Marathon man Myler goes clear of the field

As from next month, Stephen Myler will have outlasted every single one of his fly-half contemporaries in Europe and beyond – the veterans’ veteran.

If we can't have a crowd we can't have a Championship

Motor industry executive and Ampthill director of rugby Mark Lavery tells NEALE HARVEY why the game is stuck in the slow lane and could face even tougher times ahead as clubs at all levels grapple with the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

Spencer must be given his chance against Italy

WHAT would I do with scrumhalf selection if I was Eddie Jones, with the decisive last round of the 2020 Six Nations at the end of next month and the Eight Nations tournament starting a few weeks after that?

Semi sizzles as seven-try Bears cruise into last four

SEMI Radradra produced another magical performance as Bristol progressed to the semis with a seven-try demolition of the Dragons.

Painful memories of tackling Jonah!

WHEN I left Cheltenham College, I was offered a job as a professional polo player for an American team.

Crafty Boks try to get the best of both worlds

SOUTH Africa are in danger of becoming the invisible world champions, but they have a plan. Or, more accurately, Jurie Roux, the SA Rugby chief executive, has a plan – which is to straddle both hemispheres by having a foot in each.

Unpaid Tier 2 players may have contracts cancelled

ON-LOAN Leicester wing David Williams claims Championship players are going unpaid as tier two clubs battle with the financially crippling effects of coronavirus.

Saracens head for their great showdown

BRENDAN GALLAGHER LOOKS AT THE MAKE-UP OF THE EUROPEAN CUP QUARTER-FINALS

Saints unravelled by Chiefs second-string

ROB Baxter admits Chiefs’ winning desire and determination surprises even him at times after his ‘reserves’ stuck a hefty boot into Northampton’s top-four hopes.

Louis is on track to be Wales' next wing king

I had the pleasure of being involved in a podcast with Louis Rees-Zammit the other day and I have to admit I was bowled over by his confidence, level-headedness, and desire to make it at the top level of the game.

Knife in the back from Gloucester still so raw

EVERYONE says the ’98 tour to the southern hemisphere was an awful tour, the ‘Tour from Hell’ but from my point of view, it was just the best, because I got to emulate my grandfather Tom Price and play for England… finally! We didn’t have the superstars there, but I had quite a few of my Gloucester boys and we gave it everything we could – the spirit was amazing.

Boks given full backing to play in 8 Nations

THE Six Nations have joined forces in a united attempt to bring South Africa into the European fold with almost immediate effect.

Beno's backing Bath to spring a surprise

BENO OBANO relished the opportunity to put his feet up during lockdown but he’s now enjoying making big strides and delivering man-of-the-match performances for Bath.

Brown's Got Blueprint For Long-Term Success

Gloucester operations supremo Alex Brown is confident his new-look coaching team, led by rookie head coach George Skivington, will silence the naysayers by being successful for years to come.

Ireland Elated After Long Years Of Hurt In France

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful

Wonderful Warwick have made a home at Twickers

Brendan Gallagher continues his series looking at rugby’s great schools

Super-sub Billy tames the Bears

BILLY Keast powered over in the closing seconds to maintain Exeter’s winning record since lockdown and move 11 points clear at the top of the Premiership.

Whitcombe keeping the great prop dynasty alive

THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW

Title race is done, no-one will get near the Chiefs

OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE... EVERY WEEK

Steff has the talent to back up his hair cut!

WALES AND LIONS LEGEND

Some stats are simply codswallop...not these

GUEST COLUMNIST

Grassroots players don't want no-contact

A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME

Ben's happy to shout the odds at the Rec

BEN SPENCER is happy to have made a big noise in the short time he has been at Bath as he looks to impress England boss Eddie Jones.

Bristol Underdogs...? That's Just Barking Mad

The new interpretation of the existing breakdown laws is working fairly well, although it looked as though the players from a couple of teams might have been asleep at the back of the classroom when the refs visited their club to explain the changes!

Rookie Tigers given a bad mauling by Bath

BATH clinically swept aside a raw Leicester team to continue an impressive restart after a home win over London Irish last week.

This breakdown re-think is just what game needs

I don’t believe the breakdown changes that we have seen at the restart of this season are revolutionary, although they are very welcome. We tend to forget that in years gone by some refs allowed you to handle on the ground and also flop over the ball without being penalised. Thank goodness that’s no longer the case.

Saints take advantage of Exiles ill discipline

AFTER an indifferent performance in the first half, Northampton took the game by the scruff of the neck to keep up their hopes of a Premiership playoff spot.

Luke thanks Brits for his trying time

ENGLAND and Exeter hooker Luke CowanDickie credits changed attitudes and the attacking instincts of ex-Saracens hero Schalk Brits for transforming the role of top-flight No.2s.

Kiwis make our game look utterly pedestrian

The Sale coach and former hooker Steve Diamond, honorary life member of the Front Row Union, thinks modern-day scrums are boring. He’s not wrong. But why single out the set-piece for condemnation? Judging by last weekend’s Premiership relaunch, the English game as a whole is about as compelling as a Theresa May conference speech shorn of the coughing fits, the stage invasions and the collapsible backdrops.

I remember the magic of those midweek matches

ROB BAXTER can always be relied on for an honest soundbite and I cheered aloud at the TV last week when he spoke about how excited he and his players were at the forthcoming prospect of some old-fashioned midweek rugby.