England scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet is out of the World Cup after it was confirmed he will need ankle surgery on the injury he picked up against Wales on Saturday.…
Tournaments
Farrell red card puts World Cup in doubt after England discipline disaster
The England captain was one of four cards in 19-17 victory over Wales
Huge England injury scare ahead of World Cup as key player hobbles off
There was a huge England injury scare at Twickenham as key scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet was helped from the field against Wales. Leicester nine van Poortvliet picked up what appeared…
Who is Manie Libbok? Ten things you should know about the South Africa fly-half
Manie Libbok was the only recognised 10 in South Africa’s squad for the World Cup in France that features four scrum-halves, though the 26-year-old Stormers star will have full-back Damian…
Analysis: Why being a specialist No 8 means little now
England have only selected one recognised No 8 in Billy Vunipola in their RWC squad
Italy centre Tommaso Menoncello out of World Cup with bicep injury
Italy centre Tommaso Menoncello is out of the World Cup with a bicep injury suffered in a 33-17 defeat against Ireland in Dublin. The Benetton star left the Aviva Stadium…
IRFU apologises for “poorly worded” concussion statement
The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has apologised for publishing “a poorly worded” concussion statement in the match programme for Ireland’s recent Rugby World Cup warm-up match against Italy. The…
Who is Levani Botia? Ten things about Fiji’s ‘Demolition Man’
Levani Botia travelled halfway across the planet to take up a short-term contract with an ambitious second-tier French club nine years ago. At the time he was relatively unknown. It…
Analysis: All Blacks bucking current attacking trends
In terms of attacking trends, what we’ve seen over the last few months – and in particular as we get closer to the start of the Rugby World Cup –…
Zander Fagerson ban means he will be available for World Cup opener
We now know the extent of the Zander Fagerson ban after we saw the TMO Bunker upgrade his yellow to a red card in Scotland’s encounter with France. Having charged…