CATEGORIES
RFU chiefs considered a move to Midlands
TWICKENHAM chiefs considered moving the home of rugby to the Midlands last year before deciding to stay put and revamp the stadium.
Tykes out to get it right this time
LEEDS Tykes are embracing their big club mentality and heavy favourites tag ahead of the new season getting underway on Saturday.
Devoto to make the difference for Titans
TWO sides have dropped down from National One into the West meaning it would be hard to look past one of Cinderford or Taunton Titans bouncing straight back up.
Heald predicts a four-way battle
THIS season is a golden opportunity for one of last season’s title contenders to take advantage and win promotion as no team has dropped down from National One into the East.
Shanahan: We need to create fear factor
NATIONAL One gets underway next weekend and supporters will expect another enthralling campaign with jeopardy throughout.
Price glad he played under old regime
AT Pontypool Park on September 24, 1986, with the sweet chestnut trees in full autumnal regalia, the faithful rolled up without the foggiest clue that they were about to see something they had never seen before. And would never see again.
Energetic thinking urgently required
CRITICAL supporters of Bristol in the late amateur era believed their team was being straitjacketed by a rigidly traditional committee structure driven primarily by the pursuit of a better yesterday.
Holmes hoping to make his mark with Scottish
WHEN it comes to player movement this summer, English rugby’s normal merry go round has been somewhat of a slow spin, a reminder of the fragility the game still has as it looks to work its way out of the woes left by Covid.
Barker determined to hit the heights at Bristol
Paul Rees talks to Steele Barker, a young player who was once told he was too small to make it in the second row
Round 1 to Boks in battle of the big beasts
RASSIE Erasmus won the battle of the coaches against Scott Robertson as his South African Bomb Squad – headed by Malcolm Marx – got the Springboks over the line and kept them on track for the Rugby Championship.
England must find answers ...and fast
THE coaching churn that was a canker during the Eddie Jones’ tenure as England head coach has now spread to Steve Borthwick’s regime.
Students too good for Esher
THIS weekend’s preseason encounters presented National League coaches with a final opportunity to test their squads ahead of their season openers on Saturday.
Cavalry comes to rescue for Bath
REMARKABLY this was the first meeting of these clubs since October 2020 when they contested a double-header in the European Cup competition.
Relentless Tigers run in six as Cheika era starts in style
WILL Wand, one of Leicester’s newbies, summed up this hectic friendly, which launched Tigers’ Michael Cheika era, by saying: “I played for 40 minutes but it felt like 80.”
Working together is name of the game
ONCE upon a time, when the game went pro, the astute national rugby unions took control of their biggest asset, which was the players, by contracting them.
Warrior Macqueen shooting for gold
A FORMER rugby prodigy turn paralympic archer could fulfil a life’s ambition today and complete a unique sporting journey for Team GB in Paris.
We must get used to life after Lawes, urges Dowson
NORTHAMPTON boss Phil Dowson has told his squad to get used to life without Courtney Lawes and co in a hurry ahead of their Premiership title defence.
Fit-again Anscombe can't wait to pull the strings for Gloucester
GARETH Anscombe has been charged with helping propel Gloucester up the Premiership table, a task the Wales outside-half is relishing nearly a year after he played his last match.
Goodrick-Clarke aiming to add his power up front for Chiefs
DUBBED ‘Mr Incredible’ by the club on his official unveiling, Exeter Chiefs have not been shy in promoting the physical prowess of summer signing Will Goodrick-Clarke.
Bailey: I'm just happy to get on and play
ORLANDO Bailey is happy to do whatever it takes to fulfil his dream of becoming a Premiership winner with Bath.
Rees-Zammit's dream still alive
LEGENDARY American sports agent Leigh Steinberg believes Louis ReesZammit has a good chance of playing in the NFL this season despite being cut by Kansas City Chiefs.
Dozens of players in search of a contract
A SQUAD’S worth of Premiership players are still without a contract with just three weeks to go before the start of the 2024/25 season.
Freeman: We will be ready for All Blacks
TOMMY Freeman has an international date on November 2 circled in his diary and has urged England to make home advantage count that day.
Six-try Fiji prove too strong for Samoa
FIJI started their bid for a sixth Pacific Nations Cup title with a 42-16, six-try win over arch rivals Samoa in Suva on Friday
James will prove to be a star at Racing
HERE'S a little prediction that will either leave me with egg on my face or looking like Nostradamus come next June.
BBC will be covering all 32 World Cup games
WORLD Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin believes a groundbreaking partnership with the BBC will ensure a 'generational moment' for women's rugby is seized at next summer's World Cup.
Youngsters were quick to take their chances
Ben Jaycock caught up with England U18s assistant and backs coach Will Parkin
Rae: Good to see promotion back
WITH promotion a realistic possibility for Championship clubs heading into the new season it has created renewed excitement levels across the league.
Boulton's respect for game he loves
COLIN Boulton of Derby County stands astride the Himalayan peaks of Football League champions, the only uncapped goalkeeper to have been a permanent fixture throughout two triumphant campaigns.
Robertson needs to redress the balance
IT WAS a cheap shot, admittedly, but only a pacifist or a fool would spurn the opportunity to kick the New Zealanders when they're down. \"What's the difference between the All Blacks and an arsonist?\" your columnist asked a radio host during a breakfast broadcast in 1998, eventually breaking an unnervingly long silence with the punchline: \"No arsonist would lose his last five matches.\"