Rugby

11:01 PM BST Beauden Barrett will start at No. 10 in his 100th Test for the All Blacks, the pivot given the honour of selection in the run-on side for his milestone match. The selection means Richie Mo’unga returns to the bench after he started last week’s massive win over the United States, as coach

1:04 PM BST Fly-half Gareth Anscombe will face the land of his birth after returning to the Wales side for the first time in over two years when they face New Zealand in their autumn international test in Cardiff on Saturday. Auckland-born Anscombe has been preferred to Rhys Priestland in the No. 10 jersey as

11:55 PM BST Liam Napier The first northern tour in three years carries multiple objectives for the All Blacks. A return to traditional tours – from a fixture perspective, at least – brings a sense of unknown for all nations after the rugby hemispheres were split by the global pandemic since the 2019 Rugby World

5:31 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

1:24 PM BST Scotland will have two captains and four uncapped players on the field when they kick off their autumn international test against Tonga at Murrayfield on Saturday. Scrum-half Ali Price and loose forward Jamie Ritchie will both captain the team from the start, an experiment from coach Gregor Townsend that is likely to

1:58 PM BST Scotland captain Stuart Hogg has lost five kilograms in a bid to improve his physical and mental health after feeling “drained” following the British & Irish Lions series defeat in South Africa. The 29-year-old will not feature in Saturday’s opening test of the autumn series against Tonga as it falls outside of

12:38 PM BST England fly-half Marcus Smith can unlock any game by himself and will offer the team good balance in their autumn internationals, captain Owen Farrell said on Tuesday. Head coach Eddie Jones left out Leicester fly-half George Ford from his 34-man squad, clearing the way for summer debutant Smith to be given the

2:06 AM BST ESPN staff The inclusion of Samu Kerevi and Sean McMahon for the remainder of the Wallabies’ spring tour appears increasingly unlikely, with the duo reportedly set to miss the U.K. leg of the tour and remain in Japan with club Suntory Sungoliath. A foxsports.com.au report on Tuesday said the duo had not

James Slipper described it as clunky; Dave Rennie said the performance was rusty and frustrating. Yet the Wallabies still made it five straight wins as they defeated Japan 32-23 to get their spring tour off on the right foot on Saturday afternoon. But no one should be reaching for the celebratory sake, particularly when far

7:59 AM BST New Zealand got back to winning ways as they romped to a 104-14 victory over the United States in Washington on Saturday in a lopsided test match in which the Eagles at least secured their first-ever try against the All Blacks. New Zealand, who had not played in the U.S. since 2016,

12:29 PM BST England will bid to host the women’s rugby World Cup in 2025, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said on Friday. England’s Red Roses, the world’s top-ranked women’s team, have twice won the World Cup — in 1994 and 2014. 1 Related They finished runners-up at the last edition in 2017 after losing

10:41 PM BST ESPN staff Richie Mo’unga will make his first run-on start for the All Blacks since Bledisloe II when he pilots an inexperienced but dangerous New Zealand outfit for the Test against the United States in Washington D.C. Mo’unga replaces Beauden Barrett at No. 10, with the Blues playmaker having held the position

7:25 AM BST The Wallabies are taking the diplomatic approach to securing Quade Cooper’s availability for the U.K. leg of their spring tour, after the veteran playmaker was named for his fifth straight Test start in Saturday’s match against Japan. Wallabies coach Dave Rennie on Thursday unveiled a squad without the in-form Samu Kerevi —

10:35 PM BST ESPN staff Wallabies centre Hunter Paisami will make his return to the starting line-up against Japan on Saturday, after tackle-busting star Samu Kerevi was ruled out through an ankle injury. Leaving the Wallabies squad for the birth of his child ahead of Bledisloe III in August, Paisami has frustratingly been unable to

2:11 PM BST The USA has launched its joint bid to host the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027 or 2031, and the women’s Rugby World Cup in 2029. It’s the first time a country has tabled a bid for both of rugby’s premier global tournaments. The details of the bid were unveiled on Wednesday,

2:53 PM BST Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has named 12 uncapped players in his squad for the autumn internationals starting later this month as he casts his net far and wide two years out from the next Rugby World Cup in France. Included in the squad are the South African-born duo of loose forward Dylan

4:21 AM BST Sam Whitelock will take over the New Zealand captaincy for their tour of the United States and Europe, assistant coach John Plumtree told reporters on Tuesday, days ahead of a Test match against the United States. The Saturday clash in Washington, D.C., designed to grow interest in the sport among Americans, marks

12:38 AM BST Liam Napier Bankruptcy, COVID and a World Cup qualifying loss to Uruguay does not conspire to cultivate a healthy launchpad for one of the toughest challenges in world rugby. The All Blacks’ arrival in Washington D.C. this week, ahead of their money-spinning Test at FedEx Field, home of the Washington Football Team