Rugby

South Africa’s economy is set to lose 6.6 billion rand ($[US]453 million) if this year’s British & Irish Lions tour goes ahead without fans, according to a study commissioned by SA Rugby, which admits it will “do anything” to get some supporters into stadia. The Lions are set to tour South Africa for eight matches,

British & Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland has confirmed his backroom staff for the tour of South Africa with Gregor Townsend, Robin McBryde, Steve Tandy and Neil Jenkins all named. Gatland will lead the Lions to face reigning World Cup champions the Springboks in July. It will be his third tour as head coach,

Centre Emily Scarratt scored 24 points as champions England sealed a place in the final of the Women’s Six Nations with a nine-try 67-3 bonus-point victory over Italy at the Stadio Lanfranchi in Parma on Saturday. The massive win was a second in succession for the visitors and ensures they will finish top of Pool

England captain Sarah Hunter is set earn her 124th cap when the Red Roses face Italy in the women’s Six Nations on Saturday, the game will mark her first international match in 13 months. Hunter comes back in at No. 8 following a lengthy injury layoff that also saw her miss last weekend’s 52-10 win

What a weekend of Super Rugby?! The Crusaders lost at home, the Waratahs fell agonisingly short of a first win for 2021 and the Reds continued their dominance. Elsewhere, there were wins for the Brumbies, Highlanders and Blues. Read on for a wrap of some of the key talking points from the weekend’s action. 1

France began their Six Nations campaign with an emphatic 53-0 victory over Wales at the Stade de la Rabine on Saturday. Winger Caroline Boujard enjoyed an impressive evening after scoring a hat trick inside the opening 15 minutes for Les Bleues in the Pool B clash. Agathe Sochat also crossed the line as France went

Champions England were off to a flying start in their women’s Six Nations title defence as they beat Scotland 52-10 in a dominant performance in a Pool A encounter on Saturday. The postponed tournament is being played in a condensed format with two pools of three teams each, with the pool toppers playing each other

Scotland flanker Hamish Watson was named the 2021 Six Nations player of the championship after securing 35% of more than 125,000 votes cast by fans, the tournament’s organisers said on Friday. Watson put in a string of fine performances as Scotland beat England at Twickenham for the first time since 1983 before beating France for

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has backed Wayne Pivac to remain as coach until at least the 2023 World Cup following March’s Six Nations triumph. Pivac, who succeeded Warren Gatland in 2019, was heavily criticised last year after a miserable run saw Wales finish fifth in the Six Nations. 1 Related However, the 58-year-old has

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) will continue to have dialogue with players opposed to private equity investment in the All Blacks to build support for the sale of a minority stake to U.S. firm Silver Lake, NZR Chief Executive Mark Robinson said on Tuesday. Silver Lake has offered to buy up to a 15 percent stake

A Vodafone survey has shown that supporters have voted for Wales’ Alun Wyn Jones to captain the British & Irish Lions in this summer’s tour of South Africa while England’s Owen Farrell has been dropped to the bench. The data collected also shows that fans omitted England’s Billy Vunipola, George Ford and Elliot Daly from

Mar 21, 2021 Sam Bruce Close ESPN Associate Editor Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPNscrum after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Brittany Mitchell Close ESPN

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac said on Saturday that he felt an overwhelming sense of relief at his side being crowned Six Nations champions nearly a week after their final game in which they lost to France on the final play. Wales claimed their second Six Nations title in three years after second-placed France lost

Wales claimed their second Six Nations title in three years as France were beaten 27-23 at home by Scotland in the last game of the championship on Friday night. Last Saturday, Wales were denied the Grand Slam after a 32-30 stoppage time defeat by Les Bleus and finish on top with 20 points. France, who

England have been given a boost ahead of the Women’s Six Nations as Sarah Hunter returns from a long-term injury to captain the side. Simon Middleton’s squad will meet in Doncaster on Monday before starting their title defence against Scotland on April 3. 1 Related Hunter is one of a number of returning players who

Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has liked what he’s seen in Super Rugby AU this season, but it hasn’t stopped him lamenting the likely departure of yet another big-name player overseas. Melbourne Rebels winger Marika Koroibete looks set to become the latest Wallabies player to take his talents offshore, a move that would be a devastating

If there’s one thing this Six Nations has proven, it’s that rugby never stands still. The balance of pressure on the international scene is a shifting beast and with one championship-deciding match still to come, the rugby landscape will only settle in 2023 at the next World Cup. With rugby perennially preoccupied by four-year cycles

Spit tests may in future be an answer for doctors seeking swift and non-invasive ways to diagnose concussion among male rugby players after a study found that tell-tale biomarkers of traumatic brain injury show up rapidly in saliva. A three-year research project involving more than a thousand professional men’s rugby players found the biomarkers can