Rugby

7:01 AM BST Israel Folau will be a prized addition to Tongan rugby but will have restrictions on what he posts on social media, along with all his teammates, coach Toutai Kefu said. Folau, an evangelical Christian, will soon make his return to international rugby, three years on from the termination of his Wallabies contract

3:29 AM BST Marika Koroibete has fired a warning to Eddie Jones’ England, saying he’s a superior player to the deadly winger who left Australia last year to ply his trade in Japan. Koroibete on Tuesday night pledged his commitment to the Wallabies for the July three-Test series, certain to be one of the three

2:29 AM BST Super Rugby Pacific’s regular season is in the books, with the top eight confirmed on Sunday afternoon. But not before there was some late drama in Melbourne, where the Rebels rounded out their season with one final win, making it four in total for the season. Read on as we review some

7:22 PM BST A last-minute try by Arthur Retiere after a monumental goal-line assault gave La Rochelle a stunning 24-21 victory over favourites Leinster in a superb European Champions Cup final in Marseille on Saturday. Leinster had looked on course for a record-equalling fifth triumph as they heroically defended their line and a four-point lead

5:43 AM BST Liam Napier Rugby appears caught in a paradoxical universe of wanting to place paramount importance on player safety – and being seemingly incapable of adopting common sense when ruling on accidental collisions. Everyone involved in the game — from administrators to players, referees, fans — recognises the need to protect and police

1:59 AM BST The Blues have wrapped up top seeding and home advantage for the Super Rugby Pacific finals, after their dramatic win in Canberra moved them six points clear at the top of the standings. Elsewhere there were wins for the Crusaders, Reds, Chiefs, Hurricanes and Waratahs, who picked up the upset of the

2:33 PM BST The 2023 Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals will be played at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium instead of Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium in London, European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) said on Thursday. The Premier League is set to conclude later than usual in 2023 owing to the FIFA World Cup

12:21 AM BST Eddie Jones is brushing aside all talk of his England tourists earning another, record-extending clean sweep over the Wallabies. The Tasmanian coach, who orchestrated England’s first 3-0 whitewash of Australia on the tour down in 2016, could push his extraordinary record to 11 wins and no losses against the Wallabies in the

10:51 AM BST England coach Eddie Jones has included 10 uncapped players, including in-form London Irish duo Henry Arundell and Will Joseph, in a 36-man training squad to prepare for the summer tour of Australia. Joe Cokanasiga, Owen Farrell, Manu Tuilagi, Anthony Watson and Jack Willis return following injury, while prop Mako Vunipola has also

2:37 AM BST Rugby Australia’s [RA] World Cup bid team had barely finished a celebratory pint of Guinness in Dublin before the speculation had begun. Would the governing body again target NRL players for the 2027 World Cup to be played on home soil, just as it had done with Wendell Sailor, Mat Rogers and

8:06 AM BST South Africa flyhalf Elton Jantjies was arrested for “malicious damage to property” after an incident on an Emirates airlines flight from Dubai to Johannesburg on Sunday, police said. The 31-year-old, who won the Rugby World Cup with South Africa in 2019, was arrested at OR Tambo International airport after disembarking the flight,

3:42 PM BST Kathleen McNamee DUBLIN, Ireland — Building a lasting impact is something World Rugby has struggled with when it comes to the women’s game. But the word ‘legacy’ was central to its messaging as the organisation looks ahead to the next decade of the sport as the hosts for the World Cups in

11:35 AM BST The United States have been confirmed as the host of both the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup and the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup as World Rugby lays out the schedule for the next 11 years of the sport. The announcement came on Thursday in Dublin, with England the hosts of the

6:56 PM BST The U.S. bid is hoping to generate ticket revenue close to $1 billion from the 2031 and 2033 Rugby World Cups while the tournaments could be moved to prevent a scheduling clash with the NFL. It is estimated the total outlay on staging the 2031 men’s World Cup and 2033 women’s World

1:25 PM BST DUBLIN, Ireland — Expect to hear the word “runway” a lot over the next decade in and around rugby corridors. That’s the crux of why World Rugby announced the hosts of the next five Rugby World Cups on Thursday — to give the sport enough time to plan their next global gatherings

9:33 PM BST Organisers of the men’s 2031 Rugby World Cup are considering proposals to expand the tournament to 24 teams and bring in an additional knockout stage. The United States is expected to be confirmed as host of the men’s 2031 World Cup on Thursday — alongside the 2033 women’s Rugby World Cup —

10:32 AM BST An off night with the boot from Lori Cramer and some impatient play has cost the Wallaroos in a reality-check 12-10 Test loss to Japan. Fullback Cramer missed both conversions and then a straightforward penalty kick with two minutes to play that would have won the sloppy Tuesday night contest on the

4:19 AM BST AAP with ESPN staff Melbourne Rebels centre Ray Nu’u is set to miss the remainder of the Super Rugby Pacific season after receiving a four-week suspension — his second ban of the competition. The 24-year-old was sent off in the final minute of the Rebels’ win over Moana Pasifika for a high