4:00 PM GMT Rugby’s Six Nations Championship returns this weekend for the 2023 tournament, with some faces old and new leading the teams. Steve Borthwick faces his first match in charge of England following Eddie Jones’ departure after the Autumn Nations Cup last year, with Scotland the visitors to Twickenham for this year’s Calcutta Cup

3:38 PM GMT Owen Farrell and Joe Marchant will fill England’s midfield with Marcus Smith at flyhalf in their Six Nations opener against Scotland on Saturday as Manu Tuilagi was omitted from the matchday squad announced by Steve Borthwick on Thursday. When fit, Tuilagi has been one of the first names on the team sheet

11:41 AM GMT Becky Thompson Editor’s note: This story contains discussions of suicidal ideation. In July of 2022, the Rugby Football Union (RFU), the game’s governing body in England, voted to ban transgender women from playing women’s contact rugby, and trans player Julie Curtiss is leading the opposition to fight the decision. The RFU’s reasoning

2:14 PM GMT Johnny Sexton has recovered from a facial injury and will captain Ireland from fly-half but prop Tadhg Furlong has been ruled out of their Six Nations opener against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday. Furlong has not played since December after ankle, hamstring and calf injuries, but had hoped to be fit to

9:28 AM GMT Veteran fullback Stuart Hogg has recovered from injury to take his place in Scotland’s backline for Saturday’s Six Nations opener against England at Twickenham. Hogg, who had a heel injury, will win his 97th cap despite having missed matches at club level over the last weeks in an experienced line-up named by

12:39 PM GMT Wales coach Warren Gatland has included lock Alun Wyn Jones in his starting 15 to face Ireland in their Six Nations opener at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, having opted for experience in his first selection since returning to the role. Jones is the most capped international in rugby history with 155

3:55 AM GMT It might be his second coming as Wallabies coach but Eddie Jones insists he should not be treated as the messiah as he sets his sights on resurrecting a golden era for rugby in Australia. If they can take down New Zealand along the way, then so much the better. Back at

1:38 PM GMT Steve Phillips has resigned from his position as CEO of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), the governing body said on Sunday after he came under pressure for its handling of allegations of misogyny, sexism and racism within the WRU. In a BBC Wales documentary, several former female WRU employees made allegations about

5:42 PM GMT Benetton Rugby prop Ivan Nemer has been suspended until June 30 after giving Black teammate Cherif Traore a “rotten banana” as a Christmas present, the Italian Rugby Federation said on Friday. The sanction was imposed based on investigations into what happened during a private lunch organised by the club’s players on Dec.

2:50 PM GMT The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has issued an apology for the “anger and concern” in the rugby community following its announcement last week that the tackle height would be lowered across the community game. The announcement, made on Thursday, caused uproar in the sport and a flurry of criticism. There was widespread