Halfpenny takes cut of £200k to go home

By PETER JACKSON WALES have brought Leigh Halfpenny home for around £200,000 less than they offered him last season. The Rugby...

Sarries fear explosion in wages could wreck team

By NEALE HARVEY SARACENS coach Alex Sanderson fears the club may struggle to retain their galaxy of England and Lions stars,...

Scarratt: We’re not champions, just contenders

It seems like yesterday that Emily Scarratt was thrust into the rugby limelight as the leading points scorer and player of...

Young Gun: Matt Cornish – Ealing Trailfinders hooker

There are many roads to professional rugby but Matt Cornish has taken it to the extreme going from London 1 to...

Jeff Probyn: Replace women’s contracts with individual match fees

As I prepare to write this article, I have a feeling of impending doom as the last time I broached this...

Peter Jackson: Johnny lost to Wales because of his colour

They carried Johnny Freeman from St. Mary’s church last week and out of what used to be Tiger Bay on a...

Tuilagi returns to England squad

Manu Tuilagi has been named in the England training squad for their camp at the Lensbury Hotel later this week. The...

Ford’s no loss with Freddie at the helm says Banahan

Matt Banahan is convinced Bath have emerged far stronger from the controversial deal that saw George Ford and Freddie Burns swap...

Room 101: Mike Penn – Moseley full-back

1. Reality TV Love Island is all the lads at Moseley ever talk about. It seems to have taken over from...

Dan Leo: Charitable mindset has held back Pacific rugby

Much of the kiwi media-fare leading up to the third test between New Zealand and the Lions focussed on Kieran Read...

Brendan Gallagher previews the Women’s World Cup

The memory of 2014 in France might still be fresh with us but women’s rugby has moved on apace and, a...

Mike Ford: My love of risk-taking has landed me in the USA

The opportunity to try something new appealed to me when Dallas Griffins owner Phil Camm asked me to head up the...

Denton: I had to quit Bath for Test dream

David Denton wants to wear the Scotland jersey again but as hard as it was to admit, he reckons it would...

Jones wants Tour to help England go the distance

Eddie Jones is back at Twickenham. The silence and calm in the surrounds of England Rugby’s fortress that is now his...

20 Questions: Matt Williams – Worcester hooker

Enjoyed the off season? Very much so. It was quite a weird one as we had five weeks off and then...

Women’s Premiership ready for Crisp new season

The RFU has today announced Tyrrells as title partner for the new women’s domestic competition, with the official name of the...

8 reasons why it’s worth betting on rugby

The year 2017 places rugby second only to football regarding global popularity. The game with a rich and occasionally controversial history...

Brendan Gallagher: England have only two world class players in their squad

This week heralds the announcement of the 45- strong England EPS squad and it feels like a big staging post, the...

Williams is lean, keen and ready to fight for England dream

London Irish midfielder Johnny Williams has vowed to come back fitter, stronger and faster as he aims to get his England...

Shane Williams: Break the bank to keep Biggar at Ospreys

Here’s my message to the Welsh Rugby Union; you have to try and pull out all the stops to help keep...

My Life in Rugby: Kurt Johnson – former Coventry and Orrell wing

With my hair dyed pink and the No.14 shaved into the back of my head, people might have wrongly assumed I...

Top Boks will follow ‘exodus to Europe’

Super Rugby‘s fading appeal is likely to provoke South Africa‘s major provinces to follow the lead of the Cheetahs and Kings...

EXPLAINED: How the new Pro14 will work

REACTIONS to the Pro12 expansion

Martin Anayi, CEO of the Guinness PRO14, said: “The arrival of the Toyota Cheetahs and the Southern Kings marks a bold...

CONFIRMED: South African teams to join Pro12 this season

Celtic Rugby and the South African Rugby Union have today confirmed that the Toyota Cheetahs and the Southern Kings will join...

Dream Team: Nick Selway – Jersey hooker

1. Sam Lockwood – The first of many in this team who went from Jersey to the Premiership. Impressive scrummager with...

Late Collins try earns local bragging rights for Saints

BOWL ROUND-UP NORTHAMPTON won the first East Midlands derby of the season as a late try from Tom Collins helped them...

Livewire Randall presses case for first team action

PLATE ROUND-UP A BLISTERING start handed Gloucester a 22-12 win over Saracens to win the Plate at the Premiership Sevens in...

Freestyle Wasps are cut above the rest

By NICK VERDIER Back-to-back: Wasps lift the Premiership Sevens trophy for the second year running PICTURES: Getty Images WASPS will once...

Abington celebrates the life of Saints hero Mobbs

THE 100th anniversary of Edgar Mobbs’ death at the Third Battle off Ypres falls tomorrow and the town of Northampton will...

Only world beaters will get tickets for this ride

THIS week heralds the announcement of the 45- strong England EPS squad and it feels like a big staging post, the...

RFU: Players knew their contracts would end

IN relation to the article ‘World Cup stars left high and dry by RFU’ there are a number of points we...

Call me a misogynist but I’m backing RFU stance

COLIN BOAG Thuggery: Sonny Bill Williams hits Anthony Watson The furore over the RFU’s decision not to renew contracts to the...

It’s called Premiership Sevens for a reason!

PREMIERSHIP rugby has to rethink the rules of the Premiership Sevens and force Premiership teams to actually pick Premiership players. The...

My rugby SOS: Save our Scrums from annilihation

I WRITE in support of Colin Boag’s piece from July 21 regarding crooked feeds in to the scrum. This is an...

Whatever the price, they aren’t machines

DAVID Short’s letter about Premiership club owners is rehearsed at every gathering of supporters. Whatever they get paid, the players are...

Wales still a target for new Scarlet Prydie

TOM Prydie is relishing the start of a new chapter at the Scarlets after joining the PRO12 champions from Newport Gwent...

Smith taking a breather

ALL Blacks star Ben Smith is set for a sabbatical following next month’s back-to-back Bledisloe Cup Tests against the Wallabies. Smith...

Wallaby skipper steps down

AUSTRALIA captain Stephen Moore has decided to call time on his 12-year international career at the end of the season. Moore,...

O’Connor: Sale culture can get me back to top

By JON NEWCOMBE Trust: Steve Diamond STAR signing James O’Connor says he wants to follow in the footsteps of good mate...

Sarries rocket helps Nick hit new heights

By NEALE HARVEY Impressive start: England boss Eddie Jones congratulates Nick Isiekwe after his debut against the Barbarians PICTURES: Getty Images...

Joseph has to reinvent himself now says Mears

Critic: Lee Mears LIONS flop Jonathan Joseph must take a leaf out of Brian O’Driscoll’s book by re-evaluating his game in...

McMahon set to miss World Cup

HIGHLY-RATED Wallaby back row Sean McMahon has signed a ‘lucrative’ two-year contract to play for an unnamed club in Japan. The...

Ford’s no loss with Freddie at the helm says Banahan

By NEALE HARVEY Leaders: Freddie Burns and Matt Garvey, right MATT Banahan is convinced Bath have emerged far stronger from the...

Far from fun as Wild era kicks off in controversy

In the spotlight: Stade’s Fijian wing Waisea Nayacalevu PICTURE: Getty Images It wasn’t quite what Dr. Hans- Peter Wild ordered this...

Aussie Meehan bowled over by family feel at Irish

SUMMER signing Ben Meehan is settling in fast at London Irish and is chomping at the bit to get started since...

It’s tough to replace that old rugby buzz

ALEX BYWATER talks to Matthew Pewtner about life after rugby following shock early retirement Sevens star: Matthew Pewtner in action for...

20 QUESTIONS

ROSS NEAL L. SCOTTISH CENTRE How’s pre-season going? Pretty well, thanks. We’ve been training at the Lensbury Hotel which is a...

‘World class’ Vunipola flying again – Sanderson

Rested: Billy Vunipola BILLYVunipola is ready to brush off his Lions disappointment and reassert his position as the world’s dominant No.8,...

Captain Sam gets Wembley honour

SPURS have invited Sam Warburton to be guest of honour at Wembley for their opening home match of the new Premier...