Top14

Following reports that Bath back row Zach Mercer will sacrifice his chances of England caps by joining Montpellier Hérault, it has been announced that Gabriel Ibitoye will join the club as a ‘medical joker’.  Neither will be impressed by their new club’s current form, however. In Round 14 they lead 19-0 at half time away […]

La Rochelle leads the French Top 14 after eight rounds of league action, after beating top of the table Clermont Auvergne  19-10. Last Word on Rugby brings you a summary of this weekend’s action and senior editor James Barker looks at the disrupted season so far. #TOP14 – J8Il y en a eu pour tous […]

Finn Russell was delighted to have helped guide Racing 92 to the Heineken Champions Cup final. The Scotland stand-off was at the heart of their win over defending champions Saracens in Paris on Saturday, and is now setting his sights on next month’s final. Racing 92 advance to the @ChampionsCup final! 💙 The Parisians end […]

In these modern times, the good old Rugby Papers have appeared to become a second rate option. Compared to all the ‘rugby pods’ or independent websites available today, how does the average rugby reader actually consume content these days? Here at Last Word on Rugby, we decided to ask you ‘what is your preferred option?’ […]

It seemed an extreme timeline yet, French Top14 rugby has met and passed the September return date. Now rugby fans can rejoice, players can again celebrate together, as the whistle blows ‘time on’. Sitting idle for nearly four months, after the French government ruled that all sport would be postponed during the Coronavirus pandemic, there […]

There will be 24 teams in the newly announced 2020/21 Heineken Champions Cup (also called the European Rugby Champions Cup). This is an increase of 20 teams from the 2019/20 Champions Cup structure. These teams will include the top eight clubs from Premiership Rugby, Guinness PRO14, and French Top 14. This new format was created […]

Unlike the Gallagher Premiership and the Pro14, the French Top 14 has ended the 2019/20 domestic season. With no promotion or relegation, the existing teams are busy organising their squads ready for the restart in September. Here we have collated all the Top 14 transfers to have taken place. For obvious financial reasons, there won’t […]

Over the years there has been a natural divide for fans, players and coaches alike when it comes to rugby league and rugby union.  However, some players have switched between the codes and Last Word on Rugby has decided to look at five of the best players to play both. Sonny Bill Williams Sonny Bill […]

The Northern Hemisphere has a few cities that have both rugby union and league. These cities have one rugby code in the first-tier and a second-tier in another code. Furthermore, all three of these cities could very easily have a tier-one team in both codes of rugby. Two of them had first-tier teams in both […]

Sir Bill Beaumont has recently been re-elected as chairman of the International Rugby Board. He has been in this position since 2016. Beaumont is a former captain of the England team, where he earned 34 caps. He played for England from 1975-82 and for the British and Irish Lions from 1977-80. Opportunities and Challenges for […]

France top the list as most ill-disciplined World Rugby country in 2019-20, rattling up 10 red cards across the four major professional league’s, international tests, and the World Cup. Rugby’s clampdown on how the laws of the game are now refereed and interpreted have meant a spate of cards this year, including 51 red cards […]

Top14 rugby and French legs of the Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge quarter finals are in major doubts following the news that French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has banned all sporting events until September. There are also plans to keep crowds from events until January. Season unlikely to be finished It’s back to the drawing […]

For the majority of fans, they sustain a rugby life balance. One where participating, following and enjoying watching the game is Nirvana. But now, under the rugby lockdown, there is less and less to enjoy. So to fans who have very little to digest, we present RUGBY LIFE – news and views across the Rugby […]

The news broke on Monday morning of discussions regarding a Club World Cup in the place of the current European competitions. EPCR have since given a statement on the current state of affairs.  Robert Rees brings you the latest on the proposal. Club World Cup proposal Much like football, there is a want from some […]

It’s time to pick your greatest amateur XV. We’ve compiled a list of the greatest players in every position from the amateur* days of rugby. The players played all or most of their significant careers pre-1996 and YOU can choose who gets in each jersey. 88 men have been brought together in a who’s who […]