Tom Homer opts to retire instead of Montauban stint

London Irish full-back Tom Homer has retired with immediate effect following the conclusion of the Premiership season. The 31-year-old was due...

EXCLUSIVE: Mike Ford out, Kevin Sinfield in at Leicester Tigers

LEICESTER Tigers are set to announce yet another coaching restructuring with Mike Ford leaving Welford Road to be replaced by Super...

Aussies Disappoint, Blues Clear Favourites to Win Super Rugby Trans-Tasman Final

Aotearoa’s domination of the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition continued into the final week of the regular season as all five New...

Sean O’Brien urges Ireland to blood players in Premiership

SEAN O’Brien believes Ireland should relax their rule which all but bars players being selected for the national squad if they...

We’ll be the poor men of Europe say regions

WALES’ four regions fear they will be put at an even greater disadvantage next season with their English rivals being up...

Dombrandt: Bristol victories ‘count for nothing’

ALEX Dombrandt denies Bristol will have either a psychological or physical advantage over Quins when the teams do playoff battle on...

Harlequins 54-26 Newcastle: Eight-try Quins tune up for their Bear hunt

NICK Evans is confident Quins can cause a major upset when they enter the Bears’ backyard next weekend after seeing them...

Sanderson: We ‘had the game but blew it’

SALE director of rugby Alex Sanderson was accentuating the positives despite insisting his side blew the chance of winning at Sandy...

Exeter 20-19 Sale: 14-man Chiefs secure semi-final advantage

EXETER booked their sixth Premiership home play-off on the trot but the reigning champions had to dig deep against a Sale...

Big Joe Cokanasiga must seize his England chance this time | Jeremy Guscott

JOE Cokanasiga on top form is quite simply a lethal rugby player. That is why it is so good to see...

DREAM TEAM

JACK PREECE, THE CINDERFORD AND FORMER BIRMINGHAM & SOLIHULL, COVENTRY, ROTHERHAM, MOSELEY, AND ENGLAND SEVENS AND COUNTIES OPENSIDE, CHOOSES THE BEST...

No club has thrown in towel – even Worcester

COLIN BOAG When the moratorium on relegation from the Premiership for this season was announced in mid-February, a new word entered the...

Bristol got a yellow and benefitted!

REFEREE Ian Tempest had no option last week but to give a yellow card to the Bristol prop Nahuel Chaparro after...

Ring-fence row is claptrap as the changes will prove

MORE emotive claptrap in the TRP about socalled ring-fencing, with Nick Cain going overboard, talking of the RFU “deliberately scuppering the...

Spreading the word on women’s game

I AM writing in response to the letter by Mel Rothero: “Why didn’t they play in London?”, regarding the Premier XVs...

Hardy eager for Peel tips

KIERAN Hardy believes the no-nonsense coaching of Dwayne Peel can help take him to the next level after a breakthrough season...

Cuthbert: Winners’ medal would ease pain of last season

ALEX Cuthbert would love nothing more than to leave Exeter Chiefs this summer with a Premiership winner’s medal safely tucked into...

Boyd predicts big summer for tenacious flank Ludlam

By ADAM HATHAWAY Back in the frame: Saints flanker Lewis Ludlam LEWIS Ludlam forced his way back into the England fold...

Harry Wells is the epitome of Borthwick’s new Tigers

HARRY Wells has enjoyed his breakthrough season at the age of 27, an almost ever-present in an improving Leicester side the...

Invevitably Gael sticks to script for derby win

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN French rugby’s new definition of ‘inevitable’ is Racing 92 new boy Gael Fickou scoring the first try of...

My Life in Rugby – Craig Hammond: ‘Robin Hood’ rides to Nottingham’s call

I ONLY ever intended to go to Nottingham for six months back in 2001 and I ended up staying for a...

Thomas’ rapid rise can inspire Cardiff lads says Law

NEWS EXTRA By ROB COLE NEW Wales squad member Ben Thomas is set to become the pin-up boy at Cardiff Arms Park...

Whirlwind year for ex-Quin Harry Barlow, now starting anew with the Free Jacks

HARRY Barlow thought his rugby career was over last season following his release from Harlequins, with the country in lockdown. So...

Eddie calls back as Josh Bassett hits 150 for Wasps

JOSH BASSETT is set to become the oldest England winger to make his Test debut for 70 years after getting a...

So many reasons why game is less competitive

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Iseriously wonder if the effect of lockdown has dramatically changed our perception of...

Women’s Game in Focus: DMP Sharks fly-half Jess Dadds

DMP Sharks fly-half Jess Dadds says her first season in the Premier 15s has been a huge step up from university rugby....

Du Preez ruled out of Sale’s season run-in

SALE lock JP du Preez will miss the rest of the season after being banned for three weeks. The 27-year-old, who...

‘Little fellow’ Bleddyn gets giant farewell from Tigers | Peter Jackson

THEY sat alone with their memories in Leicester Cathedral as the St Anne’s church choir brought Cwm Rhondda to a crescendo,...

Chris Pennell deserved send-off | Peter Jackson

SET against the Covid cruelty suffered by untold millions on a global scale, Gloucester’s inability to fulfill their fixture at Worcester...

Rhys Webb counts cost of that Toulon pay-day | Peter Jackson

At the end of the last Lions tour when the entire cast posed for a team photograph, Rhys Webb appeared to...

Mount are on the climb again under Campbell

Brendan Gallagher continues his series looking at rugby’s great schools THE influence of the big rugby playing Catholic schools in England...

Warriors could have done a lot worse!

RUGBY MATTERS THOUGHT for the day. In the 19 Premiership matches Worcester played this season they accrued a disappointing 15 league...

Belgium win leads to Dutch enquiries

RUGBY MATTERS IT’S amazing what a breakthrough season and a famous win can do. Netherlands coach Zane Gardiner reports that his...

Rugby Matters: Malakai Fekitoa sprinkles his stardust on Monaco

WHAT with Covid doing its worst for the last 15 months or so, Sevens has rather disappeared off the radar with...

George prepares like it’s a Euro final

Pressure: Jamie George SARACENS hooker Jamie George says the play-off final could prove to be one of the most important matches...

Championship final 1st leg preview: Pack must peak for miracle challenge

DANIEL GALLAN talks to Ben Ward ahead of Ealing Trailfinders’ battle with Goliath Today. Kick-off 4.30pm, Trailfinders Sportsground In any other...

Dave Rennie may find principles changing | Chris Hewett

DAVE RENNIE is a New Zealander from the Tana Umaga corner of Wellington’s metropolitan area and like virtually ever other Kiwi...

European Boks have inside gen on the Lions | Chris Hewett

  Modern Springbok coaches fall into two camps: far-sighted progressives like Kitch Christie, Jake White and Rassie Erasmus – people who...

Inspirational Bentos puts Lions on road to glory

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

Super Rugby TT: Blues and Highlanders book final showdown

THE Blues and the Highlanders secured their places in next Saturday’s showpiece final with victories in another week dominated by New...

Young Gun: Saracens tighthead Harvey Kindell-Beaton

Highly-rated England tighthead Harvey Kindell-Beaton is ready to wreak havoc at scrum-time in the Six Nations after leaning on the expertise...

Azzurrini include Garbisi junior at 9

ITALY ITALY have named a 32- man squad ahead of their opening round match against tournament hosts Wales. Alessandro Garbisi, the...

Captain Samuel excites Lineen

SCOTLAND SEAN Lineen is confident his novice lock pairing of Alex Samuel and Max Williamson will get the job done for...

Kendellen leads new-look Ireland

IRELAND COACH Richie Murphy has only six players from last year’s squad that helped put Ireland U20 in pole position until...

France unleash Top 14 talent

FRANCE ENGLAND’S opening round opponents have retained 2019 World U20 Championship winners Matthias Haddad and Paul Mallez as Les Bleuets bid...

England U20s: Alan Dickens challenges squad to emulate last year’s top trio

ENGLAND coach Alan Dickens believes the rise of Max Ojomoh, Freddie Steward and Chunya Munga is a clear indicator that rugby...

Wales U20: Forward will pack punch with heavyweight Carwyn upfront

WALES will unleash the cousin of Taulupe Faletau and Mako and Billy Vunipola in the U20 Six Nations which begins this...

Tom Wood expects reaction after disappointing Saints season

VETERAN flanker Tom Wood says tough times at Northampton can get the Saints marching in again like they did in the...

Beware social media blunders, England told

WHEN the newly minted England squad gathers tomorrow for a five-day training camp ahead of the summer internationals, players will be...

Wayne’s got a way to put Wales out in front | Shane Williams

IN the northern hemisphere we have always been one or two steps behind teams in the south. That’s just a fact...