Rugby

12:16 AM BST France are rejoicing after Les Bleus achieved their first Six Nations Grand Slam since 2012 with a 25-13 victory over England at the Stade de France. That result was good enough to push them up to second on World Rugby’s Test rankings behind only South Africa, with the All Blacks at No.

11:08 AM BST Former England wing Ugo Monye has said the Rugby Football Union’s claim that they were encouraged by England’s progress during the Six Nations is “dishonest”. On Sunday, the RFU said they were “encouraged by the solid progress”, England made despite winning only two games and suffering three defeats, and added that they

12:12 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. Brittany Mitchell Close ESPN

9:58 PM BST France claimed their first Grand Slam and championship title in the Six Nations since 2010 as they beat England 25-13 on Saturday after passing a test of nerves in a contest they largely dominated at a packed Stade de France. Fabien Galthie’s side showed their brilliance in an exhilarating opening half, although

6:55 PM BST Ireland kept the Six Nations championship alive for a few hours at least with a Triple Crown-clinching 26-5 victory over Scotland in Dublin, meaning France must beat England in Paris later on Saturday to win their first championship in 12 years. The host’s more controlled attacking rugby shaded an entertaining first half,

4:19 PM BST Wing Edoardo Padovani scored a late try as Italy stunned their hosts Wales 22-21 to secure a first ever win in Cardiff and end their 36-game losing streak in the Six Nations on Saturday. A brilliant break from rookie fullback Ange Capuozzo set up the score for Padovani, and when fly-half Paolo

12:56 PM BST The Melbourne Rebels’ winless woes have continued into Round 5 as they fell to their 10th straight loss, their fifth in 2022, after they were unable to convert their riches of possession and territory, falling 24-19 to the Waratahs at the SCG. Floundering second from the bottom of the Super Rugby Pacific

4:54 PM BST Six Scotland players including captain Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell have been disciplined after they breached team protocols following their Six Nations victory over Italy last weekend. Scotland beat Italy 33-22 for a bonus-point win at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Upon their return to Edinburgh, the players left the team hotel

5:49 PM BST England coach Eddie Jones has brought in George Furbank to play fullback, switching Freddie Steward to the wing, in the team announced on Thursday for England’s final Six Nations game against France in Paris on Saturday. Steward has been impressive at fullback but Jones no doubt feels that by selecting him on

1:04 PM BST Scotland’s Blair Kinghorn has replaced regular fly-half Finn Russell as one of two changes for their final game of the Six Nations against title-chasing Ireland in Dublin on Saturday. Russell has been a mainstay in this year’s championship but is on the bench in a surprise switch by coach Gregor Townsend. The

12:00 PM BST Damian Penaud will return to the right wing for France in their decisive Six Nations clash against England as they look to secure their first title and Grand Slam in more than 10 years on Saturday. Penaud missed out on Les Bleus’ 13-9 victory against Wales in Cardiff last Friday after a

11:08 AM BST England have dropped Max Malins for their final Six Nations match against France in Paris on Saturday. Malins has been ever-present through the Championship on the wing for Eddie Jones’ side, but has missed out on a spot in the 28-man squad. With Malins omitted, Elliot Daly looks primed for a spot

11:53 AM BST Leicester Tigers have been fined £310,000 for non-compliance with salary cap regulations from 2016-17 to 2019-2020, Premiership Rugby said on Tuesday. Following an investigation into potential salary cap breaches over five seasons from 2016 to 2021, Premiership leaders Leicester were penalised for undisclosed payments to players from a third-party company via image

10:56 PM BST While COVID-19 continues to disrupt the Super Rugby Pacific season across the ditch, it appears to be smooth sailing in Australia — for now at least! The exact make-up of Round 5 will be confirmed later on Wednesday, but there are no such troubles for the Six Nations, which reaches its conclusion

3:33 PM BST Alun Wyn Jones will make his 150th international appearance when Wales host Italy in their final Six Nations clash at the Principality Stadium on Saturday. Meanwhile, fly-half Dan Biggar, who will earn his 100th cap this weekend, has retained the armband despite the return of regular skipper Jones who was initially been

12:40 AM BST ESPN staff Moana Pasifika are staring down the prospect of a fourth postponed Super Rugby Pacific match as COVID continues to wreak havoc with the New Zealand fixtures in the new-look tournament. The Highlanders on Tuesday cancelled training as they deal with an outbreak of cases across their squad, while the Blues

3:19 PM BST England will be without flanker Tom Curry for their Six Nations finale against France in Paris on Saturday, a blow to coach Eddie Jones as he looks to finish the campaign on a much-needed high. Curry injured his hamstring in the 32-15 home loss to Ireland on Saturday that left England out

3:33 PM BST Ireland second row James Ryan will miss their final Six Nations match against Scotland on Saturday as he goes through return to play protocols after suffering a concussion in last weekend’s 32-15 victory over England. The Leinster lock left the pitch at Twickenham after less than two minutes following a head-on-head tackle