Stop all this pandering to Southern Hemisphere

I FOLLOWED with detached amusement as the election campaigns of Sir Bill Beaumont and Agustin Pichot fizzled out amid a tsunami...

Forgot Fran

ENJOYED last week’s edition however, in the quiz we were asked for two players who beat the All Blacks for four...

Solomons’ schedule makes sense

WORCESTER director of rugby Alan Solomons made a lot of really good points regarding a World Nations League. However I can...

Regionalise National 1 and reduce salary cap

Derby delight: Generate greater local interest with more local derbies such as Darlington v Blaydon PICTURE: Paul Fenwick WHAT a shame...

Clubs welcome support of the RFU

Planning: Peter Wheeler RFU President Peter Wheeler replies to last week’s Rugby Paper exclusive THE RFU Council are meeting virtually at...

WRU must regulate the game to benefit all clubs

WRU chairman Gareth Davies says he cannot fathom payment to players by community rugby clubs (CRC). This amounts to a tacit...

Bath need quick ball and a smart 9-10 combination

JEREMY GUSCOTT X-factor: Joe Cokanasiga has moments of individual brilliance for Bath PICTURE: Getty Images BATH fans will be pleased by...

French ban pushes Cup games back to September

THIS season’s European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup quarter-finals will not be played before September after the French government banned all...

Keep your conferences Geech, they don’t work

COLIN BOAG Controversial: Sir Ian McGeechan suggests splitting the Premiership into two conferences With time on their hands, every man and...

Bennett fears Lions tour may be sacrificed for home Tests

■By ROB COLE Icon: Phil Bennett stars for 1974 Lions LIONS legend Phil Bennett is worried the current fixture and financial...

Pivac calls for World Rugby to sort global season

■By ROB COLE WAYNE Pivac believes the current crisis has gifted World Rugby chiefs the perfect opportunity to finally solve the...

Scotland centre Scott switches back to Premiership

EDINBURGH centre Matt Scott will join Leicester at the end of the season. The 29-year-old, who has 39 Scotland caps, returned...

Wells exits Newcastle to take on Italian job

By JON NEWCOMBE New challenge: John Wells has left the Newcastle back room team PICTURE: Getty Images JOHN WELLS is looking...

Mako unsure if he’ll stick with Saracens

■By NEALE HARVEY Stand and deliver: Mako Vunipola in action for Saracens against Leicester PICTURES: Getty Images Staying: Billy Vunipola Still...

Louis inspired by Jordan’s fast climb to top of NBA

■By ROB COLE LOUIS Rees-Zammit has gone back to his rugby roots to ensure he emerges from lockdown as sharp as...

Jenkins earns deal at Dragons

WING Owen Jenkins has signed a long-term deal to stay at Dragons after an impressive first season. The 26-year-old joined the...

Exeter philosophy inspiring Arscott’s climb with Dings

■By NEALE HARVEY Driving on: Luke Arscott in action this season for Dings against Barnes PICTURE: John White DINGS Crusaders boss...

No French champions for first time since WW2

JAMES HARRINGTON Big signing: Wallaby Kurtley Beale will join Racing 92 PICTURE: Getty Images The 30 presidents of the Top 14...

Glad I took Dad’s advice not to quit

MY LIFEIN RUGBY DIEGO ALBANESE THE FORMER ARGENTINA, GLOUCESTER AND LEEDS WINGER Pocket rocket: Diego Albanese playing in the Premiership for...

YOUNGGUNS

TOM WYATT EXETER FULL-BACK/CENTRE Competing with Stuart Hogg for a place is nobody’s idea of a picnic but try telling budding...

Big Lift raises £20k in memory of Garry

■By ADAM ELLIS BARNES chairman Michael Whitfield has been blown away by the support for the club’s ‘Big Lift’ campaign to...

Inspirational Hogg can be Lions captain says Deans

■By GARY HEATLY Leader: Stuart Hogg STUART Hogg is right in the mix for the Lions captaincy for next year’s trip...

Courtney eyes Lions and foreign pay-day

■By NEALE HARVEY Ball-carrier: Courtney Lawes takes on Lyon’s Hendrick Roodt PICTURE: Getty Images Brilliant: Eddie Jones ENGLAND enforcer Courtney Lawes...

Steve McQueen? Arthur was ‘Cooler King’

Tunnel man: Arthur Rees ON THE subject of POWs it was noted Welsh flanker Arthur Rees who is widely thought to...

Springboks ruled the roost in POW contest

Springbok rugby squad at Stalag IV-B in 1944. Back row, left to right: J Oakley, I Van Huyssteen, Kaplan, Timm, G...

Vichy rulers order ‘immoral’ French Rugby League to die

Brendan Gallagher continues his expert and authorative look at the history of Rugby Union The History of rugby: PART 7 Surviving...

A League of Nations is an idiotic proposal

JEFF PROBYN No way through: Georgia’s Shalva Mamukashvili is tackled in the defeat to Italy in 2018 PICTURE: Getty Images Democracy:...

DREAMTEAM

CHRIS BROWN, TAUNTON FORWARDS COACH AND FORMER NEWPORT, CAERPHILLY, EXETER AND WALES U21 FLANKER, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED...

Evergreen Elvis has lots of hits left in him

■By NEALE HARVEY Big engine: Elvis Taoine shows no signs of slowing as he approaches his 37th bithday PICTURE: Getty Images...

Greggains geared for action after injury layoff

■By ROB COLE Fit again: Former Wales U20 star Lennon Greggains NOBODY is missing rugby more than Lennon Greg- gains and...

Amps fired up for a second ride in the Championship

■By WARREN MUGGLETON Star signing: Dave Ward has been magnificent AMPTHILL chairman Alex Radley described the club’s first Championship season as...

Burrows muscles in for hat-trick but super Falcons take top billing

Jon Newcombe picks The Rugby Paper’s Championship Team of the Season Hot-stepper: Newcastle’s Adam Radwan scores against Jersey PICTURE: Simom Hall...

NEWS EXTRA

Fans dig deep for the future of Blood and Sand ■By JEREMY BLACKMORE FANS of Cambridge RUFC have rallied behind the...

Colombiers were so close to place in the limelight again

JUST as the Tartan Army sang about ‘only one team in Tallinn’ when Estonia’s footballers failed to turn up for a...

Wales make it painful viewing for Red Rose

KICKING off at 9pm this Friday (May 8), S4C will fill the rugby void by rerunning the first of three Wales-Eng-...

Virus ends Brock’s hope of a fitting career finale

Last hurrah: Brock James playing for La Rochelle PICTURE: Getty Images On the first weekend of January this year in the...

Young Jonah, just doing what came so naturally

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

My mission is to make Bath exciting and scoring tries

Q&A STUART HOOPER ON THE RECORD Incredible impact: Gabe Hamer-Webb PICTURES: Getty Images Loving the job: Stuart Hooper Bath’s first-year director...

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RFU playing figures are wrong says Cattermole

■By SAM JACKSON Challenge: Cattermole GRAEME Cattermole, former RFU chairman, has followed his farreaching interview in last week’s Rugby Paper by...

Burns quits Bath for deal in Japan

FREDDIE Burns will leave the Premiership this summer to play in Japan. The Bath fly-half, right, will exit the Rec to...

NEXT WEEK …Don’t miss

Leading contenders to be 2021 Lions openside National League One Team of the Season History of Rugby: Post-war glory for Ireland...

Most scenic rugby venue in the world? You decide…

Idyllic: Agustin Pichot Stadium YOU know that moment when you have got to the airport on time, miraculously the check in...

57 old farts and one nauseous reporter!

RUGBY MATTERS Controversy: Will Carling, right, with RFU president Dennis Easby, left, and Les Cuworth in 1995 PICTURE: Getty Images REMARKABLY...

Courtney is best bet to counter Du Toit

2021 LIONSA YEAR TO GO NICK CAIN LOOKS AT THE CONTENDERS FOR EACH POSITION THIS WEEK… BLINDSIDE FLANKER Tried-and-tested: Courtney Lawes’...

JONNY HILL ON…

…his lockdown regime “I’ve got a programme from our S&C guys, which runs from Mondays to Fridays and is quite intense....

I’m my worst critic, when I watch myself on TV I cringe!

Japan-bound: George Kruis leaving creates an England vacancy EPS choices: Charlie Ewels and Alex Moon JONNY Hill is doing his best...

Suddenly Sale don’t shine so Diamond bright

FAF DE KLERK, Lood de Jager, Jono Ross, Coenie Oosthuizen, Akker van der Merwe, the Du Preez boys in triplicate… Frankly,...

Tough call, but rugby must help the islands

CHRIS HEWETT Fiji talent: Semi Radradra PICTURE: Getty Images When the Bristol scrum-half Richard Harding led England onto the field in...

Welsh duo re-sign

DRAGONS back Will Talbot-Davies has signed a two-year deal which will keep him at the region until 2022. The 22-year-old has...