Rugby league

Danny Bridge tested positive for cocaine after playing for Oldham in their match against Whitehaven last February

Ireland rugby league player back after ban reduced

Ireland international Danny Bridge is free to resume his rugby league career after benefiting from rule changes introduced by the World Anti-Doping Agency relating to recreational drug use.

Rugby • 14 Jan 21

Stevie Ward has been forced to retire from the game

Leeds Rhinos captain retires at 27 due to concussions

Rugby League player, and captain of Leeds Rhinos, Stevie Ward has been forced to retire at the age of 27 due to concussions he suffered last year, saying he cannot put his health and brain at any further risk.

Rugby • 05 Jan 21

Michael Cheika is switching codes to manage Lebanon

Cheika to take charge of Lebanese rugby league team

Former Leinster coach Michael Cheika has switched codes to take charge of Lebanon's rugby league side with an eye on next year's Rugby League World Cup in England.

Rugby • 19 Nov 20

Cameron Munster scored Queensland's third try

Queensland stun New South Wales in Origin opener

Queensland came from ten points down to beat New South Wales 18-14 in the opening game of the 2020 State of Origin at Adelaide Oval.

Rugby • 04 Nov 20

Folau remained standing as other players and officials made the gesture

Folau declines to take a knee before Super League game

Australian rugby player Israel Folau was at the centre of fresh controversy when he opted against taking a knee in a Super League anti-racism protest, a decision backed as a "personal choice" by his coach.

Rugby • 02 Aug 20

The Storm won't be playing at AAMI Park this weekend

NRL game moved from Melbourne as Covid-19 cases spike

The National Rugby League (NRL) has shifted a match away from Melbourne due to a spike in Covid-19 cases in the southern Australian city, where Conor McKenna tested positive at the weekend.

Rugby • 22 Jun 20

Aiden Tolman's children attend a school where a staff member has tested positive for Covid-19

Australian Rugby League return hits a snag

The perils of restarting professional sport after Covid-19 have been shown in Australia's rugby league competition, with a match postponed two weeks into the re-started season over an indirect coronavirus case.

Rugby • 14 Jun 20

Michael Corcoran: mastering the psychology of mind over muscle

At home with... RTÉ Sport's Michael Corcoran

"'The man who made time, made plenty of it' is an old Irish saying, perhaps, but so true in the world we live in these days," says RTÉ Sport's rugby specialist Michael Corcoran

At home with... • 13 Jun 20

Fox Sports reporter Hannah Hollis (L) conducting a sideline interview with Cowboys star Valentine Holmes

Oz reporter faces Covid test after sideline interview

.A second journalist within a week will have to undergo a coronavirus test after breaching social distancing rules by failing to observe a two-metre gap from players in Australia's National Rugby League (NRL).

Rugby • 13 Jun 20

Maika Sivo and Kane Evans of the Eels leave the field after final NRL match of season thus far against the Gold Coast Titans

Australian rugby league determined to return in May

Rugby league will return in Australia next month after the NRL announced its intention to resume amid the coronavirus crisis.

Rugby • 09 Apr 20

Sydney Roosters have won back-to-back NRL Grand Finals

Sydney Roosters go from Grand Final to building sites

Six months after winning the NRL Grand Final, some Sydney Roosters players are working as builders and plumbers after the coronavirus shutdown forced them to find new jobs.

Rugby • 03 Apr 20

Sonny Bill Williams switched back to rugby league after last year's World Cup

Williams to undergo knee surgery but won't miss a game

Sonny Bill Williams is set to undergo knee surgery without missing a Super League match.

Rugby • 16 Mar 20

The Brumbies beat the Waratahs in the final game before Super Rugby was suspended

Super Rugby season suspended due to coronavirus

Super Rugby has been put on hold in the wake of New Zealand announcing that travellers entering the country must self-isolate for 14 days due to fears over the coronavirus outbreak.

Rugby • 15 Mar 20

Alison Grey, a Castleford fan, claimed she was asked to take down a rainbow flag she had displayed in support of LGBTQ rights.

Fan claims she was told to remove flag at Folau debut

A supporter has claimed she was asked to remove a rainbow flag after displaying it in the ground as Israel Folau made his debut for Catalans Dragons.

Rugby • 16 Feb 20

Israel Folau claimed last year that people 'living in Sin will end up in Hell'

Dragons defend decision to sign Folau as rivals fume

Catalans Dragons coach Steve McNamara has defended his club's controversial signing of Israel Folau as chairman Bernard Guasch prepares to face the music from his Super League counterparts.

Rugby • 04 Feb 20

'We suspected it might be an issue but it only really surfaced five or six days ago'

Sonny Bill Williams permitted to cover up sponsors logo

Former All Black Sonny Bill Williams will be allowed to cover up the sponsors logo of the Super League due to his opposition to betting

Rugby • 24 Jan 20

Williams ready for new adventure with Toronto Wolfpack

Former New Zealand centre Sonny Bill Williams is prepared to take on the responsibility of being the focal point of rugby league's bid to conquer North America as he prepares for his first season with Toronto Wolfpack.

Rugby • 22 Jan 20

Rob Burrow has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease

Burrow vows to help Weir after motor neurone diagnosis

Former rugby league scrum-half Rob Burrow has vowed to help Doddie Weir raise awareness of motor neurone disease following "unbelievable" support from the ex-Scotland rugby union international in the wake of his own recent diagnosis.

Rugby • 19 Dec 19

Sonny Bill Williams: "The club has big ambitions and big goals. I want to be part of all this and do all I can to help reach those lofty goals."

Williams joins Super League outfit Toronto Wolfpack

New Zealand centre and twice World Cup winner Sonny Bill Williams has agreed to join the Toronto Wolfpack rugby league team ahead of their debut in England's top-tier Super League next year.

Rugby • 07 Nov 19

Ireland will play in another Rugby League World Cup

Ireland qualify for 2021 Rugby League World Cup

Ireland became the 13th nation to secure their spot when Italy beat the Spaniards 34-4 in Lignano on Saturday.

Rugby • 02 Nov 19

Tonga celebrate a famous win over Australia

Tonga stun rugby league world champions Australia

Tonga confirmed their arrival as a force in rugby league with a stunning 16-12 win over world champions Australia.

Rugby • 02 Nov 19

Sydney Roosters retain NRL title after beating Canberra

Sydney Roosters have become the first team to successfully defend an NRL title for 26 years after claiming a controversial 14-8 win over Canberra in front of a sell-out Grand Final crowd of 82,982 at ANZ Stadium.

Rugby • 06 Oct 19

Israle Folau had his contracted terminated by Rugby Australia earlier this year

Rugby League chiefs: No decision yet on Folau to Tonga

Israel Folau may be thwarted in his bid to play for Tonga in their rugby league internationals against Great Britain and his native Australia in October.

Rugby • 23 Sep 19