Wednesday Afternoon Round Up

Warwick and Browne earn new deals

Ulster Rugby has today announced that forwards Andy Warwick and Pete Browne have signed fresh contracts.

Warwick has penned a three-year extension, which will keep him at Kingspan Stadium until 2020, while Browne has signed on until at least 2019.

Harlequins sign Namibian captain Renaldo Bothma

Harlequins have just confirmed that Namibian captain Renaldo Bothma has signed for the Club and will join from Super Rugby side, the Bulls for the 2017/18 season.

The powerful ball carrying number 8 made his Super Rugby debut for The Sharks and after spending the 2015 off season with Japanese side Toyota Verblitz, he joined the Bulls in 2016.

He was appointed as captain of Namibia in June 2016 and has 13 international caps to his name, scoring 40 points.

Women's Rugby World Cup 2017 Pool Draw

The 8th edition of the Women's Rugby World Cup will see 12 teams going head-to-head in three pools to claim the 2017 title. The competition will be hosted in Ireland from August 9 - 26, 2017.

Next year's competition takes place 3 years after the last Women's Rugby World Cup as World Rugby has had to dodge the chances of it clashing with other events. As women's rugby continues to grow, the governing body assures that the event will return to a four-year cycle after 2017. 

The previous World Cup in 2014 was won by England after beating Canada 21-9 at Stade Jean Bouin in Paris, claiming their second title in the competition.

See previous winners and 2017 pool draw here

Mat Luamanu suspended for five weeks

Harlequins forward Mathew Luamanu has been given a five-week suspension for a dangerous tackle on Exeter’s Will Hooley.

Luamanu received a yellow card in the first half of his team’s win over Exeter in the Anglo-Welsh Cup on Saturday for a tackle on the opposition fly-half Will Hooley.

Chairman of the RFU discipline panel, Sir James Dingemans said: "The panel upheld the citing, concluding that Mathew Luamanu had committed a dangerous tackle because he had made contact with his head, having been reckless within the meaning of RFU Regulation 19.11.8(b) and Appendix 5. The panel imposed a suspension of five weeks."

The 27-year-old is free to play again on 13 December.