Robert Kitson is excited by the beginning of the new season - and by the apparent upturn in rugby's collective fortune - in The Guardian.
"If you happen to be abroad on holiday, consider extending your stay. The economy's stuffed, the weather forecast is rubbish, the Stig has been outed and that lovely Joey Barton has been treating us to his (alleged) Hitler-themed humour. Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson have jumped the shark as Match of the Day pundits and the authorities are even struggling to fill Lord's for Thursday's final Test. We can only hope Fifa's 2018 World Cup fact-finding delegation enjoy a pint of Boddingtons and don't study the papers too closely.
"So where is the good news in this cultural wasteland? Strangely there is some, although you will not have read a word about it lately. Step forward the newly upbeat sport of rugby union, all buffed and braced for the start of the domestic season next week. Speaking to a variety of influential figures, there is a rare sense of purpose and unity as the game enters its 16th year of professionalism. Maturity appears to have struck, in contrast to the adolescent off-field squabbling of yesteryear."
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