Rugby

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

12:46 AM BST Melbourne Rebels Chief Executive Baden Stephenson is “extremely confident” they will feature in whatever competition emerges from the remains of Super Rugby amid criticism that their sub-par performances and crowd numbers do not merit inclusion. The broader Super Rugby season, which also featured teams from New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Japan,

1:42 AM BST Super Rugby Aotearoa produced two further thrilling encounters over the weekend as the Hurricanes and Highlanders took down the Blues and Chiefs, respectively. Both matches were decided in the shadows of fulltime, albeit after contrasting storylines. The Hurricanes and Blues had engaged in an intriguing battle for 70 minutes before the thrilling

1:24 PM BST England coach Eddie Jones has called on rugby union’s lawmakers to implement measures to speed up the game and increase fatigue, including reducing the number of permitted replacements in matches from eight to six. Jones said lengthy television reviews and debates with referees have provided players with extended breaks and prevented them

4:38 AM BST A neck injury to Otere Black is expected to see Beauden Barrett return to his preferred fly-half position next week, which should give him a chance to recoup lost ground to Richie Mo’unga in the battle for the All Blacks No. 10 jersey. Barrett has been playing fullback for the Blues in

4:44 AM BST ESPN staff New Zealand Rugby hopes to set up a new competition involving “eight to ten” teams after it unveiled the major findings of its Aratipu review on Friday, with the establishment of a Pacific Island outfit a key objective. NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson said the board had ratified a

10:22 AM BST Maro Itoje has become the latest England international to commit his future to Saracens despite the team’s relegation to the Championship, the club announced on Friday. Saracens drop into the second tier at the end of the campaign after being relegated for breaching salary cap rules. Despite being relegated, several England internationals

1:39 AM BST It’s the debate generating passionate responses on both sides of the Tasman. But as to what shape Super Rugby could take next season, neither New Zealand or Australian stakeholders are united in their views. What is almost universally agreed is that the planned 2021 14-team round robin competition, comprising five teams from