Exeter 22-34 LeinsterLarmour’s double tilts topsy-turvy clash Leinster’s way And then there were none. This year’s Heineken Champions Cup semi-final draw is still to be made but there will be no English involvement for the fourth time in the past dozen…
The Exeter back-row – one of the best uncapped players in England – provides Leinster with a giant challenge on SaturdayEvery team sport has them. Year after year they perform to a reliably high standard for their club but, for whatever reason, interna…
Five of eight sides left in competition are from FranceHolders Exeter host Leinster on Saturday in last-eight tieFive of the eight remaining sides in this season’s Champions Cup are from France but Exeter’s director of rugby, Rob Baxter, believes a fir…
Prop says fresh legs from missed Toulon tussle boosts chancesFurlong expects fierce performance from defending championsThe Leinster prop Tadhg Furlong believes an extra week’s rest following their last-16 walkover last Friday can work to their advanta…
Unnamed player in France side squad tests positiveWinner of tie due to meet Exeter or Lyon in last eightThe Champions Cup last-16 tie between Leinster and Toulon in Dublin’s RDS Arena on Friday has been cancelled, European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR…
The new-look last-16 draw has produced a slew of compelling fixtures full of potential for sudden-death frissonNot so long ago the Easter weekend was reserved for end-of-season club tours and festival frolics. These days the holiday egg chasing is a gr…
The new-look last-16 draw has produced a slew of compelling fixtures full of potential for sudden-death frissonNot so long ago the Easter weekend was reserved for end-of-season club tours and festival frolics. These days the holiday egg chasing is a gr…
Pool A: Leinster 35-19 NorthamptonMurphy, Healy, Kearney and Gibson-Park score home triesA home bonus-point win for mighty Leinster over a side they have ravaged more than a few times in the past was the least to expect – and was pretty much all they d…
Quarter-final: Leinster 17-25 SaracensEuropean Champions Cup holders through after thrillerSaracens are not so much raging against the dying of the light as doing everything in their power to keep it aglow. Having lost 10 players during the lockdown, t…
Lock ready to face Leinster in Champions Cup quarter-final‘I’d love to spend at least a season somewhere’Maro Itoje has revealed he intends to spend at least a year of his career abroad in a move that would make him unavailable for England – but not be…
Lock ready to face Leinster in Champions Cup quarter-final‘I’d love to spend at least a season somewhere’Maro Itoje has revealed he intends to spend at least a year of his career abroad in a move that would make him unavailable for England – but not be…
Whether or not Leinster beat them on Saturday, a defining period in English and European rugby is about to concludeThis is the endHold your breath and count to 10Feel the earth move and thenHear my heart burst againAdele – SkyfallNo great sporting dyna…
In recent years replacements have been given different names to give their role a more positive, inclusive flavourIf Saracens win the European Champions Cup next month, they will not stand accused of breaching the Premiership’s salary cap regulations. …
Champions Cup may be Barritt’s and Wigglesworth’s last hurrah Goode warns Saracens have harnessed anger over relegationSaracens are looking to pour all the frustrations of the past year into one definitive 80-minute statement in their European quarter-…
A fired-up Saracens will present a formidable test in Dublin but they may be the least of the Irish province’s problemsSuccess in rugby is generally mined from the painful depths of failure. Look at the most recent European champions and a glint of sil…
Suspended Farrell running opposition plays in trainingAlex Goode or Manu Vunipola will come in at fly-halfOwen Farrell is steeling his Saracens teammates for their Champions Cup quarter-final against Leinster by adopting Johnny Sexton’s role in trainin…
The former England head coach will not be underestimating the task facing the Irish side in their Champions Cup quarter-final, saying of relegated Saracens: ‘This is their last dance’ When asked if he would consider becoming an international head coach…
John Robbie made his name playing for Ireland, the Lions and in South Africa, yet his life after rugby has been more dramaticBy Jonathan Drennan for the Guardian Sport NetworkJohn Robbie has lived in South Africa for nearly 40 years but he has not lost…
• Saints win 36-24 in France• Bath’s Ross Batty sees red in UlsterThe Northampton players were castigated by their director of rugby Chris Boyd for their lacklustre display against Benetton Treviso last weekend but the Saints recovered to keep their f…
Danny Cipriani’s injury has hurt Gloucester with a crunch match to come while Saracens and Racing 92 meet in a game to savourA sure sign of a good team is one that keeps winning convincingly even when not entirely striking its best form. Leinster curre…
