Here are the rugby headlines for Wednesday morning, August 7. Welsh referee dies Former Welsh referee Ken Parfitt has died aged 83. The widely respected official never made it onto the international panel but refereed around the world, officiating matches in the Hong Kong Sevens and officiating the All Blacks’ match against the United Services… Read More »
Harlequins and Glasgow Warriors fight each other during a brawl during their Champions Cup last-16 clash – Reuters/Peter Cziborra Maul is the bastion of rugby union, synonymous with the sport. Look up an English dictionary and the entry will be one of a handful of nouns such as flanker, ruck and scrum, where the definition… Read More »
Marlie Packer Marlie Packer has been benched for England’s Six Nations clash with Scotland this weekend after head coach John Mitchell hinted no one in his squad was safe. This marks the first time Packer has been named as a substitute since taking over as England captain in last year’s championship. In a move that… Read More »
Tackling height change will be just one of the initiatives being considered by the working group – Getty Images/Adrian Dennis World Rugby is considering lowering the height of tackles in the elite game and introducing a global footprint of 20-minute red cards as part of a radical plan to step up the sport and increase… Read More »
Kick-tennis meant Murrayfield witnessed Scotland and France play musical statues in the backfield – AFP/Andy Buchanan Several aspects of World Rugby’s five-point plan to attract the next generation will ironically irk existing fans. Because, as the global governing body knows, part of the challenge is to undo the bad habits that the elite have ingrained.… Read More »
Scotsman Duhan van der Merwe in action with England’s George Ford and Ben Earl World Rugby has pledged to increase the pace of the game with five initiatives, including stepping up “use” calls at scrum time and giving scrum halves more space and cover. The moves come after the 2024 Shape of the Game forum… Read More »
Ethan Roots (left to right), Chandler Cunningham-South, Fin Smith, Fraser Dingwall and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso make his England debut against Italy – Getty Images/Dan Mullan The quintet that made their England debut in Rome last weekend (Chandler Cunningham-South, Fraser Dingwall, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Ethan Roots and Fin Smith) all had one interesting thing in common; they have… Read More »
Kerry Packer wanted to revolutionize rugby union in 1995 as he did cricket in 1977. It has been locked in a vault for almost 30 years but the original player contract is now valid for ‘World Rugby Corporation’, the £200 million Kerry Packer-backed rebel rugby circus that threatened to launch a global franchise league in… Read More »