12:04 PM BST Liam Napier Flick through the rugby almanac and history will reveal swift responses to All Black defeats. Last week’s opening Bledisloe Cup opener in Wellington finished with almost nine minutes of frantic squandered chances and a dramatic draw, of course. To the All Blacks, the feeling was defeat. The Ian Foster-Sam Cane

8:00 AM BST All Blacks assistant coach John Plumtree has heaped acid on referee Angus Gardner to deal with Australia’s off-the-ball tactics in the second Bledisloe Cup Test on Sunday. Firing up a long-standing rivalry with Wallabies coach Dave Rennie, Plumtree inferred the Australian tactics in the first Test in Wellington last Sunday were typical

5:53 AM BST South Africa have been handed a 48-hour deadline to resolve internal issues and confirm their participation in the Rugby Championship, governing body SANZAAR said on Wednesday. The southern hemisphere championship, which also includes Australia, New Zealand and Argentina, will be held entirely in Australia this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rugby

5:43 AM BST Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan and Test great David Campese might have gone for New Zealand rugby’s jugular, but the Wallabies are keeping their feet firmly on the ground ahead of an All Blacks response in Bledisloe II. The memory of last year’s 36-0 shellacking at Eden Park, which followed a resounding

4:19 AM BST New Zealand Rugby is expecting a “near-capacity” crowd of some 47,000 to pack into Auckland’s Eden Park for the second Bledisloe Cup international against Australia on Sunday. Pictures of 31,000 fans without masks cheering on the three-times world champions in the first test in Wellington last weekend attracted plenty of attention on

2:21 PM BST Finn Russell has been recalled to the Scotland 40-man squad for the conclusion of the 2020 Six Nations and newly-launched Autumn Nations Cup this year, Scottish Rugby announced on Monday. Russell has not made an international appearance since last year’s World Cup after he fell out with Scotland coach Gregor Townsend. Scotland

4:36 AM BST ESPN staff The Wallabies’ Auckland assignment just got easier … maybe. The venue where Australia hasn’t tasted success against their great rivals for 34 years – and the All Blacks are unbeaten at since 1994 – will this week take on a new name for the second Bledisloe Cup Test only. Forget

1:00 AM BST One of the most thrilling Bledisloe Cup encounters on record finished in a 16-all draw on Sunday evening in Wellington after nearly nine minutes of overtime. The gripping post-siren action saw both teams trying to snatch victory, each having genuine chances to do so. It also resulted in a swathe of criticism

10:01 AM BST World champions South Africa will decide next week whether they travel to Australia next month to take part in the Rugby Championship amid uncertainty over coronavirus travel restrictions and concern about the team’s readiness. Rugby South Africa said on Saturday “several hurdles needed to be cleared if it is to be confirmed”

12:02 PM BST The Rugby Football Union (RFU) will not ban England fans from singing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” but will educate them on the history of the song and its links with American slavery, the domestic governing body said. The anthem, believed to have been written by a slave in the mid-19th century, became