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…
Worcester's re-emergence as a professional entity and the return of the salary cap to pre-pandemic levels have helped to reduce the number of Premiership players seeking fresh contracts at the season’s end. Nearly 60 players are still…
Owen Farrell is rejoining Saracens this summer after an underwhelming season in France at Racing 92. Saracens agreed to pay a transfer fee of around £170,000 for the former England captain, right, who still had a year to run on contract.…
The Premiership will become the ‘Gallagher Prem’ next season as it rebrands in a bid to champion the intensity, aggression and athleticism of the sport. The change comes a month after the second tier became “Champ Rugby” in a similar…
Keen tourist Theo Dan is relishing the prospect of adding another couple of stamps to his passport this summer. The Saracens hooker, 24, hopes to add to his 17 England caps in Argentina and the USA as Steve Borthwick’s side head across the…
The door to possible legendary Lions status has opened wide in front of England’s Will Stuart, and 2003 World Cup winner Ben Kay expects the in-form Bath man will charge powerfully through it when he gets Down Under. Scotland prop Zander…
Bath .................................... 23pts Tries: Du Toit 26, Ojomoh 49 Conversions: Russell 27, 50 Penalties: Russell 9, 41, 70 Pied piper: Finn Russell leads the way for Bath Leicester Tigers .............21pts Tries: Van Poortvliet…
Dan Cole was binned for a late challenge on Finn Russell, and Michael Cheika claimed his side got no change off Dickson in the scrum, despite the excellence of loose head prop Nicky Smith. On Cole, Cheika fumed: “It is ridiculous, and the…
It felt as if the trophy presentation could have been made at half-time. Bath led 13-7, and only once in their 36-match season had they lost having been ahead at the break. That was at Leinster in the Champions Cup when prop Beno Obano was…
When you have not won a Premiership title for 29 years, it matters not a jot how you break the drought, and Bath won’t be remotely bothered that this was one of their least impressive and compelling performances of the season. A win, by…
Leinster second row Ryan Baird revelled in taking his side back to the top of their domestic league after a tough few years for the province. Player of the match Baird said: “It’s quite surreal. It has been a long time coming to win a…
Before Henry Arundell left for France he was the talk of the town. His tries were all over social media and his form for London Irish had lots of people talking, and coaches salivating over his talent. Then he broke into the England team,…
It started with a headlock and a chewed ear, but the relationship between Ben Spencer and Finn Russell has developed into a half-back partnership made in heaven. Just as Russell and the studious Johann van Graan didn’t appear to be a good…
SALE Sharks have appointed Marco Bortolami as head coach to replace Paul Deacon, who left the club on Wednesday having been in the role since 2020. Bortolami, 45, has been head coach of Benetton for the past four years. The former Azzurri…
Kayde Sylvester, the Cambridge and former Northampton Saints second row, chooses the best XV he has played with or against 1. Emmanuel Iyogun – He is a good friend of mine but this is 100 per cent not a bias review. Manny is the epitome of…
The idea being touted that England’s two-Test tour of Argentina at the beginning of July will be the unearthing of a new generation of English talent is good for clickbait headlines, but is unlikely to materialise. A more plausible outcome…
THE devaluing of fixtures throughout the professional game is becoming a blight, and an understrength Argentina facing the Lions on Friday night at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, as their final warm-up before leaving for Australia, is the…
TEAM OF THE SEASON >> SIMON THOMAS SELECTS HIS BEST XV FROM THE UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2024/25 Simon Thomas goes for Munster centre Tom Farrell as his URC Player of the Season Blair Murray Tom Farrell Jacob Stockdale Embrose Papier…
CRUSADERS and Australia fly-half James O’Connor looks set to join Leicester on a one-year deal after turning down an offer from French big-spenders Racing 92. O’Connor, below, who has 64 caps, will replace Handré Pollard, who is rejoining…
'NORTHAMPTON have appointed Jaco Pienaar as their new scrum coach. The 42-year-old, below, will arrive at Franklin’s Gardens this summer, replacing Matt Ferguson, who has enjoyed a successful seven-season stint as Saints’ scrum guru.…
OSPREYS have completed the signing of Wales back row Ross Moriarty from French side Brive. The British and Irish Lion returns to the Swansea-based region, where he was brought up, and is looking forward to playing at Ospreys’ new St…
Paul Eddison talks to Ben Curry, the Sale flanker who is aiming to be a big hit on England’s summer tour BEN Curry can still remember the moment he understood what it meant to be on a full England tour. Aged just 18, he and twin brother…
CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED PROP forwards of the tighthead variety were not put on this earth to be like everyone else, and by and large – extremely large in the case of the French front rower Uini Atonio, who makes the same impact on…
CAN there be a rugby aficionado in the world who wouldn’t move heaven and earth to experience a weekend’s worth of thud and blunder in Paris? Come to think of it, a single weekend is never enough: not if you’re touring the union-flavoured…
PAUL REES ASSESSES THE CHALLENGES AHEAD AS ANDY FARRELL’S SQUAD PREPARE TO SET OFF ON A TOUR OF A LIFETIME AS THE season ends, so the tour begins. The Lions set off for Australia via Dublin, where they face Argentina on Friday night at the…
◼️By PAUL MARTIN AFOLABI Fasogbon is not one to take a backward step and now has his sights set on capping an eye-catching first season at Premiership level with an England debut. The powerhouse Gloucester prop, 20, has been a regular…
■ By SIMON THOMAS TAINE Plumtree has revealed the changes he has made to his game which have helped him earn a Wales recall. The Scarlets back rower was left out of the original squad for the Six Nations, but is now back on board for the…
GEORGE Turner has been recalled by Scotland coach Gregor Townsend for the summer tour after a year out while playing for Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan. The 32-year-old hooker, who has 45 caps, returns after signing for Harlequins. There…
UNCAPPED Connacht prop Jack Aungier has been called into the Ireland squad as a replacement for Lions-bound Finlay Beal-ham. Dublin-born Aungier, 26, was part of the Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa last year. His Connacht teammate…