Rugby’s leading nations have united to announce a blanket ban on playing international matches for recruits to the proposed breakaway R360 league. England, New Zealand, Ireland and France are among those who currently either favour or exclusively pick players from their domestic competitions. That meant signing up to the globe-trotting R360 itinerary was always set to put their players’ Test careers on hold.
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Ireland veterans Peter O’Mahony, Cian Healy and Conor Murray have confirmed they will all retire from international rugby after this year’s Six Nations. While O’Mahony and Healy, Ireland’s most capped player, will step away from club and country at the end of the club season, Murray will head overseas in the summer. All three players have won over 100 caps for Ireland and won five Six Nations titles including two Grand Slams.
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South Africa’s double World Cup-winning prop Steven Kitshoff has been forced to retire from rugby after suffering a serious neck injury. The 33-year-old sustained the injury in September 2024 while playing in a Currie Cup match for Western Province, and subsequently revealed he was “two millimetres from death”.
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Welsh rugby referee Nigel Owens has announced his retirement from officiating at Test level. Owens became the first referee to officiate in a century of tests when he took charge of an Autumn Nations Cup clash between France and Italy last month.
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England clinched the inaugural Autumn Nations Cup as Owen Farrell kicked the winning points in sudden death to beat France’s brave young side 22-19 at Twickenham. Les Bleus’ side contained no members of the starting XV which beat England in the Guinness Six Nations in February
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