Sports
The Rugby Paper
Marcus will come back bouncing, says Wilson
DANNY Wilson insists Marcus Smith will “come bouncing back” into The Stoop ready to light up the Premiership and Europe after giving him time off to soak up the Florida sunshine.
2 min |
March 23, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Sir Bill's desperate attempts in defence
I READ Sir Bill Beaumont's contribution to last week's Rugby Paper with astonishment as he appears to be engaged in a desperate attempt to keep the RFU current administration in place. Apparent-ly it's not the governance of the RFU that is at fault, it is just that the message from Twickenham has not been communicated very well. However, there is no point in spending more money on a review of communication if the message being delivered is not the one many clubs want to hear.
1 min |
March 23, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Stormers too good for gallant Scarlets
A NEAR fullstrength Stormers proved too much for gallant Scarlets as the Welsh region were dealt a huge blow in their quest for a play-off spot.
1 min |
March 23, 2025
The Rugby Paper
We've left ourselves a mountain to climb, admits Dowson
PHIL Dowson vowed champions Northampton would learn from the “harshest of lessons” dished out by Leicester.
1 min |
March 23, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Slade: We want to finish with a flourish
HENRY Slade aims to use the frustrations of missing England’s final two Six Nations matches as fuel for the remainder of the year.
3 min |
March 23, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Hat-trick for Bates but little to savour
A GAME of 14 tries and 90 points suggests another Premiership thriller, but it was more pantomime with both sides bungling restarts in the first half in tit-for-tat scoring.
2 min |
March 23, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Dingwall glad to make an impact
FRASER Dingwall waited more than a year for his third England cap and admits there were times when he wondered if he would pull on the white jersey again.
3 min |
March 23, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Du Toit's ready for Fasogbon challenge
THOMAS Du Toit has taken a keen interest in the development of another player who'll be wearing No.3 today, Gloucester’s 6ft 4ins 130kg tighthead Afolabi Fasogbon.
1 min |
March 23, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Recruitment freeze as Falcons look for £5m
NEWCASTLE have frozen recruitment until their finances are sorted out with other clubs considering a £5m loan to make sure the Falcons are in business next season.
3 min |
March 23, 2025
The Rugby Paper
It's France, not the Lions, for Edwards
SHAUN Edwards will be tackling a ‘unique challenge’ in the Southern Hemisphere this summer instead of making a long overdue comeback with the Lions.
2 min |
March 23, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Harrow keep their nerve for double joy
HARROW saw off QEGS Wakefield to defend their Continental Tyres National School Cup title in emphatic fashion at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
2 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Wales all washed up with nowhere to go...
Every living English Grand Slam captain, from Sir Bill Beaumont to Dylan Hartley via Will Carling and Martin Johnson, shares another common denominator. They all know what it’s like to be blown away in the cyclonic fury of Cardiff on big-match day.
4 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Lynn's hoping for fantastic farewell
GLOUCESTER-Hartpury have the chance to send boss Sean Lynn off with a perfect farewell as they chase an unprecedented hat-trick of consecutive titles.
2 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Red Roses want to make it seven in a row - Mitchell
ENGLAND head coach John Mitchell has had to prepare for his title defence without players in the PWR final.
3 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Lions' support team keeps on growing
The 1974 Lions took off from Heathrow with a management team of two. No specialist coaches, no analysts, no spin doctors, no physios, not even a bucket-and-sponge man.
4 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Chiefs are too good for Blues in thriller
In a repeat of last season’s final, the Chiefs beat the Blues in a thriller to go top and continue the champions’ nightmare title defence.
2 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Battling Italy make it tough for Ireland
ITALY, despite a succession of serious injuries and self-inflicted disciplinary problems, pushed Ireland all the way at the Olympic Stadium in a game that summed up both their respective campaigns.
2 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Nice are planning a quick reversal
You may not have heard of Stade Marcel Volot – the one-stand 3,000-capacity home of ProD2 basement side Nice, which sits next to the Var river up the road from the rather larger and better-known Allianz Riviera home of the city’s Ligue 1 football team.
2 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
France in seventh heaven
FRANCE overcame a spirited Scotland display in a breathless finale in Paris to secure a record-equalling seventh Six Nations title – drawing level with England – and their first since 2022.
2 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Time to talk about the 1995 you-know-what
It’s ODD how some Grand Slams get lost in the mists of time, seemingly never to be mentioned again. Take England in 1995. Thirty years ago this weekend Will Carling’s team were closing out their third Slam in five years with a 24-12 victory over Scotland at Twickenham with Rob Andrew kicking seven penalties and a dropped goal for the men in white.
3 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Curry urges Martin to avoid the phone
Tom Curry has told sidelined George Martin to stay off his phone as the Leicester lock bids to return to fitness and rescue his summer.
2 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
McConnochie's on a mission
RUARIDH McConnochie insists Bath will be winners this weekend even if they don’t lift the Premiership Rugby Cup for the first time since its inception in 2019.
3 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
New free-to-air deal sees England on ITV
THE BBC and ITV have agreed a new four-year deal for the Men’s Six Nations to remain on free-to-air TV until 2029.
2 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
England's defence too good for Italy
At Last England put together a performance that saw them win by more than the one point they seemed to favour with a winning margin of 23 points against Italy last Sunday. The bonus point win added to their surprise victory over France and narrow win against Scotland giving them an outside chance of a first Six Nations title win in years heading to Cardiff yesterday.
3 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Macc at their very best in top win
MAGIC Macclesfield produced their best rugby of the season so far to secure a victory.
2 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Should I have focused on one position? I don't know
Paul Rees looks back at Mathew Tait's career and finds out how he - and his family - are now living and working in Dubai
6 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Lions take a large leap to securing survival
LEICESTER Lions took a huge step towards survival in National League 1 with a bonus-point over win away from home fellow strugglers Esher.
2 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Farrar: We can take on the best
EALING Trailfinders captain Rob Farrar believes his side have what it takes to compete with the very best in English rugby having proved their worth yet again in this season’s Premiership Rugby Cup.
2 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Time to shrug off the straitjacket, England
If you put the England backs behind the French pack would they be as good as the French backs? The first thing is they would be very pleased with the prospect! It’s a good question, and a hard one to answer. The English backs would get much quicker ball, and it would then be about them making good decisions, and keeping their depth.
5 min |
March 16, 2025
The Rugby Paper
Rampant England find new ways to impress
ENGLAND were asked to “play big” by head coach Steve Borthwick, and victories do not come any bigger than this record 10-try Six Nations rout of a Wales side that was so outclassed that this game at the Principality Stadium was a done deal by the interval.
4 min |