SportsCatch

All Blacks call-up throws Fineanganofo's Newcastle Red Bulls move into serious doubt

Hurricanes winger Fehi Fineanganofo has admitted his future is uncertain after earning a surprise All Blacks call-up, casting doubt over the two-year deal he signed with English Premiership side Newcastle Red Bulls earlier this year.

Rugby Jun 22

Leo Cullen to leave Leinster after 12 years as successor search begins

Leo Cullen has confirmed he will depart Leinster at the end of his contract in 2027, with the club already searching for his successor. The announcement comes days after he guided the province to back-to-back URC titles.

Rugby Jun 22

Walsh appointed Rugby Australia Women's High Performance Director after SVNS World Championship triumph

Tim Walsh has been named Rugby Australia's Director of Women's High Performance, starting 1 July. The appointment comes weeks after he guided Australia Women's Sevens to the HSBC SVNS World Championship title, and tasks him with transitioning the Wallaroos to a full-time programme by 2026.

Rugby Jun 22

Senior Springbok call-ups force two changes to Junior Boks' World Championship squad

South Africa U20 have reshuffled their squad ahead of the World Rugby Junior World Championship in Georgia after lock Riley Norton and fly-half Vusi Moyo were promoted to Rassie Erasmus' senior Nations Championship squad. Hooker Siphosethu Mnebelele takes over the captaincy.

Rugby Jun 22

Premiership Rugby weighs neutral-venue semi-finals to rival Top 14's 67,000-capacity spectacle

Prem Rugby is exploring a move away from home semi-finals, with bosses eyeing neutral, larger stadiums on consecutive days — a format already used in France's Top 14 and European cup competitions — to grow revenue and attendances at the business end of the season.

Rugby Jun 22

Tamati Ellison names first Maori All Blacks squad to face Japan XV in Nagoya

Tamati Ellison has selected a 26-man Maori All Blacks squad for Saturday's clash with Japan XV at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, marking his first selection since taking charge as head coach.

Rugby Jun 22

Frankfurt-born Segner earns first All Blacks call-up after Blues' best-player season

Anton Segner, a 24-year-old loose-forward born in Frankfurt, Germany, has been named in Dave Rennie's first All Blacks squad of 2026 after a standout Super Rugby Pacific campaign with the Blues, where senior assistant Neil Barnes called him the best player in the camp.

Rugby Jun 22

Rennie names four potential All Blacks debutants, including Hurricanes' record-breaking winger duo

Dave Rennie's first All Blacks squad features four uncapped players: Blues loose forward Anton Segner, Hurricanes prop Xavier Numia, and wingers Fehi Fineanganofo and Josh Moorby, who each scored a record 17 tries this Super Rugby season.

Rugby Jun 22

Ex-All Blacks stunned as Kirifi's Super Rugby-winning form earns no Rennie recall

James Parsons and Jeff Wilson have expressed disbelief at Du'Plessis Kirifi's omission from Dave Rennie's first All Blacks squad, despite the Hurricanes co-captain producing his best-ever season and leading his side to a 60-5 Super Rugby Pacific final victory over the Chiefs.

Rugby Jun 22

Rennie confirms Fineanganofo's All Blacks call-up despite looming Newcastle move

Dave Rennie has selected Hurricanes winger Fehi Fineanganofo in his first All Blacks squad for the 2026 Nations Championship, despite the 17-try scorer being contracted to join Newcastle Red Bulls in 2027. Rennie cited "irresistible" form as the reason for the selection.

Rugby Jun 22

Dave Rennie names Ardie Savea All Blacks captain ahead of 2026 Nations Championship

Ardie Savea has been appointed New Zealand captain by incoming head coach Dave Rennie, succeeding Scott Barrett ahead of July fixtures against France, Italy and Ireland at the 2026 Nations Championship.

Rugby Jun 22

Rennie names Savea as All Blacks captain in first squad since taking charge

Dave Rennie has selected a 34-man All Blacks squad for three Nations Championship Tests against France, Italy and Ireland, handing the captaincy to Ardie Savea and including four uncapped players.

Rugby Jun 22

Teenage debutant Dickson snatches comeback win for Force as Drua sink Brumbies

Nineteen-year-old Ai Dickson crashed over in the 79th minute to give Western Force a 21-17 comeback victory over Queensland, while the Fijiana Drua beat the ACT Brumbies 42-25 in a result clouded by a serious ankle injury to Wallaroos flyhalf Ella Ryan.

Rugby Jun 21

Olympic Sevens medallist Chay Mullins signs one-year deal with Ulster

Chay Mullins, who represented Ireland at the 2024 Paris Olympics and won a Sevens World Cup bronze in 2022, has signed a one-year contract with Ulster after one season at Connacht.

Rugby Jun 21

Relegated but unbowed, Abbie Brown targets 2028 LA Olympics with Great Britain

Great Britain sevens veteran Abbie Brown has set her sights on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after a turbulent 2025-26 SVNS Series that saw the side become the first team relegated under the new three-tier model.

Rugby Jun 21

Pollock shrugs off South Africa's taunts after sealing Northampton's Premiership title

Henry Pollock has dismissed criticism from South Africa ahead of England's July tour, saying outside noise is 'white noise' that doesn't enter his thinking. The 21-year-old flanker was man of the match as Northampton beat Exeter to win the Gallagher Premiership title.

Rugby Jun 21

Erasmus worried over Mostert ankle scan ahead of Nations Championship opener against England

Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has confirmed Franco Mostert will undergo ankle scans after the lock was forced off during South Africa's 80-31 win over the Barbarians in Gqeberha, adding to an already lengthy injury list ahead of the Nations Championship.

Rugby Jun 21

Penaud returns to France squad for southern hemisphere tour as Bielle-Biarrey rested

Fabien Galthié has named a 39-man provisional France squad for a three-Test tour against New Zealand, Australia and Japan. Damian Penaud, France's all-time leading try-scorer, is recalled after missing the Six Nations, while Louis Bielle-Biarrey is deliberately rested.

Rugby Jun 21

Feyi-Waboso reveals fan threw drink at him before risking broken jaw in Prem final

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has confirmed a Bath fan threw a drink at him and pushed him during Exeter's play-off win on June 13. The England wing then played in the Premiership final just two and a half weeks after jaw surgery, risking the repair to appear at Twickenham.

Rugby Jun 21

Erasmus names six uncapped players in 46-man Springboks squad for Nations Championship opener against England

Rassie Erasmus has selected six potential debutants — Paul de Villiers, Riley Norton, Ruben van Heerden, Carlu Sadie, Vusi Moyo and Jaco Williams — in a 46-man Springboks squad for the inaugural Nations Championship, which begins on 4 July against England in Johannesburg.

Rugby Jun 20