Rugby

9:19 PM GMT Improved Ireland added to Wales’ miserable 2020 on Friday with a 32-9 win in the opening game of the new Autumn Nations Cup that has replaced the usual mix of northern versus southern hemisphere clashes derailed by COVID-19. Ireland’s scrum exerted its dominance early on with Andrew Porter giving a crumpling Rhys

12:39 PM GMT The Autumn Nations Cup game between France and Fiji on Sunday is likely to be cancelled following a string of positive coronavirus cases within the Fiji team, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Friday. The source, who declined to be named because they are not allowed to discuss

3:00 PM GMT Leicester Tigers have parted company with director of rugby Geordan Murphy after a disappointing 2019-20 season, the Gallagher Premiership club said on Friday, bringing an end to his 23-year association with the club. Murphy spent 16 seasons at Leicester as a player, making more than 300 appearances, before becoming the team’s head

11:00 AM GMT Jack Willis will make his Test debut against Georgia on Saturday at Twickenham in England’s opening match of the Autumn Nations Cup. Wasps flanker Willis, 23, enjoyed a remarkable 2019-20 campaign where he was named both RPA Player of the Year and Gallagher Premiership Player of the Season. Elsewhere in the side

3:37 AM GMT Wallabies coach Dave Rennie says he’d welcome further discussions into the use of a red card replacement law, but stressed he had no gripes with the send-off decisions handed down in Bledisloe IV. The red cards issued to All Blacks prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Wallabies debutant Lachie Swinton in Brisbane last Saturday

1:07 PM GMT Wales made a single change to their team for Friday’s start of the new Autumn Nations Cup away against Ireland despite losing their last five matches. Justin Tipuric returns to the starting line-up after recovering from tonsillitis and features alongside Shane Lewis-Hughes and Taulupe Faletau in the loose trio. “Friday night is

1:47 PM GMT Duncan Weir will make his first start for Scotland at fly-half since 2016 as one of four changes to the side to take on Italy in their Autumn Nations Cup clash in Florence on Saturday. Weir makes a return to the No. 10 jersey after injuries ruled our regulars Finn Russell and

2:13 PM GMT Leinster’s James Lowe will make his Ireland debut against Wales in the Autumn Nations Cup on Friday. Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images New Zealand-born wing James Lowe will make his much anticipated Ireland debut in Friday’s Autumn Nations Cup opener against Wales as Andy Farrell’s men look to bounce back from

11:17 AM GMT The European qualification tournament for the women’s World Cup next year has been indefinitely postponed due to coronavirus travel restrictions, World Rugby announced on Tuesday. The event was due to be contested by Ireland, Italy, Scotland and the winner of the postponed Rugby Europe Women’s Championship next month, with the victors qualifying

9:55 AM GMT There is nothing like a rugby Test, in almost clean sporting air in Australia, to ignite the casual fans’ disenchantment with the sport – particularly when it comes to the game’s high tackle laws. Saturday night’s Bledisloe Cup thriller in Brisbane won’t go down as one of the great trans-Tasman contests, after

7:00 AM GMT Winger Tom Wright had to bide his time for a test debut under new Wallabies coach Dave Rennie but needed only two minutes to make an impression in Saturday’s win over the All Blacks. The 23-year-old ACT Brumbies man had visualised his first involvement in the days leading up to the 24-22

7:00 AM GMT All Blacks coach Ian Foster has urged his team to play “smarter”, claiming they were “provoked” into losing their discipline by a niggly Wallabies side during the tight loss in Brisbane. Foster tasted a bitter first defeat as head coach of the All Blacks after his reshuffled side fell 24-22 in Saturday’s

12:51 AM GMT All Blacks captain Sam Cane admits a repeat of Saturday’s 14-a-side Bledisloe Cup Test might be hard to avoid given the frenetic nature of Test rugby. Debutant Wallabies flanker Lachie Swinton and All Blacks forward Ofa Tu’ungafasi both received first-half red cards for high shots. Tu’ungafasi’s hit on Tom Wright brought pats

1:14 PM GMT Joe Marler and Elliot Daly have rejoined England’s squad for the Autumn Nations Cup after recovering from injury, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said on Saturday. Scrum-half Alex Mitchell has also been named in the 36-man squad for England’s opening test against Georgia at Twickenham Stadium on Nov. 14, but Jack Singleton

4:07 PM GMT Scrum-half Antoine Dupont was voted the Six Nations Player of the Championship on Friday, becoming the first Frenchman to pick up the award in the history of the competition. Dupont recorded one try and four assists as his blistering runs in the open field threatened defences throughout the competition. 1 Related The

1:06 PM GMT Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Steve Phillips has said talks have taken place about the possibility of rescheduling the 2021 Six Nations amid uncertainty over whether COVID-19 restrictions will be eased in time to allow the return of fans to stadiums. This year’s competition was only completed on Oct. 31 behind closed

11:23 AM GMT Finn Russell made his return to the Scotland squad for their impressive win over Wales in the Six Nations. Photo by GEOFF CADDICK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Scotland flyhalves Finn Russell and Adam Hastings will miss their upcoming Autumn Nations Cup games due to injury, head coach Gregor Townsend told the BBC. Russell limped

8:51 AM GMT New Zealand loose forward Akira Ioane was on the brink of walking away from professional rugby last year until his father, former Samoa international Eddie, gave him a metaphorical “boot up the bum” and asked him if he would rather work a 9-5 job. “I came to, and said ‘no’,” said Ioane,