Ireland

Will Leonard will continue to play for Rugby United New York in the 2021 Major League Rugby season. The 24-year-old center enters the third of a three-year contract signed in December 2018. Standing 6’2″ (1.88m) and weighing nearly 230lbs (104kg), Leonard casts a formidable shadow in the midfield and is …

Bill Beaumont has established an 8 Nations competition. It sees Fiji and Japan joining the six members of the annual 6 Nations tournament. The competition replaces the annual November Internationals that see teams traveling to Europe to play three or four matches. The cancellation of the matches due to COVID-19 …

Rugby United New York have retained loosehead prop James Rochford for the 2021 Major League Rugby season. The 27-year-old joins fellow forwards Dylan Fawsitt, Nate Brakeley, and Kyle Sumsion in signing on for a third MLR campaign with the club. Rochford has been an indispensable member of the front row …

The idea of a Major League Rugby Sevens tournament continues to make the rounds. A short time ago we posted Jonny Craenen’s fantasy kit designs and the most recent edition of the Rugby Wrap-Up featured a detailed discussion of what the concept might look like. We’re taking it one further …

Rugby United New York have confirmed their second Rugby World Cup representative in a span of days. Following second row Nate Brakeley, hooker Dylan Fawsitt has extended his stay in the Big Apple through the 2021 Major League Rugby season just days shy of his 30th birthday. Affectionately known as …

The Dallas Jackals have confirmed Allen Clarke as the first Head Coach of the Major League Rugby expansion side. The former Ireland international spent 15 years coaching for Ulster and the IRFU before joining Ospreys in 2017. He also coached Emerging Ireland in 2015. Clarke was Head Coach of the …

World Rugby has confirmed the qualification  model for Rugby World Cup 2023. The France-hosted tournament will be a 20-team competition, operating on the same model as that of Japan 2019. As was the case in RWC 2019, RWC 2023 has eight qualifying slots. The eight successful teams will join the …

Considering the circumstances that the new coaching staff under Greg McWilliams had on their plate, Rugby United New York fared about as well as could be hoped in the 2020 Major League Rugby season. A slew of injuries to start the season and at least four key recruits left waiting …

Hawaiian prop Roman Salanoa will make the move to Munster ahead of the 2020-21 Guinness Pro 14 season. The 22-year-old tighthead leaves Leinster, where he has been part of the senior academy since September 2017. A move west to Connacht had been suggested but instead it’s the southern Irish province …

The pandemic pause button was hit just before the New England Free Jacks were set to host their first ever Major League Rugby match in Weymouth. Making it doubly untimely was that several of the team’s best players were just returning to the lineup from injury. The Boston faithful will …