Rugby

3:45 AM BST ESPN staff The Wallabies have moved to further acknowledge Australia’s First Nations people by adding jersey numbers in an Indigenous style for Sunday’s Rugby Championship clash with South Africa on the Gold Coast. Dave Rennie’s side will become the first Australia team, of any sport, to wear both the coat of arms

12:49 AM BST Liam Napier No one factor reveals the magic ingredient behind Akira Ioane’s rise to sit among the most captivating loose forwards on the planet. Improved fitness, a greater appreciation for the privileged position he holds and being happier within himself all contributed to breakthrough performances against the Wallabies that strongly suggest he

12:03 AM BST ESPN staff Jordie Barrett is free to face Argentina in the Rugby Championship clash on the Gold Coast on Sunday after his red card for kicking Marika Koroibete was dismissed by a SANZAAR judiciary panel. Barrett was sent off late in the first half of the All Blacks’ 38-21 win over the

1:23 PM BST A new 12-a-side tournament has launched with the aim of bringing £250 million into global rugby over the next five years, as well as attracting a wider global fanbase to the game. World 12s will see the world’s best male and female players compete in franchised teams, with the inaugural men’s competition

11:15 AM BST England head coach Eddie Jones has urged World Rugby to conclude their disciplinary process against South Africa director Rassie Erasmus quicker to set an example to the game. The Springboks coach made an hour-long video critique of the match officials following their loss against the British & Irish Lions in the series

4:09 AM BST The mixed reaction to Jordie Barrett’s red card in Bledisloe Cup III has at least made one thing abundantly clear — that having the trial red-card replacement law in place for the Rugby Championship was one of SANZAAR’s smarter moves in recent times. But that also a further delineation perhaps needs to

6:06 AM BST England coach Eddie Jones has added Richard Cockerill and Anthony Seibold to his coaching staff, England Rugby said on Friday. Former Leicester Tigers head coach Cockerill joins as forwards coach and will work alongside Matt Proudfoot, while Seibold, who most recently managed Australian National Rugby League side Brisbane Broncos, has been named

11:28 AM BST World Rugby has cancelled scheduled events in Cape Town and Singapore in this year’s Sevens Series due to “ongoing challenges” brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, officials confirmed on Friday. The series had been due to visit Singapore (October 29-30) and Cape Town (December 10-12), the latter with a Women’s Sevens Series

5:38 AM BST The All Blacks may have tucked the Bledisloe back into the cabinet for a 19th year, but the Rugby Championship is only just gathering momentum. Sunday’s Test between the Wallabies and All Blacks in Perth has been a long time coming, with West Australian rugby fans twice having had the match date

1:13 AM BST Liam Napier Strength in depth is a pillar that underpins the All Blacks, one set to be severely examined as they confront 12 Tests in the next 10 weeks. Traditionally if the All Blacks don’t hurt opposition with their starting team they have an equally dynamic threat waiting on the bench. Lose

12:34 AM BST An emotional Ardie Savea says he has no intention of deviating from his usual approach to rugby despite being named New Zealand captain ahead of the All Blacks’ Rugby Championship meeting with Australia in Perth next weekend. Savea will celebrate his 53rd appearance for his country by taking over the captaincy after

2:33 PM BST South Africa rugby winger Cheslin Kolbe is joining Toulon from fellow French giants Toulouse, the Top 14 club said on Friday. The 27-year-old Kolbe, who is currently playing in the Rugby Championship with the Springboks, had two years left on his contract with Toulouse, who he joined in 2017, winning two French

7:58 AM BST ESPN staff Almost a week after relations between Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby soured, RA have confirmed Optus Stadium in Perth will host Bledisloe III with a Father’s Day afternoon clash on September 5. This will be the first time Australia have hosted an afternoon Bledisloe clash in 25-years, with the

5:23 AM BST Captain Sam Whitelock and first-choice halves Richie Mo’unga and Aaron Smith have been left out of the All Blacks’ travelling squad for next week’s Rugby Championship Test against Australia in Perth with the players expecting babies. The All Blacks did not name a replacement skipper for lock Whitelock in the 35-man squad

2:53 AM BST The United States has long been dubbed the sleeping giant of world rugby. But such has been the slow rate of growth, one wonders whether the giant will actually ever wake from its slumber. There have, however, been positive signs over the past few years with Major League Rugby bedding down its

10:15 AM BST Australia’s Queensland state will host eight Rugby Championship tests in double-headers over four weekends from September in a revised schedule following new COVID-19 restrictions across the country and in New Zealand. Organisers had considered moving games to South Africa or the UK amid lockdowns and tightening travel curbs in Australia and New

6:42 PM BST Tries from wing Makazole Mapimpi and hooker Malcolm Marx helped South Africa secure a comfortable 29-10 victory over Argentina in their Rugby Championship clash at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday. Both tries came in the second half, and the Springboks will be disappointed they could not score more to earn

8:06 PM BST Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber has said South Africa was ready to host the remainder of the Rugby Championship, as the competition’s organisers scramble for a venue for the rest of this year’s matches in the coming days. The Springboks have been told they cannot enter New Zealand for two tests in late