CATEGORIES

When it's your time to go, you just know

WELL, I didn’t see any of that coming! Two retirements within an hour of each other on a Friday afternoon is unusual to say the least. Given it involved two of the most iconic players of the professional era in Welsh rugby made it even more stunning. It left me baffled, bemused and wondering what the hell was going on.

Being a one-club means so much to me man

MY LIFE IN RUGBY ALEX TAIT THE FORMER NEWCASTLE & ENGLAND U20 FULL-BACK/WINGER

Dallaglio's turned into Nostradamus

OF THE 12 clubs to have won European rugby’s supreme prize, only one dared to do so from an antiquated pavilion built by The Gas Light & Coke Company a century ago.

Sharks deserve far more recognition

RUGBY has its favourites and we in the media are as guilty as any of promoting them above others but I’ve always been amazed that the Sale championship-winning team of 2006 is not more lauded. Sale that year defeated a very strong Leicester side 4520 in the final and in so doing became the first team to ever top the regular season league table and win the play-offs.

Galthie's message of hope to top 100

TOP 14 coaches, pundits and fans have had the calculators, slide rules and computer modelling programmes out this weekend as they worked through the permutations of the current campaign.

Chiefs bounce back to tame Hurricanes

Super Rugby Pacific round-up

GB sevens players pondered boycott

SEVERAL Great Britain Sevens players thought about refusing to participate in this weekend’s London leg of the World Series due to being treated ‘as a second thought’ by the home nations and a lack of clarity over contracts that expire next month.

Falcons set for freshen up after turbulent time

NEWCASTLE finished bottom of the Premiership after heavy defeats in their last three matches, but they are confident of avoiding the drop next season if relegation is reintroduced.

Colombe try leaves the Aviva stunned

LA ROCHELLE retained the Champions Cup after staging the greatest final comeback in the tournament’s history.

Sarries keen to do it for loyal Jackson

SARACENS are set on giving Jackson Wray a winning send-off as his 14 years at the club come to an end by winning their sixth Premiership title at Sale’s expense next weekend.

Curry's determined to do it for the fans

TOM Curry hopes to inspire the next generation of Northern rugby fans by taking the Premiership trophy back home to Sale.

Moneybags Racing keen to sign Smith

RACING 92 are serious about tempting Marcus Smith to quit south-west London for a move to the French capital when his contract runs out at the end of next season.

Sharks can give favourites a fright

ALEX Sanderson is quality, and that is why he has managed to take Sale to their first Premiership final for 17 years.

O'Gara breaks Leinster hearts

My lads showed serious resolve, says O’Gara

Baron calls for PGA deal to be scrapped

‘RFU can’t afford to pay Prem clubs anything’

All to play for in final days of the season

TOP 14 coaches, pundits and fans have had the calculators, slide rules and computer modelling programmes out this weekend as they worked through the permutations of the current campaign.

Teddington joy as they triumph at Twickenham

Papa Johns Men's Championship

Titcombe on song to seal it for England

ENGLAND Students sealed a 25-21 win over France Universities last Saturday, marking the side’s first win on French soil in 17 years.

Too many matches had no real meaning to them

NOW, as we reflect and are drawing closer to the end of this varied season, we must all be thinking what a season we’ve had. Filled with the highs and lows, keeping the fans on the edge of their seats, but coupled with the uncertainty of how this season will end.

On the clock: Who put the minutes in?

I’M indebted to stats guru Stuart Farmer who has faithfully logged the Premiership match minutes for players in the regular season just finished and it makes for very interesting reading once you dig in.

'Your only job is to pour champagne'

I WENT on the first post-Falklands War, England tour to Argentina in 1990 despite having only played in Division 5 for Northern, who I’d joined whilst at College in Newcastle.

Sorrowful shadow blights the game

FOR month after miserable month, Welsh rugby had been crying out for someone to give their apology of a season the last rites.

Gott in charge to steer Navy home

JORDAN Gott produced the performance of his life to steer the Navy to the Inter-Services title with a first win over the Army since 2010.

Doris looking for revenge against La Rochelle

CAELAN Doris is hellbent on inflicting revenge on Saturday when Leinster meet La Rochelle in a re-run of last season’s Champions Cup final.

Battle at No. 10! Hunting for a final place

GEORGE Ford and Handre Pollard have not confronted each other since the 2019 World Cup final between England and South Africa in Yokohama.

Fish is my kind of player - reliable and committed

I WAS gutted when I read that Dan Fish is going to miss Cardiff's Premiership semi-final clash with Newport today after breaking a bone in his wrist last week.

Now it's Ealing's turn to celebrate

FOR the second year in the row, Ealing Trailfinders were crowned Championship Cup winners after a thrilling victory over Jersey at Trailfinders Sports Club.

Miotti can be the main man for Glasgow - McDowall

DOMINGO Miotti can step up and fill the boots of banned fly-half Tom Jordan as Glasgow aim to become the first Scottish side to win a European trophy, insists centre Stafford McDowall.

England need to get it right at scrum time

STEVE Borthwick’s decision to raid Leicester for his latest scrum coach – and England’s third in the last year – has raised a few eyebrows.

Crowley has final say in epic contest

A DROPPED goal two minutes from time from Jack Crowley saw Munster take this wonderful, relentless, bar room brawl of a semi-final that was probably the most compelling club game of the season.