Rugby

Ireland showed plenty of spirit in defeat against Wales after going down to 14 men early on and deserve another chance when entertaining France. Les Bleus are now favourites to claim a first Six Nations title since 2010 after thrashing Italy in Rome but this will be a totally different test. More...

Scotland's confidence should be sky high after stunning England in their Six Nations opener and they have a good chance of following up with a win over Wales. The Dragons made hard work of edging out an Ireland side reduced to 14 men early on and have been rocked by injury problems ahead of this trip. More...

After last week's shock loss to Scotland, England face Italy knowing points difference is likely to play a part if they are to recover and retain the Six Nations title. That spells bad news for the Azzurri, who looked a lost cause when thrashed 50-10 at home by France in the opening round of fixtures. More...

Wales suffered an alarming dip in form during 2020 and begin this year's Six Nations with plenty to prove when taking on Ireland in Cardiff. The Dragons slipped from Grand Slam winners in 2019 to a fifth-place finish in this competition and also struggled in the Autumn Nations Cup. More...

Scotland have given England lots of trouble in recent Six Nations encounters and are again fancied to be competitive at Twickenham this weekend. Gregor Townsend's men have become defensively sound and it is hard to envisage them taking a significant beating in this season's opening contest. More...

Italy have tended to save their best Six Nations efforts for when facing France in recent seasons and may be worth backing with a big start in Rome. The Azzurri were on top for long periods before going down 25-14 here two years ago and played their part in an entertaining 35-22 defeat in Paris last term. More...

England are hot favourites to add Autumn Nations Cup glory to their Six Nations success when hosting France in Sunday's final, but may not have things all their own way. Les Bleus are hampered by being forced to field a shadow team, but they have still impressed during this tournament. More...

We've got Autumn Nations Cup predictions for the third round of fixtures in this new tournament involving eight countries. It has replaced the normal autumn Test match schedule that had to be scrapped as teams avoided extended travel because of the coronavirus pandemic. More...

Two of the game's biggest rivals will meet when Wigan take on St Helens in a belated climax to the 2020 Super League season. St Helens will extend their own record of 12 Grand Final appearances, but the losers will set a new, unwanted record for most defeats, both having previously lost on five occasions. 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...

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...

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...