Rugby

6:59 AM BST Game I of the Bledisloe Cup is in the books and yet again it is the All Blacks with one hand on the trophy. After last week’s 33-25 victory in Auckland, New Zealand return to Eden Park knowing a win will secure the trophy for a 19th straight year. Can the Wallabies

1:11 AM BST ESPN staff Crusaders flyer Will Jordan has been handed a start in Bledisloe II at Eden Park on Saturday night. Jordan is one of two changes to New Zealand’s backline, with Rieko Ioane shifting from the wing to outside centre at the expense of Anton Lienert-Brown. Jordan’s inclusion on the right wing

8:15 AM BST Liam Napier Style versus substance. Or, more to the point, why not have both? The recently-completed British & Irish Lions series, won 2-1 by the Springboks, was a bore. There’s no other way to say it. Sir Graham Henry described the series as a tough watch; All Blacks coach Ian Foster said

7:26 AM BST After a one-off Tri Nations tournament last year, the Rugby Championship is back to decide southern hemisphere rugby supremacy in 2021. Fresh off their 2-1 series defeat of the British & Irish Lions, the Springboks will rejoin the All Blacks, Wallabies and Pumas after South Africa opted out of last year’s tournament

2:33 PM BST South Africa made 10 changes to their side to kick-off the Rugby Championship against Argentina in Nelson Mandela Bay on Saturday, with hooker Joseph Dweba to debut and players who did not feature against the British & Irish Lions given a run. Coach Jacques Nienaber says they do not mean to disrespect

10:38 AM BST The decision to launch a female British & Irish Lions touring team will be made before the end of the year, Lions’ chief executive Ben Calveley has said. A feasibility study is underway to address the financial and logistical hurdles that exist within the women’s game and to look into the viability

6:22 AM BST All is seemingly forgiven with the Wallabies set to welcome back sinning superstar Marika Koroibete for Saturday’s do-or-die Bledisloe Cup clash with the All Blacks in Auckland. Dropped alongside forwards Isi Naisarani and Pone Fa’amausili for a late-night drinking session, Koroibete is likely to be rushed straight back into Australia’s starting line-up

3:32 AM BST South Africa hooker Malcolm Marx believes the Springboks will have no trouble lifting themselves for the start of their Rugby Championship campaign against Argentina in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) on Saturday. The Springboks defeated the British & Irish Lions 2-1 in a bruising series, but have little time to reflect on that

1:45 AM BST The scope of Dave Rennie’s challenge was perhaps best evident after the final whistle of Saturday night’s opening Bledisloe Cup match at Eden Park. There was Aaron Smith, the World Cup winner and veteran scrum-half, receiving a New Zealand cap to mark his 100th Test appearance in the black jersey. Later in

7:16 PM BST Veteran Morne Steyn kicked over a last-gasp penalty to hand South Africa a narrow 19-16 victory over British & Irish Lions in the third and final test on Saturday to seal a 2-1 series victory. The 37-year-old reprised his heroics from 12 years ago when he did the same for the Springboks

9:02 PM BST South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber hailed nerves of steel from flyhalf Morne Steyn as his “fairy-tale” return to the Springbok team led to the penalty that won the series against the British & Irish Lions, a repeat of his feat from 12 years before. The 37-year-old Steyn came off the bench to

NZLNZLAUSAUS NZL No. Name 15Damian McKenzie, FB 14Sevu Reece, W 13Anton Lienert-Brown, C 12David Havili, C 11Rieko Ioane, W 10Richie Mo’unga, FH  2 9Aaron Smith, SH 1George Bower, P 2Codie Taylor, H 3Nepo Laulala, P 4Brodie Retallick, L 5Samuel Whitelock, L 6Akira Ioane, FL 7Dalton Papalii, FL 8Ardie Savea, N8 Replacements 16Samisoni Taukei’aho, R

10:57 AM BST ESPN staff Rugby Australia and Football Australia are investigating allegations of misbehavior from athletes on the flight home from the Tokyo Olympic Games. The Australian Olympic Committee was made aware of incidents involving the men’s rugby sevens team and the Olyroos on the Japan Airlines flight on July 30. It’s believed the

2:58 PM BST British & Irish Lions prop Kyle Sinckler has been cleared of biting a South African opponent in Saturday’s second test, World Rugby announced on Tuesday. Sinckler appeared before a hearing via video conference on Tuesday and denied that he had committed any foul play. 1 Related Sinckler was cited “for an act

12:00 PM BST The British & Irish Lions have made six changes for their series decider against South Africa on Saturday. With the series poised at 1-1, the two teams face off in Cape Town to decide who takes the 2021 tour. 1 Related Josh Adams, Liam Williams, Bundee Aki, Ali Price, Ken Owens and

2:13 PM BST Warren Gatland said he was disappointed the British & Irish Lions had been called out by World Rugby over alleged comments about match officials in the test series against South Africa that has been overshadowed by off-field complaints. South Africa Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus has been called to a misconduct hearing

1:11 PM BST South Africa will be without key players Pieter-Steph du Toit and Faf de Klerk when they face the British & Irish Lions on Saturday in the final test of the series. Flanker Du Toit and scrum-half De Klerk both miss out through injury with former World Rugby Player of the Year Du

2:23 AM BST ESPN staff The Wallabies now face an even tougher task in their quest to regain the Bledisloe Cup for the first time in 18 years, with Auckland’s Eden Park confirmed to host the first two Tests of the series. Given the COVID-19 outbreak in Australia and the presence of the Beervana festival