Rugby

8:00 PM BST Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan accepts RA must do more to unearth the next Indigenous Wallaby to follow in the famous footsteps of the Ella brothers and others like Kurtley Beale and Andrew Walker. RA on Wednesday unveiled the 2020 First Nations jersey to be worn against New Zealand and Argentina in

11:34 AM BST The British and Irish Lions announced on Wednesday they will host Japan in Edinburgh next June ahead of their tour of South Africa. The Lions, who traditionally tour Australia, New Zealand or South Africa every four years, will be playing Japan for the first time, with the match to be held at

9:53 AM BST Wasps have been given the green light to play in Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership final against Exeter Chiefs after the latest batch of COVID-19 results came back all negative. Wasps returned seven positive COVID-19 tests last week, and a further four on Monday, placing their participation in the Premiership final in doubt. They

6:23 PM BST New Zealand, England and Canada have been confirmed as the top three seeds for the women’s 2021 Rugby World Cup after the game’s governing body opted to use rankings from the start of the year with southern hemisphere teams unable to play due to COVID-19 curbs. The draw for the tournament will

3:21 AM BST The first two Tests of the Bledisloe Cup are behind us, with New Zealand holding a 1-0 advantage following Sunday’s comprehensive 27-7 victory at Eden Park in Auckland. That result came seven days after the series opener had finished in a dramatic 16-all draw in Wellington, where the two teams engaged in

2:48 PM BST Wasps’ participation in the Gallagher Premiership final is in doubt after the club returned four more positive COVID-19 tests on Monday, bringing a total of 11 positive tests for the club within a week. Wasps are not training as a group ahead of Saturday’s final, after seven positive tests were returned last

7:11 AM BST All Blacks coach Ian Foster will need to wait until later in the week before he is fully aware of who will be on the plane to Sydney on Sunday for the Rugby Championship with a number of injuries to assess. Prop Joe Moody, midfield back Peter Umaga-Jensen and lock Sam Whitelock

6:22 AM BST All Blacks coach Ian Foster says he isn’t worried about Caleb Clarke coping with the Jonah Lomu comparisons coming his way after the rookie winger bulldozed through the Wallabies on Sunday. Clarke was the standout performer in New Zealand’s 27-7 victory, the winger opening up some flimsy Australian defence on a number

7:49 AM BST We knew the All Blacks’ response would come. But it was inspired by perhaps an unlikely source as winger Caleb Clarke announced himself on the world stage with a brilliant tackle-shredding display in New Zealand’s 27-7 win over the Wallabies at Eden Park on Sunday. The 20-point victory — which extended New

2:15 AM BST ESPN staff The world champion Springboks have officially withdrawn from the Rugby Championship, leaving just Australia, New Zealand and Argentina to challenge for the 2020 title. SANZAAR, the tournament organisers, announced on Friday that South Africa would not travel to Australia due to several factors including South African government travel restrictions, player

3:06 AM BST Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has responded to claims from the All Blacks that Australia got away with illegal “off-the-ball” tackles in the opening Bledisloe Cup clash, saying his side had instead dealt with some concerns of their own through the correct channels. Rennie admitted to being surprised by comments from All Blacks

11:39 PM BST ESPN staff All Blacks coach Ian Foster has made five changes to his starting side for the second Bledisloe Cup Test in Auckland, two of which see Rieko Ioane and Codie Taylor demoted to the bench. Star playmaker Beauden Barrett returns at fullback, having been a late scratching through injury last week,

11:46 PM BST ESPN staff Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has pulled a selection shock for the second Bledisloe Cup clash in Auckland, handing NSW Waratahs forward Ned Hanigan his first Test start since 2018. Hanigan is joined in the starting side by Reds hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa, the duo replacing Brumbies Pete Samu and Folau Fainga’a

10:29 AM BST Wasps’ preparations for the English Premiership final suffered a setback after seven members of the club’s playing staff returned positive tests for coronavirus on Wednesday. Four players and three support staff tested positive for coronavirus and Wasps have cancelled training for the remainder of this week as an added precautionary measure. “All

12:04 PM BST Liam Napier Flick through the rugby almanac and history will reveal swift responses to All Black defeats. Last week’s opening Bledisloe Cup opener in Wellington finished with almost nine minutes of frantic squandered chances and a dramatic draw, of course. To the All Blacks, the feeling was defeat. The Ian Foster-Sam Cane

8:00 AM BST All Blacks assistant coach John Plumtree has heaped acid on referee Angus Gardner to deal with Australia’s off-the-ball tactics in the second Bledisloe Cup Test on Sunday. Firing up a long-standing rivalry with Wallabies coach Dave Rennie, Plumtree inferred the Australian tactics in the first Test in Wellington last Sunday were typical

5:53 AM BST South Africa have been handed a 48-hour deadline to resolve internal issues and confirm their participation in the Rugby Championship, governing body SANZAAR said on Wednesday. The southern hemisphere championship, which also includes Australia, New Zealand and Argentina, will be held entirely in Australia this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rugby

5:43 AM BST Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan and Test great David Campese might have gone for New Zealand rugby’s jugular, but the Wallabies are keeping their feet firmly on the ground ahead of an All Blacks response in Bledisloe II. The memory of last year’s 36-0 shellacking at Eden Park, which followed a resounding