Code-hopper Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is being thrust straight into the big-time after being named in the 34-man Wallabies squad for spring tour of the UK fresh out the NRL having not played a game of rugby since he was a schoolboy star.
The Lion king in waiting? Why Ireland’s new talisman Caelan Doris fits the bill
The country boy from Lacken who is now a world-class No 8 on enjoying captaincy, a fascination with psychology and his penchant for hot yoga
It will be another six months before Andy Farrell finally has to choose his British & Irish Lions captain for the 2025 expedition to Australia. Plenty of time for the landscape to change and, theoretically, for one or two surprise contenders to emerge from the shrubbery. Until, that is, you sit down with the staggeringly impressive Caelan Doris and realise there is little need for Farrell to look anywhere else.
A bold prediction? Hardly. It is not rocket science that a world-class player with the universal respect of his peers, a university degree in psychology and a warm smile might just fit the bill. Ireland have produced some illustrious Lions captains in the pro era, from Brian O’Driscoll to Paul O’Connell and Peter O’Mahony, and another top-drawer candidate lurks quietly in the wings.
Continue reading...Rocky Elsom speaks over international arrest warrant, five-year prison sentence
Former Wallabies skipper Rocky Elsom has claimed the French court hearing that resulted in his five-year jail sentence was a “clear perversion of justice.”
Rugby convert Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii wearing sky blue again as he begins career with Waratahs
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s only conversation when he met Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt on the weekend was about family, but the rugby convert has declared he’s “ready” to suit up in a gold jersey as soon as he’s called on.
‘It’s been an incredible ride’: Wales and Lions centre Jonathan Davies retires
- Davies won 96 caps and two grand slams for Wales
- Centre played six Tests for British and Irish Lions
The former Wales, British and Irish Lions and Scarlets centre Jonathan Davies has announced his retirement from professional rugby.
The 36-year-old, who won 96 caps for Wales, left Scarlets at the end of the 2023-24 season having scored 55 tries in 209 appearances across two spells for the Welsh region.
Continue reading...Now one of rugby league’s greatest sides, what next for Wigan Warriors? | Aaron Bower
This all-conquering team have cemented a place in the game’s folklore, but there will be no resting on their clean sweep this season
If there is one man who knows a thing or two about building a sporting dynasty, it is Sir Alex Ferguson. To that end, had we known the legendary Manchester United manager was the one to deliver Wigan Warriors’ motivational speech on the eve of the Super League Grand Final, the result would have felt like a formality before a ball had been kicked.
After all, it is not like this most outstanding of rugby league sides needs any additional help. Matt Peet’s team completed a historic quadruple with victory against Hull KR at Old Trafford on Saturday night. The first clean sweep of the Super League era and only the second in nearly a century.
Continue reading...Wigan v Hull KR: Super League Grand Final 2024 – as it happened
A touch of French class secured an historic Wigan win at Old Trafford
Harry Smith whomps the ball deep into Hull KR territory and we’re away!
The teams are strutting onto the field serenaded by The Lathums, an indie outfit from Wigan.
Continue reading...The Ineos Effect: hit and miss as Jim Ratcliffe’s tentacles have gone global
Ratcliffe has built an empire of assets across different sports but his teams have enjoyed varying degrees of success
Should Sir Ben Ainslie’s crew achieve the seemingly impossible and bring home the America’s Cup it will be the biggest sporting triumph yet for Ineos, whose tentacles now lie across the elite landscape in six disciplines. Despite heavy investment and the oversight of Sir Dave Brailsford it has been a mixed bag so far for Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s petrochemicals company; they have struggled to make their mark in Formula One and cycling, while it may take a superhuman effort to restore Manchester United to greatness.
They have encountered accusations of using sport to airbrush environmental concerns around their business. Ending Britain’s 136-year wait for sailing’s most vaunted prize would, in the short term at least, guarantee favourable headlines.
Continue reading...International arrest warrant issued for former Wallabies captain
An international arrest warrant was issued on Friday against former Australia rugby captain Rocky Elsom, who was sentenced in his absence to five years in prison by a French court for misuse of corporate assets, a lawyer in the case told AFP.
Fairytale meets formidable: Hull KR and Wigan face off in Grand Final for the ages
Wigan’s last trophy was 22 days ago, Hull KR’s, over 14,000 days. Yet the Robins may still be the ones to beat the Warriors
Masters versus apprentices. History breakers versus history makers. The club that reign supreme over rugby league against the team aiming for the ultimate coup d’etat. However you dress it up, Saturday evening’s Super League Grand Final has all the makings of a classic and more subplots than you could ever imagine.
In the red corner, there is Wigan Warriors. Defending champions and so much more. They currently hold all four major trophies available to win: the World Club Challenge, the Challenge Cup, the League Leader’s Shield and the one they are aiming to defend on Saturday, the Super League title.
Continue reading...Sanderson v Diamond friendship on sidelines in battle of the north | Robert Kitson
Newcastle head to Sale on the back of a 24-game losing streak with a pressing need to attract a fresh audience
It is supposed to be a snarling northern “derby” but, in reality, Sale’s Friday night date with Newcastle is a case of friends reunited. The Sharks’ Alex Sanderson and the Falcons’ Steve Diamond take their respective eight-year-olds to the same swimming class every week and have been mates for so long they know pretty much exactly what the other is plotting.
Sanderson, in particular, has been warning his squad they will need to be up for the fight against their bottom placed, winless opponents: “They’re already talking survival, food on plates and roofs over heads; we’ve got to match their emotional levels.” Diamond, for his part, has been busy stripping down his side’s tactics to the barest essentials to counter Sale’s big pack and territory based game. “We’re not even competitive at the moment,” he says. “There’s still players here who don’t understand what we’re trying to do on game day.”
Continue reading...Hull KR’s Ryan Hall: ‘It was the human pull of this club that got me’
Veteran of six Grand Final wins with Leeds seeks a fairytale finale as his current club chase a first trophy since 1985
There have been few stories in recent years quite like the rise of Hull KR from the doldrums of Super League to the sport’s biggest domestic game in only four seasons. And there are few players as eloquent, experienced and in such an ideal position to tell it quite like Ryan Hall.
Hall is not your average rugby league player. He is a qualified accountant, having completed a degree while playing at the highest level. He can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under a minute and is capable of playing several musical instruments. Plus, there is the fact that Hall has played an integral role in one of the most incredible transformations any club have seen for some time.
Continue reading...‘Only thing that’s missing’: Penrith co-captain disappointed to abandon World Club Challenge
- Panthers tell NRL they will not be able to face Super League winner
- Four-time premiers to meet Sharks in 2025 season-opener in Las Vegas
Isaah Yeo has admitted his disappointment that Penrith will skip the World Club Challenge, after the Panthers officially told the NRL they could not contest the only major trophy they are missing.
By defeating Melbourne in last Sunday’s grand final, the Panthers clinched both a historic fourth consecutive premiership and a date with the winner of the Super League decider between Wigan and Hull KR on Sunday (AEDT). But Penrith’s trip to Las Vegas for round one of the 2025 season has complicated matters, given the clash of premiers usually takes place in either England or Australia just before the NRL regular season begins.
Continue reading...‘No trust and confidence’: Rebels launch $30m lawsuit against Rugby Australia
Axed Super Rugby club the Melbourne Rebels have kicked off a $30 million course case against Rugby Australia in the Federal Court of Australia to try get themselves back into the Pacific competition.
Suaalii’s $9m Rugby Australia secret revealed as controversial agent strikes again
It may be at least five years until we see Joseph Suaalii back in the NRL again amid the report that his rich deal with Rugby Australia includes a secret contract clause.