to chart the top scorers from Europe’s three major leagues When he joined Darlington Mowden...

Exile Zach is next French revelation

BRENDAN GALLAGHER - Rugby Matters A weekly look at the game’s other talking points English Rugby, or rather the RFU and Premiership...

Excessive sanctions creating a divide

So Spain have lost their appeal with World Rugby and their absence from RWC2023 and a £75,000 fine is confirmed, a...

Joining big rivals was the best decision I ever made

MY LIFE IN RUGBY - ROB HAWKINS THE FORMER BATH, LEICESTER, NEWCASTLE AND BRISTOL HOOKER Coming from Somerset, Bath were my boyhood...

Evergreen Parisse set to join the 500 club

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Amassing 500 matches among the European elite requires surviving an endurance test of...

Loughman’s pitch return shows HIA is not fit for purpose

THE sight of a distressed Jeremy Loughman being taken off in a dazed state during the first minute of Ireland’s sobering...

A moment to forget for Nadine

On second thoughts, the Culture Secretary might have been better off had she prefaced her speech promoting the Rugby League World...

Japan look overseas

WHEN Japan lined up against France yesterday, those born in the Land of the Rising Sun found themselves far outnumbered by...

Metcalf move is a show of intent for Ealing

NEWS EXTRA ■By JON NEWCOMBE AMBITIOUS Ealing Trailfinders have pulled off another recruitment coup with the capture of Sale Sharks youngster...

For decades, Moseley have been the pride of second city

This series will delve into every nook and cranny of club rugby in Britain and Ireland – small and large, old...

Moseley’s Magnificent Seven were heralded on the big stage but often wasted by England

All stars: Moseley’s seven England internationals MOSELEY’S stature as one of the strongest clubs in Britain 50 years ago is highlighted...

Academy prospect Cam has learnt the hard way

NEWS EXTRA HAVING developed through the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport in South Africa, Cameron Murray is looking to make his mark...

Neville to reunite with old coach

HONG Kong international Jack Neville is looking forward to reuniting with his former coach Craig Hammond after signing for Nottingham. Archers...

Plymouth ready for double celebration

■By JON NEWCOMBE Plymouth Albion have big plans to become a sustainable Championship club playing in front of sell-out 5,000 crowds...

Pirates sign Nagle-Taylor

CORNISH Pirates have signed Gloucester No.8 Seb Nagle-Taylor on a one-year contract. He initially joined Gloucester on loan from Hartpury during...

Irish swoop for Ratuniyarawa

LONDON Irish have signed Fiji international Api Ratuniyarawa from Northampton. The 35-year-old lock made 130 appearances, scoring six tries, in six...

Putting £222m into women’s game is a high-risk strategy

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Champions: Saracens celebrate after their victory in the Allianz Premier XVs final...

We’ll see if Jones has made any progress for World Cup

With player welfare supposedly at the forefront of everyone’s minds, who would believe the way international rugby tours are structured nowadays?...

Lions trailblazers set sail for Down Under in 1888

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

Galthie in no rush to sign up his coaches

JAMES HARRINGTON - FRENCH COLUMN FFR President Bernard Laporte was ready to offer Les Bleus’ head coach Fabien Galthie a new,...

Summer Tours Week 2 Preview: All top tier teams in action for huge weekend

If last week was the warm up, then this one is undoubtedly the grand opening to proceedings as all Six Nations,...

Rugby world cup vs Cricket world cup – which event is the biggest?

While football is by far the world’s greatest sport, it must be said that rugby and cricket are two sports that...