YOUNG GUNS

ALEX SEVILLE GLOUCESTER PROP As an aspiring Premiership and Test loosehead, Alex Seville does not have far to search for a...

Germany set to storm Europe says Botha

News Coach: Mouritz Botha MOURITZ Botha believes German rugby is on the rise as the European minnows continue to dream of...

Wanderers crowned county champs

By JAY BURFORD Division One roundup ONE East Central runners-up Glamorgan Wanderers claimed the Glamorgan County Silver Ball trophy with a...

Botica’s late magic swings it RGC’s way

By GEOFF CHAMPION Bargoed …31 RGC …35 DRAGONS-BOUND flyhalf Jacob Botica scored a crucial 70th minute solo try to clinch RGC’s...

Warren double ensures second place for Drovers

By PAUL HOPKINS Principality Premiership Llandovery …42 Llanelli…21 TWO late Aaron Warren tries saw Llandovery clinch the Premiership runners-up spot behind...

Ashton loses his golden touch at wrong time

DAVID BARNES Dismay: Chris Ashton missed two chances to score, costing Toulon defeat PICTURE: Getty Images FRENCH COLUMN The sureness of...

Scarlets get their shot at Leinster redemption in Dublin

By PETER JACKSON THE Scarlets will descend on Dublin next Saturday in pursuit of the ultimate challenge – dethroning the champions...

Exeter’s comeback kid on fast climb to the top

By NEALE HARVEY Lineout king: Exeter second row Jonny Hill. Insets, Maro Itoje, Joe Launchbury and Nick Isiekwe PICTURE: Getty Images...

Summer off could spell the end for new Saint Haskell

JEFF PROBYN Hanging by a thread: James Haskell’s England career could be over PICTURE: Getty Images A FRONT ROW VIEW OF...

Durham City in mourning

TWO amateur rugby players for Durham City have died after being admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties after a night out...

Falcons double gong

NEWCASTLE director of rugby Dean Richards and winger Vereniki Goneva have been named Premiership Rugby’s top coach and player for 2018....

Lion Williams passes on

FORMER Wales and British & Irish Lions player Gareth Williams has died aged 63 after a battle with a rare nervous...

‘Tahs finally end the Kiwi winning run over Aussies

By JAKE JONES Try time: Israel Folau scores for the Waratahs THE Waratahs ended Australia’s unwanted record of 40 games without...

ROOM 101

THE SALE AND JAMAICA 7S WINGER TAKES US THROUGH HIS PET HATES FROM THE RUGBY WORLD AND BEYOND ANTHONY BINGHAM 1....

Bird flies for Essex to book their final place

Division Three Round-up By IDRIS MARTIN THURROCK’s Henry Bird inspired Essex to come from behind to overcome Buckinghamshire and book their...

Devon comeback attempt not enough

By GRAHAM COX Kent ………29 Devon ………27 A STRONG second-half performance saw Kent through to their second victory of this year’s...

Eight-try Herts are off to Twickenham

By DAVID WILLIAMS Herts ………50 Cornwall ……0 HERTFORDSHIRE produced a brilliant performance to book their place at Twickenham in next week’s...

Parker finds his groove to pull the strings

By JEREMY TYRRELL N’berland …35 East Mids …12 NORTHUMBERLAND ended their Bill Beaumont Cup campaign on a high with a bonus-point...

Surrey rebuild as Glos let slip chance of glory

By TONY FIELDING Surrey…………13pts Gloucestershire…11pts Chip and chase: Tom Hunt collects a kick ahead and runs on to score for Surrey...

Bingham hat-trick fires Lancs to HQ

By ALLAN FOSTER Lancashire…64 Cheshire……23 ANTHONY Bingham helped himself to a hattrick as Lancashire ran in nine tries to see off...

Yorkshire fall short despite success

By NIALL JACKSON Eastern Co…24 Yorkshire …27 A TIGHT encounter at Grange Road ended in defeat for Eastern Counties as Yorkshire...

Warks to take on Durham in final after win

By RICHARD ISAACS Division Two Round-up WARWICKSHIREmoved into the Bill Beaumont County Championship Division 2 final after an enthralling 31-24 win...

Wasps sign 7s flier but Leicester lose theirs to Australia

By JAKE JONES WASPS duo Danny Cipriani and James Haskell have signed for Gloucester and Northampton respectively with the pair opting...

Cinderford lead the charge with just one loss to blemish record

PROMOTED Cinderford set the pace but, just like in the league, Chinnor push them all the way Harry Hone CHAMPIONS Cinderford...

MY LIFEIN RUGBY

TONY SWIFT THE FORMER ENGLAND, BATH, SWANSEA AND FYLDE WINGER All six of my England caps came as a Swansea player...

Party boy Brooks knew how to have a good time

THE1968 Lions departed for South Africa 50 years ago on Friday May 13 which didn’t worry the tour manager David Brooks...

Losing to the Boks in ‘68 set Lions’ foundation for glory days to come

BRENDAN GALLAGHER looks back at the muchmaligned Lions tour to South Africa in 1968 Casualty: Barry John had his collarbone broken...

Eastmond calls time on Union days

KYLE Eastmond is set to return to Super League when his contract with Wasps runs out next month. The cross-code international,...

ON THE BLINDSIDE

Three horse race for Harlequins job BY NEIL FISSLER Follow me on Twitter: @neilfissler HARLEQUINS have spent this weekend making a...

Ackermann to bring in Bok power

GLOUCESTER will this week confirm that Springbok tighthead Ruan Dreyer will be the latest player to arrive at Kingsholm front South...

Born again Broncos keep on bucking

WHENit comes to redemption, the Deri Broncos are in a class of their own, no mean achievement considering Stuart Lancaster’s recovery...

Wales knew the score on availability

WALES have fallen foul of Premier Rugby’s unbending rule against releasing Englishbased players for out-of-window Test matches often enough to have...

Time waits for no man… except maybe Sexton

New goal: Johnny Sexton with the Champions Cup PICTURE: Getty Images JOHNNY Sexton has let it be known that he would...

Apprentice Hansen can be master of Wales

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Four New Zealanders have been touted for the imminent vacancy of running Wales,...

Exclusively second hand…

WE’VE become used to various news outlets making off with The Rugby Paper’s stories like jackdaws in the night, with no...

Northern clubs break away from RFU league structure

By JON NEWCOMBE TWENTY-FOUR clubs in Lancashire have voted to break away from the RFU League structure to form their own...

RUGBY MATTERS

More rough treatment for rugby’s underclass BRENDAN GALLAGHER A weekly look at the game’s other talking points IT WAS all smiles...

New Laws would give a different complexion

SPORT – especially athletics and cycling – is getting to grips with the ‘astrix’ when compiling rolls of honour and I’m...

Kirkby Lonsdale set to star in new blockbuster

By NEALE HARVEY HOLLYWOOD came to Kirkby Lonsdale RUFC this week with filming starting in the small Lake District town for...

O’Connor: Ford still the best No.10 in England

By NEALE HARVEY Underfire: George Ford was dropped by Eddie Jones for the Ireland game PICTURE: Getty Images LEICESTER head coach...

Dirksen knows he must silence Stockdale

HANNO Dirksen is confident he can get one over on Ireland try machine Jacob Stockdale and fire the Ospreys into the...

Solomona insists he’s ready to make amends for those missing four weeks

DENNY Solomona had been told by his RFU minders to be on-message, and having blotted his disciplinary copybook twice within the...

If England aren’t pulling together Eddie must take share of blame

NICK CAIN VISITS THE RED ROSE TRAINING CAMP AND FINDS IT’S ALL PEACE AND LIGHT ON THE SURFACE Learning curve: Owen...

Patchell proves why he must be starter at 10

SWASBUCKLING, sizzling, sensational! Now it’s time for the Scarlets to make it back-to-back titles and cement their status in Welsh rugby...

Tour ban may help Wales in long run

WALES AND LIONS LEGEND SHANE WILLIAMS THE last thing you want as a rugby player is for your career to be...

Electric start sends Scarlets into final

By ROGER PANTING Powerplay: Ken Owens scores Scarlets fourth tryfrom a driving lineout PICTURE: Getty Images THE great entertainers of British...

European kings keep course for the double

By JOHN FALLON LEINSTER remain on course to become the first PRO14 side to do the domestic and European Cup double...

Romania cover up

THE decision by a World Rugby independent committee to parachute Russia into the 2019 World Cup at the expense of Spain,...

Scrap this apprentice policy for game time

MARCUS Smith is still 19, and the Harlequins flyhalf is eligible for the England U20 side that will compete in the...

Yet again Championship clubs have been shafted

READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK NICK CAIN BRACE yourselves for the Premiership Cup, a tournament which reflects the desperate lack...