Rugby News
Semi-final: Canterbury Bulldogs 26-46 Penrith Panthers
Dominant win sounds alarm for next opponent Brisbane
Penrith have sounded the alarm in their pursuit of a fifth straight premiership, destroying Canterbury 46-26 and setting up a preliminary final against Brisbane.
The Panthers produced one of the most dominant 40 minutes of football of their dynasty, blowing Canterbury out of the water with a record-breaking 36-8 first half.
Continue reading...Semi-final: Raiders 12-32 Sharks
Win sets up showdown with the Storm in Melbourne
Nicho Hynes spent the week pondering why Cronulla are not given more respect, then helped the Sharks take their biggest step to earn it in the Craig Fitzgibbon era. For the first time since their finest hour – the 2016 premiership season – the Sharks won consecutive finals games by ending the NRL season of Canberra, the minor premiers, with a stunning 32-12 victory on Saturday.
Cronulla had won one of their past nine finals matches before this year and were assumed once again to be making up the numbers as they finished fifth. The bookmakers had them the seventhout of eight to win the premiership before the finals began, despite a good run of form heading into the business end.
Continue reading...Rugby league all-time great wants to return Super League action to the capital – and bring NRL stars along for the ride
The latest chapter in the London Broncos story came to a low-key end on Sunday afternoon with a Championship victory in Widnes, but if the men now tasked with reviving one of rugby league’s most turbulent clubs have their way, there will be no more days that sombre again.
It is to the immense credit of a handful of individuals that professional rugby league is still alive in London at all. Last winter, when the club’s longstanding owner, David Hughes, announced he was stepping away, it was left to the figures such as the head coach, Mike Eccles, to get them through a winter of huge discontent, with finances almost at breaking point.
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Continue reading...Flyhalf included despite flying to England to join new club Leicester
Coach Joe Schmidt’s preferred scrumhalf Jake Gordon returns
James O’Connor has been retained in Australia’s squad for back-to-back Rugby Championship Tests against New Zealand despite flying to England on Monday to join his new club Leicester.
O’Connor’s inclusion denies Western Force playmaker Ben Donaldson a recall following his recovery from a thigh injury, with coach Joe Schmidt opting for Tom Lynagh and Tane Edmed as his other flyhalf options in the 34-man squad named on Thursday.
Continue reading...‘If I can be trusted in the midfield then I’ll go for it’
Freeman enjoyed a stunning 2024-25 campaign
England’s reigning player of the year, Tommy Freeman, has revealed he sees his future at outside-centre and intends to continue his transformation into midfield in the coming season.
A winger by trade, Freeman enjoyed a stunning 2024-25 campaign, racking up 23 tries for Northampton, England and the British & Irish Lions. Freeman scored a memorable hat-trick in the Champions Cup semi-final win over Leinster, having become the first England men’s player to score in every round of the Six Nations.
Continue reading...South Africa and New Zealand’s selfish decision to go it alone will lead to competition hiatus and looks foolish
Enjoy it while it lasts. The current edition of the Rugby Championship has been captivating, the most open in living memory and with two rounds remaining all four nations are firmly in contention for the title. Last weekend witnessed another thriller between Australia and Argentina – the Pumas edging home 28-26 – while the Springboks produced their most dominant display since the 2023 World Cup with a record victory against the All Blacks.
There had been suggestions that South Africa were beginning to decline after a plateau since their triumph in Paris but Saturday’s performance was some riposte. Australia were agonisingly close to another successful comeback at the soldout Allianz Stadium, meanwhile, and there remains a good deal of optimism around the Wallabies. Not least because they sit top of the table and believe they can get their hands back on the Bledisloe Cup in the coming weeks after New Zealand won it back in 2003 and never let it go.
Continue reading...Steve Borthwick’s new attack coach believes he has time to create a winning culture before the World Cup in 2027
To say England have been through a few attack coaches in recent times is an understatement. The latest cab off the rank, Lee Blackett, is the 11th individual to take on the role in nine years but it may just be that the national team have found the ideal catalyst to enhance their chances at the next Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027.
Blackett, 42, auditioned successfully for the job in the summer tour of Argentina and the US, where England scored 13 tries in three Tests, and he has emerged as the big winner in Steve Borthwick’s latest cabinet reshuffle with Richard Wigglesworth switching to defence and Joe El-Abd helping out with the forwards.
Continue reading...Brisbane defeat Canberra 29-28 to secure home preliminary
Reece Walsh goes from sin bin to leading unlikely comeback
Brisbane are within one win of the NRL grand final, after Ben Hunt slotted a 93rd-minute field goal to kick the Broncos to an epic 29-28 qualifying final victory over Canberra.
On a day of utter madness at GIO Stadium, Reece Walsh was sin-binned for a head-butt before engineering one of the most unlikely finals comebacks in memory.
Continue reading...South Africa thump New Zealand 43-10 in Wellington
Tourists score 36 unanswered points in second half
The All Blacks suffered their heaviest-ever Test defeat as South Africa beat New Zealand 43-10 in Wellington to revive their Rugby Championship campaign.
Cheslin Kolbe scored a try in each half and Damian Willemse, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman and André Esterhuizen also touched down at the end of ambitious and clinical attacks as South Africa ran in six tries to one.
Continue reading...Cronulla hold off Sydney for 20-10 elimination final victory
Penrith defeat NZ Warriors 24-8 to set up semi-final with Bulldogs
Cronulla have proven they are no finals pushovers, ending the Sydney Roosters’ season with a classic 20-10 win in their sudden-death clash at Shark Park.
Often derided for their poor finals record, Cronulla overcome an early deficit and then hung on late to claim victory in a Saturday night bellringer.
Continue reading...Australia outscore Argentina four tries to one
After turning out last week top to toe in navy blue, Argentina revert to their traditional albiceleste (white and sky blue).
It is one of my favourite uniforms in international sport, and here’s why. The colours are beautiful, soft, and complementary. Le Coq Sportif is uber cool and carries association with shaggy haired French soccer players of the 1980s. The golden Puma is unfussy. The sponsor is top-tier and occupies the correct amount of real estate. My only criticism is the absence of a collar, recent iterations of this jersey were elevated further by a crisp white fold.
Continue reading...Melbourne Storm 26-18 Canterbury Bulldogs
Visitors hampered by early loss of Stephen Crichton
Melbourne have earned a week off after locking down a preliminary final with a 26-18 victory over a gallant Canterbury, who played much of the match without injured skipper Stephen Crichton.
The top-four teams opened the NRL finals series at AAMI Park on Friday night, with the home side edging the Bulldogs, who were hunting their first play-off victory in 10 years.
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Continue reading...Leeds 8-16 Catalans Dragons
Rhinos face possibility of trailing in fifth
Leeds Rhinos’ hopes of a top-two finish before the Super League playoffs are now all-but over: and they could yet finish as low as fifth after delivering a worryingly under-par performance to suffer a shock defeat against Catalans Dragons.
Brad Arthur’s side have been magnificent for most of this season but this was arguably the nadir. Had they won here against a Catalans side with nothing to play for, they knew victory away at second-placed Wigan last week could have ensured second spot, and guaranteed a bye through the opening round of the playoffs.
However, should results now fall as expected elsewhere in the final two rounds, it is likely the Rhinos will finish fifth – meaning the prospect of being away in the first week of the playoffs and likely then have an away trip to the league leaders, Hull KR, just to reach the Grand Final.
The opening 40 minutes was incredibly low on quality from the hosts, and did little to suggest they are primed and ready for the playoffs. Leeds were, in ruth, woeful and far below the standards they have set under Arthur this season. It was therefore no surprise when they fell behind as Ugo Tison spotted a gap in the Leeds ruck to cross from dummy-half.
It was a moment that summed up Leeds’ play to that point; laboured and significantly off the pace. Their attempts to provide a response to falling 6-0 behind were panicked and it was evident they were missing the composure and guile of Jake Connor. Leeds would trail further by half-time, after Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet’s penalty nudged Catalans eight points ahead.
It was a scoreline that didn’t flatter the Dragons, who had defended courageously and taken their one real moment of promise in attack. You expected the Rhinos would respond after half-time, but they continued to labour without much effect whatsoever.
Aispuro-Bichet then added a second penalty to make it 10-0 and not even a run of four consecutive penalties Leeds’ way, plus the sin-binning of Romain Navarrete, could aid them in finding an immediate opening. However, they ultimately did capitalise on some pressure when Brodie Croft’s clever kick found Ryan Hall unmarked in the corner.
But with six minutes left, a crucial error from Leeds’ full-back, Lachie Miller, allowed Navarrete to mark his return to the field with the try that secured victory for the Dragons. Croft’s late try briefly threatened a comeback: but Miller missed a straightforward conversion to leave the gap at eight and ensure Catalans secured a rare away victory.