CATEGORIES

100 reasons why Ashton is one of England's best

WHEN Chris Ashton first came on the scene after leaving Wigan and rugby league for Northampton, they were in the Championship.

Whitten keen to finish on a high

EXETER may be the underdogs in next Sunday’s Champions Cup semi-final against holders La Rochelle in Bordeaux, but Ian Whitten says recent history suggests the Chiefs should not be written off.

I'm quicker, stronger and better, says Lynagh

LOUIS Lynagh claims he has returned from his injury nightmare “quicker, stronger and better than ever”.

Sanderson backs his 'squadfather'

ALEX Sanderson says Sale will be a different proposition in the Premiership play-offs than they were two years ago in his first campaign in charge when they lost at Exeter in the semi-final.

Atkinson enjoying life at Gloucester

SEB Atkinson is ending the season on a high having feared his career might be over just as it had started following the collapse of Worcester last September.

Williams: Give more to the Championship

BRISTOL centre James Williams believes the Championship is overlooked by Premiership clubs and deserves more funding from the RFU.

Easy for Clermont as Bears stumble

PAT Lam cut a stoical figure after seeing his side surrender their place in the Challenge Cup by conceding three perplexingly soft tries.

Toole try completes Brumbies fightback

THE Brumbies stole an unforgettable, high-octane Australian derby as Corey Toole’s 77th-minute try completed an astonishing 40-36 comeback win against the Waratahs.

Parra has his eye on a final flourish

FOR a while, it looked as if Morgan Parra’s season – and possibly his career – had ended with an unwelcome whimper rather than a thoroughly merited bang.

Refereeing can be lonely but I wouldn't change it

MOST journeys in life don’t go exactly as planned and that was definitely the case with my refereeing career which began, of all places, on the other side of the world in Australia.

Barber joy as Clifton seal derby triumph

Clifton ................18pts Redruth ............. 10pts

Barnes hand as Heath given

Barnes ...............21pts Blackheath ...... 10pts

At last minnows will have their chances

IT’S an ill wind that blows no good. I’ve been listening to the howls of indignation recently over the “premature” World Cup draw three years ago which has resulted in the top five sides in the world, on current rankings, being lumped on one side of the draw but, unlike some, I am sanguine about the prospect. In fact, and I know this makes me a bad person, I welcome it.

No-show clubs lead cup into an early crisis

A RAFT of late withdrawals from clubs has seen the RFU’s new Papa John’s Community Cup get off to a rocky start.

Rayasi double puts Hurricanes on top

Super Rugby Pacific round-up

AWJ out to climb his final mountain

FOR the last 17 winters, Alun Wyn Jones has been trying to find a way from Swansea to Mont Blanc and the summit of European club competition.

Non-stop season to challenge the best

NO ONE has ever denied – no one has ever been able to deny – that the French rugby season is an ultra-marathon rather than a sprint. But when the World Cup comes around it takes on ferocious ironman triathlon levels.

Sanderson moves for Stormers' star

SALE Sharks are set to return to familiar ground as Alex Sanderson steps up his recruitment plans for next season after agreeing to a deal to land Stormers utility forward Ernst van Rhyn.

Packer takes charge as new-look team emerge

THE headline dominating all the news last weekend was England’s stalwart captain Sarah Hunter retiring with 141 caps after facing Scotland in the opening round of the Women’s Six Nations.

Knights fighting hard despite their half rations

AFTER doing a “Leicester City” in 2021/22, Doncaster have found it tough to back up last year’s second-place finish in the current Championship campaign.

There's no place for jackals and crocodiles in rugby jungle

I DON’T watch enough David Attenborough – frankly his droning voice is my go-to remedy for insomnia – to know if jackals and crocodiles happily coexist in some far-flung ecosystem but I do know they are inextricably linked in the jungle that is a rugby breakdown.

Burns gets chance to make her case

BRISTOL second row Delaney Burns will make her England debut today in muchchanged Red Roses pack to face Italy.

It's time to get back to shifting the piano

NOT long after helping the All Blacks to victory over the Lions in 1993, the formidable wing John Kirwan found himself on the wrong side of the New Zealand selectors, who omitted him from a Europe-bound tour party on the grounds of a declining strike rate. “I’d score more often,” Kirwan is said to have muttered, sardonically, “if it wasn’t for that fat hooker pinching my tries.”

So where have all the fly-halves gone?

SINCE the last World Cup, Wales have picked eight fly-halves. By the end of the next one, the majority will have disappeared in a clatter of hooves and clouds of dust.

Dream start with six tries at Twickenham

NOT many players will be able to say they once scored six tries in a final at Twickenham but, for me, personal achievements and accolades were secondary to just going out and enjoying my rugby.

It's win or go home now, says Christie

AS an Arsenal fan, scoring and being on the winning side at Spurs’ stadium last weekend was particularly sweet for Saracens flanker Andy Christie.

Matthews keeps eye on the ball

EVER-PRESENT flyhalf Tommy Matthews has enjoyed a fine season off the tee for Hartpury University adopting a ‘less is more’ approach to his kicking in training.

Wiese comes to the rescue for Leicester

JASPER Wiese made this wet night memorable for Leicester when he bulldozed and tiptoed his way over for a match-winning try in the 51st minute.

Cup rugby needs an injection of jeopardy

THE Heineken Cup, as we knew and loved it when Friday nights at Sardis Road and Saturday afternoons at Thomond Park were almost as exotic as a weekend in Paris or Toulouse, was the place where true rugby folk felt most alive. We must therefore ask ourselves how it became the tournament where boardroom mediocrity goes to die.

Toulon have too much power for Lyon

TOULON powered into the Challenge Cup semi-finals with an emphatic win over reigning champions Lyon at the Stade Félix Mayol