CATEGORIES

Wales look like missing out again

AS Wales ‘wails over the embarrassing state of its national sport’, a club coach raises an issue of piercing perception: “Is the pull of the Welsh jersey as strong as it used to be? That’s the question.’’

Knights make the most of lifelines

AN extraordinary game at Castle Park in which there was one red card and three yellows, saw an outstanding recovery by Doncaster who played most of the contest with 14 men and yet surprisingly drew, having been 22-3 behind 10 minutes into the second half.

Swart's on message to grab it for Scarlets

SOUTH African Eduan Swart was the unlikely hero with a 84th-minute try to give the Scarlets a much-needed victory.

Ford's resolve is impressive to see

ALL the top sports players have one standout quality – composure – which George Ford has in abundance, along  with his stoicism! A masterful player, who makes all around him look good, and is content to do so.

Packer's proud to join the 100 club

CAPTAIN Marlie Packer earns her 100th cap as England begin their quest for a sixth successive title against an improving Italy in Parma.

Sale keen to send Tuilagi off in style

ALEX Sanderson will use the impending loss of Manu Tuilagi as fuel to drive Sale up the Premiership table and put them back on course for another final at Twickenham.

Dismay for Leicester as Varney snatches it

LEICESTER boss Dan McKellar ordered his Tigers to have a “long hard look in the mirror” after Gloucester posted a first win here in 16 years.

Bristol put leaders Saints to the sword

BRISTOL started where they left off before English club rugby went into hibernation with this crushing seven-try demolition of league leaders Northampton.

Chiefs do enough to get past Newcastle

IT wasn’t pretty, in fact it was downright ugly at times, but Rob Baxter won’t be complaining too much when he looks at the current Premiership table.

Saracens juggernaut steams over Quins

OWEN Farrell celebrated his 250th Saracens appearance in style as the champions laid down a marker to the rest of the Premiership with this statement win.

England on their way to being a real force again

IT’S been a chalk and cheese Six Nations for England, with the first three games going from not much improvement to error-riddled, and then the last two against Ireland and France raising the bar to a totally different level.

Baxter: Clubs will take Cup more seriously

THE Premiership will shut down next season during the two international windows, meaning more clubs are likely to take the Premiership Cup seriously.

I'm fresh and ready for action, says Muir

WILL Muir broke into the England squad this year and although he did not feature in the Six Nations, Bath's coaches noted a difference when the wing returned to the club.

Appleby taking on streets of London for Wooden Spoon

LONDON’S calling for Exeter Women’s head coach Susie Appleby, who will be one of over 40,000 who will take to the streets for the annual London Marathon on Sunday, April 21.

Bears can still finish in the top four - Dun

JAMES Dun knew exactly what Bristol’s supporters were going through earlier this season when the Bears became stuck in a losing run.

Stick with coaches, Dallaglio urges RFU

LAWRENCE Dallaglio hopes the RFU have learned their lesson and will no longer jettison coaches too soon.

‘Incredible’ Farrell has Saracens motoring

CHAMPIONS Saracens smashed Harlequins 52-7 in front of 61,000 fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to move second in the table and stretch their winning run to seven matches against their London rivals.

Don't get trapped in bowels of a big club

Diamond's warning to his young guns

Ice-cool kicking seals Old Reds' joy

OLD Redcliffians maintained their unbeaten run at Scotland Road with victory over Chester, who pushed the hosts all the way.

Happy Hoppers dig in for success

PRESTON Grasshoppers just managed to get over the line in a penalty-strewn match against Billingham.

All the pressure's on us - Cockerill

EDDIE Jones has coached three national teams, South Africa have won two World Cups and Britain has had four Prime Ministers since Georgia last lost a game in the Rugby Europe Championship.

We need strong finish - Ludlow

GLOUCESTER have been a cup team this season but skipper Lewis Ludlow is demanding a strong finish to the Premiership campaign which resumes this weekend after an at eight-week break.

Band of brothers grab the glory

ENGLAND overcame an experienced Junior World Cup-winning France side littered with Top 14 talent as Mark Mapletoft's 'band of brothers' secured a dramatic title win in Pau that showcased why the future of English rugby looks so bright.

Gloucester end long wait for silverware

GLOUCESTER won their first Premiership Cup title - and first trophy in nine years after scoring 17 points while Tigers had hooker Finn Theobald-Thomas and full-back Mike Brown in the sin-bin.

Sorry end for North as Italy hand wooden spoon to Wales

WHEN the anguish over the first Welsh whitewash in a generation dies down, George North will be entitled to ask a rhetorical question: \"What did I do to deserve this?\"

Champions! Ireland do enough to quell Scots

A VISIBLY nervous Ireland encountered Scotland at their bravest and best but still found just enough to get over the finishing line and back up last year's Grand Slam with a second Championship on the bounce.

Pollock is set for take-off at Saints

WHEN Henry Pollock signed his first professional contract with Northampton last year at the age of 18, he was hailed as a generational talent.

'Change the laws for men and women'

INTERNATIONAL should be rugby played under different rules for the men and woman, says the head of Six Nations.

England unleash taste of things to come

THIS was one that got away from a brave England side in a seesaw match full of pendulum swings which eventually fell France's way as their ace marksman Thomas Ramos nailed a longrange penalty one minute from time to clinch victory.

So close but heartbreak for England

GUTTED skipper England Jamie George suffered a case of déjà vu as his side were downed 33-31 by a late penalty in France - again.