Bath bank on youth policy to bring back glory years

PAUL REES TALKS TO STUART HOOPER ABOUT BATH’S MOVE TO NURTURE HOME GROWN PLAYERS When Bruce Craig bought Bath in 2010,...

Quiet man Tom was fearless

PETER JACKSON OF all the tributes pouring forth from the great and the good over the death of Tom Smith, Jim...

Wizard Kel put blind faith in his Saints life

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Kel Coslett got home late one summer’s night from the afternoon shift at...

Jaden wins the battle of brothers

Sharks ..................37 Lions ......................10 SCRUM-HALF Jaden Hendrikse ran the show against his brother Jordan as the Sharks tore chunks out of...

Stormers go clear at the top

Stormers ..............19 Bulls ......................17 THE Stormers moved four points clear at the top of the South African conference in a tense...

Sanjay shows skills to future employers

By ROGER PANTING Cardiff ................14pts Tries: Cabango 3, L Williams 11 Conversions: Evansd 3 11 Scarlets ............49pts Tries: Shingler 40, L...

Lezana integral to change of fortune at Scarlets

NEWS EXTRA By FREDDIE BENNETT DWAYNE Peel insists the Scarlets haven’t even scratched the surface when it comes to how good...

England face Wales in battle for ninth

By BEN JAYCOCK AFTER enduring underwhelming pool stage campaigns, England and Wales will fight it out today in a ninth place...

Turner: Expand cup to include National One

By BEN JAYCOCK AMPTHILL head coach Paul Turner says his side will be taking the Championship Cup seriously and feels it...

Les Bleues look fierce but Lloyd’s in top form

ROCKY CLARK ENGLAND’S MOST CAPPED PLAYER AND WORLD CUP WINNER Scotland face a huge French test today but they have a...

Parsons wings in as Ireland chase maiden win

By PAUL EDDSION Preview... Ireland v Italy Today, kick-off 5pm BEIBHINN Parsons will start her first game in the 2022 Six...

Record crowd cheers England’s 10-try romp

By JAMES REID England ............58pts Tries: Davies 15, 45 Ward 21 Breach 35, 52, Bern 56, Matthews 64, Brown 71, Scarratt...

Scots have learnt from Cardiff slip – Easson

By PAUL EDDISON Preview Scotland v France Today, kick-off 1pm SCOTLAND will need to be more clinical against France if they...

Wales must make more of age-grade production line

SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND There are eight days of finals coming up at Principality Stadium this month and at...

DREAM TEAM

MARCO WENTZEL, THE FORMER SOUTH AFRICA, BULLS, TREVISO, LEICESTER, KINGS, LEEDS, WASPS AND SHARKS SECOND ROW, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE...

It’s shooting practice for ace Farrell

By GARY FITZGERALD Brive ......................5pts Tries: Tuicuvu 14 Saracens ..........55pts Conversions: Farrell 22, 37, 41, 58, 72, 76 Penalties: Farrell 6...

Navy men clinch win but RAF women are flying

INTER SERVICES By TOM SANSOM THE Navy men defeated the RAF 18-10 in round two of this year’s interservices championship. It...

Amitage leads way against his old club

By TOM SHEEDY Biarritz ............20 Toulon..............17 IN a superb contest, Steffon Armitage, now 36, rolled back the years to lead Biarritz...

Gloucester bank on Socino to save face

By ROGER PANTING Dragons..............21pts Tries: Basham 18, Rosser 26, Keddie 40 Conversions: S Davies 18, 26, 40 Gloucester ........26pts Tries: Socino...

Edinburgh on the Boyle with eight-try slaughter to stretch unbeaten home run

By GARY HEATLY Edinburgh ........54pts Tries: McInally 3, Boyle 10, 20; Pyrgos 32, Nel 39, Moyano 45, 79;, Phillips 69 Conversions:...

Falcons leave it late to steal the show

By LUKE JARMYN Newcastle ........25pts Tries: Davison 17, Burrell 28, McGuigan 58, Nordil-Kelemeti 80 Conversions: Connon 80+1 Penalties: Connon 40+1 Zebre...

Albornoz inspires Treviso fightback

By SAM JACKSON Benetton ........17 Perpignan ........7 ARGENTINIAN Tomas Albornoz jumped off the bench to inspire Benetton into the last 16...

Dundee classroom served Tom well

CHRIS HEWETT TOM Smith was the best Scottish rugby player of the professional era. No question. We can also describe him...

Mastermind Boyd ought to be top of the RFU list

CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST Few of the people charged with running English rugby are blessed with a sense of direction. If...

Rec boys caught in crossfire

ON THE BLIND SIDE BY NEIL FISSLER BATH players travelled to the south of France last week and found themselves in...

Toulon join queue for Radradra

ON THE BLIND SIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Options: Radradra TOULON are the latest Top 14 club to show an interest in...

Exeter still to decide on Hardwick

ON THE BLIND SIDE BY NEIL FISSLER EXETER continue to look at former Leicester fly-half Tom Hardwick, who left the Premiership...

Bath showing interest in Saints centre Francis

ON THE BLIND SIDE BY NEIL FISSLER BATH are poised to make a swoop for former England international Piers Francis, who...

Warriors eye move for back row Licata

ON THE BLIND SIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Wanted man: Licata STEVE Diamond is set to continue his rebuilding job at Worcester...

Sharks snap up Roebuck for long-term

ON THE BLIND SIDE BY NEIL FISSLER SALE Sharks have moved quickly to tie Tom Roebuck down onto a new long-term...

Irish reinforce prop stocks with Azzurri tyro Zilocchi

By BEN JAYCOCK Italian strongman: Giosue Zilocchi LONDON Irish have bolstered their front row stocks for the season runin with Zebre...

Genge fired up for next round of French hostilities

By JON NEWCOMBE PREVIEW... Clermont v Leicester Today. Kick-off 3.15pm, Stade Marcel Michelin ELLIS Genge can’t wait to sample the atmosphere...

Baxter backs spirit in defence

ROB Baxter questioned Olly Woodburn’s yellow card. He said: “I’m never really one to try and find fault with the process...

Quins aim to take Mercer’s boys out of their comfort zone

By PAUL REES PREVIEW... Montpellier v Harlequins Today. Kick-off 1pm, GGL Stadium AS soon as England head coach Eddie Jones said...

Hogg helps Chiefs take first blood

By MIKE SINCLAIR Exeter ................13pts Tries: Hogg 6, Vermeulen 38 Drop goals: Hogg 65 Munster ..............8pts Tries: Daly 66 Penalties: Healy...

Super Fickou gives Racing upper hand as Latu sees red

By KEVIN FALLON Stade Fr ..............9pts Penalties: Segonds 38, 40; Sanchez 71 Racing 92 ........22pts Tries: Fickou 64 Conversions: Le Garrec...

Kolbe tops the bill for Baa-baas at Twickers

By PETER JACKSON ENGLAND will finish their sub-standard season by running into Cheslin Kolbe for the first time since he skinned...

Bath plan exit from ‘remote & cosy’ HQ

EXCLUSIVE By JON NEWCOMBE BATH Rugby are making plans to move out of their palatial Farleigh House base on the outskirts...

Study ranks every British horse racecourse – Top 20 revealed

With around 7 million visitors attending horse race events in the UK and Ireland in 2019, it’s set to be a...

What to find in Sunday’s The Rugby Paper

The Rugby Paper returns this Sunday as we focus on the European Champions and Challenge Cups. What can you find in...

Ireland and Lions back row Seán O’Brien to retire at the end of the season

London Irish back row Seán O’Brien has announced his retirement from rugby at the end of the 2021/22 campaign. The Ireland...

Emily Scarratt reflects on injury year as she prepares for crunch Wales match

Emily Scarratt has reflected on her difficult year with injury as she prepares to start Saturday’s crunch TikTok Six Nations fixtures...

Wales to host New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and Georgia in 2022 Autumn Nations series

Wales will host the All Blacks, Australia, Argentina and Georgia in the 2022 Autumn Nations series. Wales will host Australia outside...

London Irish sign Italy prop Giosue Zilocchi

London Irish have signed Zebre and Italy international prop Giosue Zilocchi, who will join the club with immediate effect. The 25-year-old...

Lucy Packer to start as Red Roses host Wales at Kingsholm

Lucy Packer makes her maiden international start at scrum-half as Simon Middleton names his Red Roses side for Saturday's visit of...

Scarlets’ Kalamafoni escapes ban

Scarlets number eight Sione Kalamafoni will not serve a suspension after being sent off against Cardiff in the URC. Kalamafoni was...

Former Scotland and Lions prop Tom Smith dies aged 50

Former Scotland and British and Irish Lions prop Tom Smith has died aged 50. Smith, who was diagnosed with stage-four colon...

Jonathan Joseph and Beno Obano sign new deals at Bath

England centre Jonathan Joseph and loose-head prop Beno Obano have signed new contracts to remain with Bath. Joseph, 30, surpassed 150...

Pat Lam says Bristol will be stronger next season amid reports of financial unrest

Pat Lam has said that his Bristol Bears squad will be "improved" and "stronger" next season amid reports of financial unrest...

Ellis Genge relishing trip to Clermont as Tigers turn attention to Europe

Leicester captain Ellis Genge is relishing Tigers' trip to Clermont Auvergne as his side shift their focus to Europe after wrapping...