In this issue

In this issue:

Paul Rees analysis - Gloucester supporters will demand more next season.
Guscott: Star exits give Saracens extra fuel.
Cain: Premiership is losing soul and integrity.
Big interview: Dean Richards, and more...

Army leave it late to regain trophy

MOMENTS and minutes change matches in equal measure, and that is exactly what happened at Kingsholm as the British Army’s men regained the Inter Service Championship trophy.

2 mins

Blues hold on in battle at the top

BLUES held on with their backs to their try line as they edged past the Hurricanes 31-27 to leapfrog their Kiwi rivals and move top of the table.

3 mins

Harrison leads from front to seal it for Saracens

SARACENS returned to Allianz PWR action with a bonus-point win at StoneX Stadium.

2 mins

Coventry denied by powerful Pirates

SHEER pack power delivered two classic late rolling maul tries as Pirates maintained their quest for a second place Championship finish.

2 mins

Davies the leading light in Welsh quartet

FOUR international flyhalves took flight from Wales last year, understandably so given the alternative of staying put on contracts shredded by the rugby recession.

2 mins

Rugby's holy trinity prove the difference

SINCE time immemorial, rugby has been cloaked in its own cliches: Prince Obolensky was always “dashing”; Colin Meads lived his life as an “unsmiling giant”; Martin Johnson was rarely anything other than “beetle-browed”; and Billy Vunipola, easier to stop with an elephant gun than he is with a Taser according to recent evidence from a late-night bar in Mallorca, will forever be known as “the man who shamed the shirt he wasn’t wearing”.

3 mins

Tbilisi win was key - Skivington

GEORGE Skivington has credited the European Challenge Cup win against Black Lion in Tbilisi as the moment Gloucester turned their season around.

2 mins

Scarlets pay price for lack of discipline

ULSTER gave their URC play-off hopes a major boost as they capitalised on indiscipline from the hosts to secure maximum points in Llanelli.

2 mins

James at his best as Sale keep in the race

SAM James might be departing for pastures new but Sale’s Mr Dependable produced a nigh on immaculate performance at full-back as they continue to battle for a play-off place.

2 mins

Russell masterclass has Bath in top gear

FINN Russell scored eight points, pulled the strings for three of Bath’s tries and barely put a foot wrong in a classy display that will send shivers down the spine of their Premiership title rivals.

2 mins

Superior Saints go on 14-try rampage

THE good times keep on rolling at Franklin’s Gardens as Northampton put their Champions Cup heartbreak behind them to secure a home Premiership semi-final with a ruthless demolition of a Gloucester side with one eye on their Challenge Cup final later this month.

2 mins

Saracens closing in on finishing line

JUST like Manchester City, Saracens become remorseless when the finishing line looms into view.

2 mins

Tiueti out to make most of Cov move

INSPIRED by his old Uni mate Will Rigg, Dafydd-Rhys Tiueti is hoping that joining Coventry this summer will do wonders for his career.

3 mins

Graham: Guys were in tears after that defeat but we'll fight ba

SAM Graham believes Northampton can turn the heartache of losing last weekend’s Champions Cup semi-final to their advantage as they set their sights on the Premiership title.

3 mins

I want to win title before I leave Bristol - Luatua

FEW overseas signings have had a more lasting impact in the Premiership than Steve Luatua who looks like finishing his career at Bristol seven years after joining the club.

3 mins

It's been a crazy six months, says new Welsh star

ALEX Mann is the first to admit his “crazy” journey over the past six months hasn’t really sunk in yet.

2 mins

New-boy Roots has his eye on NZ return

ONE OF England’s Test debutants this year has a big incentive to make the summer tour to New Zealand – he would be returning to his roots.

3 mins

I'm still supporter of relegation - Diamond

NEWCASTLE may be adrift at the bottom of the Premiership but Steve Diamond remains an advocate for promotion and relegation.

3 mins

Dominant Chiefs set up shot at the semis

OVER the years Rob Baxter has unearthed some gems at Sandy Park, but none so precious as Exeter’s latest wonderkid Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.

2 mins

Game in England is good, says Ford

GEORGE Ford feels English rugby is on the up after a testing couple of years on and off the field and has to use this season a springboard.

3 mins

Leicester have the class to rule again

LEICESTER are not where their fans want them to be – and a minority have been warned by the club about the level of social media abuse directed at players and coaches after their home Premiership defeat by Bristol two weeks ago.

4 mins

'Play big matches at neutral venues'

'Play big matches at neutral venues'

1 min

Time to put an end to marquee players

ARE marquee players, or coaches, worth it -- or are they just a Premiership owners’ vanity project?

4 mins

Perenara tops try list as 'Canes march on

TJ PERENARA became the all-time top Super Rugby try scorer as his table topping Hurricanes demolished the Waratahs.

3 mins

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.

5 mins

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.

4 mins

Delighted to see Titans stand tall

THERE are some teams you grow particularly attached to over the decades and I make no apologies in numbering Rotherham Titans among those.

3 mins

At 61, Daran calls it a day

DARAN Poppy was one of the oldest players in the RFU pyramid this season, reaching double-digit appearances for Old Gravesendians at the tender age of 61 but has decided to call time on his rugby career.

1 min

Louis has sights set on Kansas gold rush

THE latest phase of his footballing reincarnation took Louis Rees-Zammit to a school run by an American superstar whose contract runs from seven figures into nine.

4 mins

Nayalo steers Army to thrilling fightback

THE British Army’s men pulled off a thrilling comeback that will live long in the memory to keep their hopes of regaining the Inter Service Championship alive, and dash the Royal Navy’s dream of a first back-to-back title in 50 years.

2 mins

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The Rugby Paper, the UK's number 1 selling rugby title, brings you exclusive stories, reports and features on your device, published in exceptional clarity. It contains renowned journalists such as Nick Cain and Peter Jackson, and famous former players as columnists including Jeremy Guscott and Jeff Probyn. Published every Sunday, The Rugby Paper covers Rugby Union from national teams and Premiership / Rabo Direct down to grass roots.