Skipper Stephen Moore was dropped Thursday for the Wallabies clash against Fiji with veteran hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau preferred in a team featuring two players on their debut including code-hopper Karmichael Hunt. Michael Hooper will lead Australia in Saturday’s showdown in Melbourne, with Hunt and Waratahs backrower Ned Hanigan winning their first caps. Coach Michael Cheika … Read more
The British and Irish Lions won’t panic after losing to the Auckland Blues but understand more than ever the need to stop “monster” centre Sonny Bill Williams, scrum-half Rhys Webb said. Williams inspired the Blues to a 22-16 win over the Lions at Eden Park on Wednesday but the tourists were vastly improved on the … Read more
A sensational 45-metre Mitchell Hunt drop goal three minutes into injury time gave the Canterbury Crusaders a 25-22 win over the Otago Highlanders on Saturday in a Super Rugby clash that may have repercussions for the All Blacks. It was the second heart-break finish for the Highlanders against the only unbeaten side in the competition … Read more
The Canterbury Crusaders will pitch their unbeaten 13-match run against the in-form Otago Highlanders in an enticing Super Rugby showdown after yet another New Zealand rampage this weekend. The seven-time champions registered a 41-19 bonus-point victory over the hapless Melbourne Rebels to protect an 11-point lead at the top of the all-conquering New Zealand conference … Read more
Super Rugby defending champions Wellington Hurricanes were too clinical for Northern Bulls in Pretoria Saturday and won 34-20 despite lacking star fly-half Beauden Barrett. There was no immediate explanation as to why the All Black withdrew from the line-up at the last minute on his 26th birthday, and acted as a “water boy” instead. The … Read more
Former New Zealand coach John Mitchell has been tasked with reviving the fortunes of Super Rugby strugglers Northern Bulls, whose players were branded “big, fat and lazy” by a critic. The 53-year-old, who played for the All Blacks at non-Test level, will quit as United States coach after June Tests against Ireland and Georgia and … Read more
The unbeaten Canterbury Crusaders have shut out Super Rugby title talk as they grapple with an arduous schedule that has them playing in their fourth country in as many weeks on Saturday. The competition leaders are in Melbourne to play the struggling Rebels at the end of a month that has taken them from South … Read more
Wallabies and NSW Waratahs forward Dean Mumm on Wednesday announced he will retire from rugby at the end of the 2017 season. A veteran of 57 Tests, the blindside flanker said he wanted to focus on philanthropic interests and his family. Mumm will hike to the North Pole next year in a quest to raise … Read more
The Canterbury Crusaders vanquished another title rival this weekend as New Zealand teams tightened their grip on Super Rugby ahead of next month’s British and Irish Lions tour. The seven-time champion Crusaders extended their unconquered run to 12 games with a 31-24 win over the Waikato Chiefs in Suva to stretch their lead to 11 … Read more
ACT Brumbies became the first Australian side to win a Super Rugby match in South Africa this season by overcoming Southern Kings 19-10 in Port Elizabeth Saturday. The Canberra outfit succeeded where Melbourne Rebels, NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds and Western Force failed by securing an abundance of possession throughout. Superb defending enabled Kings to lead … Read more
It will be mate against mate but no holds barred when the Canterbury Crusaders look to defend their unbeaten record against close rivals Waikato Chiefs in Suva on Friday. The pressure is mounting as the Super Rugby competition draws closer to determining the top eight, while New Zealand teams have the added weight of preparing … Read more
Australia’s beleaguered rugby chiefs insist they have not botched their efforts to reduce the country’s Super Rugby presence despite players calling the saga a “fiasco”. The Rugby Union Players Association (RUPA) on Wednesday unanimously backed a Victorian Rugby Union call for an emergency meeting of the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) voting members to examine the … Read more
The Canterbury Crusaders have strengthened their claims for an eighth Super Rugby crown with a dominating win over defending champions Wellington Hurricanes to stay unbeaten this season. Crusaders’ forward pack crushed the Hurricanes 20-12 in Christchurch to remain unbeaten after 11 games and open an eight-point lead in the formidable New Zealand conference. Kiwi teams … Read more
Western Force of Australia won on the road in Super Rugby for the first time since last May when they upset Jaguares of Argentina 16-6 in Buenos Aires on Saturday. The Perth outfit remained fourth in the Australian conference despite a win clinched five minutes from time by a try from substitute forward Isi Naisarani. … Read more
Southern Kings defeated a fellow South African side for the first time in Super Rugby when they edged Coastal Sharks 35-32 Saturday after a thriller in Port Elizabeth. It was also the first time the Port Elizabeth outfit have won three consecutive matches following victories over Australian sides New South Wales Waratahs and Melbourne Rebels. … Read more
All Blacks centre Malakai Fekitoa scored a brilliant solo try to give Otago Highlanders of New Zealand a 17-10 win over Northern Bulls of South Africa in cold, wet Pretoria on Saturday. A cut-up pitch after heavy pre-match rain meant there was little running rugby and the round 12 match developed into a titanic struggle … Read more
South Africa’s Golden Lions won their third Australian tour game with a resilient 13-6 Super Rugby win over the ACT Brumbies in Canberra on Friday. The Lions scored the only try of the dour contest through Springbok Sevens star Kwagga Smith early in the second half after trailing the Australian conference leaders 3-0 at half-time. … Read more
All Black prospect Rieko Ioane scored a double as the Auckland Blues left the Central Cheetahs in their dust at Eden Park on Friday. The Blues notched eight tries to four in the 50-32 win, earning themselves a vital bonus point as they attempt to stay alive in the ultra-competitive New Zealand conference. The Cheetahs … Read more
The Melbourne Rebels may have to wait up to eight weeks before learning whether they will be axed from a revamped Super Rugby competition next season, coach Tony McGahan said Friday. Last month the Australian Rugby Union announced plans to cut either the Rebels or the Perth-based Western Force from the 2018 southern hemisphere tournament. … Read more
Table-topping Canterbury Crusaders defend their unbeaten run against the Beauden Barrett-influenced Wellington Hurricanes on Saturday to start a season-defining fortnight of Super Rugby. In the fiercely-contested New Zealand conference, the Hurricanes and Waikato Chiefs, who the Crusaders play the following week, have only lost one game and are within striking distance of the top spot … Read more