As Australia prepare for a monumental clash with the world No 1 Springboks the coach is taking heart from this side’s belief and resilienceTop dogs at Rugby Australia HQ are generally suited and booted but Les Kiss, with his goatee and spectacles, gets about in jeans, sneakers and baseball cap. Short but spry, wiry like a yoga teacher, husky like a barfly, the Wallabies coach is about to face the biggest challenge – some say the greatest beatdown – of his professional life.“We have the Springboks in front of us next Sunday,” Kiss says. “It’s a massive opportunity to challenge a fantastic team that is second to none in the world. An opportunity to challenge ourselves too. We won’t shy away; we’ll take it on. This 80 minutes will be a representation of where we’re at – and who we are.” Continue reading...

The much loved winger has an ‘unbelievable’ Roosters highlights reel but will soon cross codes again for the next rugby union chapter in JapanMark Nawaqanitawase, the prime producer of NRL highlights, will soon be lost to rugby league at the age of just 26. His performances have been described as “freaky” and “ridiculous”, but he is due to return to rugby union as early as Saturday night, unless the Roosters can overcome Cronulla in their semi-final.To say Nawaqanitawase is much loved at Moore Park undersells the widespread affection for him. Officials at the Roosters and Rugby Australia are neighbours in the offices next to Allianz Stadium, and neither has any ill-will towards the winger, despite both losing him as a player during a three-year period in which Nawaqanitawase has reached almost inconceivable cross-code heights. Continue reading...

James O’Connor and Bernard Foley told to focus on Super RugbyHarry McLaughlin-Phillips named for South Africa clash in PerthWallabies coach Les Kiss has praised the potential impact of veteran flyhalves James O’Connor and Bernard Foley, but called for them to play Super Rugby games before they will be considered for selection after elevating 22-year-old five eighth Harry McLaughlin-Phillips for the clash against South Africa in Perth in two weeks.Ben Donaldson and Declan Meredith have retained their places in the squad following the series victory in Argentina, but the broken leg suffered by Carter Gordon created a place at No 10. Continue reading...

All Blacks were valiant in 3-1 series defeat but Springboks send another warning to rest of the world in BaltimoreWhat is the enduring image of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series? The Springboks put the exclamation mark on their status as World Cup favourites by wrapping up the series 3-1 with victory in Baltimore on Saturday, but in months and years to come where will the mind immediately go when reflecting on this epic?The reality is that after four Tests of remarkable intensity – a brutal reminder of the levels required to compete with the two biggest beasts in the world game – there are plenty. But it is hard to look beyond the 65th minute of the third Test in Soweto, when the Boks’ tank rumbled over from 20 metres. Malcolm Marx was awarded the try and there would be no more deserving recipient of a player of the series award. Continue reading...

Rugby union updates from 10pm BST in Baltimore Get in touch: send your thoughts to Daniel via emailAt last we come to the end of an epic series.Six weeks ago the New Zealand All Blacks arrived in South Africa with a point to prove and a dynasty to topple. Continue reading...

‘Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry’ will culminate on US soil on Saturday, a staging post on the road to America hosting the World Cup in 2031When New Zealand and South Africa kick off at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday, there will be more at stake than victory in “Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry”, the four-Test series the Springboks lead 2-1. For World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin, the game is a key staging post on the road to the 2031 World Cup, which the US will host – a journey that could include Six Nations games on American soil.“We’ve been in a long process with venues and cities, over the last two years,” Gilpin said, of the build to World Cup kick-off. “We’ve still got 25-plus cities involved in that process, which is fantastic in terms of engagement and enthusiasm. Continue reading...

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Governing body floating staging Ireland v Italy in USWorld Rugby eyes commercial value in American fixturesWorld Rugby wants a Six Nations match to be staged in the US and has offered financial incentives to the unions to do so – but England have effectively ruled themselves out on the grounds that fixtures at Twickenham are too lucrative.The US will stage the 2031 World Cup and World Rugby is seeking to capitalise commercially despite mounting fears over the parlous state of rugby union in the host country. As a result, the governing body is desperate to raise interest in the sport’s profile by staging high-profile matches Stateside, with Baltimore hosting the fourth Test between South Africa and New Zealand on Saturday. Continue reading...

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii won’t specialise in one on-field role yetAustralia coach Les Kiss faces multiple selection conundrumsHe is known as the Wallabies’ foremost code-switcher, and there are growing calls for him to settle on a position that makes the most out of his unquestionable abilities. But Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has other ideas.Speaking at the NFL fan festival on Thursday to promote next year’s Rugby World Cup matches in Melbourne, Suaalii said he had no plans to specialise in just one on-field role. Continue reading...

RFU eager to avoid uncertainty heading into World CupLloyds to pay £5m a year for logo on back of jerseys Steve Borthwick will be handed a contract extension until after the 2028 Six Nations, giving the Rugby Football Union time to identify his successor if England flop at the World Cup next year.The RFU’s move is designed to avoid uncertainty heading into the tournament but stops short of backing Borthwick in the long term. Continue reading...

The trial has caused heated debate in women’s rugby, with England’s Zoe Harrison calling it the ‘worst decision ever’ but others more open to it“We won a World Cup with a size five so it can’t have been that bad,” the England full-back Ellie Kildunne says of World Rugby’s trial with smaller balls in the upcoming WXV Global Series. The top 12 nations in the world rankings will be playing home and away matches from Saturday with the WXV competition revamped from the one contested over the past few years. There will be no trophy at the end of it and the ball trial that has produced no little debate is in place.Players will compete with a size 4.5 ball instead ofthe aforementioned size five, which is used across rugby union; the new ball weighs the same but is 3% smaller. The reasoning is to see if a smaller ball will improve skillsets because of women’s physiology, despite statistics such as a 87.8% lineout success rate at the 2025 Women’s Six Nations and kicking success at goal reaching 61% at the World Cup last year with the old ball. Continue reading...

Flyhalf sustains injury in weekend’s draw with ArgentinaExpected to miss Springboks Test and Bledisloe Cup seriesThe Wallabies are bracing to be without first-choice playmaker Carter Gordon for the Bledisloe Cup and a clash with world champions South Africa in the latest injury blow for the flyhalf.Gordon fell to the ground in agony after attacking the line late in the weekend’s 28-28 draw with Argentina in Mendoza. Continue reading...

New Zealand great made his name at 1995 Rugby World Cup but rapid rise to fame took a toll as his health worsenedMaking a film about Jonah Lomu’s life was never going to thrill everyone. The big man’s widow, Nadene, took legal action in an unsuccessful attempt to block the project and declined to be involved. You can’t imagine Mike Catt being overly delighted either. Even 31 years later, the brutal footage of Lomu running straight over the top of England’s full-back in the 1995 World Cup semi-final in Cape Town almost merits an 18 certificate on its own.Happily, the makers of Lomu went ahead regardless and have managed to shine a fresh light on the biggest rugby phenomenon in history. There was always way more to Jonah’s story than a huge pair of thighs and here it is, laid out in a manner that is thought-provoking, affecting and wincingly nostalgic. As the former All Blacks doctor John Mayhew puts it: “I’m disappointed he didn’t have the life he deserved to have. I wonder, even [with] the magnificent gifts he had, whether he was ever truly happy.” Continue reading...

In a yo-yo performance, Australia’s defensive effort set up what should have been a win if not for poor execution with the ballA charitable Wallabies performance handed Argentina their share of the 28-28 draw in Mendoza, ending Australia’s winning run at four. Optimists will point to a first Australian series victory in Argentina, and an unbeaten run for Les Kiss’s hungry side that is now the Wallabies’ longest since 2021.The truth, however, is less palatable. The Wallabies looked golden for the first half an hour thanks to their hard-working pack, and led 14-0 with five minutes to go in the first half. They were lucky to go into the break at 14-14. Continue reading...