Category: Sports

Bulls coach, and former All Blacks coach, John Mitchell has dropped 13-Test halfback Rudy Paige from his side for the 2018 Investec Super Rugby campaign.

Blitzbok veteran Kyle Brown has achieved many things on the HSBC World Sevens circuit but he has never played the Sydney Sevens.

Hurricanes blindside flanker Brad Shields will have the advantage of not having to take three years to qualify when taking up the chance to challenge for a place in England’s squad later this year.

Australia can’t wait to have their 65-Test loose forward David Pocock back in harness after a year-long sabbatical but they are going to have to wait a little longer before he returns to action.

Llanelli made the Champions Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 2007 when beating Toulon 30-27 at Stradey Park.

Looking to regain some of their former stature, the Sharks believe the competition for places in their playing XV will be a big boost for the side in Investec Super Rugby in 2018.

New Zealand’s All Blacks Sevens men’s side may lead the HSBC World Sevens series after two rounds but they face a tough pool in next week’s Sydney Sevens tournament.

All Blacks prop Nepo Laulala has beaten off a host of international sporting stars to win the overall title on a Japanese game show.

England are determined the progress they have made under Eddie Jones’ coaching will be maintained and have extended his contract by two years until 2021.

South Africa and the Stormers will be bolstered by the return of No.8 Duane Vermeulen at the end of the French club season.

All Blacks Sevens Coach Clark Laidlaw has named a 13-strong squad for the first tournament of 2018, the HSBC Sydney Sevens, to be held next weekend.

As England prepare for another Six Nations campaign without No.8 Billy Vunipola, who has suffered a broken arm, lock Maro Itoje is set for a big campaign in the wake of his experience with the British & Irish Lions in New Zealand last year.

Only seven men have been able to live the dream playing for both the All Blacks and Black Caps; George Dickinson, Charlie Oliver, Curly Page, Eric Tindill, Bill Carson, Brian McKechnie, and finally Jeff Wilson.

The All Blacks Podcast is back in 2018 with Hurricanes loose forward Brad Shields joining the show to chat fatherhood, his rugby journey, beard maintenance and much more!

New Australian rugby boss Raelene Castle got to work on Monday and described the information gathering she is doing in her first days in the role as ‘drinking out of the fire hydrant’.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has paid tribute to former All Blacks Logistics Manager Kevin “Chalky” Carr, who has passed away after his battle with cancer.

There will be no shortage of action on day one at the Brisbane Tens with all five New Zealand teams set for crunch clashes in the Queensland heat.

Todd Blackadder’s Bath side face a battle to make the European Champions Cup quarter-finals after losing 17-35 to Wayne Pivac’s Scarlets at the weekend.

Fans were treated to a spectacle at the Bayleys National Sevens with the Waikato men and Manawatu women winning nail-biting finals at Rotorua International Stadium.

Waikato have moved quickly to boost their playing stocks after being relegated from the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership last season.

Day One of the Bayleys National Sevens entertained as promised with plenty of side steps, tries and surprise results.

It’s a cry that will gladden the heart of many New Zealanders with memories long enough to remember its effectiveness but the cry has gone up in England to bring back the ruck.

Allblacks.com correspondent Andy Burt looks back over the year that was 2017 to bring you his top 10 moments from the year.

Former Black Fern Rebecca Mahoney (Wairarapa Bush) and Natarsha Ganley (North Harbour) have become the first women selected into New Zealand Rugby’s High Performance Referees’ National Squad, New Zealand Rugby has announced today.

Three rugby moments have been selected among the 11 finalists for the Sporting Moment of the Year at the Halberg Awards – the only category voted on by the public.

New Zealand may be about to lose the services of first five-eighths Lima Sopoaga but its ability to cope with player loss has been praised by a South African critic.

The accolades have continued to roll in for the Black Ferns following their triumphant 2017 season with a number of nominations at the 55th Halberg Awards.

Sevens players will be looking to impress this weekend with National honours and professional contracts on the line at the Bayleys National Sevens tournament in Rotorua.

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New Zealand first five-eighths and World Cup 2011 final goal-kicking hero Stephen Donald’s career is set to take another turn.

Think you know all there is to know about the All Blacks? Check out our list of 10 unique All Blacks facts and become ultra-armed for any rugby quiz!

From Waimumu to Te Kuiti, fans across the country will get to experience the thrill of Investec Super Rugby with five pre-season matches scheduled across New Zealand in February 2018.

One British critic, in reviewing the rugby year of 2017, felt the British & Irish Lions owed their drawn series against the All Blacks to the referees.

Following an action-packed 2017 season, the stars of New Zealand rugby have hit the beach for some rest and relaxation over the holiday period.

Former Hurricanes fullback and wing Jason Woodward said his English club Gloucester are aiming high.

Wales coach Warren Gatland has warned England that its rugby could be set to go the same way as English football with its international game suffering because of its use of overseas players at club level.

World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year Rieko Ioane and Hurricanes and All Blacks second five-eighths Ngani Laumape as a future international mid-field pairing? That’s the view of Hurricanes assistant coach John Plumtree.

It’s a measure of Damian McKenzie’s arrival on the international rugby scene that among the Rugby World magazine’s top 100 players, he was rated 50th, he could not be matched for his ‘sheer instinct to go on the offensive’.

Beating the All Blacks in November will be more important than winning the Six Nations, according to former World Cup winning England player Will Greenwood.

At a time when various rugby pundits around the world are taking the opportunity to reflect on 2017 and make their prognostications on the rugby world, former Ireland Test player Luke Fitzgerald has listed his top three players in the world.

Success for the Crusaders in 2017 wasn’t only confined to the playing field as the Investec Super Rugby champions also achieved a financial profit for the year.

Scotland fullback Stuart Hogg’s dash towards history and a possible first win over the All Blacks for his country in the dying seconds of the November Test in Edinburgh has been hard to erase from his mind.

Yet another New Zealand coach, Vern Cotter, has been added to the list of contenders to succeed Warren Gatland as Wales coach after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Former England and British & Irish Lions five-eighths Stuart Barnes has warned that England coach Eddie Jones’ obsession with beating the All Blacks in November will not be the psychological blow he expects should England win.

New Zealand Rugby congratulates Sir Bryan Williams on being named a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2018 New Year Honours List for services to rugby.

All Blacks rugby legend Bryan ‘Beegee’ Williams, 67, has been knighted for his services to the game.

The Black Ferns have added another accolade to their stellar 2017 season by being named the New Zealanders of the Year by the NZ Herald.

Former All Blacks and Blues loose forward Steven Luatua has encouraged fans at his Bristol club in England that he has a longer term future with the side, but he also hasn’t ruled out returning home to play his rugby.

Former Chief and Tasman wing James Lowe was in the action quickly when making his first appearance on Irish soil for his new club Leinster.

Dave Rennie’s Glasgow may have suffered a frustrating 17-18 pre-Christmas loss to Edinburgh, their first in the PRO14 league, but former Taranaki and Fiji player Samuela Vunisa has been enjoying the rugby journey which has seen him end up in Scotland.

New Zealand Rugby wishes you and your family a peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year.

Facing what is expected to be a gnarly local derby Cardiff Blues and former Chiefs and Auckland five-eighths Gareth Anscombe is expecting a rough reception when running onto Rodney Parade on Boxing Day to face the Newport Dragons.

Changes are afoot in southern rugby with the appointment of new coaches for Southland and Otago for the Mitre 10 Cup season in 2018.

One of the finest halfbacks to have graced rugby, Australian Ken Catchpole died on Friday, aged 78.

In a year that has brought many highlights and wonderful moments, allblacks.com columnist Andy Burt looks back at all the action to select his Form XV for 2017.

Former Auckland and Fiji coach Wayne Pivac, who has just re-signed his coaching contract with Llanelli Scarlets in Wales rugby, said he would ‘seriously consider’ the opportunity to coach Wales if the chance occurred.

Former Otago captain and No.8, and All Blacks Sevens player Paul Grant is making hay while the sun shines with his Bath side in northern hemisphere rugby.

To a generation of All Blacks fans, the late Stan Pilecki will be remembered as a cornerstone prop of the Australia side that rejuvenated the Wallaby brand.

New Zealand’s National Sevens Tournament will move to a new location and a new time of year to boost the number of top level players available to play, New Zealand Rugby has announced today.

The All Blacks Experience will open at SKYCITY in 2019 and provide visitors with a state-of-the-art, interactive experience that will showcase the All Blacks, our other National rugby teams, and the game like never before.

A drawn series with the All Blacks may have been a great moment in British & Irish Lions history but it has taken its toll on participants.

Patience in their efforts to change the style of rugby being played by South African sides, especially the Springboks and the Investec Super Rugby teams, would bring eventual reward.

After a landmark year for women’s rugby, allblacks.com contributors Libby Boggs and Andy Burt take a look at five players to watch in the 2018 season.

Take a back at the year that was in this All Blacks 2017 Infographic.

South Africa Rugby will not be making any decision on the future of Springboks coach Allister Coetzee until January.

With Wales coach Warren Gatland signalling his intention to return to New Zealand at the completion of his contract after the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, plans are being made for a successor.

New Zealand-born coach Joe Schmidt’s impact on Irish rugby beneath the international level has been acknowledged.

Seeking an edge over opponents is a constant in all sport but the Investec Super Rugby champion Crusaders have gone one different in their preparations for the 2018 campaign.

South Africa Rugby has completed its review of Springbok coach Allister Coetzee’s year with the national side but is not commenting on the outcome.

The Black Ferns have been named adidas Team of the Year for the first time ever, topping off a night of successes for the World Champions and women’s rugby at the ASB Rugby Awards in Auckland this evening.

Champion teams the Black Ferns, New Zealand Under 20, and the Crusaders, have been nominated for Team of the Year at New Zealand’s biggest celebration of rugby, the 2017 ASB Rugby Awards – taking place on 14 December.

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Defending Investec Super Rugby champions the Crusaders may be without All Blacks captain and No.8 Kieran Read for the first stages of the competition but previous decisions should minimise the disruption.

New Zealand referees Glen Jackson and Ben O’Keefe have been appointed to Tests in the Six Nations championship next year.

Scotland have been revelling in the improved performance of the national side in Test rugby but there has also been delighted with the way Clark Laidlaw has started his stint as coach of the All Blacks Sevens.

South Africa have opted to return to Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria as the venue for their Investec Rugby Championship Test against the All Blacks on October 6 next year.

Former All Black and Samoan midfield back, and Samoan coach, Alama Ieremia has been given the task of reviving the Auckland Mitre 10 Cup side.

New Zealand’s All Blacks Sevens beat South Africa in Cape Town on Sunday by sucking them into a ‘macho’-type of encounter.

New Zealand’s All Blacks Sevens did it the hard way but claimed their first HSBC World Sevens tournament in South Africa since 2012 on Monday morning (NZT).

After a thrilling day of sevens action played out at three venues across New Zealand, the qualifiers for the 2018 Bayleys National Sevens have been found.