Rivals are laughing at the rain in slick show

■By JOHN UTLEY Wharfedale ....24 Hinckley ..........19 PLAYING conditions remained good considering the rainfall on Thursday. Wharfedale got off to the...

Carnegie on verge of elusive first win – Bustin

■By JON NEWCOMBE NEWS EXTRA CALLUM Bustin believes it is only a matter of time before Yorkshire Carnegie get their first...

Hodson strikes to salvage draw

■By WARREN MUGGLETON Rosslyn Park.27 Chinnor ............27 JOSH HODSON’S 80thminute try gave Chinnor a 27-27 draw against Rosslyn Park. Craig Holland...

A tale of two halves at Sale

■By RICHARD BAKER Sale ..................18 Darlington M ....8 A REJUVENATED Sale scored 18 second-half points to overpower Darlington Mowden Park in...

Hayhow’s hat-trick guns down poor Titans

■By GUY WILLIAMS Rotherham ......16 Rams ................28 RAMS centre Connor Hayhow scored a thrilling hat-trick at Clifton Lane as the Berkshire...

Ruthless Richmond take no pity on bottom side

■By ANDY WILLIAMS Canterbury .... 0 Richmond ....50 TRY doubles for Thomas Hodgson and Jesse Liston helped league leaders Richmond to...

Fast start does the trick as Plymouth grab the spoils

■By PATRICK MARSH Pressure: Connor Eastgate of Plymouth Albion touches down PICTURES: Pinnacle IN a classical game of two halves, Plymouth...

By George! Wing Perkins leads raid

■By JON EDWARDS Old Eltham’s .31 Hull Ionians ......0 A DOMINANT Old Elthamians scrum laid the platform for an emphatic bonus...

Hone try secures points for Cinder

■By NIGEL WILCE Cinderford ......18 Bishop’s Sto....13 CINDERFORD overcame a strong challenge from Bishop’s Stortford in a game of few scoring...

Shanahan gets one over on Bloods

■By STEVE JACKSON Cambridge......24 Blackheath ....25 FORMER Cambridge coach James Shanahan came away from Grantchester Road with five points as Blackheath...

Aussies need to succeed or game will wither

By STEFFAN THOMAS JOHN Eales insists Rugby Union’s popularity in Australia will plummet if the Wallabies don’t get back on the...

Willgriff looks set to get his big chance with Wales

By STEFFAN THOMAS Potential: Willgriff John WAYNE Pivac is set to turn to Sale Sharks prop Willgriff John in a bid...

Youngs was exposed in Japan says Bracken

By GARY FITZGERALD Winner: Kyran Bracken Mistake: Ben Youngs was given too much time PICTURES: Getty Images Strength: Harry Williams fends...

Foresaken Niko owes so much to Trailfinders

■By JON NEWCOMBE New chance: Elijah Niko FOR individuals less forgiving than Ealing wing Elijah Niko, grudge matches wouldn’t come much...

Late power gets Reds home on heavy pitch

■By TOM INNES A POWERFULsurge during the final quarter saw Jersey Reds storm into a winning lead over plucky Nottingham at...

Falcons use their nous to down the Blues

■By TOM CARR THE BLUESwelcomed topof- the-table Newcastle Falcons to Goldington Road in a repeat of the 2013 Championship final. In...

Unbeaten Coventry drive on in the rain

■By PAUL SMITH TRIES from Joe Buckle and Max Trimble saw Coventry extend their unbeaten run to four games with a...

Free-running Hartpury give sad Scottish 6-try thrashing

■By ROGER PANTING LONDON Scottish’s director of rugby Graham Steadman was fuming after seeing his side suffer a six-try thrashing at...

Rested Pirates expect a battle

Preview Cornish Pirates v Ampthill Today, Kick-off 2.30pm CORNISH PIRATES’ drive towards the Championship title rests on how well the squad...

Assistant coaches could hold key to All Blacks job

SOUTH HEMISPHERE EXPERT Candidates: (from left) Jamie Joseph, Scott Robertson and Ian Foster are all in the frame for the New...

Wolfpack use player bait to find a buyer

SUPER LEAGUE outfit Toronto Wolfpack are linking themselves to host of Union players as they try to find a buyer for...

Marchant off to play for Blues

Bath hope to bring Webb back from France BY NEILFISSLER Follow me on Twitter: @neilfissler Danny Cipriani bares all to help...

ROOM101

JAKE HEENAN THE BRISTOL BEARS BACKROWER TAKES US THROUGH HIS PET HATES FROM THE RUGBY WORLD AND BEYOND 1. People who...

England were just too fancy says Bok star De Villiers

■From EUAN REEDIE Naive: Eddie Jones ENGLAND can emerge stronger from their World Cup final humbling at the hands of South...

Fundamental flaws in scrum cost rugby’s greatest prize

Overpowered: Dan Cole is lifted off his feet by the strength of the Springbok scrum PICTURES: Getty Images NICK CAIN CHARTS...

Nice one Bill, but not for me

AT THE end of every World Cup, it’s almost de riguer for every World Rugby chairman to applaud the home nation...

Welsh give England a vocal send-off

JUDGING by the way some acclaimed the result from Yokohama last Saturday, the biggest cheer from within Wales during the World...

Bonus for conceding 95 points?

THE Cheetahs gave Ulster an old-fashioned hammering in Bloemfontein last month and yet their victims brought a point back to Belfast...

Ubiquitous All Blacks!

ACCORDINGto reports by people who know about these things, Liverpool FC will be playing cup matches in different continents next month...

McNicholl will give North some competition

THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Five years ago Johnny McNicholl found himself surrounded by so many All Blacks that it...

Truth behind that email offering Jack his dream job

IT WAS a hoax good enough to grace any April Fool’s Day. But it ended with the Portuguese Rugby Federation threatening...

Warrior Hartley forced to bow out to injury

Triumph: Dylan Hartley holds up the Six Nations trophy as captain after winning the Grand Slam in 2016 PICTURES: Getty Images...

Haywood: Time for the Saints kids to step up

By STEFFAN THOMAS BACK from long-term injury with points to prove, Northampton hooker Mikey Haywood wants the young Saints to rise...

French clubs likely to cook up a storm

BRENDAN GALLAGHER casts his eye over the main contenders for this season’s European crown Wondrous: Bok star Cheslin Kolbe can be...

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Robshaw: England will be even better in 2023

By GARY FITZGERALD England’s best player: Tom Curry EDDIE JONES may claim he has to start building a new team but...

Ospreys would be so magical with Liam

Mighty talent: Liam Williams is attracting offers from the biggest clubs PICTURE: Getty Images WALES AND LIONS LEGEND The Saracens salary...

DREAMTEAM

ALY MULDOWNEY, THE BRISTOL AND FORMER STAFFORD, STOURBRIDGE, MOSELEY, GLASGOW, EXETER, CONNACHT AND GRENOBLE LOCK, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS...

Next Lions tour has tasty look says Smit

Best captain in world: Alun Wyn Jones with the Lions in 2017 PICTURE: Getty Images By STEFFAN THOMAS FORMER South Africa...

Euro test can help Kvesic endorse his England bid

On a misson: Exeter’s Matt Kvesic By NEALE HARVEY AFTER unexpectedly forcing his way back into England contention, Matt Kvesic is...

Jones holds his nerve to see Scarlets over the line

By ROB COLE A LAST gasp Dan Jones penalty saved the Scarlets’ blushes as they overcame a stubborn Benetton in Llanelli...

More bonus points for five-try Warriors

Zebre ………………7 Glasgow ……….31 By GARY HEATLY GLASGOW Warriors secured a second successive bonus point victory running in five tries. The...

O’Brien steps up in show of strength

Connacht……….11 Leinster ……….42 By JOHN FALLON WALLABY veteran Scott Fardy said Leinster’s strength in-depth is starting to show. Leinster lost Irish...

Evans finds a cure for his Japan hangover

By JAMES CANDY CARDIFF Blues outsidehalf Jarrod Evans believes he has rediscovered the form that got him in Warren Gatland’s thoughts...

We’ve now hit bottom of the pit says Clarke

By STEFFAN THOMAS TWO late penalty misses from James Hook saw the Ospreys fall to arguably the worst defeat in their...

We’re making strides insists Dean as his Dragons fall

By GARY HEATLY EDINBURGH head coach Richard Cockerill argued his side were not at their best, but was pleased to get...

Munster win ugly ahead of Europe

Munster ……….22 Ulster…………….16 IRISH fans hoping for a cracking derby clash to cure their World Cup hangover were left disappointed at...

Cheating has aways been a part of the game

THE Saracens salary cap ‘scandal’ is discussed in great detail elsewhere in The Rugby Paper but some brief observations from this...

Resurrect the Saxons to keep the poachers away

Eligible: Callum Sheedy WHAT’S happening with England Saxons who haven’t mustered since June 2016 when, rather impressively, they won a two-match...

The Beast has become a beauty for Springboks

BRENDAN GALLAGHER A weekly look at the game’s other talking points FEW players get to announce their retirement off the back...