1:25 PM BST Nick Said, KweséESPN South Africa could field two more sides in the PRO14 in the coming years after the successful addition of the Free State Cheetahs and Southern Kings in the 2017/18 campaign, according to tournament chief executive Martin Anayi. Anayi has told WalesOnline that the expansion to include the South Africa
Rugby
7:00 AM BST All Blacks captain Kieran Read returns to Super Rugby in what shapes as a momentous occasion for the Crusaders on Friday. Read will start at No.8 against the Highlanders in Christchurch in his maiden first class game of the season after undergoing back surgery in December. Kieran Read was right to come
8:12 PM BST Chris Ashton has joined Sale Sharks after being released from his Toulon contract by mutual consent. Ashton, 31, is reported to have held talks with both Sale Sharks and Harlequins over a move, but opted to join Sale as he looks to salvage his England career ahead of the 2019 World Cup
6:19 PM BST Toulon have released Chris Ashton from his contract as the wing looks to salvage his England career ahead of the 2019 World Cup in Japan. Ashton, 31, is reported to have held talks with both Sale Sharks and Harlequins over a move, with the former said to be the most likely destination
12:43 AM BST Sonny Bill Williams is expected to win another fitness race and face the Wallabies in twin Bledisloe Cup Tests in August. Williams was forced off late in the All Blacks’ third Test win over France and subsequent tests on his shoulder injury have deemed it worst than first suspected. While the damage
1:09 PM BST KweséESPN Staff Sharks coach Robert du Preez hailed his team’s character following their come-from-behind Super Rugby win over the Lions on Saturday night. The 31-24 victory keeps the Durban side’s hopes alive of a Super Rugby playoff, while the Lions are now in danger of losing their top spot in the South
8:51 AM BST A ruptured bicep has ended Samu Kerevi’s season and thrown a spanner in the works for both the Queensland Reds and the Wallabies. The strike centre carried the injury through the June Test series but was sent for scans after Queensland’s defeat to the Blues on Friday night, and was due to
1:26 AM BST Israel Folau says he won’t change his attack on the aerial contest despite his ban, but has called for more clarity on the laws in that area. The Wallabies fullback received a one-match suspension from World Rugby for his mid-air challenge with Ireland Captain Peter O’Mahony in the final Test in Sydney.
12:56 PM BST Australia may have another gripe with international rugby officialdom after Hurricanes forward Gareth Evans escaped with a warning for illegal treatment of Wallabies breakdown ace David Pocock. Evans received his warning from the citing commissioner on Sunday for dragging on Pocock’s neck as he attempted to pull him off the ball in
12:00 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