1:44 AM BST New Zealand will kick off their international season against Ireland at Eden Park on July 2 before meeting the Six Nations runners-up at Dunedin and Wellington in the three-Test series. The All Blacks have won 46 consecutive matches at Eden Park since their last loss at the Auckland venue in 1994, and

10:05 AM BST Lindsay du Plessis Pedrie Wannenburg was a Bulls legend, winning three Super Rugby titles and five Currie Cups with the Pretoria side. He was the first Bulls player to reach 100 caps for the franchise. Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty Images Former Springboks flanker Pedrie Wannenburg was killed during a high-speed car chase in Texas

3:10 PM BST England continued their winning run in the Women’s Six Nations with a convincing 69-0 win over Ireland on Sunday in front of a record crowd. Lark Davies, Lydia Thompson, Poppy Cleall and Ellie Kildunne bagged two tries each while Sarah Bern, Marlie Packer and Hannah Botterman also crossed the line for England.

10:12 AM BST Former Springbok loose forward Pedrie Wannenburg has been killed in a car accident in Texas, his former South African franchise the Bulls said on Saturday. Wannenburg, 41, played 20 times for the Boks and was close to being selected for the World Cup-winning squad in France in 2007. He also turned out

11:52 PM BST New Zealand Rugby (NZR) said on Thursday former All Blacks assistant Wayne Smith has been appointed director of rugby for the national women’s team in the wake of Glenn Moore’s resignation as head coach. Moore stepped down on Saturday, saying he did not agree with “misleading allegations” made against him by a

9:44 AM BST Ed Sheeran has punted Munster from their Thomond Park Stadium for next month’s Champions Cup quarterfinal tie against Toulouse with the venue set to host the British singer’s concerts. The quarterfinals are scheduled for May 6-8 but with Sheeran set to play Limerick’s Thomond Park on May 5 and May 6 there

3:07 AM BST It was an egg-cellent weekend of Easter Super Rugby action, with the Blues, Reds, Chiefs, Hurricanes and Waratahs all enjoying victories in Round 9. Following their heart-stopping win in Christchurch, the Blues now sit atop the ladder on 31 points, the Kiwis above the Brumbies because of for-and-against. The Reds are in

2:02 AM BST New Zealand women’s long-serving coach Glenn Moore stepped down on Saturday, saying he did not agree with “misleading allegations” made against him by a player, which sparked a review into the team’s culture. New Zealand Rugby (NZR) boss Mark Robinson apologised to the country’s elite women players this week after the review

4:08 AM BST Queensland Reds coach Brad Thorn has responded to the unnamed criticism of his methods from a Rugby Australia [RA] source, agreeing that it was “gutless” and insisting he had no issues working with Wallabies staff. Tensions between the Reds and RA are simmering after Queensland Rugby Union [QRU] boss David Hanham expressed

8:06 AM BST ESPN staff The resurgent Blues face the biggest test of their Super Rugby Pacific title credentials in Christchurch on Friday, but they have received a huge boost for the match with a couple of key additions to their 23-man squad. One is code-hopper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who will make his return from injury