Rugby

10:36 PM BST After a year’s delay, the 2021 Rugby World Cup is finally upon us with 12 of the best rugby nations coming together in New Zealand to fight for women’s rugby supremacy. The first World Cup to be held in the Southern Hemisphere, New Zealand is prepared to put on a show with

11:03 PM BST England manager Simon Middleton doesn’t mess around when he talks about what is expected from the Red Roses at the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup. “We’ve got to win it,” Middleton said ahead of the tournament in New Zealand which starts on Oct. 8. “This is the best-prepared squad with the best

12:23 PM BST Wales will host Rugby World Cup warm-up internationals against both England and South Africa in Cardiff next August, the three rugby unions announced simultaneously on Monday. England and Wales will meet in a double header, first at the Principality Stadium on Aug. 5 and then at Twickenham in London one week later.

10:51 AM BST Bundee Aki will miss Ireland’s Test matches against South Africa and Fiji in November after being given an eight-match ban. Aki, 32, received the third red card of his career on Saturday for a dangerous clear-out on Seabelo Senatla as Connacht faced Stormers in the United Rugby Championship (URC). The ban means

6:29 AM BST ESPN staff All Blacks centre Quinn Tupaea will be out for up to nine months after it was revealed the injury he suffered against the Wallabies in Melbourne was worse than originally thought. The All Blacks on Thursday said that further scans had confirmed an ACL tear and that Tupaea would now

2:51 AM BST World Rugby will be watching closely after approving a host of new rules to be trialled at two Queensland Reds games. Top-tier referees Nic Berry and Damon Murphy will oversee the trial games between the Queensland President’s XV and a Queensland Reds development squad on October 9 and 15. Time limits will

1:11 PM BST England’s women will play their first standalone match at Twickenham when they host France on April 29 in their 2023 Women’s Six Nations finale, England Rugby have announced. England, who have won four consecutive Six Nations titles, have played at Twickenham before but the fixture was combined with a men’s match. Head

3:50 AM BST The Rugby Championship is in the books for another year, the 2022 edition the most keenly fought yet, with each nation suffering at least two defeats. But it was New Zealand who emerged from the shared 2-2 records ahead of the closing two rounds of the tournament to take out the trophy

5:34 AM BST French referee Mathieu Raynal said he “100%” stood by his much-criticised decision to penalise Australia’s Bernard Foley for time-wasting against the All Blacks earlier this month. The Wallabies were leading the Rugby Championship test 37-34 in Melbourne when Raynal awarded them a penalty close to their own posts with less than two

5:55 PM BST Premiership club Worcester Warriors went into administration on Monday after being suspended by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) from all competitions after failing to meet a deadline to prove they could operate amid their financial difficulties. Worcester are looking for new owners after they were served in August with a winding-up order