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Schmidt drops Salakaia-Loto again as Wallabies eye World Cup conditioning block
Joe Schmidt has left Lukhan Salakaia-Loto out of Australia's 37-man squad for Nations Championship Tests against Ireland, France and Italy, citing the need for the lock to reach peak physical condition ahead of next year's home World Cup.
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Leinster rout Bulls 36-7 to seal back-to-back URC titles but Doris and O'Brien limp off
Leinster demolished the Bulls 36-7 at Croke Park to retain the United Rugby Championship title for a record 10th time, but first-half injuries to Caelan Doris and Tommy O'Brien cast a shadow ahead of Ireland's Nations Championship opener against Australia on July 4.
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Turner and Jobb fire Mumbai Dreamers to back-to-back wins after 2025 wooden spoon
Mumbai Dreamers have reversed their fortunes in the 2026 Rugby Premier League, beating Kolkata 21-14 and Bengaluru 19-7 in their opening two matches after finishing last in the inaugural season.
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Jorja Miller clinches SVNS Series MVP as Levi's Bordeaux final heroics fall just short
New Zealand's Jorja Miller secured the RugbyPass Women's SVNS Series MVP award with 51 votes despite Australia's Maddison Levi earning a perfect 12-vote haul for her match-winning performance in the Bordeaux Cup Final.
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Van Wyk crowned inaugural SVNS MVP as USA snatch survival in final-play thriller
Blitzboks flyer Shilton van Wyk has claimed the inaugural RugbyPass SVNS Series MVP award after topping the season-long leaderboard, while the USA secured their Series place with a stunning 17-point comeback in the final three minutes against Fiji in Bordeaux.
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World Player of the Year Ellie Kildunne leaves Harlequins to join Bristol Bears
England fullback Ellie Kildunne has signed with Bristol Bears for the 2026/27 Premiership Women's Rugby season, ending a five-season, 60-appearance stint at Harlequins. Head coach Scott Lawson called the signing 'a huge statement of intent'.
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Freeman signs Northampton extension to snub Toulouse and protect England career
Tommy Freeman will extend his Northampton Saints contract until 2028, rejecting a lucrative offer from Toulouse that would have cost him his England international career. The winger-centre has scored 22 tries in 25 appearances for club and country this season.
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Wales hand 66-cap prop Paul James full-time scrum coach role after Six Nations audition
Paul James has been confirmed as Wales men's full-time scrum coach after impressing in an interim capacity during the 2026 Six Nations. The former Ospreys prop, capped 66 times for Wales, will join Steve Tandy's setup ahead of the inaugural Nations Championship in July.
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Feyi-Waboso returns from facial injury to start Premiership Final against Northampton
Exeter Chiefs have recalled England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso for Saturday's Gallagher Premiership Final against Northampton Saints at Twickenham, with Paul Brown-Bampoe dropping out of the squad entirely after starting last weekend's semi-final win over Bath.
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McParland marks 50th cap as Mitchell returns to bench for Northampton's Premiership Final
Archie McParland will make his 50th appearance for Northampton Saints when they face Exeter in Saturday's Premiership Final, with fit-again England and Lions scrum-half Ben Mitchell named among the replacements in the only change from the semi-final win over Leicester.
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Pollock embraces scrutiny as Northampton target back-to-back Premiership titles
Henry Pollock has responded to criticism following a difficult outing at Welford Road by delivering a standout play-off performance against Leicester, helping Northampton reach Saturday's Gallagher Premiership final against Exeter at Allianz Stadium.
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Munster release Grand Slam winners Butler and Gibbons alongside Patterson and Smith
Munster have confirmed the departures of four senior backs, including Ireland U20 Six Nations Grand Slam winners Tony Butler and Fionn Gibbons, plus scrum-half Paddy Patterson and Ireland 7s winger Andrew Smith.
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Exeter captain Jenkins calls Premiership final against Northampton the benchmark of his career
Dafydd Jenkins, 23, will lead Exeter at Twickenham on Saturday as the Chiefs seek a third Premiership title, just 12 months after finishing second bottom of the table. The Wales lock says the final against Northampton is the biggest game he has ever been involved in.
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World Rugby scraps home weighting from rankings ahead of Nations Championship
World Rugby will remove home weighting from its rankings calculation from July 1, ending a system in place since 2003 that treated host nations as three rating points stronger than their actual standing.
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George North delays retirement to face Wales for Barbarians at Twickenham
George North, who announced his retirement in April after 121 caps and 47 tries for Wales, will play one final game for the Barbarians against his home nation at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on 27 June.
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Fainga'anuku breaks leg to miss All Blacks selection window after Crusaders semi-final exit
Leicester Fainga'anuku will be sidelined for 10-12 weeks after fracturing his fibula in the Crusaders' Super Rugby semi-final defeat to the Chiefs, ruling the versatile 26-year-old out of All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie's squad named on Monday.
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Van der Merwe set for Barbarians debut against Springboks with school friend Gelant alongside him
Duhan van der Merwe will make his Barbarians debut on Saturday when the Baa-baas face world champions South Africa at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, with former schoolmate Warrick Gelant selected at full-back.
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Schmidt recalls retired Slipper and names three Super Rugby debutants in first Wallabies squad of 2026
Joe Schmidt has named three uncapped players — Lachie Shaw, Miles, and Declan Meredith — in Australia's first squad of 2026, while veteran prop James Slipper comes out of international retirement to add to his record 151 Test caps.
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Wallaroos Player of the Year Tuinakauvadra returns from injury to spearhead Brumbies' Fiji trip
Tabua Tuinakauvadra has been named in the ACT Brumbies starting side to face the Fijian Drua in Ba this weekend, just weeks after returning from a meniscus injury — and with a landmark move to Leicester Tigers in England's PWR on the horizon.
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Jordie Barrett senses a maturing Hurricanes side ready to end their 10-year title drought
Jordie Barrett says the 2026 Hurricanes have shown a new cohesiveness since his return from Leinster, with the co-captain believing the squad's growth could finally deliver a first Super Rugby title in a decade when they face the Chiefs in Saturday's final.
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