Rugby

‘I didn’t think the Warriors needed me’: The moment that sparked Johnson’s remarkable resurgence

Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. A little more than a week ago, Shaun Johnson took to the stage to accept three awards at the Warriors’ presentation night. “For me to be up here right now is crazy,” Johnson told the audience. “Far out, it’s crazy because this time last year, how different the situation was for me personally,

‘Pain and suffering’: Why Cotchin is hanging his hopes on a GWS premiership this year

Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Richmond supporters may have lauded three premierships over their Victorian-based rivals since 2017, but Tigers great Trent Cotchin still cannot bear to have a rival Melbourne club prevail this month. The Tigers did not make the finals this season, in what was Cotchin’s last as he announced his retirement. After week one of

‘An absolute joke’: Smith slams AFL over Maynard tribunal verdict

Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Former high-flying Demon Shaun Smith, who suffered repeated concussions throughout his playing career, has slammed the AFL after Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard was cleared for the clash with Angus Brayshaw. As former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire celebrated the verdict, declaring “justice has been done”, Smith, who is the father of Brayshaw’s teammate Joel,

Billy Vunipola ‘looks good to go’ for England after brutal training regime

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Thanks for signing up to the Sport email Billy Vunipola has been beasted in training for the past month in anticipation of his return from suspension for England’s World Cup clash with Japan. Vunipola was banned for the final warm-up

Rugby World Cup ace ripped apart for fiery outburst on pitch

Two of Dan Biggar’s former Wales team-mates have called out the 33-year-old for not being apologetic after screaming in the face of George North during their World Cup clash against Fiji last weekend. Wales were embroiled in an exhausting first half against Fiji in their opening Rugby World Cup match. The two sides traded leads before North went through the posts on 30 minutes to give Wales a slender advantage

Rugby World Cup power rankings: Which nations move up after opening weekend?

Rugby World Cup power rankings Tier one – true contenders: 1. France (↔️) There remains reasonably little to choose between the top four sides in the world, but France produced the goods on the opening night against New Zealand, surviving a slightly sloppy showing to emerge reasonably conclusive winners. They will be hard to stop with the home crowd behind them, though injuries continue to threaten to throw the hosts

Kalyn Ponga played like Newcastle owed him something – now he’s their reason to believe

Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. There are many ways you could start a celebratory column about the Newcastle Knights and their renaissance this season. The obvious place is the 30-28 extra-time victory over Canberra on Sunday, when they overcame a 10-point deficit and the loss of halfback Jackson Hastings at half-time. But there are other places, too. Maybe

Manie Libbok's no-look pass for South Africa leaves fans blown away

Manie Libbok’s no-look pass to set up Kurt-Lee Arendse’s try for South Africa leaves fans blown away during win over Scotland as they hail the ‘outstanding’ Springboks star Manie Libbok pulls off a no look pass to Kurt-Lee Arendse in South Africa opener Libbok’s moment saw the Springbok’s secure a second try against Scotland Fans took to social media to share their praise of the amazing assist from Libbok   Latest

World Rugby rankings: Which team is top ahead of World Cup?

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Thanks for signing up to the Sport email The Rugby World Cup returns for perhaps the most competitive edition yet, with 20 teams vying for glory in France. The tournament, which runs from 8 September to 30 October, takes place

France under more scrutiny after England v Argentina fan chaos at Rugby World Cup

Scenes outside the ground at Marseille were chaotic ahead of England vs Argentina Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Thanks for signing up to the Sport email Rugby World Cup organisers have apologised to fans caught up in the chaotic scenes outside the Stade Velodrome before