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...

Cut squad bugets… invest in grass roots

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: newsdesk@therugbypaper.co.uk DUSTY Hare’s comments last...

Brits battling to reach milestone in Dublin

ALL-ACTION Saracens hooker Schalk Brits is targeting an earlier than expected return from the serious injury that threatened his hopes of...

Owen warning for ‘big-name’ Tuilagi

By NEALE HARVEY No regrets: Tigers centre Gareth Owen FIT-AGAIN Leicester centre Gareth Owen has designs on the Leicester No.13 shirt...

Ashton’s alive and kicking at full-back

Showman: Chris Ashton showed some fancy footwork for Toulon PICTURE: Getty Images Chris Ashton hasn’t always shown the fancy kicking that...

Richmond defence digs in to repel late fightback

Sharks ……………10 Richmond………15 Women’s Premier RICHMOND dominated for the early exchanges of this rearranged match from December and managed to hold...

Llanharan hit for six as Holley racks up 27-points

Welsh Division One round-up GLAMORGAN Wanderers went top of One East Central with a five-star 33-13 bonus-point home victory over Porth...

Chief Warlow expecting tough last 16 test from Wizards

By CARL FIELD PREVIEW Newport v Aberavon Sunday January 28. Kick-off 2.30pm NEWPORT tackle Aberavon at Rodney Parade this afternoon with...

Jones on song as magnificent Pooler dump Quins out of the Cup

By JAY BAYFORD Pontypool ……23 C’marthen Q ….8 NATIONAL Championship leaders Pontypool shocked Carmarthen Quins to progress to the Cup quarter-finals...

Drovers drive past Llanelli to sail through to last eight

By HUW S THOMAS Llandovery ….38 Llanelli ……………9 FOURTEEN-time former winners Llanelli were unceremoniously dumped out of the Cup by local...

Clinical Keys ease through to last eight after downing Bedlinog

By PAUL HOPKINS Cross Keys ….41 Bedlinog ……….7 CROSS KEYS booked their place in the Cup quarterfinals with a comfortable victory...

Jarvis stars for Merthyr as they claim win at Arms Park

By PETER HUGHES Cardiff …………12 Merthyr ……….37 LAST season’s beaten semi-finalists Merthyr are through to the Cup quarterfinals once again after...

Village hit for six as impressive Bargoed power into quarter-finals

By GEOFF CHAMPION Bargoed ……….40 Rhydyfelin………0 FLY-HALF Matthew Lewis steered Bargoed into the last eight of the WRU National Cup with...

Haley on wanted list as Chiefs look for new full-back

Saxons star: Mike Haley EXETER Chiefs have been linked with a move for Sale Sharks full-back Mike Haley despite him having...

Richards staying put as Saints eye Meyer

Sought: Heyneke Meyer NEWCASTLE Falcons appear to have won their tug of war with Northampton Saints to retain the services of...

ON THE BLINDSIDE

BY NEILFISSLER Follow me on Twitter: @neilfissler JOSH Charnley will be seeing out the rest of his Sale contract after the...

Davidson begins his hunt for next wave of Latvians

NEWS EXTRA THEY are a big name in the world of ice hockey and basketball and now the small Baltic nation...

Fowkesy right man to lead us forward – Hooper

By JON NEWCOMBE NEWS EXTRA NOTTINGHAM prop Ben Hooper is confident the club will have a smooth transition under forwards coach...

RUGBY SHORTS

Tigers beef up forwards LEICESTER have signed Wasps back rower Guy Thompson and Worcester lock Will Spencer for the start of...

Galarza hoping for Pumas reprieve at Gloucester.

GLOUCESTER lock Mariano Galarza has revealed how proposed changes in Argentina’s Test eligibility rules could pave the way to him signing...

Preparation for Premiership begins now says Morahan

AUSSIE flyer Luke Morahan says Bristol must hit top-flight levels of performance over the remainder of the season to ensure they...

I thought my career was over, says Luke

By NEALE HARVEY England duty: Chris Robshaw FRUSTRATED Harlequins back rower Luke Wallace has revealed the gruesome extent of last summer’s...

ROOM 101

THE CINDERFORD HOOKER TAKES US THROUGH HIS PET HATES FROM THE RUGBY WORLD AND BEYOND NATHAN TAYLOR 1. Spicy food This...

Barclay, the enemy within for Wales, joins a select quartet

IT’S not every day that the Scottish captain skippers his country against Wales at Cardiff while enjoying a spell playing for...

Muldoon is deserving of a glorious Euro farewell

BRENDAN GALLAGHER A new weekly look at the game’s other talking points RUGBY MATTERS One-club hero: John Muldoon IT’S hard to...

Crisis? What crisis? England are still so strong

IRELAND coach Conor O’Shea raised a cheer from minnows everywhere this week when, without pausing for breath, he reeled off an...

Heather’s bobbing in for new shot at gold

FORMER Canada rugby star Heather Moyse has a fighting chance of making it three Olympic gold medals on the bounce in...

Crusaders win battle of the leading pair

South West Premier DINGS Crusaders stretched their advantage at the top to 15 points following a 30-13 victory over Bournemouth in...

Hoppers are beaten at last in niggly affair

Northern Premier THEbig shock was a first defeat for league leaders Preston Grasshoppers, who went down 17-12 away at Kirkby Lonsdale....

Bees buzzing to maintain perfect record

Midlands Premier LICHFIELD came within ten minutes of ending Birmingham and Solihull Bees’ 100 per cent record, but Matt Spink’s try...

Guernsey find Saxons tough proposition

London & South East Premier GUERNSEY continue at the top but had to come from behind for their 15-48 win away...

Hartpury show better form as Trent are hit by weather again

By JOE BYRNES BUCS ROUND-UP NOTTINGHAM Trent will be fizzing to get on the paddock next week as their fixture once...

YOUNG GUNS

SAM NIXON BATH PROP Having enjoyed a close-quarters view of Beno Obano’s rise to the top with Bath and England, tight-head...

Clifton hold on to down Barnstaple

By WYN TINGLEY Clifton……………24 Barnstaple……19 CLIFTON secured a vital victory against Barnstaple and scored a late try to confirm a bonus...

Prescott wastes shot at victory

By CAMERON TEMPLE Reding’ns ………12 Tonbridge J….12 LIAM Prescott missed the chance to kick Tonbridge Juddian to victory as he sent...

Jake pulls the strings to stump the Reds

By SIMON LORD Bury St E ……27 Redruth ……….14 BURY St Edmunds deservedly ground out a victory with a battling display...

Awesome Cinderford race clear at the top

By KEN VAUGHAN Chinnor………………14pts Cinderford ……….26pts Unapposed: Reuben Norville scores for Cinderford PAUL Morris said he was “in awe” of his...

No joy for Dons on their travels to Kent

By JOSHUA JOHNSON CANTERBURY secured their 11th win of the season with a hard-fought victory against Wimbledon. In a low-quality affair,...

Davis double act stuns the Raiders

By KEITH BROOKING Worthing ………19 Taunton ……….25 PAUL Davis scored two tries as Taunton Titans produced a superb second-half comeback to...

Hawks soar after late penalty try

By NICK PITSON A PENALTY try two minutes from the end gave Henley Hawks a bonuspoint win against a committed and...

Superb Street turn on the style at Geese

By BEN CARTER LI Wild Geese …0 Broadstreet….34 BOTTOM-PLACED Broadstreet produced a wet-weather masterclass as they cruised to superb a five-try...

MY LIFEIN RUGBY

PETER DODS THE GALA AND SCOTLAND FULL-BACK Istarted the 1984 Grand Slam with a split pair of boots and ended it...

Blaydon battered by brilliant Bridge

By DAVE LAWRENCE Stourbridge….89 Blaydon ……….17 SUPREME Stourbridge put relegation-threatened Blaydon to sword as they ran riot by racing over for...

Riley runs riot as Park keep pace

By LUKE MADEIRA Macclesfield…18 Sedgley P………28 SEDGLEY Park closed the gap on the top two after a hard-fought victory over Macclesfield....

wait for a win

On target: Sale’s Chris Johnson kicks more points PICTURES: Steve Wells Menace: Hinckley’s Jonny Sykes threatens the line The theme continued...

Can Wales half-backs hit it off like Gareth and Barry?

AN UNCANNY piece of Celtic history will be repeated in Cardiff next Saturday after exactly 50 years. When Wales and Scotland...

Burton knew how to pick a winner when he took Liz to Cardiff

FROM his vantage point somewhere in Milan, Marvin Hagler will be keeping a beady eye on Ireland’s fortune over the coming...

Rhys has become the victim of politics

Sad: Rhys Webb has been robbed of his Cardiff farewell PICTURE: Getty Images The lucky ones find a way of bowing...