1:12 AM BST Reece Hodge has been given a chance to claim the vacant Wallabies outside centre berth for the Bledisloe Cup. Coach Michael Cheika has named the versatile Hodge to start there for the Wallabies in Friday night’s trial match against a Super Rugby selection at Sydney’s Leichhardt Oval. Hodge will line up in
Rugby
5:00 PM BST England internationals Mako and Billy Vunipola have extended their contracts with Premiership champions Saracens until 2022. The brothers have played a major part in Saracens’ recent success, winning three Premiership titles and two European Cups since 2014. Prop Mako, 27, joined from Bristol in 2011 while No. 8 Billy, 25, moved from
11:23 AM BST Leicester Tigers have signed former Bath and Wasps centre Kyle Eastmond. Eastmond, released by Wasps earlier this summer, is a dual code international and made his England 15-man debut in 2013 following the switch from rugby league in 2011. Former Brumbies fly-half Matt Toomua has officially signed a two and a half
12:33 AM BST Hooker Dane Coles will attend an All Blacks training camp but is no guarantee to face Australia in the first two Tests of the Rugby Championship. Coach Steve Hansen included world-class hooker Coles in a 29-man group to train for two days in Christchurch. The camp won’t feature any players from the
2:00 PM BST Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has extended his contract with Scottish Rugby until 2021. Townsend has held the position since June 2017 and guided Scotland to a third place finish at the 2018 Six Nations, where they beat England for the first time in 10 years. “I have always been incredibly proud
11:09 AM BST Fans either love him or hate him, but Lions coach Swys de Bruin thinks mercurial flyhalf Elton Jantjies knows how to make the tough calls and will be key to his side’s chances of beating the Crusaders in Saturday’s Super Rugby final. The 27-year-old pivot has been a Springbok for the last
1:35 AM BST ESPN staff Former Test prop James Slipper will make his return from a drug suspension as part of a Super Rugby selection XV that will take give the Wallabies a pre-Bledisloe hitout in Sydney on Friday night. Slipper was named alongside fellow Super Rugby veterans Tom English and Angus Cottrell, John Manenti’s
NSW Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson says there’s every indication his superstar back Israel Folau is happy at the Super Rugby franchise and he’s also backed captain Michael Hooper to be fit for Australia’s first Rugby Championship game. Australia’s representation in the Super Rugby competition ended last weekend when the Waratahs lost their semi-final to the
9:28 AM BST Being alert from the start and avoiding giving away early points will be top of the agenda as South African’s Lions prepare to face the Crusaders in Saturday’s Super Rugby final in Christchurch. The Lions have been forced onto the back foot after going behind early in their last three games, seemingly
2:15 AM BST Sam Bruce Close ESPN Associate Editor Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPNscrum after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. John Goliath Close Rugby