CATEGORIES

Poole: Cov on right track to win promotion

CAPTAIN Jordan Poole says Coventry are on track to finish the club’s three-year plan with promotion to the Premiership this season.

Gloucester on a roll after standing up to Edinburgh

GLOUCESTER showed they can still scrum and maul as good as any side as the Cherry and Whites laid down the gauntlet in their pursuit of silverware on Friday night.

Oh, for a one-stop TV shop for the lot

HERE’S a brain teaser: if you happen to be an average Joe or Joanna struggling to make your sums add up in the blood-andguts real world, as opposed to the gold-plated one inhabited by tech gazillionaires and Saudi princes and Twickenham chief executives, and you love watching rugby union, your favourite sport, on the telly box in the corner of your living room, how much expenditure is too much?

Ibitoye must grab chance - Banahan

MATT Banahan is looking forward to watching Gabriel Ibitoye press his England claims during the upcoming European window.

My Lions team are ready for take-off

THERE is a view that picking a Lions Test team almost seven months before the 2025 Lions tour to Australia, as this week’s column does, is an empty exercise because it will bear little resemblance to the lineup in the series against the Wallabies.

Mata: It'll be like a Test match for us

VILIAME Mata is out to make up for lost time after the start to his Bristol career was delayed by injury.

Horne hat-trick seals it for Sale

GEORGE Horne scored a stunning first-half hattrick as Glasgow made a statement of intent with a thumping opening European Champions Cup victory over Sale at Scotstoun.

Bath fail to make most of chances

THREE tries in a 15-minute spell from the champions of 2022 and 2023 ensured that Bath’s European campaign got off to a losing start.

Quins leave it too late in Paris

HARLEQUINS endured a miserable night in Paris.

Chiefs fail to cash in on Sharks' mistakes

FRUSTRATED Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter admitted his side lacked a ‘clinical edge’ as they headed home from South Africa without any reward.

Saracens bounce back in fine style

SARACENS, with Tom Willis looking every inch a starting England No.8, produced their best performance in a very long time to dismiss a strong and in-form Bulls side.

Smith and Mitchell get back in the old routine

FIN Smith proved a man for all seasons as he guided Northampton to a comfortable opening win in the Champions Cup and got their show back on the road.

Time for Bristol to step up to the plate

ENGLISH clubs like Saracens, Leicester, Bath, Northampton and, to a lesser extent, Harlequins have got pedigree when it comes to the European Cup.

Winners? It's hard to look beyond Toulouse

Paul Rees talks to Chris Robshaw about the Champions Cup - and why he rates England's chances in the Six Nations

We're not afraid to get into a dog-fight, says van Graan

WHEN Johann van Graan took charge of Bath in the summer of 2022, the South African made no secret of the fact that implementing his style and a change of culture at the famous Rec would take some time.

Nowell: I'm loving life on and off the pitch at La Rochelle

AS Jack Nowell stepped off the plane to start his La Rochelle career, he was stepping into the unknown challenges that would wrap his brain for the initial settling-in period.

Freeman is happy to have a crack at centre

TOMMY Freeman has started all of England’s internationals this year on the wing but fancies having a crack in the centre.

Heyes determined to prove himself at the top level

JOE Heyes has used the hurt of missing out on a place in England’s Autumn Nations Series squad to drive him on to bigger and better things.

England were not too far off - Slade

HENRY Slade believes England deserved more credit for their performances this autumn, insisting it was ‘small margins’ that prevented them from truly making their mark against the southern hemisphere’s elite.

No Mercer decision until end of season

GLOUCESTER will not decide on Zach Mercer’s future until the end of the season as speculation that he will return to France intensifies.

Stade are heading in right direction

IS there an early winter equivalent to the idiom about solitary swallows and the impending arrival of summer? Because – whatever it might be, something involving snowflakes, perhaps, or frosts – that’s the situation at Stade Francais right now.

Borthwick needs to sort out defence

WELL surprise, surprise England at last managed to win at home in front of a nearly full Allianz stadium even if it was against a team that they had thrashed just a few months earlier.

Rowland is gearing up for world cup challenge

HELENA Rowland believes England Women have been given advance warning that next year’s Rugby World Cup is to be no formality.

All my energy is going into Beziers

IT’S a dream to be a part-share owner of AS Beziers Hérault, the 11-time French champions, along with Andrew Mehrtens and Bobby Skinstad.

Fylde left to count cost of the cards

LEEDS TYKES were thankful for their resolute defence as they clung on to claim a narrow win against Fylde.

O'Grady glad to learn his trade in tough surroundings

EXETER University flyhalf Lewis O’Grady is enjoying the physicality of National 2 West and insists it is the best preparation for his transition to senior rugby after graduation.

It's Bristol or nothing for me - Cunningham

PROUD Bristolian Hollie Cunningham hopes to inspire the next generation of Bears players and can’t see herself ever playing for anyone else.

Bristol hit heights to take down champions

BRISTOL Bears head coach Dave Ward could not hide his delight following an impressive victory over reigning PWR champions Gloucester Hartpury at Kingsholm.

Good to see the Eagles soaring again

THAT’S a wrap for the autumn Tests and it would be remiss not to scroll through the undercard and round up the best of the action outside of the A list matches. A quick crib sheet for those not paying attention at the back.

Thomas ready for Edinburgh clash

FRESH from his dream Wales debut, Freddie Thomas has set his sights on helping Gloucester conquer Europe.