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Continue reading...South Africa’s Eben Etzebeth handed 12-match ban for eye-gouging against Wales
Lock sent off in Cardiff during Springboks’ 73-0 win
Suspension covers matches until end of March
South Africa’s Eben Etzebeth has been suspended for 12 matches for eye-gouging against Wales last weekend.
The suspension covers matches for the Durban-based Sharks starting from this weekend to the end of March. The Sharks deregistered Etzebeth this week in anticipation of a lengthy ban.
Continue reading...Maro Itoje eyes World Cup glory after England dodge big guns in 2027 draw
England ‘welcome whatever comes’ says bullish captain
Wales’ Tandy ‘unbelievably excited’ by England clash
Maro Itoje has set his sights on Rugby World Cup glory in Australia in 2027 after England were handed a favourable potential path through the tournament when the draw was made in Sydney on Wednesday.
Steve Borthwick’s side, who have risen to third in the world rankings after an 11-match winning streak, emerged on the other side of the draw from the reigning world champions South Africa, three-times winners New Zealand and France.
Continue reading...Favourable 2027 Rugby World Cup draw provides few potholes for England | Robert Kitson
Signs are encouraging for an improving squad to invoke the glory of 2003 with rivals facing trickier routes in Australia
As the Ashes have reminded us, it never pays to get too excited in advance about winning in Australia. But once the draw for the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup had concluded and the various knockout permutations had been crunched there was a strong whiff of deja vu in the Sydney air. A World Cup in Australia and a decent draw for England? What could possibly go wrong?
The organisers had already stoked the narrative nicely by wheeling out Jonny Wilkinson in the promotional tournament video, essentially a mashup of Mad Max and Wacky Races roaring across a dusty outback. When every Australian wakes up on Thursday to discover it is 666 days until the 2027 edition kicks off, the nagging fear of nightmarish history repeating itself will further intensify.
Continue reading...Wheelchair rugby league is booming in England – they even won the Ashes
England’s 2-0 series win in the Ashes was the perfect preparation for the World Cup in Australia next year
England did win the Ashes last month. The wheelchair team’s 2-0 series victory in Australia went under the radar in the UK. With games played in the early hours and not screened on mainstream TV, the team missed out on the adulation that came their way when they won the World Cup in Manchester three years ago. “The forgotten Ashes? That’s sad if it’s true,” says the coach, Tom Coyd. “The NRL showed great engagement and we did loads of media there, but we were in a bubble and pretty disconnected from back home.”
England will return to Australia next year to defend their world title. The favourites will be expected to beat Wales, USA and Ireland in their group before facing the second and third best teams in the world – France and Australia – in the knockout stages of the tournament in Wollongong. The Ashes series taught Coyd vital lessons about how to manage his troops on the road.
Continue reading...Hosts Australia to face New Zealand in Rugby World Cup pool as England draw Wales
Champions South Africa face Italy, Georgia and Romania
Ireland and Scotland in pool with Uruguay and Portugal
The host nation Australia will face their traditional rivals New Zealand at the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027 after the draw was made in Sydney on Wednesday.
The Wallabies, hosting a second men’s tournament, were guaranteed to face a top-ranked nation in Pool A due to a current world ranking of seventh, and the renewal of their fierce rivalry with the All Blacks is perhaps the most appetising possible outcome from the draw.
The potential for a “Bledisloe Cup” opening match to kick off the global showpiece, on 1 October 2027 in Perth, will be a hugely attractive prospect for fans. Chile, playing at a second Rugby World Cup after their debut in France in 2023, and debutants Hong Kong are also in Pool A.
England, who won the men’s tournament in Australia 22 years ago, have been pitted against their Six Nations rivals Wales, with Tonga and Zimbabwe the other sides in Pool F. Wales famously defeated England at their home tournament a decade ago before a second loss, to Australia, consigned the hosts to an early exit.
Wallabies book home Rugby World Cup blockbuster with All Blacks as England lies in wait
The Wallabies will face the All Blacks in the pool stage of a Men’s Rugby World Cup for the first time, in a potential blockbuster opener to the 2027 tournament in Australia.
Eben Etzebeth to appear at hearing after red card for alleged eye-gouging
Mid-range offence could see eight-week ban
Apology after match will be considered
Eben Etzebeth is expected to appear at a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday after his red card for alleged eye-gouging in the dominant victory against Wales on Saturday, with the Springboks lock potentially facing a long ban. The verdict is likely to be announced on Wednesday.
As South Africa closed in on a record 73-0 victory in Cardiff, Etzebeth clashed with the Welsh back-rower Alex Mann, appearing to make contact with his opponent’s left eye in a fracas involving several players from both sides.
Continue reading...Prem Rugby roundup: Bristol punish Todaro red to end unbeaten start for Northampton
First-minute red card for challenge costs Saints dearly
Gloucester off mark with victory against Harlequins
Northampton’s unbeaten start to the season came to a shuddering halt as they were blown away 46-12 by impressive Bristol at Ashton Gate. Saints lost Edoardo Todaro to a first-minute red card and it was downhill all the way after that as Bristol ran in six tries.
Scrum-half Kieran Marmion scored two and Tom Jordan, Kalaveti Ravouvou, Aidan Boshoff and Luka Ivanishvili also crossed, with Sam Worsley kicking five conversions and two penalties. JJ van der Mescht and Tom Litchfield scored Northampton’s tries, one of which Fin Smith converted.
Continue reading...Wales 0-73 South Africa: Autumn Nations Series rugby union – as it happened
The Springboks delivered their autumn clean sweep of Europe with a record defeat of Wales in Cardiff
6 mins. It’s taken six minutes, but the first scrum penalty is awarded against Wales after the Boks drop the hammer and shove the Welsh pack back to Bridgend, splintering it along the way.
4 mins. Two passes are all that’s needed from the Boks to get Moodie running outside Mee on the blindside . The SA winger then completely airswipes his attempt to kick the ball forward to start a foot race with the retreating defence which cues some laughs from the crowd. Gotta take your fun where you can find it at Wales games these days…
Continue reading...Northampton coach Phil Dowson: ‘I tried working for a bank – it was tough’
Saints’ director of rugby on being converted to coaching, his ‘bromance’ with Sam Vesty and why Henry Pollock is smarter than he seems
Northampton is not the most exotic destination on the planet, but there is plenty of romance and adventure in its rugby union team.
In a town famous for boot‑making you might expect kicking, as frequently and as far as possible, to be the Saints’ modus operandi. But under the director of rugby, Phil Dowson, the team in green, black and gold prefer to keep ball in hand. Despite representing a quintessentially English town, they display a panache synonymous with the greatest French exponents of champagne rugby.
Continue reading...Sports quiz of the week: Ashes defeats, Arsenal goals and Deaflympics medals
Have you been following the big stories in cricket, football, rugby union, athletics and motor sport?
Continue reading...Tuilagi could face England with Samoa while Marchant return is boon for Borthwick
Tuilagi free to switch allegiances for 2027 World Cup
Marchant available for England after signing for Sale
Manu Tuilagi has refused to rule out playing for Samoa at the 2027 Rugby World Cup, leaving open the possibility of him facing Steve Borthwick’s England in Australia.
The 34-year-old, who spearheaded the Red Rose midfield for more than a decade, would qualify for the Pacific Island nation in 2027 under eligibility rules introduced four years ago.
Continue reading...Rugby Australia’s confident call on ‘world’s best coach’ after crushing 67-year low
Rugby Australia threw its support behind embattled Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, saying it had “absolute confidence” in the New Zealander despite leading the team to a record 10 defeats in a calendar year.
England have no plans to reward Borthwick with new deal despite winning run
Head coach’s current deal runs until 2027
RFU annual report shows net loss of £1.9m
The Rugby Football Union has no plans to begin talks with Steve Borthwick over extending his contract beyond 2027 “for the foreseeable future” despite England’s 11-match winning streak and autumn clean sweep.
Borthwick’s contract runs until the end of 2027 but with England halfway through the current World Cup cycle and currently third in the world rankings, the RFU chief executive, Bill Sweeney, has no immediate intention of discussing an extension in a sea change from the union’s previous approach.
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