The Rugby Paper

6 days ago | therugbypaper.co.uk | James Harrington

The decision, when it came, was no great surprise. ProD2 side Biarritz, relegated for financial reasons shortly after the end of their campaign, learned on Friday that they had been reinstated on appeal – but would start next season with a three-point deduction. In a statement on its website, the club said it was, “proud and relieved” to learn of its survival in the second-tier of French rugby, which came less than a week before the players were due to start returning to training.

1 week ago | therugbypaper.co.uk | Charlie Elliott

This Saturday, a developmental England XV will face off against a French side in an uncapped fixture at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.  With 13 senior players away on British and Irish Lions duty, the match presents a valuable opportunity for emerging talent to impress head coach Steve Borthwick ahead of England’s summer tour of Argentina, which also includes a one-off test against the USA in Washington. The contest marks England’s first appearance since wrapping up the Six Nations in March.

1 week ago | therugbypaper.co.uk | Charlie Elliott

The British and Irish Lions kick off their tour in Dublin this Friday, playing against Argentina in the 1888 Cup. Every player apart from Blair Kinghorn will be available for selection (subject to fitness), but it is suspected that the finalists from the URC and Premiership will probably only play a small part in this game. Of those 15 players that featured for Leinster, Bath and Leicester Tigers, some are more likely to play than others, given a lack of depth in their respective positions.

1 week ago | therugbypaper.co.uk | Charlie Elliott

Following the Premiership and URC finals, the British and Irish Lions will be as close to full strength as they have been, with only one player missing. The Lions will face Argentina in the 1888 Cup this Friday, with training in Dublin scheduled this week as preparation. Toulouse’s Blair Kinghorn will be the only selected player unavailable, given his commitments in the Top 14 this weekend, but aside from him, the whole squad is together.

1 week ago | therugbypaper.co.uk | Charlie Elliott

The Premiership is set to rebrand itself to simply the ‘Prem’ from next season, as part of a plan to make the sport more appealing. While the name change isn’t the only difference that fans can expect to see next season, it is definitely the standout change in terms of being the most noticeable difference week-by-week. Many already call the league the Prem colloquially, and this move seems to be an attempt from the higher-ups to show that they are in touch with the fans.