Rugby

1:25 PM BST DUBLIN, Ireland — Expect to hear the word “runway” a lot over the next decade in and around rugby corridors. That’s the crux of why World Rugby announced the hosts of the next five Rugby World Cups on Thursday — to give the sport enough time to plan their next global gatherings

9:33 PM BST Organisers of the men’s 2031 Rugby World Cup are considering proposals to expand the tournament to 24 teams and bring in an additional knockout stage. The United States is expected to be confirmed as host of the men’s 2031 World Cup on Thursday — alongside the 2033 women’s Rugby World Cup —

10:32 AM BST An off night with the boot from Lori Cramer and some impatient play has cost the Wallaroos in a reality-check 12-10 Test loss to Japan. Fullback Cramer missed both conversions and then a straightforward penalty kick with two minutes to play that would have won the sloppy Tuesday night contest on the

4:19 AM BST AAP with ESPN staff Melbourne Rebels centre Ray Nu’u is set to miss the remainder of the Super Rugby Pacific season after receiving a four-week suspension — his second ban of the competition. The 24-year-old was sent off in the final minute of the Rebels’ win over Moana Pasifika for a high

1:09 AM BST Wallabies coach Dave Rennie says Fraser McReight will get his Test chances this year as he continues to push skipper Michael Hooper for a starting jersey. Flanker McReight has been a standout in Queensland’s Super Rugby Pacific campaign to mount a strong case for his first Test start, with the three-match England

11:08 AM BST Bethan Clargo After six enthralling weeks, the 2022 Women’s Six Nations came to a fitting close on Saturday with England storming to a fourth consecutive title. The Red Roses lifted the trophy in Bayonne after beating France in an animated Grand Slam decider, putting an end to what many considered a revolutionary

May 1, 2022 Round 11, 2022. Mark it down on your calendar as the weekend when Super Rugby Pacific put down the most delicate of roots. After only two wins from 25 trans-Tasman games last year, it has taken Australian teams only eight days to eclipse that mark in 2022 with four more weeks of

4:29 AM BST It may well prove to be the weekend when Super Rugby Pacific truly found its feet. Six enthralling contests, five of which where the margin was just four points or less, were played across the weekend, while the historic first game on home soil for the Fijian Drua won’t be forgotten anytime

9:25 PM BST The Wallabies will play their first mid-week Test in 28 years, attempting to wrest back the Bledisloe Cup from the All Blacks on a Thursday night in Melbourne. The trans-Tasman rivals will meet on September 15 at Marvel Stadium with the embattled code avoiding a clash with AFL and NRL finals. The

4:27 PM BST England secured a fourth Six Nations Grand Slam in six years as they beat France 24-12 in Bayonne on Saturday. The victory makes it four consecutive Six Nations titles for the Red Roses, who have demonstrated their dominance by only conceding four tries in this year’s competition. France gave England their toughest

2:51 AM BST Spain were disqualified from the World Cup because three members of Alcobendas Rugby Club falsified a copy of an ineligible player’s passport, the Spanish Rugby Federation’s (FER) board of directors told a news conference on Friday. Spain secured a World Cup berth for the first time since 1999 after finishing second in

3:21 PM BST Spain have been disqualified from next year’s Rugby World Cup in France after fielding an ineligible player in two matches of the 2021-22 Rugby Europe Championship, the Spanish federation and World Rugby announced on Thursday. Spain’s disqualification means Romania will now qualify automatically and Portugal will go into a playoff for the

6:26 AM BST Former Wallabies fly-half Bernard Foley says playing in Japan helped him “fall back in love with rugby again” after a difficult 2019 Test season, suggesting the ambitious League One clubs should not be viewed as entirely evil through what are right now extremely concerned Australian rugby eyes. With Japanese clubs circling Australian

3:14 PM BST Reigning Women’s Six Nations champions England will be without captain Sarah Hunter for this weekend’s Grand Slam decider against France due to a rib injury, the Rugby Football Union (FRU) said on Tuesday. Hunter was injured in Sunday’s dominant 69-0 victory over Ireland but will travel to France and support the squad

1:44 AM BST New Zealand will kick off their international season against Ireland at Eden Park on July 2 before meeting the Six Nations runners-up at Dunedin and Wellington in the three-Test series. The All Blacks have won 46 consecutive matches at Eden Park since their last loss at the Auckland venue in 1994, and

10:05 AM BST Lindsay du Plessis Pedrie Wannenburg was a Bulls legend, winning three Super Rugby titles and five Currie Cups with the Pretoria side. He was the first Bulls player to reach 100 caps for the franchise. Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty Images Former Springboks flanker Pedrie Wannenburg was killed during a high-speed car chase in Texas

3:10 PM BST England continued their winning run in the Women’s Six Nations with a convincing 69-0 win over Ireland on Sunday in front of a record crowd. Lark Davies, Lydia Thompson, Poppy Cleall and Ellie Kildunne bagged two tries each while Sarah Bern, Marlie Packer and Hannah Botterman also crossed the line for England.

10:12 AM BST Former Springbok loose forward Pedrie Wannenburg has been killed in a car accident in Texas, his former South African franchise the Bulls said on Saturday. Wannenburg, 41, played 20 times for the Boks and was close to being selected for the World Cup-winning squad in France in 2007. He also turned out