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Exiles triumph – and now face the RFU

Thu, 31 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

London Welsh have done all they can on the field to win promotion to the Aviva Premiership, after beating Cornish Pirates over two legs to win the Championship.

Manu Tuilagi cited for 'tip tackle' on Danny Care during Premiership final

Mon, 28 May 2012 17:46:00 +0100

Leicester centre Manu Tuilagi could miss England's tour of South Africa after being cited following an incident during the Aviva Premiership final two days ago.

Williams bows out by sealing final win for Ospreys

Mon, 28 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Shane Williams signed off in fairy-tale fashion as his try double helped the Ospreys to edge out Leinster in an epic six-try RaboDirect PRO12 final.

Monye takes pride after Quins stride to the title

Mon, 28 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

There was nothing of the Corinthian spirit behind Harlequins' decision to walk to Twickenham on the afternoon of their first appearance in a Premiership grand final, although the pastel-shaded Londoners remain the most high-minded of England's leading clubs, give or take the odd flirtation with fake blood and the occasional botched cover-up. They did it because the journey from their home at The Stoop was no more than a quarter of a mile – barely enough distance for a funny thing to happen on the way to the stadium.

Robshaw leads way and Quins roar past Tigers in title thriller

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

No one can outdo Leicester for consistency but this cracking final went deservedly to Harlequins, who took the Premiership trophy across the road to a cock-a-hoop Stoop. Inspired by Chris Robshaw and Nick Evans, winners of the player of the season titles awarded by the Premiership and the players in the past fortnight, Quins claimed their reward for perseverance through bad times and good.

Kearney's fitness boosts Leinster

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Sean O'Brien, the 2011 European player of the year who was man of the match in last week's Heineken Cup final, will be absent when Leinster take on the Ospreys in the RaboDirect Pro12 final in Dublin this afternoon. The flanker has a knee injury. Unfortunately for the Ospreys, the 2012 European player of the year, Rob Kearney has been passed fit and will be at full-back for a Leinster team showing some changes but no glaring weakness. Brian O'Driscoll has also passed a fitness test and starts in the centre; Joe Schmidt, the head coach, is able to drop an All Black World Cup winning lock, Brad Thorn, to the bench.

Robshaw lifts trophy as Quins take Premiership title

Sat, 26 May 2012 17:00:30 +0100

Harlequins were crowned champions of England for the first time - three years after their reputation looked battered beyond repair - by defeating Leicester in a thrilling Twickenham final.

Ford displaces Flood as Tigers eye final feat

Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The two best teams in the Premiership, both close to full strength and performing at the peak of their powers in front of a capacity Twickenham audience of 82,000, with the most sought-after title in English club rugby at stake? What could possibly go wrong? Politics, that's what. When Harlequins and Leicester square up this afternoon, proceedings will be overshadowed by the growing ruckus over London Welsh and their promotion trauma – an issue that has already been given an airing in the House of Commons and will presumably attract the attention of Christine Lagarde and Barack Obama before the month is out.

Meet Steve Mafi: The Tigers’ Tongan hitman

Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

How's this for an accolade? "He was arguably the best No 8 in the world. The Welsh No 8 Mervyn Davies was of course much better known, and when Ireland's Ken Goodall sadly went to rugby league, Davies earned his top ranking among the major countries. But as Mafi showed in Britain, he was good enough to jump anywhere in the line-out... and he was quick enough to hold off the fastest of the Welsh backs in a 30-yard sprint. He was strong enough to scrummage well as a lock and he was a devastating tackler. He was almost a one-man team, and although that inevitably placed unfair pressures upon him, he was good enough to withstand them."

Quins flourish by playing the generation game

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

It is devilishly difficult to be nice about the Premiership fraternity or their craven allies at the Rugby Football Union after the cringingly crass rejection of London Welsh as promotion candidates – a decision that deserves to be tested in a court of law and cries out to be found wanting. Yet on the eve of this season's club final at Twickenham, it is still possible to laud Harlequins, those arch-traditionalists of old, for operating at the cutting edge of the English game.

Welsh defiant after RFU closes Premiership door

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The Rugby Football Union and its top professional clubs were contemplating the hazardous traverse of a legal minefield yesterday after informing London Welsh that they had failed to meet promotion criteria and would not be admitted to next season's Premiership, even if they succeed in beating Cornish Pirates in a two-leg Championship final that kicked off in Penzance last night. The Exiles, who had nominated the Kassam Stadium in Oxford as their home for 2012-13, spoke of their "grave disappointment" and hinted strongly at the possibility of court proceedings.

London Welsh fail to meet Aviva Premiership criteria

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:13:07 +0100

London Welsh have failed to meet the minimum standards criteria for entry into the Aviva Premiership, English rugby chiefs have announced.

Newcastle announce three new signings

Wed, 23 May 2012 11:04:20 +0100

Newcastle have added three further new signings to their squad for next season.

Cared-for Care aiming to repay friends in the final

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

If Danny Care gives as much to Harlequins at Twickenham on Saturday as his colleagues have given him over the last few troubled weeks and months, the Londoners' chances of securing a first Premiership title will be very good indeed. Back in favour with England after a series of drink-related brushes with the long arm of the law, the form scrum-half in the country feels he now owes something to the people who put their own arms around him and turned him towards the straight and narrow.

Northampton sign Australia international Cameron Shepherd as replacement for Chris Ashton

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:27:52 +0100

Northampton have signed Australia international Cameron Shepherd as a direct replacement for the departing England wing Chris Ashton.

Cockerill denies rift with Lancaster over Flood

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Leicester, champions of England on nine occasions and a decent bet to take that tally into double figures at Twickenham this weekend, were back in serious training yesterday ahead of their Premiership final against Harlequins.

Rivals will have to rewrite rules to stop the record Leinster men

Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Rugby has a long and dishonourable tradition of fixing the unbroken while failing to mend the bits that are patently falling apart, so it comes as no great surprise that certain elements of the Heineken Cup fraternity – the English and the French, basically – should be pressing hard for a mutually beneficial restructuring of the sport's most captivating tournament. There is no current agreement on the precise way forward, but this much is obvious: if the clubs from Europe's two biggest union nations are serious about restoring their joint domination of the competition, they will have to find a way of stopping Leinster from playing in it.

Simon Turnbull: Leinster join pantheon of great sporting teams

Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

It was some Saturday evening for the boys in blue. It was a momentous, memorable win for them in their grand European final. It wasn't such a bad night for Chelsea either.

Murphy clears the air to lift Tigers

Sun, 20 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

It was a Premiership match that made few headlines, played on a dark February night in Devon while the Six Nations' Championship was on and the crowd was shivering in Paris waiting for the France versus Ireland game that did not start. But if Leicester Tigers win next Saturday's play-off final against Harlequins at Twickenham, they will look back with pleasure on a defeat at Exeter Chiefs that caused ructions among players and coaches.

O'Driscoll heralds a Leinster 'dynasty' as cup final records fall

Sun, 20 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

With a record score and winning margin, Leinster outstripped any achievement by the four-times winners Toulouse, or by Leicester or Wasps. By winning the Heineken Cup for a third time in four years, the Irish province have painted the continent their own special shade of blue.

Leinster triumph over Ulster in all Irish Heineken Cup final

Sat, 19 May 2012 19:31:52 +0100

Irish heavyweights Leinster powered to their third Heineken Cup triumph in four seasons as they established themselves as true giants of the European game.

Biarritz's Yachvili beats Wilkinson in battle of the boot

Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Jonny Wilkinson – remember him? – rarely loses a goal-kicking shoot-out, especially with silverware at stake. Last night at Twickenham's second stadium, in an all-French final for the Amlin Challenge Cup, the barely thinkable happened when the Biarritz scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili stared down the great man by producing a sublime display of marksmanship. As a result, his side will play Heineken Cup rugby next season.

Weekend preview: Ferris loath to lose Ulster's winning habit at final hurdle

Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

If Leinster, reigning Heineken Cup champions and just about the most effective team of any description to be found anywhere in Europe, were able to stare down semi-final opponents as powerful as Clermont Auvergne in front of a predominantly French audience as intimidating as it was raucous, victory over the third best side in Ireland should be a formality. That's the theory. In practice, things may be just a little different at Twickenham this evening. Who says so? Stephen Ferris, for one.

Sexton can help Leinster grab the lions' share of glory

Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Next season – a Lions season – is rising on the horizon and the vast majority of professional rugby players are already bending their minds to it. For Jonny Sexton, the current season refuses to make way. A Heineken Cup final, a RaboDirect Pro12 final and three meetings with the world champion All Blacks separate the Leinster outside-half, a racing certainty to be playing the biggest games of his life a little over a year from now, from a few weeks of blissful anonymity at his regular beach-and-clifftop bolthole in County Kerry. One way or another, Sexton has better things to think about than 2013, however momentous it might turn out to be.

Leinster lock Brad Thorn targets history in Heineken Cup final against Ulster

Fri, 18 May 2012 10:33:14 +0100

New Zealander Brad Thorn could create rugby history in tomorrow's Heineken Cup final between Leinster and Ulster at Twickenham.

Newcastle sign Scotland scrum-half Rory Lawson

Fri, 18 May 2012 10:32:06 +0100

Newcastle have signed Scotland scrum-half Rory Lawson on a two-year deal.

Yachvili and Biarritz look to ruin Wilkinson's Amlin homecoming

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The last time Jonny Wilkinson and Iain Balshaw appeared together on a rectangle of mud down Twickenham way, they were overshadowed by a swaggering newcomer by the name of Danny Cipriani as England put 33 points on Ireland and finished second in the 2008 Six Nations. The two red-rose oldsters will be back in town this evening for the Amlin Challenge Cup final between Biarritz and Toulon at the Stoop and while Wilkinson is being given the top-of-the-bill treatment, they could easily find themselves marginalised again.

Jim Mallinder commits future to Northampton with new deal

Thu, 17 May 2012 12:27:01 +0100

Northampton rugby director Jim Mallinder has agreed a new contract with the Aviva Premiership club.

London Welsh ready for Oxford move if they go up

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:33 +0100

London Welsh, the Championship team whose strong late-season form could cost Newcastle their seat at the top table of the English game, have been just a little coy about promotion plans for next season. Yesterday, they started to let on. The Exiles will play the home leg of their Championship final against Cornish Pirates at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford rather than at Old Deer Park in Richmond, which is not a stadium at all. If they win the title, they are likely to move there.

Joe Marler's momentum delivers Harlequins' first final

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Though it is less than a month since they dispatched Harlequins on their own ground, Leicester will take note of Jim Mallinder's comment here on Saturday. Mallinder, the disappointed Northampton director of rugby, said: "If you have watched some of Harlequins' recent games, you will be impressed by their scrum, it has improved enormously."

George Ford puts his foot down to steer Tigers past Saracens

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

There are two versions of the story surrounding the appearance of George Ford in the Leicester team: either he was summoned an hour before kick-off when the Tigers were forced to concede that Toby Flood's recovery from an ankle injury was not quite complete, or he was told a couple of days before the game and made the mistake of mentioning it to his dad Mike, the former England defence coach, who promptly blabbed to the media and earned the lad a 12-bore rollicking from the Welford Road hierarchy. You pays your money and you takes your choice.

Round-up: Newcastle's top-flight future now in London Welsh's hands

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Newcastle, winners of the inaugural Premiership title in 1998 but bottom of the heap this time round, are 50 per cent out of the mire. Bristol's 29-18 victory over Cornish Pirates in the second leg of their Championship semi-final at the Memorial Ground yesterday was not enough to avoid an aggregate defeat and, as a result, one of only two contenders capable of replacing the Tynesiders in the elite league fell by the wayside.

Mighty Marler drives Harlequins past Saints and into the big time

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

This was the day that Harlequins, once the fancy dans of England, refused to die. The team that finished at the head of the Aviva Premiership will make their first appearance in the final at Twickenham on 26 May, thanks to a gritty, never-say-die spirit.

Ford comes of age as Tigers tame Saracens

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

A text message from his coach, Richard Cockerill, yesterday morning was the signal for George Ford to make ready for the biggest match of his young life. The 19-year-old did not let Leicester down. Displaying the sang froid we have come to associate with his Saracens counterpart Owen Farrell – a long-time friend in England age-group teams – Ford helped create both Leicester's tries and kicked 14 points as Saracens failed in a ferocious fight to hold on to the Premiership title in this play-off semi-final.

Green giants bestride Twickenham

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Either Leinster or Ulster will complete Ireland's fifth Heineken Cup victory in seven seasons when they meet in the final at Twickenham next Saturday, and to do it in England's national stadium is bound to get up the nose of the Aviva Premiership clubs whose response is not to promise they will improve on the field but to agitate in the boardroom for the format of qualifying for Europe to be changed.

Leicester secure eighth successive final appearance after defeating Saracens

Sat, 12 May 2012 19:40:44 +0100

Teenager George Ford drove Leicester into a remarkable eighth successive Premiership final as Tigers ended Saracens' reign as English champions.

Harlequins reach final after nail-biting victory

Sat, 12 May 2012 16:59:38 +0100

Harlequins reached their first Aviva Premiership final with a nail-biting victory over Northampton, sealed four minutes from time when Joe Marler was driven over for a converted try.

Weekend preview: Flood, form and Cole fire favour red-hot Tigers

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Leicester v Saracens

Schalk Brits: Sarries' little big man

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

David Campese had one, and he never tired of telling people about it. John Eales had one too, but was congenitally incapable of boasting. Serge Blanco and Mark Ella were similarly blessed; so was the Welsh outside-half Arwel Thomas, although he never scaled the heights of the others because he was knee-high to a grasshopper, 5st dripping wet and played in an age when behemoths were beginning to roam the rugby earth, eating dimensionally challenged folk like him for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

History on Saracens' side ahead of Premiership play-offs

Fri, 11 May 2012 11:00:29 +0100

Saracens will face one of the toughest tasks in English rugby tomorrow - but recent history suggests it is not one they should fear.

Dean Richards admits 'huge regret' over Bloodgate scandal

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:15:46 +0100

Dean Richards has admitted his "huge regret" over the Bloodgate scandal that rocked English rugby to its core.

Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards to join London Irish

Wed, 09 May 2012 10:40:10 +0100

Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards is to join the London Irish coaching staff after the Grand Slam winners' summer tour to Australia.

Gary Gold added to glittering new Bath set-up

Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

If certain Premiership clubs are struggling for coaching staff at the end of a fraught season, there is one very good reason: Bath have recruited them all. The West Country club yesterday confirmed that the former Springbok coach Gary Gold would lead them in 2012-13, supported by the former England defence coach Mike Ford and two of the men at the heart of London Irish's progress in recent years, Toby Booth and Neal Hatley.

Pirates plunder Bristol in play-offs

Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Bristol's hopes of promotion to the Aviva Premiership took a hit when they were beaten 45-24 by the Cornish Pirates yesterday.

Blooming youth shows need to put nurture over savage nature in the Premiership

Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Ructions at Sale, a mass clear-out at London Irish, bloodshed at Bath, a sudden walkout at Gloucester, a sticking-plaster job at Newcastle, something close to a meltdown at Wasps... welcome to the sporting soap opera known as the Aviva Premiership, where a coach who remains in post longer than five minutes has an even-money chance of winning the "Ken Barlow Award for Long Service". Half the clubs have been in turmoil this season and of the other six, five have qualified for Heineken Cup rugby next term. Continuity counts for something, it seems.

Newcastle left to sweat it out after heroics

Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

If only every week was a relegation decider. The final-day meeting of the Premiership's bottom two clubs attracted Wasps' first sell-out crowd of the season and if some of the rugby was as attractive as a bulldog chewing a wasp, you cannot have everything. Knife-edge finishes sell tickets, and the punters got the theatre they came for.

Diamond unapologetic over Sale's 'weakened' all-English selection

Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

There is quite a cabaret going on at Sale these days: Steve Diamond, their head cook and bottlewasher, has been serving a touchline ban since February after giving the international referee Wayne Barnes too large a piece of his mind; the brutal sacking of Tony Hanks as head coach caused something of a stink; the spat with Gloucester over the possible recruitment of Bryan Redpath as Hanks' replacement shows no sign of abating – and now they have provoked another ruckus with this final regular-season game by naming a "weakened" side against opponents who would benefit materially from the decision.

Round-up: Play-offs finalised as Chris Paterson exits

Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Saturday saw play-off places at stake in the Aviva Premiership and the RaboDirect Pro12, although perhaps the most eye-catching game was the dead rubber at the Madejski Stadium. London Irish's David Paice and Jim Hamilton of Gloucester were sent off for fighting, their second scuffle prompting a mass brawl and lots of bad feeling, and Irish won 52-18. Not that it mattered much.

Aviva Premiership round-up: Diamond cuts up rough on selection accusation

Sun, 06 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Sale lost 24-10 at home to Harlequins yesterday but still took the final English place in the Heineken Cup next season, thanks to Bath's 28-3 defeat by Leicester at Welford Road. Afterwards, the somewhat spiky Sale chief executive, Steve Diamond, seemed to enjoy his meeting with the press.

Ashton's injury is a setback for Saints

Sun, 06 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Northampton will be hoping that three is their lucky number. They ensured yesterday a third successive appearance in the Premiership semi-finals as a burst of second-half energy carried them clear of Worcester's ability to live off scraps and anything Exeter might have achieved at Saracens. However, a similar display will not suffice when they meet Harlequins on Saturday at the Stoop.

Wasps safe but Falcons may stay up

Sun, 06 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The one thing everyone knew before this supposed relegation decider was that the overarching issue of who would go down from the Aviva Premiership would not be decided at the end of it. Wasps avoided the heavy beating that would have seen them slip below Newcastle into bottom place and the Falcons must assume the trapdoor to the Championship will claim them – but they will not know for certain for another few weeks.

Jimmy Goppert cool about staying afloat

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Jimmy Gopperth breezes into one of the West Stand hospitality boxes overlooking the green sward of Kingston Park with a cheery "How you doin'?" He is wearing his Newcastle Falcons No 10 training top and a pair of bright-blue beach shorts.

Weekend preview: Wasps' fate rests in hands of their back-row tyros

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Wasps v Newcastle

London Irish sign fly-half Ian Humphreys from Ulster

Fri, 04 May 2012 17:28:12 +0100

London Irish have confirmed the signing of fly-half Ian Humphreys from this season's Heineken Cup finalists Ulster.

Davies goes home to build Wales base with the Blues

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

It is not all sweetness and light in Welsh rugby despite the Grand Slam triumph in this year's Six Nations: the four regional sides are struggling for crowds, struggling for finance and, as a consequence, struggling to hang on to their best talent in the face of big-money raids from France.

Gold: Newcastle can cope if great escape falls short

Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Newcastle Falcons might be going into the Aviva Premiership relegation decider against Wasps at Adams Park on Saturday needing the rugby equivalent of a snooker to avoid bottom place but Gary Gold, their temporary director of rugby, insisted: "I don't think we're under that much pressure."

Danny Cipriani will return to England 'a better player and person'

Wed, 02 May 2012 10:36:01 +0100

Danny Cipriani believes he will return to England "a better player and a better person" following his 18-month stint with Melbourne Rebels.

London Irish sign rugby league star Setaimata Sa

Wed, 02 May 2012 10:35:00 +0100

London Irish have announced the signing of Catalan Dragons rugby league star Setaimata Sa on a three-year deal.

Tearful Cipriani makes early Melbourne exit

Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Danny Cipriani wept when he informed his Super 15 clubmates in Melbourne that he would be leaving town ahead of schedule and returning to England to start preparing for the resurrection of his international career.

Danny Cipriani quits Melbourne Rebels to boost hope of England return

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:34:29 +0100

A desire to prepare for the next Aviva Premiership season and regain a place in the England side has led to Danny Cipriani securing an early release from his contract with the Melbourne Rebels.

Edinburgh coach hails Pienaar's dangerous deeds

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

History is written by the winners, so the saying goes, but sometimes the vanquished have a point that is worth listening to as well.

Leinster set up all-Irish final as ref riles locals

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Clermont Auvergne have a well-deserved reputation for rarely missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity: on 10 occasions between 1936 and 2009 they lost in the final of the French Championship, generally by a single-figure margin, and some of their failures in Europe have been masterpieces of misplaced generosity towards the opposition. Yesterday, in Bordeaux, they were at their most extravagant in handing out free gifts and presented the title-holders Leinster with their pass to an all-Irish final with Ulster at Twickenham.

Red-hand gang pack a punch as Pienaar gives them final push

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

In a simplistic sense this was a triumph of power over finesse but to leave it at that would be to ignore the multiple facets of intelligence and skill that made Ulster's Ruan Pienaar a shoo-in as man of the match, and spread like a life-giving elixir throughout the province's white jerseys as they galloped through to next month's Heineken Cup final at Twickenham.

Homing instinct is tinged with fear for Tom Palmer

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

After three seasons coining in the Euros in France and in the process more than doubling his total of England caps, Tom Palmer is ready to come home to Wasps. Trouble is, the lock planning the end to his voluntary exile with Stade Français is not sure Wasps are ready to have him. "All the new signings they've made, and the current players, are waiting to see what will happen," Palmer said of the hoped-for sale of the fallen champions by the current owner, Steve Hayes. "I suppose we'll have to wait until after the final game because if you're a new owner, you're going to wait for that before you commit to anything."

Bold approach pays dividends for Edinburgh

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The Scots have hardly tripped over their own feet in the rush to earn their keep in European rugby: for too long, they have been union's equivalent of the twentysomething layabout who, happy in the knowledge that a hot meal will always be on the table courtesy of his doting mother, sees no particular reason to drag himself out of bed and make his mark on the world. One quarter-final in the first 15 seasons of Heineken Cup activity, a miserable win rate in the 30 per cent region, losing streaks the length of the West Highland Way... had Norman Tebbit been in charge of the best club tournament in the sport, he'd have told them to get on their bikes long ago. In fact, he'd have strapped them to their saddles with his bare hands and given them a push.

Weekend preview: James wants to put boot in Irish hopes of retaining Cup

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Only a fully paid-up member of the Institute of Clairvoyants or an absolute fool would wager a penny piece on the outcome of tomorrow's Heineken Cup semi-final between Clermont Auvergne, the form side in France, and Leinster, the form side in Europe.

Tindall heads the list of big names in Gloucester exodus

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Mike Tindall, a World Cup winner in 2003 and a World Cup laughing stock eight years later, will leave Gloucester at the end of the season, after failing to negotiate the two-year contract extension he felt he was worth. The England centre is part of an exodus of high-profile players, most of them full internationals.

Gold reserve muddies the water at Bath

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Gary Gold has been linked so heavily with the impending coaching vacancy at Bath that many rugby insiders see it as a done deal, but things are never entirely straightforward at the Recreation Ground. The South African declared yesterday that while he was indeed interested in signing up for another tour of duty in the Premiership, there were jobs back home in Springbok country that might be too attractive to turn down.

Shane Geraghty agrees to rejoin London Irish

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:59:57 +0100

Shane Geraghty will rejoin London Irish this summer after signing a two-year deal with the club he left in 2009.

Dean Mumm's the word for Exeter

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Exeter have signed the Australia utility forward Dean Mumm on a two-year deal. The 28-year-old, who has 33 caps and can play in the second and back rows, will leave the New South Wales Waratahs at the end of the current Super 15 season.

Exeter Chiefs sign Australia international Dean Mumm

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:49:51 +0100

Exeter Chiefs have signed Australia international Dean Mumm on a two-year deal.

Saints spoil Exeter's semi-final fairy tale

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

It should have been such a romantic moment: Richie Baxter, one of the farming brothers who have pretty much defined Exeter rugby over the course of the Devon club's remarkable two-year rise as a Premiership force, completed his 350th league game for the club by picking up the ball at the base of a wheeling scrum in time-honoured No 8 style and touching down to the right of the sticks with precisely no seconds remaining on the clock. Sadly, it was a profoundly muted moment. The game had already gone, taking the West Countrymen's semi-finals hopes with it.

Fighting-fit Tigers rally boldly to put pressure on Quins

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

For a club counting their injuries in double figures not so long ago, Leicester could handle with jovial equanimity the sight of their England flanker Tom Croft carried off with his neck in a brace. "He'll get the tackle right next time," said the club's director of rugby, Richard Cockerill, cock-a-hoop as he was at a stunning win in the penultimate regular-season match for the Premiership's top two teams.

Young: If Newcastle beat us, we deserve to go down

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Wasps director of rugby David Young is confident his team can evade relegation from the Premiership after leaving the Recreation Ground with a losing bonus point from Saturday's 17-12 defeat against Bath.

Vesty error gives Wasps bonus in relegation battle

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The fingernails must be bitten to the quick. The relegation dogfight which has involved Newcastle and Wasps for four months will not be decided until 5 May, when the two clubs meet at Adams Park in the last round of the Aviva Premiership.

Cockerill crows after Tigers win a thriller

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

This was a stunningly entertaining match that you almost wished the two teams had saved for the Premiership final, should either or both get there, across the road at Twickenham next month. Leicester are odds on to make it after extending their Premiership record to six bonus-point wins in a row and with Bath at Welford Road as their last regular-season fixture in a fortnight. Harlequins, still the league leaders, but by only a point from the Tigers and three from Saracens, will finish away to Sale and may fear being edged out of a home semi-final.

Heineken Cup round-up: Miller helps Sale grind out crucial win at Gloucester

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Sale are on the verge of qualification for next season's Heineken Cup, thanks to a 24-19 win over Gloucester at Kingsholm yesterday. The Sharks are sixth in the Aviva Premiership, needing one point from their last match, at home to Harlequins, to confirm their place regardless of what would be a rather unlikely victory for Bath at Leicester.

One last job for Boks in the red hand gang

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Ulster's march on Dublin for Saturday's Heineken Cup semi-final will stir memories of the 1999 final they won in the city but this year's journey has a couple of odd diversions. The coach in charge of this first semi-final since that trophy-winning season knows already that he will soon be out of the job. More generally, having hit on a winning formula in Europe of grafting southern hemisphere prowess on to home-grown expertise, each of Ireland's main provinces is about to rewrite the rules and reduce the overseas influence.

The fabulous Baxter brothers plough on for Exeter

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

When the successful Devon-based businessman Tony Rowe first opened his wallet in support of Exeter RFC – "It was 20 years ago when they asked me to be a shirt sponsor and it cost me £4,000," he recalled this week – the fresh-faced kid from the livestock farm on the far side of town was making his way through the junior ranks and dreaming of following his brother, and indeed his father, into the first team, where the cauliflower-faced grown-ups drew their line in the West Country mud and invited visiting teams to cross it if they really considered themselves tough enough. Richard Baxter achieved his goal while still in his teens. Tomorrow, some 400 games later, he will be in touching distance of realising another ambition.

Weekend preview: Quins welcome back Evans but Flood is in full spate for Tigers

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Harlequins v Leicester

Farrell's boot leaves Falcons on brink

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Saracens clinched a place in the Premiership semi-finals with a brutal victory. Three penalties from the boot of Owen Farrell took Saracens into second place in the table while Jimmy Gopperth's solitary strike gave Newcastle a crucial losing bonus point in front of a crowd of 8,011 – the Falcons' biggest of the season.

Bryan Redpath poised for Sale after walking out on Gloucester

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Gloucester started the day by confirming the signing of the World Cup-winning All Black scrum-half Jimmy Cowan – the latest in a number of impressive deals negotiated by their head coach, Bryan Redpath – and ended it by announcing the immediate departure of... Bryan Redpath.

Bryan Redpath resigns as Gloucester head coach

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:25:27 +0100

Bryan Redpath has resigned as Gloucester's head coach with immediate effect.

Gloucester sign All Black scrum half Jimmy Cowan

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:26:00 +0100

Gloucester have signed All Black scrum half Jimmy Cowan who will move to Kingsholm next season.

Kirwan and Lam on Sale's coach hitlist

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Bryan Redpath, the Gloucester head coach who has been heavily linked with an imminent move to Sale, will find his every move monitored when the two clubs meet at Kingsholm this weekend for a squabble over Heineken Cup qualification. He is not, however, the only name in the frame for the vacancy in the north-west. Two New Zealanders with rich World Cup experience, John Kirwan and Pat Lam, are on the interview list, as is Eddie O'Sullivan, the former Ireland coach who worked with the United States last year.

Delon Armitage to leave London Irish for Toulon

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:56:47 +0100

England international Delon Armitage will leave London Irish for Toulon at the end of the season, the Aviva Premiership club announced today.

South Africa lock Alistair Hargreaves to join Saracens

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:22:13 +0100

South Africa lock Alistair Hargreaves has agreed a deal to join Saracens next season.

Young pays dues to Wasps youth after Quins deepen sense of crisis

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Wasps manufactured so many bricks when the going was good, they constructed themselves a wall that would have left Hadrian green with envy: two Heineken Cup triumphs, four Premiership titles, a significant presence in the England side, the pick of the world's best coaches... it was quite an edifice in anyone's language. Unfortunately, those bricks were made without straw.

Gold: Falcons are still in a dire position despite shock victory at Gloucester

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Saturday's unusually busy Aviva Premiership programme threw up some intriguing results, not least Newcastle beating Gloucester 29-20 at Kingsholm to keep their survival hopes alive and Exeter winning 31-26 at Sixways against Worcester to confirm their place in next season's Heineken Cup.

Flood feels in fine form for England tour

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Fly-halves operating where decisions made in longer than nanoseconds can be too late are not known for being shy or self-effacing. Leicester's Toby Flood punished a terribly sloppy Northampton defence with two tries and 15 points from kicks then reminded the world that he lost his place for England at the outset of the Six Nations due to a knee injury, not form. Furthermore, he was unperturbed that Saracens' Charlie Hodgson and Owen Farrell continued to be picked ahead of him.

Quins on the Monye but Wasps just need hard cash

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

How different is life at the top and the bottom of the Premiership? Harlequins ensured their place in the play-offs yesterday, for only the second time, and found time to commiserate with their London rivals over the threat to their very existence among England's elite.

Aviva Premiership round-up: Falcons stay alive with win

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Newcastle are still bottom of the Aviva Premiership and they could well win their last two games and still go down, imponderables such as the financial woes or shortfalls of others notwithstanding. That said, the Falcons did themselves a lot of good with a 29-20 win at Gloucester.

Saints are swamped by Tigers' Flood tide

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Leicester showed why they are the bookmakers' favourites to win the Aviva Premiership and stayed on course for a remarkable eighth successive final with this humbling of their near neighbours.

Diamond can help Cipriani to shine again

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Steve Diamond is nothing if not an optimist. The sporting director and chief executive of Sale Sharks – or the putative "northern super club", as he describes the Manchester team he used to play for and coach – says he has no qualms over handling next season's fly-half Danny Cipriani. "The controversy that surrounds the lad is his celebrity and that's not a drama for us," says Diamond. "He's coming to a massive city where if we're talking about celebrity and sportsmen they had the best, didn't they, in George Best? That's the least of our worries."

Weekend preview: Clegg can ensure Wasps’ week goes from bad to worse

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:00:22 +0100

Harlequins v Wasps

Miller's try gives sale edge against bath

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:00:02 +0100

In the Aviva Premiership's one match last night, Sale beat Bath 16-9 at Edgeley Park. The Sale full-back Rob Miller scored the only try of the match with nine minutes to play; Nick Macleod converted and also kicked three penalties. Olly Barkley kicked three penalties for Bath.

Farrell says 'no thanks' to life with England

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The feelgood factor may be nice while it lasts, but it leaves a bad feeling when it suddenly disappears. Andy Farrell, the former Great Britain rugby league captain who took his first steps as a Test coach during the Six Nations and was instrumental in restoring England's reputation in the eyes of supporters who pretty much gave up on them during five weeks of World Cup purgatory last autumn, yesterday severed his links with the national team. A little over a fortnight after setting its course for the home global tournament in 2015, the red-rose hierarchy now finds itself wondering where to turn next.

Wasps' Hart forced into premature retirement

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

It has been a rotten week for career-ending injuries. Lloyd Burns, the Wales hooker, retired on Wednesday at the age of 27 after suffering a serious neck complaint, together with aorta damage that may lead to heart surgery. Peter Short, the Exeter lock, called it a day at 32 after breaking a leg at the start of the season. They were joined yesterday by the excellent Wasps forward John Hart, who packed it in on medical advice and left the former Premiership champions, desperate for new investment that will stave off the threat of administration, contemplating more grim news.

Sale Sharks and Bath set for Heineken Cup qualification face-off

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:54:04 +0100

Sale Sharks and Bath will continue their quest for the one remaining prize available to them this season when they clash at Edgeley Park tomorrow night.

Wasps 'need investment to avoid administration'

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Wasps are in grave danger of going into administration unless they can attract new investment by the end of the Premiership season, following the collapse of takeover talks. The club have been looking for a new owner since July of last year, when Wycombe District Council withdrew its support for the construction of a new stadium.