Rugby

3:28 AM GMT Disgraced Pumas skipper Pablo Matera has been reinstated as captain but will not face the Wallabies in Saturday night’s final Tri Nations clash in Sydney. Matera was sensationally stripped of the captaincy and stood down from the Bankwest Stadium Test, along with teammates Guido Petti and Santiago Socino, after racist tweets at

4:04 AM GMT Wallabies coach Dave Rennie says he feels no obligation for his side to entertain in Saturday’s Tri Nations finale, instead setting his sights on a “quality performance” to round out his first season in charge. Australia face Argentina at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday night, the Tri Nations crown all but out of

10:00 PM GMT Rugby has improved its position on racism but the sport is a reflection of society and there is still work to do, England coach Eddie Jones said on Tuesday following the sanctions handed out to three Argentine players. Pablo Matera was stripped of the Argentina captaincy and suspended, along with team mates

10:50 PM GMT The fallout over the Argentina rugby team’s much-criticised tribute to Diego Maradona extended further on Tuesday, with some Argentines saying they will boycott the side because of what they consider an inadequate homage to the late football icon. The Pumas, as the rugby team are known, wore what looked like black electrical

7:09 PM GMT Rugby’s Nations Cup will reach its conclusion this weekend, as England face France in Sunday’s final, but anyone expecting a diversion from the stodgy fare on show for the last month is likely to be disappointed, according to England coach Eddie Jones. England have collected dominant victories over Georgia, Ireland and Wales,

1:09 PM GMT Wasps hooker Alfie Barbeary has been given his first England call-up after being included in the 33-man squad for Sunday’s Autumn Nations Cup final against France. The 20-year-old made an immediate impact when he scored a try on his Premiership debut from the bench against Worcester Warriors in August and then scored

2:18 AM GMT Pablo Matera has been stripped of the Argentina captaincy and suspended along with team mates Guido Petti and Santiago Socino for posting racist comments on social media, the Argentine Rugby Union [UAR] said on Tuesday. The scandal has thrown the Argentina camp into crisis days before their final Tri-Nations match against Australia

12:57 PM GMT The number of teams participating in the women’s Rugby World Cup will be increased from 12 to 16 from the 2025 edition, the sport’s governing body announced on Monday. The decision was taken by the Rugby World Cup Board earlier this year and World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said it was a

11:49 AM GMT France will be without a number of their top players for the Autumn Nations Cup final against England after coach Fabien Galthie confirmed he would not be seeking to change a rule that restricts players from competing in more than three international games. The agreement with the Top 14 means that Galthie

10:15 PM GMT France’s wing Gabin Villiere runs with the ball to score a try during the Autumn Nations Cup Group B international Rugby Union match between France and Italy, at the Stade de France stadium. Photo by ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images A revamped France beat Italy 36-5 at home on Saturday to top Autumn

6:06 PM GMT England did just about enough to subdue a spirited but limited Wales with a 24-13 victory in Llanelli on Saturday to secure top spot in Autumn Nations Cup Group A and set up a probable title decider against France at Twickenham next week. An experimental Wales, who broke a run of six

1:16 PM GMT Fly-half Billy Burns has been handed a first start for Ireland as they take on Georgia in their final Autumn Nations Cup Group A clash in Dublin on Sunday, while uncapped centre Shane Daly has been included on the bench. Burns, 26, has two appearances as a replacement after making his debut

Nov 27, 2020 ESPN staff with AAP The Wallabies and Pumas have sought advice from some of rugby league’s best, utilizing the services of NRL great Andrew Johns and current NSW Origin star Nathan Cleary respectively on Thursday. Johns is always in demand across the NRL but has also popped up at Wallabies and England

11:11 AM GMT George Ford will start at fly-half for England against Wales in Llanelli on Saturday, with captain Owen Farrell joining Henry Slade in the centre as Eddie Jones’s team seek three wins out of three in the Autumn Nations Cup. Ford returned from an Achilles injury to come off the bench in last

1:09 PM GMT Wales handed a rare start to scrum-half Lloyd Williams and kept flanker James Botham in their lineup as they named their team to face England in the Autumn Nations Cup in Llanelli on Saturday. Alun Wyn Jones is back as captain but Justin Tipuric, who skippered a second-string side against Georgia last

11:24 AM GMT France coach Fabien Galthie has named five debutants in a much-changed XV for their Autumn Nations Cup clash with Italy on Saturday. With a number of players unavailable for selection due to an agreement between the Federation and the Top 14 — players were only available for three fixtures during this series

6:20 AM GMT The Pumas will be heavy hearted as they enter their must-win Tri Nations tournament clash with the All Blacks on Saturday night in Newcastle, Australia, following the death Wednesday of Argentine football star Diego Maradona. A lover of all Argentine sports, but particularly the rugby team, Maradona was seen frequently at Pumas

5:00 PM GMT Flanker Jack Willis, winger Anthony Watson and hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie have all been included in Eddie Jones’s extended 25-man squad to face Wales in the Nations Cup on Saturday, but centre Ollie Lawrence will miss the game with a hip injury. Willis made a try-scoring debut against Georgia two weeks ago, but