10:33 AM BST Sam Bruce Close ESPN Associate Editor Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPNscrum after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Tom Hamilton Close Senior

9:37 AM BST Rugby has jokingly asked for a second oval on the NRL’s “Fantasy Island” as they plan for a potential July return – more than a month later than their rugby league counterparts. Rugby Australia boss Raelene Castle has flagged a July or August kick-off for a domestic Super Rugby alternative and hopes

5:36 AM BST ESPN staff New Zealand may reintroduce a North Island vs. South Island match to the national fixture list as it looks for ways to restart its domestic rugby season. Super Rugby, along with all competitions in New Zealand, has been suspended as part of the measures aimed at curbing the spread of

3:10 AM BST South Africa Rugby will seek to cut spending by 1 billion rand ($US52.95 million) over the next eight months in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and has plans for a new domestic competition to replace Super Rugby and the PRO14 on the 2020 calendar. SA Rugby also announced on Tuesday that it

5:45 PM BST Fiji Rugby Union chairman Francis Kean has stepped down from the World Rugby Council and withdrawn his nomination for the body’s Executive Committee after allegations of discrimination were published by The Sunday Times, it was announced on Tuesday. “World Rugby notes the Fiji Rugby Union’s decision to stand down Fiji Rugby Union

7:18 PM BST Munster prop James Cronin has been banned for a month after committing an unintentional doping violation due to a mix-up at a pharmacy, European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) said in a statement on Monday. Cronin, 29, tested positive for the steroid prednisolone and corticosteroid prednisone, which are on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s

4:50 PM BST World Rugby is set to investigate Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) chairman Ratu Vilikesa Bulewa Francis Kean over alleged homophobic comments. The Fiji chairman has come under pressure after the Sunday Times published quotes of Kean using homophobic language. A World Rugby statement read: “World Rugby notes allegations in the UK Sunday Times

4:05 AM BST World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont believes the unity shown in the global game during the coronavirus pandemic will finally lead to a new international competition along the lines of last year’s Nations Championship proposal. Beaumont, who faces a challenge for his job from Argentine vice-chairman Agustin Pichot in an election later this

5:38 PM BST Former French international Mathieu Bastareaud will join Lyon after a short spell at RU New York, the French Top 14 side said on Saturday. “LOU rugby is happy to announce that Mathieu Bastareaud has signed a two-year contract starting next season,” Lyon said in a statement. Centre Bastareaud, who won 54 caps

11:17 AM BST Three-time World Player of the Year Dan Carter announced he was leaving Japanese Top League side Kobelco Steelers in an Instagram post on Friday. Carter, who won the Top League in his first season with Kobe last year, signed a two-year contract with the club in 2018 but, with Japan’s domestic season