Championship - Page 31 of 106 - News, interviews, reports, analysis

Dowson hoping Lawes will stay

By JON NEWCOMBE Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson still harbours some hope that Courtney Lawes has a future at Franklin’s...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Moody: Ireland hold the aces

By GARY FITZGERALD Lewis Moody still harbours doubts that England are ready to lift the Six Nations crown despite a confident...

By Gary Fitzgerald

Tigers keen to make it a day to remember

By JON NEWCOMBE PREVIEW... Ealing v Leicester Today. Kick-off 3pm, Trailfinders Sports Ground LEICESTER scrumhalf Tom Whiteley wants to give Hanro...

By The Rugby Paper Team

We want to create some more history, says Ward

By BEN JAYCOCK No fear: Coach Ben Ward EALING Trailfinders finished top of Pool D following a clean sweep of victories...

By The Rugby Paper Team

A new spirit of unity is in the air

NICK CAIN For the moment it is jaw-jaw rather than war-war in the Championship’s dispute with the RFU over their right...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Long breaks do us no favours – Rayer

By BEN JAYCOCK Bedford Blues have made a promising start to this season’s truncated Championship but director of rugby Mike Rayer...

By The Rugby Paper Team

DREAM TEAM

RORY BARTLE, THE FORMER NORTH OTAGO, LONDON SCOTTISH, JERSEY REDS, GLOUCESTER & WALES U20S LOCK, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Young Guns: England U20s and Sale prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour

By BEN JAYCOCK With an ageing front row, England are crying out for youthful props who can go toe to toe...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Dutch and Germans proving their worth

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER Round Three of the Rugby Europe championship concludes...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Benvenuto! Great to see Lynagh eventually opting for Italy

RUGBY MATTERS EVEN though I recently predicted in The Rugby Paper podcast that Louis Lynagh would be a starting wing...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Super Rugby Pacific and Japanese Division One

/ 2 years ago

Crusaders aiming for six of the best

Super Rugby Preview Ben Jaycock looks forward to the new Super Rugby season with the Melbourne Rebels fighting to survive THE...

By The Rugby Paper Team

University rugby should be part of RFU pathway

Coach to Coach Former Richmond director of rugby Steve Hill puts the questions to John Barnes, below, director of rugby at...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Bargoed blow race wide open

Championship round-up THE top of the table clash in Championship East went the way of Bargoed who won 40-25 at leaders...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Super Rugby Americas preview

With the Six Nations on ice until next weekend, fans’ attention can return to the grind of domestic action, with many...

By Nick Powell

Earl backing England temperament to help “right the wrongs” against Scots

Ben Earl has praised England‘s improved ability to bounce back from pressure situations which he feels will stand them in good...

By Nick Powell

Ireland breeze past Italy to return to top of the table

By NICK POWELL Ireland……………………………………..36 Tries: Crowley 7, Sheehan 24, 50; Conan 37, Lowe 62, Nash 78 Conversions: Crowley 25, 38; Byrne...

By Nick Powell

Anglo-Welsh league ‘depends on money’

By PAUL REES Premiership coaches have given their backing to Warren Gatland’s call for an Anglo-Welsh league – as long as...

By The Rugby Paper Team

After two wins, it just gets harder from here for England

SIX NATIONS 2024 PAUL REES England named an unchanged side for the first time since the 2019 World Cup, but although...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Are England in transition? Not really, and they should be kicking on purposefully

BRENDAN GALLAGHER Two very average teams produced a pretty sub par Test match in front of an intermittently mute Twickenham crowd...

By The Rugby Paper Team

That was a try – but the record will not reflect it

SIX NATIONS 2024 BRENDAN GALLAGHER THERE is a three-volume book to be written on false dawns, shattered dreams and broken hearts...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Why the RFU needs to justify its CVC payments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK THE recent observation by CVC that rugby union is too fragmented on the...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Shock for Portugal as Belgium beat the odds

By JON NEWCOMBE Cornish Pirates full-back Jordan Gott hopes that playing a part in Belgium rugby’s best-ever win will be the...

By The Rugby Paper Team

The day John took on the NZ bully boys

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Barry John shall forever occupy a unique place in the rugby Pantheon in...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Norey’s treble helps Exeter run riot to leave Scarlets on the floor

Friendlies By MARK STEVENS Exeter ............. 57pts Tries: Norey 9, 48, 61; Rigg 14, 23; Hodge 21, Pearson 63, Yeandle 78,...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Quins get in the mood for Munster challenge

FRIENDLIES By MO SHER L Scottish .........12pts Tries: Nutton 35, Mehson 69 Conversion: Sheppard 70 Harlequins .......22pts Tries: Jibulu 5, 38;...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Paton Field proving tough place to visit

AS one of the travelling blue and white faithful who witnessed Coventry RFC’s narrow 26-22 reverse up at Caldy last weekend,...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Gallagher delight as Caldy down Cov

By BEN JAYCOCK Coming off the bench to score a hat-trick and spearhead Caldy’s upset victory over title fighting Coventry last...

By The Rugby Paper Team

All Blacks in Dublin will be the acid test

CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED EARLY February is not obviously the moment to select a highlight of the calendar year. Especially if...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Legend who had no wish to be one

Paul Rees says it was hard not to fall in love with rugby as a young boy, watching his hero play...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Dominant Ealing make it look easy

By TOM JOHNSON Ealing Trailfinders.. 40pts Tries: Cornish 4, Holmes 12, Bird-Tulloch 19, Cordy-Redden 35, 53; O’Brien 80 Conversions: Twelvetrees 4,...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Superstar who paved the way for many more

BRENDAN GALLAGHER IT’S hard to quantify genius let alone compare one genius with another – although that never stops us trying...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Newport lead pack behind Drovers

Welsh round-up By CARL FIELD NEWPORT moved up to second in the Premiership table after they beat RGC 43-17 to make it...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Now watch Dyer take off, says Thomas

By MEGAN ARMITAGE Gareth Thomas is backing Rio Dyer to fill the void left by Louis Rees-Zammit’s shock departure from rugby....

By The Rugby Paper Team

Calvet’s likely to step in at Agen

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN France Under-20s coach Sebastien Calvet has emerged as favourite to replace Bernard Goutta on the conveyor-belt of...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Wales get set for Aussie challenge

WALES’ two-Test tour of Australia in July will see matches take place in Sydney and Melbourne. Warren Gatland will take his...

By The Rugby Paper Team

What’s in The Rugby Paper: 11/02/24

England and Wales reignite one of international rugby’s oldest and greatest rivalries on Saturday and they’ll be action, comments and analysis...

By Nick Powell

Dallaglio urges England to win more matches than they lose

By GARY FITZGERALD Lawrence Dallaglio has challenged England to “get some credit” back in the bank by winning more games than...

By Gary Fitzgerald

England look ready to throw off the chains

SIX NATIONS 2024 PAUL REES CLOSE yet comfortable summed up a contradictory England performance. Exposed in defence at times, they smothered...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Scotland hold off amazing Wales revival

SIX NATIONS 2024 By PETER JACKSON Wales................................. 26pts Tries: Botham 47, Dyer 53, Wainwright 60, Mann 68 Conversions: Lloyd 54, 61,...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Diamond’s dual role can’t be right

The Twickenham suits are also not averse to turning a blind eye when a conflict-of-interests is involved. Perhaps the RFU’s performance...

By The Rugby Paper Team

France can only watch as Irish put on a show

By PAUL REES France.................................17pts Tries: Penaud 40, Gabrillagues 53 Conversions: Ramos 42, 53 Penalties: Ramos 27 Ireland............................... 38pts Tries: Gibson-Park 16,...

By The Rugby Paper Team

Brendan Gallagher

/ 2 years ago

Confident Crowley shows why he deserves the keys to No.10

BRENDAN GALLAGHER SIX NATIONS 2024 Regular readers of The Rugby Paper will recall that I told you a very long time...

By The Rugby Paper Team

U20 Six Nations

/ 2 years ago

Murphy kicks Ireland to thrilling win at the death

By BEN JAYCOCK France................31pts Tries: Castro-Ferreira 11, 35; Tuifua 46, Perrin 72 Conversions: Raffy 12, 36, 47, 73 Penalties: Raffy 64...

By The Rugby Paper Team