CATEGORIES

Valetini leads the way for Wallabies

THE good times keep on rolling at the start of Joe Schmidt’s tenure as Australia made it four wins on the spin for the first time since 2021 courtesy of an almighty performance from their back row.

All Blacks spreading the word in San Diego

NEW Zealand’s debutants rose to Test level as the All Blacks dispatched their rivals Fiji in their final outing before next month’s Rugby Championship.

England going in the right direction

IF WE measure England from the time Steve Borthwick took over as head coach to where we are now there has been an improvement in performance.

Best team in the world, I screamed

FRIDAY night was the highlight of my shortlived rugby career so far and was the perfect way to start my first year as a professional player.

Battling Wales run out of power

WALES were overpowered in their final outing as tournament hosts South Africa won the battle for seventh place.

New Zealand too good for Ireland as they finish third

NEW Zealand secured third place in the u20 rugby championship with victory over the Irish, after coming alive in the second half and scoring 31 unanswered points in half an hour.

Glory for a band of brothers

ENGLAND emerged victorious for the first time in the tournament since 2016, denying France a fourth championship in a row and completed a historic Six Nations and World Championship double, going undefeated in 2024.

Packer out to defend WXV crown in Canada

MARLIE Packer enjoyed one of the greatest nights of her rugby career in the first edition of WXV – little wonder she cannot wait for the second.

Freeman: We left with NZ respect

TOMMY Freeman flew out of New Zealand on Monday morning beaten but not bowed claiming England had won the respect of the All Blacks.

Holden keen to learn the McGeechan way

MALIQ Holden admits he couldn’t have asked for a better role model to learn from than Sir Ian McGeechan after landing his first head coach role.

2027 World Cup is closer than you think, says Borthwick

STEVE Borthwick admits he faces a race against time to get England up to speed as he turns his sights to the 2027 World Cup.

Top of the world

England U20s too strong for France in final showdown

Ex-Bath wing to play for Knights

FORMER England winger Semesa Rokoduguni will play for Doncaster Knights in the Championship next season.

Hunslet become dual-code outfit

A DUAL-CODE rugby club is set to return to the Rugby League heartland of Leeds, with Jason Robinson's former club Hunslet launching a 15-man, semi-pro franchise team.

Time for players to behave properly

THERE are no 'good' responses to Melvyn Jaminet's violently racist outburst on social media, or the serious sexual assault allegations levelled against Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou during France's July tour of Argentina and Uruguay.

Why is captain replaced so early?

SO THE All Blacks keep their home record of wins at Dunedin by just one point against an England side who will be wondering what might have been.

I played my last game in 38-degree heat...

OMAN, where I have been living with my family for the last two years, is a beautiful country just like Wales with the coastline and the mountains - but with a lot fewer rugby clubs and a better climate. In fact, there is only one rugby club out here, in Muscat, where my son now plays.

Injury and illness can't stop the fun

IT'S time to dip back into the 1974 Lions tour again and 50 years ago today exactly - July 14 a much agitated manager of the Marine Hotel in what used to be called Port Elizabeth was looking for Lions manager Alun Thomas to demand both an explanation and reparation.

YOUN GUNS HARVEYCUCKSON BATH & ENGLAND U20 SECOND ROW

Harvey Cuckson thought long and hard about whether to represent England or Wales in his age-grade rugby but is certain he made the right call in pulling on the Red Rose.

European elite keen to exclude outsiders

WHICHEVER way you care to define the i-word, it was an interesting few hours for Canadian sport.

I still have a lot more to give - McNally

JOSH McNally views his move to Cardiff as the perfect outcome after for a time that his rugby career may be over.

Wales show defiance but the wait goes on

ALL week long the Red Dragon legions had planned their regimental mobilisation with just enough military precision to let them catch the action in Auckland, a bit of R & R before the serious business.

Aussies made to fight all the way

WALES captain Dewi Lake scored two tries from lineout drives but it wasn't enough to prevent his side crashing to their ninth consecutive defeat and give Australia their first win at a rainy Melbourne since 2017.

High-risk blitz puts England in charge

THERE'S nothing not to like about England's blitz defence. It's bold, gutsy, and good to see because it makes rugby exciting. A blitz defence is all-or-nothing - there's no half-way, no 'just about'.

Underhill so impressed by England's improvement

SAM Underhill is a decent barometer of England's progress in the last 12 months having watched them from in and outside the camp over the last year.

Only our best will do, says Carnduff

FINN Carnduff leads England U20s out to face old rivals Ireland today knowing they must produce their best 80 minutes of the tournament so far to book a place in Friday's World Championship final.

Borthwick approach tempted Strawbridge

ASSISTANT coach Andrew Strawbridge reckons England are a team on the up and that persuaded him to throw in his lot with Steve Borthwick's crew.

George: I just can't wait for rematch

ENGLAND captain Jamie George is desperate for a rematch with the All reBlacks after another gut-wrenching verse down under.

Ireland stun world champions

SUPER-SUB Ciaran Frawley landed a last second drop-goal to write his name into Ireland legend as Andy Farrell's side clinched a dramatic victory over South Africa in Durban last night to level the series 1-1.

England know this was a chance missed

AFTER Marcus Smith missed a penalty two minutes into the second half from 30 metres out and just to the left of the posts, the outside-half cursed himself with a two-word phrase that England supporters watching at the ground and at home would have struggled to top in terms of bad language.