Rugby

Aug 14, 2023, 12:05 PM England have called up Northampton’s Alex Mitchell to replace Jack van Poortvliet in their World Cup squad after the scrumhalf was ruled out of the tournament having sustained an ankle injury in Saturday’s 19-17 win over Wales, the RFU said on Monday. Van Poorvliet had established himself as the probable

Liam Napier Aug 8, 2023, 03:16 AM The All Blacks unveiled their 33-man World Cup squad on Monday night. Few shocks or surprises emerged but as with any pinnacle event, dreams were achieved and others shattered. Read on as we unpack the squad that will chase an unprecedented fourth Webb Ellis Trophy. Brodie Retallick injury

Aug 7, 2023, 12:21 PM Henry Slade had been dropped from England’s squad for the Rugby World Cup in France, heading the list of high-profile omissions as coach Steve Borthwick named his 33-man selection for the tournament on Monday. Slade, 30, featured for England at the last two tournaments and has been a regular since

All Blacks coach Ian Foster has unveiled the 33-man group he believes can bring a fourth Webb Ellis Trophy home to New Zealand. Foster fronted the media on Monday afternoon in Napier alongside two-time World Cup winning captain Richie McCaw, who had the honour of revealing the names to the New Zealand public. There were

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auAug 7, 2023, 02:02 AM Close 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 ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. It’s Rugby World

Aug 3, 2023, 03:09 PM Marcus Smith will get an opportunity to impress for England ahead of the Rugby World Cup when he starts at fly-half in Saturday’s warm-up fixture against Wales in Cardiff, with three more players in line to debut. Meanwhile, Warren Gatland made major changes to his Wales lineup that could see

Aug 3, 2023, 02:07 AM New Zealand will field an experimental side for their Test against Australia on Saturday, after Ian Foster made 13 changes to his starting team to give fringe players the chance to play themselves into contention for the World Cup. The All Blacks extended their two decades of domination of the

All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor has lauded the rugby smarts of in-form teammate Scott Barrett, as the Crusaders skipper continues to draw rave reviews for his performance in Bledisloe I. Barrett was arguably the standout performer in New Zealand’s crushing 38-7 win over Australia at the MCG, a victory that locked away the huge trans-Tasman

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auJul 31, 2023, 03:54 AM Close 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 ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Another year, another

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auJul 30, 2023, 04:49 AM Close 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 ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. MELBOURNE — It

Jul 29, 2023, 07:16 PM Flyhalf Manie Libbok scored a breakaway try against the run of play to secure South Africa a bruising 22-21 victory over Argentina and earn a second-place finish in the Rugby Championship at Ellis Park on Saturday. The Springboks had to withstand heavy Argentine pressure, some of their own making through

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auJul 28, 2023, 05:55 AM Close 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 ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. MELBOURNE — Bad

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auJul 27, 2023, 12:30 AM Close 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 ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. MELBOURNE — Eddie

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auJul 24, 2023, 06:18 AM Close 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 ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Not that they

On a glorious winter’s afternoon, with the Brisbane city skyline as his backdrop, Wallabies coach Eddie Jones made his way across a small patch of scaffolding overlapping the pool at the Lina Rooftop Bar. There to discuss the 2025 British & Irish Lions Tour, that series could not in fact be further to the back

Liam Napier Jul 20, 2023, 12:52 AM Will Jordan’s sparkling return to the All Blacks evoked a blend of delight and relief. Delight that one of the world’s most gifted attacking talents remains as lethal as ever. Relief that his migraine-related condition should not significantly impair his career. For rival nations, though, Jordan’s return may

Fullback Tom Wright is the big casualty from the Wallabies’ winless start to 2023, with the Brumbies flyer dumped from Australia’s 34-man squad that will begin preparations to face the All Blacks in the Bledisloe Cup. Wright has seemingly paid the price for two huge errors in Australia’s 34-31 loss to Argentina in Sydney last

Jul 18, 2023, 11:29 AM World Rugby has launched a revamped and rebranded rugby sevens circuit called ‘SVNS’, which will be played across eight cities from December, the sport’s governing body announced. The tournament with 12 men’s and women’s teams in an Olympic format will kick off in Dubai on Dec. 2 before heading to