Jun 29, 2022 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

Jun 27, 2022 Spain’s appeal against their disqualification from next year’s Rugby World Cup has been dismissed, World Rugby announced on Monday. Spain were disqualified from the tournament in France for fielding an ineligible player during the 2021-22 Rugby Europe Championship. “The Independent Appeal Committee reviewed the original decision of the Independent Judicial Committee based

10:59 AM BST The Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby have issued an apology to Luther Burrell after he said racism was “rife” in the sport. Burrell, 32, told the Daily Mail that racist “banter” was common among teammates, with the former England centre saying he was subjected to discriminatory language including comments about slavery.

11:35 PM BST One of the many faces of the Australian LGBTQ+ sporting community, Australian sevens star and Olympic gold medallist Sharni Williams has celebrated the growing importance of Pride Month while revealing the struggle she faced to gain acceptance within her own family. Williams, who grew up in country Queensland, says she believed she

6:21 AM BST Ahead of the opening Test against England in Perth, Wallabies veteran Quade Cooper says his exchanges with the old enemy’s playmaker Marcus Smith are mutually beneficial and for the good of rugby. Connecting over social media, Smith recently revealed Cooper, 11 years his senior at 34, had “helped me a lot”. That

3:09 AM BST New Zealand’s preparations for their opening Test against Ireland have been rocked with head coach Ian Foster, his assistants John Plumtree and Scott McLeod, as well as two key players all testing positive for COVID-19. Midfielders David Havili and Jack Goodhue as well as the coaches are in isolation after contracting the

2:45 AM BST This series is in no way make-or-break for Wallabies coach Dave Rennie, but if Australia are to be taken as serious World Cup contenders next year they simply must end their losing Test streak to England and claim the series win. More than 2,400 days have come and gone since Australia’s last

4:34 AM BST Wallabies great Mark Ella needed to be persuaded to have his name as part of the new trophy to be contested by Australia and England from Saturday week, but he says it is a great honour and “probably time” that two former players were recognised. Rugby Australia [RA] and the Rugby Football

1:45 AM BST Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan has doubled down on comments that his organisation could walk away from Super Rugby, saying it is a 50/50 call, while also describing the reaction stemming out of New Zealand as “hilarious”. McLennan dropped a huge bombshell last Thursday when he revealed that “all bets were off”

10:58 AM BST Leinster scrum-half Nick McCarthy has announced he is gay, and has thanked coaches Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster for their “unbelievable” support in what he said has been a difficult decision. McCarthy has 18 caps as an Ireland under-20 player and he captained the side in 2015 but said he contemplated quitting