Leinster scrumhalf Nick McCarthy has confirmed that he will move to Munster next season. Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the 23-year-old was first choice No9 for two seasons with Ireland u20 but remains eligible for the USA having not yet played for Ireland at senior level. Don’t expect McCarthy to …

John Tait has named an experienced Canada side to take part in the Glendale Sevens this weekend, the first stop on the 2018-19 HSBC Women’s Sevens Series. This season doubles as an Olympic qualifier. The top four teams at the end of the season will qualify directly for Tokyo 2020. …

Late but not forgotten! There was a heck of a lot of games to get through over the past week. Two rounds of the Americas Pacific Challenge, the opening weekend of the Challenge and Champions Cups, the final round of the Mitre 10 Cup, plus the usual RFU Championship and …

Gregor Townsend has named 40 players in his Scotland squad to prepare for their November campaign that includes tests against Wales, Fiji, South Africa, and Argentina. Included are three uncapped players – Exeter lock Sam Skinner, Scarlets No8 Blade Thomson, and Glasgow Warriors center Sam Johnson. None of the new …

Mario Ledesma has named 38 players to take part in a training camp for Argentina’s November test series. The squad is almost entirely domestic-based, with Stade Français prop Ramiro Herrera the only player currently based abroad. Nicolás Sánchez will join Herrera in Paris following the tour. As expected there is …

Uruguay will send nine players to the Major League Rugby combine in Glendale next week. Players from Brazil, Chile, and Canada will also be present for the week-long selection camp that will include a trial match for a ‘Rugby Americas XV’ against the Raptors on Saturday, October 27 at Infinity …

Gary Gold has selected a virtually unchanged Eagles squad for the November internationals. Only two players are named in the 27-strong group that were not part of the June tests. Tighthead prop Dino Waldren returns from injury and Southland flanker Tony Lamborn is back after being unavailable for the Summer …

World Rugby u20 Championship star Demba Bamba has been included in the senior France squad for the November internationals. The tighthead prop turned heads at the flagship age-grade tournament with his punishing ball carrying, and he has been first choice at Brive in the Pro D2 this season. Bamba is …

The New Orleans Gold have moved to shore up their second row by signing Uruguay’s Ignacio Dotti. A veteran of nearly 40 caps since his debut in 2015, the 24-year-old is the latest of an influx of Uruguayan players set to ply their trade in Major League Rugby. Dotti joins the …

Planning is well underway for the next Super Rugby season. Argentina’s side has a new Head Coach and there has been player movement, notably with Nicolás Sánchez leaving for Stade Français. Who then is the biggest Name for Jaguars to Recruit for 2019? The fly half position is notably weak …

USA Rugby will bid farewell to one of its most influential members at the end of the year. Alex Magleby will step down from his role as High Performance Manager to take over as Chief Executive Officer of the New England Free Jacks, the new professional franchise based in Boston …

John McKee has named an impressive 30-man Fiji squad for the November tests against Scotland, Uruguay, and France. Included are some of the biggest names in European rugby such as Racing lock Leone Nakarawa, Bordeaux midfielder Semi Radradra, and Toulon winger Josua Tuisova. Eight players have been selected from the …

The Houston SaberCats have signed loose forward Mathew Faoagali for the 2019 Major League Rugby season. A powerful ball carrier who can play across the back row, Faoagali arrives via Australia where he has been playing for the Penrith Emus in Sydney’s Shute Shield competition. Penrith were recently a subject …

Uruguay’s neutral-venue test match against Fiji on November 17 will take place at the Gillman’s Ground, on Hartpury University campus. Kickoff is set for 1pm local, 10am Montevideo time. The match will be streamed live by the University. It’s an unusual choice for the fixture as the capacity of the …

The clock is ticking loudly now. In less than one month’s time Canada will be fighting for their World Cup life in the Repechage against Kenya, Germany, and Hong Kong. Selection for the three-match competition will be almost as important as the flagship event itself. Much of the squad, likely …

Axel Müller has signed a contract extension with Brive that will see him stay at the French club at least until the end of the 2020-21 season. It comes as somewhat of a surprise given that the former Pumas Sevens star has yet to play a regular season game for …

The New England Free Jacks have their first Major League Rugby players. NOLA Gold flanker Matt Hughston has joined the Boston franchise ahead of their historic match against the Ontario Arrows in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Saturday, as has Houston SaberCats hooker Diego Maquieira. Hughston was a key figure for …

Akira Ioane has been named in the New Zealand Māori squad for their historic tour of the Americas next month. The Auckland powerhouse was a surprise omission from the All Blacks squad for the November tests and has been snapped up by Māori coach Clayton McMillan for the matches against …

Canada ‘A’ wrapped up their Americas Pacific Challenge campaign against Tonga ‘A’ in Montevideo on Sunday. The entertaining match turned into a nail-biter with only one point separating the two teams at full-time. For Canada this represented a final opportunity for domestic players to claim a spot on the roster …

The USA Women’s Eagles Sevens have named their first squad of the 2018-19 HSBC Sevens Series and also their new coach. Chris Brown has been appointed full-time Head Coach of the team having taken over in an interim capacity from departed Richie Walker in August. Brown has been an omnipresent …