The Rugby Paper - November 24, 2024

In this issue

November 24, 2024

Bears' fitness not in question - Lam

BRISTOL boss Pat Lam has absolutely no concerns over the fitness of his players in the wake of Steve Borthwick comments questioning the condition of some England squad members at the start of the Autumn Nations Series.

2 mins

White: We'll make it hard for the Lions

NIC White believes Australia have sent a timely reminder to the British & Irish Lions, declaring that the Wallabies will be ready for the challenge of the famed touring side when they arrive Down Under next year.

2 mins

My life's a bit like spinning plates, says Lydiate

FOR Dan Lydiate, life is a bit like spinning plates these days. Having moved into a player-coach role at the Dragons, the 72cap Wales flanker is juggling those two duties with farming and family commitments.

2 mins

George calls on Twickenham crowd

JAMIE George has urged the Twickenham crowd to give a little respect to Eddie Jones – then watch England ruin the Australian’s day at his former workplace.

3 mins

Shadow of Eddie still hangs over Borthwick

STEVE Borthwick is in the ultimate nowin situation today against Japan at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, a game he cannot afford to lose and where a victory will mean almost nothing.

4 mins

Fiji cave in as Ireland find some firepower

IRELAND finally found some fluency and firepower this autumn with eight tries at the Aviva but Fiji were a shadow of the side that beat Wales in Cardiff earlier this month.

2 mins

England have bullets but not the right gun

I WAS optimistic about England’s chances at the start of the autumn series, given the closeness of the games against New Zealand in the summer.

5 mins

Wales are battered by force of Storm Sprinbok

THE closed Principality Stadium roof kept Storm Bert at bay, but for Wales there was to be no escape from Storm Springbok.

3 mins

Dirty dozen could finish off Gatland

WHEN the Gatland Gate clanked shut behind him last night on a year of endless misery, the man himself might have wondered whether he will be back to walk through it again.

3 mins

This is where I'm supposed to be - Sione

SIONE Tuipulotu’s journey from the suburbs of Melbourne to the Scotland captaincy will come full circle today as he leads out his adopted nation against his country of birth at Murrayfield.

3 mins

Ollivon proves point (whatever he says)

WHEN France’s analysts examine data from Friday’s win over ill-disciplined, inconsistent Argentina to complete an Autumn Nations Series clean-sweep, they might find a message hidden in the lines of Charles Ollivon’s tracking map.

2 mins

Borthwick can't afford another run of failure

WHEN it comes to “jam tomorrow” England teams have produced more jars of it than Chivers over the last two decades – and the lacklustre results by Steve Borthwick’s crew over the autumn is yet another serving of undelivered promise.

4 mins

We need an agenda for regeneration and change

SACKING head coach Steve Borthwick and RFU CEO Bill Sweeney will not solve England’s problems because those problems are too complex and deep-rooted.

3 mins

Kolbe's majesty is a delight to behold

CHESLIN Kolbe won the “man of the match” award for his two-try contribution to South Africa’s victory over England, thereby proving that for all their sins of omission and commission, members of the union game’s decision-making class still have the capacity to recognise the bleeding obvious when they see it.

3 mins

If someone thinks I'm an a***, they can switch off

JAMES Haskell took the direct approach as a player and he is no different as a podcaster, saying it as he sees it rather than tiptoeing around a subject so as not to trample on feelings.

6 mins

Dan's learning a lot from top pair

FOR Theo Dan, every trip to Allianz Stadium is special and for good reason.

2 mins

Saracens hold on to keep Quins out

SARACENS inflicted a first defeat in the Premiership Cup on local rivals Harlequins in wet and windy conditions at the StoneX Stadium.

2 mins

Pearson's power is enough to carry Saints past Cov

A BATTLING forward display in which flanker Tom Pearson produced a stand-out performance enabled Northampton to scrap their way past committed Championship leaders Coventry.

2 mins

Radford ready to get Saints rolling

CHAMPIONS North- ampton made a steady rather than spectacular start to the Premiership but Lee Radford is confident they will move through the gears in the coming weeks.

3 mins

It's not looking good for Lions from Wales

ONLY once in the last 100 years have the Lions chosen to play an entire Test series with as few as two Welshmen: Ieuan Evans and Scott Gibbs during the last tour of the amateur era.

3 mins

Becconsall: We need to release pressure

WILL Becconsall says Exeter are not spooked by the threat of relegation as they look to turn around their Premiership campaign after starting with six straight defeats.

2 mins

Scarratt leads the way for Lightning

LOUGHBOROUGH won a wet and windy East Midlands Derby after having the bonus point in the bag by half-time.

1 min

Strachan confident Ampthill will be firing again soon

FRASER Strachan is determined to put Ampthill’s leaky defensive showings behind them and gain some much needed confidence in the run up to Christmas.

3 mins

It's a whole new ball game for Rigg

WILL Rigg’s ambition was to become a professional cricketer but it is the oval ball rather than The Oval that is his driver now.

2 mins

Tom 'Ailes' the achievements of inspirational skipper Riley

SEDGLEY Park No. 8 Tom Ailes says his team relish the competitive nature of National One and is confident the Tigers can rectify their rocky start to the season in weeks to come.

2 mins

Forwards pack a punch for the Reds

OLD Redcliffians produced a proud defensive effort to take a bonus-point win.

2 mins

Cook's crew not fazed as they eye tilt at top half

THERE appear to be few signs of second season syndrome at Westcombe Park as captain Nick Cook reveals the group aren’t even contemplating the threat of relegation and are instead targeting a top-half finish.

2 mins

Being a Lion was the highlight of my career

I PLAYED 19 games and scored 219 points for the Lions, on the tours to South Africa in 1968 and New Zealand in 1971, but I never played in a Test and that was fair enough.

6 mins

Stop messing with Marcus - Campese

DAVID Campese believes England are going backwards under Steve Borthwick, who is ‘messing around’ with talisman Marcus Smith.

2 mins

England can find a little bit of cheer

SO HERE we are on the final day of England’s autumn international series with all of us hoping and expecting Steve Borthwick’s team to win today after three weeks of bitter disappointment.

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.