CATEGORIES

RFU chiefs considered a move to Midlands
The Rugby Paper

RFU chiefs considered a move to Midlands

TWICKENHAM chiefs considered moving the home of rugby to the Midlands last year before deciding to stay put and revamp the stadium.

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3 mins  |
September 08, 2024
Tykes out to get it right this time
The Rugby Paper

Tykes out to get it right this time

LEEDS Tykes are embracing their big club mentality and heavy favourites tag ahead of the new season getting underway on Saturday.

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3 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Devoto to make the difference for Titans
The Rugby Paper

Devoto to make the difference for Titans

TWO sides have dropped down from National One into the West meaning it would be hard to look past one of Cinderford or Taunton Titans bouncing straight back up.

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3 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Heald predicts a four-way battle
The Rugby Paper

Heald predicts a four-way battle

THIS season is a golden opportunity for one of last season’s title contenders to take advantage and win promotion as no team has dropped down from National One into the East.

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3 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Shanahan: We need to create fear factor
The Rugby Paper

Shanahan: We need to create fear factor

NATIONAL One gets underway next weekend and supporters will expect another enthralling campaign with jeopardy throughout.

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4 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Price glad he played under old regime
The Rugby Paper

Price glad he played under old regime

AT Pontypool Park on September 24, 1986, with the sweet chestnut trees in full autumnal regalia, the faithful rolled up without the foggiest clue that they were about to see something they had never seen before. And would never see again.

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4 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Energetic thinking urgently required
The Rugby Paper

Energetic thinking urgently required

CRITICAL supporters of Bristol in the late amateur era believed their team was being straitjacketed by a rigidly traditional committee structure driven primarily by the pursuit of a better yesterday.

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3 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Holmes hoping to make his mark with Scottish
The Rugby Paper

Holmes hoping to make his mark with Scottish

WHEN it comes to player movement this summer, English rugby’s normal merry go round has been somewhat of a slow spin, a reminder of the fragility the game still has as it looks to work its way out of the woes left by Covid.

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2 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Barker determined to hit the heights at Bristol
The Rugby Paper

Barker determined to hit the heights at Bristol

Paul Rees talks to Steele Barker, a young player who was once told he was too small to make it in the second row

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3 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Round 1 to Boks in battle of the big beasts
The Rugby Paper

Round 1 to Boks in battle of the big beasts

RASSIE Erasmus won the battle of the coaches against Scott Robertson as his South African Bomb Squad – headed by Malcolm Marx – got the Springboks over the line and kept them on track for the Rugby Championship.

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4 mins  |
September 01, 2024
England must find answers ...and fast
The Rugby Paper

England must find answers ...and fast

THE coaching churn that was a canker during the Eddie Jones’ tenure as England head coach has now spread to Steve Borthwick’s regime.

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4 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Students too good for Esher
The Rugby Paper

Students too good for Esher

THIS weekend’s preseason encounters presented National League coaches with a final opportunity to test their squads ahead of their season openers on Saturday.

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3 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Cavalry comes to rescue for Bath
The Rugby Paper

Cavalry comes to rescue for Bath

REMARKABLY this was the first meeting of these clubs since October 2020 when they contested a double-header in the European Cup competition.

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2 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Relentless Tigers run in six as Cheika era starts in style
The Rugby Paper

Relentless Tigers run in six as Cheika era starts in style

WILL Wand, one of Leicester’s newbies, summed up this hectic friendly, which launched Tigers’ Michael Cheika era, by saying: “I played for 40 minutes but it felt like 80.”

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2 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Working together is name of the game
The Rugby Paper

Working together is name of the game

ONCE upon a time, when the game went pro, the astute national rugby unions took control of their biggest asset, which was the players, by contracting them.

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4 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Warrior Macqueen shooting for gold
The Rugby Paper

Warrior Macqueen shooting for gold

A FORMER rugby prodigy turn paralympic archer could fulfil a life’s ambition today and complete a unique sporting journey for Team GB in Paris.

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2 mins  |
September 01, 2024
We must get used to life after Lawes, urges Dowson
The Rugby Paper

We must get used to life after Lawes, urges Dowson

NORTHAMPTON boss Phil Dowson has told his squad to get used to life without Courtney Lawes and co in a hurry ahead of their Premiership title defence.

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3 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Fit-again Anscombe can't wait to pull the strings for Gloucester
The Rugby Paper

Fit-again Anscombe can't wait to pull the strings for Gloucester

GARETH Anscombe has been charged with helping propel Gloucester up the Premiership table, a task the Wales outside-half is relishing nearly a year after he played his last match.

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5 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Goodrick-Clarke aiming to add his power up front for Chiefs
The Rugby Paper

Goodrick-Clarke aiming to add his power up front for Chiefs

DUBBED ‘Mr Incredible’ by the club on his official unveiling, Exeter Chiefs have not been shy in promoting the physical prowess of summer signing Will Goodrick-Clarke.

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3 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Bailey: I'm just happy to get on and play
The Rugby Paper

Bailey: I'm just happy to get on and play

ORLANDO Bailey is happy to do whatever it takes to fulfil his dream of becoming a Premiership winner with Bath.

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3 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Rees-Zammit's dream still alive
The Rugby Paper

Rees-Zammit's dream still alive

LEGENDARY American sports agent Leigh Steinberg believes Louis ReesZammit has a good chance of playing in the NFL this season despite being cut by Kansas City Chiefs.

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2 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Dozens of players in search of a contract
The Rugby Paper

Dozens of players in search of a contract

A SQUAD’S worth of Premiership players are still without a contract with just three weeks to go before the start of the 2024/25 season.

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2 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Freeman: We will be ready for All Blacks
The Rugby Paper

Freeman: We will be ready for All Blacks

TOMMY Freeman has an international date on November 2 circled in his diary and has urged England to make home advantage count that day.

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2 mins  |
September 01, 2024
Six-try Fiji prove too strong for Samoa
The Rugby Paper

Six-try Fiji prove too strong for Samoa

FIJI started their bid for a sixth Pacific Nations Cup title with a 42-16, six-try win over arch rivals Samoa in Suva on Friday

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1 min  |
August 25, 2024
James will prove to be a star at Racing
The Rugby Paper

James will prove to be a star at Racing

HERE'S a little prediction that will either leave me with egg on my face or looking like Nostradamus come next June.

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3 mins  |
August 25, 2024
BBC will be covering all 32 World Cup games
The Rugby Paper

BBC will be covering all 32 World Cup games

WORLD Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin believes a groundbreaking partnership with the BBC will ensure a 'generational moment' for women's rugby is seized at next summer's World Cup.

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3 mins  |
August 25, 2024
Youngsters were quick to take their chances
The Rugby Paper

Youngsters were quick to take their chances

Ben Jaycock caught up with England U18s assistant and backs coach Will Parkin

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3 mins  |
August 25, 2024
Rae: Good to see promotion back
The Rugby Paper

Rae: Good to see promotion back

WITH promotion a realistic possibility for Championship clubs heading into the new season it has created renewed excitement levels across the league.

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2 mins  |
August 25, 2024
Boulton's respect for game he loves
The Rugby Paper

Boulton's respect for game he loves

COLIN Boulton of Derby County stands astride the Himalayan peaks of Football League champions, the only uncapped goalkeeper to have been a permanent fixture throughout two triumphant campaigns.

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5 mins  |
August 25, 2024
Robertson needs to redress the balance
The Rugby Paper

Robertson needs to redress the balance

IT WAS a cheap shot, admittedly, but only a pacifist or a fool would spurn the opportunity to kick the New Zealanders when they're down. \"What's the difference between the All Blacks and an arsonist?\" your columnist asked a radio host during a breakfast broadcast in 1998, eventually breaking an unnervingly long silence with the punchline: \"No arsonist would lose his last five matches.\"

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3 mins  |
August 25, 2024