The Rugby Paper
Saints go back to Prem summit
PICTURE: Getty Images NORTHAMPTON Saints reclaimed top spot in the Prem with a thrilling 43–29 win over Sale in an 11-try contest last night. Saints scored seven tries, including a late burst led by Henry Pollock, to secure an eighth victory from 10...
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Robshaw: England for 6N title
CHRIS Robshaw only has eyes for a triumphant Six Nations for England as they prepare to throw their World Cup cards firmly on the table. The former captain is adamant England are ready to end a barren five years in the tournament by ruling the...
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Bears hit heights to stun Bulls
BRISTOL boss Pat Lam hailed a “fearless” and fully connected performance after his side produced a statement 61-49 victory against the Bulls in Pretoria to book a place in the Champions Cup knockout stage. Bristol ran in nine tries with Noah Heward...
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Champions prove they are back in business
BATH got their title defence back on track yesterday despite blowing a 26-point lead against title rivals Exeter with Johann van Graan saying the opening 20 minutes was as good as they had played all season. Bath surged into a 26-0 led after 19...
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Fantastic Freeman rocks Bath
ENGLAND star Tommy Freeman scored a hat-trick last night as Northampton Saints leapfrogged Bath to go top of the Prem with a sensational 4121 victory at The Rec. Henry Pollock scored two, with Archie MacParland getting another, as the 2024 champions...
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Bristol’s revenge mission
BRISTOL Bears produced an outstanding attacking display at Big Game 17 last night to hammer Harlequins 40-14 at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. In Quins’ annual festive fixture, watched by a crowd of 64,613, it was the Bears who came out on top and...
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Revert to old system in Europe - Parling
LEICESTER boss Geoff Parling reckons European chiefs should turn back time to revive the Champions Cup and revert to their old system. The structure of the tournament has come under fire with four groups of six, where teams can’t face clubs from the...
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Borthwick hopes it will be fifth time lucky
STEVE Borthwick has been around the World Cup block a few times and knows his England side have to keep on winning tight games if he is to make it fifth time lucky – despite their dream draw. A squad member in 2007 when England made the final, losing...
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Skivington calls for ‘transfer’ window
GEORGE Skivington would welcome a recruitment window in rugby similar to the one used in football as directors of rugby gear up for a hectic few months of signing and retaining players. The improving financial position of Premiership clubs following...
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Foursome! Let’s finish job in style - Spencer
BEN Spencer has urged England not to take their foot off the gas and finish the autumn in style – by making it four out of four against Argentina at Twickenham today. The scrum-half, who gets his first start of November against the Pumas, revealed the...
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Match action
BY the time Maro Itoje dived over the top of the tiring Fijian forwards from close range to score England’s sixth try six minutes from time, giving the hosts a 20-point winning margin, this looked comfortable. The reality is that it was about as...
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Roebuck: I’m going to make a splash!
TOM Roebuck is aiming to make a splash in the November Tests after taking lessons from Chris Ashton as a youngster. The 24-year-old spent two seasons at Sale learning from Ashton, who scored a record 101 Prem tries plus 20 for England and celebrated...
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Borthwick blow as Willis opts for France
ENGLAND No.8 Tom Willis will leave Saracens for France at the end of the season in a seismic blow to Steve Borthwick’s plans. Willis, 26, will join his brother, Toulouse flanker Jack, in the Top 14, despite appearing to make the No.8 England shirt his...
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Lam: Injury crisis the worst I’ve ever seen
PAT Lam is looking to boost his Bristol squad after suffering more injury problems during yesterday’s victory over Exeter at Ashton Gate. Lam, who had to halt a training session last week because 15 backs were unable to take part, lost wing Josh...
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Dickens: I can call Townsend at any time
GREGOR Townsend will be in regular contact with the new coaching set-up at Newcastle after the club abruptly sacked Steve Diamond last week. The club’s new head coach, Alan Dickens, revealed yesterday that he had already talked to the Scotland boss...
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Top of the world
ENGLAND captain Zoe Aldcroft lifted the women’s World Cup in front of a record-breaking crowd at Twickenham yesterday and declared: “This is what dreams are made of.” John Mitchell’s side had to work hard to beat a determined Canada outfit but...
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Red Roses urged to hit heights
HOOKER Amy Cokayne has urged England to live up to their favourites billing as the World Cup heads into its business end. The Red Roses are massive odds-on to beat Scotland in Bristol today and progress to next week’s semi-finals as their hunt for a...
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Red Roses rocked by Kildunne injury blow
WORLD player of the year Ellie Kildunne has been ruled out of England’s World Cup quarter-final clash against Scotland next weekend after crashing into the ground in yesterday’s 47-7 victory over Australia. Full-back Kildunne banged her head on the...
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The dynamic duo who can still rule at No.10
THE dominance of South Africa and New Zealand in winning World Cups is a statistical reality and, because of their track record as the top two rugby union nations in the world, the two Tests between the All Blacks and Springboks in Auckland and...
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Red Roses have more in the tank – Mitchell
ENGLAND head coach John Mitchell warned their World Cup rivals that there is even more to come from his side after their 69-7 demolition of the USA in Sunderland. The Red Roses kicked off the showpiece tournament in front of a record-breaking Women’s...
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Alphonsi: Red Roses must build a legacy
MAGGIE Alphonsi has urged England to ensure their home World Cup becomes more than just a tournament win, but a legacy that transforms the women’s game for future generations. With the Red Roses kicking off their campaign on Friday against the USA in...
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Youngs gives his backing for R360
BEN Youngs claims the proposed breakaway league R360 could be just what rugby needs to help give it a major “shake up and reshuffle”. The former England, Lions and Leicester Tigers scrum-half feels the game could benefit from the ambitious new plan to...
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Farrell looks poised for a repeat in 2029
ANDY Farrell watched his Lions go down 22-12 to Australia in their final game down under then refused to rule out another shift as head coach. The tourists had the series wrapped up after last weekend’s 29-26 win in Melbourne but had their hopes of a...
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Itoje urges Lions to go for clean sweep
MARO Itoje urged his side to go for the jugular and whitewash the Wallabies after yesterday’s 2926 win in Melbourne sealed the series. Itoje was ecstatic and wants his side to become the first Lions side to perform a clean sweep in a Test series but...
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Farrell warns: Prepare for an Aussie backlash
LIONS boss Andy Farrell watched his side take a 1-0 lead in the series against the Wallabies then warned of an Aussie backlash in Melbourne. The tourists won 27-19 in the Brisbane opener yesterday but were far from convincing against the sixth-best...
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George in as Lions hit by double injury blow
ANDY Farrell’s Lions suffered a savage double injury blow with hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie set to miss Saturday’s first Test and centre Garry Ringrose definitely out of the opener. Cowan-Dickie was stretchered off after 36 minutes of yesterday’s 48-0 win...
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Ford joins 100 club in England victory
GEORGE Ford became the eighth man to make 100 Test appearances for England in last night’s First Test victory against Argentina. Ford kicked 15 points including a drop goal to get England off the mark, with Tom Roebuck scoring a quickfire try double...
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Lift-off for Lions as Pollock runs riot
LIONS boss Andy Farrell refused to go overboard after another episode of the Henry Pollock Show in his side’s 54-7 win over Western Force in Perth yesterday And Farrell has an injury worry after Tomos Williams, below, limped off with a hamstring...
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England red card anguish
STEVE Borthwick defended Immanuel Feyi-Waboso after the wing saw red at Twickenham yesterday as England crashed to an agonising loss to France. The Exeter wing may have destroyed his own hopes of going on the tour to Argentina after he was sent off...
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Bath heroes roll back the years to rule again
BATH boss Johann van Graan warned the Premiership there is more where that came from after his side finally ended their title drought. Van Graan’s side got home 23-21 in a Twickenham epic against Leicester who threw every punch they had at them. But...
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Cheika tells his Tigers: We’ve won nothing yet
MICHAEL Cheika saw his Leicester side make the Premiership final but warned: It means nothing without the trophy. An epic semi-final saw Tigers edge past Sale 21-16 to set up a clash with Bath next weekend at Twickenham but they were taken to the...
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Bristol set for a Bath showdown
FIERCE rivals Bath and Bristol will play off at The Rec on Friday looking to become the first West Country side to win the Premiership. Bath had long qualified for the knock-out stage but the Bears, despite being in the top four all season, needed...
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Bordeaux accused of Pollock vendetta
FIN Smith accused Bordeaux of having a vendetta against Henry Pollock as Northampton’s 28-20 Champions Cup final defeat ended in uproar in Cardiff. Back row Pollock was furious with the antics of Bordeaux, who clearly targeted England’s rising star,...
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Premiership can score huge win in Anglo-French rivalry
AS THE Premiership hacks through the undergrowth to find a path to sustainability, envious glances are directed at France where the Top 14, underpinned by a strong second division, is commercially vibrant and generates considerable interest, club...
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From reject to a Lion: Freeman’s stellar rise
TOMMY Freeman has gone from being a Leicester reject to becoming a Lion, thanks to his recent try-scoring exploits. The flying winger has touched down 15 times in his last 10 games, bagging five in five for England in the Six Nations and a hattrick in...
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Saints stun Leinster and sweep into final
NORTHAMPTON captain Fraser Dingwall hailed the spirit of his side as they pulled off one of the biggest European shocks by derailing Leinster 37-24 in Dublin yesterday. Written off by the bookies, Saints produced an astonishing five-try display to...
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Magnifique! Another Slam for Red Roses
ENGLAND secured their seventh straight Six Nations title and fourth Grand Slam in a row as they beat France 43-42 in an exhilarating showing at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. The Red Roses led 31-7 in the first half but France fought back with some...
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Sale turn on power in race for play-offs
TOM Curry scored two tries as Sale smashed Harlequins at The Stoop to move into the play-off positions with four rounds remaining. The lead changed hands four times in a thrilling first half but Sale overpowered their hosts to run out 43-29...
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Rampaging Saints set up Leinster showdown
BEATING Leinster in Dublin might sound like Mission Impossible but Northampton fly-half Fin Smith insists playing the Saints way is their best chance. Northampton demolished Castres 51-16 at Franklin’s Gardens last night to secure their place in the...
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Worcester return to second tier ‘is not fair’
THE DECISION to give Worcester Warriors a place in next season’s Championship has sparked an angry response from Cai Griffiths, the director of rugby at London Welsh. Worcester went into liquidation in 2022 but their return to the Championship has...
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Sweeney’s survival is good news - Diamond
STEVE Diamond believes calls to oust the RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney, who last week survived a no confidence vote at a special meeting of clubs, were misguided. Sweeney faced a groundswell of discontent that grew into Thursday’s special general...
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Halliday’s blast: The RFU keeps ignoring us
SIMON Halliday has slammed the proposed loan bail-out for Newcastle Falcons, the Premiership’s basement club, and the continued lockdown on promotion-relegation. Halliday argues that they emphasise why Thursday’s SGM is needed so urgently as a...
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England’s demolition crew roar like Lions
ENGLAND head coach Steve Borthwick saw Maro Itoje lead from the front in this 68-14 demolition of Wales – then tipped the lock to lead the Lions in Australia this summer. Borthwick’s side dished out a 10-try hammering to register their biggest win in...
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Baron: It’s time for the entire RFU Board to go
FRANCIS Baron has called for the replacement of the entire RFU Board, adding a radical dimension to the demand for change at Twickenham which has led to the SGM on March 27. The former RFU chief executive said that he has reached this conclusion based...
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England’s critics hit by Sinfield broadside
KEVIN Sinfield has hit back at critics of England’s style of play declaring they are in it to win it after a year of near misses. The assistant coach watched from the stands as Steve Borthwick’s side lost seven out of 12 last year including a run of...
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England’s warriors end Scottish curse
ENGLAND skipper Maro Itoje hailed his side’s warrior spirit as they reclaimed the Calcutta Cup at Twickenham yesterday after five years of hurt. Itoje lifted the trophy but only after Finn Russell had missed a last-gasp conversion that handed England...
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Match action - starts
BRISTOL looked the stronger side on paper and so it eventually proved but the bonus-point win still wasn’t enough for them to secure a place in the knockout stages. Bears were left to rue a 78-19 hammering at the Rec and a surprise defeat at Bedford...
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The Incredibles! Smith ignites spirited England
FIN Smith lifted the roof off Twickenham and the mood of English rugby by leading the Red Rose outfit to a dramatic 26-25 win over the French. And skipper Maro Itoje warned Six Nations rivals there is more to come from his side after they finally got...
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Borthwick: It’s tough but we’re improving
ENGLAND coach Steve Borthwick was disappointed with his side’s second half collapse yesterday which handed Ireland a 27-22 opening Six Nations win in Dublin but insisted there were plenty of positives. “We want to win every game and we didn’t today...
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Freeman: We must rule skies in Dublin
TOMMY Freeman has urged England to rule the Dublin skies next weekend against Ireland – and get their Six Nations campaign off to a flyer. The winger is expecting another aerial bombardment in their tournament opener on Saturday at the Aviva, where...
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Borthwick: It’s time to put our foot down
STEVE Borthwick insists he has come up with a solution to England’s problem in closing out matches – be even quicker out of the blocks in the upcoming Six Nations. Borthwick has also revealed he has studied the coaching techniques of Tottenham manager...
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Sale told: Time you won again
PHILIPPE Saint-Andre has assessed Sale’s title prospects and declared: “It’s about time they won something again.” The Frenchman was in charge when the Sharks claimed their solitary Premiership title in 200506, famously hammering Leicester 45-20 at a...
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Stick with Marcus, he’s best in England
STEVE Borthwick has put three outside-halves on hybrid contracts and he has less than a month to decide which one to select for the start of the Six Nations in Dublin. George Ford started all five matches in last year’s Six Nations with Marcus Smith...
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McCall: That was horrible and ugly
THUNDERSTRUCK Mark McCall urged his Saracens side to get off the canvas after they were handed their worst Premiership defeat by rampant Bath. McCall’s side were blown away by a perfect storm for Johann van Graan’s men who ran in 10 tries to rack up a...
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Jeremy Guscott column Borthwick should give the outsiders a chance
IT’S just six weeks before the start of the 2025 Six Nations, and since Steve Borthwick became England head coach his main message to the media has been we want to get better. However, by the end of the autumn series, Borthwick had become a bit more...
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Start with Roebuck, Curry tells Borthwick
STEVE Borthwick has been urged to make in-form Sale star Tom Roebuck a starting winger in the Six Nations. Roebuck enjoyed an outstanding game in Friday’s 29-7 Champions Cup demolition of Racing 92, scoring one and brilliantly creating another for Joe...
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Calls for RFU chiefs to quit at fever pitch
■ Last week’s article regarding Tom Illube’s business Crossword Cybersecurity PLC going into administration on November 18 made reference to the fact Ilube was founder/ CEO of two more companies that had gone bust. Neither company was under the...
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Pressure builds on RFU chief to resign
TOM Ilube’s tenure as RFU Board Chairman, and his financial credentials, will come under increased scrutiny with the news that Crossword Cybersecurity PLC, a company of which he was founder and chief executive, went into administration on November...
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Future is out of my control - Gatland
WALES head coach Warren Gatland indicated that he was still in the dark as to his future but despite a 12th successive loss, he will have been buoyed by his side’s best performance of the Autumn Series. They were still defeated 45-12 by the reigning...
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We’re going in right direction – Borthwick
ENGLAND boss Steve Borthwick is not fearing the chop – despite adding a 29-20 defeat to South Africa to their recent dismal run. A penalty by Handre Pollard and a brilliant finish from Cheslin Kolbe, who scored twice, tore the match away from the...
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Leaking 42 points at home is ‘unforgivable’
DEFLATED Jamie George declared his side were not up to scratch after they slumped to another dismal defeat at England headquarters. The national skipper saw his side go down 42-37 to unfancied Australia after they blew yet another tight game. After...
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England agony after last-minute drama
SKIPPER Jamie George refused to point the finger at George Ford after his double miss condemned England to yet more heartbreak. Ford missed a penalty and a drop goal at the death against New Zealand at Twickenham as England went down 24-22 having led...
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Daly calls for another All Black demolition
ELLIOT Daly has not had a crack at the All Blacks in five years but has urged England to revisit the masterplan that toppled them in 2019. Daly started in the highlight of the Eddie Jones era when he was full-back in the Red Rose outfit’s 19-7...
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Borthwick: We need to build a fortress
STEVE Borthwick has urged his England to pick up the winning habit and turn Twickenham into a fortress once again. Virtually all of the 82,000 tickets have been sold for the autumn opener against New Zealand on November 2 and Borthwick wants fans to...
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Furbank: I can’t wait to take on All Blacks
GEORGE Furbank missed a chance to get one over the All Blacks in July – now he has his eyes trained on the rematch at Twickenham next month. The Northampton fullback pulled out of July’s second Test in Auckland with a back spasm and sat in the stands...
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Cowan-Dickie tipped for an England return
SALE Sharks boss Alex Sanderson has backed hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie to play a prominent part in England’s autumn, and stay in the Premiership as a result. Cowan-Dickie is one of the top-end earners coming out of contract at the end of the season, but...
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Match action
GEORGE Ford handed England boss Steve Borthwick an autumn injury scare pulling up after just five minutes as Saracens handed Sale a bonus point beating. But Mark McCall, the Saracens director of rugby, dampened down fears about Maro Itoje, who was...
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