2:00 AM BST ESPN staff James O’Connor has been given the chance to push his World Cup case after Michael Cheika named the utility back at outside centre in a shock backline selection for Bledisloe I. O’Connor will partner the in-form Samu Kerevi in the midfield after Tevita Kuridrani was dumped from the squad altogether.
Rugby
Aug 8, 2019 ESPN staff Ardie Savea will start at blindside flanker in a back-row trio alongside skipper Kieran Read and Sam Cane for the opening Bledisloe Cup clash in Perth on Saturday night. All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has opted to trial Savea on the side of the scrum instead of Read, who was
2:16 PM BST Worcester Warriors centre Ben Te’o and Harlequins full-back Mike Brown are among four players to have been dropped from head coach Eddie Jones’ England squad to face Wales on Sunday, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) have announced. Te’o and Brown, as well as Harlequins No. 8 Alex Dombrandt and Saracens scrum-half Ben
Aug 6, 2019 The curtain comes down on the condensed 2019 Rugby Championship this weekend, Tests in Perth and Salta to determine the winner of this year’s tournament. The Springboks [7 points] lead the standings ahead of the weekend’s fixtures with the All Blacks [6] and Wallabies [4] trailing. The winless Pumas are out of
8:45 AM BST A couple of weeks before Christmas last year, Rugby Australia summoned the code’s media contingent to its Moore Park headquarters. The reason? To share in a bit of festive cheer, of course. But only after a 90-minute presentation that pointed out some of the game’s good-news stories in what had otherwise been
2:01 AM BST Wallabies star Kurtley Beale has got the same X-factor as Israel Folau and will pose a similar threat in Saturday night’s Bledisloe Cup clash in Perth, according to All Blacks veteran Ben Smith. Folau’s messy exit from the Wallabies left Australia with a massive hole to fill at fullback. Tom Banks was
Jul 29, 2019 Wallabies captain Michael Hooper predicts David Pocock will “kill it” when he makes his long-awaited playing return and he’s also excited about James O’Connor’s X-factor. Pocock has been sidelined since March with a calf injury and is no certainty to return for the upcoming Bledisloe Cup series against NZ, starting in Perth
12:29 PM BST New Zealand rugby was in mourning on Sunday after All Blacks legend Brian Lochore died of cancer aged 78. Lochore, who captained New Zealand in 18 tests during their golden era of the 1960s and coached the All Blacks to the inaugural World Cup title in 1987, died on Saturday, New Zealand
8:26 AM BST ESPN staff Michael Cheika has bolstered his Wallabies squad for the opening Bledisloe Cup clash in Perth with the addition of David Pocock and the uncapped Jordan Petaia. Veteran hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau will also link up with the squad ahead of the Rugby Championship finale, but it’s the official naming of Pocock
7:30 AM BST Wales forward Taulupe Faletau has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup after breaking his collar bone in training, the Welsh Rugby Union said on Thursday. “The injury was sustained in an innocuous training ground incident and will require surgery,” the WRU said in a statement. 1 Related Faletau — who