The Fiji Times

Dave Rennie’s pay in the spotlight as Wallabies exodus fears mount

The Waratahs are fighting to hold on to young Wallabies Jack Maddocks and Tom Robertson as the new Australian connection in USA Rugby begins a massive recruitment drive and a growing number of players eye offshore competitions. Maddocks and Robertson, and four-test Brumbies halfback Joe Powell are all in talks to join the Los Angeles...

Why Warren Gatland thinks Dan Carter coup is great news for Beauden Barrett

Dan Carter’s presence will improve Beauden Barrett as a player and the Blues as a team, according to a rival coach. Yet far from being fearful of going up against Carter, Chiefs coach Warren Gatland can’t stop smiling about the shock signing. Rather than being nervous about the wealth of experience and potential innovations the...

Michael Fatialofa to be released from British spinal care unit

The miracle recovery of seriously injured New Zealand rugby player Michael Fatialofa continues with his imminent release from a spinal care unit to his English home. The remarkable development comes five months after the devastating injury from a tackle gone wrong in an English Premiership match while playing for the Worcester Warriors. The C4 vertebrae...

Dan Carter’s Kiwi comeback a great story, but fairytale ending might be far-fetched

Whoa. Let’s rein the horses in just a little. The narrative that has Dan Carter galloping in as a figurative knight to the rescue of the Blues is one fuelled more by romanticism than reality. Carter, no doubt, is a handy pickup by the Blues as an injury replacement for crocked fullback/first five Stephen Perofeta...

7s rising star works towards goal

Fiji 7s squad member Nasoni Tulavu is working hard to achieve his rugby dream. He wants to play in the World Rugby Sevens Series, the Olympic Games in Japan next year and to become the third villager from Nakorosule, Serea, Naitasiri to represent Fiji in rugby. The other two Fiji 7s reps were Senivalati Vunibola...

After years of battling, Blues now have the Famous Five at No 10

For years the Blues have been paupers when it came to the No 10 jersey, yet now the addition of Dan Carter the Super Rugby club has endless riches in the crucial position. In Carter and Beauden Barrett they have TWO first fives who have been World Rugby Player of the Year. Carter in 2005,...

Dan Carter confirms Blues deal in shock return to Super Rugby

Dan Carter was in Blues colours as he returned to the Super Rugby scene on Thursday. Speculation the All Blacks great Carter was to join the Blues for Super Rugby Aotearoa proved correct as he trained with the Blues in Auckland. But the 38-year-old says it might be a while before he is considered ready...

All Blacks Codie Taylor and Josh Ioane make brave statement against racism

All Blacks Codie Taylor and Josh Ioane have made a public stand against racism by posting a “black square’’ on their social media accounts. The pair felt compelled to join the protest movement following the death in police custody of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week, and in doing so have urged others to show...

Dan Carter set for shock Super Rugby comeback with old enemies the Blues

Dan Carter is on the verge of a stunning New Zealand comeback, joining the Blues for Super Rugby Aotearoa as injury cover. Carter, 38, spent 13 seasons with the Crusaders before playing overseas in France and Japan. He bowed out of international rugby after the 2015 Rugby World Cup, in which he drop kicked a...

Super Rugby NZ: Red card replacements and golden point

Super Rugby Aotearoa will introduce a golden point tiebreaker and several other law changes when it kicks off next week. The five team New Zealand competition will also allow players to be replaced after they’re shown a red card. While the new red card rules will allow a team to replace a player who has...

Hopes All Blacks will play more than just the Wallabies this year

New Zealand Rugby is confident the All Blacks will play more than just tests against Wallabies this year as the sport battles back from the global pandemic. The national body is facing a financial crisis, warning revenue will be down 70 percent this year, on top of a $7.5 million loss last year. Half its...

ABs duo join fight against racism

All Blacks are joining those around the world in taking a public stand against racism amidst ongoing rioting in the US. Both hooker Codie Taylor and first-five Josh Ioane posted the “black square” image to their social media accounts on Wednesday, showing their support in the wake of the death of George Floyd in police...

English Premiership clubs given go-ahead to resume training

LONDON (Reuters) – Clubs in England’s Premiership and second-tier Championship have been given the green light to resume individual training from Tuesday with strict social distancing measures, the Professional Game Board said. Competitive sport was suspended in Britain in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which has killed more than 39,000 people in the...

Australia want to host Rugby Championship “hub”

Rugby Australia is in talks with the government about allowing New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina’s teams to enter the country and be based in a “hub” for a condensed Rugby Championship later in the year. After a two-month lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19, Australian authorities have allowed sports to restart domestic competition...

Rugby Australia slashes one-third of staff

Rugby Australia has laid off a third of its full-time staff as well as dozens of contractors and casual workers. RA is making restructuring efforts to alleviate the financial pressures brought on by Covid-19. “Today the organisation has announced a program of cuts that will result in the departure of 47 of its 142 full-time...

Jaguares players told to take overseas deals

Argentina’s rugby union (UAR) has encouraged Jaguares players to take deals overseas amid an uncertain outlook for Super Rugby due to the coronavirus pandemic, centre Jeronimo de la Fuente told ESPN. Super Rugby has been suspended since March and the future of this year’s competition remains in doubt due to travel curbs and border controls....

Sunwolves confirm time in Super Rugby is over

The Sunwolves final season in Super Rugby is over after the Tokyo-based team’s bid to play in a domestic tournament in Australia fell through due to Covid-19. With rugby preparing to return from the coronavirus shutdown, Japan’s Sunwolves had been in talks to join Australia’s four Super Rugby teams and Perth-based Western Force in a...

Kieran Read stands proud despite final failure with All Blacks

WELLINGTON, 01 JUNE 2020 (STUFF NZ) – Kieran Read is neither defined by his failures, nor tortured by them. The great All Blacks No 8 and hugely successful captain has enjoyed the chance to sit back and reflect in recent weeks and gladly reports there has been little in the way of sleep lost. Nor...

Jobs to go as Rugby Australia begins cost-cutting after auditors sign off books

SYDNEY, 01 JUNE 2020 (SMH) – Rugby Australia has staved off insolvency but it is set to come at a cost, with a significant number of staff to lose their jobs this week as part of a sweeping restructure. There were fears RA may be forced to declare itself insolvent during the peak of the...

Wallabies coach Dave Rennie’s blunt message for Australian rugby

SYDNEY, 01 JUNE 2020 (STUFF NZ) – Kiwi Dave Rennie has a blunt message for Australian rugby: Stop the infighting. The new Wallabies coach told AFP the public squabbling over the game in Australia was a bad look and needed to stop. “Things have been a bit messy and that’s putting it mildly,” Rennie said...

Amateur athletes encouraged to take it easy returning to sport

Winter sports are set to resume this weekend and ACC is encouraging people to ease back into the game so they can reach their potential without picking up a season-ending injury. Sports injuries have been down during the Covid-19 lockdown – less than 14,000 compared with almost 90,000 in the same period last year, based...

Sevens players may play in provincial competitions

New Zealand Sevens players may look to play in their respective provincial rugby championships later this year to get in some much needed game time. The last World Sevens Series tournament for the men was in March, while the women last played in February. There have been reports that the series could return in December....

World Rugby creates access to optional domestic law trials to further reduce COVID-19 risk

DUBLIN, 30 MAY 2020 (WORLD RUGBY) – The World Rugby Executive Committee has approved 10 optional law trials which are designed to provide national member unions with COVID-19 transmission risk reduction options if required. Temporary law trials relating to the scrum, tackle, ruck and maul were approved along with a package of best-practice match hygiene...

Rugby

Lam welcomes Radradra, Naulago