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1 week ago | 
rugbypass.com | Ian Cameron
Sale Sharks have lined up a move to bring former England outside centre Joe Marchant back to the Premiership, despite him having another year left on his contract with Stade Français, as part of a trio of moves. Winchester-born Marchant, 28, moved to Stade after the 2023 World Cup and made 26 appearances last season, scoring six tries as Paul Gustard’s side avoided a relegation play-off by one place and one point.
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1 week ago | 
rugbypass.com | Ian Cameron
The British & Irish Lions are relishing the chance to unleash their new-look centre pairing of Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu in front of a sold-out Aviva Stadium on Friday. Head coach Andy Farrell named his match-day 23 on Wednesday for the 1888 Cup clash with Argentina. The midfield pairing has been one of the main talking points, with Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt cheekily describing them as “a Southern Hemisphere centre partnership that will be pretty formidable”.
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1 week ago | 
rugbypass.com | Ian Cameron
I ultimately don’t care who the best club team in the world is, so yeah, lets agree to disagree on that. I would appreciate clarity on a couple of things though:Where did I contradict myself? Saying “Trophies matter. They matter a lot. But so does winning games. So does making finals.” is entirely compatible with ranking a team as the best - over an extended period - when they have won more games and made more finals than other comparable teams.
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1 week ago | 
rugbypass.com | Ian Cameron
Head coach Simon Mannix has named his side to face Ireland, with Portugal welcoming back the likes of Nicolás Martins, Manuel Cardoso Pinto, Lucas Martins, Martim Bello and David Wallis. The Lobos have spent the past two weeks in camp, including a joint training session with the British and Irish Lions, as they prepare for their first-ever official fixture against Ireland. The match is set to take place at the Estádio Nacional do Jamor on 12 July, but Portugal will be without several key players.
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1 week ago | 
rugbypass.com | Ian Cameron
Ruan Ackermann is in advanced talks to join the Stormers following his release by Gloucester, which the West Country club announced before the end of last season. The back-rower made over 170 appearances for the Cherry & Whites, helping them win the Premiership Rugby Cup in 2024 and reach the Challenge Cup final.
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1 week ago | 
rugbypass.com | Ian Cameron
The BKT United Rugby Championship has expressed its satisfaction after more than 46,000 fans attended Saturday’s Grand Final between Leinster and the Vodacom Bulls at Croke Park. The fixture marked the first time a URC final has been staged at the iconic 82,000-capacity venue, and despite organisers having just six days to sell tickets following Leinster’s semi-final win, the event delivered a record-breaking attendance for the league’s showpiece match.
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1 week ago | 
rugbypass.com | Ian Cameron
Saracens have confirmed that Owen Farrell will be returning to the club next season, as first reported by RugbyPass last week. The club has reached an agreement with Racing 92 to terminate the final year of Farrell’s contract, paving the way for the former England captain’s return to North London this summer. The deal was struck between the two sides earlier this month following late-stage negotiations over a transfer fee, after Farrell made it clear he wanted to leave Paris.
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1 week ago | 
rugbypass.com | Ian Cameron
Boan Venter’s Springbok call-up this weekend has raised eyebrows in Scottish rugby circles, appearing to signal a U-turn in the Edinburgh prop’s international intentions. The 26-year-old loosehead was named by Rassie Erasmus as the only new face in a revised 45-man Springbok squad, replacing injured front-row options following the completion of South Africa’s first week of training for the 2025 international season.
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1 week ago | 
rugbypass.com | Ian Cameron
mens international Copied to clipboard 0 Edinburgh loosehead Boan Venter has earned his first Springbok call-up as Rassie Erasmus named a revised 45-man squad on Sunday. Venter (26) is the sole new addition to the group, brought in following injuries to a number of front-row options, including Gerhard Steenekamp and Ntuthuko Mchunu, who were among six players released from the original 55-man squad after the first week of training in Johannesburg.
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1 week ago | 
rugbypass.com | Ian Cameron
Ma’a Nonu rolled back the years on Saturday night, scoring a late try as Toulon thumped Castres 52–23 in a Top 14 play-off at Stade Mayol to book their place in the semi-finals. The 43-year-old All Black centre powered over in the 77th minute to cap a dominant second-half performance from the hosts, who will now face Bordeaux in the semi-finals in Lyon on June 21. Nonu’s try came after a punishing forward carry near the Castres line.
