The Rugby Players' Association (RPA) today responded to the recent adverse comments aimed at England's 2011 RWC campaign.

England Sevens captain, Ben Gollings, today announced that he will be stepping away from the International Sevens circuit, having not been awarded a new contract with England.

The RPA is delighted to announce that HSBC has strengthened its relationship with the Rugby Players' Association and its members by signing for a further two years as the RPA's Official Banking Partner. The agreement will run until the 2013 British and Irish Lions Tour, taking the loyal partnership into its sixth year.

The day we have all been building up to has finally arrived and we were packed into our tents at 6pm to get the vital rest needed for going to the summit that was scheduled to start around midnight. All the teams have their own individual starting times to try and co-ordinate us all arriving at the summit at the same time. The team Kilimanjaro guides have been studying the groups over the last few days with this in mind.

The RPA, supported by the PPF (Professional Players' Federation) and in consultation with RFU and Premiership Rugby, have instigated a Betting Integrity Programme, which included a presentation given to players at each of the 12 Aviva Premiership clubs.

The Rugby Players' Association (RPA) today announced the appointment of Melissa Platt as its Head of Marketing and PR with immediate effect.

BMW-VIP Sales, today announced they are to become the Official Car Supplier to the Rugby Players' Association (RPA), the representative body and collective voice of professional rugby union players in England.

The Rugby Players' Association (RPA) has agreed a four year agreement with leading insurance company, Aviva, to become the Official General Insurance and Pension Partner of the RPA.

The RPA's Chief Executive Damian Hopley has paid tribute to David Barnes, Chairman of the RPA, following the news of his immediate retirement from the game.

The Rugby Players' Association expresses extreme concerns at the inconsistency of the anti-doping suspension given to Karena Wihongi by the RFU.

Professional rugby player and self-confessed foodie Ollie Smith visited Jamie Oliver's Fifteen London restaurant this week as part of his research into a future career in the restaurant business.

Ten Professional rugby players from the length and breadth of the UK will combine to tackle a new challenge at the end of the season to raise funds for their chosen charities, the RPA Benevolent Fund and CLIC Sargent.

Join RPA Chairman David Barnes and former player Andy Blyth for the Axa Wealth Kilimanjaro Challenge 2011, raising funds for rugby's charities

THE annual injury audit by Premiership Rugby, the Rugby Players' Association and the Rugby Football Union shows a 20% reduction in the likelihood of sustaining a match injury in season 2009-10 compared with the previous season.

This month the RPA has begun contacting as many former professional players as possible, informing them of a new service for retired professionals, the RPA Alumni Medical Scheme.

The Rugby Players' Association (RPA) today announced a new joint funding agreement with the Rugby Football Union, the governing body for rugby in England, and Premiership Rugby, worth £2.7m over 3 years. The new agreement extends until June 2013 and will provide for a range of player welfare and player development projects.

The Rugby Players' Association, the representative body and collective voice of professional rugby players in England, today announced the appointment of Ann Roughead as Non-Executive Director with immediate effect.

The Rugby Players' Association (RPA) today announced the appointment of Alex Anderson as its first Commercial Manager with immediate effect.

Players from Gloucester Rugby recently visited the The Foodworks Cookery School, Colesbourne Park, near Cheltenham for a crash course in preparing Sushi from ace Sushi Chef, Korino San, the Head Chef at Stanton House Hotel.

The Rugby Players' Association (RPA) successfully defended London Wasps lock, Marty Veale, in a claim brought against him by an agent in a county court last week.

Attendees at last week's RPA Academy Induction Day have praised the value of the day in setting young players on the road to professionalism.

The Professional Players Federation represents the athletes at the heart of UK sport and this year they'll hold their first ever national conference which is taking place on Monday 4th October in London.

The RPA Benevolent Fund, the Players' Charity is delighted to have received a donation of £25,000 from Lawrence Dallaglio's charity bike ride, the Dallaglio Cycle Slam.

The RPA is deeply saddened at the news of Andy Ripley's passing earlier today.

The RPA announced tonight that Saracens hooker, Schalk Brits has won the prestigious Computacenter Players' Player Award 2010.

South African Brits was presented with his award at the 12th annual RPA Computacenter Rugby Players' Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Team England Rugby (TER) LLP, the negotiating body for the England Elite Player Squad, have continued negotiations over player payments for the summer tour to Australia and New Zealand but have failed to find a resolution.

The six nominees for the Sunday Times Try of the Year 2010 have been announced today by the Rugby Players' Association.

Northampton Saints dominate the nominations shortlist for the 2010 RPA Awards, with five of the ten nominees based at Franklin's Gardens. Saracens' Schalk Brits and London Irish's Steffon Armitage join Northampton players Phil Dowson, Ben Foden and Soane Tonga'Uiha in the list of nominees for the Computacenter Players' Player of the Year 2010, whilst Leicester Tigers duo Dan Cole and Ben Youngs, Wasps' Dominic Waldouck and Northampton's Chris Ashton and Courtney Lawes are the nominees for the Norman Broadbent Young Player of the Year Award.

The Rugby Players' Association (RPA) is delighted to welcome LV= Asset Management, the fund management arm of mutual insurance and investment group LV=, as sponsor of the RPA Special Merit Award 2010.

The Rugby Players' Association (RPA) is delighted to announce leading Executive Search firm Norman Broadbent will sponsor the Norman Broadbent Young Player of the Year Award for a second successive year in 2010.