Rugby news

• Have Wales got their midfield partnership right?

  17-07-2026 07:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ben Thomas and Max Llewellyn have another chance as midfield partners as Wales finish the season in South Africa.
  
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• England hold nerve to deny Argentina

  19-07-2026 05:00 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ■From ADAM HATHAWAY in Santiago del Estero ENGLAND, with 13 players on the pitch, survived a chaotic finale to beat Argentina 31-24 in Santiago del Estero last night. In a dramatic finish, Justo Piccardo scored in the 80th minute to get Argentina to within one converted try of a draw and, after more than 20 […]
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• Yes, the Boks are good … but they’re beatable

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  THERE’s been a lot of talk about the South African dominance in international rugby, and its reinforcement in the Nations Championship where understrength Springbok line-ups have beaten both Scotland and England in the last fortnight. It’s led to speculation that South Africa are not just hot favourites to win a hat-trick of consecutive World Cup […]
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• Winning at Twickenham was the perfect ending

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  MY LIFEIN RUGBY KYLE MOYLE FORMER CORNISH PIRATES, GLOUCESTER AND CORNWALL FULL-BACK SCORING a try at Twickenham to help Cornwall lift the Bill Beaumont Cup felt like the perfect ending. It was my final game of rugby, my family were all there to see it, and I couldn’t have written a better script if I’d […]
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• WHY WILL JORDAN IS YEARS AHEAD OF HIS TIME

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  David Campese Debut: Australia v New Zealand, Christchurch, Aug 14, 1982 50th Test try: v South Africa, Cape Town, Aug 22, 1992 Time: 10 years 8 days Where there’s a will: Will Jordan scoring for New Zealand against Italy last week PICTURES: Getty Images Rory Underwood Debut: England v Ireland, Twickenham, Feb 18, 1984 50th […]
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• We were pumped but they punished us – Sheehan

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Captain: Dan Sheehan IRELAND captain Dan Sheehan rued another missed opportunity as his side were well beaten in Auckland. The Leinster hooker said: “We were pumped up to be here, to get the opportunity to play at Eden Park. We had a lot of support here tonight as well, but the All Blacks are a […]
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• We are building a us back to the top, team that can get says Sanderson

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Paul Rees continues his summer series reviewing the Prem season, with the focus this week on Sale Sharks Pivotal: Sale fly-half George Ford SALE expected to be jostling for a place in the Premiership final but found themselves scrambling to get into the Champions Cup after their most difficult season this decade. They were more […]
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• Watson agrees to sign for Castres

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  FRENCH rugby’s main transfer market for next season officially closed for most clubs on July 1, while promoted sides – including Top 14 returnees Vannes and ProD2 ‘newbies’ Nissa and Narbonne – were given an additional week to sign players. The recruitment window, however, is not entirely closed. Clubs still have the option of signing […]
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• Vui ‘devastated’ by four-year ban for doping violation

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  THE four-year ban imposed on Samoa lock Chris Vui for a contested doping violation in 2023 has been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The former Bristol and Worcester forward tested positive at a World Cup training camp for 19-norandrosterone, an indicator for the steroid nandrolone and was handed a four-year ban […]
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• Uruguay have no answer to USA’s revival

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  USA......................39 Uruguay............15 THE USA came from 15 points down to beat Uruguay and claim their first-ever victory at the Championship in the 15th-place play-off in Kutaisi. Junior Eagles recovered from a nightmare first half to reel off 39 unanswered points. Uruguay, who had not scored a try in their previous three matches, made a remarkable […]
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• Travel fatigue has to be factored in

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  FORGET about the relative abilities and world standings of the 12 teams in the new Nations Championship, it is heavily stacked in favour of the Southern Hemisphere teams for one reason – travel. Take Wales, for example, they opened with a match against Fiji which, fortunately, was in Cardiff only because Fiji do not have […]
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• Townsend happy to highlight positives

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  SCOTLAND head coach Gregor Townsend hailed a “positive” Nations Championship campaign after backing up a superb win in Argentina and an encouraging display in defeat against South Africa with a come-from-behind victory over Fiji. “Fiji played really well, we knew they would. They are a quality side and it took a lot of work to […]
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• Tandy still has belief despite mauling

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ■By GARY FITZGERALD STEVE Tandy insisted he still had plenty of “belief ” in his players despite enduring another hefty loss to the world champions in Durban. Wales endured a second successive shutout against the Springboks as they failed to make any kind of impact in muggy conditions at Kings Park. Wales, hammered 73-0by their […]
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• Slade has his eye on another World Cup

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ■By ADAM HATHAWAY Looking good: Henry Slade in action against Fiji HENRY Slade feared he had played his last England game eight months ago – now he is eyeing the next World Cup after being dropped for the last one. The Exeter Chiefs midfielder arrived in England camp ahead of the Nations Championship as the […]
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• Scots take time to bring down Fijians

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  A MUCH-NEEDED injection of energy and power from the bench ultimately saw Scotland subdue a vastly improved Fiji to end a productive few weeks with a bonus-point victory at Murrayfield. By BRYN PALMER Fiji ........................................17pts Tries: Ikanivere 15, Ravutaumada 18, Canakaivata 33 Conversion: Armstrong-Ravula 34 Scotland ........................... 33pts Tries: Gray 13, Schoeman 53, Dobie 60, […]
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• Scotland have hard to keep to battle Wales out

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  By BEN JAYCOCK Scotland ...........28pts Tries: Blyth-Lafferty 33, Kesterton 35, Roberts 47, Kelly 64 Conversions: Dalziel 33, 36, 48, 65 Wales .................21pts Tries: Evans 10, Pritchard 28, Edwards 59 Conversions: Leggatt-Jones 11, 29; Lucas 60 SCOTLAND held their nerve with 13 men in a dramatic finale to beat Wales and secure fifth place, equalling their […]
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• Saracens swoop for Tonga’s Va’enuku

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  SARACENS have signed Tongan centre Sione Va’enuku from Champ side Amptill. The 26-year-old, right, began his career in rugby league with Australian side Sydney Roosters. He switched codes when he moved to the UK and following trial at Northampton Saints, he joined Amptill midway through the 2024-25 campaign. “I’m honoured to join such historic club […]
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• Salt heads for Gloucester

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Stepping up: Eliot Salt GLOUCESTER have signed prop Eliot Salt from Champ side Coventry. The 26-year-old has made 69 appearances in three seasons for Coventry – who finished third – and scored two tries during the 2025-26 season. “Eliot is a player who has earned a really strong reputation in the Champ and has been […]
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• SA referee urges checks after her cancer diagnosis

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  SOUTH African referee Aimee Barrett-Theron has stood down from officiating after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The 39-year-old, below, is the most-capped female international referee after taking charge of 52 Tests and has also refereed in the URC. “I’ve recently been diagnosed with breast cancer,” she said in a statement. “The good news is that […]
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• Rugby’s best moments are caught on camera

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Portrait Won by American photographer Nina Fishman, capturing a player with his face half-buried in the grass IN front of a packed World Rugby Museum audience at Allianz Stadium, the winners of the 2026 Rugby Photographer of the Year were announced last week. The competition attracted more than 3,500 entries, with entrants submitting more than […]
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• Relentless Wallabies go on rampage

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ■By WILLIAM JONES JOE Schmidt’s tenure as head coach ended on a winning note as Australia finally turned encouraging performances into a complete display, overpowering Italy with a ruthless nine-try victory in Perth courtesy of second row Josh Canham’s hat-trick. Having watched commanding positions slip away in heartbreaking defeats to Ireland and France earlier in […]
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• Rees-Zammit admits his return to rugby has not gone as expected

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  NEWSEXTRA LOUIS Rees-Zammit admits his transition back to rugby has been harder than anticipated after taking a break from the sport in his bid to break into the NFL. The 25-year-old has featured in 11 out of Wales’ 12 games in the 2025-26 campaign, with nine starts and two replacement appearances. The Bristol flyer missed […]
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• Plan to rejuvenate the once-great Champions Cup

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  I SEE with the recent release of next season’s Champions Cup fixtures that we have to endure the awful groups of six teams format where teams do not play all the teams in their own pool. If European Rugby is not to be moved on the four pools of six teams, then may I suggest […]
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• New Zealand finish with a final flourish

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  By BEN JAYCOCK NEW Zealand produced their most complete performance of the Nations Championship, scoring six tries to overwhelm Ireland and extend their remarkable unbeaten Eden Park record to 53 Tests. The All Blacks underlined why Eden Park remains one of world rugby’s most daunting venues with a commanding performance, maintaining a home unbeaten streak […]
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• Mr Brookes? It’s Ireland’s selectors on the line

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ONE of England’s forgotten props is in the process of relocating from Perpignan to Limerick, a move which offers Kieran Brookes, right, the possibility of resurfacing at next year’s World Cup. That the finest tighthead to come out of the Potteries will be 36 by then makes it sound all the more implausible but then […]
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• Look beyond the showman and recognise the work Pollock puts in

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Hat-trick man: Henry Pollock touches down against Fiji PICTURES: Getty Images TRADICTION of Steve Borth-England is that his gameplan ly conservative but he is more l when it comes to selection. as not been afraid to give youth ce – Henry Pollock scored a ck against Fiji last weekend and aluori got one on debut […]
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• Logo clash not a good look for All Blacks

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  ARE the All Blacks a law unto themselves? If the chances of a conviction on this age-old charge rest on it meeting the “beyond reasonable doubt” threshold, the New Zealanders would be confident of walking free from court. On the flipside, there are those who will always wonder if Richie McCaw ever strayed onside, or […]
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• Litchfield merits a go

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  TOM Litchfield was the breakthrough centre in the Prem last season, playing an important role in Northampton reclaiming the title. Litchfield’s combination of power running, smart distribution, and finishing ability for the Saints made the 24-year-old a player to watch – and one who deserved to be considered as a potential candidate to solve England’s […]
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• Jordan’s phenomenal feat is Beamon-esque

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  THROUGHOUT the first century of international rugby, the idea of one player lasting long enough to score 50 Test tries would have sounded slightly more preposterous than sending someone to the moon. An annual fixture list of three matches among the Home Unions, raised to four with the admission of the French and once in […]
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• Ireland stay strong to hold off Italians

  19-07-2026 04:59 via therugbypaper.co.uk
  
  Italy ..........................26 Ireland.....................34 IRELAND held off a determined Italian fightback to win the ninth-place play-off in Kutaisi. The Irish finished their campaign with a five-try victory, pulling clear late on after Italy had reduced the deficit to a single point. Flanker Josh Neill opened the scoring after six minutes before full-back Daniel Green converted, but […]
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