RUGBY RUMORS & GOSSIP

SYDNEY (AP) Australian utility back Matt Giteau has a broken left ankle which could end his 103-test career. Giteau lasted just 10 minutes of Australia's 42-8 loss to New Zealand on Saturday and the team said Sunday that he will play no further part in the Rugby Championship campaign. Turning 34 next month, Giteau returned from Toulon in French rugby in an attempt to secure a place...

SYDNEY (AP) Veteran playmaker Matt Giteau and four uncapped players have been named in a 36-man Australia squad for the Rugby Championship against New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina. Giteau's status had been in doubt because of his commitments to French club Toulon, but the 102-test veteran was named Friday in the squad along with three other overseas-based backs in Will...

Rugby player Ryan Wilson faces a minimum 12-week suspension for allegedly grabbing the testicles of another player, according to BBC. Wilson, who plays for Glasgow, is accused of reaching for opponent Lee Dickson’s baby-makers during the 25th minute of Glasgow’s match against the Northampton Saints on Sunday. He will be disciplined at a hearing Wednesday, with any suspension...

New Zealand has done its best to lavish honors on Richie McCaw in recognition of one of the greatest All Blacks careers, a contribution which likely ended with New Zealand's victory over Australia in the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday. But it's a measure of McCaw's standing that he has been able to turn down the richest blandishments New Zealand civil society has offered without...

If you have watched the New Zealand All-Blacks play rugby anytime over the last decade or so than you have seen one of the greatest players in the game work his magic on the pitch--Richie McCaw. When he took the pitch Saturday to defend the Bledisloe Cup for the 12th consecutive year he solidified his status as an absolute beast. How so? It was his 142nd test (match)--a new world...

Welsh rugby player Ben Flower was been kicked out of the game after punching, and then punching again, an unconscious opponent, St Helens’ Lance Hohaia. Many are even calling for the Flower’s arrest… Per the Sydney Morning Herald: “Wigan’s prop forward Ben Flower became the first man to be sent off in a Super League Grand Final after punching St Helens five-eighth Lance...

Nobody ever accused rugby players of being soft, but after Chev Walker suffered a nasty gash to his hand during a match Sunday, The Bradford Bulls star might be labeled tender — tender as in a piece of steak.That's because Walker's hand looked like a slab of raw filet mignon after posting the gruesome image of the nasty cut on his official Twitter account.For the faint of heart...

European rugby star Richard Haughton needed thirteen stitches across his forehead after he collided with his own team-mate during a Heineken Cup match Saturday.The 33-year-old Perpignan winger did not fare too well after smashing into Sebastien Vahaamahina during the 18-17 defeat to Munster.It's only fitting that he now looks like Herman Munster.And you still want to scrum?