20 Questions: Arthur Ellis – Ealing Trailfinders openside

How has pre-season been going? Everyone is pretty excited to get started and play some games now after a lot of...

Champions Cup draw announced

Saracens will begin their defence of the European Champions Cup at Northampton Saints on 15 October 15. Sarries, who beat Clermont...

EXCLUSIVE: Benefactor set to offer Red Roses contracts

Investor Simon Pennock flew to Belfast yesterday to present the England Women squad with an ambitious new venture to give them...

England beat France to reach Women’s World Cup final

England overcame France 20-3 in Belfast yesterday to set up a Women’s Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand on Saturday....

My Life in Rugby: Gavin Cattle – Cornish Pirates legend

I always thought of myself as more of a game manager rather than a game changer, feeding off the good work...

Joe Launchbury to continue as Wasps captain

England lock Joe Launchbury will continue as Wasps‘ captain for the 2017/18 season, having led the side to the Premiership Final...

Anthony Perenise re-joins Bath

Anthony Perenise will turn out for Bath this season after agreeing to re-join the club three years after leaving for Bristol....

American international signs for London Scottish

London Scottish have added international quality to their front-row after completing the signing of American tighthead Dino Waldren. Waldren has earned...

Hartley to Manu and Solomona – Follow code of conduct or pay the price!

England and Northampton captain Dylan Hartley tells NEALE HARVEY why Saints are targeting the Premiership play-offs and how he will never...

Five reasons why the Rugby Super League is worth betting on

While betting has seeped into almost every sport such as football and horse racing, rugby is still considered to be relatively...

Christian Lealiifano signs for Ulster

Australian international fly-half Christian Lealiifano has agreed to join Ulster on a five-month deal. Lealiifano’s contract will run until 22nd January...

Dream Team: Ryan Bevington – Bristol and former Ospreys prop

1. Ryan Bevington – I’d love to play in the team I’m about to pick so I’d have to select myself...

Tyro flier Radwan states case for Falcons

By JOE JONES Newcastle …59 Rotherham…14 NEWCASTLE continued their unbeaten pre-season run at Kingston Park yesterday going through the gears against...

Protheroe stars in first half before Scarlets bring on the heavy mob

By STEFFAN THOMAS Bristol…26 Scarlets …33 SCARLETS scored 21 unanswered points to inflict a second preseason defeat on Bristol. Wayne Pivac’s...

Exeter class tells in the end as Pirates battle on

Exeter …47 C Pirates…15 AN OMINOUS opening of two scrum batterings led to Carl Rimmer crashing over in just the third...

Randall runs rings around Rosslyn Park

By TOM LYONS Hartpury …66 Rosslyn Park …12 HARTPURY College were back at their attacking best yesterday scoring ten tries on...

Champagne rugby from Exeter’s forgotton centre Campagnaro

By ROGER PANTING Red hot: Exeter centre Michele Campagnao. Right: Sarel Pretorious scores for Dragons PICTURE: Pinnacle TEAMS EXETER: Bodilly, Woodburn...

Star-studded Irish ready for step up

By ROB STEEL London Irish …29 Ealing …6 LONDON Irish got a big morale booster two weeks from the start of...

Big task ahead for Ackermann

By NEIL FLEMING Leinster …50 Gloucester …14 IT might have been only a pre-season game but Johan Ackermann saw what he...

Saints strike late to rescue victory in Scotland

By ALEXANDER MCLEMAN Glasgow …19 Northampton…14 TWO tries in the final five minutes clawed back victory for Northampton and spoiled Dave...

Cheika has to sort out his sorry Wallabies – and fast

JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE…EVERY WEEK It is not all doom and gloom yet for Australia despite that 54-34 hammering by...

DREAM TEAM

NIC WHITE, THE EXETER CHIEFS AND AUSTRALIA SCRUM–HALF, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH OR AGAINST… 1. Scott Sio...

Please, let’s have an end to this phony war

COLIN BOAG It’s the waiting that’s the hardest part. The long summer break with next to no meaningful rugby is drawing...

Give full penalties for crooked feeds

THE rule regarding crooked scrum feeds is very clear: the scrumhalves’ shoulders should be parallel to the scrum, he should stand...

Ackermann era could spell end for Humphreys

IT’S clear the Cherry and Whites are going through an overdue reconstruction: new coach, new players, new DNA. Johan Ackermann is...

European Cup is a mess for the fans

I CAN’T be the only rugby supporter who continues to be frustrated by the ‘much improved’ organisation of the major European...

Blues to get defence tips from Shaun

WALES defence coach Shaun Edwards has joined Cardiff Blues on a consultancy basis. The 50-year-old has already begun working with the...

Slade happy in midfield but No.10 still his aim

By NICK VERDIER HENRY Slade still sees himself as a fly-half but the Exeter star is prepared to keep playing in...

Hook backs Owen to star in Welsh two playmaker system

By ALEX BYWATER JAMES Hook has urged Wales to adopt a twin playmaker system to take them to the next level....

Cipriani not giving up on his England ambitions

By GARY FITZGERALD DANNY CIPRIANI approaches the ripe sporting age of 30 utterly convinced the best years of his troubled rugby...

Resurgent Hibbard is eyeing Test recall

RICHARD Hibbard says he has “fallen in love” with rugby all over again as he seeks to build on his Player...

Abendanon: I could be onway back to England

DAVID BARNES FRENCH COLUMN Nick Abendanon faces a decision on his future next month and has not closed the door on...

Townsend overlooks Scott for Test camp

GLOUCESTER star Matt Scott has been left out of Scotland’s 41-man squad for a two-day training camp in St Andrews this...

Sharples grateful as Hartpury step in

HARTPURY RFC will replace Yorkshire Carnegie as the opponents in Charlie Sharples’ testimonial at Kingsholm on Friday. The Scarlets will also...

Fekitoa hopes Test recall will follow French leave

ALL BLACK centre Malakai Fekitoa says his slip down the Test pecking order prompted his move to Toulon. At 24, he...

Piratical Cully plots to storm Chiefs

HARRISON Cully is bidding to follow in the rapid footsteps of Stuart Townsend and Sam Simmonds by progressing from the bench...

Nev happy with Bordeaux crew

By JON NEWCOMBE FORMER Sale winger Nev Edwards is hoping history will repeat itself as he looks to grab a second...

YOUNG GUNS

TOM DE GLANVILLE ENGLAND U18S & BATH CENTRE Tom de Glanville has one of the most famous rugby names in England...

Confident pack will front up and get us quality ball – Ford

LEICESTER fly-half George Ford is relishing his return to Welford Road and linking up with old mates Ben Youngs and Manu...

Courtney’s itching to go again for England

By NEALE HARVEY RAMPAGING Lions lock Courtney Lawes says he will not give up his England place lightly and insists he...

Sorry Catherine, I wasn’t carping about mismatches

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Well, I was right. It didn’t take long before some of the...

Redpath miss lets Wales off the hook

England U18 …12 Wales U18 …14 WALES dug in to survive a late England flurry and record their second consecutive win...

England bring up half ton in style

By SAM JACKSON South Africa U19…22 England U18 …52 ENGLANDU18s ended their summer development tour with a fine victory over South...

Grace: Plymouth can make mark in six-way title race

By NEALE HARVEY RETURNING Plymouth back rower Eoghan Grace reckons his side are ready to give big-spending Coventry a run for...

DTH ready to turn up the heat for Falcons

By JON NEWCOMBE NEWCASTLE signing DTH van der Merwe plans to blaze a trail in the Premiership before putting out fires...

Super Sene is as inspiration for Ireland and the Islanders

WITHthe Women’s RWC in full flow, one person who has left her mark is Kiwi-born Samoan, now Irish player, Sene Nauopu....

Alcohol abuse no laughing matter for players in Pacific

DAN LEO EXPERT ANALYST ON PACIFIC NATIONS I’ll admit, it hasn’t been a great month off the field for my fellow...

Bedford toughening up for promotion bid

BEDFORD player-coach Alex Rae reckons adding grit to his side’s traditional running game will ensure Championship favourites Bristol do not have...

Morahan happy Bristol match his ambitions

By NEALE HARVEY FORMER Wallabies star Luke Morahan reckons Bristol’s signing of former All Black Charles Piutau has reinforced his decision...

Portuguese pathfinder Vieira quits Italy for Rotherham

IT’S A brave decision to swap the sunshine of the Portuguese coast for industrial South Yorkshire, but that’s the choice of...