The RFU Club Financial Viability Group has agreed to give London Irish a one-week extended deadline to meet the original conditions as set out below and pay the remaining May payroll to staff and players. 1) a takeover of the club has been completed and approved by the RFU, with the buyers undertaking to provide all required working capital to meet the club’s obligations as they fall due for at least season 2023/24; or 2) the club evidences that it will continue to be funded to operate throughout the 2023/24 season. If the club fails to meet these conditions it will be suspended from particip ..read more

The 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season will be Samuel Whitelock’s last with the Crusaders.   The veteran Crusader and All Black has taken up a two-year deal with Section Pau in the South of France, where he’ll link up with younger brother Luke Whitelock who joined the Top 14 club in 2019.   “Hannah, the kids and myself are going to head to France to play with my little brother Luke,” Whitelock said.   “I’ve had the privilege of playing with family for Canterbury, the Crusaders and the All Blacks at different stages and this opportunity was too good to pass up.”   Whitelock de ..read more

Springbok Coenie swapping Sharks for Sharks Prop Coenie Oosthuizen leaving Sale Sharks to join South African side Cell C Sharks Sale Sharks can confirm that prop Coenie Oosthuizen will leave the club to return to South African side Cell C Sharks. The 34-year-old Springbok, who can play on either side of the scrum, arrived in Manchester in May 2019 from the Durban-based Super Rugby side. He’s gone on to make 94 appearances for Sale, including 16 this season as Alex Sanderson’s men reached their first Premiership final in 17 years. Coenie made his debut for the Springboks in 2012 and has since w ..read more

Ireland Head Coach Andy Farrell has today named a 42-player Summer Training Squad to begin preparations for the Bank of Ireland Nations Series and Rugby World Cup 2023. Following the conclusion of the BKT United Rugby Championship and Heineken Champions Cup campaigns, the Ireland Coaching Team have selected an extended panel of players to assemble at the IRFU High Performance Centre on 18th June for the first block of pre-season. The Ireland squad will train at their Dublin base through June and July ahead of the Bank of Ireland Nations Series which will see Farrell’s side fine-tune their p ..read more

Leicester Tigers can confirm the club’s senior coaching team ahead of the 2023/24 season. Dan McKellar, who was announced as the club’s new Head Coach in February, will oversee the rugby programme and lead on the line out and forwards coaching. Brett Deacon will lead on the breakdown and contact area, while also assisting McKellar with the forwards. Deacon made 135 first-team appearances in two spells as a player with Tigers before joining the coaching staff upon retiring in 2015. After working with the club’s academy for two seasons, he joined the senior coaching team ahead of the 2016/17 ca ..read more

Springbok forwards Deon Fourie and Marvin Orie make their return to the DHL Stormers team for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship Grand Final against Munster at DHL Stadium on Saturday. Both players missed the semifinal due to injury, but will take their places in the DHL Stormers starting line-up for the showpiece match, which kicks off at 18h30 on Saturday. Tickets for this match sold out in a matter of hours last week, so there will be a capacity crowd and heavy traffic congestion in the area. Please plan to get to DHL Stadium at least three hours before kick-off. Spectators are urged to ..read more

Wayne Smith has been appointed as Performance Coach to the Black Ferns and All Blacks in a unique new role that will include mentoring and supporting the respective Head Coaches and enhancing the quality of coaching delivery across the two teams. Smith has already started working with Black Ferns Director of Rugby Allan Bunting but will not start his role with the All Blacks until after the 2023 Rugby World Cup when new Head Coach Scott Robertson takes up the role. Smith said he was grateful to be able to continue his long association with the legacy of the black jersey and New Zealand Rugby ..read more

Northampton Saints today confirms that lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto will depart the Club with immediate effect.The 26-year-old second row joined the men in Black, Green and Gold ahead of the 2022/23 season from Queensland Reds.Salakaia-Loto made 24 appearances in total for Saints, scoring twice against Bristol Bears and Harlequins, both at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.“We’re disappointed to see Lukhan return home to Australia, but he made it clear that, while he has enjoyed every moment of his time as a Saint, his family have not settled so far away from home,” said Director of Rugby, Phil ..read more

Munster Rugby can confirm the full list of players who will depart the province at the end of the 2022/23 campaign. It was confirmed earlier this season that Malakai Fekitoa (Benetton) and Ben Healy (Edinburgh) will join new clubs ahead of the 2023/24 season. Additionally, we can confirm that Liam O’Connor, Eoin O’Connor, Paddy Kelly, Oli Morris and Academy player Conor Phillips have completed their time at the province. Eoin O’Connor will move abroad for a new playing opportunity. Liam O’Connor has been advised to retire on medical grounds following successful surgery for a recent neck injur ..read more

Munster Rugby will face the Barbarians at Thomond Park in a historic double-header for the province with the women’s and men’s squads facing respective invitational sides on Saturday, September 30. The current Interprovincial Champions will get the action underway at 2pm while the men’s side will kick-off at 4.30pm. A festival of rugby awaits in what will be a great family occasion for the Limerick venue, having last hosted the Barbarians in November 2017. It was on the same day that history was created as the first-ever Barbarian’s women’s fixture took place, with Munster providing the oppos ..read more