CATEGORIES

The Rugby Paper

Fearless Blues fancy chances of major upset

LEINSTER have a perfect record of six bonus-point wins this season and the perennial winners of the PRO14 have arguably been even more dominant than usual so far.

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3 mins  |
November 22, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Eddie won't win RWC with this game plan

A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME

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3 mins  |
November 22, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Conbeer targets next Irish scalp

ALL eyes will be on Kingspan Stadium for a variety of reasons today when Ulster host the Scarlets.

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3 mins  |
November 22, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Alfred the great was cornerstone for France

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

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4 mins  |
November 22, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Sorry, World No Longer Revolves Around Lions

During the week we saw just how huge the gulf is between the traditions of rugby and the professional game.

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3 mins  |
November 01, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Scarratt leads Slam mission

ENGLAND go into battle seeking a second successive Grand Slam without captain Sarah Hunter who has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

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2 mins  |
November 01, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Dennis off to chase new dream in America

EXETER’S Aussie star Dave Dennis is set for pastures new after revealing he has accepted the offer of a two-year deal to play in Major League Rugby.

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2 mins  |
November 01, 2020
The Rugby Paper

World Cup horror show too gruesome to witness

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

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4 mins  |
November 01, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Irish prudence poses RFU more questions

RUGBY Union is fourth in the pecking order of popular team sports in Ireland, behind Gaelic football, hurling, and soccer – and yet it punches well above its weight, both on the playing field and in its administrative boardrooms.

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4 mins  |
November 01, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Losing Italy would help welfare for top players

IN many ways I feel for Italian rugby. I understand the pain they must feel as a nation that loves Rugby Union, but does not truly understand or know it in the way that it is known in leading rugby nations around the world, such as England, Wales, France, New Zealand and South Africa, where it is part of sporting culture.

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4 mins  |
November 01, 2020
The Rugby Paper

JJ snubbed a fortune for Wales

PETER JACKSON pays tribute to JJ Williams who died on Thursday at the age of 72. An all-time great, record-breaking try scorer during the only invincible Lions tour, double Grand Slammer, national sprint champion, millionaire businessman and outspoken pundit, he was also a fearless critic of The Blazer Brigade who ran the amateur game.

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6 mins  |
November 01, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Evans revving up for return home

YOU have to go back to pre-lockdown for the last time Wales prop Rob Evans packed down in a competitive match at Parc y Scarlets, but he’ll be back today off the bench against Edinburgh.

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2 mins  |
November 01, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Eddie's smile arrives but it takes a long time coming

ENGLAND eventually responded to the Eddie Jones mantra of putting a smile on the faces of their supporters thanks to a four-try second-half romp which secured this bonus point victory to put them within touching distance of the 2020 Six Nations title.

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5 mins  |
November 01, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Ben Youngs' story has plenty more years to run

There have been some rum old sights and sounds during this Covid-infested rugby year but none stranger than the England team holding back to allow first Ben Youngs and then Jamie George to run out on their own at the start of the game in Rome last night to take the applause of the crowd at the Olympic Stadium.

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4 mins  |
November 01, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Pivac may have to drop Biggar to get style he wants

THE big change for Wales is adjusting to Wayne Pivac and the new coaching set-up of Stephen Jones, Jonathan Humphreys, and Byron Hayward after 12 years of a very experienced, established set-up under Warren Gatland, Shaun Edwards and Robin McBryde.

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5 mins  |
November 08, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Thompson: Take a punt on Trailfinders

EXPERIENCED back rower Guy Thompson believes Ealing are worthy of a shot at the top-flight.

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4 mins  |
November 08, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Man up, or Wales will get a Dublin thrashing

Parc Y Scarlets last weekend I had a chat to John Barclay the former Scarlets and Scotland flanker.

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3 mins  |
November 08, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Wallabies rally for Rennie's first win

AUSTRALIA bounced back from their record defeat to clinch a thriller in Brisbane.

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3 mins  |
November 08, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Sione: Youth gets chance

SIONE Kalamafoni has urged a youthful Scarlets side to take their opportunities and fill the void left by their international contingent.

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2 mins  |
November 08, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Protheroe has belief in new-look Ospreys

THE all-conquering Leinster machine will roll into Swansea today looking to make it 24 wins in a row in the PRO14.

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2 mins  |
November 08, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Kick out Italy to make the tournament fairer

Not with a bang but a whimper perfectly sums up the conclusion to this year’s Six Nations.

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3 mins  |
November 08, 2020
The Rugby Paper

He's Dunn waiting for now but will he return?

Tom Dunn made an impact, as impact players are meant to do, during his brief appearance in Rome as an England debutant, which amounted to a whole 64 seconds on the game clock plus a couple of extra minutes as the contest struggled to bring itself to a conclusion and dragged on towards the small hours in the modern way.

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3 mins  |
November 08, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Falcons give code-hopper Burrell new lease of life

LUTHER BURRELL has put the dark times behind him and is looking forward to an exciting new chapter in his career after finally getting back on a rugby field.

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4 mins  |
November 08, 2020
The Rugby Paper

Close and personal with the man behind the Boks

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

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4 mins  |
November 08, 2020
There Won't Be An Asterisk Next To This Superb Team
The Rugby Paper

There Won't Be An Asterisk Next To This Superb Team

It was the season that would never end we thought and the final nobody really expected to witness – but Exeter duly claimed a wonderful European and Premiership double at a sodden Twickenham where the rain, torrential rain, bounced off the empty seats.

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4 mins  |
October 25, 2020
Scotland is a must-win after Welsh mediocrity
The Rugby Paper

Scotland is a must-win after Welsh mediocrity

I didn’t expect Wayne Pivac to go as strong as he did in his selection for last night’s game in Paris, but looking at the strength of the French side it was just as well he did.

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4 mins  |
October 25, 2020
It's a glorious grind in the rain for heroic Baxter boys
The Rugby Paper

It's a glorious grind in the rain for heroic Baxter boys

GREAT sides find ways to win when the going gets tough, and Exeter Chiefs did exactly that in claiming this Devon Double.

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5 mins  |
October 25, 2020
Gareth's golden boot sets Exeter on their way
The Rugby Paper

Gareth's golden boot sets Exeter on their way

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

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4 mins  |
October 25, 2020
Truth-seeker Joe finds jungle solace
The Rugby Paper

Truth-seeker Joe finds jungle solace

RUGBY players need ego by the bucket full and Joe van Niekerk understands this better than most.

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3 mins  |
October 25, 2020
Top 14 will speed my progress says Gaby
The Rugby Paper

Top 14 will speed my progress says Gaby

GABY IBITOYE raised more than a few eyebrows in the summer when he signed a two-year deal to swap Harlequins for Top 14 side, Agen, with suggestions he was gambling on his international future.

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3 mins  |
October 25, 2020