Scotland vs. Italy: Winners and Losers from International Match

Scotland demolished Italy with a 48-7 thumping to send them into their final World Cup warm-up match full of confidence. Having gone winless through 2015 until back-to-back fixtures with their Six Nations rivals, Vern Cotter’s side have now beaten the Azzurri twice in seven days. It was a sobering defeat for the Italians, who will not approach a group containing France and Ireland with much optimism. Let’s have a look at the winners and losers. Begin Slideshow  Read More →

Ireland vs. Wales: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info for Rugby World Cup Warm-Up

Ireland welcome Wales to the Aviva Stadium on Saturday in what will be the last warm-up fixture for both teams prior to coaches Joe Schmidt and Warren Gatland naming their World Cup squads on August 31. Wales helmsman Gatland is under particular pressure to impress in the Irish capital after seeing his side blown out of the Millennium Stadium following a 35-21 defeat to the Boys in Green three weeks ago. Wales have a chance to tie their Celtic rivals in games won on Irish turf, too, having triumphed in 27 of the 59 matches played between these two teams in Ireland, while the hosts have won 28,... 

Scotland vs. Italy: 5 Key Battles in International Match

Scotland and Italy resume hostilities this weekend in their second consecutive meeting. Last week’s 16-12 win in Turin for the Scots bore more significance than most other World Cup warm-up results, given it avenged the defeat to the Azzurri in the Six Nations and also handed Vern Cotter’s men their first win of 2015. Former Scots skipper Mike Blair wrote on BBC: It did not come easily and you wouldn’t say that the last five minutes were exactly a master class in closing games out but it was a win and Scotland will see this as a building block – the monkey is off the back... 

Kiwi Punter Bets $130K on All Blacks to Crash Out of World Cup

A New Zealand man has taken a hugely controversial gamble, betting that his country’s world-renowned rugby team will fail to win this year’s World Cup.  The All Blacks are the world’s No. 1 team and reigning champions after their 2011 triumph in a home tournament, but “Dave,” the pseudonym under which the anonymous punter placed his bet, doesn’t think they’ll manage to defend their trophy.  He bet NZ$130,000 (approximately $117,000 in Australian dollars) that another of rugby’s heavyweights will take the crown. He stands to win $71,500 ($64,500)... 

Ireland vs. Wales: 5 Key Battles in International Match

Warren Gatland’s Wales face a difficult trip to Dublin on Saturday as they prepare to face hosts Ireland in the latest of their World Cup warm-up fixtures, with revenge in mind following the home defeat suffered in Cardiff three weeks ago. Joe Schmidt’s men soundly bested their Celtic rivals at the Millennium Stadium, where star performances from the likes of Jamie Heaslip and Keith Earls helped further their bid to be ready for the World Cup. Saturday’s meeting will be the penultimate warm-up outing for both teams and the final chance for players to impress prior to the World... 

Bollywood Does Rugby, with Hilarious Results

Ever wondered what India thinks of rugby? Well, wonder no more. Bollywood’s take on the sport was evident in the 2004 film Sye, and now a clip from the film has gone viral after being shared on social media this week. The plot focuses on two rival student groups at Hyderabad University who come together to fight a common foe after the local mafia buy their sports field. The film depicts rugby as a truly brutal sport, and while it is pretty physical, one scene where half a team pin down one man for their teammate to boot him between the legs seems a little absurd. Still, it makes for a good... 

England Rugby World Cup Squad 2015: Sam Burgess Named Among 31-Man List

Rugby league convert Sam Burgess has been named as part of coach Stuart Lancaster’s 31-man England squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup less than a year after making his transition to the sport.   The ex-South Sydney Rabbitohs star has been selected as one of Lancaster’s four centres alongside Jonathan Joseph, Brad Barritt and Henry Slade, as confirmed by the official England Rugby Twitter account on Wednesday: Ben Morgan also makes the squad to provide cover at No. 8, while Anthony Watson, Jack Nowell and Jonny May get the nod as wingers, but fly-half Danny Cipriani... 

Rugby Ball Explodes During Rugby Union Match in New Zealand

Now this is what you call a deflated football. An innocent rugby ball has been kicked and blocked so hard it exploded during an ITM Cup match between rivals Northland and Southland in Whangarei, New Zealand. The incident occurred when Northland fly-half Dan Hawkins’ attempted clearance was charged down by Southland’s Tim Boys, with the latter picking up the suspiciously bounce-less ball to convert a try. Replays then showed the ball had burst somewhere between Hawkins’ kick and Boys’ block, making life easy for the Southland man to pick it up and take it over the line after... 

Picking England’s Rugby World Cup Squad

Head coach Stuart Lancaster will name his squad for England’s Rugby World Cup campaign this Thursday, per the Telegraph. With a couple of internal matches to decide on the final few names he may be dithering over, the tension in camp must be thick as players scramble to secure their slots. It has been a long road to this point for Lancaster, who took the job on an interim basis back in 2012 and now finds himself about to lead England into a home World Cup. In more recent times, he has had to deal with the loss through indiscipline of two first-team stars in Dylan Hartley and Manu Tuilagi,... 

Best XV from Weekend’s International Rugby Matches

Vengeance was the theme of this weekend’s international action as France gained revenge over England with a 25-20 win in Paris, while Scotland beat Italy 16-12 in Turin to make up for a Six Nations defeat earlier this year. International coaches all over will have learned their lessons from Saturday’s World Cup warm-ups double, with some of Europe’s stars making a final bolt for a place at the major tournament next month.. A smaller sample of players to pick from by no means limits the quality of this weekend’s best international XV, where stars from England and France claim... 

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