Rugby

Open Extended Reactions Welcome to the Friday Five, where we bring you some of the rugby stories you may have missed through the last week. You can find our complete Super Rugby Pacific coverage on the links below, with Round 9 of the competition beginning Friday afternoon [AEST]. SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC ROUND 9 PREVIEW ESPN

Apr 17, 2024, 11:27 AM Open Extended Reactions Wales rugby great Ken Owens announced his retirement from the sport on Wednesday, ending an 18-year professional career. Owens, 37, played 91 times for his country, more than any other hooker in Wales’ history. He featured at three Rugby World Cups and played for the British and

Apr 17, 2024, 10:52 AM Open Extended Reactions Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira, the World Cup-winning former South Africa prop, has backed the USA’s potential as a rugby nation, but said they will need a structural overhaul before they can match emerging superpower Japan. Mtawarira was part of the Springboks side that lost 34-32 to Japan in

Tom Hamilton, Senior WriterApr 16, 2024, 12:36 PM Close • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Open Extended Reactions Scotland and Bath Rugby are sweating on the fitness of star fly-half Finn Russell after his

Apr 16, 2024, 11:02 AM Open Extended Reactions British insurance firm Royal London has given the rugby unions of England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland £3 million ($3.7 million) to invest in female coaches and players ahead of the British and Irish Lions women’s inaugural tour. The investment aims to ensure the Lions squad is not

Open Extended Reactions It’s back to the future for Australian rugby this season, with the Wallabies confirmed to play two afternoon fixtures during the Rugby Championship later this year. Joe Schmidt’s side will face the Springboks in Brisbane on the afternoon of Aug. 10 [2.45pm AEST], before they later face the All Blacks in Sydney

Apr 15, 2024, 06:56 PM Open Extended Reactions New Zealand rugby star Jordie Barrett is set to play for Irish club Leinster for six months from December 2024 after signing a new contract with New Zealand Rugby that permits him to play away from his home country. Barrett exercised an option to play overseas as

Apr 11, 2024, 12:06 PM Open Extended Reactions Louis Rees-Zammit has opened up on signing for the Kansas City Chiefs, text messages he’s received from Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and the daunting task ahead of him as he aims to earn a place as a starter. The former Wales rugby international participated in the

Dan Hajducky, ESPNApr 10, 2024, 11:42 PM Close Hajducky is an associate editor for ESPN. He has an MFA in creative writing from Fairfield University and played on the men’s soccer teams at Fordham and Southern Connecticut State universities. Open Extended Reactions Women’s Elite Rugby announced Wednesday that, with its inaugural season slated to kick

Apr 9, 2024, 09:00 AM Open Extended Reactions Steve Borthwick has appointed Andrew Strawbridge to his permanent coaching staff ahead of England‘s summer tour to Japan and New Zealand, the RFU announced on Tuesday. Strawbridge, 59, was part of the England set up during the first four weeks of their 2024 Six Nations campaign as

Tom Hamilton, Senior WriterApr 9, 2024, 11:56 AM Close • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Open Extended Reactions Plans for a rugby Club World Cup where the best northern and southern hemisphere club sides

Apr 2, 2024, 12:45 PM Open Extended Reactions All Blacks legend Sam Whitelock has announced he will retire at the end of the season, finishing his career at French Top 14 side Pau. Whitelock is the most capped player in New Zealand history with 153 caps over 13 years. He played 180 games for the

Adam Teicher, ESPN Staff WriterMar 28, 2024, 03:38 PM Close Covered Chiefs for 20 seasons for Kansas City Star Joined ESPN in 2013 Open Extended Reactions The Kansas City Chiefs have signed European rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit, the team announced Friday, giving them another potential offensive threat. The Chiefs will look at Rees-Zammit at running

Mar 25, 2024, 08:32 PM Open Extended Reactions England scrum-half Danny Care announced his retirement from international rugby on Monday after winning 101 caps, bringing an end to more than 15 years of service for his country. Earlier this month, the 37-year-old became only the sixth player to play 100 times for England when he

Mar 22, 2024, 04:09 PM Open Extended Reactions Georgia, winners of the Rugby Europe Championship, have publicly challenged Six Nations wooden spoon side Wales to a test match as they push for inclusion in the Northern Hemisphere’s top-tier competition. Italy are usually the target when the subject of Six Nations relegation is discussed, but Wales

Mar 22, 2024, 10:48 AM Open Extended Reactions England No. 8 Billy Vunipola is set to sign a two-year deal with French Top 14 side Montpellier which will likely bring an end to his 11-year international career, sources have told ESPN. Vunipola has played 75 Tests for England since making his debut in 2013 and

Tom Hamilton, Senior WriterMar 18, 2024, 12:06 PM Close • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Open Extended Reactions England scrum-half Danny Care will assess his international future over the coming days but has not

Tom Hamilton, Senior WriterMar 18, 2024, 10:07 AM Close • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Open Extended Reactions England had the chance to pip Ireland to the Six Nations trophy on Saturday but Andy