Category: Rugby Union

Rugby Union News

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Lawrence and Daly lose England central contracts as Borthwick looks to World Cup

  • Duo are notable omissions from England’s 25-man list

  • Alex Coles and Asher Opoku-Fordjour both included

Ollie Lawrence and Elliot Daly have both lost their central contracts, with Steve Borthwick omitting the pair from his 25-man squad a year before England’s World Cup campaign begins.

Neither Lawrence nor Daly – who was nursing an arm injury – featured in the three Nations Championship matches this summer but both played during the Six Nations and are the standout exclusions from Borthwick’s selections which point towards his thinking for the World Cup squad next year.

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All Blacks great Ma’a Nonu performs solo haka against New Zealand in South Africa tour match

  • Nonu on Sharks bench after signing for South African side last week

  • ‘I thought it was the right thing to do,’ says 104-cap former All Black

South African rugby teams love facing the haka. None have ever replied to New Zealand’s traditional pre-match challenge with another haka until Tuesday.

Ma’a Nonu stepped in front of his new Sharks teammates and performed a solo haka in what will probably be the lasting memory of a tour match the New Zealanders won 54-0 in soggy Durban.

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Japan 32-35 Australia: rugby union international – as it happened

  • Wallabies win first match under new coach Les Kiss

  • Amatosero red carded in the first half

“Deep care,” is the message from Les Kiss ahead of his first match in charge of Australia. He wants his team to care about every second, on and off the pitch, when they’re on national team duty.

The 2026 Test calendar is a patchwork quilt of matches scattered around the world as the the All Blacks and Springboks flex their financial muscles and teams begin preparations for next year’s World Cup.

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Springboks and All Blacks flex financial muscles with ‘Greatest Rivalry’ tour

The throwback series rekindles memories of the past, but the focus is very much on realities of the modern game

Just in case you were unaware that the forthcoming series between South Africa and New Zealand, dubbed Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR), is a “tour like no other”, the Springboks have just unveiled a jersey to prove it. “A jersey like no other” to be worn four times and then consigned to history. Meanwhile, RGR kicks off amid a looming legal battle in South Africa over the series’ commercial identity and the unauthorised use of its branding. And you thought sporting romance was dead.

Enough of the cynicism though. The series promises to be a blockbuster. It is a throwback, with New Zealand’s men facing four matches against provincial sides, starting with the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday, as well as four Tests against the Springboks. The countries’ women’s sides also face each other in a one-off Test. The series has further allure in just how rare tours such as this are these days. Add in the fact that the rugby calendar is pretty much barren at the moment and a series between the two best sides on the planet is enough to quicken the pulse.

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Argentina’s Albornoz given four-match ban for intimidating referee after England defeat

  • Incident occurred after Pumas were denied a late try

  • Albornoz’s ban begins against South Africa on Saturday

Tomás Albornoz, the Argentina fly-half, has been banned for four matches for intimidating the referee after the full-time whistle of England’s controversial victory against the Pumas last month.

Albornoz accepted allegations of misconduct at a disciplinary hearing, and that his behaviour was intimidatory. He will miss Argentina’s Test against South Africa on Saturday as well as their forthcoming double header with Australia and a Toulon fixture.

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Waratahs spoil Fijian Drua party to claim third straight Super Rugby Women’s title

  • Fijian Drua 17-34 NSW Waratahs as grand final held in Fiji for first time

  • Tahs forward Faliki Pohiva named player of match

NSW Waratahs have produced a scintillating performance to complete a hat-trick of Super W rugby titles with a 34-17 win over minor premiers Fijian Drua in Ba, Fiji.

The Tahs also secured a record-extending seventh Super W title, with their tighthead prop Faliki Pohiva named player of the final.

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Rugby players seek new lawyers for brain injury cases against governing bodies

  • Richard Boardman was criticised by the managing judge

  • Players want ‘firm with resources and specialist expertise’

Hundreds of former rugby league and rugby union players taking legal action against the game’s governing bodies are now “staring into the precipice”, according to the barrister representing the claimants, Susan Rodway KC.

Richard Boardman, the solicitor who has been the organising force behind the litigation, has requested formally to come off the record after his handling of the case was criticised by the managing judge, Senior Master Cook. The case may now be taken over by Leigh Day, who has been working on it as consultants since February.

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Rugby’s landmark concussion case enters crucial week: the key questions answered

The outcome of this week’s hearings could determine the entire direction of the case – we explain the current state of play

It has been nearly six years since the Guardian first reported that a group of former rugby union players were bringing legal action against the game’s governing authorities because they were enduring brain injuries which they believe were caused by their playing careers. There are now two separate cases, one in rugby league and one in rugby union, involving hundreds of former amateur and professional players.

The two cases are being heard together because they have so many overlapping issues. They are both still in the pre-trial phase, as the legal teams try to agree on exactly what the size, shape and structure of the trials ought to be when they finally start.

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Argentina 24-31 England: Nations Championship rugby – as it happened

England survive a chaotic TMO ending to win in Santiago

4 mins. On the next attack Fin Smith floats a beautiful kick towards Freeman’s wing who soars above Carreras to claim it and score.

Who had four minutes on a fight breaking out? Because immediately after the touchdown there’s some afters that Freeman takes exception to which Chessum runs a full 15 metres towards to get involved with.

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South Africa 43-0 Wales: Nations Championship Rugby – as it happened

South Africa overpowered Wales in Durban thrashing

9 mins. A few minutes are taken up with the setting of a Wales scrum that goes to ground once, then brings a penalty for the Boks against Dillon Lewis for losing his feet under pressure. The lineout for the home team is wasted as Moyo encroaches the lineout too early.

5 mins. The crowd springs to life for the first time as Fassi steps off his left foot, leaving Edwards standing, to run 15 metres into the Wales half. Two phases later, after a strong run from De Allende, Wiese crashes through some poor tackling in the 22 on a short angle to rumble over.

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Schmidt leaves repaired Wallabies with gifts of Canham and Lonergan for Kiss | Daniel Gallan

Australia’s lack of forwards remains a problem, but the departing coach raised the ceiling and left a deeper and more experienced group.

Australia ended the Joe Schmidt era like a struggling restaurant producing one of its finest meals on the night the head chef handed back his keys. Everything came together: the service was sharp, the ingredients were handled with care, but loyal patrons left wondering why the place could not function like this every week.

Italy were swept aside 57-10 in Perth on Saturday. Josh Canham completed a hat-trick as the home side produced the sort of precise, powerful performance that offered a tribute to their departing coach and a reminder of why his spell has been so difficult to judge.

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