10:04 AM GMT Hosts and reigning champions New Zealand will take on neighbours Australia at Auckland’s Eden Park on the opening night of the women’s World Cup in September, organisers said on Friday. The hosts will be hoping for a bumper crowd for a triple-header at the 44,000 seater stadium on Sept. 18 to kickstart

6:17 PM GMT Fresh doubt has been cast on whether the Six Nations will go ahead as scheduled as organisers seek travel exemptions from the French government. The French government introduced strict travel restrictions to and from the UK including a 6pm curfew, a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of travel, and a seven-day

12:00 PM GMT England coach Eddie Jones and the captains of the four home unions have said they want the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa to go ahead this year rather than 2022. The tour, scheduled for July 3-Aug. 7, is in doubt due to the COVID-19 pandemic that remains a crisis

12:00 PM GMT England coach Eddie Jones and the captains of the four home unions have said they want the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa to go ahead this year rather than 2022. The tour, scheduled for July 3-Aug. 7, is in doubt due to the COVID-19 pandemic that remains a crisis

1:37 PM GMT England coach Eddie Jones has said he is excited by the dual challenge of dealing with a rash of withdrawals from his squad and a succession of coaching disruptions as he prepares his defence of the Six Nations championship. Jones is without half of his first-choice pack after Sam Underhill joined Joe

1:48 PM GMT Ireland captain Johnny Sexton has said the muscle strain he sustained in Leinster’s PRO 14 derby against Munster on Friday is “nothing major” and he intends to be fit for his side’s opening Six Nations game against Wales on Feb. 7. Coach Andy Farrell said he is hopeful that Jacob Stockdale will

1:16 PM GMT England’s preparations for the Six Nations have been further disrupted with Sam Underhill ruled out of the championship. The Bath back-row has a hip injury and has withdrawn from the squad. Eddie Jones has opted to call up Wasps’ Jack Willis as Underhill’s replacement. The news follows Monday’s withdrawals of Joe Launchbury

4:10 PM GMT Italy head coach Franco Smith has named a 32-man squad for the Six Nations, but will be without star full-back Matteo Minozzi after the Wasps player opted out of the tournament. Minozzi, who has scored 11 tries in 22 caps for his country, wrote on social media that he was “physically and

11:20 AM GMT Ireland included Tadhg Furlong in their squad for this year’s Six Nations as coach Andy Farrell said on Monday that the British and Irish Lions prop was ready to join the group despite last playing almost a year ago. Furlong has not played since last year’s Six Nations and his club, Leinster,

2:13 PM GMT England will be without two of their most experienced forwards for the Six Nations with Joe Launchbury and Joe Marler both ruled out, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) confirmed in a statement on Monday. Launchbury, a second-row, misses out due to a fibia stress fracture, while prop Marler has opted out due