12:51 PM BST Scotland lock Sam Skinner has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup after suffering a hamstring injury in Saturday’s victory over France. Skinner, 24, limped off during Scotland’s 17-14 comeback win at Murrayfield and Scottish Rugby confirmed on Tuesday that the Exeter Chiefs man will not feature in Japan next month.

8:45 AM BST ESPN staff Rugby Australia [RA] boss Raelene Castle has confirmed the governing body will conduct a review of its Giteau Law with the policy having now been used across two World Cup cycles. Australia’s overseas player policy was thrust into the spotlight in the lead-up to Michael Cheika’s Wallabies squad announcement last

2:20 AM BST South Africa captain Siya Kolisi won his fitness battle to lead his country at the Rugby World Cup in Japan, as coach Rassie Erasmus named the back-row forward in his 31-man squad. Kolisi had been a doubt since injuring his knee in May, missing the Springboks’ triumphant Rugby Championship campaign. However, he

2:05 PM ET England delivered a commanding performance to delight a sun-drenched Twickenham crowd Saturday as they ran in eight tries in a record 57-15 rout of Ireland. After an early wobble England took total control of the Rugby World Cup warmup Test, delivering the sort of ambitious, high-speed game that has been on show

4:05 AM BST Wallabies veteran Adam Ashley-Cooper was made to sweat by Matt Giteau, but his close mate at last delivered the good news that he’d be off to a fourth Rugby World Cup. Continuing the tradition from the 2015 World Cup, Wallabies coach Michael Cheika relied on former Test players to give each of

4:02 AM BST New Zealand’s first Rugby World Cup-winning captain wants Steve Hansen to keep making the big selection calls as he attempts to “prove himself all over again” on the game’s biggest stage. David Kirk was New Zealand’s sole triumphant World Cup captain for 24 years until Richie McCaw lifted the Webb Ellis Trophy

3:05 AM BST The Wallabies’ 31-man squad for the Rugby World Cup is in and as ever, there were some good and hard-luck stories across the group. Wallabies coach Michael Cheika and fellow selectors Michael O’Connor and Scott Johnson have settled on a split of 17 forwards and 13 backs for the tournament, which kicks

11:34 AM BST Tom Curry and Sam Underhill will line up either side of Billy Vunipola in a new-look, highly mobile back row against Ireland on Saturday as England coach Eddie Jones continues to juggle his resources in the team’s penultimate World Cup warm-up match. Curry and Underhill, who have both been hard hit by

8:57 AM BST New Zealand’s team bidding for a rugby sevens gold medal at next year’s Tokyo Olympics will not include any All Blacks after several approached declined to be involved. New Zealand Rugby said on Thursday that four players — Caleb Clarke, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Salesi Rayasi and Scott Gregory — had been granted leave

8:55 AM BST World Rugby has changed a rule governing restarts in the wake of George North’s contentious try for Wales in their 13-6 win over England in Cardiff on Saturday. Wales winger North scored in the 34th minute while England had yet to send on a temporary replacement for scrumhalf Willi Heinz, who had