CATEGORIES

Dombrandt: We don't fear anyone

ALEX Dombrandt is not feeling sorry for himself after missing out on the World Cup as he looks to help get Harlequins back to the top after two inconsistent campaigns

Gloucester hold on to weather the storm

GLOUCESTER fly-half George Barton had his shooting boots on as the Cherry-and-Whites battled through horrific conditions to claim a hard-fought win, and end their 364-day on the road hoodoo

Bath fly high as Saracens sink again

IT’S too early to suggest Bath are the real deal just yet but an impressive away victory over reigning champions Saracens in difficult conditions shouldn’t be snarled at

Unbeaten Bristol are too strong for Saints

BRISTOL Bears showed their bite as they bagged a spirited win at Northampton Saints yesterday

Sale have the power to cut down Tigers

SALE’S big men squeezed their way to victory aided by a fine try from fly half Rob du Preez who whizzed through the Leicester defence 10 minutes from time

After Jersey, Biljon offered a chance at Rotherham

HAVING had his world turned upside down due to Jersey Reds’ suspension from the Championship, Harvey Biljon has since teamed up with Rotherham Titans in a short-term consultancy role with an aim of helping the club return to the higher leagues

Borthwick must plot his own course

FOR the first time in a long time all four quarter-final games were outstanding in their own way

Powerful Fiji can't get past England

ENGLAND held off a thrilling Fijian fightback to avenge defeat in August to the same opposition and reach the World Cup semi-finals

Paying the price of a lopsided draw

We may have spent all last week luxuriating in the afterglow of two of the greatest matches ever played – aka the two Paris quarter-finals – but there was a price to pay.

All Blacks move into the final but this was a sorry mismatch

NEW Zealand have booked their place in a fifth World Cup final, but after the pyrotechnics of last weekend’s quarter-finals this first semi-final of the 2023 tournament fizzled out.

England go with heads held high

ENGLAND did everything but win. They were ahead after two minutes and held on to the lead until there were two minutes to go, making the World Cup holders look ordinary for the most part but on a night when the rain made handling hazardous, the scrum proved decisive

Gallant England cruelly denied by Boks

THIS was a semi-final which brought the cruellest cut of all when a courageous, battling England performance ended in a one-point defeat by South Africa due to a booming Handre Pollard penalty two minutes from time

Premiership Cup a great success, says Matson

HARLEQUINS’ Tabai Matson is calling on English rugby’s ‘powers that be’ to recognise how the new format Premiership Cup has been healthy for all stakeholders in the game – fans, players and coaches

Woollett gets his chance at Leicester

NEW Leicester Tigers recruit Ben Woollett is ‘buzzing to play footy’ with Handré Pollard and Freddie Steward and make the most of being at Welford Road, after enduring the turmoil at Jersey Reds in the past month

Wasps keen to return to 'highest level'

WASPS want to reform as a club “at the highest level possible” but may need to wait until the 202526 season to do so, says chairman Christopher Holland

Easter: We're worst run sport in the world

NICK Easter has criticised the RFU’s governance of English rugby as ‘greyhaired old men who live in the past’ and believes the game is the worst run sport in the world

It's heartbreak

England go so close but Springboks steal it

Galthie's spolit for options out wide

WHENEVER an international match is on the horizon, whether or not there’s a Rugby World Cup on – there is, by the way, in case you hadn’t noticed – coaches’ “selection headaches” become a hot topic of conversation.

Tom shows different codes not Poles apart

REPRESENTING your country is one of the highest honours any rugby player can hope to receive, so to be given the chance in three different codes was the experience of a lifetime for Wimbledon’s Tomasz Pozniak.

Oliver looks destined for the top after stirring start

TYNEDALE have started the season with one win and five losses, however in Jacob Oliver they have something to smile about.

Power of three for Peter in Hull's joy

A SUPERB hat-trick from Peter Hudson-Kowalewicz secured Hull a well-deserved bonus-point win against Billingham, keeping them in touch with the division’s top-three sides.

Hawkins can't wait to get going

AS one of Exeter’s new kids on the block, Joe Hawkins says the Chiefs are bang on track as they ready themselves for the demands of the upcoming Gallagher Premiership season.

Saints getting beefed up for new season

NORTHAMPTON are aiming to be bigger and better this season and Fin Smith believes today’s trip to Sale is the ideal start.

Spencer treble gives Bath a battling start

BEN Spencer showed the England selectors what they’re missing as the scrum-half scored an emphatic hat-trick to help Bath begin their campaign with a battling bonus point win over Newcastle.

Gloucester hang on to snatch it in a thriller

THE Kingsholm faithful certainly had their money’s worth as Gloucester began their league season with a last-minute winner to nick a thrilling game, which neither side deserved to lose.

One Goon show we could all do without

IT IS just about possible, if you’re seriously odd, to imagine that Dan Cole might stand a chance of out-performing Simone Biles on the uneven bars. Which begs the following question: would you also be deluded enough to support a World Cup expansion to 24 teams?

Hodge leads the demolition squad

ROB Baxter said it would take time for his next generation at Sandy Park to show their true colours.

Russell already one of the family - Blackett

LEE BLACKETT has revealed how Finn Russell’s meticulous preparation has already made him part of the Bath family.

The twin pillars of England's rebuild

OLLIE Chessum and Marcus Smith play with such enthusiasm when they pull on the Red Rose jersey that their pride in representing England is transparent, and it will be evident when they face Fiji in this afternoon's World Cup quarter-final in Marseille.

England must get best out of Smith

STEVE Borthwick does not have a lot of choice when it comes to selecting his forwards for today's quarter-final against Fiji because the options are limited, but the plusses are that Ollie Chessum looks like he's coming back to his best, and Ben Earl has been getting good raps.