Bath 12-15 Saracens Fly-half seals points after home side rally There are plenty of would-be contenders to win this year’s Premiership but they still have to prise Saracens’ stubborn fingers off the trophy. When push comes to shove the defending champions tend to raise their game and a resolute defensive display was rewarded when Owen Farrell kicked the winning penalty goal three minutes from time to edge a heavy-duty contest. So much for the increasing trend towards wide open, free-flowing Premiership try-fests. This was a frequently rugged, old school game, ultimately shaped by defensive c ..read more

Hosts will need to overcome John Mitchell’s all-conquering England side who are targeting a sixth straight title The last time England lost in the women’s Six Nations Theresa May was prime minister, Chelsea were defending Premier League champions and The Shape of Water had just won best picture at the Oscars. Since that defeat the Red Roses have won 28 consecutive games in the competition, scoring 1,440 points and conceding 185, and claimed five Women’s Six Nations titles in a row. And the winners that fateful day in 2018? France. On Saturday in Bordeaux France will have their latest chance to ..read more

Scrum-half guides playoff-chasing Bears around at a whirring tempo and he also has his eye on an England Test recall Trying to catch lightning in a cider bottle would be only slightly harder right now than containing Bristol’s dazzling attacking game. The Bears have been averaging 50 points per match in winning five successive league fixtures and, going into Saturday’s crucial visit to Leicester, are playing with a freedom and momentum few of their playoff-chasing rivals can match. Setting the pace has been their pocket dynamo Harry Randall, who guides his team around the field at such a ..read more

Captain reflects on her mum being a ‘rock’ and the Red Roses’ new coach as they chase another Six Nations grand slam ‘We’re in France and the crowd is going to be hostile,” Marlie Packer says as she looks ahead to Saturday’s Six Nations grand slam decider in Bordeaux with relish. “But we know that can flip on its head because of the French crowd. If they’re not happy with the way their team are playing, they turn on them and give them a bit of a hard time.” Packer will win her 104th cap and, as captain, she also knows England have not lost a Six Nations match in six years ..read more

Steve Borthwick can allocate 25 contracts worth £150,000 a year Saracens chief says stalemate may impact club’s recruitment Leading English clubs are urging the Rugby Football Union to accelerate its plans to introduce hybrid central contracts for a limited number of key men’s international players. Saracens are one of several sides keen to know exactly how many of their squad will be offered deals and precisely how the new system will operate. Sarries’ director of rugby, Mark McCall, who works closely with a number of England players including the national captain, Jamie George, and the loc ..read more

The sport’s appeal is not just the shiny and new. It is also about tradition, fellowship and memories forged on small stages Some of us went back in time at the weekend. There was no Doctor Who-style Tardis involved, just an easyJet flight (beware their petty hand luggage regulations) to Scotland for a reunion of old student friends. It was good fun and, certain hairlines aside, reassuring to find out how little people had changed in the 40-odd years since we first encountered each other in the stylish salons – OK, the saloon bars and Spud-U-Like shops – of Edinburgh in the 1980s. And because ..read more

Sale 37-31 Harlequins Arron Reed marks century of appearances with two tries “It was squeaky bum time wasn’t it?” observed a mightily relieved Alex Sanderson after his Sale side had clung to win a thrillingly open game which keeps them firmly in the playoff mix. Sir Alex Ferguson famously coined the phrase when his Manchester United side battled with Arsenal for the Premier League title in 2003. Here, a short drive from Old Trafford on the outskirts of Salford, Sale’s top-four hopes were given a huge boost with this bonus-point success ..read more

Northampton 40-17 Leicester Five-try victory over rivals maintains Saints’ excellent form Another week, another thumping win for Northampton, who could afford to leave out a handful of their star names and still put arch-rivals Leicester to the sword with plenty to spare. This was their fourth home match in a row and with the scrum-half Alex Mitchell in fine fettle, their fourth resounding victory to continue their two-pronged assault on silverware this season. It was a painful afternoon for Leicester, who huffed and puffed on Dan Cole’s 235th club record appearance in the league and stayed ..read more

Abby Dow and Ellie Kildunne scored hat-tricks in a crushing 14-try win for England in front of nearly 50,000 fans at Twickenham “We had an unbelievable scrum against Wales and that allowed us in the backs to do our thing in a bit of space,” Ireland’s Dannah O’Brien told the official Women’s Six Nations website this week. “While the penalties that the forwards earned also allowed us to gain good field position and stay on the front foot … “It’s going to be really exciting, I don’t think many players in our team will have ever experienced a crowd like what will be at Twickenham before so we just ..read more

England 88-10 Ireland Jones and Breach also add two tries each in dominant win There will come a day when England’s dominance in the Women’s Six Nations ends. Their run of consecutive wins, standing at 28, in the tournament will be broken. But Ireland could not stop England on a windy day. The Red Roses’ stranglehold has long been talked about and it was evident as to why with a 14-try performance when they gained the bonus-point before 20 minutes ..read more