More than 2000 people flocked to one of Hawke’s Bay’s original rugby league venues for the 2025 finals on Saturday. The eight matches were held at Farndon Park, Clive, where rugby league was first played about 1910.

Darcy Graham's hat trick equaled teammate Duhan van der Merwe's Scotland try-scoring record as the United States was thrashed 85-0 at Murrayfield on Saturday. Scotland scored 13 tries and 10 conversions in its highest ever score at its century-old home stadium and third highest overall.

England Rugby World Cup winner Sadia Kabeya said she "loved" that the sport was attracting new audiences following the Red Roses' triumph. Hosts England won the competition by beating Canada at Twickenham last month, with Kabeya named player of the match.

The rematch, set for Soldier Field, is the first time the teams will meet in Chicago since their epic 2016 clash.

For the 2031 tournament, 27 cities and areas, featuring 33 venues, have signed letters of intent. These include Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles Region, Miami, Minneapolis and Nashville.

The front-rower allegedly grabbed and twisted Connacht flanker Josh Murphy’s testicles during the URC clash in Galway, and despite no conclusive video footage of the incident, he was still handed a nine-week ban.