London Welsh ready to fight for promotion

London Welsh are set to meet with the RFU ahead of their Championship play-off final second leg with Cornish Pirates tonight at the Kassam Stadium.

They will bring with them an official appeal against the decision to block their promotion to the Premiership which would occur if victorious in tonight's match.

There is an air of uncertainty lingering over tonight's second leg with the winning team not yet knowing whether they will stay in the Championship or join English club rugby's elite in the Premiership next season.

Tuilagi cited for tackle on Care

Tuilagi's tackle on Care

England are waiting to discover if Manu Tuilagi will be available for their summer tour to South Africa after the Leicester centre was cited for an incident during the Aviva Premiership final on Saturday.

Tuilagi was lucky to escape a sinbinning at the time after he lifted Danny Care off the ground during a tackle in the second minute of the match.

England run riot to take down star-studded Barbarians

In a 12-try bonanza, England became Killik Cup Champions as they beat a star-studded Barbarians team at Twickenham.

Chris Ashton ran in for the opening try after Lee Dickson created space for Ashton to score. The early try was the first of three for the Saracens bound winger who got his second and third just before and after the half time break.

Casey Laulala and Mils Muliaina stole the show for the Barbarians in the first half creating chances left, right and centre. All Black legend Muliaina scored two tries in the match but fellow Barbarian Laulala didn’t manage any despite providing space and speed for many other scores.

Ben Foden talks ahead of upcoming England fixtures

Credit: Rugby Media/Nick Heath

Aviva Premiership Final: Harlequins 30-23 Leicester

Harlequins celebrate (Getty)

Harlequins made the short trip down the road to Twickenham and Leicester travelled from the East-Midlands to English rugby’s centre stage for the 2011/12 Aviva Premiership final.

The game changed hands a number of times with Leicester heading into the encounter as favourites. However, it wasn’t long before Harlequins asserted themselves in the match as firm contenders when Tom Williams scored the game’s opening try.

But the Tigers dug their claws back into the game when they led towards the end of the half after a superb try from Steve Mafi.

Danny Care reflects on a tough few months

Credit: Nick Heath/Rugby Media

Aviva Premiership Final Preview

Twickenham will stage another final on Saturday afternoon as Harlequins and Leicester will come to blows in the Premiership final.

Twickenham hosted the Heineken Cup final last weekend but now the Aviva Premiership's big boys will battle it out on English rugby's centre stage.

Last year's winners Saracens failed to reach the grand finale in their semi-final defeat to Leicester Tigers, who will be appearing in their eighth successive Premiership final.

Harlequins clashed with Northampton in their semi-final and narrowly won thanks to a late try from Joe Marler. Quins have topped the table for the majority of the season and have looked strong throughout.

Cockerill and O'Shea preview the Premiership final

Leicester boss Richard Cockerill and Harlequins' Conor O'Shea preview the Aviva Premiership final at Twickenham this Saturday with Russell Hargreaves from Talking Rugby. Harlequins will be competing in their first ever Premiership final but their opponents Leicester will be appearing at Twickenham for the eighth successive time.

Sexton and Afoa reflect on Heineken Cup final

Leinster's Jonny Sexton and Ulster's John Afoa spoke to Russell Hargreaves of Talking Rugby and Amlin yesterday after the Heineken Cup final which Leinster won 42-14 at Twickenham.

Heineken Cup Final: Leinster 42-14 Ulster

In an all Irish final at Twickenham, Leinster ran riot over Ulster with a 42-point drubbing of their fellow Irishmen.

Tries from O’Brien, Healy, Van der Merwe and Cronin built up Leinster’s unsurpassable tally but Ulster only managed one try during a high-paced Heineken Cup final.

Two early bursts from Darren Cave gave Leinster an early warning from the underdogs and it wasn’t long before Ruan Pienaar provided the game with its opening points from the kicking tee.

Amlin Challenge Cup Final: Biarritz 21-18 Toulon

The Twickenham Stoop was the stage for an all French Amlin Challenge Cup Final but despite the great talent on display, the game wasn't a classic.

Dimitri Yachvili slotted seven penalties to complete his team's tally whilst Jonny Wilkinson struck five from the kicking tee as well as one of his trademark drop goals which left his Toulon side three points short of the Biarritz's total.

The game was certainly not all it was cracked up to be with no tries or significant breaks even though both teams had brilliant talents in both forwards and backs.

Ulster and Leinster set for all Irish battle in Heineken Cup final

Twickenham will stage an all-Irish showdown this weekend.

Ulster secured their place in the Heineken Cup final after beating Edinburgh, the first Scottish team to make it into the semi-finals in the tournament's history. Ulster's opponents Leinster narrowly beat Clermont earlier to book their place in the final.

Leinster are on the brink of greatness if they can beat Heineken Cup underdogs Ulster at Twickenham on Saturday. But equal levels of greatness await Ulster if they can overcome the two-time competition champions.

Best and O'Driscoll preview the Heineken Cup Final

Talking Rugby's European partners Amlin caught up with Heineken Cup finalists Brian O'Driscoll and Rory Best of Leinster and Ulster respectively. Ulster are the underdogs heading into the final at Twickenham but Leinster are targeting yet another Heineken Cup title and will not be holding back.

Exeter Chiefs' Tom Johnson on facing the Barbarians

England and Exeter Chiefs back rower Tom Johnson told Nick Heath about facing the Barbarians and playing for them and how he's looking forward to the match on May 27th 2012.


Credit: Rugby Media/Nick Heath

The Rugby Championship: New Zealand Team Profile

By Rowan Birch

Obviously the All Blacks had a fantastic 2011: winning the Rugby World Cup held on New Zealand soil, coming second place to the 'enemy' and the Crusaders runners up in Super Rugby. It was also the year of superstars in New Zealand, with Sonny Bill Williams, Ma'a Nonu and Israel Dagg setting the Southern Hemisphere alight.

But 2012 is a different story. Last year's heroes have fled overseas, become injured or are mere shadows of their previous years form. With workhorse Brad Thorn playing in Japan, Luke McCalister arriving at the bank of Stade Toulousain, Joe Rokocoko off to money-bags Clermont, Sitiveni Sivivatu moving to Bayonne and Mils Muliaina retired, that means they are all out of the selection window. This leaves a large void in the selection pool for New Zealand.

Evans and O'Shea reflect on narrow win over Northampton

Following Harlequins' high tension semi-final victory over Northampton at the Stoop on Saturday, Conor O'Shea and Nick Evans spoke to Nick Heath.

George Ford talks after victory over Saracens in semi-final

Man of the match George Ford talks to Elliot Cook following Leicester's 24-15 victory over Saracens.

listen to ‘George Ford talks after victory over Saracens in semi-final’ on Audioboo

Aviva Premiership Semi-Final: Leicester 24-15 Saracens

Saracens travelled to the East-Midlands in a bid to defend their Premiership crown by making it to the final. However, one thing stood in their way – Leicester Tigers.

George Ford stole the show once again for Leicester as a late call-up in the place of Toby Flood.

This game had a similar start to the day’s earlier semi-final with a selection of penalties building up most of the scores but Alesana Tuilagi got the first try in his last game for Leicester.

Aviva Premiership Semi-Final: Harlequins 25-23 Northampton

Harlequins welcomed Northampton to the Stoop for the first of the Premiership semi-finals.

It looked as though the result would be based purely on penalties after the first forty minutes but Northampton ended the try drought midway through the second half and Harlequins responded with the match-winning score minutes from the final whistle.

The tension was clear in the opening exchanges as both teams started with scrappy handling. Harlequins seemed to have too many forwards in their back line which slowed their attacking play down significantly.

Lancaster Unveils England's Squad to Tour South Africa

Credit: Rugby Media/Nick Heath

The English are coming! Are the Springboks ready?

By David van der Merwe - South Africa Writer

The RFU and coach Lancaster announced the England Squad that will tour South Africa in June today. They will be playing three tests and two mid-week games in what is an attempt to return to the rugby tours of old. Lancaster is a lucky man as he knows who will be ready and able to play in that first test bar any training injuries.

The first test will no doubt be a hard one for both teams. The Springboks have only a week to prepare as a team before that game. The English will come well prepared, but after two weeks of rest, match sharpness may be lacking. It is interesting that they didn't opt for a warm up game of sorts before the first test.

Interview: Premiership player of the season Chris Robshaw

At last night's Aviva Premiership Awards ceremony, Chris Robshaw was crowned Aviva Premiership Rugby Player of the Season.

The England captain had tough competition from the likes of Brad Barritt (Saracens), Mike Brown (Harlequins), Julian Salvi (Leicester), Nick Wood (Gloucester) and James Scaysbrook (Exeter) for the award but came home the winner on the night.

Simon Ward from Talking Rugby spoke to Chris Robshaw at the ceremony:

listen to ‘Interview with Aviva Premiership player of the season Chris Robshaw’ on Audioboo

Half time in the Championship play-offs

By Andrew Reynolds

The Half Time whistle has gone in the Championship semi-finals, and Bristol and Bedford find themselves with it all to do.

Bristol made the trip to Cornwall and everything was going to plan; midway through the first half they found themselves in control 17-3 ahead.  But then the wheels, and some would say the axels as well, fell off, with Pirates running out convincing winners 45-24.  So they take a 21 point lead up the M4 to the memorial ground next Sunday.

Bath reveal new coaching team

Bath have confirmed that former Newcastle boss Gary Gold will take up the position of director of rugby at the club following the departure of Sir Ian McGeechan. Toby Booth, Mike Ford and Neal Hatley will join Gold as part of the new Bath coaching team as well.

Gold announced yesterday that he will take up a coaching post at Bath. He has chosen to bring in the former London Irish coaching duo of Toby Booth and Neal Hatley along with Mike Ford, who Gold has worked with at Newcastle.

Gary Gold reflects on final game with Newcastle

In a game that almost  confirmed Newcastle's relegation from the Aviva Premiership, departing Director of Rugby Gary Gold spoke to Russell Hargreaves from Talking Rugby at Adams Park.

Newcastle were victorious on the day but their win wasn't enough to secure their Premiership future. Gold's team will now be hoping that Bristol don't win the RFU Championship play-offs which will mean the Falcons avoid relegation.

listen to ‘Gary Gold looks back on last match with Newcastle’ on Audioboo

Newcastle defeat Wasps but still face relegation

Newcastle defeated Wasps 14-10 at Adams Park but still face the prospect of relegation if Bristol win the Championship.

London Wasps escaped the drop and despite defeat celebrated like champions and were boosted by Dai Young who confirmed he would remain with Wasps next season in a post-match interview.

The nerves were evident throughout the first half as the scoreboard remained at 0-0 up until the 36th minute when Nicky Robinson converted the game's first penalty. Runs from Wasps’dangerous line of backs came to nothing and Gopperth uncharacteristically missed easy kicks.

Wasps and Newcastle prepared for relegation showdown

The events that unfold on the pitch at Adams Park on Saturday will go down in Premiership history. London Wasps and Newcastle Falcons are separated at the bottom of the Aviva Premiership table by four points.

A Wasps win would ensure their Aviva Premiership future and would allow them to look at re-building their club structure after a season of despair for fans, players and staff alike.

Aviva Premiership Round 22 Preview and Predictions

In a weekend that will discover which team joins the Championship next season, who will play in the Heineken Cup next season and which teams make the play-offs this season, the big battles that have been on-going throughout the season will finally be brought to an end.

Leicester Tigers already have a secure play-off and Heineken Cup place but they will host Bath who will be seeking a bonus point victory in the hope they can edge past Sale and steal sixth place. London Irish and Gloucester will finish off their seasons at the Madejski Stadium but neither side really has any hope of the Heineken Cup for the 2012/2013 season.

Who's the right man to lead the Blues?

By Jake Harvey

I think it's fair to say that the Cardiff Blues have had a tough time this season. They haven't enjoyed much success on or off the pitch and their luck doesn't really seem to be changing with no fewer than 13 first team players leaving the Welsh Region.

However, after a whole season with no Director of Rugby, the region has announced that they have started searching for one. This news was received well by Blues fans as a Head Coach does often tend to be an important and somewhat essential for a professional Rugby team don't they? Since Dai Young left the Cardiff based side to take up a role with the London Wasps last year they had appointed the forwards coach, Justin Burnell and backs coach, Gareth Baber to take control of the squad.

Mike Catt discusses new role as England interim backs coach

Mike Catt has been confirmed as the England interim backs coach for their summer tour to South Africa.

Stuart Lancaster's first two choices, Andy Farrell and Wayne Smith, have both turned down offers from the RFU meaning England legend Catt will take up the role on an interim basis. Nick Heath from the RFU.com podcast spoke to Catt following his appointment as interim backs coach.

listen to ‘Mike Catt discusses new role as England interim backs coach’ on Audioboo