Kieran Crowley to lead Italy at the next World Cup as FIR reshuffle coaching staff

Current head coach Franco Smith will step into a director of high performance role with the FIR

Scott Robertson is set to decide on his future at the Crusaders

The Crusaders have made an offer to in-demand head coach Scott Robertson

Glasgow Warriors centurion Chris Fusaro to retire at the end of the season

Ending an 11-year professional career at Scotstoun come the end of his contract with Glasgow Warriors

Murrayfield to host 16,500 fans for British & Irish Lions clash with Japan

The Scottish government and SRU agree to allow 16,500 fans to attend the first match of the Lions schedule against Japan

BBC and ITV set to renew Six Nations broadcast deal

The Six Nations is set to remain on free-to-air television for the next six years

Worcester Warriors appoint ex-Gloucester coach Jonny Bell as new defence mastermind

Bell will return to the Premiership next season to link up with old pal Alan Solomons at Worcester Warriors

Chris Boyd concedes Saints semi-final hopes are ‘dead’

Northampton Saints DoR Chris Boyd sees it as an uphill struggle to reach the Premiership semi-finals after his side's loss to...

Ospreys hooker Scott Otten told to retire at the age of 26

A neck injury suffered in January has led to medical experts advising Ospreys hooker Scott Otten to hang up his boots

Former England centre Kyle Eastmond announces retirement at 31

The former Bath, Wasps and Leicester Tigers back had signed a two-year deal at Leeds Rhinos, but has called time on...

Fans finally back to feed Bristol Bears frenzy

Kyle Sinckler received the biggest cheer from the 3,183 fans in attendance as his name was read out pre-match

Exeter Chiefs announce signing of EQP prop Josh Iosefa-Scott

Exeter Chiefs sign some competition for Harry Williams and Marcus Street to contend with, as Josh Iosefa-Scott arrives from New Zealand

Alex Lozowski eyes glory finish to iffy start in France with Montpellier

Lozowski compares his experiences playing alongside Owen Farrell for so long at Saracens and his season in France with Handre Pollard

Tom Youngs promises fight to the finish at Twickenham

The Leicester Tigers captain talks to Paul Rees about his desire to bring silverware home to Welford Road by beating Montpellier...

Brock James backs La Rochelle to upset Toulouse in Champions Cup finale

The famed Top 14 import backs old club La Rochelle to stop Toulouse's run at a fifth Champions Cup triumph in...

Harlequins ace Lagi Tuima hopes to avoid more late drama against Wasps

Harlequins will welcome fans to the Stoop for their home semi-final against Wasps in the Premier 15s

Rob Howley happy with Canada scriptwriter

Rob Howley will return to Wales this summer with Canada almost one year one from his 18-month gambling ban elapsing

Blues told to cut Cardiff ties

CARDIFF Blues are set to come under pressure from the WRU if they fail to conform with a stipulation that they...

Tackling is important too, Quins and Wasps! | Chris Hewett

Matches of anarchy and a more balanced proportion between attack and defence can serve us two very different specatcles, equally entertaining

Martin Gleeson set to replace Amor with England

Amor's exit at the RFU comes after the union's Six Nations review

Rory Sutherland will dodge interest from Worcester Warriors

Sutherland now looks set to either move to the Top 14 or stay in the PRO14

Bath prop Henry Thomas on his way to join La Rochelle

Henry Thomas is out of contract this summer at Bath

Denny Solomona has talks with Bristol Bears boss Lam

Could the Sale Sharks wing make a cross-Premiership switch to Bristol this summer?

Lions cash ‘should go to game’s grassroots’

THE Lions will be almost three times better off than their victorious predecessors in South Africa this summer despite a 25...

Searle: We must keep our heads up

BILLY Searle urged his Warriors to keep fighting and finish the season with heads high despite enduring another defeat. Worcester have...

Wasps 23-19 Worcester: Robson blasts lottery over red card decisions

The Wasps vice-captain decries the decisions to give yellow or red cards for 'virtually nothing'

Borthwick: Forget his tries, Genge is my hero in defence

ELLIS Genge is a star on an off the pitch, according to Leicester boss Steve Borthwick. “His performances in the last...

Leicester 35-29 Harlequins: Determined Tigers defy the Quins fightback

Fireworks in either half as Harlequins try to counter Tigers first start at Welford Road

Toulouse can edge this fascinating French battle | Jeremy Guscott

Jeremy Guscott looks ahead to an all-France Champions Cup final between Toulouse and La Rochelle

DREAM TEAM

MATT RILEY, THE SEDGLEY PARK AND FORMER SALE & ENGLAND U21S CENTRE, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH OR AGAINST...

Restrict ‘England A’ selection to players aged under 25 | Colin Boag

How best to approach using the revived England A programme for maximum benefit to the elite level

RFU always led the way for diversity

I’VE known RFU Past President John about 25 years, and I know of no one as committed and pro-active to rugby...

English rugby must not be hostage to top-flight cartel

PREMIERSHIP clubs have created the perfect scam at the expense of the rest of England’s clubs. Until the early 1990s, players...

Give the game back to genuine people

SO the RFU have decided to drop the Saxons name and replace it with England A – which is fine –...

Unlucky Jack’s back on Chiefs injured list

EXETER winger Jack Nowell may miss the rest of the regular season after spraining medial knee ligaments. The 28-year-old hobbled off...

Amor leaves as Eddie takes over as attack coach

ENGLAND attack coach Simon Amor has stepped down after 16 months in the role while skills coach Jason Ryles will also...

Mindset at Harlequins has brought fun back for Scott Baldwin

Baldwin has no regrets over leaving Wales behind to reinvigorate himself in south-west London with Quins

Saints sign Augustus but Owen’s off

NORTHAMPTON Saints have signed South African No.8 Juarno Augustus for next season but are losing New Zealand prop Owen Franks to...

De Glanville eager to send Bath pals off with a splash

By ADAM HATHAWAY TRP Probyn: RFU must source different England players >> Page 29 TOM DE GLANVILLE is determined to give Bath’s...

Irish to enter Premier XVs bidding war

LONDON Irish intend to apply for a Premier XVs franchise when the RFU open the bidding process for the next intake...

Laumape wages will bring salary cap queries

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Confirmation of Ngani Laumape’s long-expected move from Hurricanes to Stade Francais was – unsurprisingly – rugby’s headlinemaker of...

Had time of my life at Quins until Deano left

MY LIFEIN RUGBY THE FORMER WORCESTER, NORTHAMPTON, HARLEQUINS, GRENOBLE AND ENGLAND U21S SECOND ROW JAMES PERCIVAL MY experiences in rugby changed me as a...

Peel is the supremo after Delaney quits

DWAYNE Peel will be in overall charge at the Scarlets next season following Glenn Delaney’s departure. Peel was last month named...

North v South final is on

PRO14 Rainbow Cup organisers are close to finalising plans for a June final in Europe between the best Europebased team and...

RFU need to source other players to end this ransom | Jeff Probyn

The past few weeks have provided interesting reading re Francis Baron’s thoughts of how things have got out of hand at...

I know just how Sinckler feels over Lions snub

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME IF ANYONE knows just how Kyle Sinckler feels after missing out on the...

WOMEN’S GAME IN FOCUS

WASPS WING Sarah Rendell takes a weekly look at some important women players ELLIE BOATMAN THIS WEEK... Broadcast details for the...

Lewis was poetry in motion | Peter Jackson

PETER JACKSON KEITH McLellan is a fair dinkum Aussie from Bondi Beach, who spent most of the Fifties at Headingley, captaining...

O’Driscoll puts boot into PRO14 | Peter Jackson

Shrinking TV audiences has seen the exposure of the PRO14 dwindle since it was taken off BBC

Kristian got the kit but no Lions recognition

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW They were born in different centuries on different sides of the Atlantic, one in...

Saints give thanks for their feeder school

Brendan Gallagher continues his series looking at rugby’s great schools WE have featured the likes of Campion and St Peter’s Gloucester...