Fiji Australia rally to Rugby World Cup win as Fiji count cost of high Hodge tackleThe Guardian - Gerard MeagherAustralia survived a considerable scare to clinch victory in their opening World Cup match against Fiji, who were left with a sense of injustice in defeat. Two second-half tries for the Wallabies hooker
Rugby Union Rugby World Cup: Wales aim to put Howley saga to bed against GeorgiaThe Guardian - Alex Bywater in Toyota and PA MediaWarren Gatland has handed rookie flanker Aaron Wainwright and prop Wyn Jones their World Cup bows for Wales’ tournament opener with Georgia on Monday. The buildup to the game in Toyota has been dominated
Japan Host Japan rallies to open Rugby World Cup with win over RussiaThe Guardian - Justin McCurry in TokyoAfter an opening ceremony inspired by Japan’s ancient culture, the country’s rugby team briefly risked reverting to their traditional role of World Cup also-rans, before rallying to end the opening game
Rugby Union England’s World Cup preparations disrupted by team doctor’s exitThe Guardian - Gerard Meagher in SapporoEngland’s World Cup preparations were significantly disrupted after the senior team doctor left his post shortly before the squad flew to Japan. It has emerged Phil Riley departed the Rugby Football Union
Eddie Jones Tearful, nervous, excited: Jones shows emotions on eve of England's kick-offThe Guardian - Gerard Meagher in SapporoAn emotional Eddie Jones fought back the tears on Friday as he outlined what it means to lead England into a World Cup. Jones begins his fourth World Cup campaign and his first with England against Tonga
Rob Howley Liam Williams says senior Wales players have 'stepped up' after Howley exitThe Guardian - Alex Bywater in ToyotaLiam Williams has vowed Wales will once again use a sense of adversity to their advantage in the wake of Rob Howley’s departure from Japan. Howley returned home to Wales on Monday to assist in an investigation
Rugby Union George Ford takes inspiration from the Beckham experience in SapporoThe Guardian - Gerard Meagher in SapporoGeorge Ford has revealed he has been seeking inspiration for England’s World Cup opener against Tonga on Sunday by watching highlights of the men’s football team’s victory over Argentina at the same stadium
Rugby Union Fuji hogs the horizon as ITV fails to park stereotypes but passes World Cup testThe Guardian - Simon BurntonClose your eyes and design, in the realm of your imagination, a Japan-themed TV studio. Come back whenever you’re ready. Of course you’re probably not a professional studio designer, and you almost certainly
Rugby Union Opener provides result Rugby World Cup needed but real fireworks are to comeThe Guardian - Paul Rees at Tokyo StadiumFor all the gallantry and surprising stamina of Russia, this was the most underwhelming of openings to a World Cup. There was an air of before the Lord Mayor’s show. It explained why this weekend contains
Rugby Union Japan open Rugby World Cup by overcoming dogged RussiaThe Guardian - Robert Kitson at Tokyo StadiumThe first Rugby World Cup to be staged in Asia is under way and the host nation have duly delivered the result the tournament organisers needed. First impressions are considered important in Japanese and,
The Theatre A Pinter play that merits celebrationThe Guardian - LettersThe sound of ruffled feathers in reaction to your top 50 list of plays of the 21st century (G2, 18 September) is almost deafening. The absence of David Hare or Howard Brenton may have caused a stir, but
Tonga England can practise moving through World Cup gears against TongaThe Guardian - Ugo MonyeEngland’s priorities against Tonga are simple. Four tries, maximum points, a clean bill of health and move on to Kobe. It may be the start of a World Cup campaign after three months building up to it in
Rugby Union Rugby World Cup: fans give their previews and predictionsThe Guardian - Guardian readers and Tom StevensWe hope to win it, but is that realistic? We will be competitive and we will trouble top teams, may even upset one if it all comes magically together. We have a decent draw if we can beat Wales. If we
Rugby Union All the world’s a stage as giants of the game prepare for an epic battleThe Guardian - Robert Kitson in TokyoThe ancient samurai warriors of Japan were more than just loyal soldiers. They believed in honour above life and were famous as much for their spirit as their distinctive swords. Put them in a pair of
Japan Let’s ruck and roll: Japan wakes up to the arrival of rugby giantsThe Guardian - Justin McCurry in TokyoThe Rugby World Cup megastore in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district is doing a brisk business in official merchandise. Wallabies and All Blacks T-shirts have sold out, a shop assistant says, glancing down at two
Rugby Union Joe Marler gives England a scare after playing a limited part in trainingThe Guardian - Gerard Meagher in SapporoJoe Marler was a notable absentee for the majority of England’s last training session before Eddie Jones names his side for their first World Cup match against Tonga on Sunday, raising question marks whether
Rugby Union Rugby World Cup 2019: Guardian writers’ predictionsThe Guardian - Guardian sportRobert Kitson South Africa, unless they are flattened in the final by a free-wheeling England team boasting even more dynamic power. The side that hits hardest for longest – with and without the ball will
Ireland Ireland v Scotland match likely to leave losers fighting for second in poolThe Guardian - Paul ReesThe first rugby club established in Japan was in Yokohama in 1866, making it one of the oldest in the world. Its first captain was a Scotsman, George Hamilton, a former Rugby School pupil, and among its
Rugby Union Italy's Sergio Parisse set for record-equalling fifth Rugby World CupThe Guardian - Associated PressSergio Parisse’s run at the Rugby World Cup has been more like a marathon than a sprint. The 36-year-old backrower will join his former teammate Mauro Bergamasco and ex-Samoa midfielder Brian Lima as only
Rugby Union Rugby World Cup tactics: Nick Evans on how the leading nations will playThe Guardian - Nick EvansI look to their big win over the All Blacks in Perth and Nic White was fantastic. The Wallabies changed direction a lot in that game with White (9) often bouncing back on the short side. He was sniping
Rugby Union New Zealand face huge test against South Africa in World Cup openerThe Guardian - Robert Kitson in TokyoAnyone who says New Zealand’s opening game against South Africa will have no bearing on the outcome of the 2019 Rugby World Cup is either ducking reality or being wilfully evasive. Should the All Blacks
Rugby Union Sports quiz of the week: Rugby World Cup, cars, cuts and players going nutsThe Guardian - Paul CampbellErling Braut Haaland, the 19-year-old RB Salzburg striker, scored a hat-trick on his first match in the Champions League this week. Who was even younger when he scored a hat-trick on his Champions League
Rugby Union An armchair guide to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in JapanThe Guardian - Barry GlendenningWhile this year’s Rugby World Cup is being staged in the Land of the Rising Sun, the time difference between Japan and Europe means rugby devotees from the home nations will be forced out of their beds
Eddie Jones Eddie Jones’s popularity in Japan proves rewarding for England coachThe Guardian - Gerard Meagher in SapporoEddie Jones is capitalising on his profile in Japan during England’s World Cup campaign with a number of commercial deals despite being the best-paid coach in international rugby. Jones’s latest endorsement
Rob Howley Rob Howley faces uncertain future with long wait for betting verdictThe Guardian - Alex Bywater in KitakyushuRob Howley faces a long and anxious wait for the investigation into his suspected breach of rugby’s betting rules to conclude, a delay that could affect his chances of coaching with Italy or the British
Billy Vunipola England’s Billy Vunipola ready to follow in family footsteps at World CupThe Guardian - Gerard Meagher in SapporoBilly Vunipola will follow in the footsteps of his father and uncle on Sunday when appearing in a World Cup match between England and Tonga. Twenty years ago, his dad, Fe’ao, and his brother, Elisi, were
Rugby Union ‘The pressure is on Japan’: Russia seek upset in Rugby World Cup openerThe Guardian - Paul Rees in TokyoWhen Japan last played Russia in Tokyo, nine years ago, the attendance was little more than 6,000. On Friday night the Ajinomoto Stadium will be at its 49,970 capacity as the two countries open the ninth
Rugby Union William Webb Ellis and rugby’s enduring foundational mythThe Guardian - LettersI agree wholeheartedly that the story of William Webb Ellis’s “invention” of rugby football is a myth (Rugby’s big lie, Sport, 17 September), but question the claim that your article provides “new evidence
Rugby Union Wallabies enter Rugby World Cup with consistency under scrutinyThe Guardian - Bret HarrisThe Rugby World Cup has always been a tournament that, above all else, demands consistency. In the previous eight editions, the teams that lifted the Webb Ellis Cup won all of their games – pool and knockout.
