CATEGORIES

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Youngsters were quick to take their chances

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

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.

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.

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.\"

Ospreys are improving every season - Booth

TOBY Booth has his eyes on a prize for his ever-improving Ospreys this season and if he achieves his ambitious goal it will scratch an itch that has been with him for almost 20 years.

Rosslyn Park show Barnes how it's done

NATIONAL One Rosslyn Park illustrated their league superiority by dispatching their London rivals Barnes 52-12.

Move to Glasgow suits Schickerling

IT wasn't all that long ago that Patrick Schickerling was being ear-marked as a potential England bolter, a player who was set for an exciting and dazzling career on the international stage.

Revived Genge is raring to go

ELLIS Genge spent a rare summer off fishing and intends to make a ‘turbot’ charged start to the coming campaign after missing out on England’s summer tour to New Zealand because of a calf injury sustained in Bristol’s final match of the season.

Playing in Cardiff will help us - Lam

PAT Lam has told Bristol supporters who are unhappy next season’s home Premiership fixture against Bath has been moved to Cardiff’s Principality Stadium that they should remember what happened to Worcester, Wasps and London Irish.