Internationals
France coach Philippe Saint-Andre has dropped number eight Louis Picamoles from his squad to face Scotland next weekend because he showed a lack of respect towards referee Alain Rolland during Friday’s loss to Wales.
Australian John O’Neill has quit as director of the 2015 Rugby World Cup citing personal reasons, the International Rugby Board (IRB) said on Tuesday.
O’Neill, a former chief of the Australian Rugby Union as well as the Football Federation Australia, confirmed his departure was effective immediately.
Billy Vunipola will take no further part in the Six Nations due to a sprain to his right ankle.
The Saracens No 8 had a scan on Monday which revealed some ligament damage that will keep him out of action for the rest of the tournament.
French centre Wesley Fofana is unlikely to play any further part in this season’s Six Nations Championship after suffering a broken rib in the 27-6 defeat in Wales according to Clermont.
Top-level sport is often decided by small margins. Take the events in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.
Scotland trailed Italy 20-18 with the clock showing that 79 minutes had elapsed. Scotland had one chance to snatch a desperately-needed win.
England (3) 13 / 10 (0) Ireland (Final Score)
England and Ireland did battle in the Six Nations at
Twickenham, London at 18:00 SA Time (16:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 8 on TV in SA and BBC1 in UK.
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Italy (13) 20 / 21 (3) Scotland (Final Score)
Italy and Scotland did battle in the Six Nations at
Stadio Olimpico, Rome at 15:30 SA Time (14:30 Rome Time, 13:30 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 8 on TV in SA and BBC1 in UK.
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Wales (20) 27 / 6 (6) France (Final Score)
Wales and France did battle in the Six Nations tournament at
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff at 22:00 SA Time (20:00 GMT, 21:00 French Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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England named experienced tighthead prop David Wilson in place of the injured Dan Cole in their team to play Ireland in the Six Nations at Twickenham on Saturday.
The inclusion of Wilson on Thursday was the only change in the starting line-up from the side which beat Scotland 20 / 0 at Murrayfield two weeks ago.
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw says he is unlikely to continue his international rugby career after the 2015 World Cup.
Racing Matro flank Wenceslas Lauret returns to the French lineup for the Six Nations match against Wales in the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on Friday night.
Wales scrumhalf Mike Phillips has been demoted to the bench for Friday’s crunch Six Nations international against unbeaten France in Cardiff.
Kick-off is at 22:00 SA Time (20:00 GMT).
The South African Rugby (SARU) Union announced a group of 76 players on Tuesday for the start of the SA Under-20 preparations for the 2014 IRB Junior World Championship tournament to be hosted in Auckland, New Zealand, in June.
SARU also unveiled a comprehensive preparation plan aimed at ensuring the Junior Springboks are battle ready for the 2014 JWC showpiece.
Scotland have made three changes to their forward pack for Saturday’s Six Nations match against Italy in Rome.
Former England and British & Irish Lions prop Matt Stevens has agreed to return home to Durban and play Super Rugby for the Sharks at the end of this season.
Injured Wales centre Jonathan Davies has been ruled out of the Six Nations Championship match against France in Cardiff on Friday.
Edinburgh utility back Jack Cuthbert was called up on Monday into the Scotland squad ahead of this weekend’s potential Six Nations wooden spoon decider against Italy in Rome.
England were dealt a big blow with the news that seasoned prop Dan Cole has been ruled out the rest of the Six Nations tournament.
The England team management said in a statement that Cole will have “a period of rest” to relieve a bulging disc in his neck – which is trapping a nerve.
All Blacks Cory Jane, Israel Dagg and Luke Romano have all signed contract extensions keeping them with the national team beyond the 2015 World Cup, the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) said on Friday.
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers on Wednesday became only the sixth player to be named South African Rugby Player of the Year more than once, while Eben Etzebeth was named the Young Player of the Year for 2013 for the second successive season at a glittering ceremony at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City in Johannesburg.
De Villiers led the Springboks to 10 wins in 12 Tests in 2013 and scored five tries in the process following an outstanding Vodacom Super Rugby campaign for the DHL Stormers. His first-class record now stands at 254 matches with 91 tries scored.
Italy prop Michele Rizzo and France front row forward Rabah Slimani have both been banned for two weeks for foul play.
The duo were found guilty of head-butting each other during France’s 30-10 victory over Italy on Sunday at a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday.
Wales centre Scott Williams is set to miss the rest of the Six Nations Championship because of a shoulder injury, the Welsh Rugby Union have announced on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old Scarlets back is set to undergo an operation on Thursday and could be out of action for as long as three months.
England head coach Stuart Lancaster has chosen to keep the players in his starting line up for last weekend’s Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland in camp this week rather than releasing them.
While Lancaster has retained his starting side he has released the replacements back to their Premiership clubs.
Italy coach Jacques Brunel was as good as his word on Tuesday and named the same squad for the forthcoming Six Nations games with Scotland and Ireland as were involved in the opening two defeats against Wales and France.
Brunel – whose side lost 23-15 to two-time defending champions Wales and then 30-10 to France – will name a 30th player on Wednesday once he knows whether replacement prop Michele Rizzo will be banned after being sent off in the French game.
SANZAR is proud to announce a two-year extension of its long-standing partnership with GILBERT to continue its role as the exclusive Vodacom Super Rugby ball supplier.
Ireland lock Dan Tuohy suffered a fractured arm during his side’s 26 / 3 win over Wales in the Six Nations Championship in Dublin on Saturday, the Irish Rugby Football Union said on Monday.
No date has been set for his return but he is likely to miss the rest of the tournament.
Castres flyhalf Remy Tales has been recalled into the 30-strong French squad to prepare for the Six Nations match against Wales in Cardiff on 21 February.
The 29-year-old Tales held the number 10 shirt for the November Test matches before picking up a neck injury while playing for his club in the European Cup in mid January.
France (9) 30 / 10 (3) Italy (Final Score)
France and Italy did battle in the Six Nations tournament at
Stade de France, Paris at 17:00 SA Time (15:00 GMT, 16:00 France Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Scotland Women head coach, Jules Maxton, has shown faith in the same 23 person squad, who lost to Ireland in the opening Six Nations tie, to take on England today, Sunday February 9th in Aberdeen.
The match is due to kick off at 16:00 SA Time (14:00 GMT) and will be broadcast live on Scottish Rugby Unions YouTube channel.
Our resident Scot, Bullscot, is at the game.
Scotland (0) 0 / 20 (13) England (Final Score)
Scotland and England did battle in the Six Nations tournament at
Murrayfield, Edinburgh at 19:00 SA Time (17:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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The Six Nations rugby tournament is worth about £52m a year to Scotland, economists have estimated.
Edinburgh’s bars, restaurants, hotels and shops benefit when rugby fans head for matches at Murrayfield stadium.
Ireland (13) 26 / 3 (0) Wales (Final Score)
Ireland and Wales did battle in the Six Nations tournament at
Aviva Stadium, Dublin at 16:30 SA Time (14:30 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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The New Zealand leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series, in Wellington, was played this weekend.
The South African Blitzbokke started their bid to win a 3rd Tournament in a row in fine fashion, by beating Wales 26 / 0 and beating Portugal 27 / 5.
The Blitzbokke’s next challenge was England, and the game was won by England, by 19 / 5. Both England and South Africa advance to the Cup Quarters, England played Samoa and the Blitzbokke played Australia.
New Zealand comfortably beat France, 47 / 0 in the last game of Day 1, after earlier losing to Fiji, but also advanced to the Cup Quarters, where they played against Canada.
At the 2nd Day of the tournament, New Zealand and South Africa advanced all the way to the final, with Fiji beating England in the 3rd place play-off.
New Zealand won the final by 21 / 0 against the South African Blitzbokke, capitalizing on mistakes and shutting the Blitzbokke out in the 2nd half.
It is the 2nd week of RBS Six Nations rugby this weekend.
As usual, there will be 3 Six Nation games on the weekend, between these 6 participationg countries, 2 on Saturday and 1 on Sunday.
Ireland host Wales on Saturday, 16:30 SA Time (14:30 GMT).
Scotland host England on Saturday, 19:00 SA Time (17:00 GMT).
France host Italy on Sunday, 17:00 SA Time (16:00 France Time, 15:00 GMT).
Rugby-Talk will feature LIVE GAME ARTICLES for all 3 games.
The cash-strapped Fiji Rugby Union on Friday hailed a new US$21.3 million sponsorship deal as a “game changer” for the sport in the Pacific nation.
FRU chairman Filimoni Waqabaca said the five-year agreement gave the organisation certainty after a troubled period when it had to sack the national team’s coach to save money and had financial aid from the International Rugby Board (IRB) suspended.