1:12 AM BST Brumbies coach Dan McKellar says injured Wallabies ace David Pocock is missing the trip to Argentina as a precautionary measure to get him healthy for his team’s final six Super Rugby regular season games. Pocock has played just 138 minutes in three games through 10 rounds this season due to a concussion

7:30 AM BST Israel Folau’s future in Australian rugby may be decided within two weeks after his code of conduct hearing was set for Saturday, May 4. The following day has been reserved in case the hearing runs into a second day. The Wallabies superstar has been charged with a high-level code of conduct breach

11:48 AM BST Brittany Mitchell Close ESPN Assistant Editor Brittany Mitchell has been a sports fan from an early age, with a keen interest in netball, cricket and rugby. Brittany interned at Rugby Magazine and the Australian Rugby Union before joining ESPN. Andy Withers Close ESPN Senior Editor Andy loves all sport, in particular football,

5:50 PM BST Johnny Sexton returned to action and top form to lead holders Leinster to the European Champions Cup final on Sunday, outclassing Toulouse 30-12 in a clash of the competition’s two most successful teams. The Leinster captain, who had not played for the province this year and was out of form at the

7:04 PM BST Saracens produced a powerful second half surge to reach their third Champions Cup final in four seasons by beating Munster 32-16 at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday. The English champions edged a tight first half 12-9 thanks to four Owen Farrell penalties, with Munster’s Tyler Bleyendaal kicking six points and Conor Murray

10:34 PM BST Without one of their biggest stars, the Waratahs were always going to be under the pump to make up for the absence of Israel Folau, but with their impressive second half turnaround to seal a 23-20 win, the side showed they could step up without their linchpin. In the lead up to

12:30 PM BST England centre Ben Te’o will leave Worcester Warriors at the end of the season, the club has announced. Te’o, 32, is one of eight players confirmed to depart in May after making just 33 appearances for Worcester since joining the club in 2016. 1 Related He became the Warriors’ best-paid player at

11:49 AM BST Japanese police have been encouraged to take a “light touch” approach to fans during the Rugby World Cup, with organisers warning they are likely to “drink a lot” but will not be a threat. Tournament officials have been visiting host cities to emphasise that fans will be boisterous but are unlikely to

3:39 AM BST Long-time teammate Bernard Foley says Israel Folau has hurt the NSW Waratahs but isn’t a bad guy. The superstar back was stood down by the NSW Rugby Union last Friday following the furore generated by his latest social media posting. He won’t play in Saturday’s crucial Super Rugby clash against Australian conference

2:02 AM BST The panel for Israel Folau’s code of conduct hearing has been confirmed, with John West QC the chair. Rugby Australia’s Kate Eastman SC and Rugby Union Players’ Association representative John Boultbee AM are the other panellists as Folau fights to save his career. The three-time John Eales Medallist requested the hearing, expected