Rugby

Ireland resume their Six Nations campaign needing to record an emphatic victory over Italy to keep up the pressure on table toppers England and France. Andy Farrell's side were last seen losing 24-12 at Twickenham back in March, but had previously beaten Scotland and Wales in Dublin. More...

With the 2020 Six Nations set to resume after its coronavirus-enforced hiatus, most fans’ attention will be focused on France, England and Scotland as they vie for this year’s title. However, we’re casting our eyes down to the bottom of the table where Italy are on course to receive their 15th wooden spoon of the Six Nations era. More...

Racing 92 have lost in two of the last four Heineken Champions Cup finals and are again up against it when taking on Exeter in Bristol. The Chiefs will contest their first European decider but are not expected to suffer from stage fright following great success at Premiership level. More...

Emotions will run high when Leeds take on Salford in this year's Challenge Cup final behind closed doors at Wembley. Former Rhinos and Great Britain scrum-half Rob Burrow will be the chief guest ‘in absentia’ as he battles against Motor Neurone Disease and can inspire his old club to success. More...

With the 2020 Six Nations set to finally conclude in October after a coronavirus-enforced hiatus that saw the final four matches postponed, we have taken a look at the most interesting numbers in Six Nations history since the current format was introduced in 2000. More...

When international sport is finally allowed to resume there will be an enormous amount of world titles waiting to be decided. Even without the rescheduled Olympic games, the sporting calendar will be packed, keeping us glued to our screens as all the unfinished business is resolved. More...

Back-to-back NRL champions the Sydney Roosters will be keen to kick-start their 2020 campaign by seeing off the Sea Eagles at Leichhardt Oval. Both of these teams suffered defeats in round one, but Trent Robinson's side did have the excuse of returning from World Club Challenge duties. More...

Canterbury and North Queensland both kicked off the 2020 NRL campaign with defeats, but the latter will have taken more out of their first effort. The Cowboys showed some promise in attack when going down 28-21 to Brisbane, whereas the Bulldogs failed to fire going forward in an 8-2 loss to Parramatta. More...

Wales have won 12 of their last 13 encounters with Scotland and eight straight meetings at Principality Stadium in the Six Nations. This has been a transitional campaign for the Dragons following the departure of Warren Gatland, but they are still fancied to further enhance that impressive head-to-head record. More...

Scotland can play with freedom against France after beating Italy last time out and that could make them dangerous opponents in Edinburgh. It is also worth noting that Les Bleus have lost on three consecutive visits to Murrayfield, so this is definitely a potential banana skin for the Six Nations leaders. More...

England still have Six Nations title aspirations ahead of hosting Wales and that can inspire them to a convincing victory at Twickenham. Eddie Jones is also eyeing revenge for last year's second-half collapse in Cardiff, which ultimately set the Dragons up for Grand Slam success. More...

Australian sides have dominated rugby league's World Club Challenge of late and St Helens face a tough test when taking on the Sydney Roosters. However, while the odds are stacked against Saints becoming only the second British winner in eight years, we feel they can be competitive on home turf. More...

The jury is still out on England after two inconclusive Six Nations performances and we're reluctant to trust them against a rock-solid side like Ireland. Andy Farrell's men stuttered to an opening victory over Scotland but were much more convincing when seeing off defending champions Wales in Dublin. More...

Wales have won eight of their last nine encounters with France, but only one of those contests was settled by more than 10 points. The four most recent meetings have been incredibly close, with the aggregate score 76-71 in favour of the Dragons, following October's 20-19 World Cup triumph. More...

Scotland are expected to inflict a 25th straight Six Nations defeat on Italy in Rome but the feeling is that this will at least be a competitive contest. The Azzurri only went down by a couple of points when these teams met here a couple of years ago and are coming off a spirited effort in France. More...

France were promoted to favourites for a first Six Nations title in 10 years after beating England and are expected to ease past Italy in Paris. However, Les Bleus do not play in a manner which suggests they can dominate the Azzurri throughout this contest, so the underdogs do appeal with a big start. More...

England cannot afford any more Six Nations slip-ups after losing away to France and we're expecting a clinical victory when they visit Scotland. There were hints in the second half in Paris of what Eddie Jones' men are capable of and they can get back on track with an emphatic Murrayfield triumph. More...

Ireland were less convincing than Wales in the opening round of Six Nations fixtures but home advantage is always a key factor in big games. The men in green prevailed 37-27 when these teams last met in Dublin in this tournament and will again be roared on by a vociferous Aviva Stadium crowd. More...

Ireland comfortably accounted for Scotland at the World Cup and have won their last couple of Six Nations encounters, but now must adapt to a new regime. Andy Farrell may have been promoted from within, but there is still every chance that the men in green may take a little time to adjust. More...

Wales begin the defence of their Six Nations crown with a straightforward task when taking on perennial whipping boys Italy. Last year's Grand Slam champions have won 13 straight encounters with the Azzurri, with the average margin of victory being 31 points over the past five meetings in this comp. More...

England put in such a controlled performance when beating New Zealand in the World Cup semis that they are hard to oppose against South Africa in the final. The Springboks managed to grind out a scrappy win over Wales in the other last-four contest but have not shown the same class. More...

Stellar coaches Steve Hansen and Warren Gatland will move on after New Zealand face Wales and we reckon it is the former who will sign off on a high note. Both teams have made changes for the Rugby World Cup third-place play-off and that should bring the All Blacks' greater strength in depth into play. More...

Wales made hard work of reaching the last four but are now just one win away from their first Rugby World Cup final. The Six Nations champions were in danger of elimination last weekend but came from behind to claim a 20-19 victory and set up a showdown with South Africa. More...

England head into Saturday’s Rugby World Cup semi-final in Yokohama as big underdogs to cause an upset and halt New Zealand’s defence of their title. The All Blacks are looking to win the tournament for a third successive time and the way they blew Ireland away in the quarter-finals showed they are clearly the team to beat once again. More...

Japan will have fond memories of facing South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, when famously pulling off a stunning upset to prevail 34-32. The Brave Blossoms have been superb on home turf this time around, claiming the scalps of Ireland and Scotland, so they could well test the Springboks again. More...

Ireland have won two of their last three games against New Zealand and can be competitive in Saturday's Rugby World Cup quarter-final clash. The All Blacks are still the team to beat as they chase a hat-trick of titles, but no longer seem able to totally dominate other top nations at this level. More...

England were beaten by Australia at the last Rugby World Cup but have won all six meetings since then and look in better shape at present. Eddie Jones' side cruised through the group stage as Pool C winners, albeit without having to face France, whereas the Wallabies laboured to second place behind Wales. More...

With the typhoon-battered pool stage of the Rugby World Cup now over, attention has turned swiftly to the knockout rounds where the eight remaining teams are vying for glory. We’ve analysed every full international match since the tournament was established in 1987 for clues about how the rest of the competition will pan out. More...

Scotland are fancied to keep their World Cup hopes alive by seeing off tournament hosts Japan. Gregor Townsend's men must come out on top to qualify for the quarter-finals, but can take heart from having prevailed in all seven past meetings with the Brave Blossoms. More...

New Zealand are firm favourites to complete a hat-trick of Rugby World Cup triumphs and are hard to oppose in the outright betting for the Japan spectacular. The All Blacks edged out France in the 2011 decider on home turf and brushed aside Australia in the final in England four years ago. More...