French had a rule: ‘When at home you never lose.’ They did!

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME The picture of Serge Blanco and Jon Webb at the end of...

Eddie’s long running love affair on the south coast

Centre of excellence: England train at Brighton College IN recent years Brighton College has emerged as a training centre for the...

Brighton’s become a force under Buoy

Brendan Gallagher continues his series looking at rugby’s great schools SUSSEX is not normally considered a hotbed of rugby in England...

YOUNG GUNS

ALEX MORGAN GLOUCESTER WING/FULL-BACK The road to rugby stardom is often long and arduous but Alex Morgan has already demonstrated he...

Coffee empire can wait, I want to give my all to coaching now

RYAN LAMB ON THE RECORD Q&A Newly appointed Hartpury backs coach Ryan Lamb, 34, tells NEALE HARVEY how he landed his...

Phantom of the All Blacks dies

DAVEHalligan ought to have been initiated into the hallowed ranks of Test All Blacks almost 40 years ago. At 21, he...

Fit and proper persons in charge?

POLICE arrested Georgian rugby vice-president Merab Beselia nine days ago after the shooting of the country’s former Sevens coach, Ramaz Kharazishili....

Clive’s on way back, fighting spirit intact

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW None the worse for a heart attack...

Rory’s delight after epic win in All Black country

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

Ulstermen outclassed by Kolbe and Co

ULSTER were swept aside by Toulouse to compound the misery of losing to Leinster in the PRO14 final. Wing Cheslin Kolbe...

Baxter’s boys reach first semi-final in style

EXETER brushed aside a battling Northampton side to book their first Champions Cup semi-final place. Jack Maunder and Jacques Vermeulen’s tries...

Dunn’s double turns tide for Bath deluge

By SAM JACKSON BATH underlined their credentials as serious title contenders with a late four-try salvo to claim a bonus point...

Diamond rallies troops with half-time roasting

Midweek matches By ROSS HEPPENSTALL Done it: Jono Ross lifts the Premiership Cup trophy PICTURE: Getty Images FAF DE KLERK revealed...

Sharks told to up gears in pursuit of play-offs

NEWS EXTRA By JON NEWCOMBE SALE need to get up to speed and match the form of their play-off rivals if...

Bravo boys, you’re giving us a show to remember

IT’S high time for lashings of unambiguous praise for the professional rugby players of this Covid-infected land and in particular how...

Humble beginning but Heineken dreamt big

RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER SO now, in this most unusual and mind-bending season, we finally have the two finalists for the...

Surreal start to life in Warriors’ fast lane

Tom Vale talks to Worcester Warriors’ teenage sensation Noah Heward Ten years ago, Noah Heward found himself on a rugby trip...

Hastings aims to be more than just Finn’s stand-in

NEWS EXTRA By BRYN PALMER ADAM Hastings has warned Finn Russell he is not ready to give up the Scotland No.10...

Subscriptions…

You can subscribe to The Rugby Paper. Just fill out the form below and send your cheque for £20, £40 or...

Tributes for tragic East Grinstead coach Matt

EAST Grinstead Rugby Club are reeling this weekend at the tragic death of head coach Matt Ratana who was shot on...

Howley’s challenge

HOW good it is to see Rob Howley back in rugby after his nine-month ban for betting violations. The sport has...

Jack makes a real twit of himself over Covid

JACK Nowell is such a likeable sportsman – cheery, engaging, approachable, whole-hearted, courageous, a veritable beacon of positivity and one heck...

Love it or hate it, the scrum still holds key

CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST Avery senior figure in English refereeing circles who must remain nameless – oh, alright then, Tony Spreadbury...

Jet-heeled Josh chasing May’s benchmark

FEARLESS Exeter flyer Josh Hodge vows to continue playing to thrill as his Premiership crash course continues in a Chief side...

Zoe jumps Prem ship for job at YouTube

PREMIERSHIP Rugby will need a new marketing chief after Zoe Clapp quit to take up a job with YouTube. Clapp, who...

ON THE BLIND SIDE

BY NEILFISSLER Warriors go cold on Bobby WORCESTER Warriors are now unlikely to make a move for Southern Kings flanker Bobby...

ROOM 101

SIMON UZOKWE THE EALING TRAILFINDERS BACK ROW TAKES US THROUGH HIS PET HATES FROM THE RUGBY WORLD AND BEYOND 1. 5G...

It’s going right down to the wire

NICK CAIN LOOKS AT THE RACE FOR THE TOP FOUROF THE PREMIERSHIP THE PLAY-OFF LINCHPINS: PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR. THERE was...

Scarlets will be title contenders this season

SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND Firepower: A fit Jonathan Davies can push Scarlets to the next level PICTURE: Getty Images...

Qantas call time

RUGBY Australia’s finances suffered another blow as Qantas ended a 30- year partnership with the organisation. The Australian airline has been...

Bulls go on rampage

BULLS ran riot with a 49-28 win in Jake White’s first match in charge against the Sharks. Blitzbok 7s duo Stedman...

Howley signs for Kingsley’s Canada

NEWS EXTRA FORMER Wales coach Rob Howley has been named assistant Canada coach following his return to the sport after being...

Mistake-ridden Tigers are tamed by Toulon

By GARY FITZGERALD TIGERS’ European dreams were well and truly buried on a ploughed Stade Felix Mayol pitch as Toulon set...

Why can I mingle in a shop but not at rugby?

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Contrast: Shoppers mix in the aisles while rugby stadiums remain empty PICTURE: Getty...

Waste of time if we don’t win it – Lam

PAT LAM wasn’t getting carried away with Bristol reaching their first European final. “We haven’t won it yet, we’ve given ourselves...

Bears kill off Begles in extra-time thriller

By ROGER PANTING Leading the charge: Bristol captain Steve Luatua scores their first try PICTURES: Getty Images BRISTOL scored 17 unanswered...

Baxter: Incredible win, now finish it off

NOTHING could hide Rob Baxter’s joy last night but “we ain’t won nothing yet” was the message he drummed home in...

At long last Chiefs make it to rugby’s Hillary Step

By BRENDAN GALLAGHER Power: Sam Simmonds scores Exeter’s second try EXETER Chiefs, anonymous fourth tier trundlers back in 1995 when the...

Crisis in Wales as clubs face extinction

THIRTY Welsh rugby clubs are ‘teetering on the brink of extinction’ as the game lurches towards the bleakest of winters. The...

Top flight rugby may not return until 2021

By NEALE HARVEY PREMIERSHIP clubs may seek to delay the start of the 2020/21 season until the New Year unless Government...

British & Irish Lions 2021 kit sponsor Vodafone pay up far beyond 1997 tour’s level

Jack Zorab talks to the man who brokered Scottish Provident getting on the centre of the Lions jersey on the tour...

My Life in Rugby: Ex-England, Gloucester and Sale wing Tom Beim

Picked for the Tour of Hell in 1998, Beim relives the tough moments of his career which, in a way, offer...

Lucock: Newcastle were the best team I’ve seen come down to the Championship

Jon Newcombe catches up with the new Newcastle Falcons signing who missed much of last season with a knee injury

Five young English players primed to break out in 2021

Already on England's radar after coming through the Under-20 programme

TEAMS: McCall sticks by the Saracens who overcame Leinster

Full teams for the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup semi-finals this weekend

Ollie Lawrence interview: ‘One of my goals is to play for England and another is to become a Lion’

Lawrence, who recently turned 21, outlines his vision for a career that has promised so much already with Worcester and England...

Williams column: All eyes in South Africa will be on the Lions

Shane Williams looks ahead to the 2021 Lions tour, and reflects on his own experiences in South Africa

New Ospreys coach Brock James sees a lot of potential in youthful backs

Few players hold a more esteemed playing career than Brock James, now the Australian is anticipating success as a coach at...

Young Guns: Exeter Chiefs centre Corey Baldwin

Neale Harvey talks to the England-born centre who arrived at Sandy Park from Scarlets this summer

Cain column: Crafty Boks try to get the best of both worlds

Nick Cain analyses looks at SA Rugby's attempts to ford a bridge between hemispheres