5:23 AM BST The Wallabies are up and running for 2021, albeit with more than a touch of good fortune after France bottled a lineout clearance and a pouncing Tate McDermott gave Australia one final chance at victory. After a prolonged hammering of the French tryline, referee Brendon Pickerill finally awarded the penalty he had

7:33 AM BST Liam Napier Set against the backdrop of the horror show that was the All Blacks’ 102-0 assault on Tonga last week, Fiji are next to step into the caldron dubbed a celebration of Pacific rugby. Contrary to the immediate challenges they face against the All Blacks in Dunedin, Fiji rugby is in

12:50 PM BST Lindsay du Plessis The British & Irish Lions’ postponed tour match against the Bulls could still take place, says the Pretoria side’s CEO Edgar Rathbone, but it would likely be played in Cape Town. The fixture, which was due to be played this Saturday, was postponed on Tuesday after multiple positive coronavirus

6:22 PM BST The British & Irish Lions tour suffered a blow on Tuesday with the postponement of their weekend game in Pretoria amid an outbreak of COVID-19 cases in South African rugby. The Lions were to play the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday but four of the local players, plus one official, tested

2:18 PM BST Wales fullback Leigh Halfpenny requires surgery on a knee ligament injury sustained in the 68-12 win over Canada on Saturday, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) said on Tuesday, ruling him out of their summer tests. The 32-year-old was visibly upset as he was taken off the field on a stretcher after his

2:00 AM BST St George Illawarra prop Paul Vaughan has been sacked after he hosted an illegal house party attended by 13 players. The Dragons Board will officially ratify the decision when they meet at an emergency meeting on Tuesday afternoon. The move comes after the NRL on Monday handed down a raft of sanctions

1:56 PM BST South Africa cancelled training on Monday and went into isolation after another positive COVID-19 test, putting in jeopardy their Test on Friday against Georgia. Springbok lock Lood de Jager returned a positive test, following three positives in the South African side last week, raising more questions about the British & Irish Lions

11:00 PM BST NRL boss Andrew Abdo says he is “gutted” by St George Illawara’s players breaching virus protocols and placing the season at risk. The NRL has come down hard on the 13 players who broke stay-at-home orders to party at Paul Vaughan’s barbeque on Saturday. 1 Related They were handed a combined fine

9:51 AM BST Furious St George Illawarra boss Ryan Webb has slammed the arrogance of the Dragons’ dirty 13, refusing to rule out further sanctions beyond the 20 games in bans and big fines from the NRL. The NRL came down hard on the 13 players who broke stay-at-home orders to party at Paul Vaughan’s

8:19 AM BST South Africa lock RG Snyman has undergone skin graft surgery after he suffered burns last month but he could still return in time for the test series against the British & Irish Lions, officials said on Sunday. Snyman needed grafts on his knee after being burned in an accident in Ireland last