Rugby

3:42 AM BST Super Rugby could be set for yet another structural change and a return to Asia after it was revealed that discussions have taken place around a new tournament that would pit leading Japanese Top League clubs against those from New Zealand and Australia. As the lack of competition from Australia’s five franchises

11:21 PM BST Crusaders coach Scott Robertson laments the undeniable gulf while Michael Cheika says Australian rugby has been “welcomed to first grade” after New Zealand sides again dominated Super Rugby Trans-Tasman. The Queensland Reds’ record 63-28 loss to the Crusaders in Saturday’s battle of the respective Super Rugby champions made it two perfect rounds

7:31 PM BST Toulouse broke fellow French club La Rochelle’s resilience to claim a record-extending fifth Champions Cup title with a 22-17 victory after their opponents played more than half of the game with 14 men at Twickenham on Saturday. Juan Cruz Mallia, standing in at centre for the injured Zack Holmes, scored the decisive

2:50 AM BST LONDON — Montpellier centre Johan Goosen finished off an excellent team try as the French side overcame a forward pounding to edge Leicester Tigers from England 18-17 in the European Challenge Cup final at Twickenham on Friday. Wet conditions ensured the final would be a forward-based tactical battle with the boot, but

6:16 AM BST Rugby Australia has put a “stake in the ground” for the game Down Under as it attempts to put years of factional infighting, poor governance and negative headlines – both on and off the field – behind it by wooing World Rugby executives for the right to host the 2027 Rugby World

2:25 PM BST Former New Zealand international Kieran Crowley has replaced Franco Smith as Italy’s rugby coach, the country’s rugby federation said on Wednesday. A former full-back who was part of the All Blacks’ World Cup-winning squad in 1987, Crowley has spent the last five seasons coaching Italian club Benetton. 1 Related The 59-year-old previously

12:42 PM BST Murrayfield will allow in 16,500 spectators when the British & Irish Lions face Japan on June 26 ahead of their tour to South Africa this year, the Lions said on Wednesday. The move to let fans attend amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was made after consultations with the Scottish government. 1 Related

11:28 AM BST The French rugby federation (FFR) will allow transgender women to play women’s rugby as of next season, going against governing body World Rugby’s guidelines, it said on Monday. Last year, World Rugby said that after months of research, it had “concluded that safety and fairness cannot presently be assured for women competing

10:54 AM BST The 2021 British & Irish Lions schedule has been revised to keep matches either in Johannesburg or Cape Town, with organisers admitting the new-look fixture list has been put together on the basis matches “will take place behind closed doors.” The eight-match schedule sees the tour start in Johannesburg and Pretoria, before

5:10 PM BST Scotland will host Japan in the final match of the autumn series at Murrayfield in November, Scottish Rugby said on Thursday. Japan will pay two visits to Scotland this year as they are due to face the British & Irish Lions at Murrayfield on June 26, as part of the latter’s preparations

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Week 2021, this May, ESPN highlights the stories of athletes, coaches and other sports figures who have experienced personal battles with mental health, and who want to use their platforms to openly discuss what happened next, and what helped them. These stories reflect a broad range of subjects and

6:26 PM BST South Africa will play their first test matches since lifting the World Cup in November 2019 when they host Georgia for two tests in July as a warm-up for the British & Irish Lions series, a major boost to new head coach Jacques Nienaber. South Africa has been hardest hit by the

11:09 AM BST England will play tests against the United States and Canada in July in front of at least 10,000 spectators at Twickenham Stadium, the Rugby Football Union said on Monday. Eddie Jones’ side will host the United States on July 4 and Canada on July 10. Before the two tests, England’s A side

11:00 AM BST England prop Joe Marler has urged the British & Irish Lions to bring a clinical psychiatrist with them when they tour South Africa later this year. The 37-man squad for the tour was announced last Thursday and Marler has advocated that the mental wellbeing of the players has to be a priority

11:13 PM BST The Wallabies and France will meet in three Tests in the space of just 11 days in July, with the teams playing two midweek Tests. The first Test is in Sydney on Wednesday, Jul. 7 at the SCG followed by a Tuesday night Melbourne match at AAMI Park on Jul. 13 and

12:21 PM BST Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones will lead the 2021 British & Irish Lions on their tour of South Africa this summer. Jones, 35, holds the record for the most caps in men’s international rugby, and is regarded as one of the great second rows. The hugely experienced lock will join forces with

2:27 PM BST The strength of a British & Irish Lions squad is judged heavily by the players who failed to make the cut. Warren Gatland said this was the “hardest and most challenging squad” to pick, and when looking at the names missing out on the 37-man party travelling to South Africa this summer,

11:00 AM BST England’s Poppy Cleall has said that the Women’s Six Nations cannot continue to include matches with “professionals v amateurs” and urged the unions to invest more in the game. The Red Roses were the only professional team in the 2021 tournament with finalists France being semi-professionals. A number of Scottish players are