The Rugby Paper - February 25, 2024

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February 25, 2024

Borthwick: We made too many mistakes

ENGLAND boss Steve Borthwick admitted his side got what they deserved after another Murrayfield nightmare in Edinburgh.

3 mins

Boden quits Knights over lack of funding

FATIGUED by the ongoing uncertainty over funding and the direction of the Championship, Steve Boden has explained that the need to explore other opportunities away from the second tier of English rugby was behind his decision to quit as Doncaster DoR.

3 mins

End of an era as Lawes commits to Brive

COURTNEY Lawes will leave Northampton this summer to join ProD2 side Brive after 17 seasons at Franklin’s Gardens.

2 mins

Mercer: I'm focused on Gloucester

IF desire to play for England was a factor in selection, Zach Mercer would be one of the first names on the team sheet.

4 mins

Hammer of the English is too hot to handle again

THIS fourth English Calcutta Cup defeat in succession confirmed Duhan van der Merwe as the ‘Hammer of the English’. The powerhouse South African-born winger was simply too hot to hold as he roared in for a hat-trick to send the Murrayfield crowd into raptures.

5 mins

Van Graan banking on Russell to hit the target

JOHANN van Graan has every faith that Finn Russell can transfer his goal-kicking form for Scotland to Bath if needed in clutch moments.

2 mins

Edwards in firing line as France lose rhythm

IT’S too easy to say that France have fallen off and are no longer the team they were, after a home defeat by Ireland when they were down to 14 men for almost half the game. Nor can an away win over Scotland after such a big loss to the Irish in Marseille just be dismissed – even taking into account the controversy over the Scots being denied a last-gasp try.

4 mins

Rattled, but Irish still on course for slam

AND so the champions go to Twickenham on track for the Grandest of Slams, one match away from creating the longest winning Six Nations streak of all.

4 mins

As usual, Gibson-Park enjoys life in top gear

IT’S more than a little sobering to think that Ireland’s win over Wales yesterday was probably their “iffy” performance of their 2024 Six Nations.

4 mins

Lethargic France in need of new drive

IT does not come any more demanding in the Six Nations than visits to Ireland and France in consecutive rounds, but that is the lot of Italy who are in Lille today less than five months after they were thrashed in the World Cup by Les Bleus.

3 mins

England's Plan A is to run at Portugal

STEVE Borthwick left Edinburgh after England’s clash against Scotland last night and set off for the Midlands to ensure he makes it in good time for the A side’s lunchtime encounter with Portugal at Welford Road.

4 mins

Six-try Ireland go on rampage to blow Wales away

GRAND Slam holders Ireland flexed their muscles to score six tries and blow a helpless Wales side away.

2 mins

Munster have edge on Quins

MUNSTER edged out Harlequins in a 12try thriller at The Stoop on Friday.

1 min

Waugh's battle is going to be tough

WHO has the toughest job in rugby? It certainly doesn’t belong to the loadsamoney establishment lawyers plotting a course across the courtroom minefield as the player welfare class action gathers speed. Still less to the speak-your-weight machine charged with gasping “one at a time please” while plummeting towards the earth’s core under the tonnage of Posolo Tuilagi.

3 mins

Rugby's stuck in the ice age. It needs to open up

Ben Jaycock talks to Freddie Burns about life in Japan and what he thinks the sport must do to attract the youngsters

6 mins

I just love playing and had an amazing career

PLAYING in the Championship isn’t sustainable with the level of funding clubs currently get so while it was a hard decision to quit professional rugby a couple of years ago at the age of 28, I had to think about my future, otherwise I’d have been holding off the inevitable and I didn’t want to be entering a new job market well into my 30s.

5 mins

Minikin ready to see battle going right down to wire

HULL Ionians finished third in National Two North last year but are up against it at the wrong end of the table this term, and fly-half Lewis Minikin says every game is now their cup final.

2 mins

Tosa takes chance with a lighter blue

MAKOTO Tosa will join an exclusive club on Saturday when he wins his second Blue in the Varsity Match – and make a piece of rugby history into the bargain.

2 mins

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The Rugby Paper, the UK's number 1 selling rugby title, brings you exclusive stories, reports and features on your device, published in exceptional clarity. It contains renowned journalists such as Nick Cain and Peter Jackson, and famous former players as columnists including Jeremy Guscott and Jeff Probyn. Published every Sunday, The Rugby Paper covers Rugby Union from national teams and Premiership / Rabo Direct down to grass roots.