Rugby

The United Rugby Championship can confirm that three of this weekend’s R9 fixtures will not go ahead as scheduled due to a number of Covid-19 cases affecting four teams.The following fixtures have been postponed: Dragons v Cardiff Rugby Ulster v Leinster Edinburgh v Glasgow Warriors The games were due to take place on Saturday and Sunday (January 1 and 2), however, a number of positive Covid-19 cases in Cardiff, Dragons, Ulster and Glasgow Warriors squads have been reported. The URC Medical … [Read more...] about 3 URC Fixtures Postponed

The game was due to take place on Sunday, 26th December in Belfast, however, a number of positive Covid-19 cases within the Ulster Rugby squad have been reported by the province. The URC Medical Advisory Group has liaised with Ulster Rugby and the local health authorities and deemed that the fixture cannot go ahead as scheduled. The United Rugby Championship will now consider available dates to reschedule the game. Go On - Share the Gqeberha Love! Reader InteractionsGqeberha's Latest News … [Read more...] about Ulster and Connacht Rugby fixture postponed

Wales Women assistant coach Geraint Lewis will leave the Welsh Rugby Union in the spring to take up a new opportunity as a lecturer in sport at Coleg y Cymoedd.Former Wales back row Lewis, who has been Wales Women forwards coach for the past two years, was part of the Wales U20 Grand Slam winning coaching team in 2016 and also carried out the roles of Wales U18 and Wales U19 head coach prior to joining the Wales Women coaching team on a full-time basis. Since being appointed as a full-time WRU … [Read more...] about Geraint Lewis takes up new opportunity

To all members of the Welsh rugby family. We have so much to be proud of over the past year, but I am writing to you at a time of further challenges, not just for our national game but for our nation. Firstly, and most importantly, I want to thank you for your efforts over the last year. It is extraordinary to think that a calendar year which began with no rugby and empty stadia ended with the community game adapting and thriving and 275,000 spectators visiting the Principality Stadium; albeit … [Read more...] about An open letter to Welsh rugby from WRU CEO Steve Phillips

The United Rugby Championship Round 8 Christmas Eve darby between Zebre Parma & Benetton Rugby teams have been named with all details of match officials and broadcast information below.Zebre Parma coach Michael Bradley has made five changes to the squad selected from their Challenge Cup encounter with Toulon. Skipper Michele Lamaro has been named in the back row for Benetton. FRIDAY, 24TH DECEMBER Zebre Parma v Benetton RugbyStadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma – KO 13.00 IRE & UK / 14.00 ITA … [Read more...] about URC Round 8

Edinburgh Rugby today confirmed the signing of European Champions Cup and two-time English Premiership winning Exeter Chiefs and Scotland lock Sam Skinner.Skinner – who will join the capital club next season – has started nine of his 15 Test caps to date since he burst on to the scene with a player of the match winning international debut against Fiji at BT Murrayfield in 2018. The signing provides Edinburgh Rugby with a significant boost ahead of the upcoming 1872 Cup derbies – with the first … [Read more...] about Edinburgh Scoop Sam Skinner

Head Coach Danny Wilson has named a team showing just a single change from last weekend’s narrow defeat in La Rochelle, as Glasgow Warriors prepare to take on Exeter Chiefs this weekend in what will be the club’s first home European tie for almost two years.Jamie Bhatti’s promotion to the starting XV is the only alteration from the side that took to the field at the Stade Marcel Deflandre, with the Warriors earning a losing bonus-point at the home of last season’s runners-up. George Turner and … [Read more...] about Settled side named for Exeter clash

The North African Rugby Qualifiers Tournament, for men and women, has finally come to an end, as it was a two-day event filled with gripping matches, and enthralling updates.To begin with, the tournament took place at the stadiums of the Arab Academy for Science Technology & Maritime Transport (AASTMT) in Alexandria, from the 17th to the 18th of December 2021. It is noteworthy that five countries were participating in this tournament, namely Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Senegal, and Libya, of … [Read more...] about Tunisia and Senegal successfully save their spots

Head Coach Mike Blair today named the Edinburgh Rugby squad for tomorrow’s EPCR Challenge Cup Round 1 clash with Saracens at StoneX Stadium (Saturday 11 December, kick-off 3.15pm) – streamed live at epcrugby.tvThe team selection includes several changes to the side that claimed a bonus-point win against Benetton last weekend as Scotland internationalists Mark Bennett, Pierre Schoeman, Stuart McInally, WP Nel and Marshall Sykes all return to the starting XV for the European opener. Back row duo … [Read more...] about Capital Side Named For Saracens Opener

Ali Price will captain Glasgow Warriors for the first time in Sunday’s Heineken Champions Cup opener against La Rochelle, on an afternoon that will also see the scrum-half reach a century of appearances in Glasgow colours.The 28-year-old leads the squad as Ryan Wilson follows COVID protocols, with club co-captain Fraser Brown also still recovering from an injury sustained earlier this season. An unchanged front-row sees Oli Kebble and Zander Fagerson once again pack down either side of George … [Read more...] about Price named captain on 100th appearance

The Carling Currie Cup will kick off next month with a seven-team Premier Division, following an online meeting of the General Council of the South African Rugby Union on Friday.The Council rejected a proposal from Eastern Province that they be incorporated into the top-flight immediately. However, Council approved a motion that the top South African team in the First Division be automatically promoted to the Premier Division at the end of the 2022 Carling Currie Cup season, creating an … [Read more...] about January kick off for Carling Currie Cup

The winner of the world’s oldest inter-city rugby rivalry will be determined by aggregate format it was confirmed today.Glasgow Warriors host Edinburgh Rugby in the opening leg of the 1872 Cup on Monday 27 December at Scotstoun (kick-off 7pm) in round 8 of the United Rugby Championship. Tens of thousands are then expected as the sides meet again for the decisive match at the home of Scottish Rugby, BT Murrayfield Stadium, a week later in the New Year (Sunday 2 January, kick-off 2pm). The fixture … [Read more...] about Aggregate Format Returns For 1872 Cup

Tappe Henning has been appointed Head of Match Officials for the United Rugby Championship and is eager to spearhead a ‘collaborative approach’ between referees and coaches to encourage positive play.The South African succeeds Greg Garner, who served as the league’s Elite Referee Manager since 2017 and will be responsible for overseeing match official selections for URC fixtures, leading the review and analysis process alongside the five union referee managers from across the URC and identifying … [Read more...] about Henning Appointed URC’s Head Of Match Officials

The SA Rugby match official panels for 2022 were confirmed on Friday, with 22 referees named on the National Panel following a virtual selection and grading meeting by the SA Rugby Referees Department and the South African Rugby Referees Association Executive, for what will be a very busy local season next year.Panels were not named for 2021, due to the stop-start nature of the local season, and there has subsequently been changes following the selection meeting. Stepping down is Jaco Pretorius … [Read more...] about Rugby: Match Official Panels for 2022

Lock Marvin Orie and wing Seabelo Senatla will make their first appearances of the season for the DHL Stormers in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship encounter with the Emirates Lions at DHL Stadium on Saturday.Springbok Orie was with the national squad for the first four matches of the season, while speedster Senatla makes his return from injury in the clash against the Johannesburg side which kicks off at 17h00 (SAST) on Saturday. Orie starts in the second row alongside captain Salmaan … [Read more...] about First Appearances for Orie and Senatla