The Financial Times has reported that CVC is “plotting an ambitious reshaping of global rugby” that started with the 2018 acquisition of a 27% holding in England’s Premiership Rugby.

What’s motivating Eddie Jones?

It has been reported that South Africa are in negotiations with Six Nations bosses about leaving the Rugby Championship.

The veteran Leinster lock had been one of the cornerstones of Ireland’s successes during Schmidt’s six-year reign as Ireland boss

The sport’s governing body wanted to revamp rugby’s global calendar with the introduction of a new competition for the top 12 teams from both the northern and southern hemispheres.

When he gathered the Springboks before the Rugby Championship this year, Rassie Erasmus was so confident that he told them it was a 20-week journey.

There is no escaping what the symbolism of Siya Kolisi lifting the Webb Ellis Cup could mean for South Africa, given his well-documented story of poverty to success.

There are three changes from the starting line-up Joe Schmidt sent out against Samoa last Saturday for Ireland’s final Pool A game in Fukuoka.

Whether or not Japan, the Brave Blossoms, continue to defy the odds, in this Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final, the success of Jamie Joseph’s side, on home soil, should open doors at world rugby’s top table.

And that includes World Rugby, the sport’s governing body, which has been stunned by the huge numbers being racked up in terms of television viewers and social media engagements as well as the good old-fashioned barometer of jersey sales.

Peter O’Mahony’s All Blacks experience has run the full spectrum of emotions in his eight years as a Test international.

It may have taken time to make an impact, but this World Cup has finally captured the interest and imagination of the Japanese public — thanks in no small part to the exploits of their national team.

Maybe it says everything about the way the All Blacks are that the day after they learned their final pool game against Italy had been cancelled, they woke up super early and battered themselves senseless in a training game.

The prospect of an Ireland versus South Africa World cup quarter-final remains a possibility after the Springboks did their bit by beating Italy 49-3 in Shizuoka on Friday.

The underlying narrative behind the decision to stage the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan is that it is an opportunity to give a huge impetus to the game in a country where it is — relatively speaking — a marginal presence.

Just like about everything else he did with the Lions in 2005, Clive Woodward may have overthought and overdone it when trying to acknowledge and respect the locals’ customs, his suggestion upon consulting a Maori elder that his captain greet the haka by pulling up some grass and throwing it the way of Tana Umaga resulting in Brian O’Driscoll being stretchered off moments later.

The scenarios in Pools A and B may already became clearer ahead of Ireland’s kick-off against Scotland yesterday but asking South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus about quarter-final permutations following this defeat was a fool’s errand.

Hard to believe four years have elapsed since Ireland’s painful World Cup quarter final exit at the hands of Argentina in Cardiff. As Joe Schmidt enters the twilight of his spectacularly successful reign at the helm of Irish rugby, the next six weeks will shape the epilogue of a brilliant period for Irish rugby.

Joe Schmidt has urged his players to be “cleaner than clean” and not hand their World Cup fates over to match officials during Ireland’s summer Tests.

‘Rugby World Cup,’ Jamie, those three words — what comes to mind when you hear them?

It was just one week before South Africa played Ireland in Aviva Stadium in November 2017 that Rassie Erasmus bid an emotional farewell to Munster.

Ireland’s win over Italy at the weekend told us little about the eventual destination of the Webb Ellis trophy this year – for that you had to look to the other side of the world.

New Zealand remain hopeful that Brodie Retallick will be available for Rugby World Cup selection after the lock dislocated his shoulder during the Rugby Championship clash against South Africa on Saturday.

Christian Lealiifano steered Australia to a 16-10 Rugby Championship victory over Argentina upon returning to the Test stage following his battle with leukaemia.

South Africa produced late drama to hold New Zealand to a 16-16 draw in their Rugby Championship clash at Wellington.

Brian O’Driscoll believes Joe Schmidt’s Ireland team can take inspiration from Shane Lowry’s Open triumph as they seek to emulate the Offaly golfer by climbing higher than ever before on the world stage.

Australia have the potential to cause yet another Rugby World Cup surprise later this year in Japan, according to former New Zealand captain Richie McCaw.

All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen has issued a statement to clarify comments he made about domestic violence while defending his selection of Sevu Reece.

It’s impossible to get used to -2 degrees in July. Irrespective of how many years a Paddy spends in Christchurch, heading out with a couple of Crusader coaches to a Japanese restaurant dressed like a lagging jacket always seems odd.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen named four uncapped players in an extended 39-man squad for the Rugby Championship as he looks to finalise his World Cup selections over the next six weeks.

World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper says there could be a Women’s Nations Championship if the male concept is given the thumbs up.

World Rugby’s proposed Nations Championship has hit a major roadblock after the Rugby Football Union declared that England’s relegation from the Guinness Six Nations would be “catastrophic” for the game there.

World Rugby’s efforts this week to clarify its position on the proposed Nations Championship are unlikely to have offered much comfort to those for whom the PRO14 is their staple oval-ball fare.

World Rugby has made a strong defence of its plans to launch a global Nations Championship.

Steve Hansen will leave his role as New Zealand head coach with his record “unsurpassed”, according to All Blacks chairman Brent Impey.

Rassie Erasmus will step down from his role as coach of the Springboks after next year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan.

A second win over the All Blacks in the last three meetings is a significant enough achievement for Ireland but what is even more satisfying is the team which got the job done this time around.

Donal Lenihan on what Ireland must do to beat Argentina.

Preparations for Saturday’s meeting with Argentina have, to put it mildly, been challenging but Garry Ringrose isn’t tempted to reach for any excuses ahead of Ireland’s clash with the South Americans.

It’s somewhat ironic that at a time when rugby is enjoying an unprecedented level of popularity in this country, with the national team ranked in the top two sides in the world, the game itself faces massive challenges.

South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus had exaggeratedly suggested he could be looking for a new job if his side had lost to the All Blacks on Saturday, instead a 36-34 win showed his team were moving the right way towards next year’s Rugby World Cup.

Something just doesn’t sit right about rugby in August.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has included two uncapped players but made no selection surprises in his squad for this season’s Rugby Championship.