CATEGORIES

Oyonnax have to keep on believing

OYONNAX manager Joe El-Abd promised last week that his side would 'fight to the end' following their so-near-so-far 35-39 home defeat against fellow Top 14 lowlanders Montpellier.

Slick Drua continue Penney's nightmare

CRUSADERS' miserable start to their new era continued with a third straight defeat as Fijian Drua picked up their first win of the season.

Tom Jones is on song as good Lucs in for leaders

LUCTONIANS overcame difficult playing conditions to notch up a bonus point win against a depleted Camborne side who nevertheless went toe-to-toe with the table toppers.

Signorini inspires Oaks to top win

SUPER Sevenoaks Rugby secured an important five-point, 22-13 victory over rivals Wimbledon RFC at Knole Paddock on a throughly enjoyable weekend for the hosts.

Mulchrone is main man as super Sale impress

RAMS' six-match winning run came to an end as a clinical Sale FC claimed a deserved victory at Old Bath Road.

Reid: We want to build new legacy

COMBATIVE Bath back rower Miles Reid is hellbent on putting the halcyon days of the 1980s and 90s firmly in the past - if only to keep his old man quiet by winning major silverware this season.

Military's finest ready for battle

THE win we had in 2019 is the highlight of my career.\" When a 72-cap, Premiership-winning face of the national women's game-not to mention a scorer of a Rugby World Cup final hat-trick - says a comment like this it is worth listening to.

Ealing are stunned by brave Coventry

INSPIRED by a brilliant display Coventry individual from skip clinched per Jordon Poole, a thrilling win over leaders Ealing in a tension-packed finale.

Bath get in the mood for restart

BATH got their preparations for the return of the Premiership underway with a big win against Gloucester in a special Foundation Day derby.

Ireland deny England title in a thriller

IT ENDED in heartbreak at The Rec as England, after thinking they had secured the title in the dying seconds, were forced to lick their wounds following Luke Murphy's last-gasp try which ended the home side's chances of a first Grand Slam since 2021.

Gatland on a mission to avoid whitewash

Nations WALES are on their worst run in the Six since the year Warren Gatland was first summoned from New Zealand to put puff back into the dragon.

Scotland stunned by Italian fightback

IF this was one of the great days for Italian rugby, it was a ruinous Roman afternoon for Scotland, whose hopes of breaking through their glass ceiling in the Six Nations were shattered by a thunderous Azzurri comeback.

Smith's drop of magic revives England

MARCUS Smith and Danny Care, the 37-year-old centurion in his 100th Test, managed to keep their heads when all around were losing theirs to clinch this pulsating match by conjuring a text-book drop-goal finish with seconds left on the clock.

Redshaw ready to lead from the front

BEN Redshaw trained with England during last year's World Cup before he had made his Newcastle debut, already marked out as a player to watch.

Matavesi: We need to hit the ground running

NORTHAMPTON hooker Sam Matavesi wants normal service to be resumed after what has been \"a weird year\" in the Premiership and an unusual week all round.

For me, this was their finest Six Nations win

COULD have beaten England. Should have beaten France, finally did the business against Scotland Italy took the major scalp that this particular group of players needs and the rugby community throughout Italy have craved for so long. Italian rugby is well and truly on the march and that can only be good for the game.

Play with tempo and Wales could steal it

WALES are rebuilding, and most people accept that.

Watkin's ready to stake his claim

OWEN Watkin plays week in, week out with George North but today he gets his big chance to stake a claim to become the long-term replacement for his Ospreys team-mate in the Welsh midfield.

One of the greatest days ever - George

JAMIE George last night admitted that derailing Ireland's Slam hopes Grand was one of the greatest days of his career after their Twickenham upset.

McHenry grabs his lifeline from Dax

ALEX McHenry scored Jersey’s third try against Exeter in September, yet eight days later was selling nearly all his possessions and left “fearing the worst” – but a ‘mystery’ figure helped him turn his fortunes around.

Waratahs prove too strong for Crusaders

THE Crusaders suffered back-to-back defeats to begin their title defence after the impressive Waratahs secured a stunning 37-24 upset victory.

Reynolds looks to Ram home a final advantage

WITH just six games remaining, Rams trail league leaders Chinnor by only points difference, but director of rugby Seb Reynolds has reiterated that his side won’t be focused on chasing bonus points in order to topple their title rivals.

Benson leads the way for Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE, with their ‘big names’ leading the way, dismissed Oxford with an eight-try demolition to mark the first occasion this game has been played at the StoneX. It is the highest score and biggest margin of victory in the fixture’s history.

Hartpury made to work hard by battling Chiefs

GLOUCESTER-Hartpury maintained their unbeaten run in the Women's Premiership with a gritty victory against Exeter at Kingsholm.

We need to take more control, says Ford

BURY St Edmunds have seen their National Two East title hopes shattered away in recent weeks with five defeats on the spin leaving director of rugby Jacob Ford scratching his head in bemusement.

Majestic Georgia march on into final

RICHARD Cockerill's hoisted up Georgia the Antim Cup as they booked their place in the final of the Rugby Europe Championship after overpowering big rivals Romania in a seven-try rout.

Coventry show McGeechan there's a lot of work to do

DONCASTER’S new era following the departure of Steve Boden began disappointingly at Castle Park.

Borthwick should put faith in this trio

PETER Winterbottom knows a thing or three about our sport, so you would expect him to make some telling points over the course of an hour-long discussion. Which he did, on this paper's podcast just recently.

De Beer happy to welcome Sheedy

CARDIFF’S Tinus de Beer says he will welcome the arrival of fellow fly-half Callum Sheedy at the Arms Park to help share the load at No.10.

Carre leads fightback but Cardiff lack power

The home side weren’t able to reproduce that success but it was another committed effort from them after enduring a disastrous start.