Laporte on mission to get France fit for task

Orders from the top: French federation president Bernard Laporte The grunting and the groaning and, yes, the blood, sweat and tears...

Lions will be rested in Autumn says Jones

ENGLAND coach Eddie Jones believes the drawn Lions series has exposed concerns over the All Blacks’ depth in specific positions. New...

Saili eyes silverware after turning his back on All Blacks

By NEALE HARVEY GIFTED centre Francis Saili believes his unique brand of passing skills, embellished by gainline-busting, off-loading qualities reminiscent of...

Baa-baas ‘Test’ would solve the Lions tour conundrum

Arguably the best try in rugby history: Fans would have chance to see such Barbarians brilliance again PICTURE: Getty Images Sometimes...

Wanderers open defence with short jet north

A LEAGUE FIXTURES Northampton Wanderers will start the defence of their A League title with a trip to Sale Jets as...

Myler: Let’s make this a 7s heaven

NORTHAMPTON flyhalf Stephen Myler is anticipating a vibrant atmosphere when the Premiership 7s arrives at Franklin’s Gardens this weekend. PREMIERSHIP SEVENS...

From age 16 you could tell Coleman had touch of class

DAVID RIMMER looks at the career of the formidable Tom Coleman, a sportsman he strongly admired while covering sport for Herts...

Samoa left with mountain to climb after All Blacks error

Tough debut: Samoa’s new cap Kieron Fonotia in action during the 87-0 defeat to New Zealand After a brutally long season...

Knee injury forces Tim to call time

SARACENS centre Tim Streather has been forced to retire from the game due to a knee injury. Streather joined the club...

I almost kept Jason out in his first game for Sale

MY LIFEIN RUGBY KURT JOHNSON THE FORMER COVENTRY AND ORRELL WINGER With my hair dyed pink and the No.14 shaved into...

2017-18 pre-season fixtures

It is advisable to check matches and kick-off times with the clubs Friday August 4 Clermont v Exeter Saturday August 5...

Fekitoa turns his back on All Blacks

RUGBY SHORTS NEW Zealand centre Malakai Fekitoa has confirmed he has signed with Toulon, bringing an end to his international career...

Lions will aim to give Ackerman a proper send-off

HAVING ended the regular season as top seeds on the overall Super Rugby standings, I believe the Lions can go all...

Boks reborn with Venter working for the defence

GARY GOLD The fact that the All Blacks drew the threematch series with the British and Irish Lions would have been...

Cheika wants axed Cooper to enjoy playing again

AUSTRALIA coach Michael Cheika has left Quade Cooper out of an extended pre-Bledisloe Cup training squad and cast major doubt over...

Lions set for another epic with the Kiwis

SUPERRUGBY By SAM JACKSON A LATE long-distance penalty from wing Ruan Combrinck helped the Lions edge the Sharks 23-21 in the...

20 QUESTIONS

MATT WILLIAMS WORCESTER HOOKER Enjoyed the off season? Very much so. It was quite a weird one as we had five...

Much activity but who has really prospered?

Matthew Emery runs an eye over the big names joining the Premiership action this season Bath Underhill IN: Sam Underhill (Ospreys),...

Coaching set-up at Exiles can keep them up

LONDON IRISH may be the bookies’ favourites to go down but only a fool would under-estimate their coaching team. I really...

You’ve got to be a big noise now, Demetri!

ANDY GOODE The fly-half merry-goround has been in full swing throughout a frenetic last few months with a host of No.10s...

Ex-goalie Heyes is new prop blueprint

Neale Harvey talks to Peter Walton, the man who has helped shape England’s new batch England U18s forwards guru Peter Walton...

Mulchrone aiming to capitalise on Karl’s retirement

NEWS EXTRA HARLEQUINS scrum-half Charlie Mulchrone reckons improvements in his gamemanagement will give him the best chance of applying heat to...

Gatland switches focus to going out on top in Japan

By ALEX BYWATER WARREN Gatland says he’s already planning for the 2019 World Cup with Wales after leading the Lions to...

YOUNG GUNS

MATT CORNISH EALING TRAILFINDERS HOOKER There are many roads to professional rugby but Matt Cornish has taken it to the extreme...

It’s folly to block investment … but we do need Euro wage cap

Q&A MARTIN ST QUINTON ON THE RECORD Gloucester owner Martin St Quinton tells NEALE HARVEY why he believes Premiership Rugby’s rejection...

Baxter must join Eddie’s team if he’s to succeed

ONE of the most vexing issues that all four Home Unions have had to face over the last eight years is...

Fox Jnr falls just short

THERE was always the possibility, however remote, that one of the All Blacks’ coaching hierarchy would get his own back for...

Shame on Erasmus after messy exit from Munster

WHENSaracens knocked them out of the Champions’ Cup in Dublin three months ago, Munster found comfort in assurances that Rassie Erasmus...

Stringer hands off Father Time

EVENfrom this distance, Worcester’s home match against London Irish on December 23 is worth ringing in red ink. There is every...

From hero to zero in less than six months

PETER JACKSON Six months ago Leigh Halfpenny found himself under a veritable bombardment of offers on an ever-escalating scale over his...

Olver: Give kids a chance or risk losing them

By NEALE HARVEY DEPARTED fly-half Sam Olver has warned Northampton that more of their potential young stars could leave if denied...

Lydon plots route to Ireland, via Ealing

By NICK VERDIER Fleet-footed: Peter Lydon attacks the line for London Scottish last season PETER Lydon still dreams of playing Test...

Continuity key for Nottingham when they use dual-reg stars

By JON NEWCOMBE Young talent: Will Stuart NOTTINGHAM head coach Ian Costello says the Green & Whites will take a more...

Expansion is so exciting but don’t mess with the format

THE expansion of the Guinness PRO12 to include South African sides Cheetahs and Southern Kings is a gamble. I can’t deny...

Leigh needs future sorted double fast

I REALLY feel for Leigh Halfpenny. What a situation he’s in. To be without a club at this stage isn’t ideal...

Haskell has last laugh with trolls on Twitter

FORMER England internationals Will Carling and Brian Moore, below, have been involved in a week- long spat with Piers Morgan on...

Saints leading charge for Biggar

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS are ready to spend out around £600,000 a season to tempt Welsh No.10 Dan Biggar to Franklin’s Gardens for...

ON THE BLINDSIDE

Anglo-Welsh battle for wantaway Moriarty BY NEILFISSLER Follow me on Twitter: @neilfissler Hot property: Ross Moriarty BRITISH LIONS flanker Ross Moriarty...

ROOM 101

MIKE PENN THE MOSELEY FULL-BACK TAKES US THROUGH HIS PET HATES FROM THE RUGBY WORLD AND BEYOND 1. Reality TV Love...

Without doubt, Ford’s found fresh gears since Bath exit

WELCOME to the new, improved, Ford. In this case, however, the model is called George rather than describing the latest product...

Clandestine ‘agreement’ highlights Ritchie’s flaw

IAN Ritchie has brought stability during his tenure at the RFU, as well as presiding over a healthy commercial balance sheet....

Gold: Evergreen Stringer is rugby’s answer to Roger

By TOM BRADSHAW GARY Gold says Irish scrum-half Peter Stringer is rugby’s equivalent to Wimbledon champ Roger Federer – inspirational proof...

Familiar faces helping Freeman feel at home

By NEALE HARVEY AMBITIOUS flanker James Freeman has expressed his delight at being reunited with Matt Kvesic at title holders Exeter...

Artemyev: Russian Bears will bite back in 2019

TRAILBLAZING ex- Northampton wing Vasily Artemyev reckons Russia have thrown off the shackles of failure and will be a force at...

Young rules out move for Halfpenny

By PETER JACKSON WASPS have abandoned plans to sign Leigh Halfpenny, citing the Welshman’s ‘indecision’ as the reason why he finds...

World Cup stars left high and dry by RFU

By NEALE HARVEY RUGBY Football Union bosses have taken a sledgehammer to England Women’s hopes of winning next month’s World Cup...

Tonga Qualifies for Rugby World Cup After Fiji Victory

Fiji braved the rain to see off Samoa and take home the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup 2017

Neil de Kock Q&A: I only planned to stay two years, but the love shown by Saracens meant I stayed for 11!

Scrum-half Neil de Kock returns to South Africa later this summer after 11 years in England, safe in the knowledge that...

I was left out in 2015 and I’ll risk missing 2019 to prove my class in Europe, says Exeter signing White

Revved-up Aussie maestro Nic White has revealed why he rejected the chance to fight for a place at the 2019 World...

Wales must start planning for life after Gatland now

By Wales and Lions legend Shane Williams The Lions tour told us many things about Northern Hemisphere rugby. It showed our...