Rugby news

• Ospreys short on numbers

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  THE summer scorches on throughout the Land of Song as if in tune with the blazing state of its national sport. The wonder of Wednesday’s solar eclipse failed to muffle the latest shot in the uncivil Welsh rugby war. Ospreys, condemned alongside local rivals Scarlets to fight for their very existence, fired a shot at […]
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• RFU postpones start of the community game season

  16-08-2026 05:45 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  The decision follows weeks of dry weather across England, with concerns over player welfare and the condition of pitches forcing the RFU to push back competitive fixtures.
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• Jonathan Davies: WRU board must go now

  16-08-2026 05:30 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Former Wales captain Jonathan Davies has backed growing calls for change at the Welsh Rugby Union, urging the organisation to appoint an interim board and set a new course for the game.
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• Start of season delayed

  16-08-2026 05:00 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ■By SAM JACKSON President of the RFU, Sir Bill Beaumont, said: “We know this decision will be disappointing for the clubs, schools and colleges, players, volunteers and fans looking forward to the start of the season, and we do not underestimate the impact it will have across the game. President: Bill Beaumont THE RFU has […]
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• Welfare concerns delay big kick-off

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  >Continued from front at the RFU, I would like to thank all those who have shared their views and contributed to discussions in recent days. Player welfare and readiness have been central to our thinking throughout, alongside our desire to give the season the best possible opportunity to begin on a fair and consistent footing […]
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• We should be in the mix, 100 per cent, says Lucock

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  By BEN JAYCOCK LEEDS Tykes head coach Pete Lucock believes his side should be pushing firmly into National One’s top-five picture this season after transforming their form during the second half of last term. The newly-promoted Yorkshire outfit endured a difficult opening to the campaign but grew into the season, finishing ninth, and Lucock feels […]
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• We need new cup

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  CLUB rugby in England desperately needs a cup competition, similar to the Challenge Cup in Rugby League. The Prem Rugby Cup simply doesn’t cut it as an attractive option for fans, nor did the Championship Cup in the second tier. Getting rid of the old Tetley’s Bitter Cup was a terrible decision. Martin Brooks ... […]
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• Warriors stand loud and proud

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  All-Stars XV: Worcester WHAT would be the greatest all-time XV your club could field if you could travel back in time and select everybody playing in their pomp? Brendan Gallagher continues his occasional series doing precisely that. Having knocked off the 10 Premiership teams last summer he now spreads his wings. Selection is weighted heavily […]
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• Set up a charity to help players

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  PAUL Rees’s article in last week’s TRP about the concussion-related legal claims made by former players against ruling bodies struck a number of chords with me. He starts with the fundamental – and indisputable – point that the one guaranteed beneficiary of any lawsuit is the legal profession. Not a reason in itself, of course, […]
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• Red Bulls launch plans for ‘hotbed’

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  A NEW era in rugby has been launched in the North East after Newcastle Red Bulls teamed up with grassroots players to train and retain talent in the region. ■By IAN LAMMING Darlington Mowden Park and Newcastle have joined forces with an ambitious vision to boost player development and make the North East a hotbed […]
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• Nice get their act

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Springbok women’s star Jakkie Cilliers is heading for Toulon, becoming one of the few South African women to crack the lucrative overseas market. “I’m really excited, and it’s quite a good, big step, but it’s something that I really wanted to do for such a long time,” the Bulls playmaker said. […]
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• New Gloucester lock Joe Joyce wants to make friends in The Shed

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Joe Joyce is targeting a top-four finish with Gloucester after returning to the Premiership, with the lock enthused by the club’s new coaching set-up and summer recruitment.
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• Neumann called up for Wales’ new-look squad

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  WING Lisa Neumann returns for Wales in an extended 46-player training squad preparing for the WXV Series. The 32-year-old, who is unattached after leaving Harlequins in July, missed most of the Six Nations after injuring her hamstring in the opening game against Scotland. Head coach Sean Lynn has named 14 uncapped players as preparations begin […]
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• Neil de Kock: All Blacks getting in the mood to take on the Springboks challenge

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Neil de Kock believes the All Blacks are finding their rhythm ahead of their mouth-watering series against South Africa, but expects the Springboks to use their set-piece strength to gain the upper hand.
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• Mitchell: WXV will be World Cup audition

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  JOHN Mitchell has challenged his Red Roses to treat the new WXV Global Series as an early audition for the 2029 World Cup as England begin plotting the next phase of their development. ■By BEN JAYCOCK The world champions will face Australia, Canada and New Zealand at home before travelling to Canada and the United […]
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• Mel Smith joins the comic First XV

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  WE seem to have unearthed an unsuspected sociological and sporting themes concerning world-class comic talents with a backstory of skippering their school’s First XV before they headed to Oxbridge. Who would have guessed? A couple of weeks ago, we added the late Bill Oddie to the list, the guiding light of the Goodies, having skippered […]
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• martin and arbeary ill power aracens

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Former Saracens prop Richard Barrington, below, talks to Ben Jaycock about his move into coaching, the next generation of front row talent, a new era at Saracens and why he expects one of the most competitive Premiership seasons in years Great signing: Alfie Barbeary scoring for Bath PICTURES: Getty Images Q: What are you doing […]
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• Marmion predicts big things

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  KIERAN Marmion is adamant Bristol Bears have enough growl and grunt to make a title bid this season despite the club taking a relative back seat in the transfer market. ■By GARY FITZGERALD Director of rugby Pat Lam has shown huge confidence in the squad which just missed out on the Premiership play-offs last time […]
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• Malcolm returns as captain

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  SCOTLAND INTERIM head coach Dave Butcher has named a 32-player squad for the upcoming WXV series, which features four uncapped players – Glasgow Warriors trio Imogen Spence, Ceitidh Ainsworth and Nicole Flynn, and Exeter Chiefs wing Katie Buchanan. Rachel Malcolm returns to captain the side after missing the last three games of this year’s Six […]
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• Longstaff agrees to new deal with Sharks

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  SALE Sharks hooker Alfie Longstaff has signed a new deal to remain with the Prem club until 2029. The 20-year-old joined the club’s academy during the 2024-25 season and went on to make his senior debut during that season. He had a breakthrough campaign last year, making 11 first team appearances and featured in four […]
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• KWAMEBEKOE

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  YOUNG GUNS LEICESTER TIGERS & ENGLAND U18 LOCK Leicester second row Kwame Bekoe says a first victory in an England shirt is his proudest moment so far as he looks to build on an increasingly influential role within the age-grade set-up. The powerful lock, who is currently on tour in South Africa, had made five […]
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• Kieran Marmion predicts big things for Bristol Bears next season

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Kieran Marmion believes Bristol Bears can challenge for the Premiership title after injuries hampered their campaign last season, with the scrum-half backing Pat Lam’s squad to push into the play-offs.
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• Junior Boks are class apart

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  South Africa U18...68 England U18............40 nBy BEN JAYCOCK ENGLAND ended the series in South Africa with a hard-fought defeat to their hosts. In a thrilling high scoring contest, South Africa’s power up front and set piece platform proved the difference between the sides who both produced fine attacking rugby. Jonathan Pendlebury’s side had secured back-to-back […]
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• Joyce: I want to make friends in The Shed

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  By GARY FITZGERALD JOE Joyce hopes the loud and boisterous ‘Shed’ will be singing about his ball-carrying and lineout skills rather than how “skinny” his legs are when he starts out on a new challenge in the West Country. Back in the Premiership after a three-year spell playing for Connacht and tracing some ancestors, the […]
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• Joining Camborne was a ‘no-brainer’ – Honey

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  FRASER Honey revealed the opportunity to return home and help Camborne tackle National One was a “no-brainer” after bringing his three-year spell away from Cornwall to an end. By BEN JAYCOCK The experienced flyhalf spent two seasons with Rams before stepping up to the Championship with London Scottish last term, but the demands of travelling […]
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• Jennings returns to the game at Preston

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ■By MICHAEL GREGORY FORMER Sale Sharks centre Mark Jennings has joined Preston Grasshoppers. Jennings arrives at Lightfoot Green with a wealth of top-level experience, having made almost 100 appearances for Sale and represented England through the age grades to U20 level. Jennings reunites with new player-coach Matt Sturgess, with the pair having previously played together […]
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• It’s too quiet! The decline of the supercoach

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  R EMEMBER the age You know the type: a well-thumbed passport in the breast pocket, a strategy document of the supercoach in the cabin bag, a tactical whiteboard stowed away in the hold and a carbon footprint the size of a small island with a salary to match. These people were once more sought-after than […]
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• It’s time to clear up the breakdown

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ONE of rugby union’s biggest barriers to attracting a new audience is the complexity of the ruck. For those who have never played the game, it can feel completely alien. Too often, viewers watch a breakdown, hear the referee’s whistle and have little idea why a penalty has been awarded. Was the tackler not releasing, […]
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• I love the sport which has given me so much

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  SECURING back-to-back Premier 15s with Saracens in 2017/18 and 18/19 is still the moment that stands above everything else in my career. Being on the pitch when the final whistle went, turning around and being able to hug some of my best mates like Zoe Harrison and Hannah Botterman, that is difficult to beat. You […]
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• How we’ll miss Smith’s brilliant sporting mind

  16-08-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED Starring role: Brian Smith playing for Ireland in 1990 Five Nations PICTURE: Getty Images WHERE do we begin with Brian Smith, one of rugby’s quiet high achievers, who died in Australia last week at the soul-destroyingly early age of 59? We might start with the fact that he won amateur-era Test […]
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