Leah Manning

Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika will join the best Australian and New Zealand rugby sides in a new-look Super Rugby Pacific contest from 2022. The 12-group rivalry was elastic stepped on Monday, with the debut season to start off on 18 February one year from now. The old Super Rugby contest, which additionally highlighted groups from South Africa, Argentina, and Japan, has now formally been disbanded – a result that would have in the long run happened even without the staggering impacts of Covid-19. Australia and New Zealand will hold their five expert establishments for the new Pacific contest. The Western Force had been chopped out from Super Rugby in 2017, yet they were brought once again into the overlay for Super Rugby AU and furthermore the trans-Tasman Super Rugby rivalry once Covid hit. The Force, backed by billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest, made the Super Rugby AU finals this year and are expected to get stronger due to their strong financial position. Fijian Drua ...

In their final defence of the season, the Magpies got the better of Waikato in a physical and frantic encounter in Napier, with the hosts outlasting the challengers to take a 41-14 win. A second half onslaught from the hosts saw the score line blow out after Waikato got the better of the first half, with the visitors finding themselves on the wrong end of a slew of penalties and, having emptied their bench earlier in the half, fatigue setting in. Before the match even started, Waikato were having troubles as first five-eighth Fletcher Smith pulled up with an injury in warm ups and instead moved to the bench. Then, in the first play of the game, Waikato halfback Xavier Rowe was injured after taking a heavy hit from Hawke’s Bay winger Jonah Lowe. The first play of the game really set the tone for the night. Hawke’s Bay No10 Lincoln McClutchie put up a floating kick-off, allowing time for the chaser to get there as it landed. Roe was the unfortunate one to be underneath it, and was hi...

Chief Sam Cane has been reviewed to the All Blacks crew for their northern half of the globe visit in the not so distant future as locks Scott Barrett and Patrick Tuipulotu return to New Zealand for family reasons. Stick, who missed New Zealand’s inclusion in the just-finished Rugby Championship in Queensland because of injury, will get together with the crew in Washington in front of the All Blacks’ gathering with the United States on Oct. 23. Sam Whitelock, Dane Coles and Shannon Frizell have likewise been added to the crew that won the southern half of the globe title close by 20-year-old rookie Josh Lord. “According to an actual perspective, we have gotten through The Rugby Championship all around well,” All Blacks mentor Ian Foster said in an assertion. “Subsequently, we’ve chosen to add less players than first expected for the following piece of our 12-week visit.” With the crew incapable to get back to New Zealand from Australia because of pandemic limitations, the All Blac...

Former Hurricanes and Blues halfback Jamison Gibson-Park has admitted he already has half an eye on a possible test against the All Blacks in Dublin next month. The 29-year-old has won 10 caps for Ireland after joining Leinster in 2016, qualifying via World Rugby’s residency rule, but he is yet to face the country of his birth. The All Blacks play Ireland in Dublin on November 14 (4.15am, NZ time), and although Gibson-Park faces a battle just to make the 23-man squad, he would love to face some familiar faces. Angus Ta’avao is always a vibe pic.twitter.com/G4PjZLy5yS — All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 16, 2021 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js “I haven’t really put myself in the position properly [to nail a spot]. But thinking about it now it would be pretty surreal and all I can do for the meantime is put my head down and go to work and get out there.” Gibson-Park left New Zealand after being part of the Hurricanes’ title-winning Super Rugby side in 2016. Since then, h...

A new women’s rugby competition is being launched in New Zealand . New Zealand  have announced Super Rugby Aupiki, a new women’s rugby competition to be played in March 2022. Four teams have been named to take part: the Blues, Chiefs, Hurricanes and a combined South Island team. The latter will be governed by the Crusaders. Squads for each team are expected to be named in the next month. Clubs will contract 28 players and they will come together for a pre-season match before the competition window in March. New Zealand Rugby’s head of women’s rugby Cate Sexton said: “We saw a glimpse of how exciting this competition will be with the match between the Blues and Chiefs earlier this year. It also reaffirmed the need for this level of competition; will be a great opportunity for developing players. IT'S HAPPENING! Introducing #SuperRugbyAupiki Full details https://t.co/T0ByyzFAjp pic.twitter.com/Lhp7kU8CX1 — Super Rugby (@SuperRugbyNZ) October 5, 2021 https://platform.twi...

It has taken perhaps way too long for World Rugby to do this, but it is now officially allowed that players can wear tights or leggins during games. The old law prohibiting this legwear has largely been ignored, especially at the lower levels of the game. Any player who has played on artificial turf, especially when it is also very cold (hello NY 7s?) can attest to the need to have coverings for the legs to prevent scrapes and abrasions. The law preventing this type of legwear didn’t really have a readily apparent basis in logic or player safety, but it’s possible it was put in back when skin-tight leggings weren’t common or available, and the desire then was to guard against rigid braces or leg coverings under pants. But the increased use of artificial surfaces for rugby at all levels, and the common availability of skin-tight leggings for men and women that don’t conceal anything dangerous, have made it clear that the law needed to be changed. The leggins had been made legal f...

Tasman will by and by need to hang tight for her first rule with Ranfurly Shield. Mako’s group neglected to endeavor to grab Log O’ Wood from Hawke’s Bay’s hold, as the Magpies took a staggering 34-22 success. It was Tasman’s third endeavor to win the Shield in Federation history, yet the first in almost 10 years, when they neglected to confront Taranaki in 2012. While Tasman partook in the majority of ownership and domain in the primary half, it was the homers who started to lead the pack in the main half, rebuffing Mako at each chance. Hawke’s Bay didn’t take long to join the board, because of perhaps the best endeavor this season. 8 Devan Flanders flanked the ball after falling into his No. 22 side as Tasman undermined the Hawk Bay line, prior to cornering winger Marino Mikael Too, linebacker Eretara Inari and winger Stacey Eli consolidated to cut the length of the field, with Enari putting the final details moving. HIGHLIGHTS | @TasmanMako had the chance to lift the Ranfurly...

The long anticipated  100th test match between the All Blacks and Springboks is upon us. It’s in Townsville, Queensland instead of Dunedin, New Zealand, owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The All Blacks have been playing some very good rugby in whitewashing the Wallabies and Pumas. But the World Champion Springboks have stumbled towards the fixtures against the All Blacks on the back of consecutive losses to the Wallabies, the second of which was a humbling defeat. It is touted as one of rugby’s great rivalries, but as New Zealand and South Africa clash for the 100th time on Saturday, it is again the All Blacks who are overwhelming favourites ahead of their Rugby Championship encounter. THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP ALL BLACKS v SOUTH AFRICA Where:  Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville, Australia When:  Saturday, 7.05pm (live coverage on  Stuff from 6.30pm) Referee:  Luke Pearce (UK) Assistant referees:  Jordan Way (Aus), ...

Edmonton Rugby 7s 2021 live streaming Channels: The Rugby 7s live stream event is all set to be aired from 25th to 26th September 2021. Also, in terms of the start time, it will begin from 10:00 AM whereas fans can choose the better and brilliant services to watch the content. Tournament:  HSBC Canada Sevens, Edmonton About the event:  The 2021 HSBC Canada Sevens, Edmonton is a full HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series event for men and a ‘Fast Four’ women’s event featuring Canada, USA, Mexico and Great Britain. Tournament owners:  Rugby Canada Stadium info:   Commonwealth Stadium, 11000 Stadium Road, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada It’s official, Rugby Sevens World Tour is coming to Edmonton for the first time ever at Commonwealth Stadium! Grab your Canadian flags and get ready to cheer your official team on as they compete in the world’s largest rugby tournament on their very own turf. Sevens is the ultimate all-day party. Two 8-hour days featuring teams from across...

The free-scoring Blitzboks see off African opponents Kenya to win the opening round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2021, while Great Britain’s ladies are victorious in the Fast Four contest. South Africa’s relationship with Vancouver proceeded as they followed up their 2019 competition win there with another title. With a solid unforeseen of Olympians in their crew, the Blitzboks went into the HSBC Canada Sevens at BC Place as one of the top choices to lift the prize and they satisfied their star charging with some glimmering rugby all through, covered by a record 38-5 win over Kenya in the last. It was the most focuses scored by any group in a Series Cup last in Canada and included six attempts to take their general count to 38 for the competition – once more, another high. Attempt poacher professional, Angelo Davids, was liable for 10 of them, turning into the principal player to hit twofold figures for a solitary competition in Canada and the first to score 10 attempts in ...

It was the best team performance in the Dave Rennie era, but it will be remembered as the night Quade Cooper’s comeback hit dizzying heights. The only thing Australians love more than an underdog is a comeback and the Wallabies treated the public to both tonight. We’ll do it all again on Saturday, when the Wallabies face the Springboks at Suncorp Stadium. Q uade Cooper had a perfect night with the boot and kicked Australia to victory with a penalty goal after the full-time siren to complete a 28-26 upset over World Cup champions South Africa on Sunday. Cooper was a surprising selection to face the Springboks for his first Test since 2017 after Australia were swept by New Zealand in the Bledisloe Cup, which also counted as the first two games of the Rugby Championship. Time is up and Australia have snatched victory by 28-26 with Cooper kicking the match-winning penalty goal after the hooter. Well done to the @wallabies on a great win – we go agai...