rugby news stories on Newser

Rugby Star Charged With Axe Murders

Rob Quinn — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 02:06:10 CDT

A retired South African rugby star who allegedly went on a killing spree with an axe in one hand and a Bible in the other has been charged with three murders. Joseph Ntshongwana claimed to be taking revenge on a gang that raped his daughter and infected her with HIV,...

Mickey Rourke to Play Gay Rugby Star

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 03:05:00 CST

Comeback kid Mickey Rourke is preparing to come back to the big screen again as another athlete, but this time with a different sexual orientation. "The Wrestler" will play Welsh gay rugby star Gareth Thomas, who's touted by the Independent as the only active male sports professional to declare his...

Aussie Rugby Star Quits Over Dog Sex Photo

Rob Quinn — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 02:21:42 CST

How shameful is it to be photographed in a compromising position with a teammate's dog? For Canberra Raiders rugby star Joel Monaghan, it's embarrassing enough for him to leave not just the team, but the country. The rugby player resigned from the club after a photo of him simulating a...

UC Berkeley Dumps Rugby, Baseball, Lacrosse Teams

Mary Papenfuss — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 05:11:47 CDT

In a shocking cost-cutting move, UC-Berkeley has dumped its baseball, gymnastics, lacrosse, and rugby teams. Rugby, the most successful team in the history of the university, will be turned into a club team, while the others will be completely eliminated. The rugby and baseball teams have existed at Berkeley for...

Rugby Fan Flashes Stunned BBC Viewers

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:42:00 CST

Police are investigating a Scottish rugby fan who deliberately dropped his kilt during a live BBC broadcast. Boozy Keith Davies proudly flashed a stunned nation as a group of Scotland supporters talked to BBC Wales before a major rugby series in Cardiff over the weekend. Viewers were "gobsmacked," reports the...

Invictus Does Mandela Justice

John Johnson — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:32:32 CST

Clint Eastwood's Nelson Mandela tale, Invictus , wins mostly solid reviews, and everybody loves Morgan Freeman in the main role: Peter Travers, Rolling Stone : " Freeman seems born to play Mandela, and he never delivers a false note." Eastwood "shames the usual Hollywood showboating" and makes a "film that truly is good...

IOC OKs Golf, Rugby for Rio Games

Harry Kimball — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:52:30 CDT

Medals for golf and rugby will be awarded at the 2016 Olympics for the first time in a century or more. The IOC voted today to reinstate the sports for the Rio de Janeiro games and provisionally accepted them for the 2020 Olympiad. Golf has not been played at the...

Olympic Board Backs Golf, Rugby for 2016

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:59:35 CDT

Olympic leaders selected golf and rugby today for proposed inclusion in the 2016 Summer Games, rejecting bids from baseball, softball, and three other sports. The IOC executive board narrowed the field to two from a list of seven, which also included squash, karate, and roller sports. The board will submit...

Economist : No To South Africa Sports Quotas

Jonas Oransky — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:53:50 CDT

The World Cup-winning South African rugby team shouldn’t be saddled with racial quotas, says the Economist : It’s exactly the wrong kind of affirmative action and would “mock the principle of merit.” One might think, the piece allows, the South African case would be the ultimate argument for quotas, as rugby...