You lived on the edge with Scotland

WHENEVER I cross paths with Paul Ackford, he always shouts across the room, “he taught me everything I knew!” Both of us were called into the England squad on the back of the London division’s famous win over Australia in 1988 but he got into the Test team later that year, and I didn’t.

Appleyard unhappy with date clashes

STAFFORDSHIRE head coach Andy Appleyard believes the RFU are ‘stealing opportunities away from quality players’ due to the opening round of the County Championship being played on the same day as the Papa John’s final.

Eadie has the last laugh for Hartpury

MITCH Eadie went from sinner to saint in a double try-scoring display as Hartpury won in style to keep their hopes alive of finishing the season in the tophalf of the Championship table.

Leinster made to fight all the way

UNDERDOGS Northampton will be rueing a disappointing error strewn opening 55 minutes because after that they were clearly the stronger side as Leinster clung on desperately to reach another final.

Quins have to climb very steep mountain

WHEN Harlequins face Toulouse this afternoon in their first European Cup semi-final in south-west France, it will be one of the biggest games in their history, and the overriding emotion the English club and its supporters will be one of excitement.

YOUNG GUNS

SEANKERR HARLEQUINS & ENGLAND U20 CENTRE

'Ireland in blue' will provide stiffest test

PHIL Dowson and Leo Cullen first crossed paths in European action 10 seasons ago when Northampton did something they had never done before nor since: beating Leinster in Dublin.

Cardiff left in a mess by lively Edinburgh

CARDIFF’S last appearance at the Arms Park this season ended miserably as Edinburgh picked up a valuable four points in their quest for an end of season playoff spot.

Sharks look to have edge in Diamond derby

SALE boss Alex Sanderson has thanked Steve Diamond, his opposite number at Newcastle, for giving him extra motivation to win what has been dubbed ‘the Diamond derby’.

The boys down west who know how to win

THE way they see it down Exeter way, only one team is flying the flag for the region as the Premiership campaign heads for home.

Time for Saints to be true to themselves

THE contest between the 9-10 pairings of Leinster’s Jamison Gibson-Park and Ross Byrne and Northampton’s Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith will be critical to the outcome of the European Cup semi-final at Croke Park on Saturday.

Scoring in Hell Fire Comer was great

SEEING Scottie Scheffler being presented with the Green Jacket for winning golf’s US Masters last week reminded me of the time I was presented with a red one having played my 100th game for Redruth. It might not have the same kudos in the wider sporting world but, for me, it is a treasured item from my four years at the club.

Defeated, but Ukraine show grit and pride

SWITZERLAND was always going to be Ukraine’s toughest match of this three Test series and so it proved.

Hurricanes storm in despite triple yellow

HURRICANES overcame a poor second half in which they conceded three yellow cards to beat Fijian Drua 38-15 and stretch their winning start to eight matches to end their opponent’s unbeaten record at home.

S Africa is crying out for its own league

IF I remember my A level geography correctly, Africa is moving towards Europe at about the same rate as your fingernails grow which, among other things, suggests that the wholesale, no holds barred, in for a penny in for a pound merging of British, European and South African rugby was a tad premature.

Furbank: We were spoonfed too much

GEORGE Furbank feels Northampton’s rise this season is down to a pre-season meeting when the players resolved to take more responsibility.

RED ROSES

EXETER Chiefs prop Liz Hanlon is knocking on the door of an inaugural England cap and says she’s where she is today courtesy of her club’s formidable partnership with Exeter University.

Be quick! McKellar's lowdown on Leinster

NORTHAMPTON had the chance last night to quiz Dan McKellar about their Champions Cup semi-final opponents Leinster but, before the East Midlands derby at Franklin’s Gardens, he said they would need do it quickly.

Quins duo tipped to power up England

WILL Collier and Fin Baxter could galvanise the England scrum with their technique and power, according to World Cup-winning scrum coach Phil Keith-Roach.

Minnows in line for a World Cup boost

WORLD RUGBY aims to streamline the Rugby World Cup qualification process to give nonhigh performance nations even more time to prepare for the next tournament in Australia.

The pinball wizard who can fire Exeter

The pinball wizard who can fire Exeter

Green seizes day for dazzling Quins

HARLEQUINS reached their first Champions Cup semi-final after shattering perceptions of a free-running side with a soft underbelly by taking on a team that had twice overpowered Saracens at forward and destroying their scrum.

We won't stop until the final whistle - Yeandle

CHAMPIONS Cup veteran Jack Yeandle has no doubt Exeter’s exciting young guns will rise to another big occasion in Toulouse today.

Sparkling Leinster get it right this time

CHAMPIONS La Rochelle travel sore but also far from their best this season were unceremoniously dumped from this season’s Championship Cup as Leinster took revenge against their revenge against their conquerors in the last two finals.

We're ready for big finish, says Millard

HARLEQUINS face the toughest run-in of the Premiership’s top four contenders and director of rugby Billy Millard knows he must shore up his side’s leaky defence.

Hurricanes make it a magnificent seven

Super Rugby Pacific round-up

Burns impressed by the new generation

IF those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it, then the future is promising for women’s rugby in England according to World Cup winner Gill Burns.

500-day countdown to World Cup kickoff

EXCITEMENT is building by the day as the countdown to Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025 hit its latest milestone this week.

Easter backing Friday games

CHINNOR director of rugby Nick Easter has called for more Friday night matches to be played in National One after overseeing a dramatic rise in attendances that are significantly clear of the club's usual Saturday gate.

Tykes taking nothing for granted in tough run-in

NATIONAL Two North pacesetters Leeds Tykes face a difficult run-in to get over the line and return to the third tier, but director of rugby Pete Seabourne is confident his side can get the job done after enjoying a refreshing bye week.