Rugby news

• ‘Everyone’s buying into it’: Elliott Obatoyinbo on life under Newcastle’s new owners

  26-12-2025 09:00
  Full-back is energised by club’s driving ambition under Red Bull while harbouring his own aspirations as an artistThe Newcastle full-back Elliott Obatoyinbo tells a revealing story about his time as an academy player that taught him the difference between rugby in England and New Zealand.“I’d had a year at Saracens so I was learning the kicking game,” he says, recalling the southern hemisphere winter of 2018 that he spent training with Wellington and playing for Tawa RFC.
  
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• The best Australian sporting moments – in pictures

  25-12-2025 20:00
  A Formula One title challenge, athletics sprinkled with star dust and spirited cricket celebrations – here’s the highlights from the 2025 year in sport Continue reading...
  
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• Sale squad’s ‘honest’ meeting with owners has reset ambitions, says Sanderson

  25-12-2025 13:00
  Sharks seventh in Prem heading into Harlequins matchDirector of rugby Sanderson: ‘It wasn’t a crisis meeting’Alex Sanderson has said an “honest” meeting of Sale’s owners, players and coaches this week has set their intention for the Boxing Day encounter with Harlequins and beyond.The Sharks are seventh in the Prem table, with two wins from seven, and were soundly beaten by Northampton at Franklin’s Gardens last Saturday. Their most recent Prem victory ca
  
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• Better late than never: fans relive watching their teams end a long wait for a trophy

  25-12-2025 13:00
  Several teams got their hands on silverware at last in 2025. Here supporters talk about the pain and pleasure of finally winning16 March 2025: Won Carabao Cup, beating Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley, their first trophy in 56 years Continue reading...
  
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• Argentina lock Rubiolo signs 'long-term' Bears deal

  24-12-2025 15:00 via bbc.com
  Bristol Bears' Argentina lock Pedro Rubiolo commits his long-term future to the Prem side.
  
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• Gloucester 'ripping into it' to turn season around

  24-12-2025 13:14 via bbc.com
  Director of rugby George Skivington says his Gloucester squad are 'unbelievably committed' to kick-starting their Prem campaign against Saracens on Saturday.
  
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• Kevin Sinfield banned from New Year's Honours as England stars celebrated

  24-12-2025 12:08 via express.co.uk
  Kevin Sinfield is set to miss out on a knighthood in the New Year's Honours list.
  
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• Ex-captain Brierley retires to become Salford CEO

  24-12-2025 12:02 via bbc.com
  Former Salford captain Ryan Brierley is to take over as the club's chief executive, the consortium that has won the bid to run the club has said.
  
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• Test your knowledge in the rugby league quiz of the year

  24-12-2025 10:46 via bbc.com
  How closely were you paying attention to the world of rugby league in 2025? Find out in our quiz of the year.
  
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• Interprovincial derbies so special - Izuchukwu

  24-12-2025 09:10 via bbc.com
  Lock Cormac Izuchukwu says "pride in the province" is what helps make Irish derbies special as Ulster prepare to take on Connacht this weekend.
  
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• 'Versatile Woodburn could earn new deal' - Baxter

  24-12-2025 08:48 via bbc.com
  Exeter boss Rob Baxter says Olly Woodburn's recent performances could justify a new deal for the veteran back.
  
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• Bristol scrum-half Randall signs 'long-term' deal

  23-12-2025 20:01 via bbc.com
  Bristol scrum-half Harry Randall signs a new "long-term" contract with the club.
  
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• Newcastle sign All Blacks international Sotutu

  23-12-2025 19:33 via bbc.com
  Newcastle Red Bulls sign Blues number eight Hoskins Sotutu on a three-year deal for next season.
  
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• No WRU decision on how to cull side in 2025

  23-12-2025 19:09 via bbc.com
  The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) say there will be no resolution before the end of 2025 on how to cut a professional men's side.
  
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• Bears owe the fans a good Christmas game - Lam

  23-12-2025 17:47 via bbc.com
  Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam says they owe their fans a "good Christmas game" against Newcastle after previous disappointments.
  
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• Wade can give Red Bulls attack X-factor - Dickens

  23-12-2025 16:43 via bbc.com
  Christian Wade is set for his Prem debut with Newcastle Red Bulls after recovering from a head injury.
  
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• Scrum-half Varney signs new deal with Exeter

  23-12-2025 13:02 via bbc.com
  Exeter's Italy scrum-half Stephen Varney signs a new three-year contract with the Prem club.
  
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• The Breakdown | Chile coach Pablo Lemoine: ‘Rugby is in trouble, even in countries like Wales’

  23-12-2025 12:01
  Former Uruguay prop has praise for new World Cup format but wants more help for developing nationsHow did Pablo Lemoine, Chile’s head coach, react when they were drawn with Australia and New Zealand for the 2027 Rugby World Cup? The answer is perceptive and somewhat surprising.“When countries like Chile play in a World Cup you need a general vision,” Lemoine says. “Thinking only of sport it’s fantastic – it’s awesome. But thinking of the real impact Chil
  
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• Wales U20s lock Green signs first Quins contract

  23-12-2025 11:45 via bbc.com
  Wales youth international lock Jonny Green sign his first senior contract at Harlequins.
  
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• Players must provide medical records in concussion lawsuit

  22-12-2025 21:42 via bbc.com
  Rugby players who allege they suffered brain injuries during their careers have been refused permission to appeal against a decision ordering them to provide all of their medical records.
  
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• Northampton eager for Bath challenge - Dowson

  22-12-2025 18:10 via bbc.com
  Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson says they are excited about measuring their progress against Prem leaders Bath in their final game of 2025.
  
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• The 'ginger Penaud', a rivalry renewed & Genge's coffee - Prem talking points

  22-12-2025 15:32 via bbc.com
  Ellis Genge's long-range score, George Hendy's hot streak and Saracens and Exeter renewing their rivalry feature in our Gallagher Prem round-up.
  
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• Rugby brain injury case suffers blow after judge rejects court appeals

  22-12-2025 14:30
  Up to 80% of league and 20% of union claims could be struck outAppeals over medical record disclosure denied on all groundsTwo appeals launched by the legal firm representing former players in rugby league and rugby union have been denied in a significant blow to the ongoing legal action about brain damage caused by the sport. It means that after five years of legal arguments a large number of the claimants in both codes face the risk of having their cases struck out before they come to trial.Th
  
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• New Salford team granted Championship status

  22-12-2025 11:21 via bbc.com
  The Rugby Football League gives a new Salford team Championship membership for 2026, three weeks after the old club was wound up.
  
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• Baxter amazed at 'incredible' Exeter comeback

  22-12-2025 10:00 via bbc.com
  Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter says his side's comeback win at Saracens was "incredible".
  
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• Belcher relief at return after 'scary' nerve issue

  22-12-2025 09:54 via bbc.com
  Captain Liam Belcher reveals how numbness in his finger spread up his arm after nerve damage during Wales' autumn campaign.
  
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• Christmas cheers and jeers for Welsh sides

  21-12-2025 20:36 via bbc.com
  The weekend before Christmas provided contrasting fortunes for Wales' four professional sides as they returned to URC action.
  
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• Bath ease past Newcastle to go top for Christmas

  21-12-2025 18:42 via bbc.com
  Bath overcome a disjointed start to beat winless Newcastle Red Bulls at Kingston Park.
  
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• Dan Frost freezes out Newcastle to put dominant Bath back on top of Prem

  21-12-2025 18:13
  Newcastle 14-50 BathChampions score eight tries against bottom sideBath returned to the summit of the Prem, ruthlessly exposing the gulf between top and bottom at Kingston Park. Despite resting several front-liners, including Finn Russell, they ran in eight tries against Newcastle to bounce back emphatically from last week’s Champions Cup defeat in Toulon.They simply had too much firepower for Newcastle who were shut out for the last 53 minutes of the game. Continue reading...
  
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• Kildunne scores superb solo try as Quins beat Bristol

  21-12-2025 18:04 via bbc.com
  England star - and BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2025 runner-up - Ellie Kildunne scores a sensational solo try as Harlequins beat Bristol Bears at Allianz Stadium.
  
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• Buoyant Dragons aim to end more unwanted streaks

  21-12-2025 11:39 via bbc.com
  Dragons are growing in belief after thrashing Connacht 48-28 in the URC to win back-to-back games for the first time since 2022.
  
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• Dragons thrash Connacht to end URC winless streak

  20-12-2025 22:43 via bbc.com
  Dragons end their 15-month winless streak in the United Rugby Championship with a thumping 48-28 victory against Connacht at Rodney Parade.
  
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• Brilliant Bristol run in six dazzling tries in Big Game mauling of Harlequins

  20-12-2025 22:09
  Harlequins 14-40 BristolLondon team thrashed in annual outing at TwickenhamThis was the 17th annual Big Game but rarely can Harlequins have failed to live up to the billing of their Christmas extravaganza as sorely as they did here. Bristol, on the other hand, continue to dazzle in the way their hosts have recently struggled to.These two are probably the Premiership teams most renowned for dazzling. Indeed, they both enjoyed 60-point wins last weekend against lacklustre visitors from the deep so
  
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• Ruthless Bristol batter Harlequins at Twickenham

  20-12-2025 21:10 via bbc.com
  Bristol produce a scintillating attacking display to batter Harlequins under the lights at Twickenham Stadium.
  
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• Munster rise to second in URC win against Ospreys

  20-12-2025 20:25 via bbc.com
  Munster heap more misery on Ospreys as their United Rugby Championship bonus-point win lifts the Irish province to second in the table.
  
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• No fireworks but Glasgow put one hand on 1872 Cup

  20-12-2025 19:33 via bbc.com
  Pre-match pyrotechnics at Hampden Park bring colour and noise, but fireworks are lacking as Glasgow beat Edinburgh in 1872 Cup first game.
  
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• Exeter go top with dramatic late win at Saracens

  20-12-2025 18:37 via bbc.com
  Exeter score three late tries in a fightback to beat Saracens at StoneX Stadium and go top of the Prem table.
  
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• Seven-try Saints dominate Sale Sharks

  20-12-2025 18:17 via bbc.com
  Northampton Saints put on an attacking masterclass to defeat a below-par Sale Sharks in the Prem.
  
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• Greg Fisilau double edges Exeter to comeback victory at Saracens

  20-12-2025 18:10
  Saracens 24-30 ExeterChiefs recover from 24-13 behind in bonus-point winSomething had to give in this collision of two teams with, respectively, the best attacking and defensive records in this season’s Prem. On a cold, clear afternoon in north London it was Exter, the league’s most resilient operators, who prevailed in a see-sawing contest when the outcome remained up for grabs right until the end.Only in the closing seconds, as Henry Slade picked up a loose ball to sprint away for
  
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• Glasgow secure bonus-point 1872 Cup win over Edinburgh

  20-12-2025 17:52 via bbc.com
  Glasgow Warriors take a big step towards winning the 1872 Cup for the fourth year running with a bonus-point first-leg victory over Edinburgh at Hampden.
  
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• 'I'll spend Christmas in India thinking of my parents' - World Cup winner Jones

  20-12-2025 14:17 via bbc.com
  Meg Jones is from Cardiff - but after the death of her parents, thoughts of her home city are bittersweet.
  
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• Louis Rees-Zammit rejects £600,000 offer after being withdrawn from squad at last minute

  20-12-2025 13:22 via express.co.uk
  Louis Rees-Zammit has reportedly turned down a big-money offer from a PREM Rugby side.
  
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• It was hard to recover in Leinster defeat - Murphy

  20-12-2025 11:33 via bbc.com
  Ulster head coach Richie Murphy says there is no time for "wallowing" after losing 24-20 to Leinster in the United Rugby Championship.
  
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• Peel celebrates family wedding with win in Cardiff

  20-12-2025 11:25 via bbc.com
  Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel celebrates a double triumph after he guides his side to a URC Welsh derby win on the same day as his sister got married.
  
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• Kata stars as Leicester swat aside limp Gloucester

  19-12-2025 23:40 via bbc.com
  Leicester move level on points with Prem leaders Bath as Solomone Kata inspires the Tigers to victory over Gloucester.
  
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• How Scarlets got better of Cardiff at Arms Park

  19-12-2025 23:12 via bbc.com
  Watch the highlights as Scarlets take the derby day spoils
  
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• Davies at the double for Scarlets in Cardiff

  19-12-2025 22:58 via bbc.com
  A try double from scrum-half Gareth Davies allowed Scarlets to continue their Arms Park dominance against Cardiff in the United Rugby Championship (URC) Welsh derby.
  
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• Leinster leave it late to beat Ulster in URC derby

  19-12-2025 22:48 via bbc.com
  Champions Leinster overturn a 10-point half-time deficit to beat Ulster 24-20 at the Aviva Stadium in the first of the festive interprovincial derbies in the United Rugby Championship.
  
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• Bradford sign Hull KR forward Ruan for 2026

  19-12-2025 19:31 via bbc.com
  Leon Ruan joins Bradford Bulls on loan from Hull KR for 2026, with the move to become permanent for 2027.
  
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• Lake cites Welsh rugby uncertainty as reason for Gloucester move

  19-12-2025 19:26 via bbc.com
  Wales hooker Dewi Lake says the uncertainty surrounding Welsh rugby was a major factor in him leaving Ospreys for Gloucester.
  
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