The All Blacks Sevens and Black Ferns Sevens travel tomorrow with their eyes set on defending their prestigious Hong Kong Sevens titles. Both teams have won their respective tournaments in 2023 and 2024, with the 2025 edition at the new, Kai Tak Sports Park. The Black Ferns Sevens have named an unchanged line up from
I see this as the key match of the opening round of the Six Nations. It’s high time a third nation threatened the supremacy of the duo England-France. Ireland are the likeliest candidates, and they are at home in Belfast, where les Bleues have not yet played a 6N match. The Teams: Ireland: 1 O’Dowd,
Sean Lynn had little room for manoeuvre in constructing his first Welsh side, but he has taken the bold steps you would expect of him. He has solved the No 10 dilemma by placing Kayleigh Powell at 12, giving the attack a double edge at its source. Both Powell and Lleucu George have a powerful
All the six staffs have three goals in mind as they approach a new Six Nations: the first round, the campaign as a whole and the World Cup beyond. Let’s say John Mitchell has his eye firmly on that last one. Nobody could have guessed the 23 he has selected for the Italy game. The good
Here are two really juicy fixtures for teams who all feel they have a point to prove. Saturday, 22 March Ireland v France (Kingspan Stadium Belfast), KO 13.00 (GMT) Scotland v Wales (Hive Stadium Edinburgh), KO 16.45 The One-thirty Show For the two home sides the question is: can they be sure of maintaining last
Loughborough Lightning’s second-highest all-time tryscorer Bo Westcombe-Evans has extended her contract. The prolific winger has scored 31 tries in 45 appearances for the African Violets, after becoming Lightning player #098 when making her debut against Sale Sharks as a teenager in October 2021. A prolific 2023/24 campaign saw Westcombe-Evans cross the line 14 times in
The road ahead for teams competing in the 2025 RWC Here’s an interim rundown of test fixtures up to and including the World Cup. More are sure to be added. Further down I add some comments. Australia 3 May v Fijiana, Fiji 10 May v New Zealand, Newcastle, Qd. Pacific Four 17 May v USA,
The fourth version of this age-group festival will take place again at Wellington College, England, from 11-19 April. It provides a vital stepping-stone on the path towards senior representative level. The tournament is carefully arranged to cater for the needs of this age-group. So when we hear of teams playing two matches in succession, we
Seven Black Ferns Sevens players have made themselves available for selection in the Black Ferns for this year’s Rugby World Cup. Stacey Waaka, Theresa Setefano, Alena Saili, Dhys Faleafaga and Kelsey Teneti are all capped Black Ferns and along with Risi Pouri-Lane and Jorja Miller will vie for World Cup selection in 2025. Black Ferns
A blockbuster year of women’s rugby will continue in August with the Farah Palmer Cup presented by Bunnings Warehouse kicking off. While the Black Ferns are in England defending the Rugby World Cup, the country’s brightest developing talent will be on display across nine weeks of fierce competition. Defending premiership winners Waikato will kick the
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