France

The in-form Benjamín Urdapilleta has delivered again. The Argentine fly half scored 14 points for Castres in Saturday’s win over La Rochelle. The win moves Castres above Brive to now occupy 9th position in the Top 14. Urdapilleta landed four penalties and one conversion in the win. He also had …

NOLA Gold have announced the signing of flyhalf Timothée Guillimin for the 2021 Major League Rugby season. The 25-year-old is well known to MLR fans having previously played for Austin Elite and this past season for the New England Free Jacks. Guillimin joined New England part-way through the 2019 season, …

Lucas Mensa scored his first try for Valence Romans on Friday. He did so in what was a 24-20 defeat against Perpignan. Mensa played the match at inside center. He did not have the opportunity of playing opposite Jerónimo de la Fuente due to Perpignan rotating for the match. Mensa’s …

Mont de Marsan were 26-23 winners over Carcassonne on Friday. José Luis González scored a try; his first in France. The Argentine hooker scored in the 57th minute. It was the second of two tries for Mont de Marsan. Carcassonne also scored twice, the second came two minutes from full-time …

Former USA u20 lock Nafi Ma’afu made his long-awaited professional debut on Friday night. The 22-year-old from Tempe, Arizona, was a 54th minute replacement for French Pro D2 side Perpignan in their 24-20 victory over Valence Romans at Stade Aimé Giral. Ma’afu has patiently waited for his opportunity. He signed …

The USA Women’s Eagles will not play on the final day of the Madrid 7s. A decision was made to withdraw after members of the French team tested positive for COVID-19. France were due to play the USA on Saturday but the match was cancelled, with the French team dropping …

Canadian international Taylor Paris has signed a new contract with Pro D2 club Oyonnax that will keep him in the east of France through the 2022-23 season. The 28-year-old winger had previously signed a one-year deal after departing Castres in July 2020. Paris has made an immediate impact at Oyonnax, …

RWC 2023 will have a minimum of five rest days between matches. The change comes are repeated RWCs saw teams playing twice with three rest days. The change is to apply to all teams. The new rule will see increased rest periods to see a more level pool schedule for …

This weekend will see the return of international sevens rugby as Madrid plays host to an Olympic warm-up tournament. It’s the first such competition for many of the countries competing since the postponement of the World Sevens Series nearly a year ago. Originally slated for six teams in each division, …

As with last week there was a mix of European club action with international rugby limited to the Six Nations. We are inching ever close to the return of professional rugby in the Americas, now just a little over a month away from the Major League Rugby season and the …