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Gray and Cherry to add grunt up front
GREGOR Townsend has recalled experienced pair Jonny Gray and Dave Cherry to the Scotland squad, while there are places for young Edinburgh back row duo Liam McConnell and Freddy Douglas. Cherry was first-choice hooker in the 2025 Six Nations, with Bordeaux lock Gray starting four championship matches, but neither has been involved since. “We’ve got […] The post Gray and Cherry to add grunt up front appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Tandy recalls Francis in his first 6N squad
TIGHT-HEAD Tomas Francis retuns to the Wales squad having not played international rugby since the 2023 World Cup. Coach Steve Tandy has also called up uncapped Leicester wing Gabriel Hamer-Webb and Bath centre Louie Hennessey. Returning players include Josh Macleod, Sam Costelow, James Botham, Owen Watkin, Mason Grady and Ryan Elias, while notable absentees are […] The post Tandy recalls Francis in his first 6N squad appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Baxter: We were hurt by mistakes
ROB Baxter was left to rue a handful of costly mistakes as Exeter saw their long-standing unbeaten home record tumble. “It was a really competitive, tough conditions, kind of West Country game of rugby,” he said. “I think Bristol have just shaded the areas that end up being really important. If you break the game […] The post Baxter: We were hurt by mistakes appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Play-off hopes are over – coach
ALEX Sanderson surveyed the wreckage of Sale’s home thumping and admitted: “The play-offs have gone.” Realistically the Sharks had to win to keep alive their hopes of a top-four finish but Sanderson knows their chances are now slim. He said: “I think realistically that’s the play-off hopes over, but not the season. We’re never going […] The post Play-off hopes are over – coach appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Small margins cost us the win, says coach Skivington
GLOUCESTER director of rugby George Skivington said his players should hold their heads high but pointed to a few key moments that cost them. “I’m really proud, the emotion and effort they showed,” he said. “We’ve been frustrated and angry and disappointed so far this year but we talked about showing the supporters how much […] The post Small margins cost us the win, says coach Skivington appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Nick Cain: Mark McCall’s record is tough to beat
Mark McCall’s decision to step down as Saracens director of rugby after this season will be the end of a 15-year era, and he leaves with a record of success that will take some beating. The post Nick Cain: Mark McCall’s record is tough to beat appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Gilmore: I can see why fans left early
JASON Gilmore admitted he had no qualms with those disgruntled Quins fans who flocked away from The Stoop well before the end of this thrashing. The Quins’ boss, who saw his side go from winning in Europe to Prem losers, admitted: “It was a very disappointing game. Our fans have been brilliant. We had a […] The post Gilmore: I can see why fans left early appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Chris Hewett: No Damien Penaud? That’s what I call bizarre
There are those who believe that Fabien Galthie, the extravagantly bespectacled head coach of France, should order himself a new pair of glasses. The post Chris Hewett: No Damien Penaud? That’s what I call bizarre appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Noah still has work to do – McCall
MARK McCall hailed his freescoring wing Noah Caluori but despite another flurry of his tries, he claims the 19-year-old remains far from the finished article. He said: “His first two tries today were pretty special. Elliot Daly’s kick-through left a lot to do and it wasn’t an easy finish, but he made it look easy. […] The post Noah still has work to do – McCall appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Talented duo who shared the same dream
PETER JACKSON HUGH Morris, below, grew up in the Seventies hoping to play No.10 for Wales at Cardiff Arms Park and open the batting for England at Lord’s. By then, a lad from north Yorkshire with similar ambitions had shown him the way. Peter Squires, a Yorkshire county cricketer and Harrogate RFC wing, took flight […] The post Talented duo who shared the same dream appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Peter Jackson: The big fish that Wales let slip away
One reason why England are 1-100 to beat Wales in their opening match of this season’s Six Nations can be traced to a disused Cardiff pie factory where a ten-year-old boy changed for his first game of rugby. The post Peter Jackson: The big fish that Wales let slip away appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Cardiff on their way to place in the play-offs
■ By ROGER PANTING Cardiff ...............17pts Try: McNally 49 Penalties: Sheedy 13, 16; Lloyd 60, 80 Benetton ............. 8pts Try: Ruzza 67 Penalty: Smith 45 CARDIFF moved up to third in the URC table and took a huge step to achieving an end of season play-off spot by winning an arm-wrestle in rain-sodden conditions at […] The post Cardiff on their way to place in the play-offs appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Super-sub Coombes turns match for Munster
■By SIMON THOMAS Munster ...........22pts Tries: Gleeson 39, Coombes 57, 64 Conversions: Butler 40, 65 Penalty: Butler 75 Dragons ............20pts Tries: Coghlan 17, Richards 53 Conversions: O’Brien 18, 54 Penalties: O’Brien 10, 30 GAVIN Coombes was the two-try super-sub as Munster came from behind in wet and windy Cork to end a four-match losing run. […] The post Super-sub Coombes turns match for Munster appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Ospreys fail to land late winner
■By ROGER PANTING Ospreys ............ 24pts Tries: Ratti 23, Hopkins 33, Morse 38, Kasende 62 Conversions: Edwards 23, 38 Lions.................. 24pts Tries: F Horn 8, 40; Botha 47, Q Horn 58 Conversions: Smith 40, 58 WALES fly-half Dan Edwards missed two late shots at goal to deprive Ospreys of a morale-boosting win at a rain-soaked […] The post Ospreys fail to land late winner appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Leinster power pays in the end
■By SAM JACKSON Connacht .......23 Leinster ......... 34 LEINSTER maintained their strong momentum with victory over Connacht at a rain-soaked Dexcom Stadium, pulling clear in the final quarter after an evenly balanced contest. Connacht opened their new Clan Stand which has increased their capacity to over 12,000 but despite a feverish atmosphere, the visitors made […] The post Leinster power pays in the end appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Double top for Hiddleston
■By STEVE NOTHERS Gilbert again adding th Zebre ...............21 Glasgow ..........26 GREGOR Hiddleston put his Scotland Six Nations snub firmly behind him as the hooker scored two tries in Glasgow’s triumph in Parma. The visitors had to fight hard to beat the league’s bottom side but returned to the summit of the URC with a […] The post Double top for Hiddleston appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Bulls fightback stuns Edinburgh
■By BEN JAYCOCK Edinburgh ......17 Bulls ................19 THE Bulls fought back to seal back-to-back away victories with sharp shooting from Springbok fly-half Handre Pollard ending Edinburgh’s perfect home record. The hosts controlled much of the first half and were rewarded for early dominance when Duhan van der Merwe powered through two defenders to open the […] The post Bulls fightback stuns Edinburgh appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Delight for Hartpury as Warriors crash again
■By TIM JONES Worcester ........28pts Tries: Wallis 7, Chapman 36, 52; Ndimande 65 Conversions: Reed 7, 36, 52; Eden 65 Hartpury ........... 34pts Tries: Holliday 17, 25; Hayler 21, Paramore 32 Conversions: Bazalgette 17, 21, 25, 32 Penalties: Bazalgette 48, 79 WORCESTER Warriors fell to a fourth consecutive defeat, losing narrowly to an impressive Hartpury […] The post Delight for Hartpury as Warriors crash again appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Four-try Moody puts Pirates on front foot
■By MIKE SINCLAIR C Pirates .......... 45pts Tries: Relton 9, Moody 18, 20, 30, 36; Ribbons 38, Ward 49 Conversions: Robson 9, 20, 30, 38; Price-Thomas 29 Ampthill ........... 24pts HOOKER Sol Moody plundered four first-half tries to help coaches Gavin Cattle and Alan Paver enjoy a happy return to Camborne where they had helped […] The post Four-try Moody puts Pirates on front foot appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Cambridge go so close to first win of the season
■By STEVE JACKSON Cambridge ......12pts Tries: Reweti 11, Caven 28 Conversion: Mausia 29 Doncaster ........12pts Tries: Hopkinson 6, Kerr 76 Conversion: Bennett 7 A LATE score from Zach Kerr robbed Cambridge of their first win of the season. That win looked odds-on for most of the second half after the hosts had deservedly gone in […] The post Cambridge go so close to first win of the season appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Trailfinders strike late to survive fright night
■By ALEX GREGGO Chinnor ..............15pts Tries: Moore 45, Hanks 56, 61 E Trailfinders ..21pts Tries: Hatherell 50, Thompson 71, Cousins 76 Conversions: Jones 51, 72, 77 TRAILFINDERS survived a serious scare at Kingsey Road as Chinnor pushed them all the way in a high-quality affair. Chinnor led 15-7 with 10 minutes to play before the […] The post Trailfinders strike late to survive fright night appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Richmond prove that they are still in the fight
■By TIM FORRESTER Richmond ........31ptsDDDD Tries: Case 7, Goffey 13, Grieve 32, Addams 67, Hocking 79 Conversions: Grieve 8, 13, 33 Caldy .................12pts Tries: Hearn 25, Robinson 71 Conversion: Wilkinson 26 RICHMOND ran in five tries to take five points against Caldy, who were never allowed to settle into their normal efficient game. The strong […] The post Richmond prove that they are still in the fight appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Nottingham have to dig deep to get past Scots
■By CÓILÍN DUFFY Nottingham ......27pts Tries: Davies 45, Simpson 49, Dickinson 56, Cherry 66 Conversions: Parks 56, 66 Penalty: Parks 73 L Scottish .........12pts Tries: Radianirova 8, Hyde 11 Conversion: Bellamy 8 NOTTINGHAM produced a powerful second-half display to overturn a 12-point deficit and claim a deserved 15-point win at Holme Road on Friday night. […] The post Nottingham have to dig deep to get past Scots appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Doncaster decide to stop being a full-time operation
DONCASTER Knights have made the decision to cease operating as a full-time operation next season. The Knights were expected to be pushing for a play-off place this season with their off-field set-up passing the criteria for promotion to the Prem. But on-field results have not met those expectations with the club 11th in the table. […] The post Doncaster decide to stop being a full-time operation appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Family business driving Camborne
JOSH Matavesi is on a mission to make Camborne the best team in Cornwall alongside his brother Sam, the former Northampton hooker. “This season so far has been my favourite in my career,” said Fiji star Matavesi, who has helped Camborne go seven points clear at the top of National Two West with 16 wins […] The post Family business driving Camborne appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
DREAM TEAM
SAM NIXON, THE FORMER BATH, BAYONNE, EXETER AND GRENOBLE PROP SELECTS THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH OR AGAINST... 1. Ugo Boniface – A great Top 14 team-mate when we were at Bayonne and are a similar age. Strong scrummager, excellent in the loose and a top professional. Now a Champions Cup winner with […] The post DREAM TEAM appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Ideal role models
I WAS delighted with Peter Jackson’s recent paragraph (TRP January 4) about the opening of the Women’s World Cup in Sunderland. We now have 47,000 on a regular basis for the football but the rugby day was truly memorable. The atmosphere was electric. There were crowds of young girls (including two of my granddaughters and […] The post Ideal role models appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Triple top for Lucs!
LAST Saturday Luctonians had all three of their RFU League teams playing at home. All three were playing against the first teams of other clubs, all three won and all three scored more than 40 points. Luctonians 40-31 Exeter University, Luctonians 2nds 47-7 Malvern, Luctonians 3rds 59-33 Stafford. Not bad for a cold, wet afternoon […] The post Triple top for Lucs! appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Champions Cup & Challenge Cup: Nine British teams make it through to Round of 16
Bath will host Saracens in the Champions Cup Round of 16, while Harlequins have earned a home tie against Sale Sharks following their surprise away win over La Rochelle last Sunday. The post Champions Cup & Challenge Cup: Nine British teams make it through to Round of 16 appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
Tough win shakes as Barling’s goods are on display
■By DAVID BEDDOWS Rotherham T ..73 Leicester L ......26 WINGER Jackson Barling claimed a hat-trick as high-fliers Rotherham Titans inflicted a tragic try-scoring chorus on lowly Leicester Lions. Following a nip and tuck first half, the Titans crossed the whitewash eight times in the second stanza, before Lions’ skipper James Stubbs clambered over from the […] The post Tough win shakes as Barling’s goods are on display appeared first on The Rugby Paper.