Blackett: Exciting time for young English hopefuls

■By NEALE HARVEY Fittest: Ben Velacott Talent: Charlie Atkinson WASPS head coach Lee Blackett believes a postlockdown surge of homegrown talent...

Don’t mess with scrum warns ‘old man’ Cole

■By JON NEWCOMBE New-age prop: Kyle Sinckler Warrior: Dan Cole gets on the ball for Leicester PICTURES: Getty Images HAVING been...

Irked Broad takes aim at WRU governance

WRU chairman Gareth Davies and chief executive Martyn Phillips are to blame for the problems the game is facing in Wales...

Zach hopes bigger will be even better

■By NEALE HARVEY Hard yards: Bath’s Zach Mercer is tackled by Worcester’s Scott Van Breda PICTURES: Getty Images STRONGER and fitter...

Socino: I’m here to give Barritt a run for his money!

Jon Newcombe talks to the Pumas centre who is joining Saracens JUAN Pablo Socino arrived in Hertfordshire in mid-June blinking into...

Covid spike puts Top 14 on high alert

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN An abundance of caution marked professional rugby’s preseason return on Friday, 166 days after Toulon beat Stade...

Crusaders let the trophy slip

SUPERRUGBY THECrusaders clinched the Super Rugby Aotearoa title last Sunday and promptly damaged the trophy. Their 32-22 victory over the Highlanders...

Hurrell targets Prem return as a skills coach

By JACK ZORAB Ambitious: Will Hurrell wants to pass on his expertise to the next generation PICTURE: Getty Images WILL Hurrell...

Extra sessions with Corbs cost us dear

MY LIFEIN RUGBY JON FISHER LONDON IRISH FORWARDS COACH AND FORMER IRISH, BEDFORD, NORTHAMPTON AND BRISTOL BACK ROW Dream start: Jon...

Petersfield assemble top brains trust after promotion

NEWS EXTRA By ADAM ELLIS HAMPSHIRE Premier champions Petersfield are gearing up to come flying out of the blocks when the...

Zac wants to make a late splash in England

Neale Harvey talks to former All Black wing Zac Guildford about a Premiership switch High point: Zac Guildford scores for the...

Foreign players are both cheaper and always on call

Gone to Premiership: Steve Borthwick, left, and Paul Gustard PICTURE: Getty Images Chris Boyd, a New Zealander, has questioned why England...

Burke’s law has turned Epsom into champions

Brendan Gallagher continues his series looking at rugby’s great schools Flyer: Kitan Ojo in action against Wellington Inset, below: Paul Burke...

YOUNG GUNS

OLLIEWYNN WORCESTER NO.9 Ask Ollie Wynn to reveal his scrumhalf role models and he reels off an impressive list of top...

Proud to see so many of my players step up to Premiership

Q&A HARVEY BILJON ON THE RECORD Proactive: Harvey Biljon Former Wasps No.9 Harvey Biljon has forged a successful career in coaching...

PRO14 restart preview

BENETTON Head coach: Kieran Crowley Captain: unconfirmed Stadium: Stadio Comunale di Monigo Current position: 5th (B) Last five games: WWLLW The...

Scarlets, Ospreys to win amid fireworks

SHANE WILLIAMS Wise piece of business: Stephen Myler has signed for Dragons The excitement is starting to build already Rugby is...

Imanol goes through pain barrier in Basque country

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

Hume worked miracles at Ampleforth

Star: Basil Hume in Ampleforth 1st XV, 1940 IT’S a funny thing but in the 850 odd years since Britain last...

Sad to say but 7s had lost its way

RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER A weekly look at the game’s other talking points Rare win: Dan Bibby celebrates with Ethan Waddleton...

Huw can recapture his best form – Bell

GLASGOW attack coach Jonny Bell is certain Huw Jones can rekindle the sparkling form that saw him score ten tries in...

Clean slate for Samson

Strong: Samson Lee DOUBLE World Cup-winning All Black prop Ben Franks wants to help resurrect the career of Wales’ ‘once in...

Wainright can spring some more surprises

AARON Wainwright plans to keep on surprising the rugby world after a stunning first 18 months at Test level took in...

Sam targets Wales jersey after switch

By ROB COLE Split loyalties: Sam Moore in U20 Six Nations action for England against France in 2018 SAM Moore trained...

Scots flyer Graham gunning for home semi-final

EDINBURGHwill come out “all guns blazing” against Glasgow on Saturday as they try to secure a home PRO14 semi-final, says Scotland...

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Blues, Ospreys yet to agree wage reductions

DRAGONS and Scarlets have agreed a 25 per cent reduction in player salaries with their squads for the next 12 months....

Canterbury want no part in 15-game season plan

■By WARREN MUGGLETON Concern: Giles Hilton CANTERBURY chairman Giles Hilton says promotion and relegation plans for a 15-game season are ‘nonsense’...

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Follow us at: @TheRugbyPaper like us at: therugbypaper Follow us at: @therugbypaper Keep in touch with The Rugby Paper wherever you...

Nigel demands some home truths

NIGEL Davies has done a great deal more than play 527 matches for Llanelli, as they were pre-regionalisation, and Wales. He...

Port Talbot wizardry fizzes on in Regan

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW By giving Leeds the runaround at Headingley last Sunday, Regan Grace did more...

Morahan: We can’t afford complacency

By NEALE HARVEY LUKE Morahan says Bristol’s players are fully aware of their responsibilities around combatting the Covid-19 menace that continues...

ON THE BLINDSIDE

BY NEILFISSLER Follow me on Twitter: @neilfissler Options: Sam Davies Bath have Welsh ace Davies on their hit list BATH are...

ROOM 101

RHODRI ADAMSON THE JAMAICA 7S INTERNATIONAL AND FORMER RICHMOND, CAMBRIDGE, BLAYDON AND COVENTRY FULL-BACK TAKES US THROUGH HIS PET HATES FROM...

Frankly, I’ve got to improve

NICK CAIN TALKS TO NORTHAMPTON’S STAR ALL BLACKS PROP OWEN FRANKS Brains trust: Chris Boyd discusses tactics with coach Sam Vesty...

Perenara’s word perfect

TJ Perenara is not the first scrum-half to have plenty to say for himself. It’s part of the job description. But...

Calling Toby…are you really at Ospreys?

TOBY Booth is one of the most talented coaches around. No less a figure than Brian Ashton recognised this more than...

Nerdvana is far from providing a paradise

CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST Professional rugby is fast becoming a game of gadgets and gizmos: a bewildering array of cutting- edge...

More leagues with fewer clubs is RFU plan for future

JOHNInverdale, chairman of the National Clubs Association, yesterday welcomed the RFU’s plan for a shake-up of the National Leagues. The proposals,...

Stars on display for ding-dong battle

NORTHAMPTON have named a side full of big name internationals as they look to cement their position in the top four....

Brad’s fighting the sound of silence

■ By NEALE HARVEY BRAD Shields knows he faces a battle to restate his England credentials after admitting he has had...

Kiss: We had our chances but fell off the pace and suffered

Hungry: Charlie Ewels LES Kiss admitted his Irish side were lacking a little sharpness and physicality as the Exiles spluttered to...

Brilliant Ben gets his Rec life off to a great start

■ By GARY FITZGERALD BEN Spencer showed his international class as he took less than five minutes to create a big...

New boss thrilled by brilliance of Cips

GLOUCESTER’S new head coach George Skivington was delighted with a win on the Premiership’s resumption. He said: “It wasn’t the ideal...

Warriors brushed aside after Nanai’s early red

■ By ROGER PANTING MELANI Nanai’s red card ruined Jonny May’s comeback and any chance Worcester had of returning from lockdown...

Battered Hartley’s bitter ode to dying of the light

DYLAN Hartley might have preferred something more poetic when he was axed as England captain by Eddie Jones. Something like the...

New breakdown focus will keep the jackals on straight and narrow

NICK CAIN NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK THE breakdown is back at the top of the refereeing agenda...

Penalty count is worry for Lam

SCOTLAND international Sean Maitland described playing in an empty stadium as “weird”. The Saracens full-back admitted: “It’s going to take a...

Late penalty try keeps Bears on the title trail

By MIKE SINCLAIR Last gasp: Bristol celebrate their penalty try in the dying minutes PICTURES:Getty Images On the run: Ben Earl...

Lancaster ‘perfect’ coach for the Lions

■By NEALE HARVEY STUART Lancaster would be a “perfect” choice to join Warren Gatland’s Lions’ coaching team in South Africa next...