12:14 PM BST England international Billy Vunipola was among five Saracens players who have apologised for violating the country’s lockdown rules during the coronavirus pandemic, the English Premiership club said on Thursday. Vunipola and teammates Alex Goode, Sean Maitland, Nick Isiekwe and Josh Ibuanokpe were pictured meeting for coffee in St. Albans, Hertfordshire on Monday.
Rugby
4:00 AM BST Rugby in New Zealand is one step closer to returning with the government giving New Zealand Rugby [NZR] and professional netball the green light to resume when the nation’s restrictions ease to COVID-19 alert level two. The New Zealand government made the announcement on Thursday with the national cabinet to make a
1:41 PM BST The cancellation of this year’s November internationals and the 2021 Six Nations due to coronavirus restrictions would have a “catastrophic impact” on the Rugby Football Union’s (RFU) finances, chief executive Bill Sweeney said on Tuesday. Sweeney told UK government’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee that the RFU’s finances were in “pretty
9:40 AM BST ESPN staff Veteran flanker Sam Cane has been announced as the All Blacks’ new captain, after Kieran Read departed the role following last year’s Rugby World Cup. Coach Ian Foster made the announcement on Sky Sport’s The Breakdown on Tuesday night. Cane, 28, made his Test debut back in 2012 and was
2:16 AM BST ESPN staff Re-elected World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont is confident he can create a Nations Championship at the second attempt, suggesting two straight months of Test rugby at the end of the year could be the answer. Beaumont was announced as the winner of the Council election on Saturday [BST], the incumbent
11:15 AM BST Kathleen McNamee Wales coach Wayne Pivac has said the time is right for the northern and southern hemispheres to look at synching their rugby calendars and to create a “level playing field” for teams. The European calendar runs from September to June while teams in the southern hemisphere start their season in
3:38 PM BST Bill Beaumont has been re-elected as World Rugby chairman for another four years, the governing body announced on Saturday. Beaumont, 68, defeated former Argentina captain Agustin Pichot by 28 votes to 23 to secure a second consecutive term. “I am honoured to accept the mandate of the World Rugby Council to serve
3:42 AM BST ESPN staff Former All Blacks coach remains Steve Hansen remains upset about the decision that cost his side a potentially series-winning penalty against the British & Irish Lions in 2017. The series locked at 1-1 game apiece, the two sides met at a packed Eden Park in Auckland for the decider. With
3:27 AM BST ESPN staff Bulls players have added storytelling to their skillsets in a bid to help children affected by the coronavirus lockdown in South Africa. The players, who are currently unable to train or play after the Super Rugby competition was shutdown by the coronavirus pandemic, are sharing video clips in which they
12:47 PM BST The French Top 14 rugby league organisers (LNR) and club presidents have reached an agreement to abandon the season, the LNR said on Thursday. French prime minister Edouard Philippe said on Tuesday that the 2019-20 season of sport would not be able to resume, although the government’s measures to contain the spread
3:25 AM BST New Zealand Rugby (NZR) faces a 70 percent decline in revenue in 2020 amid a global shutdown of sport due to the coronavirus, officials said on Thursday. NZR Chief Financial Officer Nicki Nicol said in a video conference the coronavirus had affected all areas of the game in New Zealand. “At NZ
12:34 AM BST ESPN staff Incoming Wallabies coach Dave Rennie remains committed to the job despite the resignation of now former chief executive Raelene Castle. Rennie confirmed he will travel to Australia to begin his Wallabies tenure later this year, and that he remains in dialogue with Rugby Australia officials about exactly when that might
10:22 AM BST England prop Ellis Genge has called for a new, more independent players’ union amid dissatisfaction among fellow professionals about how pay cuts have been handled by clubs and rugby authorities during the coronavirus pandemic. Genge said the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA), founded in 1998, is reluctant to “bite the hand that feeds”
3:27 AM BST Quadriplegic former professional rugby player Ed Jackson has scaled the height of Mount Everest by hauling himself up and down the stairs of his parents’ house and raised more than 41,000 pounds ($US50,647.30) for charity. It took Jackson four days to climb 5,566 flights of stairs with 89,058 steps on one working
5:51 PM BST Agustin Pichot will stand against incumbent Bill Beaumont for the top job in World Rugby. The former Argentina international is determined to introduce change into the game and make it a more global sport. The election results will be announced on May 12. Pichot spoke to ESPN’s Tom Hamilton to discuss his
2:40 PM BST Rohan Janse van Rensburg has been handed a two-week suspension and fined £32,500 after signing playing contracts with two Premiership clubs, Gloucester Rugby and Sale Sharks, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said on Friday. Sale have also been handed a suspended five-point deduction for illegally approaching the centre and fined £20,000. Van
10:33 AM BST Sam Bruce Close ESPN Associate Editor Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPNscrum after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Tom Hamilton Close Senior
9:37 AM BST Rugby has jokingly asked for a second oval on the NRL’s “Fantasy Island” as they plan for a potential July return – more than a month later than their rugby league counterparts. Rugby Australia boss Raelene Castle has flagged a July or August kick-off for a domestic Super Rugby alternative and hopes