Rugby

TOKYO — The frustration and hope in United States coach Gary Gold’s voice was evident in equal parts throughout the 2019 Rugby World Cup. His Eagles, who on Sunday signed off in Japan with a 31-19 loss to Tonga, resulting in a second straight 0-4 record at rugby’s global showpiece, had performed admirably on each

Scottish Rugby have questioned whether misconduct charges levelled at them for their comments about the potential cancellation of their World Cup clash against Japan last weekend were “appropriate”. Tournament organisers on Tuesday said Scottish Rugby would be referred to a disputes committee after chief executive Mark Dodson threatened legal action to enforce a postponement rather

BEPPU, Japan — England lock Courtney Lawes has a simple message for anyone who thinks his side might be underdone ahead of their Rugby World Cup quarterfinal with Australia: Come and watch training. The two sides will meet on Saturday in Oita in what will be their third quarterfinal showdown and seventh overall battle in

France centre Sofiane Guitoune has said the most important aspect of their preparation for Sunday’s World Cup quarterfinal against Wales has been learning how to stop themselves “acting like idiots” when they are in positions of dominance. In their pool matches against Argentina and Tonga, the French started well but ended up hanging on desperately

World Rugby chief Brett Gosper said there would be no change to the hard line on high tackles at the Rugby World Cup and that the number of red cards would decrease once players changed their behaviour. There were seven red cards shown in the pool phase of this year’s tournament compared to one in

Tonga hooker Paula Ngauamo has been banned for seven weeks for kicking an opponent in the head during his team’s 31-19 win over the United States in their final Pool C match at the Rugby World Cup. Ngauamo, 29, admitted he had committed foul play to World Rugby’s independent Judicial Committee. The decision leaves him

The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) have been referred to a disputes committee over their comments about the potential cancellation of their World Cup clash against Japan, organisers said Tuesday. The scratching of Sunday’s match in Yokohama due to Typhoon Hagibis would have eliminated the Scots from the tournament and SRU chief Mark Dodson threatened legal

The story of the 2019 Rugby World Cup so far has been more about high tackles than classic upsets, despite Ireland’s Bundee Aki being the only player to miss the knockout stages through suspension. 2 Related The quarterfinals will make for excellent viewing, with England taking on Australia for a joint-record seventh time at a

Bundee Aki’s Rugby World Cup is over after the Ireland centre received a three-game ban following his red card in his nation’s 47-5 win over Samoa on Saturday. Aki was sent off in the 29th minute for a high tackle on fly-half Ulupano Seuteni in Ireland’s final Pool A fixture, and head coach Joe Schmidt’s

ODAWARA, Japan — The Wallabies’ 0-6 record against England since the last World Cup is of no relevance ahead of this weekend’s quarterfinal in Japan, according to Australia coach Michael Cheika. While the Wallabies had been reluctant to engage on discussion around their potential showdown with England until Wales negotiated their final encounter with Uruguay,

TOKYO — If the Wallabies have been playing us all for fools over the last four years, then the time has come to “take it up a level” as they seek to extend their World Cup stay beyond the point most believe their collective ability extends. After four years of inconsistency, highlighted by poor discipline

YOKOHAMA — Japan captain Michael Leitch and coach Jamie Joseph said their win over Scotland was motivated by inspiring a country that was hit by Typhoon Hagibis on Saturday. The typhoon claimed 19 lives, with 16 people missing as of Sunday evening and hundreds of thousands of homes destroyed. 1 Related The final pool stage

2:43 PM BST Tom Hamilton Close Senior Writer • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Laurence Edmondson Close F1 Editor • Joined ESPN in 2009• An FIA accredited F1 journalist since 2011 YOKOHAMA, Japan — The Rugby

Canada players helped the local community in Kamaishi recover from Typhoon Hagibis Sunday after their final Rugby World Cup match against Namibia was cancelled due to the impact of the storm. Canada, eliminated from the tournament without a win, had been due to play Namibia in Kamaishi but tournament organisers decided on Saturday that the

KUMAMOTO, Japan — Wales were made to work hard for victory against Uruguay, but they prevailed with a bonus-point 35-13 win in Kumamoto on Sunday to top Pool D and set up a quarterfinal with three-times finalists France. Wales clung to an eight-point lead with seven minutes to play, when a strong carry by Leigh

Tonga gave captain Siale Piutau a parting gift of a first victory of the Rugby World Cup with a 31-19 win over the United States on Sunday that left the Eagles pointless at the end of their campaign. Piutau, who was celebrating his 34th birthday in his 43rd and final test at his third World

2:39 AM BST ESPN staff Japan’s decisive Pool A match against Scotland at the Rugby World Cup will go ahead as planned at Yokohama Stadium on Sunday night. Safety inspections were carried out first thing Sunday morning after Typhoon Hagibis roared across Japan throughout much of Saturday, hitting Yokohama and Tokyo with full its full

Ireland coach Joe Schmidt said Bundee Aki was devastated at the prospect that his Rugby World Cup could be over as he defended the centre’s tackle that drew a red card in the 47-5 win over Samoa on Saturday. Aki was sent off in the 29th minute after a high tackle at Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium