Rugby News
Prem Rugby: Bath 40-34 Exeter
Hosts made to fight all the way in 11-try thriller
Bath went to the top of the Prem after beating Exeter Chiefs in a pulsating West Country derby at the Rec but they were made to fight all the way in an 11-try thriller.
Exeter trailed 26-10 at the interval but rallied to lead 33-31 midway through the second half before a yellow card for scrum-half Stephen Varney eventually proved decisive.
Continue reading...Club was a ‘shambles’ before takeover by boyhood Wakefield fan Matt Ellis – and on Saturday they face Warrington for the title
Last one out of Wakefield on Saturday, turn off the lights. Some 965 days ago, this story began on a field in Siddal on the outskirts of Halifax with just a few hundred people there to see it: this weekend, one of rugby league’s grand old clubs will be the headline attraction in front of more than 70,000 supporters when Trinity face Warrington in their maiden Super League Grand Final.
It is a rise so rapid it almost defies belief but to understand it you must appreciate where this club were in the food chain even just a few short years ago. It was late 2023 when boyhood Wakefield Trinity fan Matt Ellis completed a takeover of the club; £10m worth of investment later, the results are clear to see on and off the field.
Continue reading...Have you been watching football, chess, cricket, rugby, motor racing, hockey, boxing, table tennis and horse racing?
Continue reading...Northampton star on his tenacious rise to the international ranks – and eating ‘massive cakes’ with Springbok colossus Ox Nché
Some people are destined from day one to play international rugby for England. Others owe their selection to an injury crisis or simply get lucky. And then, in a totally different category, there is Steve Borthwick’s latest new cap, a player whose unlikely journey to the top has required inspirational levels of resilience and fortitude.
To describe the persevering Emmanuel Iyogun’s debut off the bench in Argentina in July as hard earned is to put it mildly. At times the Spain-born son of Nigerian immigrants has had to show immense levels of determination, just as his parents had predicted. “There was always a sense growing up of, ‘You’ll have to work harder than everyone else. You might not get the privileges that some people get initially. So when you get told no or something doesn’t go your way, you just have to keep working. There isn’t any argument about it.’”
Continue reading...England’s identity under Steve Borthwick is not as clear as it should be this close to the tournament
It was not so long ago that the Rugby Football Union would host an annual Christmas bash. Executives, head coaches, assistants, members of staff and an invitation to the press pack. Mince pies and mulled wine, even a touch of merriment if we were lucky. Eddie Jones would sometimes make an appearance, but the mind goes back to one year when he did not.
To give him his due Steve Borthwick, his assistant at the time, did. He would probably rather have been anywhere else, but one of the more clear-eyed RFU employees, who had long-since figured out that the then forwards coach was destined for the top job, did their utmost to involve him. Alas, Borthwick soon had a long-distance train to catch and hours of in-depth analysis on a laptop ahead of him.
Continue reading...Charles played professional sport with cystic fibrosis
Diagnosis ‘just at times quite cruel’
Former Wallaby Nathan Charles, who became the first cystic fibrosis sufferer in the world to play a contact sport professionally, has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).
The 37-year-old, who played four Test matches for Australia, revealed he has been diagnosed with the same disease as retired South Sydney NRL star Jai Arrow.
Continue reading...Wakefield’s progress has brought romance to the Grand Final but Warrington ending their long title drought would be just as stirring
It is a tale of two potential fairytale endings on Saturday evening with a unique twist. A startling statistic has spread across social media since last weekend’s Super League playoff semi-finals: of all the towns and cities across Europe with a population of more than 200,000, it is said that only two do not have a professional football team.
Those two settlements will be front and centre of the rugby league landscape, as Wakefield Trinity and Warrington Wolves go in pursuit of history at Old Trafford. Trinity were in the Championship only two years ago, and hunting a first major trophy since 1968.
Continue reading...There’s no ignoring the holders but what of the hosts, the All Blacks, France and even England? Here’s a rundown of all 24 teams taking part in Australia in 2027
Beaten by Australia last weekend but the manner in which they came back after Rassie Erasmus emptied his bench was emphatic. The series victory over New Zealand was the one they really wanted this year and achieving that, romping from 1-0 down to 3-1 victors, underscores that they are the team to beat in Australia next year.
Continue reading...Former Wallaby Nathan Charles has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
Player of the decade finally wins player of the year
Tamika Upton wins her third NRLW medal
Nathan Cleary has completed rugby league’s boxset of awards after the Penrith star was voted the runaway winner of his first Dally M Medal at the NRL’s gala night.
Unable to attend Wednesday’s awards in Sydney after his horror ankle injury in Penrith’s preliminary-finals loss, Cleary finished 14 points clear of Cronulla half Braydon Trindall.
Continue reading...The former Ireland captain talks about allowing his own feelings, why every coach except Andy Farrell has been ‘a bit mad’, and pain over a ruthless exit from Munster
“It’s a natural human instinct, especially as an athlete, that you don’t want to lose,” Peter O’Mahony says on a quiet evening in Dublin as a new rugby season looms over us. “But at times it got in my way and caused despair. I honestly don’t know where that deep-down hatred came from but it used to derail me at times.”
The former captain of Munster, Ireland and the Lions is settling into his second year of retirement and the taciturn grit and uncompromising commitment which defined his career have been replaced by more complex reflections. O’Mahony is a fascinating character and I ask whether he would have carried the same competitive zeal if he had been a wizard at, for example, chess or mathematics.
Continue reading...Former captain says losses can benefit team next year
Johnson refuses to comment on Henry Pollock hype
Martin Johnson believes England’s most painful defeats under Steve Borthwick can benefit them at the Rugby World Cup in Australia next year.
England endured some disastrous moments during the Six Nations this year, most notably the 42-21 defeat by Ireland at Twickenham, and finished the tournament with a solitary win against Wales. Summer Nations Championship fixtures began with an away defeat by the world champions, South Africa, before victories against Fiji and Argentina.
Continue reading...The Wallabies hold on to beat Springboks after four yellow cards in final 15 minutes in Perth as Les Kiss extends unbeaten streak
“The focus for us is physicality,” puffs Rob Valetini as he makes his way down the tunnel after the warm-up. He also suggested new winger Suaalii would be used as an aerial target.
The individual under the most scrutiny today will be Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. The 23 year old rugby league recruit has been Australia’s poster boy since his high profile code switch in 2024, performing solidly in the centres in 22 internationals without setting the world alight. He lines up on the wing today, with Hunter Paisami partnering John Eales Medal winner Len Ikitau in the midfield.
Continue reading...Newcastle defeat Penrith 22-14 in preliminary final
Phoenix Crossland sent off for hip-drop tackle on Cleary
Newcastle are through to their first grand final in 25 years after holding on to beat Penrith 22-14 with 12 men, after Panthers star Nathan Cleary sufffered an ankle fracture in a hip-drop tackle.
On an afternoon of high drama at Accor Stadium, Newcastle hooker Phoenix Crossland was sent off for the tackle that left Cleary with a compound fracture and dislocation of the ankle late in the first half.
Continue reading...The Wallabies have survived to win the most chaotic Test match in history.