9 h. ago Noise around Donald Trump an unwanted distraction to World Cup draw of dreams

Amid all the hoopla circling its Washington backdrop, Friday’s event must be all about firing the starting gun on football’s biggest showWhen the sculptor Joel Shapiro created Blue, the piece that stands around the back of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, looking out over the Potomac River in Washington, he wanted to tap into a number of elements. The giant matchstick figure denotes movement and energy, risk and possibility. As Shapiro himself has said, it is supposed to “reconfigure depending on how you look at it”.It has the perfect home at the Kennedy Center, the vast cultural hub for ballet and opera, stage productions and concerts. And it resonates on a new level now as the venue prepares to host Friday’s World Cup draw, at which the competing nations at next summer’s extravaganza in the United States, Canada and Mexico will discover their group opponents and knockout round pathways. Because from one angle it is plain that Blue is executing a raking pass. From...

Politics

10 h. ago New recipe for success required to stop France’s grands chefs dominating the European Cup

Since 2021, five successive Top 14 sides have have been crowned Champions Cup winners and any side looking to challenge that status quo needs a fast startThere was a time when the European Cup had an overwhelmingly Irish flavour. The organisers’ headquarters were in Dublin and between 2006 and 2012 either Munster or Leinster lifted the trophy five times in seven seasons. Everyone else was forced to scrabble around for the last few uneaten Tayto crisps in the bag.And now? The tournament, officially known these days as the Investec Champions Cup, has tilted so far towards France you can practically smell the garlic. Admittedly its HQ is now in Switzerland for tax reasons but, financially and on the field, the balance of power lies squarely with les grands chefs of the Top 14. Since 2021, there have been five successive French winners and on three occasions in that time, the Challenge Cup has also disappeared across the Channel. Continue reading...

Politics

10 h. ago New recipe for success required to stop France’s grands chefs dominating the Champions Cup

Since 2021, five successive Top 14 sides have have been crowned Champions Cup winners and any side looking to challenge that status quo needs a fast startThere was a time when the European Cup had an overwhelmingly Irish flavour. The organisers’ headquarters were in Dublin and between 2006 and 2012 either Munster or Leinster lifted the trophy five times in seven seasons. Everyone else was forced to scrabble around for the last few uneaten Tayto crisps in the bag.And now? The tournament, officially known these days as the Investec Champions Cup, has tilted so far towards France you can practically smell the garlic. Admittedly its HQ is now in Switzerland for tax reasons but, financially and on the field, the balance of power lies squarely with les grands chefs of the Top 14. Since 2021, there have been five successive French winners and on three occasions in that time, the Challenge Cup has also disappeared across the Channel. Continue reading...

Politics

10 h. ago How to watch every Investec Champions Cup match on TV this weekend

Rugby union’s premier club competition gets underway with Bordeaux Begles as the defending champions after beating Northampton Saints in last year’s final

Politics

32 h. ago Maro Itoje eyes World Cup glory after England dodge big guns in 2027 draw

England ‘welcome whatever comes’ says bullish captainWales’ Tandy ‘unbelievably excited’ by England clashMaro Itoje has set his sights on Rugby World Cup glory in Australia in 2027 after England were handed a favourable potential path through the tournament when the draw was made in Sydney on Wednesday.Steve Borthwick’s side, who have risen to third in the world rankings after an 11-match winning streak, emerged on the other side of the draw from the reigning world champions South Africa, three-times winners New Zealand and France. Continue reading...

Politics

34 h. ago Scotland find out their Rugby World Cup 2027 fate – all you need to know after the big draw

It's the big one and organisers are ahead of the the curve as teams already know their fate.

Politics

35 h. ago Rugby World Cup 2027 draw: England learn pool stage opponents

NIK SIMON: England have been drawn in the same pool as Wales for the 2027 World Cup and have a potentially dream route to the final. 

Politics

36 h. ago Favourable 2027 Rugby World Cup draw provides few potholes for England | Robert Kitson

Signs are encouraging for an improving squad to invoke the glory of 2003 with rivals facing trickier routes in Australia As the Ashes have reminded us, it never pays to get too excited in advance about winning in Australia. But once the draw for the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup had concluded and the various knockout permutations had been crunched there was a strong whiff of deja vu in the Sydney air. A World Cup down under and a decent draw for England? What could possibly go wrong?The organisers had already stoked the narrative nicely by wheeling out Jonny Wilkinson in the promotional tournament video, essentially a mashup of Mad Max and Wacky Races roaring across a dusty outback. When every Australian wakes up on Thursday to discover it is 666 days until the 2027 edition kicks off, the nagging fear of nightmarish history repeating itself will further intensify. Continue reading...

Politics

37 h. ago Wheelchair rugby league is booming in England – they even won the Ashes

England’s 2-0 series win in the Ashes was the perfect preparation for the World Cup in Australia next yearBy No Helmets RequiredEngland did win the Ashes last month. The wheelchair team’s 2-0 series victory in Australia went under the radar in the UK. With games played in the early hours and not screened on mainstream TV, the team missed out on the adulation that came their way when they won the World Cup in Manchester three years ago. “The forgotten Ashes? That’s sad if it’s true,” says the coach, Tom Coyd. “The NRL showed great engagement and we did loads of media there, but we were in a bubble and pretty disconnected from back home.”England will return to Australia next year to defend their world title. The favourites will be expected to beat Wales, USA and Ireland in their group before facing the second and third best teams in the world – France and Australia – in the knockout stages of the tournament in Wollongong. The Ashes series taught Coyd vital lessons about how to manage ...

Sport

39 h. ago All Blacks meet hosts Australia in mouthwatering clash as England face Wales at 2027 Rugby World Cup

Ireland will take on Scotland in the pool stage while reigning champions South Africa could meet New Zealand in the quarter-finals

Sport

39 h. ago Hosts Australia to face New Zealand in Rugby World Cup pool as England draw Wales

Champions South Africa face Italy, Georgia and RomaniaIreland and Scotland in pool with Uruguay and PortugalThe host nation Australia will face their traditional rivals New Zealand at the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027 after the draw was made in Sydney on Wednesday. The Wallabies, hosting a second men’s tournament, were guaranteed to face a top-ranked nation in Pool A due to a current world ranking of seventh, and the renewal of their fierce rivalry with the All Blacks is perhaps the most appetising possible outcome from the draw.The potential for a “Bledisloe Cup” opening match to kick off the global showpiece, on 1 October 2027 in Perth, will be a hugely attractive prospect for fans. Chile, playing at a second Rugby World Cup after their debut in France in 2023, and debutants Hong Kong are also in Pool A. England, who won the men’s tournament in Australia 22 years ago, have been pitted against their Six Nations rivals Wales, with Tonga and Zimbabwe the other sides in Pool F. Wales ...

Politics

39 h. ago Wales' path through the Rugby World Cup as likely knockout opponents emerge

The pools for the 2027 Rugby World Cup have been confirmed with Steve Tandy and his team learning their opponents

Politics

40 h. ago England will face Wales in the 2027 Rugby World Cup group stages, as Scotland and Ireland also drawn in tough pool

NIK SIMON: England will face Wales in the group stages of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, with Ireland and Scotland also drawn in the same group. 

Politics

40 h. ago Scotland's Rugby World Cup draw revealed as Gregor Townsend meets nemesis once again

Townsend’s men discover foes for 2027 edition of tournament

Politics

40 h. ago Rugby World Cup draw in full: England to face Wales after avoiding 'pool of death'

Australia to meet New Zealand as Steve Borthwick’s side learn opponents

Events

40 h. ago Rugby World Cup 2027 draw: Australia and New Zealand drawn in Pool A – live

England and Wales together in Pool FAny thoughts? Email AngusOur panellists are installed behind big red buckets. What will they pluck from within them? And whose destiny will be decided by their fickle fingers of fate?All Black legend Dan Carter recalls seeing the first RWC as a seven-year-old and going on to play in four tournaments. Continue reading...

Politics

40 h. ago South Africa’s route to Rugby World Cup 2027 final after draw

The defending champions are hot favourites and are seeking a third triumph in a row

Sport

40 h. ago Rugby World Cup 2027 draw made as England's route to glory becomes clear

England have been drawn in a group with Wales for the Rugby World Cup in 2027 with New Zealand or South Africa among their possible opponents should they reach the final

Politics

40 h. ago England’s route to Rugby World Cup 2027 final after learning pool opponents in draw

Steve Borthwick’s side have won 11 matches in a row and are growing in confidence as they enter 2026

Sport

40 h. ago England to face Wales in group stage at 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup

Ireland and Scotland and hosts Australia and New Zealand were also drawn together.

Politics