Glasgow Warriors assistant coach Nigel Carolan announced that Jamie Ritchie, the former Scotland captain, is finally ready to debut for the Warriors after a lengthy injury lay‑off. Ritchie, who joined from French club Perpignan on a two‑year deal, is expected to feature in the upcoming URC fixture against Benetton in Treviso.
Northampton Saints secured a 28-12 victory over Cardiff Blues at Franklin’s Gardens in the opening pool round of the Investec Champions Cup. Tries from Pater, Thame, Hendy and Dingwall gave the English side a comfortable win despite a late Cardiff comeback. The result made Northampton the only English club to win in the tournament’s first round.
Reigning champion Jack Lisowski opened his defence of the Northern Ireland Open with a 4-1 win over Huang Jiahao in Belfast. Meanwhile, four‑time world champion Mark Selby suffered a surprise first‑round exit, losing 4-2 to Louis Heathcote.
Harlequins, sitting bottom of the Premiership after three defeats, opened their 2026‑27 European Challenge Cup campaign with a dominant 57‑19 win over Vannes. Marcus Smith contributed 22 points with two tries and six conversions, while the team scored nine tries in total, securing a valuable bonus point.
Ireland’s Lara Gillespie became world champion for the second consecutive season by dominating the points race on the final day of competition at the UCI World Track Championships in China. Her victory secured a gold medal for Ireland and highlighted her continued dominance in track cycling.
New Zealand’s women’s rugby league side, the Ferns, survived a scare to beat debutants Fiji 18-12 in their World Cup opener. After falling behind 12-4 at halftime, they rallied with tries and penalty kicks to secure the win and avoid a major upset.
Bath Rugby were beaten 14-32 by Montpellier at home in their opening pool game of the Investec Champions Cup. Despite early tries from Ollie Lawrence and Arthur Green, Montpellier’s Donovan Taofifenua scored two tries and Alex Becognee added another to secure a comfortable win.
Ulster Rugby opened their European Challenge Cup campaign with a dominant 40-21 victory over Zebre in Parma, scoring six tries and earning a bonus point. New academy graduate Henry Walker impressed with a brace on his debut, while Jacob Stockdale added another try for the province.
The Stormers overwhelmed the Bristol Bears 49-12 in their Champions Cup opener, scoring seven tries and securing a bonus point. Bristol fought back briefly but a red card for Stormers hooker JJ Kotze and a sin‑bin for Zas could not prevent the South African side’s dominance. Bristol will host Munster in their next pool game on 12 December.
Glasgow Warriors secured a dominant bonus‑point win over Sale Sharks in the European Champions Cup, pulling away to a 47‑27 victory at CorpAcq Stadium. The match was played under an emotional backdrop following the death of former Sale lock Hyron Andrews, with both teams paying tribute before the game.