Rugby

1:23 AM BST ESPN staff As New Zealand Rugby [NZR] officials prepare to meet and attempt to plot a path out of the All Blacks’ mire, the team’s media manager has revealed she was responsible for cancelling coach Ian Foster’s Sunday press conference. Jo Malcolm, an employee of NZR, says she made the decision because

Jul 18, 2022 Test rugby is a game of fine margins. In the 32nd minute of Saturday night’s series-defining loss to England, the Wallabies looked to exit their own half after opening up a 10-3 lead following a Noah Lolesio penalty goal. First Hunter Paisami caught the restart and took off back at the English

2:11 PM BST Ireland have jumped to No. 1 in the men’s World Rugby rankings following their historic 33-22 victory over New Zealand on Saturday. The All Blacks picked up a 42-19 victory in their first Test meeting, but Ireland followed with a 23-12 triumph on July 9 and a 33-22 win on Saturday, which

Jul 17, 2022 Rugby Australia have released a statement on poor fan conduct at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday following the Wallabies 21-17 series loss to England. In several videos shared on social media on Sunday, one man was seen scaling the SCG stands to sit and urinate on the roof before he was

1:09 PM BST Former Wales captain Ryan Jones said he feels like his “world is falling apart” after being diagnosed with early onset dementia at age 41. Jones said he had received the diagnosis last December, with doctors telling him he was one of the worst cases they had seen. He was also diagnosed with

10:57 PM BST England will leave Australia with the Ella-Mobbs trophy in their keeping after taking out the three-Test series with a thrilling 21-17 win over the Wallabies at the SCG on Saturday night. Playing the likely last ever rugby Test match at the SCG, the Wallabies fell just short in their quest to farewell

10:57 PM BST Ireland’s Hugo Keenan runs the ball during the Test against New Zealand in Wellintgon, July 16, 2022 Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images A courageous Ireland held off a fierce All Blacks fightback to claim an epic 32-22 win in Wellington on Saturday and seal a series victory 2-1. Warhorse captain Johnny Sexton was

5:27 PM BST South Africa claimed a decisive 30-14 third-Test victory over Wales on Saturday to secure the series and halt a run of northern hemisphere victories after success for Ireland and England. Fly-half Handre Polland scored 20 points, including the first try, as the world champions outscored the tourists three tries to one. Bongi

10:26 PM BST England coach Eddie Jones has said officiating delays and the high number of cards are a blight on rugby and called for change before next year’s World Cup. The increased use of the Television Match Official (TMO) to spot infringements as well as a lower threshold for yellow and red cards as

11:16 PM BST Former Wallabies playmaker Bernard Foley is backing young fly-half Noah Lolesio to remain calm under pressure, adamant he can lead Australia to victory in the series decider at the SCG on Saturday night. Thrown into the deep end just 20 minutes before the opening Test in Perth after Quade Cooper was a

Jul 13, 2022 Four big series’, four big deciders. Amid all the drama, debate and exploding outrage about the state of the game — or at least the way in which it is being officiated right now — never before in the professional era have we seen a slate of July Test series so keenly

11:40 PM BST Harry Wilson’s long wait for a Wallabies return has come to an end, with the Queensland Reds back-rower set to be named in the run-on squad to face England in the third and deciding Test in Sydney. Wilson has not played a Test since the opening game against France in July last

1:09 AM BST ESPN staff All Blacks coach Ian Foster has made two backline changes for the series-deciding Test against Ireland, while also handing Roger Tuivasa-Sheck his first chance at international rugby. The former NRL star will come off the bench to make his Test debut at Sky Stadium in Wellington, while David Havili and

12:37 AM BST Billy Vunipola was once sceptical about psychologists but says near-daily chats with a specialist have played a major part in the England number eight’s return to top form in Australia. After a period of international exile, Vunipola produced his finest performance for his country in years on Saturday as England levelled the

The Wallabies expect more consistency from powerhouse prop Taniela Tupou while Allan Alaalatoa is also available, boosting to their hopes of toppling England in the deciding third Test on Saturday night. After two months out with a calf injury, Tupou’s return was patchy in Australia’s 25-17 second-Test loss in Brisbane. He crashed over for a

11:16 AM BST France displaced South Africa at the top of the world rankings on Monday, while New Zealand slumped to an all-time low of fourth after a stunning northern hemisphere sweep of the major July tests at the weekend. Fourteen months before they host the World Cup, France reached the pinnacle of the rankings

Jun 28, 2022 What a treat we have in store for us this weekend. Every series is alive and headed to a decider after all four northern hemisphere nations bounced back last week, but who’ll come out on top? Can Ireland and Wales make history again to claim their series victory? Can the Wallabies overcome

Queensland outcast Lukhan Salakaia-Loto has answered a SOS from the injury-hit Wallabies, with young Waratahs speedster Mark Nawaqanitawase also called up ahead of the deciding Test against England. Lock/back-rower Salakaia-Loto is in line for a bench role for the crunch match at the SCG on Saturday after being plucked out of club rugby in Brisbane.