CATEGORIES

Bath out to go one step further this time around

TWO years after finishing bottom of the Premiership, Bath were a score away from the title.

Prop Tayack returns after horror year

JAY Tayack, grateful to be back fit and healthy, was unveiled to supporters as Cornish Pirates' latest signing at their Meet The Players evening on Thursday.

An age-old problem for Farrell and Lions

THIS time next year Andy Farrell will know if he got his selection matrix right for the 2025 Lions series against Australia, because it will either be a triumphal return for the head coach - or the Wallabies springing one of the biggest upsets in sport.

Titans hit six ahead of return to National One

FOLLOWING their enthralling National Two North title race last season, Rotherham and Leeds Tykes met once again with the Titans coming out on top 40-7.

No scrums? No problem Springboks for

LAST week in Brisbane Pieter Steph Du Toit famously asked Luke Pearce: \"Where's the scrum?\" when presented with a choice of three separate penalties.

Once again, Pumas fail to back it up

ONE of the question most able truisms in rugby is that wet weather is a great leveller.

Classy Jordan shows the way as All Blacks get back in old routine

WILL Jordan continued his try-a-game scoring spree as the All Blacks avenged last week's reverse to Argentina and made it 50 undefeated matches at their Garden of Eden.

Aussies on a long road to recovery

EXPECTATIONS in Australia will be pretty low after back-toback defeats to South Africa in the opening rounds of the Rugby Championship, but, given the way the Wallabies played in the 2023 World Cup, there was no reason for them to be sky-high heading into the tournament.

South American sides facing unfair hurdles

AFTER World Rugby confirmed the qualification process for the 2027 World Cup, among frustration South American nations was tempered only by the fact that they were expecting nothing better.

I'm delighted we are opening title race against Saints, says Russell

BATH were inches away from Premiership glory despite playing almost an hour of the final with 14 men, and with their title rivals waving goodbye to household names, talismanic fly-half Finn Russell believes they are in great shape to claim the trophy this time around.

All Blacks gear up for Springbok showdown

Unbeaten run at Eden Park extends to 50

13 years on and Yeandle's fire is still burning bright

WHEN it comes to the Exeter Chiefs' success story, Jack Yeandle has never been too far away from the main headlines.

Charity cricket goes with a swing

A BUMPER crowd turned out for an entertaining charity all star cricket match between The Matt Gallagher Foundation XI and a Knowle & Dorridge Cricket Club Xl last week, raising funds to help people with Motor Neurone Disease.

Ewers: I'm thrilled to be joining Stormers

AS the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue over Cape Town's iconic Table Mountain, Dave Ewers stepped off the plane, his heart racing with a mix of excitement and nostalgia.

Premier Sports to cover Champions Cup

THE Champions Cup and Challenge Cup will be shown on Premier Sports in the UK next season, with tournament organisers EPCR agreeing a three-year deal with the subscription channel who already own the UK rights to the URC and Top 14.

Leatherbarrow banks on a third tier future

TEDDY Leatherbarrow's decision to drop down to the third tier of English rugby is very much a tale of the times in rugby.

Sponsorship deal will really help grassroots

THE news that the cabbage patch is to get a name change which will ensure increased funds for the grassroots game for at least four years, has to be a really good thing.

Young talent climbing the ladders of success

EXCITEMENT women's for rugby should only grow based on the successful work done by the England player pathway system that provides the next batch of young talent with chances to shine.

New owners keen to inspire Bournemouth

BOURNEMOUTH Rugby Club, who currently play in Regional 2 South Central, at the sixth tier of the English rugby union system, are set to take a major leap into the future following a successful acquisition.

How the sun keeps shining for Spain

IT'S been an outstanding summer for Spain... and the good news keeps coming. Last month Los Leones embarked on a first-ever tour of the Pacific and recorded an historic 29-20 win over Tonga in Nuku'alofa, not to mention a narrow 34-30 defeat against Samoa in Apia the previous week.

The matchday vibe in Bath was awesome

I DIDN’T play rugby until I was 16, I was swimmer for most of my childhood in Pembrokeshire and I played cricket but athletics was the big one for me – I threw the discus.

Berry's briefest of brief encounters...

TEN summer Olympiads have come and all but gone since Marty Berry went off on a sprint which made Noah Lyles' in Paris the other night feel a bit sluggish.

What counts is how the money is spent

IT WAS a close-run thing but, after crunching the numbers harder than a caffeine-fuelled psephologist on election night, we can now predict the following with a high degree of confidence: there is more chance of Dan Cole outperforming Simone Biles on the uneven bars than of a badged and blazered rugger chap from some swanky corner of the shires erasing the word \"Twickenham\" from his vocabulary.

RFU must learn from Olympic gold rush

THE Paris Olympics should have rammed home an urgent reminder to the RFU that English rugby has to invest in an equivalent of the World Class Programme that has underpinned the significant increase in the number of Olympic medals – especially gold – at the last five games.

Diamond: We'll be fit and raring to go

STEVE Diamond insists Newcastle Falcons will be fit for purpose when they kick off the new Premiership season at home to Bristol on Friday, September 20.

Summerhill in hunt for a new deal

AS he comes to terms with being unemployed, Aled Summerhill admits he has taken a gamble, but is standing by his decision.

I'm at Tigers for the long haul - Cheika

TROUBLE-shooter Michael Cheika has told Leicester fans he is not just a quick fix merchant and is hoping to be in it for the long haul in the Midlands.

Matthews stepping into Pellegrini shoes

REPLACING World Cup star Pat Pellegrini could be perceived as a daunting prospect but Coventry new signing Tommy Matthews is confident he's up to the challenge.

Easter ‘appalled' by Prem Cup exclusion

NICK Easter has described the decision to exclude his Chinnor side and Cambridge from next season’s Premiership Cup as “appalling and astonishing.”

We must all share the blame -Youngs

BEN Youngs insists Leicester’s players only have themselves to blame for last season’s flop and not Dan McKellar who exited as head coach in June.