SportsCatch

Ultimate Sevens set to launch club-based format in Cardiff in September 2026

Former Great Britain Olympian Tom Mitchell, now Sport and Innovation Director at Ultimate Sevens, says the new club-based tournament launching in Cardiff on 12 September 2026 aims to expand sevens rugby beyond the HSBC SVNS circuit and attract a new generation of fans.

Rugby Sep 2

Van Graan backs Erasmus on team-naming row but insists players must always be told first

Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan has defended Rassie Erasmus's fluid approach to naming his Springboks squad, arguing the method is acceptable as long as players are kept fully informed throughout the process.

Rugby Sep 2

Northampton boss Dowson confident Pollock will stay despite seven-figure valuation

Northampton Saints head coach Phil Dowson says talks to retain 21-year-old England and Lions flanker Henry Pollock are progressing well, even as promoter Eddie Hearn's public push for a seven-figure salary complicates the club's salary-cap planning.

Rugby Sep 2

Itoje reveals Borthwick had to convince him to skip England's summer Tests for his own good

Maro Itoje admits he was initially taken aback when Steve Borthwick suggested he sit out England's Nations Championship fixtures this summer, but the Lions captain says the enforced rest has left him physically and mentally refreshed ahead of the new season.

Rugby Sep 2

Catha Jacobs credits sevens stint as Springbok Women face Black Ferns on home soil

Utility forward Catha Jacobs says a spell with the Springbok Women's Sevens squad has sharpened her skills ahead of Saturday's one-off Test against New Zealand in Soweto — the first time South Africa has hosted the Black Ferns.

Rugby Sep 2

Sanderson backs Lawes to force England return at 37 ahead of World Cup

Sale Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson says he would be "surprised" if Courtney Lawes does not earn an England recall this autumn, with Tom Curry and George Ford also praising the veteran forward's physical condition and leadership since his return to the Premiership.

Rugby Sep 2

Baxter leads Premiership chorus calling for Welsh clubs to join an Anglo-Welsh league

Exeter chief Rob Baxter has backed the inclusion of Welsh regions in an expanded Gallagher Premiership, saying the idea 'ticks a lot of boxes'. Gloucester's George Skivington and Bristol's Pat Lam have added their voices to the growing cross-border push.

Rugby Sep 2

Seven uncapped players named as Italy's new head coach targets WXV squad depth

New Italy women's head coach Plinio Sciamanna has named a 38-player squad for the WXV Global Series, featuring seven potential debutants. Michela Sillari could earn her 100th cap if selected across the four-match campaign.

Rugby Sep 2

Bourdon Sansus takes France captaincy for WXV as injury crisis depletes second row

Scrum-half Pauline Bourdon Sansus will captain France at the WXV Global Series after regular skipper Manae Feleu steps away for two months to focus on her medicine studies. The squad also faces a significant lock shortage, with two second rows injured and a third absent due to pregnancy.

Rugby Sep 2

From Cape Town schoolboys to Leicester Tigers: Craig Childs embraces first senior defence role

Craig Childs has joined Leicester Tigers as defence coach after three years as pathways assistant at the Stormers, where he worked with emerging Springboks Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Paul de Villiers. The South African is seven weeks into his first senior professional coaching role.

Rugby Sep 2

Western Force Women's coach Dylan Parsons heads to Japan champions Yokohama TKM on six-month sabbatical

Western Force Super Rugby Women's head coach Dylan Parsons has been granted a six-month sabbatical to join reigning All-Japan Women's Rugby Football champions Yokohama TKM as an assistant coach for their November-to-February season.

Rugby Sep 2

First Nations & Pasifika XV travel to Tonga for inaugural Kaume'a Ofi Trophy clash

A squad featuring Super Rugby players and sevens stars will face the Tonga President's XV in Nuku'alofa on Friday, contesting the inaugural Kaume'a Ofi Trophy in a fixture built around Pacific and First Nations cultural exchange.

Rugby Sep 2

James O'Connor signs with Western Force 17 years after making his Super Rugby debut there

James O'Connor is returning to the Western Force for the 2027 Super Rugby season, 17 years after debuting for the Perth club as a 17-year-old. The 36-year-old 69-Test Wallaby arrives with two Super Rugby titles and over 127 career appearances to his name.

Rugby Sep 2

Rugby Australia unveils historic Sydney quadruple-header featuring Wallabies, Wallaroos and Sevens sides

All four of Australia's senior rugby teams will compete at Accor Stadium on October 17, with the Bledisloe Cup Test against the All Blacks headlining a day that also features the Wallaroos against Scotland and two Sevens internationals.

Rugby Sep 1

Obano ends England career prospects with surprise move to Pau in Top 14

Bath loosehead Beno Obano has agreed to join Top 14 side Pau when his contract expires next July, ending his England eligibility. The 31-year-old, who returned to Steve Borthwick's squad this summer, had been courted by Champions Cup winners Bordeaux-Bègles before opting for Pau.

Rugby Sep 1

Springboks scrum coach Human denies walking accusations after All Blacks series leveller

South Africa scrum coach Daan Human has firmly rejected New Zealand coach Dave Rennie's claims that the Springboks deliberately walk around in the scrum, insisting he has "never coached" the tactic and that it offers no forward momentum.

Rugby Sep 1

Brazil's Yaras arrive at WXV Global Series Challenger with five wins and growing depth

Brazil's women's rugby team head into their first WXV Global Series Challenger campaign having beaten South Africa 'A' twice, scoring 63 points and conceding 31, with coach Guilherme Coghetto's side recording five wins from six since he took charge.

Rugby Sep 1

Heyes admits England changing room was 'loud enough for me to leave' after Contepomi's respect row

England tighthead Joe Heyes has conceded the post-match celebrations in Santiago del Estero were genuinely disruptive, backing Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi's claim of a 'lack of respect' after the Pumas' 31-24 defeat in July.

Rugby Sep 1

Spain recall Super Rugby Women's award winner Fernández de Corres for WXV Global Series Challenger

Spain head coach Régis Sonnes has named his Las Leonas squad for the WXV Global Series Challenger in Hong Kong, with scrum-half Anne Fernández de Corres returning to 15-a-side rugby after winning the ACT Brumbies' women's player of the year award.

Rugby Sep 1

All Blacks vow to 'double down' on Rennie's attacking blueprint in series-deciding third Boks Test

New Zealand assistant coach Tamati Ellison insists the All Blacks will not retreat after their 33-26 defeat to the Springboks in Cape Town, pledging to intensify Dave Rennie's high-tempo game plan at FNB Stadium this weekend.

Rugby Sep 1