CATEGORIES

Veteran Earls out on his own
The Rugby Paper

Veteran Earls out on his own

LIKE his native Limerick, there has never been anything flash or fancy about Keith Earls which goes some way to understanding why he might have thought last week's acrobatics against England a bit OTT.

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1 min  |
August 27, 2023
'I'd signed for Salford day before RFU called"
The Rugby Paper

'I'd signed for Salford day before RFU called"

I SIGNED for Salford Rugby League one Monday, and then the following day, Don Rutherford at the RFU, rang me up to say I’d been selected on the bench for England’s game against Scotland.

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6 mins  |
August 27, 2023
Big beasts need to set the right mood
The Rugby Paper

Big beasts need to set the right mood

SO where did the last four years go? The final warm-up matches are over yet it seems only yesterday that England got delayed on their way to the World Cup final in Japan, hurried through their warm up and the coin toss and then lost to a Springboks team that saved its very best for last. Some are still replaying that match in their minds, it seems so raw and recent.

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4 mins  |
August 27, 2023
YOUNG GUNS
The Rugby Paper

YOUNG GUNS

MAXSURRY SCOTLAND U20 PROP

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2 mins  |
August 27, 2023
Big cats likely to dine on minnows
The Rugby Paper

Big cats likely to dine on minnows

IT MUST be a sobering prospect for the makeweights, travelling to a World Cup with a bunch of players registering close to zero on the Name Recognition Scale – the seismological equivalents of faint tremors – and burdened by the fear that any meeting with half-decent opponents playing reasonably well might reduce their campaign to rubble. But that’s enough about Wales.

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3 mins  |
August 27, 2023
I'd put my faith in Mitchell to spark England
The Rugby Paper

I'd put my faith in Mitchell to spark England

NO MATTER what Steve Borthwick does he’s just getting lynched by the public There’s a certain pool of people who think Marcus Smith should be at 10, you’ve then got other people who are criticising that he’s named the squad early and then there was massive criticism becasue they didn’t celebrate the players enough when announcing the squad like South Africa or New Zealand.

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3 mins  |
August 27, 2023
England heading to the Badlands
The Rugby Paper

England heading to the Badlands

STEVE Borthwick has taken a fork in the road which has led England into the Badlands of international rugby. With two weeks to go until England start their 2023 World Cup campaign against Argentina in Marseille his team looks high and dry.

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4 mins  |
August 27, 2023
Rowe confident Chiefs will be back in the black soon
The Rugby Paper

Rowe confident Chiefs will be back in the black soon

TONY Rowe is confident Exeter will move back into the black by the end of the season after three years of financial turbulence sparked by the pandemic.

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3 mins  |
August 27, 2023
Healy fear as Ireland battle back
The Rugby Paper

Healy fear as Ireland battle back

CIAN Healy dealt Andy Farrell a big World Cup blow as the veteran prop sustained a bad injury at the Stade JeanDauger in Bayonne.

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2 mins  |
August 27, 2023
My concerns: attack, defence and attitude
The Rugby Paper

My concerns: attack, defence and attitude

WATCHING England now is the most frustrating thing in the world. I want them to do well, but it does not look promising when a lot of the players are playing worse for England than they do for their clubs.

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5 mins  |
August 27, 2023
Springboks fire out a World Cup warning
The Rugby Paper

Springboks fire out a World Cup warning

SOUTH Africa showed how hard they will be to dethrone as World Champions by inflicting New Zealand’s biggest ever defeat in Test rugby at Twickenham on Friday night.

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2 mins  |
August 27, 2023
Scotland head to France on a high
The Rugby Paper

Scotland head to France on a high

SCOTLAND  put a sluggish first half behind them to score five second-half tries and head to the World Cup in buoyant mood with a third victory out of four from their warm-up campaign.

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2 mins  |
August 27, 2023
Galthie puts his faith in Jalibert to step up at 10
The Rugby Paper

Galthie puts his faith in Jalibert to step up at 10

FRANCE head coach Fabien Galthie has gone full throttle for their final World Cup warm up match against Australia this afternoon.

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2 mins  |
August 27, 2023
Shambolic England crash to new lows
The Rugby Paper

Shambolic England crash to new lows

THIS was not just England hitting rock bottom, it was plumbing the rugby depths.

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4 mins  |
August 27, 2023
Davies: I almost gave up on Wales career
The Rugby Paper

Davies: I almost gave up on Wales career

SCARLETS scrum-half Gareth Davies has revealed he came close to giving up on his international career before Warren Gatland's return as head coach.

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1 min  |
August 27, 2023
Bassett gets ready to roar for Tigers
The Rugby Paper

Bassett gets ready to roar for Tigers

CHRIS ASHTON will take some replacing but Josh Bassett has come to Leicester hoping to make a splash of his own.

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3 mins  |
August 27, 2023
Player welfare needs top priority - Hayman
The Rugby Paper

Player welfare needs top priority - Hayman

CARL Hayman says rugby is in denial about player welfare and insists there must be improved education on head injuries.

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3 mins  |
August 27, 2023
Welsh aiming for 10-team elite division
The Rugby Paper

Welsh aiming for 10-team elite division

THE Welsh Premiership will be replaced in the 2024-25 season by a “finishing school” for rising talent with the number of teams reduced from 13 to 10. Existing Premiership clubs can each apply for a slot, with criteria for the Elite Domestic Competition (EDC) yet to be finalised.

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1 min  |
August 27, 2023
Lawes: We were made to look silly
The Rugby Paper

Lawes: We were made to look silly

STEVE Borthwick had to admit his side were outplayed yesterday as England suffered their first ever defeat to Fiji who triumphed at Twickenham 30-22.

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2 mins  |
August 27, 2023
S Africa ward off England fightback
The Rugby Paper

S Africa ward off England fightback

SOUTH Africa delivered a commanding performance in the second half to beat England U18s.

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1 min  |
August 20, 2023
De Klerk: We're out to prove a point
The Rugby Paper

De Klerk: We're out to prove a point

FAF de Klerk says South Africa have a point to prove against New Zealand when they clash at Twickenham on Friday.

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3 mins  |
August 20, 2023
Rugby League has taken over says Campese
The Rugby Paper

Rugby League has taken over says Campese

AUSTRALIA legend David Campese is concerned that rugby union is starting to mimic traditional rugby league and is a poorer sport as a result.

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3 mins  |
August 20, 2023
Moyle quick off the mark as Pirates find their feet
The Rugby Paper

Moyle quick off the mark as Pirates find their feet

CHAMPIONSHIP side Pirates produced seven tries as they dominated the first of two outings against National One Plymouth in front of an excellent pre-season crowd of 1,360.

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1 min  |
August 20, 2023
England must get the ball to the wide men
The Rugby Paper

England must get the ball to the wide men

FOR four years, Sir Clive Woodward in his matchday analysis in his newspaper column always states that the coaches pick the right team... he might be right one day.

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1 min  |
August 20, 2023
New Scotland cap Healy has point to prove
The Rugby Paper

New Scotland cap Healy has point to prove

NEW Scotland recruit Ben Healy admits he may have “a bit of a chip on his shoulder” as he aims to prove he was right to switch international allegiance from his native Ireland.

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2 mins  |
August 20, 2023
Fiji give France a run for their money
The Rugby Paper

Fiji give France a run for their money

FRANCE put the loss of star fly-half Romain Ntamack behind them as they continued their fine form but were made to work hard for a win over Fiji in Nantes.

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1 min  |
August 20, 2023
Gatland's men get lesson in finishing
The Rugby Paper

Gatland's men get lesson in finishing

AS distressing dress rehearsals go, this one leaves a wishful Wales pinning their faith in the old showbiz dictum that ‘It’ll be all right on the night’.

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4 mins  |
August 20, 2023
Time is running out for chaotic England
The Rugby Paper

Time is running out for chaotic England

ANOTHER day, another English disciplinary implosion with a red card, this time given to Billy Vunipola, for a headhigh tackle on Ireland loose-head Andrew Porter in the 52nd minute of this Red Rose warm-up debacle in Dublin.

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4 mins  |
August 20, 2023
Robinson's delight to be back at Bath
The Rugby Paper

Robinson's delight to be back at Bath

Jon Newcombe finds the club's former captain in fine form as he returns to join coaching team

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6 mins  |
August 20, 2023
Take mental health seriously - Rugman
The Rugby Paper

Take mental health seriously - Rugman

ELLIE Rugman has urged new England head coach John Mitchell to take mental health more seriously after her struggles with anxiety were ignored by the previous regime.

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3 mins  |
August 20, 2023