Adam Hathaway

Joe Marler may have been made scapegoat for ‘mother’ insult, fears Harlequins coach Tabai Matson

Tabai Matson, the Harlequins head coach, has warned that Joe Marler may have been made a scapegoat after the prop was banned for insulting an opponent’s mother. Matson said that if everything players said on the pitch was overheard people would be…

Dan Cole back with England for first time since World Cup final

Dan Cole is to join up with England players for fitness tests over the next two days in a sign that he is in contention for a comeback in the Six Nations more than three years since his most recent international appearance. The Leicester Tigers prop,…

James Ramm double helps rampant Northampton to win over Harlequins

Dave Ribbans advertised his wellbeing for England’s Six Nations campaign as Northampton ensured Harlequins finished a miserable festive period with another defeat. Ribbans put in a powerful carrying performance to build on his progress in the autumn…

Rampant Dave Ribbans states his Six Nations case

Match Summary Dave Ribbans led the charge of Northampton’s England hopefuls as Saints handed out a six-try beating to Harlequins to blow the Gallagher Premiership play-off race wide open — and push his claims for a Six Nations spot. The 27-year-old…

Owen Farrell proves he’s a perfect 10 as Saracens steamroller Exeter

Owen Farrell helped Saracens get back into the winning habit with a masterly display from fly-half which was a persuasive argument to give him the keys to No 10 with England. Farrell, more often than not a 12 at Test level, ran the game with his boot…

England name Steve Borthwick as new head coach on five-year contract to replace Eddie Jones

STEVE BORTHWICK has finally been confirmed as England boss on a five-year contract and started work today. Borthwick heads to Twickenham from Leicester with defence coach Kevin Sinfield, who has also been hired by the RFU. Leicester have reacted to…

Northampton Saints fail to break down Munster in fiery encounter

Northampton’s Juarno Augustus and Ludlam clash with Munster’s O'Donoghue. The brawl resulted in yellow cards for Ludlam and O'Donoghue DAN SHERIDAN/INPHO/SHUTTERSTOCK Match Summary The Northampton Saints director of rugby, Phil Dowson, was left…

England rugby coach Eddie Jones set to be SACKED after dismal run of form a year ahead of the World Cup

ENGLAND boss Eddie Jones looks set to get the bullet on Tuesday. Leicester head coach Steve Borthwick is in line to take over — about a year earlier than expected — if the RFU can lure him away from Welford Road. The union have not confirmed Jones’…

England 25 New Zealand 25: Hosts snatch last-gasp draw after THREE tries in final ten minutes following horror start

Marcus Smith finally lit the blue touch paper for England but they will be kicking themselves for a dozy start. England’s attacking game was nowhere for over an hour as the Kiwis sprinted into a 22-6 lead before the hosts pegged them back. The…

England v New Zealand: Haka is sterile – let teams get in their faces, says Richard Cockerill

Richard Cockerill insists that the haka has become sanitised and opponents should be able to respond to the All Blacks’s pre-match ritual in whatever way they want to. The England assistant coach famously eyeballed the New Zealand hooker Norm Hewitt…

England 52 Japan 13: Freddie Steward stars as Red Rose get back to winning ways with seven-try thrashing of tourists

EDDIE JONES' England got back to winning ways with a seven try win over Japan but their real test comes in the next two weeks. Freddie Steward put in another masterful performance from full-back, scoring England’s opener and dominating the air in…

New Zealand 34 England 31: Heartache for Red Roses as they lose thrilling rugby world cup final after Thompson sent off

WING Lydia Thompson was sensationally red-carded as England’s 14 Red Roses wilted at the death in the World Cup final. Harlequins hooker Amy Cokayne grabbed a hat-trick but Simon Middleton’s side could not cope a player down in the end. Kiwi sub…

England captain Courtney Lawes suffers setback as Eddie Jones expresses health worry

has ruled Courtney Lawes out of the rest of the autumn insisting his skipper’s health is more important than a swift comeback. Lawes, who captained in their 2-1 summer win over Australia, has concussion issues after a knock playing for Northampton…

England 29 Argentina 30: Jones’ Red Rose stunned as Pumas record first Twickenham win since 2006 in Autumn International

EDDIE JONES got taken to school by his old mate Michael Cheika as England collapsed to their first defeat by Argentina at Twickenham since 2006. Jones’ mood will be as black as England’s new change strip after his side were outclassed by the Pumas.…

England are too good, too powerful and too determined not to reach the World Cup final

England are building something special. Against Australia, the forwards stole the show once again and the Red Roses' set piece dominance was even more pronounced in the sodden conditions. They even robbed the Wallaroos of two of their own lineouts -…

Steve Diamond loses out to Jim O’Toole in bid to acquire Worcester Warriors

The consortium led by Worcester's former chief executive, Jim O’Toole, has been preferred to Steve Diamond's bid in the battle to take over the liquidated Warriors. O'Toole's consortium, Atlas Worcester Warriors RFC, released a statement on Sunday…

Record-breaking Alex Goode shines as Saracens overcome Sale Sharks

Alex Goode broke the Saracens appearance record with a supreme individual performance as Saracens outlasted a spirited challenge from Sale Sharks to pull 10 points clear at the top of the Premiership table. The sides were missing a handful of England…

Has rugby's jackal had its day?

How apposite it is, in a week in which two Scotland legends - the current head coach Gregor Townsend and Telegraph Sport columnist Sir Ian McGeechan - called for a ban of the jackal in these very pages, that it is that facet of rugby which dominates…

Living out of a suitcase – Josh Bassett's life after Wasps' collapse

Wing Josh Bassett is living out of a suitcase, miles away from his young family and was forced to take a job with one of his biggest competitors. He is one of the lucky ones. A decade at Wasps ended for Bassett a fortnight ago when the club went into…

Women's Rugby World Cup Watch highlights of England's seven-try quarter-final victory over Australia

England 41 Australia 5 England splashed and slid their way into a World Cup semi-final. Neither torrential rain nor this highly-rated Australian outfit were enough to stop them. Simon Middleton’s players produced another forward masterclass – all…