In this issue

April 19, 2020

Warrior Will targets role as defence commander

STROKE victim Will Hurrell aims to forge a new career in coaching after revealing how his life might have been in danger had he continued playing for Bristol.

4 mins

Kpoku bros pose Maro twin threat at Sarries

RISING Saracens star Joel Kpoku has boldly laid out his manifesto for usurping Maro Itoje and forcing his way into England’s reckoning for the 2023 World Cup.

4 mins

Ashton blames blinkered players for sin-bin failure

THE SIN-BIN, rugby’s equivalent of the naughty step, has been around since 1997, to act as a deterrent against foul play.

5 mins

Slash salary cap and ditch marquee men

With at least another three weeks of lockdown ahead of us, people are speculating about how we can emerge from this crisis, and what our post-pandemic world will be like. In the greater scheme of things rugby’s fate is trivial, but that doesn’t stop us speculating about what might happen.

4 mins

May-day for opponents as Jonny just gets better

JONNY May’s move back to Kingsholm is great news for Gloucester fans because he would have to be in the reckoning for one of the wing shirts in any World XV. What strikes me is that he is the most improved player I’ve seen in the England squad. Over the last three seasons he has been right up there, and he tops the list ahead of Tom Curry and Sam Underhill.

4 mins

Cooch not on toughie list? It may get nasty!

Jacques Burger? No arguments there. Colin Meads? Wayne Shelford? Bang on. In compiling his “most wanted” list of rugby bruisers in these pages a week ago, the formidably knowledgeable Brendan Gallagher landed some solid blows, so to speak.

4 mins

So How Do You Fix This Mess Called The Scrum?

Nick Cain talks to scrum guru Phil Keith-Roach about the problems with the game's greatest set-piece

10 mins

Shy schoolboys whose talent shook the world

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful

4 mins

Bear cubs can go all the way says Morgan

BRISTOL’S gifted gang of backline proteges are primed to explode on to the international stage, predicts former Wales flyer Kevin Morgan.

3 mins

Whitelock inspired by hero big bro Sam

FRANCE-BASED All Blacks flanker Luke Whitelock is backing his older brother Sam to continue a remarkable family dynasty by making it all the way to the 2023 World Cup.

4 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.