Montpellier mauled by hit-man Henshaw

■By DECLAN ROONEY First blood: Joey Carbery goes over to score Leinster’s first try PICTURES: Getty Images RUAN Pienaar nailed a...

Anniversary of Foley’s death can give Munster energy to topple Castres’ big guns

■By SAM JACKSON MUNSTER coach Rassie Erasmus wants his men to mark the first anniversary of Anthony Foley’s death with a...

Simmonds leaves it to clinch Chiefs win

■By ROGER PANTING EXETER made hard work of getting their Cup campaign off to a winning start as it took them...

Cut the bench to reduce the risk of injuries

AS the broken body count in the Premiership rises, with a growing consensus that the greater ball-in-play time under the new...

Teflon Rob could have done so much more

ROB Andrew’s reputation as the Teflon man of English rugby may have taken a knock when he was sacked as the...

Saints old boy Clark getting up to pace with Sarries

■By NEALE HARVEY CALUMClark admits he is still adjusting to the hectic pace of life at Saracens after relaunching his career...

Kruis confident he can regain his England place

■By GARY FITZGERALD GEORGE Kruis is convinced his injury nightmares and disappointing Lions tour are firmly behind him, and that he...

Gruff set for job swap with the Blues

■By STEFFAN THOMAS AND ALEX BYWATER OSPREYS backs coach Gruff Rees looks set to take up the same role with Cardiff...

Six Nations lose £5m as sponsors slash deal

By PETER JACKSON THE full extent of the Six Nations title sponsorship loss can be revealed today – £5ma- year with...

Yes, it’s time for Jamie George to become king

Dylan Hartley or Jamie George? Past England hookers have their say

Golden Lions offer water aid relief as drought and wildfires hit Cape Town

By Adam Ellis South African provincial side Golden Lions have offered their full support in assisting their Cape Town rivals Western...

‘We learnt our lesson’ says Cipriani, as Wasps prepare for Ulster test

By Adam Ellis Ahead of Wasps‘ trip to face Ulster in the Champions Cup under the lights of the Kingspan Stadium...

Hat-trick man Jamie George signs new Saracens deal

By Adam Ellis Jamie George has signed a new deal with Saracens to stay at Allianz Park until 2021. The British...

Jackson column: Time to end Scarlets’ Euro Cup heartbreaks

By Peter Jackson No contender for Europe’s blue riband trophy can have endured more heartache in their pursuit than the Scarlets,...

Williams column: Losing one is unfortunate, losing two may be catastrophic

Shane Williams on the situation at Ospreys with Biggar and Webb set to leave

Cain column: Kyle Sinckler can consider himself lucky as inconsistency in bans perpetuate

By Nick Cain KYLE Sinckler can consider himself fortunate to get off with a seven-week ban after making contact with Northampton...

Guscott column: Champions Cup pools draw make it sure to be a thrilling start

By Jeremy Guscott THE European Cup is a tougher, harder tournament under EPCR than it was four years ago when the...

Byron McGuigan’s out to steal march on Scotland

By Jon Newcombe BYRON McGuigan is hoping his terrific try-scoring form with Sale Sharks will catch the eye of the Scotland...

Sale’s Josh Beaumont sidelined for months

By Adam Ellis Sale Sharks have been dealt a blow with second row forward Josh Beaumont ruled out for three months....

Sam gets tipped for England call-up

EXETER forwards coach Rob Hunter would be delighted to see No.8 discovery Sam Simmonds force his way into England contention as...

All White for Chiefs as slick Nic helps put them top

By MIKE SINCLAIR EXETER’S former Australia scrum-half Nic White produced two inspired moments which left Newcastle, this season’s Premiership shock side,...

’Henry can use this to keep on improving’

GLOUCESTER coach Johan Ackermann saluted Henry Trinder’s influence in Gloucester bouncing back from last week’s trouncing at Sale. He said of...

Trinder’s box of tricks too much for Saints

By NICK CAIN HENRY Trinder put his horrendous run of injuries – including two knee reconstructions – behind him to light...

Thrilling to have a re-run of last year’s final so early

Battle royal: Saracens take on Clermont in the pool this season PICTURE: Getty Images THE European Cup is a tougher, harder...

DREAMTEAM

LAURENCE MAY, CORNISH PIRATES AND FORMER EXETER FLY-HALF, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH OR AGAINST… 1. Ellis Genge...

Mealy-mouthed friends make Kyle’s ‘dig’ worse

COLIN BOAG As a confirmed grumpy old man, the list of things that irritate me beyond belief is a lengthy one,...

Bonus points have become too cheap

THE speeding up of the game seems to have made scoring four tries easier, particularly in the leagues below the Premiership....

Surely consistency across the board is not too much to ask

WHEN will the RFU take action regarding ongoing inconsistency of refereeing. In Sunday’s Wasps v Bath game, Nathan Hughes, when charging...

All for player power but the fans are key

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: The Rugby Paper, Tuition House, St Georges Road, Wimbledon SW19 4EU email: newsdesk@therugbypaper.co.uk COLIN Boag and others...

Pivac keen to bring in Moriarty

STEFFAN THOMAS SCARLETS are planning a double swoop for Wales forward duo Ross Moriarty and Seb Davies. Gloucester back rower Moriarty...

Barritt’s not ready to smell the coffee yet

By GARY FITZGERALD BRAD Barritt aims to make it big in coffee when he finally hangs up his boots – but...

Rees taking route into coaching

FORMER Wales hooker Matthew Rees is taking his first steps into coaching. Rees, who toured with the British & Irish Lions...

Prem needs to reduce high impact training says Lamb

By NEALE HARVEY ENGLISH obsession with ball-carrying and contact, both in matches and in training, is a major contributory factor behind...

Crossword

ACROSS 1. Tonga-born 2016 Bath No.8 of Melbourne Rebels and Japan (4) 3. Ireland 1999 World Cup scrum-half - a leading...

Williams: Tipuric top Welsh No.7 of all time

JUSTINTipuric is the best Welsh flanker of all-time according to former back row star Martyn Williams. Tipuric, 28, was named the...

Familiarty breeding success for DMP

By JON NEWCOMBE DARLINGTON Mowden Park have a ground that would be the envy of the Championship, and now they’re building...

Bordeaux revelling in English connection

Anglo-Saxon making a mark: Rory Teague is inspiring Bordeaux PICTURE: Getty Images Atrio of British coaches have inspired Bordeaux-Begles to their...

Tucker’s hat-trick sends Penallta through

WRU National Plate/Bowl round-up REIGNING champions Penallta were pushed all the way as they opened their defence of the Plate title...

Cardiff students taken to school by Trebanos

WRU National Championship round-up TREBANOS staged a major second half recovery at Cardiff Met to overturn a ten point deficit to...

Myhill guides Quins past in-form Drovers in derby

By JAMES LLOYD Carmarthen Q26 Llandovery 12 CARMARTHEN Quins inflicted a second loss of the season on Llandovery after a thrilling...

Amber and Blacks nudge to victory in basement battle

By JAKE BACON Cross Keys 12 Newport 21 NEWPORT triumphed over Cross Keys at Pandy Park in a match where both...

Visitors have the edge in high-scoring affair

By EMILY GILL Cardiff 28 Pontypridd 46 PONTYPRIDD scored six tries as they downed Cardiff to keep the pressure on Bedwas...

Table-toppers Bedwas romp past Ebbw to show class

By ED HARRISON Bedwas 54 Ebbw Vale 5 BEDWAS remain at the top of the Premiership East after an eight-try hammering...

Ironmen show mettle to dispatch dogged Bargoed

By RICH JONES Bargoed 18 Merthyr 45 MERTHYR hit Bargoed for six as the reigning Premiership champions made it three wins...

Wizards work their magic with second-half comeback

By JACK FLYNN Aberavon 41 Neath 20 ABERAVON bounced back from their shock 36-22 loss at Llanelli last weekend by comfortably...

Principality Premiership

Llanelli 33 Swansea 27 LLANELLI edged a thrilling derby clash with Swansea as they emerged narrow winners at Parc Y Scarlets....

Holland double the key as hosts triumph

By CHARLOTTE HIGGINSON Bristol L’dies 28 Glos-H’pury 20 GLOUCESTER-Hartpury tasted defeat for the first time this season, as Bristol Ladies battled...

Dominant Richmond power beyond Valkyries

By GEORGE BOND Richmond 48 Worcester V 12 AN EIGHT-try performance saw Richmond keep up the pressure on the early leaders...

Quins stay unbeaten after clinical display

By JONATHAN HARDING Too strong: Jessica Wooden touches down for Quins Harlequins 36pts Darlington MP 10pts HARLEQUINS overpowered a spirited Darlington...

Lightning strike back for victory after slow start

By JESS NORTHFIELD L’boro L’ning 30 Firwood W 19 A ROARINGfightback saw Loughborough Lightning claim a dramatic victory after coming from...