Rugby

10/2/2024 |  France excludes Top 14 final players from July tests (Reuters Sports) Oct 2 (Reuters) - The French rugby union (FFR) has agreed with Top 14 organisers to exclude players from selection for July internationals in defiance of World Rugby regulations.
The FFR said in a statement players who compete in the Top 14 finals in June 2025 and 2026 will not be selected for France as part of a player availability agreement with the National Rugby League (LNR).

9/2/2024 |  Argentine court lets two French rugby players accused of rape fly home as investigation continues (Associated Press (AP)) BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine prosecutors said Monday they would let two French rugby players accused of violently raping a woman fly home, even as the explosive case remained under investigation.
A judge in Argentina’s western city of Mendoza, where the alleged assault took place, still must sign off on the decision, which clears the way for the departure of the two French national team players, Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou. The 21-year-old athletes were arrested in early July after a woman filed a complaint accusing them of repeatedly raping her. They maintain their innocence.

8/30/2024 |  At Paralympics, women are blazing trails in male-dominated and roughest of sports, wheelchair rugby (Associated Press (AP)) PARIS (AP) — When told by the stadium announcer that they were witnessing history, the Paris spectators roared and applauded. Not that the woman making history actually noticed: Sarah Adam was far too occupied — merrily slamming her wheelchair into other players, all of them men, and zipping across the court to score try after try.

8/23/2024 |  Women’s Elite Rugby Adds Teams in New York, San Francisco and Twin Cities (SportsTravel) Team names and stadium details for all markets will be announced at a later date. WER has also announced Jamie Burke as the league’s director of rugby.
“We are thrilled to take world-class women’s rugby to the next level across the United States and delighted by the welcoming of our six generous host cities,” said WER President Jessica Hammond-Graf. “Each chosen market has a unique, storied history with the sport of rugby and we’re proud to continue building upon that legacy and expanding opportunities for the future generations of athletes.”

8/9/2024 |  England: Historic name change; Twickenham enters history! (StadiumDB.com) The Rugby Football Union has announced a controversial move. For the first time in the stadium's history, it has sold the naming rights to Twickenham as part of a broader investment agreement between the RFU and a German financial services company.