Rugby

1:46 PM BST South Africa’s Lions franchise have been forced to cancel their final fixture in the Rainbow Cup due to COVID-19 infections in their squad just three weeks before they host the British & Irish Lions in Johannesburg. The side were due to play the Stormers at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, but

2:43 AM BST ESPN staff The United States has thrown its hat into the ring to host the Rugby World Cup, with USA Rugby clearing the first hurdle in an attempt to bring the game’s global showpiece to North America for either the 2027, 2029 or 2031 events. USA Rugby was on Thursday “formally accepted”

Jun 9, 2021 Liam Napier For better or worse, professional athletes increasingly grow influential platforms. Within this wide-ranging realm public utterances in interviews or posts on personal platforms are made about the oft turbulent rides in their chosen sports; to push global or emerging brands, support causes, deliver messages and establish profiles they can leverage

They hope to host an event in 2027, 2029 and/or 2031 The United States at RWC 2019 (Getty Images) USA Rugby World Cup bids given green light The United States of America has been accepted as a candidate to host one or more of the upcoming Rugby World Cups in 2027, 2029 and/or 2031, according

4:50 AM BST Dual international Lote Tuqiri knows better than most what winning the right to host the Rugby World Cup would mean for Australian rugby. Having been enticed over to the 15-player game in the lead-up to the tournament, the former Wallabies winger was blown away by the scale of rugby’s showpiece in 2003

Find out about the front-rower’s route from Battersea Ironsides to the British & Irish Lions England’s Kyle Sinckler on the attack against Wales (Getty Images) Who is Kyle Sinckler: Ten things you should know about the England prop Kyle Sinckler has established himself as a mainstay in the England front row. Physicality is a hallmark

12:27 PM BST Eddie Jones has included 21 uncapped players in his initial 34-man squad for Tests against the United States and Canada, giving them an opportunity to make their mark in the absence of a host of unavailable regulars. Jones will be without 12 players involved in the British & Irish Lions squad, while

Eddie Jones has compared his latest squad selection to playing a game of roulette as he looks to unearth some new stars for the future. Jones says his “eyes are pretty open” over which of the new faces might become long-term fixtures in the side. “Who comes through we are not sure,” he told BBC

3:13 AM BST A Wallabies debut for ex-NRL star Suliasi Vunivalu will have to wait with the winger to miss the upcoming Tests against France with a hamstring injury. Vunivalu hobbled off the field in Queensland’s 31-24 Super Rugby Trans-Tasman loss to the Blues last weekend and Wallabies coach Dave Rennie says the injury is

The Racing and Scotland fly-half talks Maradona, Mastermind and muscles with Mark Palmer Scotland fly-half Finn Russell prepares to kick for goal (SNS Group/Getty Images) Downtime with… Scotland fly-half Finn Russell What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen on a pitch? Alex Dunbar trying an up-and-under against Wales in 2015. I’d been sin-binned, so Alex slotted

Last updated on 9 June 20219 June 2021.From the section Welsh Rugby Former Wales and British and Irish Lions wing Shane Williams believes Warren Gatland’s 2021 tourists will defeat world champions South Africa. Both sides have named their squads after Springboks revealed their extended party for the three-Test tour in July and August. “I think

6:37 AM BST South Africa’s Damian de Allende and R.G. Snyman have suffered burns in a “fire pit accident”, along with Munster team-mates Mike Haley and C.J. Stander last weekend, the PRO14 club has announced. Rugby World Cup-winning duo De Allende and Snyman, who were last week named in the Springboks’ squad to face the

Munster quartet CJ Stander, Damian de Allende, RG Snyman and Mike Haley have been injured after one of the players “threw petrol on a fire”. A Munster statement said De Allende and Snyman had suffered “substantial” burns to their legs, hands and face in a “fire pit accident” at the weekend. In an interview with

It’s time for a rethink, argues rugby journalist Michael Aylwin Will Goodrick-Clarke is sent off for a high tackle (Getty Images) Rugby Rant: Red cards not the answer to brain injury crisis “There was no intent but it’s contact with the head, and that is not allowed. Players are just going to have to learn.

2:26 PM BST Ed Robinson and Alex Codling will join England coach Eddie Jones’ backroom staff for their summer series against the United States and Canada, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said on Monday. Jersey Reds assistant coach Robinson will return to the England staff after serving as skills coach during the recent Six Nations

Kyle Sinckler says “life is crazy” after being called up by the British and Irish Lions for the tour of South Africa a month after missing out on the original squad. The England prop, 28, was a high-profile omission from Warren Gatland’s initial 37-man group. He received a lifeline on Sunday after the injury to

Look underneath the scrumcap to discover choir practices, mountain-biking and an unusual nickname Zander Fagerson ahead of Scotland’s game against Italy in the 2021 Six Nations (SNS Group/Getty Images) Who is Zander Fagerson: Ten things you should know about the Scotland prop The Scottish scrum has become one of the steadiest units in the Six

12:55 PM BST Kyle Sinckler has been added to the British & Irish Lions squad for the South Africa tour after tighthead prop Andrew Porter was ruled out with a toe injury, head coach Warren Gatland said. Ireland international Porter, 25, picked up the injury in Leinster’s PRO 14 Rainbow Cup loss to Glasgow Warriors