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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

Conan leads the way for Leinster

MAN of the match Jack Conan believes Leinster will need to show a big improvement next weekend if they are to see off Leicester Tigers in the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup.

Costelow grabs it for Scarlets

SAM Costelow held his nerve with a touchline conversion to win a thrilling game and send Scarlets through to a home semi-final.

Too little, too late as Quins wilt in the sun

TABAI Matson conceded his side had “a steep, tough road to climb” in order to rescue the season as Quins crashed out of Europe in the Cape Town sunshine.

Gloucester to stunning so close triumph

BRAVE Gloucester, manifestly the better side on an evening of magnificent European rugby, threatened to pull off their greatest ever European triumph but came up agonisingly short at champions La Rochelle.

Countries now battling to find their place in a new world order

THE Heineken Champions Cup has become bigger. It has more teams taking part than before the pandemic and the presence of South Africa has added weight. But has it become better?

Saracens show they can thrive in adversity

THE European Champions Cup doesn’t get mentioned very much when you’re living in Bath these days, but this year at least we had great fun at a 25th anniversary celebration of the 1998 Bath team that became the first English club to win the title.

Lam dismisses Goode criticism of club spirit

PAT Lam dismisses claims by former England fly-half Andy Goode that some of his Bristol players, including prop Ellis Genge, are not bothered about performing for the club.

Haskell: Billy can still star for England

JAMES Haskell feels the door could be open for an international recall for his former England team-mate Billy Vunipola.

A rout which should force Sweeney and O'Shea to go

THOSE who want to turn rugby union in England into a protectionist franchise sport should reflect long and hard on the way Leicester were on the receiving end of a 55-24 quarter-final drubbing by Leinster in Dublin.

Cardiff pay price for poor discipline

BENETTON became the first Italian side to reach the semi-finals of the European Challenge Cup with former Wasps wing Marcus Watson scoring the crucial try.

Brown agrees new deal with Leicester

PATIENCE finally paid off for Mike Brown two months ago when the former England full-back’s determination to show he could still cut it in the Premiership yielded a contract with champions Leicester.