‘Fight, problem-solving, guts’: Johnny Sexton hails Ireland’s response in Springboks clash
Loss of players and chaotic first half on Saturday made for severe test of team and coaches
World Rugby
Gerry Thornley: It’s hard to warm to idea of Nations Championship on any level
Dubbed the Jet Lag Cup, player welfare looks like being an issue as old-style tours become a thing of the past
Why is South African rugby’s doping rap sheet much longer than everyone else’s?
How can the IRFU know the extent of any use of banned substances in Irish schools?
Five things we learned from the rugby weekend: Crafty Jamison Gibson-Park had Ireland purring
World Rugby is now facing an escalating officiating crisis; both Irish outhalves impress
Ireland are receiving more cards than before – is it a problem and why is it happening?
Some may blame coaching or rule changes, but evidence suggests team behaviour is a factor, too
Owen Doyle: Modern lineouts are a nonsense – here’s why they need to change
England’s skill in 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning manoeuvre a far cry from what we see today
Elite rugby players face 30-game season limit under new World Rugby guidelines
World Rugby guidelines agreed following recommendations from expert group
Breakaway R360 league launch dealt blow after World Rugby application withdrawn
Planned launch next September now appears unrealistic
Matt Williams: Ireland and others are taking advantage of residency rules – this must stop
All countries should aspire to emulating South Africa and Argentina
Jac Morgan’s pivotal Lions moment reignites jackling debate in rugby
Some people consider it sacrosanct but has World Rugby extended too much latitude to the jackler or ‘stealer’?
Owen Doyle: French determination to ensure a straight throw-in to the scrum a bold, welcome initiative
It’s not simply about the scrum-half delivering a straight ball. The mechanics of the scrum must also change to ensure the hooker can strike safely
‘Bigger, bolder, more accessible’: Tickets schedule for Rugby World Cup 2027 announced
February 2026 presale is available for fans who register before the end of January 2026, with further tickets sold in May 2026
World Rugby says it backs officials over final-play decision in Lions win but fails to say if call correct
CEO Alan Gilpin disappointed with some of the post-Second Test comments from Australia coach Joe Schmidt
Four changes to Ireland Under-20s side for vital meeting with Junior All Blacks
Neil Doak’s side need to beat New Zealand in their final pool game to have a chance to make the semi-finals
Owen Doyle: Let’s hope the Lions’ penalty try is a sign of things to come
And let’s hope recent changes don’t mean something horrific will have to happen before a referee shows a red card
LIV Golf shows what happens when a niche sport goes to war with itself – rugby should take note
Professional rugby probably needs to change to stay viable, but the R360 breakaway league proposal seems a fanciful solution
Owen Doyle: World Rugby session will have big focus on 20-minute replacement red card
There will be huge interest in the outcomes of the World Rugby’s specialist group studying the breakdown
Owen Doyle: As game faces an existential threat, World Rugby must not duck the replacements question
Use of 7-1 split is clearly against the spirit of the game
No evidence that 7-1 bench splits increase injury risk, insists World Rugby
Use of seven forwards on bench is controversial but governing body says it has no plans to outlaw tactic
Owen Doyle: World Rugby should leave the lineout alone and fix the scrum
World Rugby's lineout law trial risks veering into black comedy
Matt Williams: Glacial pace of reform of laws shows oligarchs remain in control of World Rugby
November’s conclave of the law-making body has proved a failure, most of the badly-needed reforms had been quashed
Owen Doyle: Steven Kitshoff’s close call shows scrum laws need to change
New global law trials lack suggestions to improve what has proven to be a disastrous phase of the game
Four Lions revealed to be part of group suing rugby authorities over brain injuries
Lawyers withdraw anonymity application for 43 players
Erin King named World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year
Springboks’ Pieter-Steph Du Toit pips Caelen Dorris for Men’s Player of the Year award
To contest or not to contest? That is the question for Ireland’s aerial game
Performance under the high ball likely to be tested against Fiji and outcome sure to be instructive
Australia’s Brett Robinson elected chairman of World Rugby
Robinson is the first permanent chairman of the global governing body from the southern hemisphere
Rugby is crying out for fresh global vision in crucial leadership vote
Whoever succeeds Bill Beaumont at World Rugby will have bulging in-tray with 20-minute red card fallout on agenda
Conrad Smith says limiting player workload is critical to reducing head injuries in rugby
Head of player welfare and performance in International Rugby Players’ association whether it’s a red card or a 20-minute red card you are still going to have the same number of concussions and head impact events
Owen Doyle: Video nasties required to show just what merits a red card
Forget words, written or spoken; visuals are needed – clear, unambiguous video clips of what foul play gets what punishment
Twenty-minute red card undermines World Rugby’s campaign to make the game safer
At a time when rugby was starting to win the battle it is in danger of losing the war
IRFU ‘still considering’ position on 20-minute red card proposal
World Rugby proposal has been strongly opposed by a combination of ruling and player bodies in France
Gerry Thornley: Italian rugby making tangible strides despite many obstacles at home and abroad
With friends like World Rugby and the EPCR, Italian rugby needs few enemies – but imagine what a World Cup in Italy would do for the sport in that country?
Owen Doyle: World Rugby needs to stick to its guns with no replacement red cards for ‘aggravated foul play’
World governing body’s new proposals could allow a replacement for Cane-like incidents while remaining utterly unforgiving of hard shoulders to the head and similar foul play
Matt Williams: Rugby’s failure to remain tech-savvy is a blight on the sport
Ball-tracking is just one technology that could help referees and TMOs get key calls right
Rugby World Cup to expand to 24 teams for 2027
Ireland has already qualified for the tournament, which will be staged in Australia
Matt Williams: Hard to be confident World Rugby will soon grasp nettle of scrum law reform
Matt Williams: The root cause of low ball-in-play time in matches can be traced back to the current scrum laws presided over by rugby’s governing authorities
Sam Berman hat-trick leads Ireland Under-20s to convincing victory over Italy in opener
Willie Faloon’s side run in eight tries against a side that had run them close in the Six Nations
Matt Williams: French Top 14 fast becoming what English Premier League is to soccer
If a solution is not soon found to create a feasible global club calendar, Australian rugby may soon face an era of irreversible decline
Matt Williams: New law proposals are a gross failure of stewardship from World Rugby
If scrums and mauls are what excite you most about rugby, the good times are set to carry on rolling. The rest of us may suffer
The Counter Ruck: Rugby’s new laws explained with Owen Doyle
The Counter Ruck podcast: A number of trials will be run over the summer by World Rugby
Owen Doyle: Let’s stop the law tinkering – safety issues apart
Owen Doyle: World Rugby proposals remain a work in progress but still not strong enough to discourage serious foul play
The Offload: Former props unimpressed by proposed law changes
Former Ireland internationals voice their disapproval at the fact that it will no longer be possible to choose to scrum from a free kick
Matt Williams: Time to refine current red card laws in the interests of rugby justice
World Rugby to consider a proposal to globally trial a new variation of red card laws successfully implemented in Super Rugby
A rugby match where 30 forwards take to the pitch is not a good thing for the game
The 6-2 split has become normalised with forward power from the bench winning over coaches
When it comes to the 20-minute red card replacement, World Rugby should play it safe
The ugly side of rugby has not gone away, and the deterrent of a straight red card should not be diluted
First ever brain health service for rugby players launched in Ireland
Ireland is the first country to launch the service for male and female players who have concerns about their brain and mental health
Proposed changes confronting World Rugby could have transformative impact
Constant revisions of and amendments to the game’s laws are product of coaches finding ways to bend them to their advantage
Owen Doyle: Severe brain damage is the elephant in the room for World Rugby
A fundamental need exists for World Rugby to rid the game of danger
World Rugby reveals radical plans to speed up sport and broaden its appeal
World Rugby considering reducing tackle height at elite level and introducing a trial of the 20-minute red card
Owen Doyle: World Rugby must be aware of unintended consequences in law trials
Antidote to end scourge of kick tennis goes on trial in Super Rugby Pacific
Player welfare the prime motivator behind World Rugby’s tackle height trials
Science tells us to reduce head impacts and that upright tackles with heads in the same airspace pose the greatest risk of concussion
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Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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