Category: Rugby

Transgender women allowed to play women's rugby in France

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The French rugby federation (FFR) will allow transgender women to play women’s rugby as of next season, going against governing body World Rugby’s guidelines, it said on Monday. Last year, World Rugby said that after months of research, it had “concluded that safety and fairness cannot presently be assured for women competing against trans women in contact rugby”, however allowing national federations to implement grassroot policies. The FFR said that transgender women “must certify that they have been on hormonal treatment for at least 12 months” and “must not exceed…

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England’s Six Nations game in Italy called off due to coronavirus – reports

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England’s Six Nations game against Italy in Rome next week has been postponed by tournament organisers due to the coronavirus outbreak, multiple reports in the British media said on Thursday. The March 14 clash was set to take place behind closed doors after the Italian government ordered all sporting events be held without fans to in a bid to curb Europe’s worst outbreak of the virus that has resulted in over 3,000 cases and killed 107 in Italy. Six Nations organisers had already postponed Saturday’s match between Ireland and Italy.…

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England prop Mako Vunipola back for Wales Six Nations clash

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England prop Mako Vunipola is back in contention for Saturday’s Six Nations match against Wales at Twickenham after he missed their win over Ireland last month, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said on Monday. Vunipola, 29, did not play a part in their shock opening defeat by France last month and travelled back to Tonga for family reasons which led to his omission from the Ireland game. Eddie Jones recalled 34 players and there was a return to the squad for hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie, who was also absent due to…

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Three SEA squads to battle it out with local players in 10th MCKK Premier 7s

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THE 10th edition of The Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) Premier 7s Rugby Tournament promises to be an explosive event as top rugby-playing schools and three teams from South-East Asia set to battle for the coveted NJ Ryan Trophy. This year’s edition, which will kick off on Feb 28 with each category finals scheduled for March 1, has seen growing interest over the years from local schools and schools in South-East Asia. The tournament will again feature 24 teams comprising 21 local premier rugby schools drawn from Malaysia and the…

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Wallabies return to Newcastle for first time in eight years

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The Wallabies will return to Newcastle for the first time in eight years when they host Argentina in the Rugby Championship in September. It will be the first Rugby Championship match to be played in Newcastle, which is also hosting the New South Wales Waratahs clash with the Auckland Blues in Super Rugby on Saturday. The Wallabies have only played once in Newcastle, losing to Scotland 9-6 in torrential rain in 2012. The match was current captain Michael Hooper’s test debut. Last year, the Australian women’s side the Wallaroos played…

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Wallabies captain Hooper stands down as Waratahs skipper

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Australia captain Michael Hooper has decided to stand down as skipper of the New South Wales Waratahs after four years in the role, the Super Rugby side said on Wednesday. The openside flanker, who has come in for some criticism of his captaincy, particularly at test level, will be replaced by his Wallabies team mate Rob Simmons. “It’s been an honour to represent New South Wales as a player alone, but the opportunity to lead a fantastic group of men over the journey to date has been a humbling experience,”…

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Japan hoping surprise U-19 World Cup appearance is just the start

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The all-female W Series will be part of the Formula One support programme in its second season with new races at the U.S. and Mexican Grands Prix in October, organisers announced on Thursday. The W Series, conceived as a platform to help women gain experience to help them climb up the motorsport ladder and compete with the men, started last year with six races at European circuits. Those behind it have made no secret of their global ambitions, however. The races at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas,…

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Kiwi Mika set to return as national rugby coach

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Malaysia Rugby (MR) are keen to retain coach Brad Mika for the national team’s assignments next year. The main assignment next year is the Asia Rugby Championship (ARC) top-tier competition. MR honorary secretary Amrul Hazarin Hamidon disclosed that Malaysia’s position in the top tier remains safe despite having finished last among the three teams in the top flight last year (2018) and this year (2019), as Japan have stated they are not interested in rejoining the competition in 2020. Japan, who reached the World Cup quarterfinals on home soil in…

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Rugby captain Zulkiflee will be an arresting presence – thanks to PDRM

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THE Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) has finally released rugby captain Zulkiflee Azmi (pic) after a long wait – and that’s good news for the national team. The 27-year-old experienced winger, who guided Malaysia to their first gold in rugby at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games in 2017, will get to represent Malaysia at the Philippines SEA Games in Angeles, Pampanga, from Dec 7-8. Zulkiflee has been undergoing police inspector training at the Police Training Centre in (Pulapol) in Kuala Lumpur since February. He joined the national team in training on…

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