When Wayne Pivac sat down with his Wales squad to outline his expectations for the 2020 Six Nations this week, he did so with the Championship’s trophy alongside him.

As Joey Carbery and Jacob Stockdale lined up against each other at Ravenhill, it was noted that four years ago, at the time of the 2015 World Cup, neither had made their provincial debuts.

Argentina secured the consolation of qualification for the 2023 World Cup as they wrapped up their 2019 campaign with a 47-17 win against the United States.

Simon Zebo says the IRFU must revisit its unwritten policy on ignoring overseas players — especially at World Cup time.

Fiji finally found their flair as they bounced back from their shock World Cup defeat by Uruguay with a resounding 45-10 win over Georgia that sent a warning to their next opponents Wales.

Joe Schmidt was French Rugby President Bernard Laporte's first choice to be appointed as the new head coach of Les Bleus.

French Rugby president Bernard Laporte has kicked to touch on the possibility of Ronan O'Gara being part of the country's World Cup coaching ticket, insisting it's a call for head coach Jacques Brunel.

Is the dam on the brink of bursting? Is international rugby ready to sell its soul? The haste with which a proposed new 12-team World League is being introduced smacks of panic. There is even talk of the tournament running in 2020. Surely not?

New Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has admitted he faces a "huge task" reviving fallen giants South Africa.

New Zealand apart, the order of world rugby is changing rapidly, says Donal Lenihan

Weekend review - What’s hot and what’s not...

It’s not good when people who are investing trust in you feel they are out of the loop, writes Ronan O’Gara.

Irish Rugby Football Union chief executive Philip Browne says Ireland should not bid to host a Rugby World Cup while the parameters to stage the competition remain as they are.

So much for transparency. For all the good intention of overseeing the most open, least questionable bidding process for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, governing body World Rugby is this morning as big a loser as South Africa, whose bid it unanimously recommended on October 31.

If last Saturday proved a pretty humbling experience for South African rugby, it wasn’t a great week for the game’s governing body, World Rugby, either.

The battle for supremacy over the Springboks will extend all the way to the pre- and post-match functions at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, writes Donal Lenihan.

Ireland’s 2023 World Cup bid committee has come out punching in support of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s assertion that their challenge to host the tournament is still very much alive.

What a disaster. Ireland’s race to host the 2023 World Cup exclusively in this country is, on the face of it, all but run before even reaching the starting line of World Rugby’s council vote in London on November 15, writes Donal Lenihan.

Nobody should really be surprised the board of World Rugby, the sport’s governing body, has recommended South Africa as its unanimous choice to host the 2023 World Cup.

Ireland's hopes of hosting the 2023 Rugby World Cup have been dealt a blow as South Africa has been recommended for the job, the tournament's organising board has announced.

SPORT is political, sometimes deeply so. It is a conduit to our higher ambitions. It gives voice to our better angels and, unless corrupted, can distil principle more powerfully than any policy document drowning in caveats or derogations.

Japan 13

Kerry delegates have backed Paraic Duffy’s proposed changes to the All-Ireland senior football championship.

Razzamatazz came home this week when the IRFU launched its bid to host the 2023 World Cup.

Ireland is in the final stages of competing to host the 2023 World Cup which could provide as much as a €2bn economic boost and a television audience of 4bn.

IRFU chief Philip Browne believes Ireland’s willingness to host the Women’s Rugby World Cup in two years’ time - confirmation of which emerged yesterday – will boost the island’s chances of being the chosen venue for the equivalent men’s event in 2023.

Italy have confirmed they will bid to host Rugby World Cup 2023 – the first nation to cement their opposition to Ireland.

A Women’s World Cup on Irish soil in 2017 has every chance of success and boosting the bid for the men’s 2023 event, IRFU chief executive Philip Browne has said, after submitting a bid to host the tournament in two years.

Plans for a proposed new venue for Ireland’s rugby World Cup bid in 2023 have been quashed.

Ireland’s all-island bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023 will be impossible to resist, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has insisted.

An all-Ireland bid to stage the 2023 Rugby World Cup will be unveiled today.

THE all-Ireland bid to stage the 2023 Rugby World Cup will be officially unveiled today in Armagh.

An Irish bid to stage the 2023 Rugby World Cup is set to be officially unveiled.

South Africa will bid against Ireland to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Ireland’s bid to host the 2023 World Cup has been given a huge boost after IRB chief executive Brett Gosper described the country as “a wonderful candidate”.

Irish rugby boss Philip Browne can find “no reason on earth” why Ireland could not host the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

The Government will today launch an ambitious go-it-alone plan to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup with games to be hosted in rugby and GAA stadiums north and south of the border.

The first step has been made to allow GAA grounds be made available for the IRFU to launch a bid to stage the 2023 World Cup in Ireland.