Rugby

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

5:59 AM BST New Zealand Rugby [NZR] have confirmed Super Rugby Aotearoa will kick off next month with the first match to take place on Saturday, June 13. The five team, 10-week, round robin competition will include all five New Zealand Super Rugby sides, with two matches to be played each weekend without fans. Players

5:43 AM BST ESPN staff Senior Australian rugby players have pitched an NFL-inspired rugby ‘combine’ to Rugby Australia [RA], in a bid to boost excitement ahead of a proposed domestic competition. Similar to the NFL combine, players would compete in skills tests with the Sydney Morning Herald reporting players would take part in power, skill

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.

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