All Blacks withstand scrum onslaught then tear South Africa apart to take a 1-0 series lead in Johannesburg.
Here come the All Blacks!
Led by Ardie Savea.
Continue reading...Jordan double stuns South Africa as New Zealand clinch statement victory
First Test: South Africa 16-33 New Zealand
All Blacks score five tries against world champions
As first courses go, this was a delicious appetiser to a series that looks on course to live up to its billing. First blood goes to New Zealand, who withstood a barrage of South Africa scrum pressure and demonstrated a slickness that the double world champions could not live with, clinching a first win at Ellis Park since 2022.
By the end, South Africa had two men in the sin-bin and, given their status as the world’s leading side, this must goe down as a disintegration. There will be a backlash – it is hard to remember a time when South Africa were so inaccurate with the ball in hand – but credit New Zealand for producing a masterclass at weathering the storm and taking their chances.
Continue reading...Smoke and mirrors fill the vacuum as Springboks and All Blacks brace for battle
South Africa welcome New Zealand for their Greatest Rivalry series with the suspicion that they plan on beating the tourists at their own game
The problem with Test weeks is that they can feel long. Cricketers can play for days on end, footballers every few nights but rugby players step on to the international stage for just 80 minutes per week. The result is a drawn-out vacuum in the buildup and if it’s not a “war of words” unfolding, it tends to be head coaches ramming home their points to the referee.
We lap it up, of course we do as we wait for Saturday to come, and though the pre-match sparring between South Africa and New Zealand is tedious to some, it is all part of the fun to others. This week in Johannesburg has been lively without crossing the line into poisonous. Suffice it to say that the referee Matt Carley is in for one hell of an afternoon in Saturday’s series opener at Ellis Park but the very fact that both Rassie Erasmus and Dave Rennie have stepped on to the offensive demonstrates the magnitude of the coming four-Test series. It promises to be a barn-burner.
Continue reading...Rugby brain injury case brought back from brink of collapse after high court ruling
Governing bodies had asked for ruling to end cases
Judge says claimants ‘blameless’ for missing documents
The legal action over brain injuries in rugby has been brought back from the brink of collapse after the high court ruled to give a reprieve to hundreds of claimants who had been struck out from the case.
More than 500 claimants had breached a court order by failing to disclose necessary neurological testing information to the defendants. The players’ representative, Susan Rodway KC, had said they were “staring into the precipice” at the most recent hearing, but the judge, Senior Master Cook, has now decided, with “some hesitation”, to allow all the affected claims to continue.
Continue reading...Lisa Nandy urges deal to keep Rugby League World Cup on free-to-air TV
Premier Sports secure rights with BBC not bidding
Nandy: ‘As a fan myself, I share fans’ disappointment’
The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has urged administrators to strike a deal to allow this autumn’s Rugby League World Cup to be shown on a free-to-air broadcast after it was announced the event would be shown in the United Kingdom exclusively on subscription TV.
The BBC’s longstanding relationship with the sport has led to it consistently showing the Rugby League World Cup irrespective of where and when the tournament has been held. But that tradition will seemingly end this autumn, after it was confirmed the broadcaster would not bid for the rights to show the event, which will be held in Australia.
Continue reading...Former Wallabies coach’s new role revealed in big NRL twist
Michael Cheika is set to return to rugby union following reports he’ll be announced as the new coach of the NSW Waratahs this week.
Australia 56-17 Japan: rugby union international – as it happened
The Wallabies kicked clear to make it two-from-two against the Brave Blossoms with a commanding victory in Townsville
The low key atmosphere isn’t helped by two of the less upbeat national anthems and the sky becoming blanketed in cloud. Hopefully the players can spark the occasion into life.
And here come the two sides out into the Townsville afternoon. It’s all a bit muted in a stadium far from full.
Continue reading...Fairytale try for Wallaby No.1000 as Aussies demolish Japan in stunning second-half surge
The Wallabies have completed a 2-0 series sweep over Japan, producing a devastating second-half performance to run away with a 56-17 victory in Townsville.
Running dry: drought-hit UK sporting venues and parched pitches – in pictures
With the UK experiencing the driest summer on record, we look at how the weather is affecting the pitches and courses across the country
Continue reading...Billy Slater steps down as Maroons coach: ‘One of the most rewarding things I’ve done’
Queensland boss quits after winning three of five State of Origin series
Smith, Ballin, Thurston and Te’o touted as possible replacements
Billy Slater has made the shock decision to stand down as Queensland State of Origin coach, bowing out after five years in the role.
Maroons officials confirmed on Friday afternoon they were on the look out for a replacement, after Slater decided not to continue.
Continue reading...Empty seats and faded aura show how Springboks outgrew the All Blacks | Daniel Gallan
Back-to-back world champions can use Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry to establish themselves as one of the greatest teams of all time
South Africans are supposed to care about the All Blacks more than this. On Tuesday night 14,759 people dotted the 52,000-seat Kings Park Stadium to watch New Zealand dismantle the Sharks 54-0. Durban was cold and soaked, with snow falling elsewhere in KwaZulu-Natal, but even allowing for the weather it made for an awkward advertisement for a grand new project.
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry – the eight-match tour by New Zealand, culminating in four Tests, including one in the US – is an attempt to turn more than a century of history into a modern commercial property. The unions have formed a 50-50 venture, sharing commercial income, while taking the final Test to Baltimore is expected to generate $4m-$6m more than another game in South Africa. Both unions need the money and professional sport is supposed to generate revenue. But a rivalry cannot live on branding alone.
Continue reading...Lawrence and Daly lose England central contracts as Borthwick looks to World Cup
Duo are notable omissions from England’s 25-man list
Alex Coles and Asher Opoku-Fordjour both included
Ollie Lawrence and Elliot Daly have both lost their central contracts, with Steve Borthwick omitting the pair from his 25-man squad a year before England’s World Cup campaign begins.
Neither Lawrence nor Daly – who was nursing an arm injury – featured in the three Nations Championship matches this summer but both played during the Six Nations and are the standout exclusions from Borthwick’s selections which point towards his thinking for the World Cup squad next year.
Continue reading...All Blacks great Ma’a Nonu performs solo haka against New Zealand in South Africa tour match
Nonu on Sharks bench after signing for South African side last week
‘I thought it was the right thing to do,’ says 104-cap former All Black
South African rugby teams love facing the haka. None have ever replied to New Zealand’s traditional pre-match challenge with another haka until Tuesday.
Ma’a Nonu stepped in front of his new Sharks teammates and performed a solo haka in what will probably be the lasting memory of a tour match the New Zealanders won 54-0 in soggy Durban.
Continue reading...St Helens’ decline reaches breaking point with stench of failure lingering
Record 10-time Super League champions are poised to miss out on playoffs for the first time but their problems run deeper than poor results
Perhaps the biggest concern as the full-time hooter sounded on another miserable evening for St Helens on Thursday was that the anger, along with thousands of supporters, had long since disappeared and had been replaced with a sense of apathy.
No club have been as consistent a force in the history of Super League quite like Saints. Wigan were almost relegated 20 years ago, Leeds have finished in the bottom half on multiple occasions and the other two champions, Bradford and Hull KR, have spent extended spells outside of Super League. And that is why this is such a story.
Continue reading...‘Very dangerous’: New Wallabies coach’s winning start despite ‘ugly’ red card
Australia got new coach Les Kiss off to a winning start on Saturday with a nail-biting 35-32 victory over Japan that was full of twists and turns in sweltering Osaka.