7:34 AM BST Rugby will be dead in five years if more teams copy South Africa’s approach to the game, England’s World Cup-winning coach Clive Woodward said, criticising the world champions’ reluctance to run with the ball and heavy reliance on the set piece. South Africa, who play Australia in the Rugby Championship on Saturday,
Rugby
3:47 AM BST Damian McKenzie will make his first Test start at fly-half for three years against Argentina in Brisbane on Saturday after All Blacks coach Ian Foster completely overhauled his team for their fourth Rugby Championship clash. The fleet-footed playmaker, who has made all his Tests starts since 2018 at fullback, came off the
2:39 PM BST Sale Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson has urged players to get vaccinated as Premiership Rugby introduced relaxed rules for teams with high coronavirus vaccination rates. On Monday, Premiership Rugby said in a statement that clubs would be allowed to loosen COVID-19 restrictions, such as relaxing social distancing measures and removing the
10:46 AM BST South Africa will be without key lock Lood de Jager for the second Rugby Championship Test with Australia in Brisbane on Saturday. This is one of two changes by coach Jacques Nienaber for the must-win game. De Jager suffered a concussion in the 28-26 defeat in the Gold Coast on Sunday and
11:39 PM BST Aaron Smith has played his last game for New Zealand in the Rugby Championship this year, with the scrum-half to remain at home for the birth of his second child. The All Blacks No. 9 did not travel to Australia with the squad ahead of the Test with the Wallabies in Perth,
7:08 PM BST England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) has set its sights on hosting the 2031 World Cup, chairman Tom Ilube said Tuesday. England last staged the global showpiece event in 2015 when their team under coach Stuart Lancaster went out of the tournament at the group stage. “We would like to bid for that
12:30 PM BST World Rugby (WR) chief executive Alan Gilpin has said that organisation “will continue to consider” staging the Rugby World Cup every two years instead of every four but that all stakeholders would have to be given their say before the idea was even considered. Japan hosted the last men’s Rugby World Cup
2:57 AM BST Assault charges against New Zealand flanker Shannon Frizell were formerly dismissed by a Dunedin court on Tuesday after the loose forward completed a police “diversion” scheme aimed at first offenders, local media reported. The 27-year-old, who has played 15 Tests for the All Blacks, faced two charges of assault against a woman
2:37 AM BST Lock Brodie Retallick will captain New Zealand for the first time in the absence of Ardie Savea when the All Blacks take on Argentina in the Rugby Championship on Australia’s Gold Coast on Sunday. Loose forward Savea suffered a head knock in the 38-21 defeat of the Wallabies in Perth last weekend
3:45 AM BST ESPN staff The Wallabies have moved to further acknowledge Australia’s First Nations people by adding jersey numbers in an Indigenous style for Sunday’s Rugby Championship clash with South Africa on the Gold Coast. Dave Rennie’s side will become the first Australia team, of any sport, to wear both the coat of arms