Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, George Furbank was part of the Northampton Saints team that won the Premiership title in 2023-24Article informationAuthor, Chris JonesRole, Rugby Union Correspondent in Auckland2 hours agoNew Zealand v England second TestDate: Saturday, 13 July Kick-off: 08:05 BST Venue: Eden Park, AucklandCoverage: Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds and follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app.England full-back George Furbank has been ruled out of Saturday’s second Test against New Zealand in Auckland, with Freddie Steward replacing him in the starting XV.Northampton Saints’ Furbank was one of…

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentine prosecutors on Friday charged two French rugby players with aggravated sexual assault, the latest development in the grisly case of a woman who said she was repeatedly raped by the athletes after they took her back to their hotel room and prevented her from leaving. The prosecutor’s office in the western city of Mendoza — where the alleged assault took place last Sunday following the French team’s test match against the Argentine Pumas — ordered the two players, Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou, to remain under detention until trial. After being arrested in Buenos Aires,…

Image caption, The men were involved in a fracas with door staff at the city centre pubArticle informationAuthor, Steve JonesRole, BBC News27 minutes agoA professional rugby league player has been fined £1,000 after admitting his part in a fight with door staff at a city centre Wetherspoon pub.Lochlan McGill, 24, who is from Leeds but now lives in Australia, pleaded guilty to the affray along with co-defendants Daniel Lockwood, 24, and Dylan Murphy, also 24.The trio ended up in a brawl with security staff at Beckett’s Bank in Leeds in September 2022.Sentencing them at Leeds Crown Court, His Honour Judge…

Following the opening games of the Test action in the southern hemisphere, Wallabies great David Campese gives us his learnings from the international arena. Speaking to Planet Rugby’s James While, Campese looks over the Springboks v Ireland, All Blacks v England and Wallabies v Wales openers and also this week’s rematches. Green envy “There’s a lot of noise in the press this week about the perceived unfairness of the Springboks and their bench tactics. 6/2, 7/1 or whatever, they’re unloading their replacements to devastating effect as we saw on Saturday,” said Campese. “The Bok starting front-row were under pressure as…

Around the 50th minute of the titanic Test at Loftus Versfeld last Saturday, Ireland’s players would have looked to the sideline to see a cluster of Springboks entering the fray. Six forwards jogged off the pitch, while another six – four of them World Cup-winners – took up their positions. Boosted by a rejuvenated pack including a fresh tight five, the Boks outlasted the Irish and took a 1-0 lead in the series.Since 2018, South African players have called their replacements the Bomb Squad. Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber have changed the dynamic of this group according to the opposition,…

Like a great siege engine capable of flattening a fortress, Rassie Erasmus has built a destructive rugby machine. For the series decider against Ireland in Durban, South Africa’s coach has selected the most experienced team in Springboks history with the aim of hammering Andy Farrell’s charges into oblivion.There are a total of 990 Test caps across the match-day 23. The starting pack has an average of 71 matches under their belt. Had Damian Willemse been fit, and therefore taken the place of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu as the versatile playmaker off the bench, South Africa’s total number of Test caps would have…

Four changes for Ireland ahead of the second Test in Durban, with Caelan Doris taking over the captain’s armband; watch South Africa face Ireland live on Sky Sports Main Event and Action with kick-off at 4pm on Saturday 21:42, UK, Thursday 11 July 2024 Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony has dropped to the bench while Bundee Aki is ruled out for Ireland’s second Test against South Africa in Durban on Saturday – live on Sky Sports. Needing a win over the Springboks to level the series, Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has made four changes to the side that lost 27-20…

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Chandler Cunningham-South has started both of England’s summer Tests to date, against Japan and New ZealandArticle informationNew Zealand v England second TestDate: Saturday, 13 July Kick-off: 08:05 BST Venue: Eden Park, AucklandCoverage: Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds and follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app.New Zealand is uncharted territory for many players in this young England squad. The majority had never visited the country before this tour, let alone played rugby here.But for flanker Chandler Cunningham-South, it has been a case of coming back…

Image source, Northampton SaintsImage caption, The new crest will be used from the start of the new Premiership seasonArticle informationAuthor, Sam ReadRole, BBC News, Northamptonshire11 July 2024A new crest has been unveiled by rugby Premiership champions Northampton Saints.The club said the previous design was not easy to recall and did not feature its core colours of green, black and gold.The new badge was “instantly recognisable and memorable” and developed after 12 months of research, it added. Some initial reaction from fans online was negative, with one saying they were “devastated” by the change, while another said they “love it”.Image source,…

11 July 2024Montpellier have confirmed the signing of Stuart Hogg as the Scotland full-back returns to rugby while awaiting the outcome of a domestic abuse trial a year after he retired from the sport.The French Top 14 club announced the 32-year-old’s signing along with England number eight Billy Vunipola and Georgia prop Nika Abuladze.While they revealed Vunipola has been given a two-year contract after he ended his 11-year stay with Saracens, and Abuladze has signed for three years after exiting Exeter Chiefs, they gave no indication of how long Hogg will be at the club.Hogg, who spent four years with…