Rugby

11:27 PM BST Israel Folau has courted more controversy by refusing to join teammates and opponents in taking a knee to acknowledge the Black Lives Matter movement in Super League’s return on Sunday. The former Wallabies fullback’s Catalans side were hammered 34-6 by champions St Helens in the first match since the competition was halted

4:22 AM BST The Crusaders and Blues defeated the Chiefs and Highlanders in Round 8 of Super Rugby Aotearoa over the weekend. The results mean the tournament is alive for a further week, though a win for the Crusaders at home to the Highlanders will be enough for them to secure a trophy in four

3:54 PM BST The remaining rounds of the Six Nations Championship will be played on Oct. 24 and 31 after World Rugby approved dates for the temporary 2020 COVID-19 calendar on Thursday. The World Rugby Council approved an adjustment to allow the release of players for new international windows after the pandemic forced the sport’s

6:26 PM BST English Premiership leaders Exeter Chiefs said on Wednesday that they will keep their logo but retire mascot ‘Big Chief’ following a review of the club’s branding in the wake of a petition calling for an end to their use of “harmful imagery”. The Chiefs’ badge and mascot both feature a Native American

10:12 AM BST The Dubai and Cape Town rounds of the 2020/21 World Sevens Series have been scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic, World Rugby said on Wednesday. The global governing body said it would continue to focus on delivering the remainder of the 2021 series, with a working group formed to review contingency plans

1:11 AM BST Super Rugby Aotearoa continues to deliver top-class rugby with both of the Round 7 encounters going down to the final minutes In the end, the Hurricanes and Blues held on for vital wins, keeping both sides in the hunt for competition honours. Read on as we review the weekend’s action below. We

3:32 AM BST A possible broken wrist to Ngani Laumape soured the Hurricanes’ victory over the Crusaders in Super Rugby Aotearoa but his coach hinted it was indicative of the intensity of the competition. Laumape left the field in the 53rd minute of the Hurricanes 34-32 victory on Saturday, the first defeat for the Crusaders

3:08 PM BST England head coach Eddie Jones has described Joe Marler as “influential” after former national coach Clive Woodward criticised his behaviour at the World Cup. Woodward had compared Marler and Dan Cole to comedy duo Laurel and Hardy for their behaviour at a news conference ahead of the final against South Africa, which

11:18 PM BST English Premiership chiefs have expressed concerns regarding World Rugby’s decision to stage test matches in December as part of its revised international calendar for 2020. World Rugby on Wednesday proposed a temporary international window following the disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, with this year’s southern hemisphere Rugby Championship to take place

11:34 AM BST Gallagher Premiership club’s risk players being banned, receiving fines or even having points deducted if if they break the rules of the league’s bubble, sources have told ESPN. The league is due to resume on Aug. 14 with Harlequins vs. Sale Sharks. 1 Related Clubs could face losing up to 10 points

4:35 AM BST Waratahs coach Rob Penney says age will be no barrier should the franchise secure in-demand teenager Joseph Suaalii, confirming he would pick the soon-to-be 17-year-old to play Super Rugby AU this season. Penney stressed any decision to select Suaalii – who is now tipped to commit his future to the 15 man

11:25 PM BST World Rugby has recommended a revised international calendar following the disruption due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the sport’s ruling body said on Wednesday A temporary international window between Oct. 24 and Dec. 5 has been proposed by World Rugby’s executive committee. The Six Nations Championship can resume at the end of October

2:00 PM BST Aramide Oladipo Leicester Tigers wing Nemani Nadolo has criticised a supporter of “casual racism” after the fan suggested the club should sign “players with names we can pronounce.” The club made five new signings on Monday including Nadolo’s Fiji international teammate Kini Murimurivalu. The supporter responded to the club’s Facebook post of

Rugby Australia boss Rob Clarke has taken another shot at sections of Australia’s rugby league media amid the contract tug-o-war for Joseph Suaalii, as the code attempts to keep the talented multi-sport athlete in the 15-man game. News that Suaalii had changed his mind and rejected a three-year deal from South Sydney in order to

3:30 AM BST ESPN staff South African rugby will not be left without high-level provincial and international competition because of coronavirus-related concerns, national union chief executive Jurie Roux says. Roux was asked on a media call if New Zealand Rugby’s plans for an eight- or 10-team Super Rugby 2021 competition without Argentina’s Jaguares and the

3:41 PM BST World Champions South Africa will either play in the Rugby Championship in New Zealand later this year or embark on a tour to Europe, but will not have space on the calendar for both, officials confirmed on Tuesday. The Springboks have not been in action since lifting the World Cup in Japan

4:43 AM BST Former Wallabies star Will Genia wants new coach Dave Rennie to back the youth in Australian rugby by throwing a new halves pairing into the Test arena at his first opportunity. It remains to be seen whether the Wallabies will get the chance to face the All Blacks – and possibly the

1:12 AM BST Australian sides would be a welcome addition to a trans-Tasman Super Rugby competition if only to give New Zealand teams a rest from beating each other up every week, Hurricanes assistant coach and former All Blacks winger Cory Jane has said. New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is looking to set up a new