Ex-RFU chief raps Tier Two cash cuts

By NICK CAIN ‘It’s poor’: Cattermole GRAEME Cattermole, former RFU chairman, has added his criticism to the slashing cuts to Championship...

How Will the Saracens Squad Look in the Championship?

The story of Saracens rugby club being relegated to the Championship and fined for breaking the wage cap has dominated club...

Jonathan Joseph on the wing for England, Daly to full-back

England head coach makes changes to the backline after George Furbank is ruled out of Ireland clash

Italy plot a new shock victory over Russell-less Scotland

Scotland are a team Italy know they can beat, writes Brendan Gallagher

World Rugby to hold expert forum before outlining transgender policy

London forum will discuss the biology of transgender rugby players to ascertain selection guidelines

Bath flanker Francois Louw eyes last hurrah in MLR

World Cup-winner Francois Louw talks Bath, Major League Rugby interests, and how he also retired as a Springbok

Gareth Davies preferred to Williams at scrum-half for Wales’ clash with France

Wales head coach places faith in Gareth Davies and Ross Moriarty against Les Bleus

Elliot Daly and George Furbank expect Irish bombardment

Ireland's variety in kicking have been the focus of England's preparations

Rugby Matters: 2020 is no comparison to the thuggery of 1980

Brendan Gallagher recalls the most brutally physical of Five Nations championships in 1980

Huw Jones dropped as Scotland seek to extend Italy’s drought

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has named his team to face Italy

Exeter Chiefs hunt centre seen as Wales’ long-term successor to Jonathan Davies

A player future Scarlets head coach Glenn Delaney does not want to see leave

Wasps seek to rekindle old flames in search for new DoR

Joe Worsley and Dave Walder in the frame to be Wasps' new coaching figureheads

Ireland stick to their guns for trip to Twickenham

Andy Farrell names an unchanged starting line-up for the head-to-head with England

RFU CEO Bill Sweeney responds to outcry from Championship clubs

Sweeney justifies cuts to Championship funding in reply to clubs' letter voicing grave concerns

Jackson column: Advent of Josh Adams puts North at big risk

Josh Adams is showing his true Test class for Wales, writes Peter Jackson

Guscott column: England need to get smart or pay the price against Ireland

As we reach the half-way mark of the Six Nations, Jeremy Guscott writes of the significance of the Twickenham clash

Bristol Bears move quick to sign Henry Purdy to new deal

It has taken Purdy two games to persuade Pat Lam to offer a substantial extension

Williams column: Don’t drop George North for France clash

Shane Williams urges Wayne Pivac to stick with North for this week's clash with France

Apprenticeships with the seniors is driving up England U20 standards, says Dickens

Alan Dickens has named his side to face Ireland on Friday with both side's unbeaten records on the line

Obano recalled for Ireland showdown as Mako Vunipola is ruled out

Beno Obano in line for first England cap with Saracens star Mako overseas due to family reasons

Cain column: Championship should go down legal route in this bloody battle

Nick Cain questions whether Bill Sweeney is doing the bidding of the Premiership's shareholders

Dai Young leaves Wasps after nine years as director of rugby

Dai Young explains why the time felt right to leave Wasps

England prop Harry Williams anticipates damaging impact on second two

The Exeter Chiefs prop speaks out about how cuts to the second tier 'are not ideal'

Championship cuts: Concerned chairmen issue open letter to Bill Sweeney

The Championship Clubs Committee (CCC) write to RFU CEO Bill Sweeney in The Rugby Paper

Young Guns: Leicester Tigers scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet

One of the young scrum-halves at Leicester forming a line behind senior man Ben Youngs

Top 14 column: Second coming of Jules Plisson is down to TLC of O’Gara

It’s astonishing what careful and empathetic player management can do. Jules Plisson – remember him? – returned to the club where...

Can England Still Win The Six Nations?

It hasn’t been the start to the Six Nations that Eddie Jones and his team would have been hoping for. They...

England need to get smart or pay price against Irish

JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK Making it look easy: Ireland ran round the Welsh defence to score this try...

DREAMTEAM

ALEX TAIT, THE NEWCASTLE FALCONS AND FORMER ENGLAND U20s FULL-BACK, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE’S PLAYED WITH OR AGAINST… 1. Rob...

Pay-per-view would decimate Six Nations

COLIN BOAG Best game so far: Andrew Conway scores as Ireland beat Wales in Dublin When I was first getting into...

Make your mind up!

I READ with interest and certain amusement Colin Boag’s piece in last week’s Rugby Paper. In his seventh paragraph he writes:...

Jubilee made it three

IN his column last week Peter Jackson stated that the Lions had broken their unwritten rule about not playing at home...

Erratic Eddie now holding us back

NICKCain got it right in his article on Eddie Jones. Despite the scrambled win over a poor Scottish side, England clearly...

Intruders keep out

ONEmust congratulate the RFU with their latest attempt to destroy this completely under valued second level and ensure the Premiership becomes...

How many fans can fly to South Africa?

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: newsdesk@therugbypaper.co.uk SOUTH Africa in Six...

Matt: Get set for Super Saturday numbers game

By JON NEWCOMBE Influential: England fly-half George Ford ENGLAND’S 2003 World Cup-winning scrum-half Matt Dawson predicts “a Super Saturday” finish to...

CLUB-BY-CLUB: HOW THE CHAMPIONSHIP HAS PRODUCED PREMIERSHIP, PRO14 AND ULTIMATELY ENGLAND PLAYERS

Current team in brackets *dual reg Ampthill Karl Garside (Northampton Saints), Ben Earl* (Saracens), Nick Isiekwe* (Saracens), Ralph Adams-Hale* (Saracens), Samson...

Heard about this, Bill? Boks losing to your National League

Brendan Gallagher gives the RFU food for thought with a famous match at Worcester Determination: Duncan Roke, of the National League,...

We have to be careful how we spend money

Bill Sweeney, chief executive of the RFU, answers the clubs’ letter Progress: Exeter were champions in 2017, seven years after winning...

McKenzie stars as Chiefs stay top with big win in Tokyo

Super Rugby WARRENGatland’s Chiefs continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 43- 17 win over the Sunwolves in Tokyo....

Plisson’s revival is down to some TLC

Reborn: Jules Plisson is on the up after leaving Stade Francais for La Rochelle PICTURE: Getty Images It’s astonishing what careful...

Booth in frame for top job at Liberty Stadium

By STEFFAN THOMAS THE OSPREYS have narrowed their search for a new head coach with Harlequins assistant Toby Booth the leading...

Dumped Smith on mission to impress Pivac

NEWS EXTRA By STEFFAN THOMA DISCARDED Wales prop Nicky Smith is confident he can turn the Ospreys’ season around as he...

Burnfield try ignites ferocious Saracens retaliation

By TOM HOLMES SARACENS recovered from a poor start to comfortably earn the bonus point against Richmond. Two tries from Jodie...

Championship cuts:the great debate…

Give us a two-year moratorium at least Dear Bill Top prop: Harry Williams has gone from Jersey to Exeter and England...

Mawi joins champions

SARACENS have signed Fijian prop Eroni Mawi. The 23-year-old joins the club as injury cover for Ralph Adams-Hale and adds an...

Cov recruit back three cavalry

COVENTRY have signed Louis Brown and Ryan Olowofela to cover the back three with James Stokes (London Irish) and Henry Purdy...

Tyro Tigers look for the hat-trick

NEWS EXTRA LEICESTER Tigers U18s are hunting a third successive national title with London Irish standing in their way at Sixways...

England ease past Scotland to go top of table

NEWS EXTRA CHAMPIONS England beat Scotland 53-0 in freezing conditions to go top of the women’s Six Nations table. The match...

YOUNGGUNS

JACK VAN POORTVLIET LEICESTER SCRUM-HALF Ahealthy queue of effervescent young No.9s has formed behind Ben Youngs at Leicester. Joining Ben White...