Coaches take centre stage in the New Year

Challenge: Franco Smith has taken over the Italian national team Insets: Fabian Galthie, right Andy Farrell, below PICTURES: Getty Images Making...

RUGBY SHORTS

Slade sidelined after double ankle injury EXETER and England centre Henry Slade is set for a spell on the sidelines with...

Lochore brought true style on and off the field

SIR BRIAN LOCHORE (Wairarapa-Bush and New Zealand) Died August 3, aged 78 ALL BLACKnumber 637. One of the New Zealand greats...

Man of steel who nurtured Baa-Baas

Grand master: President Micky Steele-Bodger visits the Barbarians dressing room after the Killick Cup match with Argentina last year MICKY STEELE-BODGER...

Rainbow nation got its colour from Chester

Obituaries: BRENDAN GALLAGHER PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE GREAT PLAYERS WHO DIED IN Star player: Chester Williams on the way to a...

Big worry that no English coach wants the top job

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME There are times when I think that nobody really cares or listens...

Impressive Amps land Boxing Day knockout

■By SAM ROBERTS AMPTHILL upped the ante in the second half to earn the bragging rights over local rivals Bedford. Trailing...

Rhodri’s Dragons building strength through adversity

■By STEFFAN THOMAS Turned corner: Rhodri Williams PICTURE: Getty Images RHODRI Williams believes playing in a struggling Dragons side has made...

ROOM 101

LUC JONES THE JERSEY SCRUM-HALF TAKES US THROUGH HIS PET HATES FROM THE RUGBY WORLD AND BEYOND 1. Middle lane drivers...

Benetton double up despite Brex’s exit

Benetton 36 Zebre 25 ■By ADAM ELLIS A HAT-TRICK for hooker Hame Faiva completed a festive double for Benetton Treviso over...

Leinster crack the Thomond fortress

Munster 6 Leinster 13 ■By JOHN FALLON LEINSTER dug deep to carve out victory and end Munster’s two-year 21-match unbeaten record...

My worst night at Ospreys – Tipuric

Sneaking in: Kieran Hardy scores for Scarlets PICTURE: Huw Evans ■By STEFFAN THOMAS BRAD Mooar was delighted with his side as...

High-five for Ulster despite wobbly arrows

Ulster 35 Connacht 3 ■By JOHN FALLON ULSTERcoach Dan McFarland said a big improvement will be required to see off Munster...

Blues keep climbing with fourth win on trot

■ By ROGER PANTING JOSH Navidi returned from his World Cup injury to lead Blues to a hard-fought victory before a...

Graham’s try double sets up revenge

Edinburgh 29 Glasgow 19 EDINBURGH put in a much improved performance to turn the tables on Glasgow Warriors and avenge last...

Hill: Grind of club rugby is killing player numbers

By NEALE HARVEY RICHMONDdirector of rugby Steve Hill claims player numbers will “fall off a cliff” unless the amount of rugby...

Let’s hear it for my winners of 2019!

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Silent assassin: Danny Cipriani has heard nothing from Eddie jones. Inset left: Sebastien...

Chiefs ‘have learnt how to rule Europe’

Are Exeter Chiefs ready to win the Heineken Champions Cup? NEALE HARVEY talks to two of their coaches who believe their...

MY LIFEIN RUGBY

MIKE McCARTHY FORMER IRELAND, WASPS, NEWCASTLE, CONNACHT & LEINSTER LOOSE FORWARD IWAS a late bloomer with Ireland. I thought that ship...

Top v bottom but, make no mistake, it’s clash of titans

NICK CAIN MEASURES THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ENGLAND’S TWO BEST TEAMS On form: Nick Tompkins scores as Saracens demolish Bristol last week...

Family matters as Blues have proved so well

WE TALK a lot about the rugby family. It’s what makes our game what it is and the Cardiff Blues have...

Tandy is great choice to help give Scots a lift

STEVE Tandy is a great guy and a good friend, but more importantly he’s a superb rugby coach and that’s why...

A strong Gwent still makes strong Wales

Key man: Aaron Wainwright must stay with the Dragons PICTURE: Getty Images AS we head into 2020 there is a fair...

Wigglesworth: Saracens spirit has been immense

Experienced head: Richard Wigglesworth SARACENS scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth says Exeter will provide the acid test of his side’s ability to overturn...

Salary cap? This is about forward scrap says Dennis

By NEALE HARVEY SKIPPER Dave Dennis insists Exeter are more concerned about the physicality Saracens will bring than salary cap breaches...

My wish for 2020: A Grand Slam and a star scrum-half

THE Rugby World Cup saw South Africa and host nation Japan emerge as the big winners in 2019. South Africa’s third...

‘They’re wolves in sheep’s clothing’

BRISTOL director of rugby Pat Lam had warned his side to expect a backlash from Wasps. “They are wolves in sheep’s...

Carr crashes over to work a Wasps miracle

By ROGER PANTING WASPS director of rugby Dai Young missed Nizaam Carr’s last minute matchwinner as his side pulled off a...

Solomons: Duncan’s lost a couple of teeth…but he’s tough

Late hit: Motu Matu’u WORCESTER fly-half Duncan Weir damaged a number of teeth in a dangerous late hit by Motu Matu’u...

Weir leads Warriors to win before toothache

By ROSS HEPPENSTALL HEAVEN knows it was not pretty, but Worcester can at least satisfy themselves with the fact they have...

Faletau lasts the entire 80 minutes

WHILE Sale felt aggrieved, Bath’s dogged forwards matched a powerful visiting pack, winning four lineout steals and forcing crucial scrum penalties....

Diamond anger over ref’s late penalty call

By NEALE HARVEY NOT for the first time this season, Sale supremo Steve Diamond was left fuming at officialdom after a...

Alun Wyn doubt for start of 6 Nations

By PETER JACKSON ALUN WYN Jones has been forced to delay his Ospreys come-back, raising early alarms over his fitness to...

Eddie must prove his worth says Woodward

By GARY FITZGERALD SIR Clive Woodward feels the RFU are right to play the waiting game with Eddie Jones and claims...

Why some Premiership clubs are angling for a format change to the Champions Cup

Saracens owner Nigel Wray details how player welfare grounds affect Premiership clubs in the Champions Cup

The most spectacular tries of the 2019 Rugby World Cup

Josh Adam – WALES v Fiji In a breakthrough year for the former Worcester Warriors wing, the highlight arguably came against...

I can still cut it at Test level insists Bath and Wales centre Jamie Roberts

The two-time Lions tourist is eager to play a role for Bath to ease the pressure on Stuart Hooper

Rugby Matters: Macho Makis can make their mark in Sevens

Brendan Gallagher marks Madagascar as one of rugby's growing nations who can utilise the creation of the Challenger Sevens Series

TEAMS: Taulupe Faletau back for Bath to start at No.8

Full team news for Round Seven of the Gallagher Premiership, as Bath welcome back Taulupe Faletau

The Rugby Paper’s team of the 2010s

Brendan Gallagher has watched a lot - and we mean, a lot - of rugby this decade. So we asked him...

Room 101: Bath second row Elliott Stooke

Semesa Rokodoguni has one prank which the Bath lock doesn't take too kindly to

Simmonds: Put me in the back row with Tom Curry

The Exeter Chiefs no.8 reveals when Eddie Jones last spoke to him

Williams column: Ross Moriarty should stay in Wales with Dragons

Shane Williams praises the back-row forward for filling in for Taulupe Faletau, but that he should turn down interest from overseas

Guscott column: We got over 1991 – now the class of 2019 must develop

Jeremy Guscott on how Owen Farrell can lead England to a new level in the Six Nations

I’m ready to challenge Big Billy again says Nathan Hughes

The move to Bristol Bears has fired up the no.8 to reclaim his England spot

Cain column: Rugby is forgiving and Rob Howley deserves that

Corruption had nothing to do with Howley's suspension handed by World Rugby, writes Nick Cain

Jonny May is latest Leicester Tigers star to be targetted

SARACENS are weighing up a move for England winger Jonny May who is coming into the last six months of his...

Six Nations aim to draw £750m TV mega deal as CVC near stakeholding

Could the era of free-to-air Six Nations viewing be coming to an end?

Jackson column: Rugby as Wales’ national sport? Not with these crowd numbers!

Can we expect a full house at any of the regions' this festive period?

Baxter: Sarries is a huge game

ROB Baxter was eager to play down the potentially explosive festive Premiership battle with arch rivals Saracens after seeing his team...