Category: Rugby

Rugby News

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Nathan Cleary condemns ‘sad’ Matildas criticism amid flying visit with Mary Fowler

  • Panthers star backs partner’s team after Marty Sheargold’s comments
  • Penrith face Cronulla Sharks in NRL gala in Las Vegas on Saturday

Nathan Cleary says it’s “sad” Mary Fowler’s Matildas are still targeted with “unnecessary” trolling after a radio host was widely condemned for on-air comments about Australia’s women’s football team.

Marty Sheargold and Triple M mutually agreed to part ways earlier this week after a tirade during which he likened the Matildas to “year 10 girls” and said he would rather “hammer a nail through the head of [his] penis” than watch their Asian Cup campaign.

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Jones named Wales captain for Women’s Six Nations campaign

Hannah Jones

Centre  Hannah Jones will captain Wales during the Women’s Six Nations 2025 Guinness campaign. Jones will be joined by vice-captains Keira Bevan and Alex Callender in a new on-field leadership team appointed by new Wales Head coach Sean Lynn. Jones has been capped by Wales 60-times and has been Wales captain since being appointed for […]

The post Jones named Wales captain for Women’s Six Nations campaign appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

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Double boost for Dragons as Owen and Keddie extend contracts

Dragons head coach Filo Tiatia has been given a long-term boost by the re-signing of centre Aneurin Owen and back row man Harri Keddie. The two former Wales U20 stars are both home-grown regional players who have become mainstays as senior players. The 24-year-old Owen had played in 14 of the 15 games to date […]

The post Double boost for Dragons as Owen and Keddie extend contracts appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

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From Super Bowl to Super League: Tyler Dupree’s famous family tree

The Wigan player will follow in the footsteps of his uncle and grandpa when he performs in Las Vegas on Saturday

By Gavin Willacy for No Helmets Required

When Wigan coach Matty Peet brings Tyler Dupree on to the field during their Super League clash with Warrington in Las Vegas on Saturday night, Dupree’s mother Jackie will greet his arrival with whoops. But his uncle Billy Joe Dupree – who played in three Super Bowls – will not even know his nephew is playing.

Billy Joe Dupree joined Dallas in 1973 and immediately established himself in Tom Landry’s fabled team, taking Mike Ditka’s No89 jersey. A Super Bowl win against Denver Broncos in 1978 was sandwiched between two defeats to Pittsburgh Steelers. Dupree smashed records galore in Dallas, going 11 seasons without missing a game. His nephew Tyler has won two Super League titles, a World Club Challenge and a Challenge Cup in less than two seasons with Wigan. Yet Billy Joe is oblivious to his success.

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NRL defends its invite to Donald Trump in Las Vegas after charity backlash

  • White Ribbon ends affiliation after league’s ‘tone deaf’ offer
  • Andrew Abdo insists NRL remains committed to inclusion

The NRL has defended the decision to invite Donald Trump to its Las Vegas fixtures after an anti-domestic violence charity severed ties with the league over what it called a “tone deaf” offer.

White Ribbon penned a letter to the NRL this week that ended a partnership dating back to 2008, citing the league’s decision to associate with “well-known perpetrators of abuse and violence against women”.

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From Mee to Barré: meet the unexpected stars of an enthralling Six Nations | Robert Kitson

Ellis Mee, who would not have registered with many before this tournament, has been one of the shining stars so far

Sure, it’s still early days but Wales’s upbeat performance against Ireland showed how quickly perceptions can change. Even a few weeks ago the name Ellis Mee would not have registered with many Six Nations fans. Now, after an eye-catching debut last weekend, the lanky 21-year-old is being tipped by no less an expert than Jamie Roberts to become a regular fixture for Wales. Less than a year ago the 6ft 4in Mee was playing for Nottingham in the Championship – memo to the Rugby Football Union: there is plenty of untapped talent out there – and was scouted by the former Wales international James “Cubby” Davies while playing for Nottingham Trent University. Then, after just 10 professional games for Scarlets, he was parachuted into the national team as part of a productive back three alongside his similarly positive clubmates Blair Murray and Tom Rogers. Suddenly it’s all Mee, Mee, Mee …

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Mee reflects on rapid rise to the top

When Ellis Mee made his Wales debut last weekend it was his first representative team rugby. The 21-year-old former Nottingham Trent University and Nottingham wing came within inches of steering Wales to a famous victory over reigning Six Nations champions Ireland in Cardiff as he stretched for the corner. “It was close, very close. My first thought was I […]

The post Mee reflects on rapid rise to the top appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

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Wales squad update

Ospreys hooker Dewi Lake has been called up to the Wales senior men’s squad, taking the total number of players to 38. In addition, the following players have been released back to Cardiff Rugby, Ospreys and Scarlets this week ahead of round twelve of the United Rugby Championship at the weekend. Cardiff Rugby Ellis Bevan […]

The post Wales squad update appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

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The Breakdown | Perennial eligibility debate over rugby’s project players rears up again

The qualification maze might seem unsatisfactory to some, but often it comes down to personal preference

There was no disputing the most iconic rugby image of the weekend. Maro Itoje hoisting the Calcutta Cup might normally have secured the crown but did you see that magnificent picture of Bundee Aki in Cardiff, complete with heroically battered nose and blood-stained Ireland shirt? As the BBC commentator Andrew Cotter wryly observed: “Bundee Aki looks like he’s about to wrestle the whole of Cardiff … and I would back him.”

As warrior portraits go it was up there with some of rugby’s all‑time greats: a blood-soaked Jean-Pierre Rives, a mud-plastered Fran Cotton, a truly terrifying Sébastian Chabal. Test rugby is a game of light and shade and, for all its shafts of beauty, the sport also has its fearsome competitors. The internet loved it, not least the ArtButMakeItSports account on X which drew a brilliant parallel between the striking Aki picture and the work of the late American painter Cy Twombly.

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Jillaroos recall Olivia Kernick for Las Vegas Test against ‘extremely aggressive’ England

  • Dally M Medallist named in interim coach Jess Skinner’s starting side
  • Australia face Lionesses in historic women’s rugby league international

Olivia Kernick has won back her Jillaroos jersey, after the Dally M Medallist was called back into Australia’s back row for their Las Vegas Test against England. Controversially axed from the squad for the Pacific Championships last year despite being the NRLW’s best player, Kernick has been listed to start in the US.

The 24-year-old is one of two new faces to the Australian side that beat New Zealand in last year’s Pacific Championships final, replacing the unavailable Millie Elliott. Quincy Dodd has also been called onto the bench, in place of fellow hooker Keeley Davis.

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Raiders’ Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies apologise for Las Vegas altercation ahead of NRL opener

  • Two players and toy baseball bat involved in hotel incident
  • Duo set to be named to face New Zealand Warriors on Sunday

The NRL has been dealt its first off-field behavioural issue in Las Vegas, with Canberra forwards Morgan Smithies and Hudson Young forced into explaining their actions after clashing on the opening night of the Raiders’ camp.

The two players fronted the media on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) to apologise after becoming involved in an altercation with each other after a night out, when a hotel mix up left one of them without a room.

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Prop Will Stuart has become the cornerstone of England’s scrum

‘I’ve just tried to keep my head down and do my job,’ says the Bath tighthead after seeing off Scotland in Calcutta Cup

Not all heroes wear capes and Will Stuart is not the type you would expect to see in shining armour, but the time has come to recognise England’s unsung tighthead prop. Crisis? What crisis? It was not so long ago that the Rugby Football Union was wringing its hands at the dearth of tightheads across the country but quietly, under the radar, Stuart has emerged as England’s most consistent, reliable performer.

During Steve Borthwick’s first Six Nations in charge two years ago, he lamented that England were “not good at anything” and raised particular concern over the scrum, an area in which they had ranked last of all tier-one nations over the previous 12 months. Fast-forward to now and, under the tutelage of Tom Harrison, England’s scrum has developed into both a solid platform and a weapon they can employ to impressive effect.

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