Aussies set up Fiji showdown

Australia will contest both the men's and women's final at the Perth Sevens after strong semi-final wins. After the women defeated the United States 24-7 at HBF Park to book a final showdown with Ireland, the men beat Fiji 22-7. They will face series-leaders Argentina, who beat them in the final of the last tournament in Cape Town. Both Australian…

Castleford Tigers ace Jason Qareqare and new Hull FC man Nu Brown were both on the scoresheet in the dress rehearsals for the inaugural Pacific Championships finals. Following the results in week two of the first-ever edition of the Southern Hemisphere's new international tournament, we already knew who was going to be in the finals of both the…

With Australia having picked up only six points from their opening three games, Saturday's Pool C clash between Fiji and Georgia could well be billed as a quarter final play-off! The Stade de Bordeaux will be the venue for this clash between the second placed side and the fourth placed team, both of who are desperate to follow Wales into the next…

After defeating Australia for the first time in 69 years, Fiji have one foot in the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinals. Saturday could prove to be an unforgettable day for the Flying Fijians, who take on Georgia in Bordeaux (11:45 am ET, CNBC/Peacock). Thanks to their 22-15 win over the Wallabies in Saint-Etienne a dozen days ago, Fiji have the…

It's make-or-break day for Australia and their chances to avoid historic Rugby World Cup humiliation. A win over Wales in their matchup in Lyon (3:00 pm ET, Peacock) is a must, or the Wallabies will miss out on the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time. Following their 22-15 loss to Fiji last Sunday, Australia have no wiggle room in…

Wales and Australia will do battle in Lyon in one of the matches of the 2023 Rugby World Cup on Sunday night and a victory for either nation could have a huge bearing on who qualifies from Pool C. Fiji grabbed a shock victory over Australia last weekend and Eddie Jones' side will be desperate to bounce back against a Wales team that have won their…

We look ahead to a huge weekend of Rugby World Cup action, as Australia face a must-win Test vs Wales, while Ireland and South Africa clash looking to avoid a quarter-final versus hosts France... Only one place to start, and that is Pool C, after Fiji's stunning and thoroughly deserved victory over Australia in Saint-Étienne last weekend. With two…

Here it is - the match on the second weekend of the Rugby World Cup 2023 that rugby fans circled months ago. With Australia vulnerable in 2023, and Fiji a new beast over recent years, this clash could have huge ramifications on how this tournament is shaping up. Read on for our Australia vs Fiji predictions. Australia scored their first win of the…

Fiji were one of the most unfortunate losers in Rugby World Cup history after being in most eyes the better team yet coming away with nothing against Wales after a host of controversial refereeing calls went against them. Now facing an uphill task to qualify for the knock-outs, this is a do or die game for the Fijians against a Wallabies team that…

The Rugby World Cup was once a predictable affair, where the same big teams would cruise past the minnows in the pool stages before the serious business began in the quarter-finals. There have been upsets over the decades, of course, and even some shock qualifiers for the play-offs. But this year, the Rugby World Cup shapes as the most open…

With a shock world cup final appearance, the debut appearance of two Pacific teams in Super Rugby, Commonwealth Games medals galore, and milestones in many sports, it's been a year to remember. If there was one defining moment then it was provided by Toa Samoa when they reached the final of the delayed Rugby League World Cup in November when the…

HONG KONG - Canada lost a close game to Ireland before edging Kenya on Saturday at the Hong Kong Sevens, missing out on the Cup quarterfinals in the opening event of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. The Canadian men, who lost their opener 36-0 to Argentina on Friday, finished third in Pool D on Saturday after losing 19-17 to Ireland and beating…

HONG KONG - Canada lost a close game to Ireland before edging Kenya on Saturday at the Hong Kong Sevens, missing out on the Cup quarterfinals in the opening event of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. The Canadian men, who lost their opener 36-0 to Argentina on Friday, finished third in Pool D on Saturday after losing 19-17 to Ireland and beating…

The World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 begins with a men's event in Hong Kong, 4-6 November, and there is plenty to get excited about for this season. For starters, the top four finishers in both the men's and women's competitions will secure an automatic qualification berth for the Paris 2024 Olympics. In addition, there will be record numbers of legs…

There will be a new Commonwealth Games gold medal winner in the Women's 7s after Australia and Fiji reached the final of the tournament in Coventry, writes NICK POWELL. Australia finished behind Fiji in Pool B, setting up what looked to be a daunting clash against New Zealand, the reigning champions of both the Commonwealth and Olympic games, but…

Fans had to wait an extra few weeks, but the 2022 Canada Sevens is here. The annual tournament is scheduled for this weekend with 16 teams set to compete. The event is one of nine legs on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Last year, Canada hosted the only two spots on the 2020-21 series, playing the first leg in Vancouver and the second one in…

The last time I wrote in this column was looking ahead to the World Series Malaga and Seville 7s tournaments and how important these events were in the lead up to the big Commonwealth Games and World Cup this year. On that same day, Fiji men and Fijiana teams were ruled out from travelling to Spain because some of our players contracted COVID. The…

Neither won gold at the inaugural sevens tournament at the 2016 Rio Games, but they are among the favourites after victories at the Commonwealth Games and the Sevens World Cup in 2018. The men's team, the All Blacks sevens, who finished fifth in Rio, face stiff competition from Olympic champions Fiji, while the women's team, the Black Ferns sevens,…

To be prepared is half the victory... Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes may not have had the Kenya Sevens' team in mind when he coined this expression but it virtually sums up Shujaa and the situation that confronts them as they prepare for their second appearance at the Olympic Games, in Tokyo, Japan in July. Bar athletics, Shujaa have been one…

Sevens World Cup runs July 20-22 Takes place in San Francisco US hopes to back-up Vegas win in March For American rugby player Matai Leuta, this year's birthday won't be an ordinary one. The USA star turns 28 the day the Rugby World Cup Sevens kicks off at AT&T Park in San Francisco. But Leuta won't be complaining. "What better way to celebrate…

By Brendan Gallagher The passage of time can play tricks but I've always thought, much against the odds, that the 1998 Commonwealth Games Sevens in Kuala Lumpur was one of the very best rugby occasions I've witnessed and certainly one of the most important. And occasionally bizarre, more of which anon. Without its unexpected trailblazing success…

Some of the sport's biggest names have played in the Commonwealth Games rugby sevens, from RWC 1995 poster boys Jonah Lomu and Chester Williams to Wallaby great David Campese and World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee Waisale Serevi. In more recent times, Stuart Hogg has added the Commonwealth Games to his impressive rugby-playing CV, while another…