The Rugby Paper - May 12, 2024

In this issue

May 12, 2024

'Play big matches at neutral venues'

'Play big matches at neutral venues'

1 min

I'm still supporter of relegation - Diamond

NEWCASTLE may be adrift at the bottom of the Premiership but Steve Diamond remains an advocate for promotion and relegation.

3 mins

New-boy Roots has his eye on NZ return

ONE OF England’s Test debutants this year has a big incentive to make the summer tour to New Zealand – he would be returning to his roots.

3 mins

It's been a crazy six months, says new Welsh star

ALEX Mann is the first to admit his “crazy” journey over the past six months hasn’t really sunk in yet.

2 mins

I want to win title before I leave Bristol - Luatua

FEW overseas signings have had a more lasting impact in the Premiership than Steve Luatua who looks like finishing his career at Bristol seven years after joining the club.

3 mins

Graham: Guys were in tears after that defeat but we'll fight ba

SAM Graham believes Northampton can turn the heartache of losing last weekend’s Champions Cup semi-final to their advantage as they set their sights on the Premiership title.

3 mins

Game in England is good, says Ford

GEORGE Ford feels English rugby is on the up after a testing couple of years on and off the field and has to use this season a springboard.

3 mins

Tiueti out to make most of Cov move

INSPIRED by his old Uni mate Will Rigg, Dafydd-Rhys Tiueti is hoping that joining Coventry this summer will do wonders for his career.

3 mins

Leicester have the class to rule again

LEICESTER are not where their fans want them to be – and a minority have been warned by the club about the level of social media abuse directed at players and coaches after their home Premiership defeat by Bristol two weeks ago.

4 mins

Saracens closing in on finishing line

JUST like Manchester City, Saracens become remorseless when the finishing line looms into view.

2 mins

Dominant Chiefs set up shot at the semis

OVER the years Rob Baxter has unearthed some gems at Sandy Park, but none so precious as Exeter’s latest wonderkid Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.

2 mins

Superior Saints go on 14-try rampage

THE good times keep on rolling at Franklin’s Gardens as Northampton put their Champions Cup heartbreak behind them to secure a home Premiership semi-final with a ruthless demolition of a Gloucester side with one eye on their Challenge Cup final later this month.

2 mins

Russell masterclass has Bath in top gear

FINN Russell scored eight points, pulled the strings for three of Bath’s tries and barely put a foot wrong in a classy display that will send shivers down the spine of their Premiership title rivals.

2 mins

James at his best as Sale keep in the race

SAM James might be departing for pastures new but Sale’s Mr Dependable produced a nigh on immaculate performance at full-back as they continue to battle for a play-off place.

2 mins

Time to put an end to marquee players

ARE marquee players, or coaches, worth it -- or are they just a Premiership owners’ vanity project?

4 mins

Scarlets pay price for lack of discipline

ULSTER gave their URC play-off hopes a major boost as they capitalised on indiscipline from the hosts to secure maximum points in Llanelli.

2 mins

Tbilisi win was key - Skivington

GEORGE Skivington has credited the European Challenge Cup win against Black Lion in Tbilisi as the moment Gloucester turned their season around.

2 mins

Rugby's holy trinity prove the difference

SINCE time immemorial, rugby has been cloaked in its own cliches: Prince Obolensky was always “dashing”; Colin Meads lived his life as an “unsmiling giant”; Martin Johnson was rarely anything other than “beetle-browed”; and Billy Vunipola, easier to stop with an elephant gun than he is with a Taser according to recent evidence from a late-night bar in Mallorca, will forever be known as “the man who shamed the shirt he wasn’t wearing”.

3 mins

Davies the leading light in Welsh quartet

FOUR international flyhalves took flight from Wales last year, understandably so given the alternative of staying put on contracts shredded by the rugby recession.

2 mins

Coventry denied by powerful Pirates

SHEER pack power delivered two classic late rolling maul tries as Pirates maintained their quest for a second place Championship finish.

2 mins

Harrison leads from front to seal it for Saracens

SARACENS returned to Allianz PWR action with a bonus-point win at StoneX Stadium.

2 mins

Blues hold on in battle at the top

BLUES held on with their backs to their try line as they edged past the Hurricanes 31-27 to leapfrog their Kiwi rivals and move top of the table.

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.