Changes at Rockcliff

WHITLEY Bay Rockcliff have a new coaching team for next season. Darren Cunningham joins as head coach with former Scotland lock...

You haven’t heard the last of Spain insists Nava

By BRENDAN GALLAGHER High praise: King Felipe VI of Spain congratulates Nava after Spain’s victory over Germany Warrior spirit: Veteran Spain...

No-brainer for Davies to sign on with Boyd at Saints

TRANSFER WRAP NORTHAMPTON Saints have bolstered their ranks at scrum-half by snapping up former Wasps and Dragons player Charlie Davies. The...

Zulu war cry sends new Rainbow Boks into Test battle

NICK CAIN IN JOHANNESBURG SETSTHE SCENE AS THE RASSIE ERASMUS CRUSADE BEGINS Springboks’ first black captain: Siya Kolisi PICTURES: Getty Images...

Back Jenkins to be in the starting XV come Japan

AS Warren Gatland’s boys prepare for their second Test with Argentina this week, a special word on back row co-captain Ellis...

North is a winger, let him do his thing

SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND Best on the wing: George North PICTURE: Getty Images IT’S going to be vital for...

DREAMTEAM

DAVID SISI, ZEBRE AND FORMER LONDON IRISH AND BATH BACK ROW, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED …WITH OR AGAINST…...

Rubbish like last week won’t grow game in US

COLIN BOAG Dud: Wales clash with South Africa in Washington last weekend Did you watch the Wales v South Africa match...

Is Bok takeover at Glos necessary?

FOLLOWING the retitling of Bristol Rugby as Bristol Bears, with six out of eight of their likely first team forwards next...

Playoffs essential while clubs still lose internationals

IN response to Jeff Probyn’s article about him not understanding why there are four team play-offs at the end of the...

Brexit doesn’t seem to be affecting UEFA

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: newsdesk@therugbypaper.co.uk SO Heineken will return...

Pichot is picking on wrong target in Shields

AGUSTIN Pichot wants to make the eligibility laws in rugby more stringent, so more power to his elbow. They are an...

McCafferty’s put his head in the Lions’ den

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK HAVING spent most of the season refusing to comment on matters pertaining to...

He likes a joke but Evans is no clown

ALEX BYWATER sits down in Argentina with jovial Welsh loosehead Rob Evans Coming force: Rob Evans PICTURES: Getty Images ROB Evans...

Pumas look to capitalise on Ledesma gameplan

From ALEJO MIRANDA in Argentina Changing mindset: Mario Ledesma AFTER finishing fourth at RWC2015, Argentina struggled to push on and their...

Whitelock: We must cut out mistakes!

SAM Whitelock says his All Blacks will need to “cut out the mistakes” in the remaining two Tests with France despite...

Try avalanche buries French after card row

By GARY FITZGERALD Power: Rieko Ioane scores the first of his two tries PICTURES: Getty Images NEW Zealand buried the French...

Schmidt: We must discover new level

IRELAND coach Joe Schmidt admitted: “We’ll just have to dust ourselves off. It’s nothing that we didn’t expect. “They’re an unbelievably...

Captain Pocock gets Wallabies over line

By BRENDAN GALLAGHER Match-winner: David Pocock celebrates his crucial try for the Wallabies PICTURES: Getty Images AUSTRALIA, mixing rock solid defence...

Phillips: I can sort out Lions problems ‘We’ve solved harder things’

WRU chief executive Martyn Phillips believes he can end the impasse between Premiership Rugby and the Lions over the 2021 tour...

Boks fans give Eddie a verbal send-off

From NICK CAIN IN Johannesburg EDDIE Jones put on a brave face after England crashed to a fourth successive Test defeat,...

England know it’s make or break for them in Johannesburg Test

Nick Cain summarises what's at stake between England and their hosts South Africa – and looks at the new players on...

Tom Curry and Billy Vunipola in England’s back row to play Boks

Full team news as Billy Vunipola starts his first Test for England in over a year

South Africa name team to take on England in first Test

Duane Vermeulen, Faf de Klerk and Willie le Roux are in for the Boks...

Gallagher column: Hero pathfinders fought the cause of black players in Apartheid-era South Africa

Brendan Gallagher looks at the trailblazers who paved the way for Siya Kolisi to become the first black Springboks captain 24...

Polota-Nau takes summer break to repay Tigers and deliver play-off shot in 2019

The Leicester hooker wants to take a run at next year's World Cup but only after taking Leicester to the Premiership...

Foundations are in place for a long Saracens reign, says Wyles

The retiring American reflects on the club's forged dynasty

Thomas the Tank rolls out of Exeter with mission complete

Back in New Zealand after eight enjoyable years in England with the Chiefs and Leicester

Dallaglio: Eddie must give Danny Cipriani a chance at fly-half

Dallaglio says Eddie Jones is waiting on a prayer after four defeats on the bounce for England

Wales edge South Africa in Washington thanks to late Ryan Elias try

A third-straight win over South Africa for Wales, but this Test match left a lot to be desired

Gold medal coach Ryan captures all the idiosyncrasies of Fijian 7s

Golden boys: Ben Ryan with Ro Dakuwaqa IN ONE way you might think there is nothing particularly odd or special about...

England go speeding on as Ireland make history

By BRENDAN GALLAGHER Held: Ryan Olowofela of England is tackled by France’s Paulin Riva PICTURE: Getty Images Evasion: England’s Dan Bibby...

England should copy the Saracens style of play

JEREMY GUSCOTT Champions: Saracens know how to win games PICTURE: Getty Images ENGLAND’S defeat by the Barbarians will have only a...

DREAM TEAM

JUSTIN BURNELL, PONTYPRIDD COACH AND FORMER BRIDGEND, PONTY, NEATH AND CARDIFF FLANKER, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH OR...

Don’t blame Eddie for all these injury troubles

COLIN BOAG Knockabout game: England v Barbarians was end of season fun It has been open season on Eddie Jones in...

Top six playoff just sounds bonkers

I’VE read some tripe over the years, but Todd Blackadder’s call to expand the Premiership playoffs to six as reported by...

RFU should make it easier to join the league structure

IT IS hard to disagree with Jeff Gage’s letter in last week’s TRP, when he writes of the alarm bells that...

Remember Adams was cut by regions

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

Francis determined to finish rollercoaster season on high

Injured: Ben Te’o and Cameron Redpath PIERS Francis believes a rollercoaster campaign with Northampton will stand him in good stead for...

Saracens job bigger than England says Sanderson

FOUR-TIME Premiershipwinning coach Alex Sanderson says he has no current aspirations to become England’s new defensive guru and would view such...

Barbarians defeat has no bearing – Launchbury

By NEALE HARVEY Experienced head: Joe Launchbury PICTURES: Getty Images JOE Launchbury has ordered England to “come out firing” in Johannesburg...

Ashton resumes place as top gun in Europe

PETER JACKSON consults his stats book to reveal Europe’s top points scorers for 2017-18 Out in front: Toulon ace Chris Ashton...

Underdogs Castres have their day again

TOP 14 FINAL Montpellier 13 Castres 29 DAVID BARNES FRENCH COLUMN The Castres flags waved wherever you looked and those who...

Foundations in place for long Saracens reign says Wyles

By GARY FIZGERALD AS Chris Wyles heads into rugby retirement, the American flier is convinced the rock-like foundations now in place...

Thomson: Brad will take fast route to the top

By ALEX BYWATER BRAD Shields has been tipped to quickly become an England star. The Hurricanes and former New Zealand U20...

Tank rolls out of Exeter with mission complete

By NEALE HARVEY Off Down Under: Thomas Waldrom is heading back to New Zealand PICTURE: Getty Images PREMIERSHIP crowd favourite Thomas...

Barbarians put the brakes on a few England careers

A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME JEFF PROBYN Poor preparation: England were humbled by the Barbarians last weekend PICTURE: Getty...

It’s no home comfort yet for Umaga’s woeful Blues

By ADAM ELLIS Bad day at the office: Jerome Kaino of the Blues PICTURE: Getty Images MELBOURNE Rebels heaped more woes...

Sonny Bill knee op a success – but he’s out of Test

By SAM JACKSON NEWS EXTRA ALL BLACKS centre Sonny Bill Williams has said that the surgery he undertook for a knee...

Loyal Ojo signs up for Irish fightback

By SAM JACKSON Staying: Scott Steele LONDON Irish’s record try-scorer Topsy Ojo has signed a contract extension with the club, and...