Rugby Union

Wolfhounds prop Linda Djougang runs from her own half to score a wonderful try in the 33-7 victory over Clovers in the Celtic Challenge Cup opener at Energia Park. Source link

Watch the best of the action from Hampden Park as Glasgow Warriors convincingly beat Edinburgh 33-14 in the first leg of the 1872 Cup to consolidate second place in the United Rugby Championship. Source link

Glasgow Warriors: Rowe; Cancelliere, Jones, S Tuipulotu, Steyn (c); Jordan, Horne; Bhatti, Matthews, Z Fagerson, Brown, Cummings, Miller, M Fagerson, Mann. Replacements: Hiddleston, Sutherland, Schickerling, Samuel, Stewart, Fraser, Dobie, Weir. Edinburgh: Goosen; Graham, Currie, M Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe; Thompson, Price; Schoeman, Ashman, Rae, Sykes, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Crosbie, Bradbury. Replacements: …

Saracens: Daly; Elliott, Cinti, Tompkins, Williams; Burke, Van Zyl; Carre, Dan, Balmain; Itoje, McFarland; Gonzalez, Earl, Willis Replacements: George, Brantingham, Clarey, Wilson, Knight, Simpson, Lozowski, Jackson Sin-bin: Itoje [46] Northampton: Hendy; Freeman, Litchfield, Hutchinson, Ramm; Smith, Mitchell; Iyogun, Langdon, Davison; Lockett, Munga; Coles, Parson, Augustus Replacements: Langdon, Haffar, Millar Mills, …

Sale: Carpenter; Roebuck, R du Preez, James, Reed; Ford, Quirke; Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, Opoku-Fordjour, van Rhyn, Hill, J-L du Preez, B Curry (capt), D du Preez. Replacements: McElroy, McIntyre, John, Bamber, Dugdale, Warr, Nayacalevu, O’Flaherty. Exeter: Wyatt; Feyi-Waboso, Hammersley, Tua, Woodburn; Slade, Townsend; Sio, Frost, Street, Jenkins (capt), Molina, E Roots, …

Newcastle: Redshaw; Radwan, Hearle, Hutchison, Stevenson; Connon, S. Stuart; McCallum, Blamire, Palframan, De Chaves, McDonald, Lockwood, Gordon, Chick (c). Replacements: Fletcher, Rewcastle, Hancock, Van der Walt, Leatherbarrow, O’Sullivan, Wilkinson, O. Spencer. Bath: De Glanville; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Redpath, Muir; Russell, B. Spencer (c); Van Wyk, Dunn, W. Stuart, Roux, Ewels, Bayliss, …

Defending champions Gloucester-Hartpury delivered a statement 41-12 bonus-point win against league leaders Exeter Chiefs to move level on points at the top of the Premiership Women’s Rugby table. Two tries each from Mia Venner and Pip Hendy and one from Bethan Lewis helped the visitors to 29-0 lead at half-time …

Bristol and England full-back Max Malins is to miss the rest of the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon. The 27-year-old has only played three games for the Bears this season and has been out since early October with a knee injury. Malins had been nearing his return to the …

Edinburgh players and coaches don’t like it when their mentality is questioned, which is fair enough. There’s one way to make those questions redundant, though. And season after season they fail to answer them. On paper, they can win this game, no question. You’d worry about them at 10 and …

Head coach Richie Murphy says he is “bitterly disappointed” as Munster scored a last-gasp try to inflict a fifth defeat in a row on 14-man Ulster. Ulster took the lead through prop Tom O’Toole, who was then shown a red card after Farrell scored the first of his three tries. …

Gloucester: Carreras; Wade, Llewellyn, Atkinson, Hathaway; Anscombe, Williams; Rapava-Ruskin, Blake, Fasogbon; Thomas, Alemanno, Clement, Ludlow, Ackermann Replacements: Singleton, Knight, Gotovtsev, Jordan, Tuisue, Englefield, Harris, Barton Harlequins: Green; Isgro, Beard, Anyanwu, Murley; Smith, Porter; Baxter, Walker, Kerrod; Lamb, Hammond; Cunningham-South, W Evans, Dombrandt Replacements: Riley, Jones, Lewis, Herbst, Chisholm, Care, J …

Saints beat Saracens three times last season on the way to their first title in a decade, including a dramatic 22-20 win in the play-offs, with Sleightholme scoring a try in two of those games. And he already has four in eight appearances this term – plus two against Australia …

Walker was appointed as the WRU performance director in July 2021 and was a strong influence in the first batch of women’s professional contracts awarded later that year. He campaigned alongside former WRU chair Ieuan Evans for governance modernisation, which was passed with a 97% majority at an extraordinary general …

Richie Williams is to leave his role as Cambridge director of rugby after six years with the Championship club. Williams will step down following the game at Bedford Blues on 28 December. He led Cambridge to promotion to the second tier of English rugby for the first time in their …

Van Poortvliet featured 19 times in the league when Tigers won the Premiership title in 2022, but was left out of the Grand Final side that beat Saracens. While he missed out on the decider, he went on to earn his senior international debut for England a month later. He …

Cornish Pirates have re-signed prop Alfie Petch on a short-term loan from Premiership club Gloucester. The 24-year-old played for the Pirates during 2022-23 before signing for Northampton. A club statement said he had trained with the squad this week and is available for selection with immediate effect. Pirates play Doncaster …

Tom Ilube has stepped down as Rugby Football Union chairman, pre-empting the possibility of a grassroots rebellion forcing him out over the scale of the organisation’s executive bonuses. Ilube, who was appointed in August 2021, faced the possibility of a vote of no-confidence in his leadership as a motion to …

O’Toole had been promoted to Ireland’s matchday squad for the All Blacks game after Tadhg Furlong’s injury meant Finlay Bealham started at tight-head prop. It was a big game for O’Toole, who did not feature in the summer’s two-Test series against the Springboks in South Africa after making just one …

Cardiff number eight Alun Lawrence has been given a new long-term contract to stay at the Arms Park. Lawrence, 26, returned to Cardiff during the 2023-24 season following the demise of Jersey Reds, initially on a short-term contract. He signed a permanent deal at the end of last season, but …

Zac Ward has signed a three-year contract with UIster which will keep the winger at the club until 2028. The 26-year-old joined Ulster on a trial after impressing for the Ireland Sevens side at the Paris Olympics in the summer. Ward, whose father Andy won a European Cup with UIster …