Rugby

6:43 AM BST Liam Napier Appreciate what you’ve got before it’s gone is a notion that hangs large over the resumption of the All Blacks’ season this week. There is every chance, at this point, that the opening two Bledisloe Cup Tests in Auckland could be the last time the All Blacks play at home

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

8:12 PM BST South Africa’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus have been called to a misconduct hearing after his hour-long video critique of the match officials following the first test loss to the British & Irish Lions, World Rugby said on Monday. The global governing body has expressed concern that “individuals from both teams have

7:50 PM BST British & Irish Lions prop Kyle Sinckler has been cited for an alleged biting incident in the second test defeat to South Africa on Saturday, on the same day full-back Stuart Hogg denied he had been involved in a similar incident. “British and Irish Lions player Kyle Sinckler will attend an independent

5:26 PM BST Duane Vermeulen has rejoined the South Africa squad ahead of a decisive third test against the British & Irish Lions in Cape Town next Saturday, but will undergo a fitness test on a troublesome ankle injury before he is cleared to play. The 2019 World Cup winner is a key part of

11:51 AM BST British & Irish Lions fullback Stuart Hogg has denied he bit rival Willie le Roux on the arm during Saturday’s 27-9 defeat to South Africa after accusations surfaced on social media following the match. A scuffle involving most of the players on the pitch took place in an ill-tempered first half, leading

7:19 PM BST South Africa’s backs Makazole Mapimpi and Lukhanyo Am scored second half tries as the Springboks beat the British & Irish Lions 27-9 to win Saturday’s second test at the Cape Town Stadium and level the series. Handre Pollard added five penalties and a conversion for a 17-point contribution while the Lions’ points

6:29 PM BST South Africa assistant Mzwandile Stick accused British & Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland of “destroying the dignity of the series” following his reported fury at the appointment of Marius Jonker as Television Match Official (TMO) for the first test. South Africa’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has been under fire for an

10:25 AM BST Rugby Australia has criticised what it termed the abuse of referee Nic Berry by South Africa’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus following the first test between the Springboks and British & Irish Lions in Cape Town. Erasmus used 26 clips in an hour-long video critique of the match officials’ performance in Saturday’s

1:24 PM BST South Africa’s director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus, posted an hour-long video on Twitter on Thursday airing his grievances over the refereeing in the first test of the British & Irish Lions tour, before saying he would “step away” for the last two tests. The Boks and Lions have each repeatedly voiced their

4:12 AM BST Fiji defeated New Zealand 27-12 to claim the gold medal in the Olympic Rugby Sevens at the Tokyo Stadium on Wednesday, retaining the title they won in Rio de Janeiro five years ago. Argentina earned the bronze medal with a 17-12 victory over Britain, sparking wild scenes of celebration from the South

2:19 PM BST South Africa have picked two new front-rowers and made another change in the pack for the second Test against the British & Irish Lions as the Springboks look for more forward power for Saturday’s clash at the Cape Town Stadium. An injury to Ox Nche sees Steven Kitshoff come in at tighthead,

12:15 PM BST Britain fought back superbly from 21 points down to beat the United States 26-21 on Tuesday and seal a semi-final meeting with New Zealand in the Olympic Rugby Sevens at the Tokyo Stadium. Six-man Argentina overcame an early red card to shock South Africa 19-14 and will face defending champions Fiji in

2:19 PM BST South Africa have picked two new front rowers and made another change in the pack for the second test against the British & Irish Lions as the Springboks look for more forward power for Saturday’s clash at the Cape Town Stadium. An injury to Ox Nche sees Steven Kitshoff comes in at

10:10 AM BST British & Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland has made three changes to the side that beat the Springboks in the opening test. Conor Murray and Mako Vunipola have been named to start after impressing off the bench last week. Chris Harris has also been brought into the starting XV for the

5:17 AM BST New Zealand said on Tuesday that the Wallabies have been granted an exemption to enter the country to play next month’s Bledisloe Cup. Travel between Australia and New Zealand was suspended last week following the worsening of a coronavirus outbreak in Australia, putting the Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship in doubt. The

10:55 AM BST Australia will play Olympic champions in a daunting men’s rugby sevens quarter-final task after the Samu Kerevi-inspired side showed vast improvement in a 14-12 loss to New Zealand. The result left Australia third in their pool, scraping into medal contention as one of two lucky losers in Tokyo thanks to a face-saving

1:03 PM BST British & Irish Lions assistant coach Steve Tandy believes if South Africa’s Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus has any complaints about rough play from the tourists he should direct them through the appropriate channels and not social media. Erasmus has retweeted a video from Saturday’s first test which he says shows Springbok