Rugby Union card news
Top 21 stories, freshest first.
Moana Pasifika sign off from Super Rugby with a win and emotionally charged hymn
Undermanned side upsets finals-bound ACT Brumbies 21-19 Players come together to mark victory and club’s expected demise An undermanned Moana Pasifika have capped off their potential final match with a stirring victory, upsetting the finals-bound ACT Brumbies 21-19. But there…
Saracens aim for top four as Mark McCall’s final season at the helm comes to a close
Quiet architect of Saracens’ modern dynasty prepares for emotional farewell as his side battle for a playoff spot in penultimate match of the season The quietest man in the stadium will be the most brilliantly lit when the spotlight falls on him come the end of the match. Mark…
Jo Yapp named head coach for historic first women’s British & Irish Lions tour
Former England captain will lead side in New Zealand The 46-year-old preferred to Red Roses’ John Mitchell Jo Yapp has been named the head coach for the first women’s British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in 2027. The former England captain is the head of the women’s pat…
The Breakdown | ‘Everyone hates us, don’t they?’: Mo Hunt on why England won’t tire of dominating women’s rugby
Veteran scrum-half had to watch from the sidelines after a season-ending knee injury in the opening Six Nations game Mo Hunt came into this season cresting perhaps the highest peak of her career. The scrum-half had added a second World Cup medal to her collection when England de…
Bordeaux’s rout of Leinster cements French dominance and leaves rivals playing catch-up | Robert Kitson
Faster and smarter in deed and thought, Bordeaux ruthlessly demonstrated why Top 14 supremacy looks set to continue Nothing in sport lasts for ever. Dynasties come and go and even the best fade to grey eventually. That, at least, is the theory. The stark truth in European club r…
King of Bordeaux Lucu injects soul into triumph of a French club on the rise | Michael Aylwin
Leinster could not contain a team backed by tens of thousands of French supporters chanting with exuberance They are in danger of running away with rugby, these French. The Springboks may have something to say about that, but South Africa do not have the Top 14. And they definit…
Bielle-Biarrey doubles up as Bordeaux sink Leinster to retain Champions Cup
Champions Cup final: Leinster 19-41 Bordeaux French side run in five first-half tries in comfortable win Another vintage year for Bordeaux, another bitter final loss for Leinster. On a hot, unforgiving afternoon in Bilbao there was never the slightest doubt who would be hoisti…
Billy Vunipola shines as Montpellier demolish Ulster to claim Challenge Cup
Montpellier 59-26 Ulster Dominant French side run in nine tries Ulster’s dreams of claiming a first trophy for 20 years were summarily dashed by a strong Montpellier on a steamy night in Bilbao. Led by a revitalised Billy Vunipola the French side possessed too much power for t…
Leinster desperate to tear up Bordeaux’s script in Champions Cup final cauldron
With temperatures in the mid-30s expected, Leo Cullen’s side will need to be at their best to avoid another sad denouement to a French drama There was a very different feel when Leinster last came to Bilbao for a Champions Cup final. In 2018 it was wet, grey and could have passe…
Borthwick delays call on resting Itoje until final England squad announced in June
‘I’ll make decisions when time comes,’ says head coach Chessum likely to lead side in at least one July Test England’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, has confirmed he may rest some senior players including his captain, Maro Itoje, for all or part of the summer Nations Championsh…
The Breakdown | Champ’s relegation playoff proved jeopardy resonates more than a closed shop
Buttock-clenching battle between Richmond and London Scottish provides perfect antidote to Prem franchise model It wasn’t, in all honesty, the greatest game ever played. But never mind that. For Richmond and London Scottish on Saturday all that counted was winning – or, more to…
Scott Hastings obituary
One of the greats of Scottish rugby who went on to have a successful broadcasting career Scott Hastings, the most capped centre in the history of Scotland’s rugby union side, played a key role in his country’s epic 1990 grand slam victory over England at Murrayfield. Scott, whos…
England play Tetris to build pyramid towards extending global dominance | Sarah Rendell
Red Roses showed the hunger needed to defend World Cup in 2029 by clinching an eighth successive Six Nations If the top of the pyramid is defending their Rugby World Cup title in 2029 then this Women’s Six Nations has formed the base from which England can build. The world champ…
England call up former Junior Springbok for Nations Championship
Benhard Janse van Rensburg in 42-man training squad England consider resting Itoje and other senior players England have called up the former South African U20 centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg to train with the national squad before the inaugural Nations Championship. The Bri…
Resolve of Red Roses in Six Nations glory should not be overlooked | Robert Kitson
Concern that England’s women are not being challenged fails to acknowledge what it takes for consistent excellence There are a couple of reasons why England’s latest Six Nations grand slam is worthy of glowing appreciation. The first is that consistent excellence should always r…
France 28-43 England: Women’s Six Nations 2026 finale –as it happened
Kildunne and Breach led the scoring as the Red Roses delivered another grand slam 7 mins. T Feleu has her first crash ball run of the game from a scrum and Harrison does well to hold onto her leg for dear life to stop the big woman breaking the line. The ball is recycled quickly…
England win eighth successive Women’s Six Nations after powering to victory over France
France 28-43 England Kildunne and Breach score twice as Red Roses triumph Dominant, invincible, indefatigable. There are so many words to describe this England team. No matter what you throw at them, they win matches and lift trophies. The Red Roses have an almost untouchable…
Scott Hastings, Scotland rugby union great, dies aged 61
Centre won 65 caps, with 51 alongside his brother Gavin Also selected for two British and Irish Lions tours Scotland’s 1990 grand slam-winning centre Scott Hastings has died at the age of 61, his family have announced, four years after he revealed he had been diagnosed with no…
Leicester set sights on top two after running riot at Sale to seal Prem playoff place
Sale 33-47 Leicester Tigers run in seven tries in high-scoring encounter Joe Heyes began his post-match press conference speaking about scoring on his 100th Leicester start and ended it waxing lyrical about butchering wild animals with his teammates. It said much for the unity…
Free-flowing Harlequins dent Exeter’s playoff hopes with comeback win
Harlequins 41-24 Exeter Hosts score 34 unanswered points in bonus-point victory Another Prem match, another comeback win. So common are they these days that it hardly needs mentioning that this one had Harlequins overturning the 17-point deficit by which they trailed after lit…
France plot England’s downfall but Marlie Packer and co defiant in final crunch
On Sunday the Red Roses chase an eighth straight Women’s Six Nations title, with hosts Les Bleues seeking a slam too It all comes down to this, again. France have been runners-up to England in the Women’s Six Nations for the past six years, edging ever closer: last year’s decide…