World Cup
Australia’s 2015 World Cup preparations will be well tested on their end-of-season European tour in November with coach Ewen McKenzie trying to replicate their potential campaign for the Webb Ellis trophy as much as possible.
McKenzie’s side will play five matches on five successive weekends, which includes clashes against World Cup Pool A opponents England and Wales.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) on Friday named a reduced SA Under-20 training squad of 36 players for the remainder of the 2014 IRB Junior World Championship (JWC) training camp following two trial matches in Stellenbosch this week.
An large group of almost 50 players were selected for the camp as SA Under-20 coach Dawie Theron opted to cast his net wide in search of the best players to represent the country at the JWC in Auckland, New Zealand, from May 27 to June 20. This will be the first time the country hosts the tournament.
New Zealand rugby chiefs on Thursday admitted two prominent All Blacks abused prescription sleeping pills during the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but denied the practice was commonplace among professional players.
New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) chief executive Steve Tew said Cory Jane and Israel Dagg “let themselves down” when they took pills on a night out in Auckland just before the All Blacks’ quarter-final against Argentina.
South African rugby fans need not worry about securing match tickets for Springbok matches at Rugby World Cup 2015 in England following the establishment of SA Rugby Travel, it was announced on Tuesday.
The new company – a joint venture between the South African Rugby Union and Tourvest Destination Management – has secured thousands of tickets for likely Springbok matches and tailored packages to suit a wide range of fans’ pockets and experience choices.
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.
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw says he is unlikely to continue his international rugby career after the 2015 World Cup.
Ministers from both sides of the border have signalled their backing for an all-Ireland bid to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
A meeting to discuss the bid involving the Belfast and Dublin governments took place in Armagh, in the British controlled province of Northern Ireland, on Wednesday.
The IRB made the following statement:
The International Rugby Board has confirmed that it is to suspend all direct financial support to the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) with immediate effect until the Union adopts key financial reporting, administration and governance reforms.
Warren Gatland has extended his contract as Wales coach until the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
This is the second extension of the contract between the WRU and the New Zealander who was originally appointed as head coach of Wales in 2007.
New Zealand rugby saluted Nelson Mandela on Friday, saying the sport had lost “a champion of our game” with the passing of the former South African president.
A rip-roaring contest and magnificent entertainment it may have been, but Welsh faces after yet another defeat by Australia spoke only of more misery and another missed opportunity.
The Junior Springboks were grouped with hosts New Zealand, Samoa and Scotland when the pools and fixtures of the IRB Junior World Championship 2014 were confirmed earlier today in Auckland.
The future stars of world Rugby will come together in New Zealand from 2-20 June 2014 for the seventh edition of the Under 20 tournament which will see matches played at North Harbour Stadium and Pukekohe Stadium during the pool stages and semi-finals on 2, 6, 10 and 15 June 2014.
Australia’s overseas-based rugby players will have to put country over money if they want to play in the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie said he would not consider for World Cup duties any player who was not signed with a Super Rugby club from the start of the 2015 season.
The Springboks and South African fans on Wednesday received good news in the lead-up to the 2015 IRB Rugby World Cup in England, with the announcement that three of the team’s four round-robin matches will begin at 17:00 (19:00 SA Time) and only one at 20:00 (22:00 SA Time).
The Springboks kick off their Rugby World Cup campaign on 19 September 2015, against the top Asian qualifier at the Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton, at 20:00 (22:00 SA Time).
Twenty scrum machines will be required for Rugby World Cup 2015 in England
With just over two years to go until Rugby World Cup 2015, tournament organisers England Rugby 2015 and Rugby World Cup Limited are right on track to deliver a spectacular six-week celebration of rugby.
A massive amount of planning goes into the delivery of any major international sporting tournament, and RWC 2015 is no exception.
With only 730 days till World Cup 2015 the pools and qualifying teams are starting to take shape.
There is still quite a few qualifying matches ahead and still a playoff series to fill all open spots.
Some Great pictures of big moments in South African Rugby
On Saturday the Springbok women’s team booked their place at the 2014 IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup, by beating Uganda 63 / 3 in East London.
By beating Uganda they did not just qualify, they also achieved the biggest victory margin ever by a Sprinbok women’s team.
Canada booked their 2015 World Cup berth on Saturday with a 13-11 victory over the United States.
A well-prepared South Africa Under-20 team leave for France on Thursday where they will defend their Junior World Championship title.
London’s Olympic Stadium will host five games at the 2015 Rugby World Cup which is being held across 13 venues.
Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll has revealed that he will not take part in the 2015 World Cup in England as it is “18 months too far.”
England Rugby 2015 (ER 2015), tournament organisers of the 2015 World Cup, has appointed Neil Snowball to the new role of Rugby Operations Director.
The appointment of Australians to high profile positions in rugby has continued with the announcement of Brett Gosper as the International Rugby Board’s new Chief Executive as well as Managing Director of the Rugby World Cup.
Peter de Villiers was smeared, his family were put under intolerable political pressure and his one-time closest friends became his arch-foes, but he doesn’t regret a moment he spent coaching the Springboks.
Wellington – Dumped Samoa captain Mahonri Schwalger has called for the Pacific nation’s prime minister to be replaced as chairperson of the Samoa Rugby Union (SRU) and hit out at “arrogant” rugby administrators.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) has welcomed a compromise agreement on the kick off date for the 2015 Rugby World Cup tournament as well on a new funding model to recognise impacts on unions in Rugby World Cup years.
The IRB Council on Tuesday reached agreement that the 2015 tournament will kick off on September 18, which represented a compromise between the organiser’s preferred date and that of the SANZAR nations, who will be engaged in the Castle Rugby Championship until shortly before Rugby World Cup kick off.
The 2015 Rugby World Cup looks set to start two weeks later than originally planned in order to accommodate the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship (formerly TriNations).
Former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has launched his fiercest attack yet on New Zealand referee Bryce Lawrence, who officiated South Africa’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final loss to Australia last year.
The International Rugby Board Executive Committee, acting in its role as the IRB Trust, has appointed the members of the Rugby World Cup Limited Board who will serve a four-year term to be effective from 15 May 2012.
For better or worse, the Pieter de Villiers era has come to an end. Many felt at the time of his appointment that Heyneke Meyer was the best candidate, and now four years later he will get his opportunity to prove them wrong.
The moment Martin Johnson announced his resignation as England manager in mid-November, the attack coach Brian Smith decided he had no option but to do likewise. “It was Martin who had appointed me, so I felt my position was untenable,” he says quietly, reflecting on that supremely difficult moment.
While the All Blacks finish the year as the world champions, the ranks of the refereeing fraternity also boast something of a ‘winner’ with South African official Craig Joubert overseeing the 8-7 win over France.
The International Rugby Board has revealed that one player tested positive for doping during the World Cup in New Zealand.
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw has admitted he was “surprised” the International Rugby Board did not cite French player Aurelien Rougerie for the infamous eye gouge in the Rugby World Cup final.
Speaking for the first time about the incident, McCaw said the final against the French got “filthy” when he was eye-gouged.