2:47 PM BST Former France scrum half Fabien Galthie will replace Jacques Brunel as the country’s head coach after this year’s Rugby World Cup, French Rugby Federation chief Bernard Laporte has said. Galthie played 64 times for France, captaining the side to a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2002 and at the 2003 World Cup.
Rugby
After the first three games of Round 11 followed the form guide, the closing trio were always going to be tough to call. They were won by the Sharks, Stormers and Jaguares with the biggest margin being the eight points by which the Durban-based outfit edged NSW on their first outing at Bankwest Stadium. Defeats
2:36 PM BST The Waratahs have spoiled their own welcome party to the new Bankwest Stadium in western Sydney and have likely ended any chances of a playoff appearance after hot-headed moments saw both a red and yellow card handed out in the second half of their 23-15 loss to the Sharks. Deadlocked at 10-all
10:28 AM BST Ireland international Bundee Aki has apologised for ‘liking’ a controversial social media post from Australian star Israel Folau. Folau, 30, declared on his Instagram account that “hell awaits” homosexuals, drunks, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters. Aki liked the post at the time but he has now taken to Twitter to
9:45 AM BST Lions coach Swys de Bruin expects to return to his job “soon” after leaving the team’s Super Rugby tour of Australasia with a stress-related illness. De Bruin returned to South Africa on the advice of Lions team doctor Rob Collins, and missed last weekend’s 23-17 victory over the Waikato Chiefs, as well
4:15 AM BST Kurtley Beale worries about Israel Folau’s mental health but says the NSW Waratahs and Wallabies must move on. A state and Australia teammate of Folau’s since 2013, Beale can empathise with the dual international’s plight having himself taken on – and won – an employment battle with Rugby Australia five years ago.
2:24 AM BST Star Crusaders five-eighth Richie Mo’unga has re-signed with New Zealand Rugby on a three-year deal in a major coup for the All Blacks. One of the rising playmakers of world rugby, the 24-year-old has shunned serious offshore interest to remain in Christchurch until at least 2022. Mo’unga’s main impact until now has
1:38 PM BST England international Anthony Watson is set to return to action after a 13-month absence, his club Bath have announced. Watson, 25, has been selected in the starting XV at full-back to face Sale Sharks on Friday in the Gallagher Premiership. The back has not featured for club or country since rupturing his
11:35 AM BST English Premiership side Sale Sharks have signed South Africa lock Lood de Jager on a three-year deal, the first of a number of Springbok players set to move to European clubs after the World Cup in Japan. De Jager, 26, will leave Pretoria-based Super Rugby side the Bulls either at the start
10:07 AM BST The Rugby Football Union (RFU) confirmed five anti-doping violations within both the professional and community game were discovered out of more than 800 tests conducted across all levels of rugby in England in the 2017-18 season. The programme carried out 739 tests within the professional game while 99 tests were conducted at