Rugby

1:27 PM GMT EDINBURGH — When the Calcutta Cup match kicks off on Saturday, one of Scotland’s two best players, Finn Russell, will be sat watching in Paris. He’s not injured. Gregor Townsend, historically Scotland’s greatest ever fly-half and current coach, will select Adam Hastings for their Test against England. Hastings is no mean replacement,

5:10 PM GMT James Harrington The first week of the 2020 Six Nations went mostly to plan. Wales duly dispatched Italy at the Principality, and got their anticipated bonus point, too; the Azzuris’ interim coach Franco Smith won’t be impressed that his side were shutout in the tournament opener. Ireland’s win over a Finn Russell-less

1:15 PM GMT Scotland have made one change to their starting lineup for Saturday’s Six Nations clash with England at Murrayfield, with Magnus Bradbury coming in at back-row after recovering from a thigh injury. Nick Haining, who made his debut in place of Bradbury in last weekend’s defeat by Ireland, has dropped to the bench.

10:55 AM GMT England head coach Eddie Jones has made five changes to the starting lineup to face Scotland in the Six Nations on Saturday, with Ben Youngs dropped to the bench. Gloucester’s Willi Heinz will replace Youngs at scrum-half with Lewis Ludlam, Mako Vunipola, George Kruis and Jonathan Joseph all set to start. –

8:10 AM GMT England flanker Lewis Ludlam expects Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Scotland to be a “war” and says the hostile atmosphere at Murrayfield will bring out the best in him. England are aiming to avenge a 25-13 defeat by the Scots at the same venue two years ago when tempers flared following the

3:26 PM GMT Rugby’s Super League has said it accepts that Australian Israel Folau has been legally registered as Catalan Dragons player but says it has taken steps to be able to intervene in controversial signings. Former rugby union player Folau had his contract with Rugby Australia torn up in May for posting a meme

1:44 PM GMT England and Bath winger Anthony Watson will not be fit for his side’s Calcutta Cup match against Scotland on Saturday, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) announced on Wednesday. Watson suffered a calf injury before England’s opening game at the weekend and played no part in the side’s 24-17 defeat to France. –

2:32 PM GMT Ireland coach Andy Farrell has made two changes to the starting lineup for their second Six Nations game against champions Wales on Saturday, with Robbie Henshaw and Peter O’Mahony named as injury replacements. Henshaw replaces injured centre Garry Ringrose, who was ruled out of Ireland’s next two matches against Wales and England

12:54 PM GMT England and Leicester Tigers centre Manu Tuilagi has been ruled out of his side’s second Six Nations match against Scotland on Saturday with a groin strain, head coach Eddie Jones has announced. Tuilagi picked up the injury in England’s 24-17 defeat to France in Paris last weekend and will play no part

2:46 PM GMT Scotland and Racing 92 fly-half Finn Russell has been left out of Gregor Townsend’s 37-man squad to face England in the Calcutta Cup at Murrayfield on Saturday, Scottish Rugby have announced. Russell, 27, was axed by Scotland ahead of their Six Nations opener against Ireland on Saturday for disciplinary reasons after he

11:21 AM GMT Ireland centre Garry Ringrose has been ruled out of his side’s next two Six Nations fixtures against Wales and England with a finger injury. Ringrose suffered a broken finger in Ireland’s 19-12 victory over Scotland in their Championship opener on Saturday. – ESPN Fantasy Rugby is back! Click here to pick your

11:52 AM GMT Former England captain Chris Robshaw will leave Harlequins at the end of the season after 16 years at the club, the forward announced on Monday. The 33-year-old, who has been linked to a move overseas, was left out of England’s 2019 World Cup squad and earned the last of his 66 caps

Feb 3, 2020 Stormers and Springboks captain Siya Kolisi could miss the next six weeks of Super Rugby action due to a knee injury, according to the Cape Town side’s coach. John Dobson told the media that Kolisi, who suffered an off-the-ball tackle by Hurricanes hooker Ricky Riccitelli in their opening match of the season

8:30 AM GMT James Harrington That was quite a weekend of Six Nations rugby. You may have had two — or even all three — results pegged before kick-off, as Wales and Ireland did what was expected… But surely no one could have foreseen the French revolution that downed England, even with all those exciting

5:01 PM GMT PARIS – England coach Eddie Jones warned that his side’s Six Nations match against Paris was going to be a brutal game. And he was right. But it was France handing out the brutality in the first 60 minutes as they dispatched England and started off their campaign with a performance of

5:01 PM GMT A rejuvenated France held off England to start their Six Nations with a bang in a 24-17 victory at the Stade de France on Sunday and give new coach Fabien Galthie a confidence-boosting debut. A year after squandering a 16-0 halftime lead in a 24-19 loss to Wales in Paris, Les Bleus,

6:42 PM GMT Ireland handed Andy Farrell an unconvincing victory in his first game in charge on Saturday as they struggled to put another poor World Cup behind them with a 19-12 win over Scotland on their return to the home comforts of the Six Nations. Ireland, winners of three of the last six Six

5:38 PM GMT France winger Damian Penaud has been ruled out of Sunday’s Six Nations clash against England with a calf injury, France rugby have announced. Penaud picked up the injury during the captain’s run on Saturday and has been replaced in the starting XV by Vincent Rattez for the game at the Stade de