Charismatic Farrell the right choice for Lions

ANDY Farrell is a very good choice as Lions head coach of the 2025 tour of Australia.

Farrell will cost Racing £500k transfer fee

SARACENS have put a €600,000 (£515,000) price tag on England’s World Cup skipper, Owen Farrell, before they agree to let him move to Racing 92.

Slade does it again for Exeter

HENRY Slade proved to be Exeter's match-winner once again as the Chiefs beat Glasgow 19-17 to book their spot in the Champions Cup knockouts.

'RFU deal would cut our funds by 50%'

CHAMPIONSHIP clubs would be nearly 50 per cent worse off in real terms if they agree to the Tier 2 funding model currently proposed by the RFU.

Teenager Morse is too good for Cardiff

TEENAGE sensation Morgan Morse was the star of the show on New Year's Day as the 18-year-old scored one of the tries of the season in Ospreys win over Cardiff at Bridgend's Brewery Field.

Jones delight as Caldy hit heights

THREE years ago Caldy players could only have dreamt of competing in the Championship, but the Merseyside club are on a roll having picked up three wins from their last four.

50 up for Muir as he sets sights on a podium finish

SHRUGGING off defenders has proved far easier than his nickname for Will Muir, the man they call \"Horse\" for his galloping runs to the line.

Malins puts Bristol on the right course

MAX Malins took centre stage at both ends of the field as Bristol destroyed Sale's 12-match winning Premiership streak on home soil.

Devoto back with a new lease of life

OLLIE Devoto says he's been given a new lease of life this season after battling back from a potentially career-ending injury to his hips.

Time for Borthwick to put faith in Itoje

STEVE Borthwick struck a positive note this week when he made it clear that the here-and-now, as in the Six Nations, is his top priority.

Tactical subs are spoiling the game

REDUCING the number of tactical substitutes is something I've wanted for a long time, and it's great that a coach of Warren Gatland's stature now feels the same. It's now a matter of some urgency, and I would not mess around by trying to trial it.

Sleightholme leads the Saints fightback

NORTHAMPTON all at sea for the first 30 minutes but all singing and dancing for the remainder of the game - came back from a massive 26-point deficit to end Exeter's long unbeaten run at Sandy Park.

McCall: I wouldn't blame Farrell

SARACENS boss Mark McCall did little last night to dampen the speculation that England captain Owen Farrell is set to join Racing 92 next season.

Borthwick wants to dominate Six Nations

ENGLAND boss Steve Borthwick has vowed to put his side back on the Six Nations map and leave thoughts of the next World Cup on the back burner for now.

Champions crash Harlequins party

REIGNING champions Gloucester-Hartpury spoiled Harlequins’ party at Big Game 15 with a fine victory at Twickenham to make it four wins from four and move third in the table.

We've got a long way to go-Van Graan

BATH head of rugby Johann van Graan insists his table-topping team “have achieved nothing yet” as they bid to sign off on a rollercoaster year with a statement win.

Quins take honours in Big Game showdown

THE 15th and possibly biggest Big Match to date saw Quins in prime form for much of the game against a stubborn Gloucester who fought hard, if unsuccessfully, to avoid their eighth consecutive Premiership defeat.

Bailey glad to learn from Finn

AFTER being prematurely cast as Bath’s first-choice fly-half, precocious homegrown talent Orlando Bailey says he is enjoying his supporting role to main act Finn Russell.

England's attack has to have a revamp

\"The offloads and breaks made by inside-centres are crucial in creating momentum\"

Bristol and Bath chasing Welsh prop

WEST Country rivals Bath and Bristol are battling over Wales loosehead Nicky Smith, who could activate a get-out clause written into his contract and leave Ospreys at the end of the season.

RFU has utterly failed to bring the game together

HERE’S wishing The Rugby Paper’s loyal readers, and fans of the game everywhere, a happy and healthy New Year!

Chessum hits 50 and links up with Martin in the row

AS he prepares to make his 50th appearance for Leicester against Bath, Ollie Chessum is set for a new experience - a first start in the Tigers second row alongside England colleague George Martin.

Smith stars on the big stage

MARCUS Smith delivered a man-of-the-match performance as Harlequins signed off 2023 with a 32-26 victory over Gloucester in front of 76,813 at Twickenham.

Halliday: No way we can agree RFU deal

SIMON Halliday has condemned the threat by RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney to relegate the 11 Championship clubs if they fail to sign up to the \"Premiership 2\" franchise plans in the PGP deal, as not only outside RFU regulations, but also probably illegal.

Steel City seeing switch in power

SHEFFIELD have long played second fiddle to their city rivals, Sheffield Tigers, but the balance of power in the Steel City could be shifting.

Pirates putting their faith in youth

GAVIN Cattle says the influx of Cornish youth has brought increased enthusiasm at Pirates which he describes as a 'pleasure to coach.'

Quins are in strong position, says Joe

HARLEQUINS Joe Launchbury feels it's crucial his team display strong form over the festive period as they strive to adapt their style to operate better in the cold, wet conditions.

Saracens take time to get into top gear

SARACENS raced away from Bristol in the second half to secure a fifth straight bonus-point win.

Pirates put on power show to contain Hartpury rally

AN awesome display of pack power laid the foundations for a Pirates victory and they repelled Hartpury's comeback efforts in front of a bumper 2,474 Mennaye Field crowd.

Derby day double act for regions

BOXING Day action sees back-to-back Welsh derbies as Cardiff host Dragons before Ospreys face Scarlets.