France crush New Zealand and England smother Ireland in U20 rugby semis

Loose forward Mathis Castro-Ferreira scored three tries as title-holders France crushed New Zealand 55-31 in Cape Town on Sunday to reach the World Rugby Under-20 Championship final. In the final on July 19, France will face England who earlier beat Ireland 31-20. France scored seven tries in a scintillating performance with forwards Joe Quere Karaba and Charly Gambini, full-back Mathis Ferte and replacement back Xan Mousques all […]

July 15, 2024 8

Sport

Garbisi shines as Italy down Tonga 36-14 on Pacific tour

Italy posted an emphatic 36-14 win over Tonga in Nuku'alofa on Friday as the Azzurri bounced back from a shock defeat to Samoa on their Pacific tour. Fly-half Paolo Garbisi helped seal the win over Tonga with a 14-point haul including one of Italy's five tries to two by the hosts. The result got Italy, who beat Wales and Scotland in the Six Nations, back to winning ways […]

July 12, 2024 8

Sport

South Africa v Ireland teams

Teams for second and final Test between South Africa and Ireland at Kings Park stadium in Durban on Saturday (1505 GMT): Teams (15-1) South Africa Willie le Roux; Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Kurt-Lee Arendse; Handre Pollard, Faf de Klerk; Kwagga Smith, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (capt); Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth; Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, Salmaan […]

July 12, 2024 8

Sport

Slipper to captain Australia against Wales after Wright ruled out

Veteran prop James Slipper will captain Australia in the second test against Wales after newly-appointed skipper Liam Wright was Thursday ruled out with an injury. Wright was coach Joe Schmidt's surprise choice as his first captain and the Reds flanker steered the Wallabies to a gutsy 25-16 win over the Welsh in Sydney last weekend. But the 26-year-old hurt his right shoulder in the second half and left […]

July 11, 2024 6

Sport

England’s Baxter gets first test start against All Blacks

England coach Steve Borthwick has made one injury-enforced change to his team for the second and final test of the series against New Zealand at Auckland's Eden Park on Saturday. Prop Fin Baxter made his test debut in last week's 16-15 loss in Dunedin as an early injury replacement for Joe Marler and has been awarded the No 1 shirt for Saturday's match with the experienced loosehead unavailable […]

July 11, 2024 8

Sport

Injured All Black scrum-half Perenara out of second England Test

New Zealand said Monday that injured scrum-half TJ Perenara would miss Saturday's second and final Test against England. The 81-Test veteran is out of the clash at Eden Park in Auckland after being forced off with a nasty-looking knee injury in the nail-biting 16-15 victory in Dunedin two days ago. "Following scans, we are seeking specialist advice on return to play timeframes," the All Blacks said on social media […]

July 8, 2024 21

Sport

New era as Wright named Wallabies captain for Wales Test

Liam Wright was handed the Wallabies captaincy Thursday as coach Joe Schmidt gambled on a new-look team to get his reign off to a flying start against a Wales side reeling from seven straight defeats. The Queensland Reds flanker takes over from Will Skelton, who skippered them during their disastrous Rugby World Cup campaign under Eddie Jones last year. Skelton is based overseas and was not considered for […]

July 4, 2024 15

Sport

Breakdancing coach Robertson injects new energy to All Blacks

Senior All Blacks are enjoying the energy brought by new head honcho Scott Robertson -- the surfing, breakdancing, maverick coach who faces his first Test in charge against England on Saturday. The man nicknamed "Razor" has inherited a New Zealand side criticised for a lack of innovation under maligned predecessor Ian Foster. Lock Patrick Tuipulotu said Robertson had energised the squad since they gathered in Wellington last week. […]

July 3, 2024 9

Sport

‘Microscopic’ attention to details powers Ireland, says Nienaber

Microscopic attention to details has helped turn Ireland into a rugby powerhouse, says former World Cup-winning South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber ahead of a series between the teams. "The amount of detail they go into is incredible," said the coach who quit the Springboks after the 2023 World Cup final triumph over New Zealand and joined Irish provincial giants Leinster. "It is microscopic. I did not do […]

July 3, 2024 7