Fantastic Franks turns the screw on Carnegie scrum

By NICK VERDIER Y Carnegie 18pts Tries: M. Mayhew 17, Holmes 27 Conversions: Ford 26 Penalties: Ford 3, 64 London Irish...

Paice: Pack must lay proper platform

By NICK VERDIER Sprinting home: Danny Hobbs- Awoyemi breaks clear to score for Irish PICTURE: Getty Images LONDON Irish are 80...

Casson: It’s not game over, we can hurt them

By JON NEWCOMBE Defiant: Tom Casson YORKSHIRE CARNEGIE centre Tom Casson has refused to concede defeat in the battle to win...

Kings of Europe in command position

NICK CAIN PICKS HIS BEST PREMIERSHIP TEAM FROM THE 2016-17 SEASON SARACENS’ exceptional European Cup double explains why they have almost...

Saints battle to keep Picamoles away from France

BY NEIL FISSLER Follow me on Twitter: @neilfissler Tug-of-war: Louis Picamoles NORTHAMPTON SAINTS are digging their heals in with Montpellier over...

Out go Aviva, but who will sponsor Premiership?

PREMIER RUGBY are confident of having a new title sponsor in place to replace Aviva who end their sponsorship of the...

Nakarawa demands high price for move

Expensive: Leone Nakarawa RACING 92 lock Leone Nakarawa could end up pricing himself out of a return to the UK unless...

ROOM 101

SAM MOSS THE MACCLESFIELD HOOKER TAKES US THROUGH HIS PET HATES FROM THE RUGBY WORLD AND BEYOND 1. Poor lineout lifts/jumps...

Connacht feel force of bonecrusher Courtney

By NEALE HARVEY Northampton 21pts Tries: Mallinder 2 Groom 60 Conversions: Mallinder 2 Penalties: Mallinder 16, 25, 71 Connacht 15pts Tries:...

French firepower proves too much for Blues

Stade Fr 46 Cardiff Blues 21 CARDIFF Blues will play in the Challenge Cup for the third consecutive season after defeat...

Champions Cup really will be for Europe’s elite

IT’S about time that the qualification format for the Champions Cup was changed, so I was delighted to see the announcement...

We need Bomb back coaching OUR props

Brain’s trust: Graham Rowntree talks with Adam Jones during Quins training PICTURE: Getty Images I’VE ALWAYS had a lot of time...

Zebo is magic man again for Munster

By DECLAN ROONEY Munster 23pts Tries: Saili 26, Zebo 61, Conway 75 Conversions: Bleyendaal 62 Penalties: Bleyendaal 40, 66 Ospreys 3pts...

Scarlets grit it out after first half red for Evans

By DECLAN ROONEY Leinster 15pts Tries: Ringrose 24, Conan 64 Conversions: Nacewa 25 Penalties: Nacewa 19 Scarlets 27pts Tries: S Evans...

Ritchie gets even richer thanks to RFU pay

IAN Ritchie’s sudden announcement that he is leaving his £700,000 a year post as the RFU’s chief executive this summer after...

Next week’s final promises to be an absolute cracker

BRENDAN GALLAGHER VERDICT Go forward: Thomas Waldrom and Guy Thompson, celebrating with Thomas Young, got their teams on the front foot...

Southern stars rush to beat deadline

By PETER JACKSON MORE than 30 Southern Hemisphere players will qualify for England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales before the longer residency...

Chiefs rock champs to land final with Wasps

By SAM JACKSON Clincher: Josh Bassett breaks clear to score the decisive try for Wasps IT’S Exeter Chiefs versus Wasps in...

Hogan calls for franchise system to save the north

Newcastle managing director Mick Hogan believes club rugby in the north faces terminal decline unless the RFU act to reverse a...

Young Gun: Sam Grahamslaw – Leicester prop

Switching from the back row to prop is no easy feat fresh out of school, but Sam Grahamslaw will not have...

Jeff Probyn: England will be firing the killer shots in pool of death

Like all rugby fans, I was looking forward to this week’s draw for the World Cup pools but what puzzles me...

Peter Jackson: Revitalised Broncos are bucking the trend

The Deri Broncos gave up the ghost when the last of them bolted and left the historic village club without a...

Shane Williams: Nice squad Robin, but why no spot for Davies?

Wales have got the squad balance right for their summer tour, but there’s one glaring omission – where is James Davies?...

Too much rugby? No, I want to play more says Marchant

John Kingston might think Joe Marchant has played too much rugby this season, but the young Harlequins centre is desperate for...

Room 101: Mark Wilson – Newcastle flanker

1. Topknot hairstyles Admittedly I’m not the most fashionable person around, but I can’t see why anyone would want to have...

Nick Cain: Jack can be the lad to help swing it for the Lions

You underestimate Jack Nowell at your peril, as many international defence coaches will readily concede. The nuggety Cornishman is not the...

Brendan Gallagher: Chiefs to beat Saracens but Wasps for title

There’s no guarantee a cracking regular season will produce two semi-final play-offs to remember next weekend but, frankly, it will be...

Champions Cup qualification process to change

The Pro12 nations have lost automatic qualification to the Champions Cup as EPCR today announced that only the best seven teams...

Mercer: I’ll prove why I should be in Argentina

Teenage back row sensation Zach Mercer aims to show Eddie Jones why he should have been on the senior tour to...

20 Questions: Will Owen – Rotherham centre

How do you look back at the season two weeks on? It wasn’t great and very frustrating. We started the season...

Brendan Gallagher: We’re going to miss you Ashton, try scoring ace

No one individual ever wins a match for Saracens, it’s not how they go about their work, but it was slightly...

Jeremy Guscott: French World Cup record is big threat to England

Every international coach ranked 1-8 wanted to avoid the 2019 RWC group Argentina were in. They are a nation that showed...

Nick Cain: World Cups need more pools of death

Here are the cold hard facts. There is only one “pool of death” in the 2019 World Cup draw made in...

Francis out to prove his versatility in Argentina

Gobsmacked Auckland Blues fly-half Piers Francis has revealed how he thought a 5am phone call from Eddie Jones advising him of...

My Life in Rugby: Peter Scrivener – former Wasps No.8

In the early days of professionalism, I was officially the highest paid player in the world which still makes the lads...

TEAMS: Championship final (first leg)

Yorkshire Carnegie Head Coach Bryan Redpath has named his side for the first leg of the Championship Play Off Final against...

Worcester tie down another Springbok

Worcester have announced that South Africa international Dewald Potgieter has signed a new contract to extend his stay at Sixways. Potgieter...

Flanker quits Newcastle for Ealing

Dan Temm will swap life beside the River Tyne for life near the Thames when he joins Ealing Trailfinders from Newcastle...

2018 and 2019 Six Nations fixtures announced

The fixtures for both the 2018 and 2019 Six Nations Championships have been announced. Rugby’s Greatest Championship will take place over...

All Blacks will need big guns firing – Franks

Double World Cup-winning Kiwi prop Ben Franks reckons the array of “world-class” talent within the Lions ranks, led by the indomitable...

Dream Team: Karl Dickson – Harlequins scrum-half

1. Joe Marler – One of the hardest men in rugby and that’s why he’s going on the Lions tour this...

NICK CAIN’S PLAYER WATCH…

CLERMONT 1. RAPHAEL CHAUME Did his duty at the scrum, and did not stint at close quarters Rating: 6 out of...

Ref Owens makes it tougher for Cup heroes

Clermont 17pts Tries: Lamerat 27, Abendanon 52 Conversions: Parra 28, 54 Penalties: Parra 60 Saracens 28pts Tries: Ashton 13, Kruis 22,...

French World Cup record is big threat to England

Developing: Fly-half Camille Lopez could be a danger in Japan 2019 PICTURE: Getty Images EVERY international coach ranked 1-8 wanted to...

DREAM TEAM

BRENDAN McKIBBIN, THE LONDON IRISH & FORMER WARATAHS SCRUM-HALF, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH OR AGAINST… 1. Tom...

Scotland’s shame to vote against the five-year rule

COLIN BOAG Well done World Rugby for finally getting to grips with the ridiculous three-year residency rule that led to the...

Can Laidlaw really scare New Zeland?

AS a former scrumhalf, I tend to keep an eye on how the 9s are playing at international level. I know...

Referees must stop turning a blind eye to the game’s Laws

I UNDERSTAND that even with three officials on the pitch, rugby is a difficult game to referee. However, I often feel...

English lads ahead of ‘project players’

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

Too much rugby? No, I want to play more says Marchant

By NICK VERDIER JOHN Kingston might think Joe Marchant has played too much rugby this season, but the young Harlequins centre...