Rugby

Liam Napier Jul 17, 2024, 11:56 PM Open Extended Reactions As the engrossing July mini-series comes to a close conclusions can be drawn on world rugby’s delicate balance of power. After two weeks of heavyweight matches international rugby dovetails to a lightweight weekend, with the chance for the elite nations to rest and rotate against,

Jul 16, 2024, 02:38 PM The rules governing player outings will be changed following the arrests of Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou in Argentina on an allegation of sexual assault, France Rugby chief Florian Grill said on Tuesday. Jegou and Auradou, 21 and 20 respectively, were arrested in Argentina following an allegation of sexual assault

Jul 15, 2024, 07:56 AM Open Extended Reactions South Africa have added five players to their squad for their first-ever Test against Portugal in Bloemfontein on Saturday, but will be without lock Franco Mostert and centre Damian de Allende. Mostert was injured in the bruising, last-second 25-24 loss to Ireland in Durban on Saturday, while

Jul 2, 2024, 06:05 PM Beauden Barrett came off the bench to inspire the All Blacks to a 24-17 victory over England in an Auckland thriller on Saturday, denying the visitors a drought-breaking victory and locking up a 2-0 series win. Barrett set up the second of winger Mark Tele’a’s two tries in the 61st

Jul 2, 2024, 06:03 PM Scotland winger Duhan van der Merwe equalled his country’s record for the most tries while Ewan Ashman scored a hattrick as they beat hosts United States 42-7 in their test at Audi Field on Friday. Van der Merwe opened the scoring after six minutes to equal Stuart Hogg’s 27-try record

Jul 12, 2024, 09:42 AM Open Extended Reactions George Furbank has 11 caps for England and won the Premiership title with Northampton Saints in the 2023-24 season. Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images England fullback George Furbank has been ruled out and will be replaced by Freddie Steward for their second Test against New Zealand on Saturday.

Jul 11, 2024, 05:41 AM Open Extended Reactions England coach Steve Borthwick has made one injury-enforced change to his team for the second and final Test of the series against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday. Prop Fin Baxter made his Test debut in last week’s 16-15 loss to the All Blacks

Liam Napier Jul 10, 2024, 01:40 PM Open Extended Reactions Boxing’s The Ring magazine lists Oleksandr Usyk, Naoya Inoue, Terence Crawford and Canelo Álvarez as its leading pound-for-pound champions. In a World Rugby equivalent, All Blacks wing Mark Tele’a would rank among the upper echelon. French superstar Antoine Dupont and Springboks wing Cheslin Kolbe are

Jul 8, 2024, 02:03 PM Open Extended Reactions There were plenty of expectations ahead of last weekend’s fixtures, and the games didn’t disappoint. England and New Zealand delivered an edge of the seat tussle in Dunedin, while Australia got the victory they needed to banish the memory of their woeful World Cup campaign. Joe Schmidt’s

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auJul 10, 2024, 09:18 AM Close 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 ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Open Extended Reactions

Jul 10, 2024, 09:33 AM Open Extended Reactions South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus named the same match-day 23 for the second Test against Ireland in Durban on Saturday, making it the most experienced Springbok selection chosen in the 133-year history of the team. Erasmus made no changes to his starting XV from the side who

Jul 9, 2024, 10:02 AM Oscar Jegou plays for Stade Rochelais in France as back row. Photo by LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images France rugby players Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou have been arrested in Argentina following an allegation of sexual assault during their tour of South America, French Rugby Federation (FFR) President Florian Grill said

Jul 8, 2024, 08:03 AM Melvyn Jaminet plays as a fullback for Top 14 club Toulon and the France national team. Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images France fullback Melvyn Jaminet has been suspended from the national team after posting a video on social media with a racist comment, the French Rugby Federation (FFR) said on Sunday. The

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auJul 8, 2024, 12:44 AM Close 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 ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Open Extended Reactions

Jul 7, 2024, 08:57 AM Open Extended Reactions Ireland coach Andy Farrell would not be drawn on the television match official calls that went against his side in their 27-20 loss against South Africa on Saturday, but said his team was off the pace at the start of the game. Ireland had a try by

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auJul 6, 2024, 02:28 PM Close 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 ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Open Extended Reactions

Jul 2, 2024, 05:41 PM Tom Wright scored a fantastic try for Australia. DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images Australia coach Joe Schmidt kicked off his tenure in charge with a 25-16 win over Wales in Sydney on Saturday, their first win over a tier one nation since they beat the Welsh in Cardiff in late 2022.

Jul 2, 2024, 05:37 PM England fell agonisingly short of a famous victory over the All Blacks in New Zealand on Saturday, losing 16-15 in Dunedin. There was a whiff of an upset in the air under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium as Steve Borthwick’s England went toe-to-toe with the World Cup finalists and