Rugby

10:26 PM BST England coach Eddie Jones has said officiating delays and the high number of cards are a blight on rugby and called for change before next year’s World Cup. The increased use of the Television Match Official (TMO) to spot infringements as well as a lower threshold for yellow and red cards as

11:16 PM BST Former Wallabies playmaker Bernard Foley is backing young fly-half Noah Lolesio to remain calm under pressure, adamant he can lead Australia to victory in the series decider at the SCG on Saturday night. Thrown into the deep end just 20 minutes before the opening Test in Perth after Quade Cooper was a

Jul 13, 2022 Four big series’, four big deciders. Amid all the drama, debate and exploding outrage about the state of the game — or at least the way in which it is being officiated right now — never before in the professional era have we seen a slate of July Test series so keenly

11:40 PM BST Harry Wilson’s long wait for a Wallabies return has come to an end, with the Queensland Reds back-rower set to be named in the run-on squad to face England in the third and deciding Test in Sydney. Wilson has not played a Test since the opening game against France in July last

1:09 AM BST ESPN staff All Blacks coach Ian Foster has made two backline changes for the series-deciding Test against Ireland, while also handing Roger Tuivasa-Sheck his first chance at international rugby. The former NRL star will come off the bench to make his Test debut at Sky Stadium in Wellington, while David Havili and

12:37 AM BST Billy Vunipola was once sceptical about psychologists but says near-daily chats with a specialist have played a major part in the England number eight’s return to top form in Australia. After a period of international exile, Vunipola produced his finest performance for his country in years on Saturday as England levelled the

The Wallabies expect more consistency from powerhouse prop Taniela Tupou while Allan Alaalatoa is also available, boosting to their hopes of toppling England in the deciding third Test on Saturday night. After two months out with a calf injury, Tupou’s return was patchy in Australia’s 25-17 second-Test loss in Brisbane. He crashed over for a

11:16 AM BST France displaced South Africa at the top of the world rankings on Monday, while New Zealand slumped to an all-time low of fourth after a stunning northern hemisphere sweep of the major July tests at the weekend. Fourteen months before they host the World Cup, France reached the pinnacle of the rankings

Jun 28, 2022 What a treat we have in store for us this weekend. Every series is alive and headed to a decider after all four northern hemisphere nations bounced back last week, but who’ll come out on top? Can Ireland and Wales make history again to claim their series victory? Can the Wallabies overcome

Queensland outcast Lukhan Salakaia-Loto has answered a SOS from the injury-hit Wallabies, with young Waratahs speedster Mark Nawaqanitawase also called up ahead of the deciding Test against England. Lock/back-rower Salakaia-Loto is in line for a bench role for the crunch match at the SCG on Saturday after being plucked out of club rugby in Brisbane.

8:57 AM BST Lock Maro Itoje has been ruled out of England’s third and decisive test against Australia on Saturday because of concussion. Itoje, 27, suffered a head knock in the Brisbane test and had already been ruled out of the series decider at Sydney Cricket Ground. 1 Related Flanker Sam Underhill has also been

2:41 AM BST Hand outstretched, palm up, Izaia Perese leapt into the air for an attempted intercept which would have seen him charging downfield for a potential try. Instead, the ball bounced off his fingertips and moments later he was sent to the sinbin. “Clear, deliberate knock-on… yellow card,” referee Andrew Brace said after TMO

11:00 PM BST England coach Eddie Jones has blasted the state of Test rugby, with the laws of the game again the major talking point after his side’s win over the Wallabies. Australian winger Izaia Perese and Jones’ playmaker Marcus Smith were both given 10-minute sin-bins for what were deemed deliberate knock downs when they

6:21 PM BST Replacement fly-half Gareth Anscombe kicked a late conversion from the touchline as Wales claimed their first ever away victory in South Africa with an error-strewn 13-12 success over a much-changed Springboks at the Free State Stadium on Saturday. Wing Josh Adams crossed for the only try of the game with two minutes

7:31 AM BST The Wallabies have threatened a fairytale comeback despite a raft of fresh injuries, before blowing their chances in a 25-17 rugby Test loss to England in Brisbane. The visitors led 19-0 in the first half but Australia edged to within five points late at Suncorp Stadium, despite four injuries and a yellow

Jul 9, 2022 France had to rally again in the second half to beat Japan for a second successive week as they edged the home team 20-15 in Saturday’s second test in Tokyo. Baptiste Couilloud’s try 10 minutes from time turned an error-strewn contest back in France’s favour after Japan fullback Ryohei Yamanaka had dotted

9:43 AM BST Ireland prevailed 23-12 in a test of high intensity to beat the All Blacks on New Zealand soil for the first time in Dunedin on Saturday, taking full advantage after the hosts had lost Angus Ta’avao to a red card in the first half. Prop Andrew Porter scored two tries and skipper

9:45 AM BST Liam Napier If ever one match sharply shifted the narrative, the All Blacks’ seemingly commanding victory against Ireland at Eden Park was it. That 42-19 result moved the dial from flatlining on pressure-cooker overload to a sense of relief among All Blacks supporters. Now, from a New Zealand perspective at least, that