Category: Rugby Union

Rugby Union News

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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.

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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.

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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…

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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.

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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.

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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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The Breakdown | A November to remember: let’s celebrate the good in international rugby

We turn the dial towards whimsy and revisit some of the moments that made the autumn internationals irresistible

South Africa and Ireland played out a slugfest for the ages and the discourse has been dominated by yellow cards and flying shoulders to the head. England held off a spirited Argentina to claim their 11th consecutive Test win and it seems all anyone can talk about is some alleged after-the-whistle shoving. Wales and New Zealand traded 11 tries in a ding-dong encounter and yet the narrative is weighed down by caveats concerning fading empires.

What, exactly, is the point of Test rugby? Beyond winning World Cups and regional crowns, does this chaotic sport hold any value? A bit of spice elevates almost every dish, sure, but it has felt as if this autumn’s brilliant rugby fare has been smothered in a sauce with a needlessly high Scoville count.

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England know how to win under Borthwick – now to handle great expectations | Gerard Meagher

After 11 successive victories, England will go into next year’s Six Nations as the team to beat

A Six Nations grand slam, plus Nations Championship victories against South Africa and Fiji and England would head to Argentina next July having equalled their record run of 18 wins, in pursuit of a ground-breaking No 19. Sounds simple put like that, but there’s more chance of Steve Borthwick busting his best moves in England’s next viral TikTok video than him entertaining any thought of record runs.

That is not to criticise, because even though Borthwick is allergic to looking too far ahead, doing so would be to get drastically carried away. The point here is that the more England keep winning, and they will enter the Six Nations next year as the team to beat after 11 on the trot, the more expectation increases.

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England asked for CCTV footage of Tom Curry’s alleged tunnel scuffle

  • Argentina lodge complaint and demand investigation

  • Post-match incident follows anger over Curry tackle

England have been told to provide CCTV footage of the alleged tunnel bust-up between Tom Curry and Felipe Contepomi after Argentina lodged a formal complaint and demanded an investigation into the incident.

It is understood that Six Nations Rugby – which organises the autumn Tests – has asked for England to provide footage as well as a formal statement before deciding whether to begin disciplinary proceedings. The Rugby Football Union is also expected to provide any other relevant video captured of the incident.

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England 27-23 Argentina: Autumn Nations Series rugby union – as it happened

Max Ojomoh scored one try and and set up two more as England held off a late comeback from Argentina.

This is Argentina’s third and final game of the autumn.

They spanked Wales by a record score and, as we’ve said multiple times, did the business as they came from behind to stun Scotland.

Wales 26-52 New Zealand

Ireland 13-24 South Africa

France 48-33 Australia

Italy 34-19 Chile

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Van der Merwe becomes Scotland’s record try-scorer in thrashing of Tonga

  • Scotland 56-0 Tonga

  • Visitors given three yellow cards and one red

Duhan van der Merwe moved in front of Darcy Graham at the top of Scotland’s all-time try-scoring charts as Gregor Townsend’s side rounded off a disappointing autumn with an eight-try 56-0 win over indisciplined Tonga at Murrayfield.

The Scots’ series was always going to be defined by results against New Zealand and Argentina, so back-to-back losses in those two Tests meant the visit of a Tonga side ranked 19th in the world would be largely irrelevant in the final analysis – unless Townsend’s men were beaten again.

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Wallabies fans are entitled to be frustrated but it’s not all grim for this tired, talented side

There were enough sparks and signs of intent in Europe to suggest Australia are a team at the beginning of something, not the end

At the end of a frenetic first half, where Angus Bell ran in one of the great tries by a Wallaby prop, where Matt Faessler powered over for a brace, where Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored a solo stunner and Thomas Ramos and Nicolas Depoortère dotted down as well, Tane Edmed gathered a pass at first receiver.

The young fly-half, playing in his seventh Test, was having a decent game. He’d slotted two of his three shots at goal. He was brave to the line, carrying with zip, stitching moves together as he tried to spark a backline short on fluency. But with the clock in the red, he attempted a raking kick to the corner. Either he didn’t realise the 40 minutes had elapsed, or he thought he was in his own half and a 50-22 was on. Either way, after watching the ball skid into touch to end the half, he stood still, hands on head, stunned by his own misread.

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France triumph in topsy-turvy match to leave Australia winless on autumn tour

  • France 48-33 Australia

  • Les Bleus run in seven tries to end autumn series in style

France beat Australia in a see-saw match to end the Wallabies’ first winless tour of Europe in 67 years, spoiling Joe Schmidt’s farewell Test as both teams closed their autumn series at the Stade de France on Saturday.

Les Bleus, whose November campaign produced mixed results, alternated moments of attacking flair and periods of costly indiscipline, repeatedly allowing Australia back into a match that fluctuated throughout.

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Wallabies condemned to winless Europe tour in loss to France as pressure mounts on Joe Schmidt

  • Despite improved showing, Australia fall 48-33 to Les Bleus in Paris

  • Wallabies make unwanted history with first winless Europe tour in 67 years

Pressure continues to mount on the beleaguered coach Joe Schmidt after the Wallabies ended a disastrous spring tour with a damaging 48-33 loss to France in Paris.

Despite a vastly improved showing after insipid displays against England, Italy and Ireland, the Wallabies have now endured a winless four-Test tour of Europe for the first time since 1958.

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