Blindside - Page 4 of 22 - News, interviews, analysis and opinion

Heald predicts a four-way battle

National 2 East BY BEN JAYCOCK THIS season is a golden opportunity for one of last season’s title contenders to take...

Springboks open box of tricks as they leave Wallabies at the gate

By PAUL REES Australia.............................. 7pts Tries: Paisami 76 Conversions: Lynagh 77 South Africa .................... 33pts Tries: Kolisi 10, du Toit 24,...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Jones facing Italy tester

Preview ■By BEN JAYCOCK Japan v Italy Today. 6.05am EDDIE Jones will be hoping his horror start in charge of Japan...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Mapimpi hat-trick sparks Springboks as Portugal go under

■By SAM JACKSON DISCIPLINE was an issue for a much changed South Africa but, despite their numerical disadvantage, the Springboks had...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Hat-trick for Ashman as Scots down the Eagles

By Sam Jackson USA ........................ 7pts Tries: Boni 32 Conversions: MacGinty 33 Scotland .......... 42pts Tries: van der Merwe 6, Ashman...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Wales show defiance but the wait goes on

PETER JACKSON All week long the Red Dragon legions had planned their regimental mobilisation with just enough military precision to let...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Peter Jackson: Warrior Peter O’Mahony learns a brutal lesson

A Grand Slam winner last year, Peter O’Mahony backed it up by captaining Ireland to a second successive Six Nations title.

By Peter Jackson

The key talking points ahead of the second Test between Australia and Wales

Wales have not won a Test match since the 2023 World Cup. Wales will have another chance to try and end...

By The Rugby Paper Team

England go close but All Blacks have enough to take honours

By NICK CAIN New Zealand.................... 16pts Tries: Reece 16, Savea 25 Penalties: McKenzie 55, 66 England .............................. 15pts Tries: Itoje 21,...

By The Rugby Paper Team

RFU still has urgent questions to answer

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK The biggest story of the season in the domestic game in England came...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Trio who tempt us to search for genius

CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED What do we mean when we talk of genius? It is a question as old as Noah,...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Argentina stun hosts with devastating driving maul

By JAMES ORPIN South Africa... 12 Argentina........ 31 ARGENTINA bounced back from their opening round defeat against England to dominate tournament...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Aaron on a mission as he hits 50 mark

By SIMON THOMAS AARON Wainwright is set to win his 50th Wales cap against Australia in Sydney next weekend – a...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Baby Blacks hold off Welsh battlers

U20S WORLD CUP POOL A By WILLIAM GUPWELL Wales……………… 34pts Tries: Anderson 11, Hennessey 41, 55, Emanuel 73, Page 78 Conversions:...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Fiji have no answers as Baby Boks take charge

By JAMES ORPIN South Africa ....57pts Tries: Julius 9, 36, Damon 13, Leotlela 32, Bakkes 43, Mahashe 65, Finca 69, Moos...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Bracken’s hat-trick inspires England

U20S WORLD CUP POOL C By WILLIAM GUPWELL England ...............40pts Tries: Bracken 34, 65, 68 Redshaw 38, Sela 44, Pollock 50,...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Sensational Warriors hold on to defy Bulls

By LUKE JARMYN Bulls .................................... 16pts Glasgow Warriors .......... 21pts Tries: Van Staden 24 Conversions: Goosen 25 Penalties: Goosen 1, 14,...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Sing is on song for a double triumph

■By MARK STEVENS Gloucester-Hartpury.... 36pts Bristol Bears ................... 24pts Tries: Hunt 25, Hendy 54, Sing 58, Venner 62, Jones 68 Conversions:...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Munster can’t live with slick Warriors

By JOHN FALLON Munster .............................10pts Tries: Frisch 56 Conversions: Crowley 57 Penalties: Crowley 13 Glasgow.............................17pts Tries: Steyn 24, Cancelliere 51 Conversions:...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Latest News

/ 2 years ago

Mistake to select Tom and not Ted

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Ted Hill must be wondering what else he has to do to get...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Club Rugby

/ 2 years ago

Seven-try Yorkshire put Surrey to the sword

Women’s Division 1 Surrey ……………… 7pts Tries: Grove 76 Conversions: Hill 77 Yorkshire……….37pts Tries: Green 9, Gould 33, Brown 40, Akwiwu...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Premiership

/ 2 years ago

Northampton’s brilliant trio are leaving the club in the best hands

BRENDAN GALLAGHER You don’t always get what you deserve in sport, not least when it comes to the send-off you dream...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Latest News

/ 2 years ago

Borthwick needs a clear direction

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK The fog around England’s take-off as an attacking force in the latter stages...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Letters

/ 2 years ago

Mercer deserves his chance

What more does Zach Mercer have to do to get a chance with England? Sadly, I wasn’t surprised to see his...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Jeremy Guscott

/ 2 years ago

England starting to look like Lions

JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE... EVERY WEEK A year out from the 2025 Lions tour of Australia it’s still hard to...

By The Rugby Paper Team

English Gallagher Premiership

/ 2 years ago

Smith has final say for Saints

By BRENDAN GALLAGHER Northampton Saints..... 22pts Tries: Odendaal 19 Conversions: Smith 20 Penalties: Smith 28, 31, 40, 62, 70 Saracens ...........................20pts...

By The Rugby Paper Team

British and Irish Lions

/ 2 years ago

Lawes still has Lions in his sights

Courtney Lawes was typically modest when he was presented with the Rugby Union Writers Club’s prestigious Pat Marshall Award as the...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Bill Beaumont Cup

/ 2 years ago

Five-star Oxfordshire power into last four

By LUKE JARMYN Division 2 round-up OXFORDSHIRE scored five tries with their best performance of the campaign to grab a 34-27...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Dream Team

/ 2 years ago

Camborne make impact but top two dominate final line-up

NATIONAL 2 WEST DREAM TEAM >> THE BEST XV FROM 2023-24 AS VOTED FOR BY OUR REPORTERS After Dings Crusaders’ National...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Latest News

/ 2 years ago

Going, that bundle of barbed wire, a match for Edwards

SID Going, who died last Sunday aged 80, might have been a man of God but the diminutive scrum-half from Kawakawa...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Latest News

/ 2 years ago

Big Ben strikes at right time for Sale

By PAUL REES Ben Curry is often referred to as the twin brother of Tom, the 50-cap England flanker who has...

By The Rugby Paper Team

United Rugby Championship

/ 2 years ago

High-five as Cardiff seal first league win of 2024

By LUKE JARMYN Sharks .............. 14pts Tries: Appollis 24, Bosch 76 Conversions: Cronje 25, 77 Cardiff ..............34pts Tries: Lawrence 14, Donnell...

By The Rugby Paper Team

United Rugby Championship

/ 2 years ago

Deadly Davies does Italian job for the Scarlets

By LUKE JARMYN Zebre.................. 18pts Tries: Licata 3, Hasa 51 Conversions: Montemauri 4 Penalties: Montemauri 23, 27 Scarlets ............ 22pts Tries:...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Premiership Women's Rugby

/ 2 years ago

Leaders hand Hyatt first start at fly-half

PREVIEW... Gloucester Hartpury v Trailfinders Today. Kick-off 2pm By BEN JAYCOCK REIGNING champions and league pacesetters Gloucester-Hartpury make nine changes ahead...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Brendan Gallagher

/ 2 years ago

Lawes is level with England’s greatest

RUGBY MATTERS Members of the Rugby Writers club have recently been voting for the Pat Marshall award which we scribes use...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Bill Beaumont Cup

/ 2 years ago

It’s Harry Houdini as Cheshire steal it late

By LUKE JARMYN Division 2 round-up IN the penultimate round of County Championship group fixtures, 12 sides battled it out in...

By The Rugby Paper Team

United Rugby Championship

/ 2 years ago

It’s been a crazy six months, says new Welsh star

By SIMON THOMAS Alex Mann is the first to admit his “crazy” journey over the past six months hasn’t really sunk...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Premiership

/ 2 years ago

Russell masterclass has Bath in top gear

By LUKE JARMYN Newcastle......................... 17pts Tries: Blamire 30, 40+2, Stuart 63 Conversions: Connon 64 Bath .................................... 28pts Tries: du Toit 4,...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Chris Hewett

/ 2 years ago

Rugby’s holy trinity prove the difference

CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED SINCE time immemorial, rugby has been cloaked in its own cliches: Prince Obolensky was always “dashing”; Colin...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Brendan Gallagher

/ 2 years ago

50 years ago, the Lions start to sweat

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER At the start of the year, this column...

By The Rugby Paper Team

National League 2N

/ 2 years ago

Titans time their run to perfection and finish with the lion’s share

Following Rotherham’s late run to secure the National Two North title, Ben Jaycock canvassed the views of our reporters to select...

By The Rugby Paper Team

English Championship

/ 2 years ago

Scottish made us fight all the way, says Cov coach Rae

By PAUL SMITH Coventry ...........27pts Tries: Anstey 16, Wand 35, Chudley 44, Ma’asi 73 Conversions: Mitchell 44, 73 Penalty: Mitchell 27...

By The Rugby Paper Team

National League One

/ 2 years ago

Chinnor and Rams dominate in toughest league in the country

The best XV from 2023/24 as voted for by our correspondents Following Chinnor’s run to secure the National One title, Ben...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Super Rugby Pacific and Japanese Division One

/ 2 years ago

Perenara tops try list as ’Canes march on

Super Rugby Pacific round-up By BEN JAYCOCK TJ Perenara became the all-time top Super Rugby try scorer as his table topping...

By The Rugby Paper Team

National League One

/ 2 years ago

Balding casts admiring look at Chinnor as a benchmark

By BEN JAYCOCK Birmingham Moseley director of rugby Adam Balding has tipped his hat to National One winners Chinnor after his...

By Ben Jaycock

National League 2W

/ 2 years ago

James leads Uni in stylish show

■By LUKE JARMYN Exeter Uni................38 Chester..................... 19 ENGLAND under-20 inter national Kane James put in a try-scoring man-of-the match show as...

By The Rugby Paper Team