Terrific Toulouse go on the rampage

WE DIDN'T just lose the arm wrestle - we had our wrists broken under the table,\" Bordeaux boss Yannick Bru admitted, graphically, after watching his side fall to a record 59-3 Top 14 final defeat at the hands of an irrepressible Toulouse in Marseille on Friday evening.

England have enough to down the All Blacks

STEVE Borthwick's England team have taken their first step of their summer tour and returned with the expected win showing the focus needed to suppress and beat an energetic Japan at home in their own stadium.

Gatland hits the 50-mark for Wales

UNLESS they change the habit of a lifetime in Australia over the next fortnight, Wales will be saddled with their longest losing run for more than 20 years.

I'm thrilled to see Bath enjoying its success

MY journey with rugby began at the age of seven during the '95 World Cup.

25 years on and it's still a special place

IT WAS the 25th anniversary of the first-ever game at the Millennium Stadium a couple of days ago which pulled me up a little short because I remember it like yesterday, not least because it was, I think, possibly the hottest and certainly the most uncomfortable I've ever been reporting in Britain.

Cheika knows he will be judged on results

LEICESTER were once a byword for stability. Like Liverpool FC, they had a reputation for promoting from within and benefiting from a boot room that allowed players to transition into management-think Dean Richards, Richard Cockerill and Geordan Murphy.

Whistler's authority must be protected

WE CAN easily imagine New Zealand rugby folk in the afterlife, shaking the English referee Roger 1. Quittenton warmly by the hand while grabbing the Scottish official John Dewar Dallas roughly by the throat.

Bracken's hat-trick inspires England

DESPITE going 14-0 down in the first half, Mapletoft's Mark men secured an impressive win spear headed by a hat-trick from debutant winger Jack Bracken.

Ruthless Ireland savour Italian job

WILLIE Faloon's new era in charge of Ireland U20s got off to a dream start as last year's finalists destroyed Six Nations rivals Italy with an eight-try opening day victory.

Robertson will have the All Blacks back to their best - Deans

ENGLAND have been warned to expect a recharged and pumped up All Blacks side when they clash in the first of their Test battles next weekend.

Uruguay keen to give Scots a test

AFTER thrilling Glasgow's URC triumph, many Scotland fans would love to see their side test themselves against one of the southern hemisphere powerhouses in the coming weeks.

Youngs backing his old mates to deliver

BEN Youngs is backing his old England pals to upset the odds and \"do something special\" in the All Blacks backyard.

Aaron on a mission as he hits 50 mark

AARON Wainwright is set to win his 50th Wales cap against Australia in Sydney next weekend - a landmark which looked a long way off 18 months ago.

Premiership final tickets for 2025 going fast

TICKET sales for next year's Premiership 2024/25 final are double what they were at this stage last year, reflecting the renewed buzz around the league.

Cheika will be good for Tigers - Richards

DEAN Richards, the most decorated coach in Leicester Tigers' history, has given Michael Cheika's appointment the big thumbs up.

Freeman ready to roast the All Blacks

TOMMY Freeman has one more box to tick before he packs his golf clubs for a well-earned break in Majorca at the end of his longest season ever.

Bracken keeps England on course

MARK Mapletoft commended his England U20s side for continuing to find solutions and adapting to their problems but knows that his team cannot afford any more sloppy starts if they are to go deep in the competition.

West are best as Joe settles historic clash

IN what is first for rugby in England, North Rugby hosted a State of Origin style game between a select side from Regional 1 NW and NE respectively.

England's hopes are high after Six Nations

Six Nations winners England go into the tournament as one of the clear favourites, with Mark Mapletoft’s side eyeing up a first World Championship title since 2016.

Woodman back to fire up Wales

Wales are thankful they can call upon the services of captain Ryan Woodman for the tournament after the talented back row missed the Six Nations through injury.

Five-day schedule will not be easy

AS A team, we’ve come off a big high of winning the Six Nations, so naturally we have confidence in ourselves going into the World Cup.

I was offered a NFL trial but it was too big a risk

When I was 16, in my first season for Colston’s, I dislocated and broke my ankle and broke my leg playing in a festival up in Tynedale.

SpongeBob glad of his place in the Oldies XV

TWENTY years ago this very week on the banks of the Clyde, New Zealand won the Junior World Cup, trouncing Ireland in the final.

Clarke on rampage as Blues take gold

ALL BLACK Caleb Clarke put in an outstanding threetry showing to steal the headlines as the Blues won their first Super Rugby title for 21 years in mesmeric fashion.

Sing is on song for a double triumph

GLOUCESTER-Hartpury head coach Sean Lynn admitted he was ‘over the moon’ after his side made it back-to-back title wins in the Premiership Women’s Rugby with victory over Bristol Bears.

Why less might not be more for stars

MARTIN Johnson spent a rugby eternity perfecting his survival skills in the engine room of the scrum – the nearest thing big-time sport has to a circle of Hell, being dark and sulphurous and generally infernal – but, unlike Dante’s damned souls, he emerged into the light with a full set of glittering prizes: domestic titles, European titles, the England captaincy, the Lions captaincy, Triple Crowns, Grand Slams, a World Cup winner’s medal.

Wales show spirit but Springboks just have too much in reserve

THE Mexican Wave, always an indication of the importance and intensity of the occasion, started as early as the 50th minute as the crowd realised that the first winning of the Qatar Airways Cup was of no real relevance.

Classy May enjoys his day in the sun

THE two sides are synonymous when it comes to style of play and on a sun-drenched late afternoon they both exploited the conditions in an end-to-end encounter that yielded 11 tries and showcased sumptuous skill.

Borthwick's England are on the right track

EDDIE Jones praised Japan’s improvement in the set-pieces, and a 100 per cent record tended to back him up.

Lawrence ready for All Black challenge

OLLIE Lawrence revealed England’s current tour of Japan and New Zealand is the perfect tonic for his Premiership hangover.