Hoppers lay down opening-day marker

Northern Premier HAVING not had a competitive game for over a full season, rugby followers were waiting with great anticipation for...

Boars in good stead after first-half flurry

Midlands Premier BROMSGROVE started their Midlands Premier season in style with an emphatic 44-24 victory over Scunthorpe. It looked like the...

North Walsham hold their nerve… just

London & South East Premier WITH the Covid-19 pandemic hopefully behind us, fans and players alike have been looking forward to...

Young Gun: Exeter Chiefs lock Cory Teague

Boasting one of the more famous surnames in the southwest quadrant of English rugby must come with some added pressure for...

Eddie completes coaching team

EDDIE Jones has finalised his England coaching setup with the appointments of Richard Cockerill and Anthony Seibold. Cockerill, below, who won...

Harlequins wing Louis Lynagh chasing spot in France …but who for?

TWICKENHAM hero Louis Lynagh has set his ambitious sights on playing in the 2023 World Cup – the question is which...

Pirates captain De Battista on mission to make up for lost time

MIKE SINCLAIR NICOLAS De Battista is aiming to make a big impact this season with a new-look Cornish Pirates side after...

Dings hold on in ding-dong tussle

By RICHARD COMPTON Westcliff.................25 Dings Crusaders ..29 WESTCLIFF were left to rue chances that went astray as they were edged out...

Jack’s try double inspires Worthing

By SHAUN WREN Worthing .................33 Guernsey ................22 TWO tries from centre Jack Forrest helped Worthing open the season with a hard-fought...

Debutant Trewin shining star for Redruth

By BILL HOOPER Redruth....................27 Leicester Lions....... 5 REDRUTH got their season off to a perfect start with a bonus point win...

Gutsy Old Boys open campaign with style

By NICK PITSON Henley................ 19pts Old Albanian.....25pts OLD Albanian deservedly took the spoils against an uncharacteristically off-colour Henley at Dry Leas....

Pacy Nel in top form as Clifton beat derby rivals

By ROGER OPIE Clifton................ 71 Barnstaple......... 0 TRADITIONAL West Country derbies come no better than promoted Barnstaple reviving rivalries with Clifton...

Hosts hit by a Barnes storm

By CHRIS CAMPBELL Hinckley..................24 Barnes......................43 HINCKLEY made a disappointing return to National 2 South as visiting Barnes took the five points...

Battling Esher oust new boys

By STEPH FRANKLIN Esher.........................38 Rochford H.............. 14 ESHER began their season with a solid victory over newly-promoted Rochford Hundred in a...

Bury hold off spirited Canterbury fightback

By JAMES SMITH Bury St Eds.......30 Canterbury.......22 BURY St Edmunds enjoyed a winning return to National League competition as they held...

WOMEN’S GAME IN FOCUS

Sarah Rendell takes a weekly look at some important women players CLARA NIELSON THIS WEEK... EXETER HOOKER Hooker Clara Nielson describes...

Dawkins leads way for sweet Chocs win

By ANDREW SMITH Huddersfield .. 19 Bournville ...... 24 BOURNVILLE made an impressive start to life in the National Leagues with...

Munnelly proves one El of a winner

By ADAM ELLIS Chester ................... 14 Hull Ionians .......... 29 ELLIOT MUNNELLY scored one and provided an assist as Hull Ionians...

Blaydon taught a lesson by students

By CHRIS NUNN Blaydon .................. 23 Loughborough S .. 27 BLAYDON’S first game back in the National League ended in a...

Beer Festival crowd cheers Fylde victory

By HARRY CORNFORTH Tynedale............... 24 Fylde....................... 48 A CROWD of around 400 augmented by an adjacent beer festival providing 1500 watchers...

Titans set down early marker by winning big

By DAVID BEDDOWS Rotherham........35pts Wharfedale........ 5pts Eye on the prize: Titans skipper Zak Poole looks for a way through Away: Wharfedale’s...

Dan’s the man as Bridge have edge

By TOM HALLAM-GRAVELLS Stourbridge........... 31 Sheffield T............. 27 STOURBRIDGE edged past Sheffield Tigers in their style opening clash in style. After...

Thompson shines as Hull pack punch

By RICHARD GORE Hull........................... 27 Luctonians................8 HULL were ultimately successful against a Luctonians side thanks to their superior scrummaging. It took...

No stroll in the Park as Gate fall

By WILLIAM BARRACK Harrogate......... 21 Sedgley P......... 51 HARROGATE’S first match since their March 2020 promotion gave them a reality check...

Barrett back at No.10 for All Blacks

Preview BEN JAYCOCK Australia v New Zealand Today, Kick off 7am ARDIE Savea captains New Zealand for the first time as...

Juddians’ pack earns early draw

By GARETH WITHERS Tonbridge J............ 18 Bishop’s S’ford...... 18 TONBRIDGE Juddians made their National League 1 debut in an entertaining game...

Black marks cost Blackheath game

By GRAHAM COX Blackheath............. 15 Cinderford............... 18 BASIC errors, and a penalty count of 14-7 against them, cost Blackheath heavily in...

Flying start as Chinnor make up for lost time in fine style

By JACK JOHNSON Sale FC..................... 21 Chinnor ....................34 CHINNOR produced a brilliant first-half performance to secure an impressive opening-day victory at...

Park shake off the rust with five-try spree for openers

By PADDY MARSH Plymouth A ........ 8pts Tries: Norey 36 Penalties: Putt 6 Rosslyn Park ...37pts Tries: Robinson 11, Jackson 52,...

Vooght’s double leads Rams raid

By STEVE JACKSON Cambridge .............28 Rams ........................34 CAMBRIDGE were on the wrong end of a Ram raid as the visitors denied...

Mason snatches last-gasp glory

By DAVE LAWRENCE Moseley ..................23 Darlington MP .......22 MASON Tonks raced in from 40 metres to give Birmingham Moseley a last-gasp...

Six of the best in Titans’ fine bow

By GUY WILLIAMS Leeds Tykes ...29 Taunton............ 41 TAUNTON produced an outstanding performance and memorable result on their debut in the...

Thomas was only inches away from immortality

RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER ELSEWHERE in this edition we read of Horace Wyndham Thomas becoming the first rugby player of real...

Portugal flyer Storti set for big time at Stade Francais

RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER AS predicted in these pages a few weeks back one of the big beasts of T14 Rugby...

Rogge paved way for Olympic return

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER THE death earlier this week of former IOC...

I had great coaches everywhere I went

MY LIFE IN RUGBY THE FORMER LONDON IRISH AND WASPS CENTRE AND CURRENT US EAGLES DEFENCE COACH ROB HOADLEY Champion: Rob...

Farrell’s time at No.10 is over

NICK CAIN TALKS TO PETER WINTERBOTTOM ABOUT NATIONAL LEAGUE RUGBY, ENGLAND AND THE LIONS PETER Winterbottom was fearless as an England...

Tell us European Cup dates, clubs urge EPCR

EUROPEAN Challenge Cup organisers are coming under pressure from clubs to announce the format of this season’s competition which remains under...

‘Borzov’ Morgan sped to hearts of the fans

RHYS Morgan played 539 matches for Newport over the best part of 20 years and one for Wales back in those...

Hansen’s right, the Lions turned people off rugby

EVEN when he lost nine in a row with Wales, Steve Hansen never shied away from speaking his mind, much less...

Night horrors keep Will Hurrell so worried about future

Two seasons after it happened at Welford Road, Will Hurrell is still suffering from the ‘really horrible’ effects of the tackle...

The brooding Lamaison is victim of a bar brawl

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

Borthwick knows his captains, have faith!

MANY an eyebrow has shifted in a northerly direction since the news broke late last month, but Steve Borthwick knows what...

Matson is welcome addition to melting pot

CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST Younger readers will find this hard to believe, but the art historian Kenneth Clark knew so much...

Burgess try seals the points for Ward’s Bears

By MATT MERRITT Bristol..............38 Exeter ..............21 ELINOR SNOWSILL‘S kick-off marked the beginning of the new Premier 15s season and a return...

Burford unfazed by pressure of being champs

By HARRY LATHAM-COYLE PREVIEW... Harlequins v Loughborough Lightning Today, The Stoop, Kick-off 3pm THE HUNTERS become the hunted as reigning champions...

Sarries show class to grab bonus point win

By MATT MERRITT Wasps ................20pts Saracens ..........26pts IT MIGHT be the first week of the season, but this game had a...

Sing gets ball rolling in 12-try demolition job

By JANE MARSHALL Glo-Hartpury ..84 DMP Sharks ......0 GLOUCESTER-Hartpury made an emphatic start to the season with 12 tries against Darlington...

Harries kills off Sharks for away day spoils

By SAM BRETT Sale ..................24 Worcester ......29 WORCESTER Warriors come out on top in their visit to Heywood Road to kick...

Carnage among No.7s makes Navidi key man

SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND ONE of the biggest things that has gone under the radar this summer is the...