The Welsh Rugby Union has confirmed it will cut one of its four men's professional teams from the 2028-29 season, with Scarlets and Ospreys set to fight it out to survive.
The WRU says one of its teams will be based in the capital Cardiff, one in the west and the east.
It means one of the two regions in the west, Scarlets or Ospreys, will be defunct, with Cardiff and Dragons offered the respective capital and east licences.
"The WRU board has examined in detail a range of factors when determining the three future licence areas and has confirmed that only incumbent teams will be considered eligible for a licence," a WRU statement said.
The licensing framework and the licence award process will begin in December 2026 and conclude by the end of the 2026-27 season at the latest.

#scarlets #ospreys #confirmed

The Green Bay Packers announced four roster moves ahead of the start of training camp, including a swap of international exemption players.
The team released kicker Lucas Havrisik and edge rusher Dante Barnett and signed tight end Thomas Yassmin and kicker Lenny Krieg on Tuesday.
The kicker swap means Krieg will now represent the competition for rookie Trey Smack, while the addition of Yassmin provides a healthy body at tight end, where the Packers are dealing with injuries to Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave (both on the PUP list) to start camp.
Krieg made a 57-yard field goal and his lone extra point attempt during the preseason with the Atlanta Falcons in 2025.
Yassmin, a former Rugby player, played 42 snaps during the preseason with the Denver Broncos in 2024 and 13 with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2025. He has never appeared in a regular season game.

#krieg #packers #green

Champions Northampton will host Newcastle Red Bulls on the opening day of the 2026-27 Prem rugby season.
Saints beat Exeter to lift the trophy for the second time in three seasons in June and start the new campaign at home on Friday, 25 September.
The Chiefs are also at home for their first game, with Gloucester set to visit Sandy Park on the Saturday.
Elsewhere across the opening weekend, Harlequins are at home to Bath on Friday, Sale host Bristol on Saturday evening and Leicester play Saracens in the only match on Sunday.
The 2026-27 Prem final will be held on Saturday, 19 June 2027 at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, with the season to take a series of breaks around international fixtures.

#prem #Friday #host #season

Gloucester chief executive officer Alex Brown says there are "talks ongoing" about new investment in the Prem club.
The Cherry and Whites' most recent set of accounts, for the year to June 2025, showed an increase in losses from £516,355 to £2.91m.
"There is interest in Gloucester Rugby but our shareholders and board are very sensitive to who that investment might be," Brown told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.
"It has to be right for the club, for the future and we'll take every opportunity that comes but there are talks going on about further investment."
In May, Gloucester owner Martin St Quinton told the BBC there was "more appetite" to invest in Prem rugby now promotion and relegation had been formally scrapped for the 2026-27 season.

#prem #cherry

Grassroots sports clubs across Shropshire say they are struggling to keep their pitches alive because of the hot, dry weather.
Telford Hornets Rugby Club are one of many who said the pitches they play on are dying because spending to irrigate would cost them thousands of pounds, money which they do not have.
Since 15 June, most of England has recorded less than 10mm of rain, which has meant many clubs are praying for a sustained downpour.
The club's chairman, Neil Thomas, said they have had to learn strategies to keep their pitches in as good condition as possible, so they can continue playing on them.
As many sport teams return from their off-season, players are faced with the prospect of playing on hardened pitches, which physiotherapists say increase the chances of soft tissue injuries.

#many #keep #telford #Rugby

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Ryan Fox arrived back in New Zealand on Friday after carrying the British Open championship -winner's claret jug from one side of the world to the other, hankering for some sleep and a gourmet pie.
Fox was embraced at Auckland airport by his father, former All Blacks rugby player Grant Fox, as he arrived with his wife Anneke and two children. Fox birdied the final hole at Royal Birkdale last Sunday for his first major win.
"It's good to be back," he said.
A few hours later, media found the 39-year-old Fox at his local bakery, enjoying his favorite steak, bacon, jam and cheese pie. He hopes in coming days to able to show off his trophy to New Zealand, to get in some fishing and maybe a round of golf.
But first, sleep. Fox has had a hectic schedule of travel and interviews since his win.

#arrived #wellington #Friday

King Charles III, the Loch Ness Monster and thousands of athletes and Para-athletes took centre stage as the 2026 Commonwealth Games officially began with the opening ceremony.
King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived into Glasgow's Hydro Arena in Doctor Who's Tardis – a reference to the blue police boxes seen around the city.
After taking their seats alongside new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who was attending his first major engagement since replacing Sir Keir Starmer, athletes from the 74 competing nations and territories entered the arena.
Those from Botswana were the first to emerge, with athletes dressed in the colours of their nations, including Ghana's red, green, yellow and black stripes, South Africa in Springbok-style rugby jerseys, and Barbados in blue and yellow combined with tartan scarves.
One of the louder cheers came for the Falklands Islands – in the news recently following Argentina's victory over England in the football World Cup semi-finals – and another followed when the Samoa team emerged and performed a haka in front of the dignitaries in the Royal Box.

#athletes #king #charles #loch

Argentina fly half Tomas Albornoz has been charged with misconduct and faces a disciplinary hearing after "remonstrating with match officials" follow his side's defeat to England in Santiago del Estero.
Albornoz was denied a chance to kick for a potential draw after a last-minute try was ruled out by referee Angus Gardner in consultation with television match official (TMO) Brett Cronan.
The officials ruled that Bautista Delguy had grounded the ball simultaneously on the try-line and corner flag, and thus not scored, as England held on for a 31-24 victory.
Albornoz appeared to approach Gardner and his ******* istants aggressively thereafter, and has now been charged by World Rugby under its Match Official Abuse Sanction Process,
The details of his disciplinary hearing will be released in due course.

#england #gardner #official #ruled

The High Court has been told that hundreds of cases in rugby's multi-million-pound concussion legal action should be thrown out.
Players from both codes of the sport claim that the authorities failed to put safeguards in place to protect them from the consequences of repeated head impacts.
World Rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Rugby Football League (RFL) deny breaching a duty of care to protect the players from injury.
Lawyers representing the governing bodies have argued that claims should be thrown out due to documents surrounding the neurological testing process not being disclosed, which they claim is a breach of a 2024 court order.
Ben Youngs Investigates: How Safe Is Rugby?

#Rugby #Football #thrown

Nigel Walker has been appointed as the new chairman of Welsh Athletics.
The former Olympic hurdler and Wales rugby international has served as vice chair for the past 12 months and will take over from outgoing chair Steve Perks.
Walker's athletics career saw him represent Great Britain in the 110m hurdles at the 1984 Olympics and Wales at the 1986 and 1990 Commonwealth Games.
He then switched to rugby, making 121 appearances for Cardiff and 17 for Wales.
Walker has also held significant leadership roles, having served as CEO of the English Institute of Sport, performance director and interim CEO of the WRU and most recently interim CEO of English Basketball.

#wales #welsh

Johnny Kenny of Celtic celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Scottish Cup Fourth Round match between Auchinleck Talbot and Celtic at Rugby Park on January 18, 2026. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)
The 23-year-old enjoyed a productive loan spell at Bolton during the previous campaign, scoring six goals and contributing several ***** ists in 14 appearances before a knee injury brought his season to an early end. Despite that setback, the League One promotion winners are understood to be keen on signing him permanently.
However, journalist Alan Nixon reports that Championship rivals Millwall have now entered the picture, with the London club expressing interest in a deal. Celtic could reportedly consider offers in the region of £850,000 for the Republic of Ireland attacker.
Speaking recently, Martin O’Neill admitted Kenny’s long-term future has yet to be decided as the striker continues his recovery from injury during pre-season.
The Celtic boss said: “Johnny’s here at this minute. He’s got another three or four weeks before he’s fit. Like everything else, you’re waiting around for things to happen.

Men's international rugby gets a new look with the launch of the Nations Championship reshaping the July and November Test windows.
The new competition pits the Six Nations sides against the four Rugby Championship competitors, plus **** an and Fiji, across six matches split evenly between the two months.
The results of those games will determine each of the 12 teams' seedings for the finals weekend at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium, with six matches contested over two days and both team and hemisphere silverware up for grabs.
Each entrant will be matched against the equivalent qualifier from the other pool to decide overall placings at the conclusion of a busy year of international action.
Here's the full competition schedule, and how it will all work:

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — England mollified its critics for a week after smothering a dismal Fiji by a record 73-8 in Nations Championship rugby on Saturday.
Relevant questions about England's lineup, tactics and attitude after the hammering from world champion South Africa in Johannesburg last weekend were pacified somewhat by coming home and posting an equally unsurprising 11-try win against outclassed Fiji.
Fiji struggled for possession and could not handle England's scrum, maul and defense. Under pressure, Fiji conceded 12 penalties — nine by halftime — and a red card to scrumhalf Simione Kuruvoli for lashing out with his boot into the stomach of Ellis Genge.
That meant Fiji played the entire second half down a man and England could play wider and be ruthless. Up 35-3 at halftime, England added six more tries, including a hat trick for replacement flanker Henry Pollock. Fin Smith converted nine.
England tallied a record score against Fiji and its biggest win since beating Chile 71-0 in Lille at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang scored two tries and Romain Ntamack orchestrated a big comeback as France rallied for a 42-26 win over Australia on Saturday in the second round of the rugby Nations Championship.
The French led twice in the first half but trailed 21-12 at the break against a Wallabies lineup that used a one-man advantage to score two tries while Emmanuel Meafou was sidelined for 10 minutes for a yellow card.
But three tries in a seven-minute span, including two when Australian fullback Tom Wright was on the sidelines for a yellow card, swung momentum fully in favor of the back-to-back Six Nations champions.
France, on the rebound from a tournament-opening 34-32 loss to New Zealand, scored 30 consecutive points in a dominating performance after halftime, including tries for Grandidier-Nkanang, Ntamack, Florian Verhaeghe and Theo Attissogbe. Australia crossed in the 76th minute for a consolation try.
France will travel to Tokyo to play ****** an next week. The Wallabies, after the 33-31 loss to Ireland in the first round and the big defeat to France, will go to Perth, Western Australia, to take on Italy in a bid to break a six-test losing streak.

Clarence Herbert Berry
Everton Heritage Society
With Rugby League and Rugby Union matches now being played at our Hill **** inson Stadium, it is the perfect time to tell the story of Clarence Berry — a man who lived the ultimate sporting dream by starring at the highest level in both rugby and football.
Berry first made his name in the oval-ball game, making his debut for Warrington on 25 February 1905. In a tense home clash against Swinton, it was Berry's second-half penalty kick that secured a crucial victory for his side.
He went on to make another six appearances that season but suffered the heartbreak of missing out on selection for the Rugby League Cup Final in Leeds. Warrington lifted the trophy for the very first time with a 6-0 victory over Hull Kingston Rovers without him.

Men's international rugby gets a new look with the launch of the Nations Championship reshaping the July and November Test windows.
The new competition pits the Six Nations sides against the four Rugby Championship competitors, plus ****** an and Fiji, across six matches split evenly between the two months.
The results of those games will determine each of the 12 teams' seedings for the finals weekend at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium, with six matches contested over two days and both team and hemisphere silverware up for grabs.
Each entrant will be matched against the equivalent qualifier from the other pool to decide overall placings at the conclusion of a busy year of international action.
Here's the full competition schedule, and how it will all work:

Will Jordan moved past Doug Howlett to become the All Blacks' all-time leading try scorer with a hat-trick against Italy.
Jordan scored Test tries No 48, 49 and 50 in just his 56th Test to eclipse the long-standing tally of former full-back Howlett as New Zealand pulled away in Wellington.
The 28-year-old blazed into the right corner to complete his hat-trick and hit a half-century overall, with the back three star showing few signs of slowing down.
The New Zealand try record had been a curious one, with a series of All Blacks including Joe Rokocoko and Julian Savea (both scoring 46 times) threatening to break it over the last 20 years but falling short. Beauden Barrett currently has 45 tries.
The versatile Jordan – a regular on the wing and wearing No 15 since his debut – has long been touted as the man to break it, though, since bursting into senior rugby with Tasman and the Crusaders. The outside back gave a nod to the Mako with a shark-fin celebration after the record score.

Principality Stadium bosses say they are ready to host the proposed heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Saudi power broker Turki Alalshikh, who is coordinating the all-British bout, wants to stage the fight in the UK but at a time to maximise a global TV audience.
If the fight was timed to suit prime time audiences in the United States, the main event could start as late as 04:00 GMT.
That would mean Wembley Stadium, the preferred option, would require special permission from the local London authority to remain open beyond the usual 23:00 curfew.
But the Welsh Rugby Union is now ready to step in to host the highly-anticipated fight if Wembley cannot stay open.

Steve Borthwick has insisted he feels the England supporters' "hurt and pain" as he accepted the scrutiny on his position ahead of a crucial clash with Fiji rugby.
Borthwick's side have lost their last five games, a run that encompassed their worst Six Nations campaign and continued in last week's Nations Championship opener against South Africa.
England were last beaten in six successive Tests in 2006, a run that led to the resignation of Andy Robinson later that year, and face a tough trip to take on Argentina in Santiago del Estero next weekend.
It makes the encounter with Fiji at Everton's Hill ******* inson Stadium vital, with a near-capacity crowd expected in Liverpool for a rare England outing in the north.
Having recalled his first trip to see the side face the All Blacks at Old Trafford as a child, Borthwick embraced the pressure that comes with his position as he seeks an improved showing form his squad.

Female rugby players are 69% more likely to experience social media abuse than their male counterparts, according to findings by World Rugby.
Misogyny, gender identity, ******* uality and body-shaming are the most common types of abuse.
Eight cases have been referred to law enforcement and platforms to focus on action.
Female athletes suffering abuse online is a growing issue, with tennis player Katie Boulter and Wales number eight Georgia Evans among those who have spoken out about the issue.
"Social media has transformed sport for the better, enabling connection, storytelling and growth," World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin said.

Given the sense of rivalry and occasion attached to next week's crunch meeting with the All Blacks at their Eden Park fortress, Ireland boss Andy Farrell was always likely to make changes for Saturday's contest with **** an.
With nine alterations from the line-up that started last weekend's dramatic 33-31 win over Australia in Sydney, Farrell has pumped new blood into the set-up with four uncapped players named in the matchday squad.
Sean Jansen starts at number eight, while Billy Bohan, Sam Illo and Bryn Ward are named on the bench.
For New Zealand-born Jansen, a first outing in green caps a hugely impressive season. The 27-year-old scored 10 United Rugby Championship tries for Connacht and was third for tackles made with 219.
With captain Caelan Doris and a six-Test British and Irish Lion in Jack Conan above him in the pecking order, Jansen must seize his first chance to show Farrell what he can do in the Test arena just over a year out from the World Cup in Australia.

Anton Segner will become the first German-born All Black if the uncapped back row comes off the bench in New Zealand's Nations Championship match against Italy on Saturday.
The 24-year-old was born in Frankfurt and developed an obsession with rugby and the All Blacks after being introduced to the sport by two English schoolfriends.
He joined a local club that had New Zealanders as coaches and adopted Kiwi habits, asking his parents to make him pies and performing a haka, learned from YouTube, at a school Christmas concert.
"Talk like a Kiwi, eat like a Kiwi, dress like a Kiwi," said Segner's father Tim of his son's childhood in an interview with Stuff last month.
Aged 15, Segner moved across the world to attend Nelson College, a state school that has produced a string of All Blacks, and progressed through New Zealand's age-grade teams before winning a contract with Super Rugby's Auckland-based Blues.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Anton Segner is set to become the first player born in Germany to play for the New Zealand All Blacks when he makes his debut off the bench against Italy in the second round of rugby's Nations Championship on Saturday.
The 24-year-old backrower from the Auckland-based Blues was selected by head coach Dave Rennie among 11 changes to the lineup that beat France 34-32 in the tournament opener. Five of those changes are in the starting lineup. Segner will make his debut along with winger Josh Moorby.
Segner was born in Frankfurt and moved to New Zealand at age 15 in 2017 as an exchange student on an intended six-month stay. He attended Nelson College, the country's oldest secondary school which was involved in the first rugby match in New Zealand in 1870 and has produced 23 All Blacks.
He later led the under-20 team of the Christchurch-based Crusaders and played for the Tasman Makos in New Zealand's National Provincial Championship before joining the Blues in 2024.
Segner said he first came into contact with New Zealand rugby while playing as a 10-year-old in Frankfurt where he encountered "a whole bunch of Kiwi coaches who then inspired me to come over here to New Zealand to give it a crack."

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — An injury crisis in Australia's flyhalf ranks has resulted in Declan Meredith being selected to make his test debut for the Wallabies in the Nations Championship test against Six Nations **** list France on Saturday.
Meredith, a 27-year-old playmaker from Cairns in far north Australia who linked up with the Canberra-based Brumbies in 2023, will be the sixth different player to start a rugby test at No. 10 for Australia since July of last year.
Injuries to Carter Gordon, who started in last week's 33-31 loss to Ireland, and Ben Donaldson, who went on as a replacement and missed a late penalty goal that could have won the game, mean Meredith will join Brumbies teammate Ryan Lonergan in yet another halves pairing for the Wallabies.
In the last 12 months, Noah Lolesio, Tom Lynagh, James O'Connor, Tane Edmed and Gordon have been the starting playmaker for Australia.
Jock Campbell, who started at fullback last week in his first test in four years, will move to the bench as cover for Nos. 10 and 15, with Tom Wright returning at fullback in the only other change to the Wallabies' starting XV.

Detroit — A fierce sporting competition is bringing hundreds of wheelchair users and thousands of their friends, family and coaches to downtown Detroit this week for the National Veterans Wheelchair Games at Huntington Place.
The world’s largest annual wheelchair sports and rehabilitation event solely for military veterans, the games include archery, softball, basketball, rugby and more at Huntington Place, plus additional activities like fishing, cycling, bowling and swimming at other sites around Metro Detroit, including Belle Isle.
This is the NVWG's first time in Detroit and first time in Michigan since 1987 when it was held in Ann Arbor.
"We have a little over 500 veterans coming in with their families," said Wheelchair Games co-director Jennifer Purser. "And we love Detroit, we're excited."
Purser said the games are co-presented by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Paralyzed Veterans of America.

Wales fly-half Jarrod Evans has returned to Cardiff after three seasons with Harlequins.
The 29-year-old will play for the United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-finalists and look to add to his 17 caps.
Evans made 126 appearances for the Blue and Blacks in his first stint, scoring 765 points and winning the Challenge Cup in 2018.
The playmaker moved to Harlequins in 2023 and made 48 appearances when battling for the 10 jersey with England and British and Irish Lions fly-half Marcus Smith.
"I feel like I have matured as a player and person, it's good to get different experiences," said Evans.

Zara Tindall and her husband Mike have made a surprise appearance as they returned to Wimbledon for day 10 of the tournament.
King Charles's niece, 45, looked glamorous in a blue and white striped shirt and sunglasses with her blonde bob lightly curled as she chatted to former F1 boss Christian Horner and his wife, Spice Girl Geri Halliwell.
Former rugby player Mike, 47, matched his wife in a cream blazer and blue shirt as they watched the action on Centre Court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
The couple, who have been married since 2011, did not join their fellow royals, Queen Camilla and newlyweds Harriet and Peter Phillips, in the Royal Box.
It's all down to one of Zara's roles outside her sporting career. The mum-of-three is a brand ambassador for several luxury brands, including Rolex, which has been partnered with Wimbledon for over 40 years.

Tom Hooper hopes he can win a Prem ***** le with Exeter before he returns to Australia.
The 25-year-old flanker has extended his contract at the Chiefs until the summer of 2028 before agreeing a deal with Rugby Australia to return to his homeland.
He will join the Queensland Reds ahead of the 2029 Super Rugby Pacific season.
Hooper impressed in his first season at Sandy Park, helping an Exeter side that finished second-from-bottom in 2025 reach last month's Prem final at Twickenham.
Exeter were beaten 26-17 by Northampton in the final, but Hooper feels the squad has what it takes to win a third ***** le for the Devon club.

Exeter have signed Worcester Warriors lock Obinna Nkwocha for the 2026-27 Prem season.
The 23-year-old moved to Sixways a year ago after a two-year spell with Champ side Coventry.
The former Saracens academy player has been brought in after Rusi Tuima left the Chiefs to join Newcastle.
Nkwocha scored two tries in 17 appearances for Worcester as they won the Champ ****** le last season - he came off the bench in their win over Bedford Blues in the play-off final.
"We've had numerous players who have dropped out of academies, gone to play with Championship clubs and have had that time growing up, both mentally and physically, and that's what I'm really seeing when I watch Obinna play," Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter said.

Men’s international rugby gets a new look with the launch of the Nations Championship reshaping the July and November Test windows.
The new competition pits the Six Nations sides against the four Rugby Championship competitors, plus ******* an and Fiji, across six matches split evenly between the two months.
The results of those games will determine each of the 12 teams’ seedings for the finals weekend at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, with six matches contested over two days and both team and hemisphere silverware up for grabs.
Each entrant will be matched against the equivalent qualifier from the other pool to decide overall placings at the conclusion of a busy year of international action.
Here’s the full competition schedule, and how it will all work: