Springboks 45, England 21: Ellis Park Scores 17 Points Before England's Lungs Even Clear Customs
Forty-five to twenty-one. Write it on a wall. Tattoo it somewhere respectable. The Springboks opened the inaugural Nations Championship at Ellis Park …
Read full story →
All Blacks Survive France 34-32 as Will Jordan Strikes Twice and Five Million Kiwis Age a Decade Each
Dave Rennie's first evening as All Blacks coach lasted approximately nine years. The scoreboard says New Zealand 34, France 32; the nation's cardiolog…
Read full story →
France Demand Justice Over Savea Incident as the Citing Commissioner Briefly Becomes the Most Powerful Man in World Rugby
France lost to the All Blacks by two points on Saturday, and by Sunday evening the entire French rugby apparatus had converted its heartbreak into tha…
Read full story →Ireland Mug Australia 33-31 at the Death as a Prop Named Clarkson Delivers Sydney's Cruellest Plot Twist
Somewhere in the record books it will say, simply, Australia 31, Ireland 33. What it will not say is that Ireland — missing roughly an entire hospital…
Read full story →Scotland Run in Seven Tries in Córdoba; Argentina Concede 47 and the Margin Somehow Flatters Them
Scotland — yes, Scotland, the nation that has spent a century perfecting the art of losing winnable games in ways that require a support group — went …
Read full story →Wales Actually Win One: 39-24 Over Fiji as the Tandy Era Discovers the Scoreboard Works in Both Directions
Stop the presses, alert the choirs, warm up the male voice sections: Wales won a rugby match. Properly won it, too — 39-24 over Fiji, six tries, a bon…
Read full story →Japan Beat Italy 27-10 in Tokyo While Eddie Jones Serves a Suspension, Proving the Team Plays Better When Nobody Is Yelling
The final round-one result of the Nations Championship might be its funniest: Japan dismantled Italy 27-10 in Tokyo while their head coach, one Edward…
Read full story →Toulouse Win a Fourth Straight Top 14 Title in an Actual Thunderstorm, Because Even the Sky Bought a Ticket
Toulouse have won the Top 14 again — a fourth consecutive Brennus Shield, their 25th title overall — beating Montpellier 28-20 in a final that was int…
Read full story →Kolbe and Willemse Hit 50 Caps as Rassie Names a 23 So Familiar It Has Its Own Parking Spot at Ellis Park
Rassie Erasmus has named his team to welcome England to Ellis Park on Saturday, and it reads less like a selection and more like a school reunion wher…
Read full story →Borthwick Benches Henry Pollock for Ellis Park; Fin Smith Gets the Keys, Marcus Smith Gets the Aux Cable
Steve Borthwick has made his big calls for Ellis Park, and the biggest one is this: Henry Pollock — the most talked-about young back-rower in England,…
Read full story →Rennie Hands Ruben Love the No 10 Jersey, Leaves Beauden Barrett Out; Five Million Kiwis Remain Perfectly Calm (Citation Needed)
Dave Rennie's first All Blacks team sheet has landed, and the man opened his account by handing the most scrutinised jersey in world rugby — the black…
Read full story →France Send a Bordeaux Squad in a Trenchcoat to Christchurch: Penaud Returns, Poirot Un-Retires From Test Rugby After 2,449 Days
With Antoine Dupont injured and half of Toulouse presumably in an ice bath, Fabien Galthié has solved his selection problem with typical French elegan…
Read full story →Prendergast Brothers Start Together in Sydney as Ireland Officially Move to Selection by Household
Andy Farrell has named his Ireland side for the Sydney opener and made history for the family group chat: Cian and Sam Prendergast, actual brothers fr…
Read full story →