In this issue

July 21, 2024

Top of the world

England U20s too strong for France in final showdown

3 mins

2027 World Cup is closer than you think, says Borthwick

STEVE Borthwick admits he faces a race against time to get England up to speed as he turns his sights to the 2027 World Cup.

3 mins

Holden keen to learn the McGeechan way

MALIQ Holden admits he couldn’t have asked for a better role model to learn from than Sir Ian McGeechan after landing his first head coach role.

3 mins

Freeman: We left with NZ respect

TOMMY Freeman flew out of New Zealand on Monday morning beaten but not bowed claiming England had won the respect of the All Blacks.

2 mins

Packer out to defend WXV crown in Canada

MARLIE Packer enjoyed one of the greatest nights of her rugby career in the first edition of WXV – little wonder she cannot wait for the second.

2 mins

New Zealand too good for Ireland as they finish third

NEW Zealand secured third place in the u20 rugby championship with victory over the Irish, after coming alive in the second half and scoring 31 unanswered points in half an hour.

2 mins

Glory for a band of brothers

ENGLAND emerged victorious for the first time in the tournament since 2016, denying France a fourth championship in a row and completed a historic Six Nations and World Championship double, going undefeated in 2024.

4 mins

Battling Wales run out of power

WALES were overpowered in their final outing as tournament hosts South Africa won the battle for seventh place.

2 mins

Best team in the world, I screamed

FRIDAY night was the highlight of my shortlived rugby career so far and was the perfect way to start my first year as a professional player.

3 mins

England going in the right direction

IF WE measure England from the time Steve Borthwick took over as head coach to where we are now there has been an improvement in performance.

5 mins

All Blacks spreading the word in San Diego

NEW Zealand’s debutants rose to Test level as the All Blacks dispatched their rivals Fiji in their final outing before next month’s Rugby Championship.

2 mins

Valetini leads the way for Wallabies

THE good times keep on rolling at the start of Joe Schmidt’s tenure as Australia made it four wins on the spin for the first time since 2021 courtesy of an almighty performance from their back row.

2 mins

Hardy on hand to grab last-gasp win

WITH 80 seconds left of the clock, replacement Kieran Hardy touched down to end Wales’ run of nine consecutive defeats.

2 mins

England need to beat the big boys

IT IS intriguing to see England being touted already as serious 2027 World Cup contenders on the back of their 2-0 series defeat this month in New Zealand.

4 mins

Pontypool swoop to recruit Allen

THERE has been plenty of movement in the transfer market in Welsh rugby as the new Top 10 elite clubs build their squads for the launch of the Super Rygbi Cymru league that kicks off in September.

2 mins

A drop of magic is just what we need

TRANGE as it may sound to generations of rugby lovers raised on a fizzydrink, dopamine-heavy diet of high-scoring matches, there was a time when tries were rare enough to be memorable.

3 mins

It takes a long time to learn 'the dark arts'

SO IT was a second defeat in New Zealand for an England team that promised so much and yet failed to take on board the lessons from their first game, perhaps being a little too confident in what they had previously achieved in that game and the game against Japan.

4 mins

Vannes facing a tough early test

PROMOTED ProD2 winners Vannes will kick off their first-ever season in the Top 14 at home against 23-time French champions Toulouse on the evening of Sunday, September 8, to round out the opening weekend of the 2024/25 campaign.

4 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.