Rugby

6:07 PM GMT South Africa’s World Cup-winning winger Sbu Nkosi, who had been reported missing by his club Blue Bulls for being absent without leave for three weeks, has been found safe and sound, the Pretoria-based team announced on Monday. The Bulls said Nkosi, who has played 16 Tests for South Africa and was part

1:16 AM GMT Warren Gatland has left New Zealand Rugby with one final piece of advice before departing for Wales, imploring the governing body to sign Scott Robertson as the next All Blacks coach. It was on Monday revealed that Gatland would be returning to Cardiff after just three short years away, the Kiwi replacing

12:31 PM GMT Wales’ former head coach Warren Gatland has been reappointed for the 2023 season as Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) part ways with Wayne Pivac. WRU CEO Steve Phillips confirmed on Monday that Gatland — who served as Wales’ longest standing coach when he left in 2019 after 12 years in charge — will

12:58 AM GMT ESPN staff The future of Super Rugby Pacific has been locked away until at least the end of 2030, with New Zealand Rugby and Rugby Australia rubber-stamping a plan to take the competition forward over the next eight years. After months of negotiation and more than just a few stern words, the

7:57 PM GMT Australia scrum half Nic White was allowed to continue playing after a head injury during his rugby team’s recent defeat by Ireland due to “discrepancies” in process and communication, an independent review by the organisers said on Tuesday. White was injured during the second half of Australia’s 13-10 Autumn Nations Series loss

11:10 PM GMT Bill Sweeney, the CEO of the Rugby Football Union, said he was “really disappointed” with England’s autumn series results but gave no indication that coach Eddie Jones was in any danger of being removed. England delivered a poor display and were booed off at Twickenham after being outplayed 27-13 by South Africa

10:28 PM GMT TWICKENHAM — If anyone wondered whether prematch talk about their boss’ suspension would weigh heavy on South Africa’s minds, then it was in stark contrast to the light work they showed in dispatching England in their own backyard on Saturday. The build-up to this game was dominated by talk of South Africa

10:03 AM GMT Rugby Football Union (RFU) chief executive Bill Sweeney was accused of being “asleep on the job” following the financial crises which forced Premiership clubs Worcester Warriors and Wasps into administration. The sports’ governing bodies appeared in front of the select committee for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on

2:40 PM GMT Wales centre Joe Hawkins will earn his first cap in their final autumn international against Australia at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, while Leigh Halfpenny gets a first start since July 2021 as he takes over at fullback. Hawkins comes into the side in place of Owen Watkin, who has a knee

11:43 AM GMT England’s Tommy Freeman will start as right wing against South Africa in their final November Test on Saturday while Alex Coles comes in as blindside flanker in the team named by coach Eddie Jones on Thursday. Freeman has been in the training squad throughout November and finally gets his chance to add

1:11 AM GMT ESPN staff Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks captain John Smit has weighed into the Rassie Erasmus saga, saying the director of rugby’s ongoing social media commentary had made the South Africa team “so easy to dislike.” Erasmus was last week handed a two-game matchday ban after he published multiple posts on Twitter, highlighting

4:18 AM GMT Ireland flanker Josh Van der Flier has been named World Rugby’s Player of the Year, after helping drive his nation to the top of the world rankings through a stellar 2022 season. Van der Flier beat out Ireland and Leinster team mate Johnny Sexton, France scrum-half and last year’s winner Antoine Dupont

8:19 PM GMT New Zealand halfback TJ Perenara faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after rupturing his Achilles in the closing stages of Saturday’s 25-25 draw with England and now faces a race against time to get fit in time for next September’s World Cup. The 30-year-old Perenara had to be helped from the

9:37 PM GMT AAP with ESPN staff The Wallabies insist their massive injury toll, with top prop Taniela Tupou now in possible danger of missing the Rugby World Cup, comes down to bad luck and the perils of a collision sport. Tupou was stretchered off in the second half of their 13-10 loss to Ireland

11:30 PM GMT The Wallabies’ 2022 season can be summed by the opening three minutes of their 13-10 loss to Ireland in Dublin. In a year that has been dominated by injuries, the sight of Hunter Paisami being twisted in a tackle and immediately clutching a knee came as no surprise. And nor did the

Nov 14, 2022 Replacement flyhalf Luka Matkava, a 21-year-old playing his second international, became an instant national hero when he landed a 77th-minute penalty to earn Georgia a 13-12 victory over Wales on Saturday. Having beaten Italy earlier in the year for their first win over a Tier One country, it was a stunning result

9:41 PM GMT There is something about England facing New Zealand that always seems to produce fireworks. Three years ago Eddie Jones’ team ousted the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup semifinals after one of their all-time great performances. A year earlier New Zealand beat them by a single point at Twickenham, while a

9:17 PM GMT South Africa’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has been handed a two-game ban from all matchday activities by World Rugby after tweets he posted that were perceived to be critical of referees. Erasmus returned this month from a near year-long stadium suspension following his infamous 62-minute video critique of Australian referee Nic