CATEGORIES

Pirates were one hell of a club to be at for so long

BEATING Saracens when we hadn't played for almost a year was probably the most memorable moment of my Pirates career, which has now come to an end after nearly 200 appearances for the club.

Cheers! Ale looks good for Hammond

HOLD my beer, Nottingham have signed a Swedish prop called Ale.

England punished by lively Georgia

ENGLAND U20 endured a repeat of last year's wobbly World Championship preparations as Mark Mapletoft's side were soundly beaten in Georgia.

Bears bid to hunt down the top dogs

GLOUCESTER-Hartpury will be aiming to secure back-toback Premiership Women's titles at Sandy Park on Saturday but standing in their way are a Bristol Bears side that appear to be peaking at the right time.

Booth wants to see more from Ospreys

OSPREYS coach Toby says having Booth two bowed out in quarter-finals will fuel their appetite to achieve even more next season as they set their ambitions higher.

Green tipped to take chance with England

KEY Harlequins figures believe that Green if Tyrone doesn't get picked for the Springboks this summer, then he'll turn his attentions to becoming an international star with England.

Munster can't live with slick Warriors

GLASGOW will head to South Africa to face the Bulls in the final on Saturday after stunning Munster at Thomond Park.

Bulls hold firm to keep Leinster out

IT'S a third successive season without a trophy for Leinster with the Bulls deservedly winning an epic encounter to reach the URC final.

Tuima: I have to move up the ladder

EVEN by his own expectations, it's been quite the year for Exeter Chiefs forward Rusi Tuima.

Townsend targeting four wins out of four

SCOTLAND will have a target on their backs this summer but Gregor Townsend has urged his squad to front up and win all four Tests despite a challenging tour schedule.

Borthwick: We want to get kids engaged

STEVE Borthwick has urged his side to help youngsters in England fall in love with rugby again after being blanked by mainstream TV.

Winters leads brutal ride across USA in aid of Doddie

EVEN for men as mentally and physically durable as former England Grand Slam back rowers Peter Winterbottom and Mike Teague, the 3,250 mile USA coast-to-coast bike ride from San Francisco to New York has been a monumental challenge.

Carpenter looking to make his mark

SALE'S Joe Carpenter is aiming for a cap with Steve Borthwick's Rose touring Red side but admits his heart is still in the land of the white rose.

Fresh calls to get rid of the caterpillar ruck

HARTPURY'S director of rugby John Barnes has called for the eradication of the caterpillar ruck and for scrums to be left alone as part of any future rule changes by World Rugby.

Cov's chief: We'll drop to nat leagues

COVENTRY chief executive Nick Johnston says the Championship club remains prepared to drop down to the national leagues if they can't reach a funding arrangement with the RFU they are fully satisfied with.

New Zealand teams display their strength

NEW Zealand continued their Trans-Tasman dominance with three of the final four teams participating in next weekend's Super Rugby Pacific semi-finals.

Emphatic England demolish Georgia

UNDER-20s Six Nations champions England made a victorious start to their World Championship warm-up matches in Georgia.

Sanderson: We'll come back better

ALEX Sanderson is an ebullient, upbeat character who tries to ride the waves of professional sport with a smile on his face.

Chiefs gunning for champions

REIGNING champions Gloucester-Hartpury have been the league's pacesetters once again and today face an Exeter side determined to make up for last season's final heartache.

Ospreys can't stop Munster marching on

IRELAND star Jack Crowley says Munster must improve as they look to go all the way and retain their URC crown.

Saints stars give credit to Vesty

ALEX Mitchell and George Furbank, two of Northampton's current internationals, have hailed Sam Vesty as the best coach they have worked with.

Callard impressed by Bath coaches

BATH legend Jon Callard believes two of the best signings Johaan van Graan has made as the club's head of rugby are not Finn Russell and Thomas du Toit but the forwards and backs coaches, Richard Blaze and Lee Blackett.

Hotshot Hendy seizes the day

GEORGE Hendy’s ‘Saints Super-sub’ status will be forever etched into Franklin’s Gardens folklore after his magical break eight minutes from time ensured Northampton celebrated the tenth anniversary of their first Premiership title by claiming their second at Twickenham yesterday.

Steward: Sinfield has given me belief

FREDDIE Steward hopes to enjoy some Southern Hemisphere comfort after coming through what he admits has been one of the most “challenging” spells of his relatively short playing career.

Hampson can keep on playing and coaching

CRAIG Hampson has come to an agreement that will allow him to continue playing with Ealing Trailfinders while also remaining as head coach of Chinnor in the Championship.

Minikin sparks a party at Twickenham for Yorkshire

EUPHORIC scenes swept round Ionians ground as Lewis Minikin dashed over to score Yorkshire's fourth try to send the white rose to Twickenham for the first time in 16 years.

Rebels facing tough test against 'Canes

SUPER Rugby Pacific play-off spots were confirmed this weekend, with the soon-to-be extinct Melbourne Rebels living to fight another day in eighth place.

Ospreys' Nicky just too tricky for Cardiff

LEICESTER-BOUND, Smith scored Nicky two tries as Ospreys squeezed into the playoffs with a bonus-point victory over a battling Cardiff in an enthralling game.

Quins want to throw fitting farewell party

HARLEQUINS stars Shaunagh Brown, Rachael Burford and Emily Scott start their final game for the club today.

Mapletoft set for Georgia challenge

ENGLAND U20s head coach Mark Mapletoft has confirmed his 30-player squad that travel to Georgia next week in preparation for next month's World Championship.