New Zealand

Beauden Barrett is a surprise choice to start at flyhalf for the All Blacks in their opening match of the Rugby Championship against Australia in Sydney on Saturday. The mercurial Hurricanes playmaker is typically seen as an impact reserve but will instead begin the match with Aaron Cruden on the …

The wishes of Canadian rugby fans appear to have been answered. TSN will be broadcasting the opening round of The Rugby Championship this weekend. While the broadcaster has not made an official announcement and has not replied to inquiries about the tournament as a whole, an update to their schedule …

Ohio Aviators bookend Jamie Mackintosh is headed back to France. The one-time New Zealand All Black prop joined PRO Rugby after spending time as a medical joker with Montpellier last season. With his former provincial side Southland opting not to offer him a Mitre 10 Cup contract, Mackintosh will instead …

South African star Duane Vermeulen will not play against Argentina in the opening round of the Rugby Championship. The bruising no8 has injured his knee playing for his French club Toulon and has been withdrawn from the Springbok squad. An MRI has confirmed the damage and Vermeulen will undergo surgery …

Former Canada u20 representative Josh Larsen has been selected to play for Northland in the Mitre 10 Cup. The Vancouver-born lock was in the Otago B group last season but will be part of the senior Taniwha squad in the upcoming provincial competition. He has previously lined up for Otago …

Jake Ilnicki has signed to play for Manawatu Turbos in the Mitre 10 Cup. The Canadian international prop replaces Hubert Buydens on the Manawatu roster after his San Diego Breakers teammate suffered a season-ending knee injury while on PRO Rugby duty. Ilnicki arrived in New Zealand on Wednesday and is …

American fans might not have got the medal they wanted, but they did get some excellent individual performances. Leading the way in the try-scoring department is Carlin Isles, who finished the tournament with six tries, one more than Kenya’s Billy Odhiambo and Fijian ace Josua Tuisova. USA teammate Danny Barrett …

Fiji have done it. A masterful performance in the Gold Medal final saw them overwhelm Great Britain by a score of 43-7. The captain Osea Kolinisau crossed less than a minute into the match and by half-time the result was all but written at 29-0. Like Japan, Great Britain simply …

Gastón Revol sparked an improbable comeback for the Pumas as they rebounded from a 21-0 deficit to win 26-21 and earn a spot in the 5th place final. It was the captain Revol who led the way with a try on each side of half time and 16 points in …

US Eagles prop Chris Baumann has signed to play for the Wellington Lions in the Mitre 10 Cup, New Zealand’s highest level of provincial competition. The tighthead specialist joins the team after playing a key role in the Denver Stampede’s title-winning season in PRO Rugby. Baumann made his Eagles debut …