The Rugby Paper - December 29, 2024

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December 29, 2024

McCall: That was horrible and ugly

THUNDERSTRUCK Mark McCall urged his Saracens side to get off the canvas after they were handed their worst Premiership defeat by rampant Bath.

2 mins

Diamond is happy to stick with Newcastle

STEVE Diamond has committed himself to Newcastle longterm, as long he is wanted by the new owners when Semore Kurdi sells his stake in the Falcons.

3 mins

Jenkins excited to get back in action

BY his own admission, it’s been a ‘painful’ watch for Dafydd Jenkins so far this season.

2 mins

MacGinty out for four months with knee injury

BRISTOL fly-half AJ MacGinty is to miss the next four months with a knee injury that has required surgery.

1 min

Strength in depth at Bath and Scotland is huge, says Bayliss

JOSH Bayliss enjoyed his best run in a Scotland jersey over the autumn but insists competition for places means he’ll never take selection for granted, for either club or country.

3 mins

Ford set to follow family line and take up coaching

GEORGE Ford admits he sees himself following in the footsteps of his father and two brothers by moving into coaching one day.

2 mins

Steward prepares new plan of attack

FREDDIE Steward has the safest pair of hands in the Premiership and is now set on finding his feet as an attacking force.

3 mins

Wilson backing Isgro to create havoc for Quins

RODRIGO Isgro is a “physical specimen” who will become an even more destructive weapon for Quins once he is Premiership “battled hardened”.

2 mins

Sides are coming after us - Dowson

PHIL Dowson concedes his Saints are still struggling to cope with being targeted by rivals desperate to stick one on the reigning English champions.

3 mins

Ollie is the right man for England

SINCE Ollie Sleightholme won his first two England caps against New Zealand last summer, and then came off the bench again in the autumn series to score two tries against Australia, and another two against South Africa and Japan, he has not been exposed or looked out of place.

4 mins

Bath give Saracens lesson in finishing

BEN Spencer brushed off his autumn blues to come back and help inflict a record league victory on his old club as Bath went five clear at the top of the Premiership.

2 mins

Quins are denied as Tigers snatch draw

ON a weekend of bizarrely one-sided games, a full throated and entertaining draw in front of nearly 80,000 fans at Twickenham redressed the balance a little but this 16th edition of the Big Match wasn’t without controversy.

2 mins

Mitchell & Smith get Saints back on track

NORTHAMPTON swept aside a tame Newcastle team in a match that was over after just 15 minutes.

2 mins

Rampant Sale leave Bears with nothing

WHAT a difference a week makes. Last weekend, Bristol’s all singing and dancing 54-24 performance at Leicester was hailed as one of the best in Premiership history.

2 mins

Skivington: Balance is better but much to do

GLOUCESTER director of rugby George Skivington is confident his team are close to striking the right balance between attack and defence as they look to put their Sandy Park jinx to bed.

3 mins

Dragons still can't get better of Cardiff

DRAGONS’ nightmare run against their fiercest rivals continued as they fell to their 19th consecutive defeat, having not beaten them since Boxing Day 2014.

2 mins

Roots looking to find his old form

ETHAN Roots started 2024 with a bang, man of the match in Italy on his England debut, but his year ended with more of a splutter.

3 mins

Let's hope Brizball can stay in fashion

THIS is not obviously the time to be talking balls – the Twickenham elite have cornered that particular market – but the question demands to be asked: is Brizball the union game’s version of Bazball?

3 mins

Itoje: Life's taken turn for the better under Borthwick

ENGLAND and Saracens lock Maro Itoje has claimed that the ‘atmosphere and experience’ of playing for the national team has improved under Steve Borthwick compared to life under former head coach Eddie Jones, adding that some of the practices Jones employed to get the best out of his players were ‘unnecessary’.

2 mins

Varndell: Lam has put flair into Bears

WHEN it comes to scoring tries in Premiership Rugby, few players have struck fear into opposition defences quite like Tom Varndell.

2 mins

Nottingham take their chances to silence Cov

A THRILLING display of high-tempo attacking rugby in which wingers Ryan Olowofela and David Williams played prominent roles earned Nottingham a bonus-point success over Midlands rivals Coventry.

2 mins

Pirates are on course to make it five in a row

CORNISH Pirates are riding a wave of momentum looking for their fifth consecutive Championship win when they visit strugglers Ampthill today.

2 mins

Quins finish year at the top of the pile

HARLEQUINS went top of the Premiership Women’s Rugby with victory in Big Game 16 at the Allianz Stadium.

1 min

Firefighter Konkel turning the heat up for Harlequins

FIREFIGHTER Jade Konkel has ignited a Harlequins title charge following a run of miserable successive seasons for the 2020/21 winners.

3 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.