12:38 PM BST England fly-half Marcus Smith can unlock any game by himself and will offer the team good balance in their autumn internationals, captain Owen Farrell said on Tuesday. Head coach Eddie Jones left out Leicester fly-half George Ford from his 34-man squad, clearing the way for summer debutant Smith to be given the

2:06 AM BST ESPN staff The inclusion of Samu Kerevi and Sean McMahon for the remainder of the Wallabies’ spring tour appears increasingly unlikely, with the duo reportedly set to miss the U.K. leg of the tour and remain in Japan with club Suntory Sungoliath. A foxsports.com.au report on Tuesday said the duo had not

James Slipper described it as clunky; Dave Rennie said the performance was rusty and frustrating. Yet the Wallabies still made it five straight wins as they defeated Japan 32-23 to get their spring tour off on the right foot on Saturday afternoon. But no one should be reaching for the celebratory sake, particularly when far

7:59 AM BST New Zealand got back to winning ways as they romped to a 104-14 victory over the United States in Washington on Saturday in a lopsided test match in which the Eagles at least secured their first-ever try against the All Blacks. New Zealand, who had not played in the U.S. since 2016,

12:29 PM BST England will bid to host the women’s rugby World Cup in 2025, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said on Friday. England’s Red Roses, the world’s top-ranked women’s team, have twice won the World Cup — in 1994 and 2014. 1 Related They finished runners-up at the last edition in 2017 after losing

10:41 PM BST ESPN staff Richie Mo’unga will make his first run-on start for the All Blacks since Bledisloe II when he pilots an inexperienced but dangerous New Zealand outfit for the Test against the United States in Washington D.C. Mo’unga replaces Beauden Barrett at No. 10, with the Blues playmaker having held the position

7:25 AM BST The Wallabies are taking the diplomatic approach to securing Quade Cooper’s availability for the U.K. leg of their spring tour, after the veteran playmaker was named for his fifth straight Test start in Saturday’s match against Japan. Wallabies coach Dave Rennie on Thursday unveiled a squad without the in-form Samu Kerevi —

10:35 PM BST ESPN staff Wallabies centre Hunter Paisami will make his return to the starting line-up against Japan on Saturday, after tackle-busting star Samu Kerevi was ruled out through an ankle injury. Leaving the Wallabies squad for the birth of his child ahead of Bledisloe III in August, Paisami has frustratingly been unable to

2:11 PM BST The USA has launched its joint bid to host the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027 or 2031, and the women’s Rugby World Cup in 2029. It’s the first time a country has tabled a bid for both of rugby’s premier global tournaments. The details of the bid were unveiled on Wednesday,

2:53 PM BST Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has named 12 uncapped players in his squad for the autumn internationals starting later this month as he casts his net far and wide two years out from the next Rugby World Cup in France. Included in the squad are the South African-born duo of loose forward Dylan