Wasps 26-20 NorthamptonFly-half kicks two penalties as second-half replacementIt has been a weekend for fly-halves coming off the bench and having a decisive say and if Jimmy Gopperth is at the opposite end of the career spectrum to Marcus Smith, the v…
Mako and Billy Vunipola help Saracens fight back for win over Newcastle
Saracens 37-23 NewcastleHosts recover from 17-3 deficit to earn bonus point victoryThere was a moment midway through the first half where it seemed as if Saracens’ homecoming would be spoiled. Playing in front of a crowd on their own turf in a top-flig…
Smith and Lynagh lead Harlequins’ second-half comeback to stun Bristol
Harlequins 52-24 BristolChampions score eight tries in bonus point winMarcus Smith capped his first appearance of the season with a stunning solo try in another thrilling comeback victory for Harlequins against Bristol. Harlequins were 21 points down w…
Siya Kolisi: ‘My sin was exposed – he told me I needed to stop drinking’
South Africa’s World-Cup winning captain discusses losing himself in alcohol and strip clubs, seeing his mother’s face change from repeated beatings and his dream of emulating Richie McCaw “Sometimes you don’t know how to speak,” Siya Kolisi says simpl…
RFU’s Tom Ilube ‘agonised’ over choice of Swing Low on Desert Island Discs
Black RFU chair Tom Ilube picks song on Radio 4 showSong’s use has caused controversy due to its roots in slaveryTom Ilube, the first black chair of the Rugby Football Union, has included Swing Low, Sweet Chariot among his choices on BBC Radio 4’s Dese…
Leicester sink Saracens with contentious late penalty try
Leicester 13-12 SaracensTigers maintain 100% record with last play of the gameA suitably chaotic end to a dog’s dinner of game but Leicester will not care. The Tigers clinched a scarcely-deserved win with the last play of the match – a penalty try awar…
Pat Lam brushes off Bristol’s poor start and insists ‘there’s a long way to go’
‘We’ve had tough times before and come out of it’Bristol host Bath, who are also winless, in derby on FridayAll is very quiet on the western front in the early-season Premiership table. Bath, Gloucester, Exeter and Bristol, in descending order, fill th…
Farrell, Vunipolas and George still have England futures insists Saracens’ McCall
‘I think Eddie Jones knows the quality of those players’Marcus Smith’s rise no threat to Owen Farrell says Mark McCallOwen Farrell’s England place is not under threat from the fast-emerging Marcus Smith, and the international careers of the Vunipola br…
Martin Gleeson vows to add creativity to England attack before Rugby World Cup
England’s new attack coach praises influence of Shaun Edwards‘I’d like England to play with skill, pace and power,’ says GleesonEngland’s new attack coach Martin Gleeson believes he can emulate his friend Shaun Edwards and make a significant difference…
The Breakdown | ‘My nature was to overstep’: Willie Anderson’s memoir holds back little
Former Ulster and Ireland captain’s lively new book spans sectarianism, survivor’s guilt and the sterility of modern rugbyA few years ago the former Ulster and Ireland captain Willie Anderson had a chart above his coaching desk at the Ulster academy de…