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Record Wallaby Slipper steps into scrum coaching role while playing days wind down
James Slipper, Australia's most-capped player with 154 Tests, has taken his first steps into coaching after the Brumbies used him as a hybrid player-scrum coach during the Super Rugby AUS series, with a fifth World Cup appearance looking increasingly unlikely.
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La Rochelle offer Jack Nowell one-year deal as England winger weighs return home
La Rochelle have offered 33-year-old Jack Nowell a new one-year contract with an option for a second, but the former England and Lions winger is holding out for a straight two-year deal and has interest from clubs in England and Japan.
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France vow to end New Zealand tour with a win after second heavy defeat in Whangarei
Tour captain Alexandra Chambon insists France can still claim a victory in Christchurch on Saturday, despite a 31-12 loss to the Black Ferns at Whangarei — their second defeat in seven days following an 81-12 hammering in Hamilton.
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Furlong cited for alleged genital grab and faces ban that could end his Nations Championship
Leinster and Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong has been cited by the URC after allegedly grabbing Munster's Gavin Coombes in the groin during Saturday's interpro derby. If found guilty under Law 9.27, Furlong could miss Ireland's entire Nations Championship campaign.
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Double World Cup winner Kwagga Smith seals three-year Bulls move after ACL recovery
Springbok back-rower Kwagga Smith, 33, has signed a three-year deal with the Bulls, reuniting him with former Lions coach Johan Ackermann. The versatile flanker is recovering from a torn ACL and meniscus and expects to return to play in early 2026.
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Hooper scan scare deepens Exeter's injury crisis after Bristol derby defeat
Wallaby back-rower Tom Hooper faces a scan after aggravating a shoulder injury in Exeter Chiefs' 20-7 loss at Bristol Bears, adding to a growing casualty list that already includes Tommy Wyatt, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, and Campbell Ridl.
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Pollard hamstring scare headlines Bulls injury crisis ahead of Scarlets URC clash
Handré Pollard is among five Bulls players carrying injuries after their 34-26 URC win over Ulster, with the Springbok fly-half awaiting scan results to determine his availability against the Scarlets.
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Jones backs uncapped Kitahara and three-cap Komura as Japan's fly-half options for Nations Championship
Eddie Jones has named Honda Heat's uncapped Riku Kitahara and Toyota's Shinya Komura, who has just three caps, as Japan's fly-half options for their November Nations Championship tour against Wales, England and Scotland, with regular starter Seungsin Lee injured and 21-year-old Ryunosuke Ito unavailable due to university commitments.
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Galthié reshuffles France squad as four Top 14 injuries force Nations Championship rethink
Fabien Galthié has made four enforced changes to the France squad ahead of the Nations Championship after injuries to Fabien Brau-Boirie, Antoine Hastoy, Karl Sorin, and Marko Gazzotti. Nicolas Depoortère, Louis Le Brun, Thomas Laclayat, and Anthony Jelonch come in as replacements.
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Fin Smith injury forces England to call up Atkinson for Nations Championship camp
Northampton fly-half Fin Smith suffered a leg injury in Saturday's Premiership derby against Leicester, prompting England head coach Steve Borthwick to add Gloucester's Charlie Atkinson to a 36-man training squad ahead of the Nations Championship.
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Kinghorn and Jones return to Scotland squad after injury absences for November Tests
Blair Kinghorn and Huw Jones are back in Gregor Townsend's Scotland squad for the Nations Championship after missing the summer through injury. The pair, who have 131 caps between them, are named for three Murrayfield Tests against New Zealand, Australia and Japan.
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Unbeaten Edinburgh equal best URC start in 11 years after five-try rout of Lions
Edinburgh Rugby moved to four wins from four in the United Rugby Championship, matching their finest league start in over a decade with a commanding 31-10 victory over the Lions at the Hive Stadium.
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Sheehan's half-time reality check steers 10-man Leinster past Munster in Dublin derby
Leinster captain Dan Sheehan has described the half-time reset that turned a 13-5 deficit into a 24-18 bonus-point victory over Munster at the Aviva Stadium, with Jamison Gibson-Park named Player of the Match on his return from injury.
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Injury-hit Argentina call up Moroni as Bristol centre nears 100-cap milestone
Argentina have been forced into squad changes ahead of their November internationals after Santiago Carreras and Thomas Gallo were ruled out with injuries. Centre Matías Moroni, stranded on 99 caps since August, is now in line for a landmark appearance.
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Baxter's return from 10-month injury absence puts him in England frame for Australia clash
Fin Baxter played his first rugby in 10 months as Harlequins beat Saracens 33-15 at The Stoop, prompting head coach Jason Gilmore to back the loosehead prop for England's Nations Championship opener against Australia on November 8.
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Jones earns back-to-back World Rugby nominations after leading Red Roses to eighth straight Six Nations title
England captain Megan Jones has been nominated for World Rugby's Women's 15s Player of the Year for the second consecutive year, having guided the Red Roses to an eighth successive Guinness Women's Six Nations crown in 2026.
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Wallabies and All Blacks to clash at MCG on July 31 in 2027 Bledisloe Cup
Australia and New Zealand will meet at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 31 July 2027 as part of the Rugby Championship, with Melbourne also confirmed as a Bledisloe Cup host city in 2029. The MCG last staged the fixture in 2023, drawing a crowd of 83,944.
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Savea and ten others ruled out as All Blacks name injury-hit Nations Championship squad
Dave Rennie faces a significant selection headache as he prepares to name a 36-man All Blacks squad for the Nations Championship, with captain Ardie Savea among eleven players ruled out for the rest of 2026 and several more in doubt.
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Borthwick names 36-man England squad with Spencer and Hill among notable omissions
Steve Borthwick has selected a 36-player training squad for a three-day camp at Pennyhill Park ahead of England's Nations Championship opener against Australia at Twickenham on November 8. Maro Itoje returns after a summer break, but Bath scrum-half Ben Spencer and Ted Hill are absent.
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Ratier sees progress but admits injuries are mounting after France's third straight Black Ferns defeat
France head coach François Ratier acknowledged improvement after a 31-12 loss to the Black Ferns in WXV Global Series action, but conceded a growing injury toll and a failure to convert chances remain his side's biggest problems ahead of next weekend's rematch in Christchurch.
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