Rugby

12:57 PM GMT The number of teams participating in the women’s Rugby World Cup will be increased from 12 to 16 from the 2025 edition, the sport’s governing body announced on Monday. The decision was taken by the Rugby World Cup Board earlier this year and World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said it was a

11:49 AM GMT France will be without a number of their top players for the Autumn Nations Cup final against England after coach Fabien Galthie confirmed he would not be seeking to change a rule that restricts players from competing in more than three international games. The agreement with the Top 14 means that Galthie

10:15 PM GMT France’s wing Gabin Villiere runs with the ball to score a try during the Autumn Nations Cup Group B international Rugby Union match between France and Italy, at the Stade de France stadium. Photo by ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images A revamped France beat Italy 36-5 at home on Saturday to top Autumn

6:06 PM GMT England did just about enough to subdue a spirited but limited Wales with a 24-13 victory in Llanelli on Saturday to secure top spot in Autumn Nations Cup Group A and set up a probable title decider against France at Twickenham next week. An experimental Wales, who broke a run of six

Nov 27, 2020 ESPN staff with AAP The Wallabies and Pumas have sought advice from some of rugby league’s best, utilizing the services of NRL great Andrew Johns and current NSW Origin star Nathan Cleary respectively on Thursday. Johns is always in demand across the NRL but has also popped up at Wallabies and England

11:11 AM GMT George Ford will start at fly-half for England against Wales in Llanelli on Saturday, with captain Owen Farrell joining Henry Slade in the centre as Eddie Jones’s team seek three wins out of three in the Autumn Nations Cup. Ford returned from an Achilles injury to come off the bench in last

1:09 PM GMT Wales handed a rare start to scrum-half Lloyd Williams and kept flanker James Botham in their lineup as they named their team to face England in the Autumn Nations Cup in Llanelli on Saturday. Alun Wyn Jones is back as captain but Justin Tipuric, who skippered a second-string side against Georgia last

11:24 AM GMT France coach Fabien Galthie has named five debutants in a much-changed XV for their Autumn Nations Cup clash with Italy on Saturday. With a number of players unavailable for selection due to an agreement between the Federation and the Top 14 — players were only available for three fixtures during this series

1:16 PM GMT Fly-half Billy Burns has been handed a first start for Ireland as they take on Georgia in their final Autumn Nations Cup Group A clash in Dublin on Sunday, while uncapped centre Shane Daly has been included on the bench. Burns, 26, has two appearances as a replacement after making his debut

6:20 AM GMT The Pumas will be heavy hearted as they enter their must-win Tri Nations tournament clash with the All Blacks on Saturday night in Newcastle, Australia, following the death Wednesday of Argentine football star Diego Maradona. A lover of all Argentine sports, but particularly the rugby team, Maradona was seen frequently at Pumas

3:58 PM GMT Former France and Stade Francais winger Christophe Dominici has died aged 48, his former rugby club said on Tuesday. “It is with immense sadness that the Stade Français learns of the death of Christophe Dominici,” his former club said in a statement. Dominici won 67 caps for France between 1998 and 2007,

5:00 PM GMT Flanker Jack Willis, winger Anthony Watson and hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie have all been included in Eddie Jones’s extended 25-man squad to face Wales in the Nations Cup on Saturday, but centre Ollie Lawrence will miss the game with a hip injury. Willis made a try-scoring debut against Georgia two weeks ago, but

11:40 AM GMT England head coach Eddie Jones has said he met with Liverpool’s director of research Ian Graham to get some insight into the transitional play of the Premier League champions, and it played a role in Jonny May’s sensational try against Ireland. May’s score helped England to an 18-7 Autumn Nations Cup win

5:31 PM GMT Scotland struggled all game to contain Fiji-born Frenchman Virimi Vakatawa. ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images France centre Virimi Vakatawa muscled over the line to break open an absorbing clash which saw his side beat Scotland 22-15 at Murrayfield on Sunday and top Group B of the Nations Cup. The hosts struggled all game

7:38 PM GMT Teenage winger Louis Rees-Zammit scored a maiden try on his first start as a youthful Wales ended a six-game losing streak with an 18-0 victory over Georgia in the Autumn Nations Cup on Saturday. Rees-Zammit also set up a try for replacement scrum-half Rhys Webb and fly-half Callum Sheedy scored his first

4:54 PM GMT Jonny May scored twice, including one of the all-time great individual Twickenham tries, as a dominant England overwhelmed an inexperienced Ireland 18-7 on Saturday to make it two wins out of two in the Nations Cup. After forward-orientated victories over Italy and Georgia, England’s backs were to fore in the first half

3:02 PM GMT England centre Emily Scarratt scored a penalty in the dying seconds as the world’s top-ranked women’s team battled to a 25-23 victory over France at Twickenham on Saturday in the second of their two November internationals. The Red Roses came into the game having won 10 of their last 11 meetings with

1:58 PM GMT Scotland’s game against Fiji at Murrayfield on Nov. 28 has been cancelled due to a large number of positive coronavirus tests in the Fiji camp, organisers announced on Friday. The news came on the same day Scotland coach Gregor Townsend announced his team to face France on Sunday and is Fiji’s third