12:24 PM BST Premiership rugby clubs have failed in their bid to end relegation to the Championship for the upcoming season, league sources have confirmed to ESPN. First reported in the Times, Premiership clubs offered to increase their annual funding of the division below by £500,000 — from £1.7 million per year to £2.2m —

3:35 AM BST South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus believes his side’s fate at the Rugby World Cup in Japan could be decided by fine margins such as the bounce of a ball, a missed tackle or a refereeing decision. Erasmus told Reuters in an interview that the team’s preparations, which included lifting the Rugby Championship

1:24 AM BST All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick was sweating on his fitness for the Rugby World Cup until a couple of days before making the squad but is now more confident his shoulder injury will clear up in time for him to make some contribution in Japan. The former World Player of the Year

12:09 PM BST Prop Rhys Carre and wing Owen Lane will make their debuts for Wales Saturday, when the Grand Slam winners host Ireland in their penultimate Rugby World Cup warmup match in Cardiff. Head coach Warren Gatland has made 14 changes to the squad that beat England 13-6 earlier this month and the team

7:41 AM BST Luke Thompson has been handed the chance to play at a fourth Rugby World Cup after being included in Japan’s squad for the tournament. The 38-year-old New Zealand-born lock was one of the more experienced players to be named in the hosts’ squad, though forward Takuya Kitade was the only uncapped player

8:36 PM BST Former rugby star James Haskell has vowed to “put his life” into making a success of his switch to MMA with the Bellator promotion, but will not be rushed into the cage, pointing to a cautionary tale from Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky. Haskell, who won 76 caps for England in a 17-year professional

1:18 PM BST Craig Dowd Close Craig Dowd played 60 Tests for New Zealand between 1993 and 2000, including in two World Cups, and he was part of the All Blacks team that won their first series in South Africa in 1996. He played for the Blues and Auckland in New Zealand domestic rugby, and

10:56 AM BST The Springboks have appointed Felix Jones as a defence consultant for the World Cup, the South Africa Rugby Union announced Wednesday. The former Ireland international fullback will be reunited with head coach Rassie Erasmus after their time together at Munster. His arrival comes after attack coach Swys de Bruin quit earlier this

9:19 AM BST World Cup selection bolter Jordan Petaia will return early from the Wallabies camp in New Caledonia with injury and has been ruled out of next week’s Test against Samoa. Uncapped 19-year-old Petaia has will have to wait until the World Cup in Japan to make his international debut after injuring his hamstring

1:21 AM BST The All Blacks have unveiled the 31-man squad that will attempt to win a third straight Rugby World Cup. Coach Steve Hansen was expected to announce a list of names with few surprises, but he and his fellow All Blacks selectors did have a couple of shocks up their sleeve on Wednesday.