Category: Rugby

Rugby News

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Australia 21-18 Fiji: international rugby union Test – as it happened

Wallabies survive scare from surging Fiji at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle

Out stride the two teams, side by side, accompanied by mascots. The visitors are wearing white jerseys and black shorts, the hosts are wearing their First Nations jersey, which is predominately gold, with green accents to match the green shorts.

Angus Fontaine puts it all into context for the Wallabies.

Adventurous attack. Bone-rattling defence. Mistakes punished and opportunities seized. Get in the enemy’s faces and bring the crowd into the contest from the get-go. A ragtag NSW Waratahs gave Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies a bold blueprint for how to dismantle the British & Irish Lions in the first Test on 19 July.

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Queensland captain Cameron Munster plans to play in State of Origin decider after father’s death

  • Munster given time to grieve with his family after death of his father

  • But he still plans to lead Maroons in Origin III to honour his dad

The death of Cameron Munster’s father Steven has come as devastating news just days out from the State of Origin series decider.

The Queensland captain, in a brave decision to honour his dad, plans to still lead the Maroons on Wednesday night after taking time away to grieve with his family.

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All Blacks hold off depleted France in thriller and Wales slump again in Japan

  • Wales capitulate to their 18th successive Test defeat

  • Scotland beat Māori All Blacks; Georgia 5-34 Ireland

Will Jordan scored a try in each half and Beauden Barrett kicked to perfection as New Zealand overcame three cancelled tries to claim a nervous 31-27 win over France in the series-opener in Dunedin.

Fielding only three players from the Six Nations title-deciding win over Scotland, the depleted France side gave Scott Robertson’s team a huge scare in an entertaining match at a sold-out Forsyth-Barr stadium. However, a late Barrett penalty proved enough for the All Blacks to hold on, ending a three-match losing streak against Les Bleus.

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David Porecki returns to Wallabies team to face Fiji after 643-day international absence

  • Hooker to partner James Slipper and Allan Alaalatoa in front row

  • Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii returns after recovering from broken jaw

The Wallabies have opted for experience in their front row to face Fiji this weekend, with former captain David Porecki called back into the team, 643 days since he last pulled on a gold jersey.

Porecki, 32, was named on Friday in the starting XV for Sunday’s Test in Newcastle, alongside all-time cap record holder James Slipper and 80-Test tighthead Allan Alaalatoa, in a forward pack missing big guns Will Skelton and Rob Valetini, who both have calf injuries.

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Would more foreign players enhance Super League or impede youngsters?

Super League clubs are expected to increase the foreign quota from seven to 10 players next season. Should they?

Saturday night’s cracker between Castleford and Wigan at Wheldon Road was typical of Super League’s multicultural nature. The bulk of the away team’s points were scored by Australians; a Samoa international from Christchurch was the home side’s main creator; and a player born in Sydney with Maltese heritage was among the game’s outstanding performers. Castleford, with five overseas players, were narrowly beaten 26-20 by Wigan, who had four imports in their side.

Given that both teams are allowed seven overseas players, it seems strange that Super League clubs may vote next month to increase next season’s quota from seven players not trained in the European Federation to 10. Some clubs are already offering contracts based on the assumption that things will change.

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Josh Papalii gets shock Queensland recall with NSW unchanged for State of Origin decider

  • Veteran prop comes out of Maroons retirement for Game 3

  • Blues camp back Brian To’o to recover from injury to play in Sydney

Canberra veteran Josh Papalii has been ushered out of State of Origin retirement to give Queensland’s forward pack fire and brimstone in this year’s decider, while NSW coach Laurie Daley has named an unchanged 17.

Papalii called time on his Origin career ahead of the 2023 series but will be named at starting prop when Billy Slater unveils his 17 for Origin III on Monday. The 33-year-old prop has been instrumental in the first-placed Raiders’ charge up the ladder this year and will add extra vigour to Queensland’s pack come 9 July in Sydney.

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Salford thrashed but hope for brighter days as financial situation improves

Red Devils lose 58-0 against St Helens but a winding-up petition was adjourned and they have received a £3m bridging loan

The start of a brighter future, or merely another false dawn? Only in the weeks to come will we know just what the latest developments off the field surrounding Salford Red Devils mean but on it these remain troubling and frustrating times.

The irony cannot have been lost on any Salford fan who was inside the Totally Wicked Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Four months ago, they began their season at the same venue amid huge controversy, after the Red Devils chose to field their academy side and lost 82-0 in protest against the salary-cap restrictions placed upon them by the Rugby Football League.

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Super League could expand to 14 teams in 2026 but crucial vote awaits

  • High-ranking figure suggests deal ‘as good as done’

  • Scepticism from elite clubs about financial impact

Super League could expand to 14 teams as early as next year if a strategic review led by the Rugby Football League’s interim chair, Nigel Wood, can convince the existing 12 teams that expansion is financially viable for 2026.

Wood, the governing body’s former chief executive who was brought back earlier this year after clubs decided he should lead a review that would scrutinise all aspects of the professional game in the United Kingdom.

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Spear and loathing: 20 years since tackle on Brian O’Driscoll that changed rugby

Mealamu and Umaga’s slam-dunking of the Lions captain was typical of the game’s wild west years but it proved a watershed – and the hurt still lingers

Brian O’Driscoll is sick of talking about it. Tana Umaga says anyone still asking needs to put it behind them. But here we are, 20 years to the day since the tackle that ties them together – and people do still want to talk about it.

That moment – in the first minute of the first Test of the Lions series against New Zealand – still pops up on TikTok and YouTube feeds, still sparks arguments on Reddit threads, still leads hour-long podcasts when players reminisce about how they saw it. And it still inspires articles like this one, long after the men involved have made up and moved on.

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Immanuel Feyi-Waboso picked for England tour despite two-match ban

  • Wing shown red card in defeat by France

  • England play three Tests in Argentina and US

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has been included in England’s squad for the summer tour of Argentina and the US despite a suspension that rules him out of two of the three fixtures.

Feyi-Waboso was sent off after 33 minutes of his first appearance in six months during an England XV’s 26-24 defeat by France at Twickenham on Saturday. He endured a torrid comeback, twice dropping the ball before he was sent to the sin-bin for his clothesline tackle on the French fly-half Antoine Hastoy, his yellow card subsequently upgraded to red.

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Ian McLauchlan, Scotland and British & Irish Lions ‘Mighty Mouse’, dies at 83

  • ‘Mighty Mouse’ led his country 19 times, winning 43 caps

  • Part of successful Lions tours in 1971 and 1974

The former Scotland and British & Irish Lions prop Ian McLauchlan has died at the age of 83. The Ayrshire-born McLauchlan, who was known throughout the rugby world as Mighty Mouse, won 43 caps for Scotland between 1969 and 1979, captaining the side 19 times.

McLauchlan’s legacy was cemented on the victorious Lions tours of New Zealand and South Africa in 1971 and 1974, being one of only five players to feature in all eight Test matches.

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Crusaders pile more misery on Chiefs to win 13th Super Rugby title

  • Crusaders win 16-12 for 32 straight play-off victories in Christchurch

  • Chiefs were minor premiers but lose third consecutive decider

The Crusaders are again the kings of Super Rugby Pacific after consigning the Chiefs to a third-straight loss in the title decider.

Playing in Christchurch, the Crusaders claimed a 32nd successive play-off home match victory over three decades of Super Rugby as they downed the Chiefs 16-12 in Saturday’s final.

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Impressive St Helens sink Leeds to relieve pressure on Wellens

  • St Helens 18-4 Leeds

  • Cross, Dagnall and Sailor run in tries for Saints

St Helens potentially breathed new life into their season and quietened some of the noise surrounding their inconsistency with a victory over Leeds Rhinos that could easily represent a watershed moment for the remainder of 2025.

Paul Wellens’ side have been some distance from the standards many expect from the most successful team in Super League history, with the Saints some way adrift of the leading pack at the halfway stage of the season. They were expected to fall short here too against a Leeds side that once again look like title contenders.

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