Category: Rugby

Rugby News

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NRL announces $62.3m surplus as rugby league stakes ‘indisputable’ claim to be No 1 sport

  • Record revenue, crowds and viewing figures announced at AGM
  • Game ‘never been stronger’ financially, says Peter V’landys

The NRL has lauded the 2024 season as the most lucrative and successful in rugby league’s 117-year history in Australia.

Boasting record revenue, crowds and viewing figures, the NRL says rugby league is now the most popular sport in Australia and the Pacific.

Attendances – total: $4.79m - up 3.8%

TV viewership – total: $200.5m - up 8.6%

Participation – total: $1.03m - up 20.6%

Asset value – total: $322.4m - up 24%

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Sherratt urges players to be brave against Ireland

Head coach Matt Sherratt has made his first team selection as Wales head home for the first time in the 2025 Guinness Six Nations. Wales face Ireland at 2.15pm this Saturday at a sold-out Principality Stadium in the third round of this year’s Championship. “My mindset coming in [to this role] was just to make […]

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Feyi-Waboso injury fallout hits England preparations for Scotland clash

  • Wing has reinjured shoulder and could be out for season
  • Injury leads to questioning of RFU’s contract system

England’s Calcutta Cup preparations have been tainted by the fallout from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s shoulder injury, which raises questions over the Rugby Football Union’s new central contracting system.

Feyi-Waboso reinjured his shoulder at England’s training base on Wednesday after suffering a dislocation on Exeter duty on 21 December, with the Chiefs confirming he will be sidelined for up to 14 weeks. He is unlikely to play again this season and, as he will be out of action when Andy Farrell names his British & Irish Lions squad, Feyi-Waboso’s chances of touring Australia are hanging by a thread.

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Wales XV confirmed for sold-out Ireland match at Principality Stadium

Senior men’s head coach Matt Sherratt has named the Wales team to play Ireland in the third round of the 2025 Guinness Six Nations at a sold-out Principality Stadium, Cardiff on Saturday 22 February (KO 14.15h GMT, live on BBC and S4C). Ellis Mee is named on the wing for his first cap and will […]

The post Wales XV confirmed for sold-out Ireland match at Principality Stadium appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

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Finn Russell fit to face England but Scotland decide against risking Graham

  • Co-captain recovers from injury for Six Nations clash
  • ‘Every brain injury is different,’ says Gregor Townsend

Scotland will have the one player they could not afford to lose for their Calcutta Cup match against England, after their medical team confirmed that Finn Russell has recovered from his concussion in good time to play for them tomorrow.

Russell suffered the injury in the first half of their game against Ireland in the previous round, when he collided with Darcy Graham, but he was found to be symptom-free 24 hours later, and has since completed a 12-day return-to-play protocol before recommencing full contact training while the team were away in camp in Spain this week.

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Mee to make Wales bow against Ireland as both teams ring Six Nations changes

  • Scarlets gets nod under interim Wales coach Sherratt
  • Sheehan to captain Ireland in absence of Doris

The Scarlets back Ellis Mee will make his Test debut when Wales begin life after Warren Gatland against the Six Nations title favourites Ireland on Saturday, while Dan Sheehan has been named captain of Simon Easterby’s much-changed visiting team in Cardiff.

The Nottingham-born wing Mee, whose mother is from Newport, is among eight personnel changes made by the interim head coach, Matt Sherratt, following Wales’s 22-15 loss to Italy.

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Surgery ends Feyi-Waboso’s hopes of playing for England in Six Nations

  • Winger also a doubt for British Lions’ tour of Australia
  • Feyi-Waboso finally had shoulder surgery after delay

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has finally undergone shoulder surgery, leaving his hopes of being in contention for this summer’s British & Irish Lions tour of Australia in the balance and ruling him out of England’s entire Six Nations campaign.

The 22-year-old sustained a dislocated shoulder in December and the confusion as to how best to treat the injury has dragged on for two months. He is one of 17 England players who were awarded enhanced contracts in October, which give Steve Borthwick the “final say” on all sports science matters.

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Principality Stadium launches Accessible Fan Guides in sporting venue first

Principality Stadium is setting a new standard for accessible event experiences with the launch of its Accessible Fan Guides – a first-of-its-kind resource for sporting venues that provides both comprehensive event information tailored to individual accessibility needs and a fully accessible platform. These guides empower fans with access requirements to easily plan their stadium visit […]

The post Principality Stadium launches Accessible Fan Guides in sporting venue first appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

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Scotland’s dangermen Russell and Van der Merwe loom large for England

Hosts must unlock solutions to the deadly duo when the teams contest the Calcutta Cup at Twickenham on Saturday

No one can say England have not been forewarned. Their recent record against Scotland – one win in their past seven Calcutta Cup encounters – has involved a range of painful indignities but two familiar themes stand out. Their names are Finn Russell and Duhan van der Merwe and, fitness permitting, the deadly duo will be back in harness in London on Saturday.

If Russell has been the deft-fingered architect of many of Scotland’s best moments, Van der Merwe has been the breeze-block destroyer of English reputations in each of the last two years. Who can possibly forget his brace of tries at Twickenham two years ago or, indeed, his hat-trick in the same fixture at Murrayfield 12 months ago?

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WRU and Reviva Coffee announce exciting new partnership

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) is thrilled to announce a new partnership with Reviva Coffee, a fast-growing speciality coffee brand offering 100% Arabica, Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee sourced from South America. The multi-year deal marks the Union’s first-ever collaboration with a coffee brand. As an Official Coffee Supplier to the WRU, fans will be able to […]

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2025 Autumn Nations Series fixtures confirmed

The Welsh Rugby Union is delighted to announce the 2025 Autumn Nations Series which will see Wales take on Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa in matches across four consecutive weekends at Principality Stadium this November. Wales will kick off its autumn campaign at 3.10pm on Sunday 9 November against Rugby World Cup 2023 quarter-final […]

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Borthwick sticks with Marcus Smith as England’s goal-kicker for Calcutta Cup

  • Harlequin missed important kicks in win against France
  • ‘He’s a world class goal-kicker so it’s very simple’

Steve Borthwick has given the “world class” Marcus Smith a vote of confidence as England’s goal-kicker for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup after sticking by the Harlequins playmaker despite his recent wobble from the tee.

Smith will retain the kicking duties against Scotland despite handing over to Fin Smith against France, when the Northampton fly-half guided England to a 26-25 victory. Marcus Smith missed two straightforward kicks against Les Bleus in the second half, hooking both left, before Fin Smith took over and kicked crucial conversions in the 71st and 80th minute.

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