2:34 AM BST ESPN staff Rassie Erasmus has donated his “lucky shirt” as part of South Africa Rugby’s R32-12 campaign that is raising funds to feed people in need during and after the coronavirus pandemic. Erasmus, who guided the Springboks to Rugby World Cup glory in Japan, is donating the shirt and a talk to
Rugby
10:00 AM BST England and Saracens lock George Kruis will play in Japan for the Panasonic Wild Knights next season, the Top League club said on Monday. Welsh centre Hadleigh Parkes will also join Kruis at the club with the pair expected to arrive in Japan in November ahead of the 2021 Top League season,
7:04 PM BST Agustin Pichot has accused Rugby Africa president Khaled Babbou of “betrayal” for his defeat in the World Rugby election. Pichot lost the election to become World Rugby chairman against incumbent Bill Beaumont by a 28-23 margin earlier this month. He later stepped down from his role on the World Rugby Council after
10:00 AM BST Southern hemsiphere rugby body SANZAAR and the Six Nations have entered a consultation process aimed at creating an aligned global rugby calendar “in total transparency with unions, clubs and players”, a joint statement said on Friday. The hope is to have international windows that are aligned between the northern and southern hemisphere,
1:47 AM BST World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit has confirmed he will stay at South African Super Rugby side the Stormers after initially giving notice he would terminate his contract. Players in South Africa had a 21-day window to opt out of their current contracts and become free agents in light
6:45 PM BST Gallagher Premiership Rugby clubs will be unable to resume training for at least another two weeks, according to the Professional Game Board Chair Chris Booy. The league was originally scheduled to restart on April 24 but it has since been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Coronavirus: Postponements and cancellations in
4:30 PM BST South Africa’s World Cup hero Cheslin Kolbe has said he would rather play against the British and Irish Lions next year and forego the chance to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. The winger, whose try in the closing stages of last year’s World Cup final in Japan sealed success against England, will
3:23 AM BST South Africa fullback Warrick Gelant has made the switch from the Bulls to Super Rugby rivals the Stormers, officials confirmed on Wednesday. Gelant, 25, will swap Pretoria for Cape Town, having been signed to fill the gap left by another Springboks fullback, Dillyn Leyds, who has moved to La Rochelle in France.
1:39 AM BST ESPN staff South Africa hooker Malcolm Marx has cancelled his contract with the Lions Super Rugby franchise. The Rugby World Cup winner is one of four players and one coach to leave the Lions after the introduction of the Industry Salary Plan to deal with the repercussions of the coronavirus, under which
2:46 PM BST Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has said fly-half Finn Russell is available for selection again after the pair put their feud behind them. Russell was dropped on the eve of January’s Six Nations opener in Ireland and sat out three subsequent matches after what Scottish Rugby called “a breach of team protocol.” Townsend
7:31 AM BST ESPN staff World Rugby have postponed all July Test matches until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced on Friday. The decision comes after a World Rugby meeting which determined the impact of COVID-19 on the global calendar. Due to the global pandemic and border security measures, World Rugby
7:41 AM BST ESPN staff Rugby Australia have secured $14.2m emergency funding from World Rugby as part of its COVID-19 relief strategy, RA announced on Friday. World Rugby’s emergency relief fund of approximately $160m will be allocated to unions on an application and evaluation basis to mitigate the impact the COVID-19 crisis on the sport.
1:15 PM BST Connor O’Halloran On a bright Thursday afternoon, Ed Jackson wears a thick brace on his left leg as he limps up the staircase of his parents’ home one step at a time. He propels himself up with his right leg, his left dragging behind him until he reaches the top. It’s three
4:31 PM BST Premiership Rugby teams that breach salary cap rules in the future should be stripped of their titles, an independent report has recommended. The review, which was published by the league on Thursday, was carried out by former government minister and member of Britain’s House of Lords Paul Myners on behalf of the
3:21 AM BST ESPN staff England coach Eddie Jones has dived into Rugby Australia’s [RA] current state of issues on Australian podcast The Rugby Ruckus, suggesting RA focus on reviving club rugby to its former glory and avoid imitating other nation’s structures. Currently based in Japan, Jones has been keeping a close eye on the
11:08 AM BST Agustin Pichot has resigned from his role on the World Rugby Council and as president of Americas Rugby after his defeat by Bill Beaumont in the recent election for the post of the global body’s chairman, the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR) has said. Pichot, who won 71 caps for Argentina, served as
11:58 PM BST Scoring a try by grounding the ball against the post protector will no longer be possible after the World Rugby Council approved an amendment of the scoring law, rugby union’s governing body said in a statement on Tuesday. World Rugby said that with defending players currently obliged to stay behind the goal-line
12:38 AM BST ESPN staff One of the worst kept secrets in Australian rugby has been confirmed, with French club Racing 92 announcing the signing of Wallabies veteran Kurtley Beale on a two-year deal. Rumours that Beale would move overseas have been circling since last year’s Rugby World Cup, but the Paris-based outfit at last