Easter confirmed as new coach at Worcester

By SAM JACKSON WORCESTER Warriors have appointed former England No.8 Nick Easter as the club’s new defence and forwards coach. Easter...

Lawes keen to explore options

By SAM JACKSON COURTNEY Lawes would be tempted to finish his career abroad if the money isn’t right at Northampton when...

England can peak at the right time again insists Launchbury

By PAUL REES JOE Launchbury believes the signs are good for England at next year’s World Cup in France despite another...

Quins beef up pack with South African second row Herbst

Bok beef: Irne Herbst DEFENDING champions Harlequins have signed South African second row Irne Herbst from Benetton for next season. The...

Tainton to leave Bristol

BRISTOL Bears will part company with club legend Mark Tainton at the end of the season. The former fly-half will leave...

Coleman’s ready for battle with his old rival Etzebeth

By PAUL REES ADAM Coleman will be up against a familiar foe when London Irish take on Toulon in the quarter-final...

Bath horror show was such a turn off

LAST week’s result at Kingsholm was a sad day for Premiership rugby and really makes me question the wisdom of having...

Can’t compromise supporter comfort

JEFF Gage is incorrect when he states that Connacht’s stadium has a capacity of less than half the 10,001 capacity required...

England need a test

CONGRATULATIONS to England women on another dominant display in the Six Nations. Winning four championships on the trot is some achievement...

Bath surrender nothing to do with no relegation

COLIN BOAG Predictably, last weekend’s abject capitulation by Bath was seen by some zealots as evidence that with no relegation, teams...

DREAM TEAM

CAMERON MITCHELL, THE RECENTLY-RETIRED RICHMOND CENTRE, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE’S PLAYED WITH AND AGAINST 1. Will Goodrick-Clarke – One of...

Sanderson’s men will be hoping for minor miracle

JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE... EVERY WEEK WHEN Sale Sharks face Racing 92 at their 30,000 capacity La Defense Arena superdome...

Tigers miss chances as Gibson-Park pulls strings

By ROB WILDMAN Leicester ..........14pts Tries: Ashton 46, Dolly 78 Conversions: Ford 46, 78 Leinster ............23pts Tries: Van der Flier 16,...

Heartbreak for Munster as Toulouse keep their nerve in shootout

By JOHN FALLON Munster ............ 24pts Tries: Kendellen 10, Earls 39, Haley 44 Conversions: Carbery 11, 40, 45 Penalties: Carbery 57...

We did not stop fighting -Genge

LEICESTER captain Ellis Genge urged his Tigers to regroup quickly in order to continue their successful Premiership campaign. Genge had no...

Delight for O’Gara as La Rochelle stride home

By GARY FITZGERALD La Rochelle ......31pts Tries: Priso 12, Vito 22, Botia 47 Conversions: West 13, 23 Penalties: West 17, 64,...

Eagle has landed to give Sharks a boost

By JON NEWCOMBE PREVIEW... Racing 92 v Sale Sharks Today. Kick-off 3pm, Paris La Défense Arena TEN years ago, AJ MacGinty...

Curry returns to lead the fight

TOM Curry will make his first start since the Six Nations as the Sharks look to take the fight to Racing...

Bucketloads of tries not a winning formula

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK AT the same time as Bath collapsed to a record 64-0 defeat against...

Overseas players leave little room at 12

NICK CAIN IF you are perplexed by England’s lack of choice when it comes to big inside centres as potential replacements...

Lyon fight back to set up battle with Wasps

By BRYN PALMER Lyon....................35pts Tries: Couilloud 36, R Taofifenua 55, Niniashvili 62, 76 Conversions: Berdeu 36, Doussain 56, 77 Penalties: Berdeu...

Big guns starting to fire for Saracens

By TOM BRADSHAW Gloucester ........15pts Tries: Singleton 31, Rees-Zammitt 74 Conversions: Twelvetrees 74 Penalties: Hastings 43 Saracens ..........44pts Tries: Davies 8,...

Barbeary score swings it for Wasp as Blair laments ‘brain-farts’

By BRYN PALMER Edinburgh ........30pts Tries: Vellacott 12, McBurney 26, Bradbury 66 Conversions: Boffelli 13, 26, 66 Penalties: Boffelli 9, 43,...

Skiv: We let them get out of jail

GEORGE Skivington admitted his side had been shown a thing or two in how to play knock-out rugby. The Gloucester head...

We’ll stick to our attacking style -Kiss

By PAUL REES PREVIEW... Toulon v London Irish Today. Kick-off 12.30pm, Stade Mayol LONDON Irish will not abandon their attack from...

Edwards’ son turns to politics

ON THE BLIND SIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Politician: Small-Edwards SHAUN Edwards’ son James Small-Edwards has taken his first steps in politics...

Phipps in talks with Rockets

ON THE BLIND SIDE BY NEIL FISSLER LONDON Irish appear to be in the market for another scrum-half with former Wallaby...

Racing keen to sound out Eddie

ON THE BLIND SIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Interest from France: Eddie Jones Mike Prendergasts EDDIE Jones is on the radar of...

Sharks pair set to call time in summer

ON THE BLIND SIDE BY NEIL FISSLER SALE Sharks stars Josh Beaumont and Simon Hammersley are set to hang up their...

Chiefs decide against Hardwick deal

ON THE BLIND SIDE BY NEIL FISSLER EXETER will not be offering a contract to former Leicester Tigers fly-half Tom Hardwick,...

Esher captain Bullett eager to take aim at National One

By BEN JAYCOCK Going up: Esher captain Adam Bullett lifts the title ADAM Bullett is relishing the challenge of going into...

Points do not always deliver the top prizes

CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST Rugby followers who decided long ago that the sport’s various governing bodies shared a factory setting of...

Cueto was Ashton but without all the fanfare

CHRIS HEWETT CLOSE members of Chris Ashton’s own family would hesitate to describe him as “the complete wing”, but his attacking...

Youngs beat the odds to become Tigers hero

From an inauspicious start on a windy day in Doncaster, Tom Youngs went on to enjoy a fabulous career as a...

Genge: Tom taught me so much about captaincy

ELLIS Genge admitted it was dislike at first sight when he first met Tom Youngs after joining Leicester from Bristol in...

WRU must mirror the success of Connacht

SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND As Oliver Hardy used to say to his comic partner Stan Laurel, "That's another fine...

Tries kick penalties into touch

PAUL REES LOOKS AT HOW THE PREMIERSHIP PRODUCT HAS CHANGED OVER THE LAST DECADE When James Grayson kicked a late long-range...

Top eight decided with Welsh regions as also-rans

URC THERE is one full round of matches left, but the race for the play-offs has been run with the top...

Cheeky Castaignede lifts Les Bleus’ spirits

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

Merging of giants is the only option to lift Welsh

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW When the organisers finalise their 24 qualifiers for next season’s Champions Cup, they...

Wily Myler has many more miles still left on the clock

PETER JACKSON Longevity: Myler STEPHEN Myler will complete 20 years as a goalkicking stand-off next season, adding to a points total...

Phillip’s brace seals Warriors revival

By STEWART MCCULLOUGH Double: Carys Phillips Worcester ......34 Loughborough 24 WORCESTER Warriors came from 24-17 down at the break to seal...

Bears into the play-offs despite heavy defeat

By MATT MERRITT Bristol ..............26  Harlequins ......43 A PHYSICALLY imposing Harlequins used the power of their pack to propel them to...

Saracens humbled by ruthless Chiefs

By HARRY SCOTT-MUNRO Exeter ................54pts Saracens ..........12pts EXETER Chiefs secured their place in the semi-finals in the most comprehensive way possible,...

Cherry and Whites end Wasps’ play-off hope

By ED HAYWARD Gloucester-H ..36 Wasps ................7 IN THEIR last home game of the season, Gloucester-Hartpury put their opponents play-off hopes...

Silky Sale come out on top in battle of Sharks

By TOM BULMER Brace: Leah Lyons Sale Sharks ..57 DMP Sharks ......5 SALE Sharks secured their second win of the campaign...

England’s rivals have a massive gap to fill

ROCKY CLARK ENGLAND’S MOST CAPPED PLAYER AND WORLD CUP WINNER Champions: England clinched the Women’s Six Nations trophy with some ease...

Boughton aims to kick on after best ever finish

NEWS EXTRA By BEN JAYCOCK CINDERFORD have achieved their highest ever finish in National 1 and flyhalf Reece Boughton describes finishing...

Hong Kong triumph built on sand of Bali

MY LIFE IN RUGBY THE FORMER ENGLAND SEVENS INTERNATIONAL AND NORTHAMPTON, SALE, TREVISO & CALVISANO CENTRE WHO NOW COACHES ITALY SEVENS...

Top gun Ashton still has so much to give

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER History maker: Chris Ashton dives over to break...