#Six Nations

The cameras were rolling for their behind-the-scenes series at Wales' Vale of Glamorgan training base on Tuesday and they were only focused on one man. Warren Gatland did not disappoint those behind the lens. The New Zealander's words were softly spoken, but each and every one carried weight. Gatland reserved his strongest thoughts for when the…

Warren Gatland believes that Rob Howley should be forgiven for breaching betting rules and been allowed his opportunity to possibly rejoin Wales' coaching staff. ormer Wales attack coach Howley was sent home from Japan on the eve of the 2019 World Cup and he subsequently received an 18-month ban from rugby, nine of which were suspended. Howley has…

With the Welsh Rugby Union deciding on a head coach change so close to the 2023 World Cup in France, Warren Gatland does not have long before the major tournament across the Channel. However, having worked under limited time frames in the past with the British & Irish Lions, if anyone can turn things around for Wales in this time, it's…

1 - Who will win the World Cup? On home soil, and with a star-studded squad full of pace and power, there is no doubt that France are the team to beat. However, this looks like being one of the most open World Cups ever, with at least six teams capable of going all the way. Bring it on. 2 - Can Ireland break their glass ceiling? Heart says yes,…

All being well, Courtney Lawes will become a centurion this Saturday at Suncorp Stadium by winning a 95th England cap to go with his five Tests for the British and Irish Lions. His pedigree is unquestioned and there is more for him to achieve. But it is a curiosity of the 33-year-old's fantastic career that his best position has remained a matter…

After another disappointing Six Nations and an embarrassing defeat by the Barbarians, Eddie Jones leads England into a three-Test tour of Australia with odds of 6/4 to be sacked before the 2023 Rugby World Cup. England are unbeaten in eight games against the Wallabies under Jones, but it's the hosts that are 8/13 favourites to win the first Test…

Mason Grady earns reward for bright performances off the bench with a start for Cardiff when they face Newcastle Falcons in the EPCR Challenge Cup encounter at the Arms Park today (1pm). He is one of eight changes coach Dai Young makes after last weekend's home defeat in the United Rugby Championship to the Scarlets. The young centre, an imposing…

With Steve Borthwick set to announce his chosen 36-man squad on Monday morning, former England number eight and ex-Worcester Warriors defence coach Nick Easter spends a morning playing selector, with balance and Premiership form at the top of his thinking. "Borthwick's first England side is obviously a key selection," Easter said. "The simple truth…

One of the biggest calls Warren Gatland will have to make for the Six Nations is who to install as Wales captain, with a number of strong candidates putting up their hands. Justin Tipuric and Dan Biggar have led Wales over the past two campaigns, while Adam Beard has leadership qualities and so do Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake, Ken Owens and, of course,…

A last gasp Australian penalty broke Scottish hearts in the dying moments of a barnstorming quarter-final clash watched on by Prince Harry, Princess Anne and an animated Nicola Sturgeon. Scotland - who failed to register a single victory in the Six Nations - thought they had done the impossible when Mark Bennett's intercept-try put them ahead with…

Here's your round-up of all the latest rugby news for Wednesday, December 14. Gloucester Rugby are the unnamed England Premiership side which has signed Welsh star Max Llewellyn from Cardiff, according to the latest reports. The 23-year-old is one of Welsh rugby's hottest prospects and has been tipped by many to be a future Wales international, but…

Here are the latest rugby headlines on Friday, January 13. Scotland's sporting anthem Flower of Scotland should be ditched because of its anti-English "chippiness", according to rugby legend Jim Telfer. Having previously made the call for it to be replaced 12 years ago, the Scot hasn't changed his mind about the song which refers to Robert the…

France head into the 2023 Six Nations as one of the favourites to retain the title, but they may not have things all their own way this year. The latest Six Nations betting rates Ireland as the biggest dangers to the reigning champions, while England are also in the mix. The latter undoubtedly have a point to prove under new head coach Steve…

Warren Gatland is ready to kick-start his second stint as Wales head coach with a bang. During his first tenure as Wales boss, Gatland stuck with the same lieutenants throughout the entirety of his 12 years in charge. If people thought it was going to be a case of same old Gatland this time around, they were wrong with the New Zealander selecting…

The next 12 months have the potential to be game-changing for rugby. It's a World Cup year and domestic leagues are becoming ever more competitive, so here are my three hopes for the coming year. My main hope for 2023 is to see England give the Six Nations and World Cup a good go. I still do not believe sacking Eddie Jones was the right thing to do…

Warren Gatland set his sights on upsetting world No 1 Ireland after completing his Wales coaching set-up for the Six Nations with the appointments of Alex King and Mike Forshaw. Gatland made a dramatic return as Wales head coach in December to replace the sacked Wayne Pivac and immediately stamped his mark by removing Stephen Jones and Gethin…

The RFU are set to give head coach Steve Borthwick the go-ahead to name a New England captain for the 2023 Six Nations. The new boss spent seven years as predecessor Eddie Jones' right-hand man for both Japan and England before becoming director of rugby at Leicester Tigers. He prefers to keep a low profile, which could make some aspects of the…

The Six Nations Rugby 2023 tournament is just around the corner, with England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy gearing up to see if they can take the trophy from France, who won in 2022. This annual rugby cup takes place over the course of five weeks, with each team playing each other once to see which performs better overall. It's the biggest…

England travel to the Millennium Stadium to face Wales in the tournament's big kick-off this evening, but when do things get underway? Kick-off: The waiting is over Rugby union fans rejoice, the Six Nations is here! European rugby's premier international competition kicks off this evening, with Stuart Lancaster's side looking to start on the right…

South Africa and France have almost always enjoyed a cordial rugby relationship, but that friendship was tested over the acrimony of the Rugby World Cup 2023 (RWC 2023) vote. Long story short, South Africa's was the preferred bid, but the French delegation lobbied behind the scenes and "won" the right to host RWC 2023. It led to rancour and…

It has been a hugely eventful year in the world of rugby, amid a plethora of incident and individual excellence. Here's our A-Z guide of what went on in 2021. A is for Alun Wyn Where better to start than with a man who has risen to new heights this part year amid more superhuman exploits. Having skippered Wales to the Six Nations title, he was then…

Here are the latest rugby headlines on the evening of Wednesday, December 8. Thousands of pounds have already been raised to help Ospreys player Ifan Phillips, who is being treated for "life-changing injuries" after being involved in a motorbike crash. The Welsh region confirmed that 25-year-old Phillips - the son of former Wales and Neath hooker…

The 2013 champion apprentice jockey will attempt to make it four wins from five starts on the Charlie and Mark Johnston-trained three year old when breaking from stall six against 14 rivals in the prestigious contest on his return to the Rowley Mile. While Hart is excited about his latest big race ride, things could have turned out differently had…

Wales 10 England 9.... it was a scoreline and day rugby fans this side of the Severn will never forget. That heady 1993 clash in Cardiff when against all odds, Will Carling's Chariot saw the wheels spectacularly fall off was the pre-cursor some more memorable moments against the Red Rose.

It's been a year when disciplinary decisions have been in the spotlight like never before. We've had the Joe Marler gypsy-boy row, Argentine assaults, a vicious hit on a female referee and a suspension following a bizarre incident in an airport toilet cubicle! Rugby correspondent Simon Thomas looks back on these and the players who picked up bans…

Ireland kept their Six Nations titles hopes alive with a bonus point victory over a 14-man England at Twickenham. The home side had to play nearly all of the match a man down after Charlie Ewels saw red for a high tackle that saw James Ryan leave the field. Ireland were quick to take advantage of the extra man. In the the sixth minute an…

The squad are set to meet for a camp in Verona between January 22-27 and World Rugby Men's 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year Ange Capuozzo spearheads the list of those included having burst onto the international scene during last year's Championship. Michele Lamaro will once more captain the Azzurri, though Paolo Garbisi misses out with injury…

France head into the 2023 Six Nations heavily favoured and eager to repeat their dazzling performance in 2022, which saw them win the Championship and Grand Slam for the first time since 2010. Meanwhile, both England and Wales are set to compete in their first major tournament since the sacking of their respective head coaches, Eddie…

In sports betting, odds represent the probability of a particular outcome occurring in a particular event, and the return that a bettor will receive if their bet is successful. There are several different ways to express odds, including fractional odds, decimal odds, and moneyline odds. Fractional odds Fractional odds are expressed as a ratio, with…

Rugby for the visually impaired in Ireland has transformed lives. AFP/Paul Faith DUBLIN - When Sean McDowell lost his sight two years ago, his self-confidence plummeted -- until his life was transformed by rugby. The sport gave McDowell a "new beginning" after he joined the Irish Rugby Football Union's Visually Impaired (VI) rugby programme, his…

All 16 of the United Rugby Championships teams to the pitch this weekend for round 12 of the 2022/23 season. Ahead of next weekend's Heineken Champions Cup there were several notable results as well as a whole host of intriguing subplots as the tussle for play-off berths heats up. Here are five of the major takeaways from this weekend's…

The 2020 edition of the Six Nations kicked off with Wales against Italy. The Welsh came into the tournament as the defending champions after their Grand Slam success 12 months ago, but England were the bookmakers' early favourites this year, followed closely by Ireland. A spokesperson for The Pools said: "All change for the Six Nations Express!…

A campaign that began in the best possible fashion with their first Calcutta Cup win over England at Twickenham since 1983 has since given way to familiar disappointment, with successive narrow defeats against Wales and Ireland on home soil in Edinburgh leaving them fifth in the standings. Their trip to France was postponed last month due to a…

With the start of a new year comes another Six Nations tournament and 2022 is no different. After two years of games being held behind closed doors, this year's running of the competition will be in front of packed stadiums once again. Outside of the Rugby World Cup, the Six Nations is European rugby's biggest competition. All of the continent's…

In front of a global TV audience of 50million, Le Crunch descended into 10 minutes of bloody violence at the Parc des Princes. French props Vincent Moscato and Gregoire Lascube were both sent off. Moscato twice head-butted English prop Jeff Probyn - he later became a boxer - and Lascube stamped on lock Martin Bayfield. It was the first time two men…

Ireland will look to get back to winning ways in the Guinness Six Nations as they welcome Italy to the Aviva Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Andy Farrell's side saw their Grand Slam hopes go up in smoke in Paris two weeks ago as they were dismantled by a classy French side. Ireland were beaten 30-24 by a powerful French side at Stade De France as,…

Ulster are in Italy this weekend for a URC trip to face Benetton. Here's all you need to know about the game. Where and when is it on? The match takes place at the Stadio Comunale di Monigo in Treviso with a 1.00pm kick-off on Saturday. Where can I watch the game? The match will be shown live on Premier Sports. It is also being streamed live on…

Leinster are back on the road with a United Rugby Championship trip to Ospreys in Wales this weekend. Here's all you need to know about the game. Where and when is it on? Saturday's match takes place at the Swansea.com Stadium, Swansea with a 7.35pm kick-off. What's the team news? Johnny Sexton misses out and is in a race to be fit for the Six…

Wales head coach Warren Gatland is looking to former England assistant coach Paul Gustard to fill the defence vacancy in his backroom staff. Gatland is finalising his support staff ahead of the upcoming Six Nations campaign, and PA understands that Gustard is a leading contender to fill one of the vacancies. Returning for his second stint at Wales,…

This season's Guinness Six Nations Championship will see a familiar face and an exciting international newcomer in the coaches' corner. Warren Gatland has returned for a second stint with Wales, replacing Wayne Pivac, while Steve Borthwick takes the England reins after Eddie Jones was sacked two weeks ago. Here the PA news agency looks at the four…

2023 will see a host of major rugby tournaments take place around the world, and chief among them is the tenth edition of the quadrennial Rugby World Cup. In this article, we'll talk you through everything that you need to know about the biggest event in world rugby, from the details about when and where it will be played to the biggest…

South Africa have fallen to fourth place in the World Rugby Rankings since their triumph in Japan back in 2019, having lost 10 of their last 26 test matches. Ireland currently sit on top of the rankings, while France won a Six Nations grand slam last year and New Zealand retained their Rugby Championship title. Edwards believes South Africa proved…

Munster welcome South African visitors in the United Rugby Championship this weekend with Lions arriving on tour. Here's all you need to know about the game. Where and when is it on? Friday's match takes place at Musgrave Park in Cork with a 7.35pm kick-off. What's the team news? Kiran McDonald will go for a scan on an arm injury sustained against…

Harlequins boss Tabai Matson has confirmed that England fly-half Marcus Smith won't return to action until 2023. Smith went off midway through the second half of England's 27-13 loss to South Africa last weekend with what appeared to be a nasty ankle injury. He could though be a doubt for the start of the 2023 Six Nations, as the number 10 is now…

It was England who emerged victorious, as they sealed another Grand Slam thanks to a show-stopping decider away in France on the final weekend of action. But it was not all just about the Red Roses, with some of the most dramatic finishes elsewhere and nations taking big steps forward to set up a mouth-watering Championship in 2023. Before that…

We asked our sports reporters at Stuff to say what they think the new year will bring and we'll be holding all of them accountable by seeing how right, or wrong they were, when we review their picks in 12 months' time. ANDREW VOERMAN The Football Ferns get their first Fifa Women's World Cup win against the Philippines at Sky Stadium in Wellington…

Rugby World writers pick rugby highlights of 2022 Yes, we compiled our own list of the biggest rugby moments 2022, but we thought we'd also ask some of Rugby World's contributors around the game to find out what they loved most in the last year of rugby. Here's what some of them had to say! Josh Graham Content editor "The rugby moment of 2022 was…

You can go ahead and pick your jaw from the floor now. Yes, it has been over nine decades of rugby in the land of the rising sun. It is a bit odd for a country so averse to external traditions to rank as the tenth most powerful nation in this sport discipline. There are currently over 3600 professional clubs in Japan that are home to more than…

Wales are set to smash France's Grand Slam hopes with a two-point victory at the Principality Stadium - a result which will throw open the entire Six Nations title race. That is according to a computer, anyway, which has predicted the likely outcome of this weekend's matches after simulating them several thousand times over. If what the computer…