Category: Rugby

Rugby News

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Janse van Rensburg poised to face Fiji as England look to rebound from Boks defeat

  • Uncapped back set for Nations Championship call-up

  • Squad aims to bounce back at Hill Dickinson Stadium

England’s rugby players could be forgiven for wondering which way is up. On Sunday they were in South Africa, next Monday they will be in South America and they are now in sub‑Saharan Surrey preparing to face Fiji in Liverpool this Saturday. Ironically it is warmer in Bagshot this week than it is in Suva, albeit with fewer coral reefs and fresh coconuts.

Regardless of the rotating backdrop, though, there is no ­disguising the lingering disappointment of the 45-21 defeat against the ­Springboks in Johannesburg last weekend. ­Victory at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium would not repair everything overnight but there is widespread ­acceptance within the camp that they need to rebound strongly on Saturday.

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‘Appalled’ Wigan report racial abuse aimed at Nsemba after Magic Weekend

  • England player subject of racial abuse on social media

  • Club issue strong statement condemning incident

Wigan Warriors have reported the racial abuse aimed at Junior Nsemba after Super League’s Magic Weekend to the police with their coach, Matt Peet, calling on the sport to stamp out the treatment to which the 22-year-old was subjected.

The England international was the subject of racist comments on social media in the aftermath of Wigan’s victory over St Helens at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday evening. The Warriors have confirmed the matter has been referred to the relevant authorities and the Rugby Football League, while also issuing a strongly worded statement.

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The Breakdown | Will anyone stop the Springboks completing a Rugby World Cup three-peat?

Door is ajar for Rassie Erasmus’ side to surpass All Blacks when leading sides converge on Australia next year

The best sports teams constantly look to reinvent themselves. Their core principles remain in place but, crucially, they never, ever stand still. To do so is to risk slipping backwards relative to their competitors and arrive at the worst of all possible outcomes: a poorer, less successful version of themselves.

The ultimate example in rugby, until now, has probably been the All Blacks. For decades it was not only about winning the next game, but underlining their position, to quote one of their motivational whiteboard slogans from 2013, as “the most dominant team in the history of the world”. When you are chasing that kind of rarefied target you don’t allow the grass grow beneath your jandals.

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Wallabies were brave and brilliant against Ireland but still miss some key ingredients | Daniel Gallan

If Australia can keep playing with the same amount of ambition, skill and speed they showed in Sydney, they will trouble anyone in the Nations Championship

Did anyone inside the sold-out Allianz Stadium, or watching around the world, really expect Ben Donaldson to slot the game-winning kick at the death? A few minutes earlier, when his team still held a slender five-point lead, he had the ball on a tee a little closer to the poles and a little further away from the right touchline. That effort curled across the face of goal and never threatened to sneak inside the upright.

This one was more of a challenge. Just about the toughest challenge a right-footed kicker can encounter. He struck it better but started it too far to the right without the requisite bend. And as the ball sailed wide, it seemed to carry with it the story of Australia’s afternoon. Brave and brilliant, frenetic and entertaining, but ultimately still missing some crucial ingredients as they went down 31-33.

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Super League’s summer roadshow saves itself with Magic Weekend at Everton

After talk of shelving the concept 80,000 are set to descend on Merseyside this weekend to watch a round of fixtures inside 48 hours

Super League’s big summer roadshow returns for its 20th edition when Magic Weekend breaks both new ground in Liverpool and a whole host of records at Hill Dickinson Stadium likely bringing a sigh of relief that the concept was given a stay of execution.

Some clubs wanted Magic gone from the calendar and replaced with events such as a Nines festival or even replacing it with an on-the-road event for the Challenge Cup quarter-finals. But those critics will be silenced this weekend when more than 80,000 supporters head to Merseyside: 10,000 more than the previous best crowd for Magic a decade ago in Newcastle.

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Jock Campbell returns to Wallabies side to face Ireland after 1,316-day exile

  • Fullback has been in good form ahead of Nations Championship

  • James Slipper out of retirement as replacement loosehead prop

Jock Campbell will start at fullback in his first Test since late ⁠2022 when Australia take on Ireland in their first Nations Championship Test on Saturday.

Campbell ⁠played the last ⁠of his ​four Tests in Australia’s first ever loss to Italy in Florence in 2022, but had an ⁠impressive season in Super Rugby.

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‘I winged it for 17 years and continue to wing it now’: Joe Marler on rugby, retirement and role-play slang

The former England prop talks about his concern for modern players, his style and how he deals with fame

By No Helmets Required

As England prepare for their first match in the Nations Championship against South Africa and The Celebrity Traitors returns to our screens, Joe Marler – recently central to both – joins us for a chat about player welfare, Stephen Fry’s slang and the importance of men looking out for each other.

How much did you plan your exit route from rugby? Did your post-rugby career just fall into place?
“I would say my post-rugby experiences have followed my rugby experiences in the sense that I winged it for 17 years and continue to wing it now. There’s a distinct lack of planning on my behalf. I’m just very fortunate that I’ve got some lovely people around me who are far more intelligent and attentive to detail, and navigate me in the right ways.”

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Qld Maroons recall high flyer Nanai as NSW Blues axe To’o for State of Origin Game 3

  • Coach Billy Slater brings back North Queensland’s Nanai for Game 3

  • To’o and Kotoni Staggs among four NSW players dropped

North Queensland second-rower Jeremiah Nanai has been recalled to the Maroons side while star winger Brian To’o and second-rower Dylan Lucas are among four players dropped by NSW for the State of Origin decider.

Aerial specialist Nanai has been superb in 11 Origin games for the Maroons and is fresh from a stunning two-try man of the match display for the Cowboys in the 26-12 win over Penrith on Saturday.

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Saracens’ George slams Auvaa’s ‘unacceptable behaviour’ in nightclub incident

  • England veteran says Samoan ‘immature – but a good kid’

  • Academy player ‘a rabbit in the headlights in London’

Jamie George has criticised his Saracens teammate Totoa Auvaa’s “unacceptable” behaviour during the nightclub incident that led to the cricketers Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson being dropped by England but insisted he was “a good kid”.

The England international and former captain described the 21-year-old Samoan back-row as “a rabbit in the headlights in London” and said the academy player “doesn’t know right from wrong”.

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It’s north v south in rugby’s big global gamble as Nations Championship begins

For better or worse, the inaugural edition of the inter-hemisphere tournament launches with even more long-haul flights in a drive to attract greater interest

Brave is one word for it. Let’s launch a must-see global rugby tournament in direct opposition to the football World Cup, Wimbledon, the Open and Formula One. Necessitating even more long-haul flights and an enlarged carbon footprint in an era of soaring jet-fuel prices and climate-change concerns. And with some of the world’s most box-office players unavailable. Right-ho.

Welcome, for better or worse, to the inaugural Nations Championship, which kicks off in Christchurch, Tokyo, Sydney, Cardiff, Johannesburg and Córdoba next weekend. Spot the odd ones out, by the way. Yes, contrary to the atlas, Cardiff and Tokyo are now southern hemisphere venues. For various reasons Fiji are “hosting” Wales beside the swaying palms of Tiger Bay while Japan, for the sake of numerical convenience, are in with the traditional southern powerhouses.

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Newcastle Knights player Asu Kepaoa given six-week ban for using homophobic slur

  • Forward pleaded guilty to judiciary for comment in reserve-grade game

  • Former Tigers and Panthers player yet to make NRL debut for third club

Newcastle forward Asu Kepaoa has been hit with a six-match ban for using a homophonic slur in a round-of-16 NSW Cup match.

The 26-year-old fronted the NSWRL judiciary on Wednesday when he pleaded guilty to making the slur in the Knights’ reserve-grade defeat of St George Illawarra last week.

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Marcus Smith vows England will ‘leave it all out there’ against South Africa

  • Squad are due to arrive in Johannesburg on Thursday

  • Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus praises Henry Pollock

Marcus Smith says England are flying south determined to make a fast and furious start to the new Nations Championship at South Africa’s expense next week. A 36-man squad will touch down in Johannesburg on Thursday and Smith says there is a shared desire to rise to the high-altitude challenge of upsetting the world champions in their backyard.

England have been training in oxygen masks in Bagshot to prepare themselves for the Highveld and, with games against Fiji and Argentina to follow, are conscious of the need to make an early impression against the Springboks. “It’s one shot,” said Smith, who has now played 50 Tests for his country. “We’ve spoken about leaving it all out there. It’s a hell of an opportunity. I don’t think England have been there since 2018 so we could create history, going down there to deliver a result.

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