Hurry up, Harry! Sloan closing in on making bow

By BEN JAYCOCK Wise head: Harry Sloan in his Harlequins days EXPERIENCED campaigner Harry Sloan has enjoyed sharing wisdom at Canterbury...

the wonderful people What stands out are

MY LIFEIN RUGBY THE FORMER SOUTH AFRICA ASSISTANT COACH WHO WAS IN CHARGE AT STORMERS, WESTERN PROVINCE, ULSTER, NORTHAMPTON, EASTERN PROVINCE...

England need to focus on playing the full 80 during the Six Nations

By Jeff Probyn - A Front row view on the game So Steve Borthwick has decided that his England team need...

CAMPBELL RIDL

YOUNG GUNS EXETER CENTRE/WING Campbell Ridl credits Exeter Chiefs for allowing players to balance university studies comfortably alongside their rugby. The...

Results

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Regional results

Results and tables supplied by the RFU ... Continue reading... Access all our premium content from as little as 14p per...

DREAMTEAM

NATHAN MORRIS, THE CANTERBURY AND EX-ENGLAND U20 HOOKER, WHO ALSO PLAYED WITH LONDON WELSH AND WASPS, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE...

L’borough keep up pressure at the top

BUCS RUGBY By TOM JEFFREYS All five of the top half of the table won their games, with all ten teams...

England take chunk out of Sale resources

By PAUL REES SALE’S delight at having eight players in the England squad is tempered by their resources being stretched against...

Remember it’s a game for players

Coach to coach Steve Hill talks to World Rugby high performance consultant coach Peter Drewett, below What was your playing background...

Bristol & Glos share the honours

ACADEMY RUGBY By TOM JEFFREYS BRISTOL are known as the Premiership’s great entertainers, and it’s a club-wide philosophy as they drew...

Morgan leads the fightback

Super Rygbi Cup round-up By CARL FIELD LLANDOVERY overturned a 21-point deficit in the second half to earn a stunning 40-33...

Baker puts Merthyr on right road

Premiership round-up By CARL FIELD WING Fin Baker ran in a hat-trick of tries to inspire Merthyr to a thumping 62-14...

BRITISH RESULTS AND FIXTURES

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Toulouse show offstrength in depth

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Scottish ace: Blair Kinghorn was on the scoresheet for Toulouse PICTURES: Getty Images UGO Mola’s remarkable Toulouse,...

Forthcoming fixtures

Week beginning Sunday, January 26, 2025 It is advisable to check matches and kick-offtimes with the clubs ... Continue reading... Access...

Hearle is backing Diamond to turn it around at Falcons

By PAUL REES Boss: Steve Diamond ALEX Hearle is confident Newcastle will become a force in the Premiership under Steve Diamond...

Gallagher keen to take chance

By BRENDAN McGILLIGAN MATT Gallagher is ‘excited’ for his debut Six Nations following his call-up to the Italy squad. The Benetton...

Holloway on his way to San Diego

AUSTRALIAN lock Jed Holloway has left Leicester Tigers for Major League Rugby side San Diego Legion. The former NSW Waratahs and...

How Gamification is Transforming Fan Engagement in Professional Sports

For many years, the bond between a professional sports team and its supporters has been a vital part of the professional...

Key talking points from each Premiership game this weekend

By Charlie Elliott With the Six Nations around the corner, Premiership squads have been decimated by England internationals being away at...

Ireland aim for Six Nations history under stand-in boss Simon Easterby

Interim boss Simon Easterby believes back-to-back champions Ireland are “up for the challenge” of chasing Six Nations history in the absence...

Maro Itoje demands hard work during Six Nations as England look to put difficult 2024 behind them

Maro Itoje has made realising England’s potential his number one priority after being installed as captain for the Six Nations. Itoje...

Bill Sweeney determined to stay in RFU role until 2027

Bill Sweeney is determined to continue as Rugby Football Union chief executive until the 2027 World Cup and will only step...

Key Matches to Anticipate in 2025 Rugby Calendar

The year 2025 promises to be an absolute cracker for all rugby lovers around the globe. Speculation about last-minute tries, razor-thin...

Fergus Burke learning from Finn Russell as he eyes succeeding him at fly-half

Saracens stand-off Fergus Burke is relishing the chance to learn at close quarters from Finn Russell as he bids to enhance...

Adam Jones joins Wales coaching team for Six Nations on secondment from Harlequins

Scrum specialist Adam Jones will join Wales’ coaching team for this season’s Guinness Six Nations. Jones will link up with Warren...

RFU chief Bill Sweeney ‘wanted to defer’ controversial bonus payment

Bill Sweeney, the under-fire chief executive of the Rugby Football Union, has revealed he wanted to defer the controversial bonus payment...

S4, E19: England & Scotland hit by injuries, French clubs fire and South Africans slump

What to make of that Champions Cup weekend? On one hand we saw a classic in Northampton’s victory over Munster, however...

Warren Gatland warns Six Nations rivals to ‘write Wales off at your peril’

Warren Gatland believes that people will write Wales off at their peril in this season’s Guinness Six Nations. The form guide...

Gregor Townsend confident Scotland can cope with loss of skipper Sione Tuipulotu during Six Nations

Gregor Townsend insists Scotland have the depth to overcome the devastating loss of Sione Tuipulotu to injury for the entire Guinness...

The Evolution of Rugby: How Technology and Strategy Are Shaping the Game

Rugby has undergone change after change from technological advancement to strategic innovation. From the mere introduction of video technology into team...

England Faces Six Nations Setbacks: How Betinia Can Be Your Post-Match Escape

England’s rugby squad faces adversity as they prepare for the Six Nations tournament, with five players ruled out due to injuries....

Five players who have scored five or more tries in a single game 

By Charlie Elliott After Damian Penaud’s heroics for Bordeaux Begles against Sharks over the weekend, having broken the Champions Cup record for tries...

Champions Challenge Cup Sunday roundup: All the action from the last day of pool stage fixtures 

By Charlie Elliott The teams playing their games on Sunday in the Champions and Challenge Cups had the advantage of knowing...

Champions Cup Team of the Week: Toulouse stars shine and Damian Penaud runs riot

The pool stage of the Champions Cup reached a close, with teams now knowing their fate in either the round of...

The 5 Best Rugby Leagues in the World

Rugby is not merely a game.   It is raw passion + adrenaline + teamwork all rolled into one. Across the globe...

Rugby Positions Explained: Understanding the Role of Every Player

Rugby can feel like a whole different game when you first watch it. All the positions, all the rules—it is a...

Steve Borthwick: It’s time to put our foot down

By Adam Hathaway Steve Borthwick insists he has come up with a solution to England’s problem in closing out matches –...

Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade can work in Six Nations – Brad Barritt

By Ben Jaycock Brad Barritt backs the misfiring duo of Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence to continue together in midfield for...

Anthony Watson: I had to quit, I was in so much pain

By Paul Rees As Anthony Watson trudged off five minutes into the second-half in Leicester’s match at Sale in December, he...

Christ Tshiunza: There’s no panic at Exeter Chiefs

By Paul Rees As Christ Tshiunza reflected on what has been a frustrating season for the Wales forward, he recalled a...

Uncapped Fergus Burke gets nod from Gregor Townsend in Scotland Six Nations squad

Saracens fly-half Fergus Burke has been named in Scotland’s squad for the Six Nations as they look to improve on last...

Alex Mitchell back to his best and ready for Six Nations battle

By Jon Newcombe Alex Mitchell is now eight games into his injury-delayed season and feeling full of energy for the Six...

Antoine Dupont returns to Six Nations stage

Scrum-half Antoine Dupont will take part in his first Six Nations since 2023 after missing last year’s competition to prepare for...

Prop Jack Boyle called up to Ireland Six Nations squad after Tom O’Toole ban

Interim Ireland head coach Simon Easterby has called up Leinster’s uncapped prop Jack Boyle, 22, for the Six Nations to replace...

Teddy Williams is poised to shift up a gear for Wales

By Simon Thomas Teddy Williams will be looking to put his international disappointments behind him now his remarkable shift this season...

Stephen Varney & Tommy Allan back in the mix for Italy

Italy have recalled Stephen Varney and included Tommaso Allan in their squad for the Six Nations but are without Louis Lynagh...

Unfair to remove Kirill Gotovtsev’s Russian flag

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

‘Life at Sale Sharks without my brother is weird’ – Luke James

By Jon Newcombe Sale stalwart Luke James admits his first season apart from older brother Sam has been “very weird”. Before...