8:51 PM GMT Newcastle Falcons crashed out of the Champions Cup following a thumping 45-8 defeat to Montpellier in pool five. The French side earned a bonus point scoring seven tries while Zach Kibirige managed to score a consolation try for Newcastle who suffered a sixth consecutive loss in all competitions. Meanwhile in the same
Rugby
2:31 PM GMT England international James Haskell has criticised the new generation of rugby players, insisting that “they don’t have the social skills”. The Northampton Saints back row is concerned that young players don’t have the tools to cope with life after rugby. “My concern is that so many players, especially the young ones, all
3:20 PM GMT New Zealand centre Matt Proctor will join Northampton Saints in the summer, the club announced Friday. The 26-year-old has agreed a deal to once again work with head coach Chris Boyd who led Proctor’s current side the Hurricanes to the Super Rugby title in 2016. Proctor, who earned his first call up
12:22 PM GMT Sam Underhill will miss England’s Six Nations campaign after undergoing ankle surgery, Bath Rugby have confirmed. The England flanker is expected to be out of action for around three months after suffering ankle ligament damage in Bath’s 23-16 Gallagher Premiership win over Leicester Tigers on Dec. 30. Underhill’s England and Bath teammates
11:19 AM GMT France have included five uncapped players in their 31-man Six Nations squad. Demba Bamba and Romain Ntamack, two members of France’s winning Under-20 World Cup squad, are joined by forwards Dorian Aldegheri and Gregory Alldriit and full-back Thomas Ramos. Prop Bamba, 20, was part of head coach Jacques Brunel’s squad for the
2:48 PM GMT Concussions remain the most prevalent injury in English rugby, making up almost 20 percent of all reported match injuries according to figures published by the Rugby Football Union. Although there was a small reduction in reported incidents during the 2017-18 season, it is the third year in a row that concussions have
4:09 PM GMT Wales fullback Leigh Halfpenny looks set to miss his country’s opening matches in the Six Nations. Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac revealed Tuesday the fullback has been ruled out for between three and five weeks after seeing a concussion specialist. Halfpenny has not featured for club or country since he was forced
12:43 PM GMT ESPN staff Nelson Mandela would not have backed racial quotas for South Africa’s national rugby team, Springboks captain Siya Kolisi said over the weekend. “I don’t think he [Mandela] would have supported [quotas], but I don’t know him‚” Kolisi, the first black captain of the Springboks, told Kyodo News in Japan after
12:45 PM GMT ESPN staff Former South Africa captain and coach Johan Claassen has passed away at the age of 89. Claassen played 28 Tests between 1955 and 1962, when he was considered to rank among the game’s leading lineout exponents, and captained the side nine times. He played a total of 56 matches in
4:13 PM GMT Premiership Rugby has moved to dampen suggestions of a rift with the Rugby Football Union after reports claimed the organisation could break away. The Mail on Sunday claimed it had seen minutes from a Premiership board meeting which discussed the possibility of clubs putting together an “unregulated competition” if the RFU refuses