4:30 PM BST South Africa’s World Cup hero Cheslin Kolbe has said he would rather play against the British and Irish Lions next year and forego the chance to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. The winger, whose try in the closing stages of last year’s World Cup final in Japan sealed success against England, will

3:23 AM BST South Africa fullback Warrick Gelant has made the switch from the Bulls to Super Rugby rivals the Stormers, officials confirmed on Wednesday. Gelant, 25, will swap Pretoria for Cape Town, having been signed to fill the gap left by another Springboks fullback, Dillyn Leyds, who has moved to La Rochelle in France.

1:39 AM BST ESPN staff South Africa hooker Malcolm Marx has cancelled his contract with the Lions Super Rugby franchise. The Rugby World Cup winner is one of four players and one coach to leave the Lions after the introduction of the Industry Salary Plan to deal with the repercussions of the coronavirus, under which

2:46 PM BST Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has said fly-half Finn Russell is available for selection again after the pair put their feud behind them. Russell was dropped on the eve of January’s Six Nations opener in Ireland and sat out three subsequent matches after what Scottish Rugby called “a breach of team protocol.” Townsend

7:31 AM BST ESPN staff World Rugby have postponed all July Test matches until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced on Friday. The decision comes after a World Rugby meeting which determined the impact of COVID-19 on the global calendar. Due to the global pandemic and border security measures, World Rugby

7:41 AM BST ESPN staff Rugby Australia have secured $14.2m emergency funding from World Rugby as part of its COVID-19 relief strategy, RA announced on Friday. World Rugby’s emergency relief fund of approximately $160m will be allocated to unions on an application and evaluation basis to mitigate the impact the COVID-19 crisis on the sport.

1:15 PM BST Connor O’Halloran On a bright Thursday afternoon, Ed Jackson wears a thick brace on his left leg as he limps up the staircase of his parents’ home one step at a time. He propels himself up with his right leg, his left dragging behind him until he reaches the top. It’s three

4:31 PM BST Premiership Rugby teams that breach salary cap rules in the future should be stripped of their titles, an independent report has recommended. The review, which was published by the league on Thursday, was carried out by former government minister and member of Britain’s House of Lords Paul Myners on behalf of the

3:21 AM BST ESPN staff England coach Eddie Jones has dived into Rugby Australia’s [RA] current state of issues on Australian podcast The Rugby Ruckus, suggesting RA focus on reviving club rugby to its former glory and avoid imitating other nation’s structures. Currently based in Japan, Jones has been keeping a close eye on the

11:08 AM BST Agustin Pichot has resigned from his role on the World Rugby Council and as president of Americas Rugby after his defeat by Bill Beaumont in the recent election for the post of the global body’s chairman, the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR) has said. Pichot, who won 71 caps for Argentina, served as