3:57 AM BST AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Black Ferns coach Wayne Smith says his team are not yet at the level needed to defeat England, the veteran mentor also heaping praise on New Zealand’s trans-Tasman rivals after the Wallaroos shot out to a 17-0 lead in their Rugby World Cup opener on Saturday night. Playing

7:30 AM BST Winger Claudia MacDonald scored four tries as favourites England opened their Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign with an 84-19 rout of Fiji at Auckland’s Eden Park on Saturday, extending their winning streak to 26 matches. The Red Roses ran in four tries to secure a bonus point in the first half and

AUSAUSNEWNEW AUS No. Name 15 Pauline Piliae-Rasabale, FB 14 Bienne Terita, W 13 Georgina Friedrichs, C 12 Sharni Williams, C 11 Ivania Wong, W 10 Arabella McKenzie, FH 9 Iliseva Batibasaga, SH 1 Liz Patu, P 2 Adiana Talakai, H 3 Bridie O’Gorman, P 4 Sera Naiqama, L 5 Atasi Lafai, L 6 Emily Chancellor,

2:40 AM BST Laure Sansus scored two tries as France underlined their title credentials with a bonus-point 40-5 victory over South Africa in the opening match of the women’s Rugby World Cup at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday. The match was the first of a triple-header at the spiritual home of New Zealand rugby,

8:23 AM BST It may not yet reflect in the Springbok Women’s results, but a seismic cultural shift has taken place within their setup ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, which starts on Saturday. In five years, thanks to a cultural and investment shift, they have gone from a side not

4:16 PM BST Worcester Warriors players and staff are set to have their contracts terminated after part of the English Premiership club was wound up in the high court on Wednesday. Worcester went into administration last week and were suspended by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) from all competitions since August after failing to meet

8:27 PM BST After a year’s delay, the Wallaroos are just days away from stepping on the field for their opening Rugby World Cup clash in New Zealand. In front of a record women’s Rugby World Cup crowd of over 35,000 and heading towards a sellout at Eden Park, the Wallaroos will kick off their

10:12 AM BST A new study looking at the impact of concussion on a group of former Scottish international rugby players has found that they were 15 times more likely to develop motor neurone disease (MND) than the general population. The figure is likely to send shock waves through the sport, which is already embroiled

3:11 AM BST Preparing for her World Cup debut, Wallaroos fly-half Bella McKenzie’s journey to the biggest stage in women’s rugby has taken several twists and turns, but it was a meeting off-field with a man through work that has made the biggest impression on the young player. Joining the disability service What Ability —

Oct 2, 2022 England manager Simon Middleton doesn’t mess around when he talks about what is expected from the Red Roses at the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup. “We’ve got to win it,” Middleton said ahead of the tournament in New Zealand which starts on Oct. 8. “This is the best-prepared squad with the best