Rugby news

• Late Bennett try makes it a perfect start for Ampthill

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ■By JAMES LOGAN Ampthill ............33pts Tries: Gourlay 13, 70; Jones 35, Davidson 50, Bennett 77 Conversions: Davidson 14, 36, 50, 77 Nottingham ......28pts Tries: O’Leary 23, Vereti 38, Mitchell 65, Williams 72 Conversions: O’Leary 24, 39, 65, Roper 73 AMPTHILL made it two wins from two starts with victory at Dillingham Park in their first […]
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• Exeter Chiefs 24-45 Gloucester: Welsh duo spearhead Cherry & Whites to a shock victory

  27-09-2026 05:45 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Gloucester made a statement on the opening weekend as Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan inspired a 45-24 win over last season’s beaten Prem finalists Exeter Chiefs.
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• Meg Jones: Back-to-back battles with the world’s best will make England stronger

  27-09-2026 05:30 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  England captain Meg Jones believes being pushed to the limit by Canada and New Zealand will prove invaluable as the Red Roses continue to evolve.
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• Harrison grabs the glory for England

  27-09-2026 05:00 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ■By BEN JAYCOCK What a finish: England celebrate their winning try MEG Jones believes back-to-back bruising battles against the world’s best have made England stronger after the Red Roses edged New Zealand in a thriller. England were pushed to the limit by the Black Ferns, with Zoe Harrison scoring a dramatic match winner to seal […]
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• George Kruis: Brendan Venter will restore Saracens to their former heights

  27-09-2026 05:00 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  George Kruis believes Brendan Venter can bring back the foundations that made Saracens a dominant force during his first spell at the club.
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• Eddie Hearn: Henry Pollock turned down big offers to stay at Northampton Saints

  27-09-2026 05:00 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Eddie Hearn says Henry Pollock turned down lucrative rival offers to stay at Northampton Saints, while his new deal also gives him scope to explore an opportunity elsewhere.
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• Welsh duo spearhead Gloucester hit squad

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  IF this was Gloucester’s maiden voyage into the new PREM Rugby season, then the good ship Cherry & Whites could hardly have sailed into calmer waters. ■By MARK STEVENS Exeter Chiefs .................. 24pts Gloucester ....................... 45pts Tries: Iosefa-Scott 15, E Roots 38, Varney 62, Gulley 76 Conversions: Slade 16, 63 Tries: Loader 5, 23; S […]
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• We need more action around elite club game

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  JEREMY GUSCOTT IT’S the second late September launch of the Prem, but fans seem to be adapting, and there’s plenty to look forward to. The last two or three seasons have been good to watch, and good for clubs to play in, despite combined scores of anything from 60 to 100 points. Most people I’ve […]
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• We may have been a bit under-cooked, admits Baxter

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  heavy attacking raid that line and finish the move. important.” sive resolve held firm and we can keep that going.” EXETER director of rugby Rob Baxter admitted his side may have been “under-cooked”. He said: “Going into it, I wouldn’t say we were, but now it clearly looks like we were. I don’t want to […]
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• We have just got to be far more clinical, says Tiatia

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ■By STEVE WHITE Benetton ..........19pts Tries: Mey 12, Bernasconi 24, Mendy 40 Conversions: Umaga 13, 25 Dragons ............19pts Tries: de Beer 27, Inisi 44, Dee 78 Conversions: de Beer 28, 45 TINUS de Beer was denied a dramatic match-winning conversion by the post as Dragons opened the season with a draw in Treviso. Filo Tiatia’s […]
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• We are looking to dominate opposition, insists Street

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  In bullish mood: Saracen prop Marcus Street SARACENS are targeting total Premiership “domination” under returning boss Brendan Venter. Prop Marcus Street claims the club don’t just have a “100 per cent” chance of making the top four but have set their sights on being top dogs for the seventh time in their history. Street is […]
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• Wallaroos cash in after Scots fail to take chances

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ■By ALEX RILEY THE Wallaroos ended a six-match losing streak with a comprehensive victory at the Hive to head home on a high handing Scotland a third successive defeat in the WXV Series. After losses against Canada and New Zealand - ranked two and three in the world – Scotland were targeting a first against […]
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• Venter will bring it back to basics, says Kruis

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ■By ADAM HATHAWAY GEORGE Kruis reckons Brendan Venter is the perfect remedy to bring the glory days back to Saracens in his second stint at the club. The South African, who has a GP surgery in Cape Town, kickstarted the Sarries revolution that led to six Prem and three European titles back in the day […]
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• Ulster fail to catch visitors

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  By TOM FLEMING Ulster ..............29 Edinburgh ...... 34 EDINBURGH survived a remarkable Ulster fightback to secure an impressive win in Belfast. The visitors appeared to have put the contest beyond doubt after dominating for 55 minutes to lead 34-5 – but an influx of Ulster replacements transformed the contest. Freddy Douglas opened the scoring before […]
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• There is plenty to work on – McFarland

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  DAN McFarland was both realistic and optimistic after seeing his Red Bulls suffer at the hands of “the best team in the league”. The Newcastle boss conceded: “It was a tough one. You spend time in pre-season working really hard to put things in place but you are also looking for a result. We definitely […]
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• The NZ/Baa-Baas game in ’73 shows what we’re missing

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Letters THIS is a concurrence with John Edwards letter in last week’s edition with reference to brute-force and ignorance regarding the current game of Rugby Union. I am old enough to have played a much more open game than we see today with exactly what John would like to see. The invisible people who make […]
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• Teague & Co are our inspiration – Ludlow

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  By ADAM HATHAWAY LEWIS Ludlow revealed Gloucester had a pre-season turning back time as they tried to revert to their old DNA by taking inspiration from former local heroes. New forwards coach Brett Deacon and Joel Tomkins, now in charge of defence, had identified a soft underbelly in the Cherry and Whites last season. They […]
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• Tafuna power show too much for Wales

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  By SAM JACKSON Wales ................................. 24pts Tries: Bevan 23, K Jones 30, Tuipulotu 34, Callender 40 Conversions: Bell 24, 31 United States .................. 26pts Tries: Tafuna 5, 19, 52; Coulibaly 27 Conversions: Vogel 6, 20, 53 USA No.8 Freda Tafuna scored a hat-trick to deny Wales victory at Cardiff Arms Park. Wales trailed 14-0 after […]
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• Richmond eager to avoid another relegation battle

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ■By BEN JAYCOCK ETHAN Regelous hopes Richmond can avoid a repeat of last season’s dramatic Champ survival act and push themselves well clear of danger this time. Richmond preserved their second-tier status by beating arch-rivals London Scottish in a relegation play-off and the back row believes that experience has provided extra motivation to ensure they […]
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• R360 backers dismiss calls to be dissolved

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  AOTG Sport – the company which is backing the controversial R360 all-star rugby startup – has dismissed a compulsory strike-off notice from Companies House as an accounting error. The company, which is co-led by World Cup winner Mike Tindall and former Bath coach Stuart Hooper, was this week given a two-month ultimatum to submit overdue […]
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• Pollock turned down big offers, says Hearn

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  EDDIE Hearn says Henry Pollock turned down down huge rival offers to extend his stay at Northampton. Back rower Pollock, 21, agreed a new deal with Saints to the summer 2028. “There were a couple of domestic offers – a couple of Prem offers – and international offers as well,” said Matchroom boss Hearn, who […]
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• Old dogs with bite find room in my XV to watch

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER IT’S that time of year for this column to go all Mystic Meg and pick 15 players to follow. To keep an eye on each week to add interest to your viewing. Not necessarily the young thrusters looking to make a name for themselves – although there will be a few […]
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• No doubting Thomas as Nye shines for Caldy

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ■By GRAHAM COX Blackheath ..... 24pts Tries: Ferdinand 4, Price-Thomas 27, 45; Scragg 78 Conversions: Morley 27, 46 Caldy ..................28pts Tries: Thomas 37, 52; Tudor 65, Hearn 80 Conversions: Parkin 37, 52, 65; Davies 80 THE flair and inventiveness came from Blackheath, but it was the calm efficiency and clinical finishing from Caldy that triumphed […]
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• Naulago storms to stunning hat-trick as Titans are crushed

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  By CÓILÍN DUFFY Worcester ........78pts Tries: Miell 4, Naulago 12, 26, 36; J Garside 29, 79; Trewin 38, Anstee 58, Cherry 61, A Garside 66, Taylor 71, Gonzalez 80 Conversions: Reed 5, 27, 30, 37, 59, 62, 72, 80, 80 Rotherham .......12pts Tries: Stone 7, Shaw 21 Conversion: Bennett 8 WORCESTER Warriors scored 12 tries […]
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• Mills trained like Jane but played like Tarzan

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  DREAMTEAM ROB LEWIS, THE FORMER EBBW VALE, LONDON WELSH, CARDIFF BLUES, BIRMINGHAM MOSELEY AND WALES U21 SCRUM-HALF, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH... 1. Franck Montanella – Franck goes in tandem with my tighthead, Pete Edwards. We called them ‘The Meatballs’ at London Welsh and they’re probably the best one-three combination I ever […]
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• Lloyd has the last word for Cardiff

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ■By ROGER PANTING Scarlets .............. 15pts Tries: Roberts 6, Murray 23 Conversion: Anscombe 23 Penalty: Hawkins 52 Cardiff Rugby .... 21pts Tries: D Thomas 18, Basham 37, Lloyd 64 Conversions: Sheedy 18, 37; Evans 64 A STRONG second-half display from their pack saw Cardiff win the first Welsh derby of the season in a game […]
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• Leinster miss out as Mpeku snatches win

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ■By OLLIE RICHARDS Lions ................27 Leinster ......... 2 KELLY Mpeku’s late try gave the Lions a dramatic victory over defending champions Leinster despite Fintan Gunne scoring a first half hat-trick for the visitors. Winger Mpeku struck two minutes from time as the Lions were rewarded for a powerful scrum and impressive attacking display, with Stephen […]
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• Leicester Tigers vs Saracens: Olly Cracknell – It’s going to be an intense battle

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Olly Cracknell is relishing a heavyweight opening-day clash with Saracens as Leicester Tigers prepare to turn Welford Road into a cauldron.
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• Leicester Tigers vs Saracens: Marcus Street insists Sarries are looking to dominate opposition

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Marcus Street is relishing a fresh challenge at Saracens after leaving Exeter Chiefs, with the tight-head eager to make an immediate impact.
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• Lam full of praise for world class LRZ

  27-09-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  PAT LAM hailed “worldclass” Louis Rees-Zammit after his deadly double helped put Sale to the sword. Wales star Rees-Zammit can play wing at full-back but he was deployed on the right flank yesterday and produced two clinical finishes. Bristol boss Lam said: “Louis is a world-class finisher and it’s great that he really wants to […]
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