The Rugby Paper Magazine - March 30, 2025

In this issue

March 30, 2025

Roebuck:Sale will make the play-offs

TOM Roebuck scored twice for Sale in their thrilling win over Northampton and then declared: \"We're gunning for the play-offs.\"

1 min

Sweeney's survival is good news-Diamond

STEVE Diamond believes calls to oust the RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney, who last week survived a no confidence vote at a special meeting of clubs, were misguided.

3 mins

Diamond glad to see Sweeney survive

\"The game needs more money and only a business person can drive up the revenue which then cascades down. If someone brings in £100m in a sponsorship deal and then gets a bonus, how many in the world would deny them that?

2 mins

Coaches call to keep 'gladiatorial' contest

RUGBY has always been a game built on power, intensity and ‘relentless confrontation’.

1 min

Grondona: We will take it to England

SANTIAGO Grondona says Argentina are determined to lay down a marker when they host England for a two-Test series this summer.

2 mins

Stooke sets sights on a Prem return

ELLIOTT Stooke is loving life in Japan but claims he has unfinished business to take care of in the form of a Premiership title.

2 mins

Greenwood: Fin could play at 10 for Lions

FIN Smith has emerged as a live contender to wear the Lions No.10 Test jer sey down under, accord ing to Will Greenwood.

1 min

Winnett sets his sights on winning back Wales place

CAM Winnett admits he was \"gutted\" and \"hurt\" to be left out of Wales' Six Nations squad but the Cardiff full-back says he has turned that negative into a positive by taking the opportunity to reemerge as a better player.

2 mins

Spanish rain can't unsettle Freeman

TOMMY Freeman flew to Majorca for a break after the Six Nations and not even the rain in Spain could dampen his satisfaction at becoming the first England player to score a try in all five rounds.

3 mins

Schmidt is getting better, admits Farrell

LIONS coach Andy Farrell fears Australia boss Joe Schmidt has stepped up a level and is a notch above the coach he was when he left the Ire land job.

1 min

Wilson keen to keep Halfpenny at Quins

LEIGH Halfpenny will be hanging around The Stoop a lot longer if Danny Wilson gets his way having described the veteran fullback as a “model pro and mentor.”

2 mins

Wigglesworth delight as he joins Lions team

RICHARD Wigglesworth's meteoric rise to the top of the coaching ladder may have surprised some but it is all part of the former scrum-half's masterplan.

2 mins

Hookers allowed to bend law

LAST weekend, Austin Healey made a very good point in commentary, concerning lineouts which he termed \"the law of unfortunate consequences\".

1 min

We're pandering to thrill seekers

MUCH as we love to see exciting running rugby and superbly crafted tries, surely it can't just be me who thinks that if victory in a game is achieved outside the laws, it is meaningless.

1 min

Dangers of not jumping at lineout

CHRIS Hewett's article stating that a hooker's try from a 5m lineout is all but inevitable and indefensible was an interesting look at a problem in the game. However, I believe that there is another factor at play.

1 min

Falcons £5m loan is the final straw

THE £5m loan to Newcastle Falcons is the final straw for me, and I say this as a Harlequins fan: the Premiership is a cartel that does not want anyone to join.

1 min

Williams: We have to work harder on our defence

BRISTOL have a licence to thrill but James Williams acknowledges that if they are to win the Premiership for the first time, they will need to front up defensively.

2 mins

Time to move on, and build game

I PRAY for more stability in this great game of ours now we have finally reached a conclusion to this SGM debacle.

1 min

Farrell's team shows he has an eye on the future

BEFORE I went on a Lions tour I knew a bit about the great players like Gareth Edwards who had worn the jersey, but didn't know much about the coaching set-up apart from that Carwyn James had been the mastermind behind the 1971 Lions beating the All Blacks.

4 mins

Van Graan: Brilliant! The Rec was really rocking today

BATH coach Johann van Graan cut a satisfied figure at the end.

1 min

Bath give Quins a lesson in finishing

RUNAWAY leaders Bath continued their romp to the play-offs with another exhilarating demolition job, helping themselves to seven tries against a Quins side that were fatally slow out of the blocks.

2 mins

Dynamic Gloucester give Bears a mauling - Wade

GLOUCESTER secured the double over their West Country rivals to climb to third in a devastating display of attacking rugby.

3 mins

Pollock shines but Sale take honours

HENRY Pollock is a bolter for the Lions squad, Sale's play-off bid is alive and well and Northampton's title defence is all but over.

2 mins

Diamond: There's still fight in Falcons

STEVE Diamond believes there is still fight in his Newcastle side, despite them slipping to a late loss at fellow strugglers Exeter.

1 min

Fisilau on hand to snatch it for Chiefs

IN Greg Fisilau, Exeter Chiefs have a player they see as a cornerstone for their future growth.

2 mins

McCall is urging his charges to show some fight

MARK McCall admits his players need to start \"fighting and scrapping together\" if they want to One end their stuttering sea son with a bang.

2 mins

Cheika: Home advantage is a key factor

AS the Premiership campaign approaches the home straight, Michael Cheika is looking for home advantage to take Leicester into the play-offs.

2 mins

Don't rule out a Faz&Son reunion

IF Thomas Ramos was eligible for the 2025 Lions tour of Australia, the French full-back's 82 per cent goal-kicking strike rate would make him one of the first names on head coach Andy Farrell's team sheet.

1 min

RFU must prioritise return of promotion

IN defeat, defiance.

4 mins

Jibulu's backed for England call

ALEX Sanderson is confident he will have another England recruit on his hands when Harlequins hooker Nathan Jibulu arrives at Sale in the summer.

3 mins

I'm prepared to rip anything up to improve - Hunter

NEW Exeter head coach Rob Hunter says he has taken charge at the right time even though the Chiefs are enduring their worst Premiership campaign since they were promoted 15 years ago.

2 mins

'It wasn't meant to be a tea party...'

DOUG Smith, team manager of the 1971 Lions and therefore a rugby man of substance, was blunt in his assessment of his opponents on that famous tour: “They were bastards, the New Zealanders,” he was not talking of anyone in particular, possibly because there was too much choice, but one name remains synonymous with the darker, rougher side of events on that trip.

1 min

Explosion of tries is turning into a circus

SOME of us remember “Mr Creosote”, the Monty Python character who, after a light dinner of pate, shellfish, frogs’ legs, caviar, jugged hare with a cream and Grand Marnier sauce, a superabundance of egg dishes, another helping of pate, half a dozen bottles of claret, a Methuselah of bubbly, enough brown ale to fill an ocean-going liner, and a single wafer-thin mint…finally reaches breaking point… and explodes, all over the restaurant. That was in 1983.

3 mins

France get their act together to finish off Scotland

A CLINICAL secondhalf performance saw Les Bleues secure backto-back wins and hand Scotland their first loss of the tournament.

2 mins

Kildunne hat-trick inspires England

ENGLAND spoiled Sean Lynn's homecoming as a record crowd of 21,186 witnessed half-centurion Ellie Kildunne's hat-trick of tries, which helped her side power past Wales.

3 mins

Cooper urges U18s to throw off shackles

AHEAD of the U18s Women's Six Nations, England head coach James Cooper is urging his side to take the shackles off and have confidence in their abilities.

2 mins

Play-offs are still on cards for Scarlets

SCARLETS beat their fiercest rivals for the first time since New Year's Day 2022 by winning a remarkable game to keep their play-off hopes alive.

2 mins

Beirne looking for Munster to step up

Munster skipper Tadhg Beirne said they will need to improve for next weekend’s Champions Cup trip to La Rochelle despite producing their best display of the season.

1 min

Horne leads the way for Glasgow

GEORGE Horne became Glasgow Warriors’ record try-scorer as the Scottish side gave the Scotstoun faithful plenty to celebrate with a lethal showing in truly conditions on Saturday night.

1 min

Leinster stand firm to take out Sharks

A VASTLY understrength Leinster side carved out a brilliant win in a real arm-wrestle contest at Kings Park.

1 min

How the split bench is dividing the game

WHEN Rassie Erasmus first opted for a 7-1 split on the bench against New Zealand at Twickenham before the 2023 World Cup, he described an initiative which has come to be decried as dangerous and bad for the game's image and load management.

9 mins

Sheedy shocked by the negativity

CALLUM Sheedy says he has been shocked by the negativity surrounding Welsh rugby since heading back across the bridge.

2 mins

Knights going back in time to celebrate 150th anniversary

DONCASTER Knights' 150th anniversary coincides with club president Steve Lloyd's 50th year of involvement at the proud Yorkshire club.

2 mins

Striving to keep the Tigers ahead of the pack

THE old warriors from the ancient rugby tribes of the East Midlands pushed their grudges aside for a few hours last week and converged on an 11th century village, united in paying their last respects to a grand old man of the English game.

2 mins

Itojeready to follow in steps of Sir Gareth

MARO Itoje has climbed so high so swiftly that he will soon reach a place above the clouds where Gareth Edwards planted a Welsh flag almost 50 years ago.

3 mins

Rampaging Ealing destroy Nottingham

EALING Trailfinders extended their lead at the top of the League with a 12-try demolition of Nottingham, with wing Tom Collins scoring four including a first-half hat-trick.

1 min

Prowse on Blues back

A BRACE from Matt Worley helped Bedford Blues return to winning ways with a bonus point success over Cornish Pirates.

2 mins

Bench come on to give Coventry extra push

A REMARKABLE end-to-end game featuring 11 tries and four yellow cards end-ed with Coventry claiming a thrilling come-from-be-hind bonus-point win.

1 min

Knights take their time to get up to right speed

AN impressive second half display from Doncaster saw them cruise to a big win at high-flying Athletic Ground.

2 mins

destroy Nottingham

game from Luke Frost put the cherry on the cake for Bedford to wrap things up.

1 min

Ampthill fight back to leave Caldy on the ropes again

A STRONG second-half performance saw Ampthill produce an incredible 15-point comeback to defeat Caldy.

1 min

Cambridge can't keep tight grip on Hartpury

HARTPURY went away from Grantchester Road with five points but were pushed all the way by a determined Cambridge side who felt themselves unlucky not to pick up a couple of bonus points.

2 mins

I'm proud I've been a Pirate over 200 times

I WAS really proud to be able to make over 200 appearances for Cornish Pirates.

6 mins

Camborne prepare for Clifton showdown

CAMBORNE flyer Alex Ducker has been scoring some vital tries in his bid to take the club \"where it's never been before\" by breaking into National One.

2 mins

Tykes are looking set for promotion

LEEDS Tykes lock Jake Brady says his side are feeling good mentally as they aim to secure promotion to National One.

2 mins

Sims: Every game TJs play is like a cup final

TONBRIDGE Juddians are in pole position in the race for promotion to National One but face stiff competition as the end of the season looms into view.

2 mins

Stortford snatch it in ding-dong affair

THIS was a ding-dong battle between two sides, playing only for mid-table pride, but fiercely contested, nevertheless.

1 min

TJs give Raiders the runaround

TONBRIDGE Juddians moved one step closer to promotion after claiming a valuable bonus point win at Guernsey Raiders.

1 min

I really enjoy taking on the big teams

Jack Emery talks to the in-form 23-year-old Coventry full-back Charlie Robson about his career aspirations

5 mins

That's a bit harsh on Colin

IT can be cruel what distinguished former internationals get remembered for and there is a case in point this week with the passing, aged 82, of Colin McFadyen.

1 min

The day Grizz gave pack a monstering

T’S A shame fly on the wall sports documentaries weren’t a thing back in the 1980s because, as a result, we have been denied concrete evidence of the only scrummaging session at training that realistically mattered. An infamous beasting that Jim Telfer inflicted on the 1997 Lions in Pretoria.

5 mins

Epsom College go on rampage

EPSOM College scored five tries to beat a spirited Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg in the final.

1 min

King Edward's too strong for Cheltenham

KING Edward's School fought relentlessly to secure a marginal victory over Cheltenham College to win the Vase final.

1 min

Brighton time get better of Millfield

BRIGHTON College finally ended their wait for a first ever Rosslyn Park Nation al School 7s Cup title on Friday.

2 mins

Exeter's double joy

EXETER College secured back-to-back titles with victory over Oaklands College in the final.

1 min

Peter Symonds in unstoppable form

PETER Symonds College put their demons behind them to win their first ever girls U18 Rosslyn Park National 7s Cup title.

1 min

I like playing open, fast and attractive rugby

What is your playing background and how did you get into coaching rugby?

4 mins

Regional powers will help grow the game

WITH the SGM now concluded, the English game will be waiting to see if the agreed increase in regional power distribution to all levels of the game will in fact happen. Which poses the question: where will that take England rugby in the near future?

4 mins

Gustard to stay at Stade after all

So, Paul Gustard will remain at Stade Francais next season after all despite being to be released from the final year of his contract to join Premiership side Leicester.

4 mins

12-try Merthyr crush Narberth

MERTHYR are the new leaders in the Welsh Premiership after running in a dozen tries in a crushing 78-17 home win over Narberth with Pontypridd losing at Brecon.

1 min

Cardiff Met's shock for Bath

BUCS Super Rugby entered the quarter-finals phase this week with sixth seeds Cardiff Met causing the biggest upset by beating third seed Bath 36-28 away from home.

1 min

Springbok flier Kolbe shows his class for Sungoliath

SPRINGBOKS speedster Cheslin Kolbe was among the try scorers for Tokyo Sungoliath in a 22-17 victory over the Shizuoka Blue Revs.

1 min

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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.