Farrell debate rages on, but no doubt over scrum frailty

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Aweek has passed but the controversy continues, was it or wasn’t it?...

Northmore score sets wet Met on their way

By JOE BYRNES BUCS ROUND-UP ONLY four teams were in action on Wednesday for the rearranged round of fixtures. Cardiff Met...

Jan keen for more as Chester climbing

By STEVE SMITH Chester …………….33pts Tynedale……………22pts CHESTER took advantage of their game in hand to move up to second in National...

MY LIFEIN RUGBY

MIKE UMAGA FORMER SAMOA AND ROTHERHAM BACK AND DoR AT BISHOP BURTON COLLEGE BEING booed by 60- odd thousand South Africans...

Build team around our Jack says Jess

JACK Nowell’s versatility and ‘world class’ skillset should make him an England starter says Matt Jess, now coach at Chiefs. Jess...

Relegation talk inspires Warriors underdog spirit

By TOM BRADSHAW HARD-CARRYING Worcester flanker Marco Mama says predictions that his side are favourites to be relegated from the Premiership...

Du Preez fine tuning his attack at Sharks

By JON NEWCOMBE Shark attack: South African fly-half Robert du Preez PICTURE: Getty Images ROBERT du Preez wants to reinvent himself...

Let battle commence for the final place in Japan

RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER A weekly look at the game’s other talking points THE RWC2019 repechage tournament – the first of...

Memorial to rugby’s fallen in the Great War

ONE of rugby’s many tributes to those who fell during World War 1 this weekend has been a special commemoration gathering...

DREAMTEAM

JAKE COOPER-WOOLLEY, WASPS AND FORMER DORKING, CARDIFF AND BEDWAS PROP, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE PLAYE HAS PLAYED WITH OR AGAINST...

Get over it Rassie, slo-mo shows the ref was spot on

COLIN BOAG Slo-mo is a strange beast: sometimes it can make an incident seem to be more serious than it is,...

Time for a reboot

HAS the time come to review rugby’s points scoring system? The object of the game is to score tries. Last Saturday,...

Tribute to Peter

SHAME rugby did not remember one of its own with a minute’s silence at Twickenham last weekend. Former RFU president (2016/17...

Surely Premiership fans can see what’s at stake with Lions?

WELL said, John Rowlands, in your letter last week, headed “Lions should play hard ball with PRL”. If a Lions tour...

What if Farrell had been a Springbok?

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: newsdesk@therugbypaper.co.uk I WAS rather surprised...

Jones gets chance to state case in midfield

By JON NEWCOMBE LEWIS JONES is itching to show what he can do as Ealing look to burst Jersey’s bubble and...

Morris hails resilience as 13-man Exiles hold the fort

By LUKE JARMYN ON A night when both clubs paid tribute to the 162 players lost between them in the Great...

Penalties wreak havoc as Knights sneak in

By GUY WILLIAMS DONCASTER, out-scored by three tries to two at Castle Park, survived – just – relentless Coventry pressure late...

Our season will start in Round 10 – Stirling

By WILL HOPPER YORKSHIRE Carnegie put their league woe to one side to run out comfortable winners over Nottingham by six...

Irish defy the rain to hand brave Hartpury five-try defeat

By JENNY BATES IRISH got their Cup campaign off to a winning start with a five-try display despite the wet conditions...

Duncan: Pirates must get physical

Preview Cornish Pirates v Bedford Blues Today, Kick-off 2.30pm TOM DUNCAN is on a revenge mission when the Cornish Pirates get...

Conlon to step back for 2 years

SARACENS flanker Joel Conlon has been advised to have a two-year break from the game due to a neck injury. Conlon,...

Garvey craving a trophy finish for mentor Booth

By NEALE HARVEY CAPTAIN Matt Garvey insists Bath are “massively motivated” to send departing coaches Toby Booth and Darren Edwards away...

Townsend commits to new deal at Chiefs

EXETER Chiefs have won their tug-of-war with two of their West Country rivals to retain the services of Stu Townsend, below,...

Watson ready to re-sign but JJ and Ewels holding out

Staying at the Rec: Anthony Watson BATH look to have won their battle to keep at least one of their out-of-contract...

Quins making moves for another Kiwi 10

HARLEQUINS are trying to bring New Zealand U20 vice captain Harry Plummer to the Twickenham Stoop for next season. Fly-half Plummer,...

Worry for Japan

JAPAN will this week get the chance to see at first hand one of the things that worries them the most...

Edinburgh lead race for Tuisue

In talks: Albert Tuisue FIJI flanker Albert Tuisue is poised to have talks with Premiership and PRO14 sides while in the...

ROOM 101

MARK LAMBERT THE HARLEQUINS LOOSEHEAD PROP TAKES US THROUGH HIS PET HATES FROM THE RUGBY WORLD AND BEYOND 1. Bad manners...

Thorburn gives Doddie plea the boot!

THEWelsh Rugby Union may have been shamed into making a donation to Doddie Weir’s charity raising funds for research into Motor...

Dublin ticket prices for All Blacks hit the heights

BILLYWilliams’ cabbage patch has staged some rewarding England matches in its time but never one as handsome as yesterday’s against the...

Want a try hat-trick? Go play against Italy

Electric: Ireland’s Jordan Larmour PICTURE: Getty Images JORDAN Larmour’s electrifying contribution to Ireland’s ritual demolition of Italy in Chicago last week...

Hero Perrett snubbed for his year with League

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Fred Perrett’s gravestone can be found in the British cemetery in a corner...

Irish heartbreak in Dublin

1963: Ireland 5 New Zealand 6 Only the fourth time the countries ever met and Ireland came very close, only running...

Fight Kiwi fire with fire to rekindle Chicago flame

BRENDAN GALLAGHER looks ahead to next week’s clash in Dublin between the world’s top two teams Breaking the duck: Conor Murray...

Think outside the box to offer fringe players an opportunity to shine

MY team to play Japan is based on Eddie Jones being able to pick any English player from any Premiership club...

Eddie must give reserves chance to face Japan

NICK CAIN LOOKS AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK’S BIG MATCH AT TWICKENHAM WITH SOME ADVICE FOR THE ENGLAND BOSS ONE of the...

Subscriptions…

You can subscribe to The Rugby Paper. Just fill out the form below and send your cheque for £20, £40 or...

We will be peaking for the World Cup insists May

JONNY May warned the All Blacks he and his England pals will be ready to rip the world crown off their...

Boyd banking on Biggar to steer Saints through winter

By NEALE HARVEY NORTHAMPTON Saints supremo Chris Boyd admits he underestimated the philosophical approach towards the set-piece by English clubs compared...

Follow The Rugby Paper online…

Keep in touch with The Rugby Paper wherever you are at home and abroad! It is now available as an online...

We lost our way admits Clark

MAX Clark refused to blame the bad weather for Bath being comprehensively swept aside. Falcons put out a much more experienced...

Falcons’ rain dance puts Bath under the weather

By GARY FITZGERALD SCOTT MacLeod believes Dean Richards has been given a selection headache by the Falcons who defied a wet...

Costello’s crusade to bring better balance to Wasps’ attack and defence

By GEORGE LAWRENCE WASPS have recalled a host of big names for the showdown with Bristol following last Sunday’s 15-14 defeat...

Boyd: We had guts but little composure

NORTHAMPTON’S director of rugby Chris Boyd said: “It’s disappointing to lose it at the end but at times we were not...

Grobler’s late TMO try drama seals it for Gloucester

By ROGER PANTING GERAINT Grobler sneaked over in the last minute to save Gloucester’s blushes as Saints looked set to remain...

Deacon: Discipline gave us problems

LEICESTER’S assistant coach Brett Deacon praised fit-again Mike Fitzgerald after the back row returned from a knee injury which had sidelined...

Penalty try earns Sale rare win over Tigers

By ROB WILDMAN Threat: Matt Postlethwaite makes a break for Sale PICTURES: Getty Images High rise: Tigers’ Graham Kitchener wins a...

Solomons calls on academy Warriors to build on impressive start to campaign

By SAM JACKSON WORCESTER Warriors have named three loan players in a much-changed squad for today’s match at Saracens as they...

Pellow: We’ve just got stronger

EXETERskills coach Ricky Pellow declared himself “really pleased” after his predominently young side showed just what benefits fringe players can earn...