In this issue

September 17, 2023

Itoje: We are here to win, not entertain

MARO Itoje insists he is not worried by England’s World Cup try famine – as long as the wins keep rolling in.

3 mins

JSD: That was the best since Jonny

FORMER Gloucester flyer James Simpson-Daniel says George Ford’s performance against Argentina last Satrurday was the best an England fly-half had played since the prime days of Jonny Wilkinson.

3 mins

Dawson: Hard for Farrell to get back

WORLD Cup winner Matt Dawson is struggling to see how captain Owen Farrell gets back into the England team after George Ford’s magnificent performance last weekend against Argentina.

4 mins

England need to extend control

CAN Japan produce another “Brighton Miracle”, mirroring their incredible win over South Africa in RWC 2015 by beating England in RWC 2023, or will it be a “Nice Nightmare” instead?

5 mins

Scrum-halves taking over as Springboks ring changes

JACQUES Nienaber’s South Africa have built themselves on versatility and that philosophy is illustrated with four scrumhalves in the match day 23 for their encounter against Romania today.

2 mins

Portugal make it hard for Wales

WALES may have won this second round Pool D encounter on the Cote D’Azur, and secured another four-try bonus point in the process, but it was Portugal who posted the best news of all.

3 mins

Ireland get in mood for Springbok clash

IRELAND dealt with the potential banana skin of Tonga in consummate style at Nantes, dismissing the dangerous islanders to go into next week's much anticipated clash with South Africa confiwith their dence high and game in excellent shape

2 mins

Equation is simple now for Fijian bid

THE World Cup has turned into a knockout tournament for Fiji after last weekend’s heartache in Bordeaux when they fell tantalisingly short against Wales.

3 mins

Fiji miss chance to see off Wales

WALES survived a late Fijian fightback to secure an important bonus point victory in an entertaining affair at Stade Jacques Chaban-Delmas.

2 mins

Jersey stun Bath with famous win

ANY questions over whether Jersey Reds’ could mix it with the Premiership’s finest we’re already answered by the time Russell Bennett sprinted over on the 67th minute to finish one of the silkiest tries this season.

2 mins

Fit-again Richards is setting his sights high

BATH’s Ewan Richards is hoping that he can put last season’s injury troubles behind him and keep pushing forward at The Rec, whether it is at lock or in the hotly-contested back row.

2 mins

High-flying Codling is perfect fit for Falcons

ALEX Codling has taken a roundabout route to land a top coaching job in the Premiership – and believes his experience of different countries and leagues will help him push Newcastle up the table.

3 mins

Read all stories from The Rugby Paper

The Rugby Paper Magazine Description:

The Rugby Paper, the UK's number 1 selling rugby title, brings you exclusive stories, reports and features on your device, published in exceptional clarity. It contains renowned journalists such as Nick Cain and Peter Jackson, and famous former players as columnists including Jeremy Guscott and Jeff Probyn. Published every Sunday, The Rugby Paper covers Rugby Union from national teams and Premiership / Rabo Direct down to grass roots.