Quick double from Cooper fires Falcons into last four

By ALAN HEDLEY NEWCASTLE were left to rue last week’s defeat to Bath after missing out on a home semi-final. The...

Ring-fence ‘would threaten Carnegie’s future’

ENDING promotion and relegation would place a “huge question mark” over Yorkshire Carnegie’s future, according to chief executive Gary Hetherington. After...

Deano will finish job says Falcons boss

By NEALE HARVEY NEWCASTLE chairman Semore Kurdi is confident Dean Richards will finish the job at the resurgent Geordie club. Kurdi,...

Project players may be thing of the past for new-look French

IT’S going to be a rocky, controversial, ride for France one suspects with Bernard Laporte heading up the Federation, but at...

RUGBY MATTERS

Trailfinders are on long trek towards Premiership BRENDAN GALLAGHER A new weekly look at the game’s other talking points COULD Ealing...

Argentina claim most southerly venue

Outpost: Ushuaia stadium DUNEDIN, the last port of call for many Antarctic explorers back in the day before they headed south,...

Pacific is washing in waves of talent

WHILE many T1 nations continue to plunder the South Pacific, it might be timely to highlight France’s increasingly fruitful rugby relationship...

Jamie may stay say Quins as their injury woe starts to ease

By NEALE HARVEY HARLEQUINS supremo John Kingston has refused to rule out the possibility of Wales centre Jamie Roberts remaining at...

Versatile Josh out to prove himself again

By JON NEWCOMBE JOSH Beaumont says he has returned from his latest injury setback stronger than ever as he looks to...

DREAMTEAM

RORY CLEGG, EALING AND FORMER NEWCASTLE, QUINS AND GLASGOW No.10, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH OR AGAINST 1....

Dai Lama is wonderful fun, just don’t drink with him!

COLIN BOAG Well, it has started, and for the next seven weeks rugby will feature on terrestrial television on five weekends...

Kennedy speaks out of self-interest

WOULD Nick Kennedy of London Irish have been keen on ring-fencing the Premiership last year? His opinions, given London Irish’s current...

Lower league talent will be missed until the RFU take action

NICK CAIN reports (TRP 28/1) that ‘Premiership ring-fencers are mobilising again for another big push aimed at ending promotion and relegation’....

Here’s how to boost Anglo-Welsh Cup

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

Haskell deserved swansong season as thanks for his loyalty

JAMES Haskell’s exit from Wasps is a clear demonstration that loyalty is becoming an increasingly scarce commodity in the professional game....

Give us a real Anglo-WelshCup rather than this pale imposter

WHAT is the Anglo-Welsh Cup good for? Absolutely nothing in terms of a comprehensible competitive format for Premiership clubs and Welsh...

Cattell back for Red Roses’ Italian job

By JAMES BREACH PREVIEW Italy Women v England Women Today. Kick-off 5.30pm SARACENS centre Lauren Cattell will earn her first cap...

Captain Carys tells Wales to be clinical

By SARAH HURSE HANNAH Bluck’s try on debut for Wales helped her side survive a late onslaught from Scotland in a...

Wales send out warning to their rivals

By SAM JACKSON Wales U20 …36 Scotland U20…3 WALES produced a clinical five-try display to open their Six Nations campaign with...

New boys sparkle as England start so well

By GEORGE LAWRENCE Leading from front: Ben Earle Danger from deep: Tom Parton ENGLAND U20s opened the defence of their Six...

Ntamack double defies an Irish fightback

France U20 …34 Ireland U20 …24 ROMAIN Ntamack scored two tries as France opened their campaign with victory in Bordeaux. The...

Dallaglio: Move might help Haskell find his best form

By NEALE HARVEY JAMES Haskell’s sadness at being released by Wasps could galvanise his bid to represent England at the 2019...

Joseph must stop ambling through and get positive

More like it: Jonathan Joseph makes a break against Scotland in last year’s Six Nations PICTURE: Getty Images IF Jonathan Joseph...

Wage hike see Quins declare £4.8m loss

By NEALE HARVE SPIRALLING wage costs contributed to Harlequins declaring ‘unsustainably high’ operating losses of £4.8m for season 2016-17. Quins, who...

Wyn Jones fires stern warning to England

By ALEX BYWATER ALUN Wyn Jones warned England there’s still more to come from Wales after Warren Gatland’s side put on...

WRU Exiles grows from strength to strength!

The WRU Exiles programme continues to grow from strength to strength as the WRU prepares for a further series of one...

Allister Coetzee’s fruitless reign in charge of Springboks ends

Rift between Coetzee and SARU in wake of damning letter sees contract terminated

Eddie Jones names England squad to take on Italy

Ben Te'o beats Jonathan Joseph to start at inside centre

Stockdale and Aki named in Ireland team to play France

Ireland's last trip to Paris in the Six Nations ended in a 10-9 defeat

Jacques Brunel must turn France’s Cup aces into champs

Can the 64-year-old turn France into a team to fear? He's certainly making changes in selection

Deano: Eddie Jones can do the Slam and win the World Cup if Farrell and Vunipola stay fit

Newcastle Falcons head coach Dean Richards talks England's prospects in Six Nations and beyond

Jackson column: Rhys Webb has become the victim of politics

Peter Jackson suggests Rhys Webb may never play for Wales in Cardiff again given he will be 32 when his Toulon...

Guscott column: Scotland can beat Wales if they play fast and error-free rugby

Jeremy Guscott pins Scotland's hopes of victory in Cardiff on the axis of Price-Russell and dangerman Huw Jones

James Haskell to leave Wasps at the end of the season

England flanker has been linked with a move to a Premiership rival

Six Nations spotlight – Ireland: Joe Schmidt must unleash his terrifying dogs of war

Ireland head coach spoilt by riches of big-name players and new dynamics brought to the table by young up-and-comers

Courtney Lawes has big appetite for success – Eddie Jones

Eddie Jones on the upward trend of Courtney Lawes since he took over the England job

Halfpenny’s kicking can win it for Wales, says Sir Gareth Edwards

Wales legend gives his backing to the Scarlets full-back to kick Wales to victory against Scotland

Wales name squad for Six Nations opener

Scarlets players dominate Warren Gatland's squad for Scotland match

Northampton Saints appoint Chris Boyd as new director of rugby

(Photo: Getty Images) By Adam Ellis 2016 Super Rugby mastermind Chris Boyd will leave the Hurricanes at the end of the...

Lang pulls strings to put Quins in box seat

By JONATHAN LANDI HARLEQUINS maintained their charge for a home semi-final with an easy victory over a young but outgunned Scarlets...

Wasps lads given harsh lesson by smoking Joe

By SAM JACKSON LONDONIrish boss Nick Kennedy is looking for his side to continue building momentum for the business end of...

Hamilton puts the Blues to bed as Tigers hold on

By ROB WILDMAN HOLDERS Leicester needed some stern secondhalf defence and a final try from Scotland’s Luke Hamilton to see off...

Bath start running hot as Falcons drain away

By BRENDAN GALLAGHER Diving in: Craig Willis goes over for Falcons’ try BATH, who scarcely laid a hand on the ball...

Lucky 13 for Warriors as Chiefs are denied bonus

By ROGER PANTING WORCESTER beat Exeter for the first time since 2004 to keep their Anglo- Welsh Cup hopes alive. After...

Lima to Wasps gets NZ alarms buzzing

WITH two seasoned All Black fly-halves, Aaron Cruden (Montpellier) and Colin Slade (Pau), already playing in France’s Top 14, the decision...

Forget ring-fencing and just cut wages instead

THE price of freedom in Rugby Union, as with freedom in a wider context, is eternal vigilance. Nothing underlines this more...

DREAMTEAM

LEE MILLAR, ROTHERHAM AND FORMER GALA AND LONDON SCOTTISH FLY-HALF, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED ……WITH OR AGAINST… 1....

Bigger squad sizes are answer to injury crisis

COLIN BOAG One positive: Freddie Clarke got his chance at Gloucester through injuries In last weekend’s Sunday Times, Stephen Jones highlighted...

Promotion play-off

THE bottom two teams in the Premiership should play each other and likewise the top two in the Championship. The winners...

Awkward questions for Eddie to ponder around World Cup

NICK CAIN’S welljudged assessment of England’s present position in last Sunday’s TRP was welcome. Any judgement of where England are a...