The Lions can climb Everest again this time says their coaching legend

The legendary British & Irish Lions forwards coach discusses the 2021 tour and the odds of Gatland tasting success as he...

Lions have blind spot for English flankers in Test series openers | Peter Jackson

How the each of the four unions have contributed to first Test selection on Lions tours going back to 1971, and...

DREAM TEAM

WILL CHUDLEY, THE WORCESTER AND FORMER EXETER, BATH, NEWCASTLE AND BEDFORD NO.9, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH OR...

Koroibete farce exposes high tackle inconsistency

COLIN BOAG One of the key things that fans want is consistency in the way the game is refereed and administered....

Softer warm-ups limited injuries

IT’S a vastly different Lions tour for many reasons, especially with only very few ‘warm up’ games against weak teams leading...

I’ll believe it when I see Premiership helping Tier Two

MR ROWE’S comments in last week’s TRP regarding funding for the Championship almost indicated a slight change of heart from a...

Lions expose Boks’ Vermeulen loss

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: newsdesk@therugbypaper.co.uk THERE can be no...

Leaking Lions may put a plug in it now | Chris Hewett

JIM TELFER was not best pleased. “For God’s sake cut it out,” he snarled at Mark Regan and Barrie Williams, two...

Farewell to Newlands, mecca of memories | Chris Hewett

Newlands was the beating heart of rugby in the Western Cape and for the Springboks for decades

Players all paid at Harlequins

FURTHER to my story last week about discussions at Harlequins about the ending of the players’ agreed paycuts, I am happy...

Ben Spencer’s tee-time at Celtic Manor

Did you know Gareth Bale is the brother-in-law of Taulupe Faletau, teammate of Ben Spencer at Bath?

Marcus Smith Lions cap ceremony had family attend via Zoom

Lions bosses didn't want Marcus Smith to miss out on his family not being there to see Jason Leonard hand him...

Eddie Jones gets some more tips from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

ENGLAND coach Eddie Jones was an interested spectator when Manchester United spent a week training at Pennyhill Park. Jones, a keen...

Twinkle-toes Ugo Monye can dazzle again

UGO Monye increased his workload last week after it was revealed he would appear on the forthcoming series of Strictly. The...

Ex-Leicester fly-half Tom Hardwick has chance in France

Hardwick had considered joining Leeds Tykes

Room 101: Cambridge back row Anthony Maka

The Cambridge back row takes us through his pet hates

John Mitchell departure gives RFU elbow room

Eddie Jones can remould his coaching staff how he would like in biggest overhaul of his tenure

Jonker’s call is bonkers and insult to the Lions | Nick Cain

The appointment of Marius Jonker as TMO for a series between the Springboks and Lions is farcical

Bomb squad blow out as Nienaber’s subs go pop

BRENDAN GALLAGHER VERDICT What a strange if memorable game down in Cape Town. Nothing quite panned out as we might have...

Gatland’s Lions get ready for Bok-lash

The thoughts of Warren Gatland, Alun Wyn Jones, Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes and Siya Kolisi after the first Test

England defence coach John Mitchell makes shock switch to Wasps

Eddie Jones' longest-serving assistant coach quits role as defence coach with England

Rassie Erasmus can change the psyche of South African sport for good

For all of South Africa‘s physical prowess on the sports fields, there’s always been a feeling that the country suffers from...

Scarlets attack coach Richard Whiffin leaves club

More changes to the coaching staff at the Scarlets

EPCR draw the pools for the 2021-22 Champions Cup

A 24-team Champions Cup draw has been held, find out where Exeter, Harlequins, Sale, Bristol, Northampton, Leicester, Bath and Wasps will...

Jake Kerr inks permanent Bristol Bears contract

Bristol Bears also confirm the departure of a 2020 summer arrival from Ashton Gate

‘I got lucky’ – Springbok De Allende makes admission about firepit explosion

Damian de Allende was one of four Munster players who received medical attention for burns from a firepit accident in June

Luke Cowan-Dickie and Courtney Lawes start for Lions in first Test

Head coach Warren Gatland reveals the selection was the hardest of his time with the Lions

All three Lions Tests to be held at Cape Town Stadium

The second and third Tests were set to take place in Johannesburg, based in the province with the highest coronavirus infection...

Kolisi cleared to lead the Springboks, Pollard to reach milestone against Lions

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi has struggled for fitness after overcoming Covid-19

Zander Fagerson agrees extension at Glasgow Warriors

The British & Irish Lions prop has signed a long-term contract at the Scotstoun club

Pivac: Now we face big test in the autumn

The Wales head coach reacts to his side's 33-11 defeat to Argentina in Cardiff

Marcus Smith puts his name on Gatland’s list

The Premiership winner starred on debut for the Lions

New chair Ilube may need some financial back-up

WHEN Tom Ilube starts as the new RFU Board chairman at the end of this month he will discover that the...

Let’s pour cold water over this Rassie Erasmus ruse | Nick Cain

A head coach as a waterboy? The incursion of non-playing staff on the pitch has been a problem brewing for years

Ludlow gets 4-match ban

LEWIS Ludlow has been banned for four matches for kneeing Canada prop Jake Ilnicki in the head during England’s win over...

Mrs gets a fine for Owens

ON THE BLIND SIDE BY NEIL FISSLER KEN Owens has revealed that the Lions players’ committee has already fined him for...

Harlequins and Falcons in pay-cut concern

Are Premiership clubs all back to paying their players their pre-pandemic salaries?

Something’s brewing for Jamie George and Elliot Daly

ENGLAND stars Jamie George and Elliot Daly have become the go-to guys for their barista service in the Lions camp. The...

Jordaan off to Vannes, not Falcons

ON THE BLIND SIDE BY NEIL FISSLER VANNES have agreed a deal with experienced South African lock Jeremy Jordaan who was...

Richard Hill stays in France with CAPD

FORMER England scrum-half Richard Hill will be staying in France despite leaving Rouen in May because he wanted to be nearer...

Room 101: New Blackheath captain Ed Taylor

Blackheath flanker Ed Taylor takes us through his pet hates from the rugby world and beyond

Daly must start at 13 if we want to beat the Boks | Shane Williams

The Saracens & England back has shown himself to still be as adroit at outside centre as at his time at...

Marcus continues to live the dream as joker in the Lions pack

BRENDAN GALLAGHER VERDICT Fast tempo: Scrum-half Ali Price OK, it was ‘only’ a seriously under-strength Stormers, shorn of all their South...

Warren Gatland must stretch Boks to exhaustion | Jeremy Guscott

There is just one week to go until the first Test, Jeremy Guscott looks at how the Lions are shaping up...

Stormers 3-49 Lions: Yes, signs are positive but Lions had it easy again

How the Lions performed against the Stormers and Nick Cain's team for the first Test

Ibitoye on the move again after relegation | James Harrington

A relatively quiet transfer circus this year round in the Top 14, writes James Harrington

Players lost their kit in a daze every week

MY LIFEIN RUGBY THE FORMER RICHMOND AND ESHER FLY-HALF ROB KIRBY My time at Christchurch Boys High in New Zealand was...

Walker wings in to drive Wales success

NEWS EXTRA By SAM JACKSON FORMER Wales winger and Olympic hurdler Nigel Walker has been named performance director at the Welsh...

Smit: ‘Gigantic’ series will leave its legacy

The victorious Springboks captain 12 years ago says he is just glad this year's tour is going ahead

Samoa secure their spot in France

SAMOA booked their place in England’s 2023 World Cup pool with a 79-28 aggregate win over Tonga. Samoa won yesterday’s second...