Rugby

6:02 AM BST ESPN staff Wallabies legend Matt Giteau has denied any reports he has signed with Los Angeles-based Major League Rugby team LA Giltinis. Speaking on the Tight Five podcast, Giteau dismissed reports from The Sydney Morning Herald that he was the latest high profile rugby player eyeing a move to the U.S. league.

1:18 AM BST Super Rugby Aotearoa Round 3 saw wins for the Blues and the Crusaders, though the scorelines may have been a little closer than many had predicted. Both matches went down to the wire, with the Highlanders and Chiefs each having the chance to steal victories on the road inside the final few

6:12 PM BST Former Scotland international Josh Strauss has left the Super Rugby Bulls after a salary cut caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and amid an overhaul of the squad by new coach Jake White. The 33-year-old loose forward, who was in Scotland’s squad at the 2015 World Cup, spent just six months at the

11:25 AM BST The Champions Cup and Challenge Cup knockout stages, which were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, will take place in September with the respective finals on Oct. 16 and 17, European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) announced on Thursday. The quarterfinals of both competitions will be played on the weekend of Sept. 18-20

9:41 AM BST The Rugby World Cup held in Japan last year was the most economically successful World Cup to date, attracting some 242,000 international visitors and adding £2.3 billion to the country’s GDP, a report said on Wednesday. It was also “the biggest single-sport event ever held in Japan,” said the report, which was

12:28 PM BST Rugby Football Union (RFU) chief executive Bill Sweeney said he will no longer sing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” but acknowledged it would be difficult for the RFU to ban it. Last week, the RFU announced they would review the song’s use. A spokesperson said: “The Swing Low, Sweet Chariot song has long

12:36 PM BST Leicester Tigers have signed back Harry Potter from Super Rugby side Melbourne Rebels, the club announced on Wednesday. Potter, who can play in the midfield and outside-back, was born in the United Kingdom before moving to Australia as a child. The 22-year-old signed his first professional contract with the Rebels last year

10:07 AM BST The financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic could prompt more players to leave English rugby behind and seek contracts in less physically demanding leagues overseas, former England captain Chris Robshaw has said. The 34-year-old is set to leave Harlequins after 16 years at the club and will head to San Diego Legion

Jun 21, 2020 The NSW Waratahs have confirmed they have released Kurtley Beale from his contract effective immediately after reports surfaced he had requested an early release on Sunday. It was announced in May the utility back would not be returning to the Sydney-based franchise in 2021 after he signed a contract in France with

12:55 AM BST Former NFL punter Marquette King has perhaps not received the response he intended when tweeting that he’d dominate if he ever took to the rugby field. Tweeting on Saturday afternoon “If I played rugby I would dominate easily”, King was quickly brought back down to earth by former and current international rugby

3:37 AM BST Wallabies coach Dave Rennie says there are no guarantees Michael Hooper will be retained as captain, saying the selectors will first pick their team before settling on a leader. Speaking as part of a Zoom call ahead of his arrival in Australia next month, Rennie also admitted to disappointment over the departures

1:57 AM BST Australia utility back Kurtley Beale has requested an early release from his New South Wales Waratahs contract and will not play Super Rugby Australia, according to a media report on Sunday. The 31-year-old Beale said last month he had signed a contract in France with Racing 92 from next season. The Sydney

12:08 AM BST LONDON — The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is conducting a review into the singing of ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ by England fans, as many are unaware of the song’s links with American slavery, the domestic governing body said on Thursday. The anthem, believed to have been written by a slave in the

1:28 PM BST The PRO14 has targeted a return date of Aug. 22 with a series of local derbies as part of a shortened 2019-20 season that will shed six rounds of group play, organisers said on Thursday. The competition, which features club sides from Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and South Africa, has been cut

8:28 AM BST ESPN Staff with Reuters Brumbies forwards coach Laurie Fisher says the two-time Super Rugby champions have no interest in merging with Melbourne Rebels, as mixed reports circulate about the long-term security of Australia’s four professional franchises. Rugby Australia has since moved to quell speculation of a potential merger between the Brumbies and

1:11 AM BST ESPN staff Former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has rebuffed claims from Michael O’Connor about the team’s selection process and that there was a “disturbing” lack of training execution during last year’s failed Rugby World Cup campaign. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday, O’Connor said Cheika had dominated team

1:15 PM BST Former England captain Chris Robshaw has signed a two-year deal with Major League Rugby (MLR) side San Diego Legion. The 33-year-old announced in February that he would leave Harlequins after 16 years at the club and was strongly linked to a move overseas with MLR a likely destination. And now after finishing

1:27 AM BST ESPN staff Outgoing Wallabies selector Michael O’Connor has lifted the lid on Australia’s failed Rugby World Cup campaign, revealing how Michael Cheika’s virtual autocracy and a “secret” game plan never sat well with a playing group that made countless errors at training. O’Connor is no longer employed by Rugby Australia, his role