Rugby players

Rugby players will need vaccination passes for club games

The directive was announced by New Zealand Rugby today.

Under the Government and Sport New Zealand's Covid-19 Protection Framework, gatherings in the Red traffic light setting which do not use Covid-19 Vaccination Certificates are limited to 25 people.

In the Red setting, 15-a-side rugby competitions would be unable to proceed without the use of Covid vaccination certificates due to the restriction on numbers.

Second Durham rugby player dies in Sri Lanka

Thomas Howard, 25, and Thomas Baty, 26, had been touring the country with Durham-based Clems Pirates RFC when they visited the club in Colombo.

Mr Howard, from Durham, died after being admitted to hospital on Sunday.

Mr Baty, also from Durham, who had been critically ill in the same hospital, has also now died.

Durham City Rugby Football Club, which oversees the team, confirmed Mr Howard died after "suffering breathing problems".

Widespread outcry over 'wrist tape words' ban

NZ Rugby Players Association boss Rob Nichol told Radio Sport Breakfast that the law change came as a surprise, the details ‘buried’ in the latest agreement.

“It came apparently through the participation agreement that the teams signed. But it was buried. We certainly weren’t across it. New Zealand Rugby, I don’t think were across it and the players haven’t been consulted or involved in the decision, from our perspective anyway,” said Nichol.

“We’re just trying to unpack it a bit and work with World Rugby and try and address it.”

NZ players detained over rape allegations

The six players are all with France's Grenoble club. French media reports said the New Zealanders were former Sevens and Waikato player Rory Grice and former Marlbrough player Dylan Hayes.

Grenoble newspaper Le Dauphine Libere said it had spoken to Grice's layer, Philip Fitzgerald, who said Grice was "anxious to answer police questions about the case". He reminded the newspaper to remember the presumption of innocence.

Mr Fitzgerald said Grice remained in custody.

Hayes had left the police station, according to this lawyer, the newspaper said.