"The team is the only star," said Racing 92.

Peter Jackson gets over the gain line, behind the headline

In the throes of the action, I’ll be like every other fan, intrigued by Racing 92’s Heineken Cup visit to Thomond Park tomorrow.

Rory Best says he hopes to play in the Barbarians’ next two games after captaining the side on his debut at Twickenham on Saturday.

When the baseball-capped Nelson Mandela danced his famous jig in the No.6 Springbok jersey, Siya Kolisi would not have paid a blind bit of notice.

The Rugby World Cup drew to a close on Saturday, when England were beaten by South Africa in the final.

Head coach Eddie Jones will face a decision about his long-term England future after the 32-12 World Cup final defeat against South Africa.

Rory Best will take to the pitch for one last time as he was announced as part of the Barbarians squad to face Fiji.

Eddie Jones has issued a ‘do-or-die’ call to arms ahead of England’s World Cup battle against Australia.

Zander Fagersoninsists GregorTownsend is still the man to lead Scotland forward.

In a major lift to Eddie Jones’ men, the powerful Saracens number eight is on course to recover from the ankle injury that forced him off at half-time against Argentina 10 days ago.

We've rounded up the best tries of the Rugby World Cup group stages, featuring some outrageous rugby skills.

Wales secured a World Cup quarter-final clash against France next Sunday – but they ended their Pool D campaign with an unconvincing 35-13 victory over Uruguay.

It was Samoa who provided the opposition for Joe Schmidt’s introduction to Test rugby as Ireland’s head coach, way back when in November 2013.

Three areas where Ireland need to deliver...

Rassie Erasmus isn't a man for one kind word when a few dozen can be spread lavishly, like honey on toast.

This was always a race against time for Steve Jackson. The Samoan head coach was only appointed to the role last September, chosen from a list of 40 applicants and handed ownership of a team that had to qualify for this World Cup via a two-legged play-off against Germany.

A friend texted me Wednesday night indicating France’s final World Cup Pool C game against England was going to fall victim to the typhoon hammering Japan.

Joe Schmidt has urged his players not to be distracted by events elsewhere and focus on deciding their own World Cup fate with a bonus-point win over Samoa tomorrow.

Vaeluaga Steve Jackson believes his Samoan side will be all the more dangerous a proposition for Ireland this weekend precisely because of the fact that their involvement in this World Cup will end, regardless of the outcome, with the final whistle.

Find something you feel as passionate about as Andy Farrell when he talks about defence, and breaks it down into the intricacies of tackle height and technique and head positioning, and you’ll never work a day in your life.

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.

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.

Just seven weeks short of a decade since he kicked the first of his 767 Test points on debut against Fiji, Johnny Sexton spoke about the honour of finally leading Ireland onto the field as team captain.

That breathless Wales-Australia World Cup classic this morning had enough about it to turn Saturday’s Shizuoka shocker into the realm of a bad dream.

Michael Cheika picked a fight with the World Cup organisers yesterday over their banning of Reece Hodge, adamant that Australia had been singled out for special treatment.

No doubt about it, this World Cup has come down through the gears this last five days after what was a breakneck opening to the tournament.

Slowly but very surely, rugby and this World Cup are beginning to seep into the bones of Japanese society.

James Ryan loved watching Uruguay’s giant-killing act against Fiji at the World Cup this week, but insists Ireland will not be complacent when they face underdog hosts Japan.

It means that Hodge will miss Australia’s remaining pool games against Wales, Uruguay and Georgia.

The South American minnows, who were playing their first game of the tournament, condemned the Pacific Islanders to their second defeat in five days to leave their Pool D qualification hopes in tatters.

They were patting down sweat-filled brows around RTÉ’s control bunker yesterday as Montrose battled technical glitches at the start of Hugh Cahill and Donal Lenihan’s television commentary from Yokohama.

For weeks on end, a veritable posse of law enforcers queued up to hammer the warning home, that dangerous tackles meant instant dismissal.

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If an average Six Nations fixture takes place on the day of the apocalypse, a Rugby World Cup is a declaration of war.

Chris Farrell says he is not superstitious. Yet the prospect of playing in a World Cup can do funny things to a player.

Australia held off a late rally from Somoa to complete their World Cup warm-up with a 34-15 win in Parramatta.

La Rochelle have lost on all 16 of their visits to Clermont in the club's history.

Conor O’Shea has ruled himself out of becoming the new Munster CEO, insisting his focus is on getting Italy ready for the World Cup in Japan.

Ian McKinley said that heading to Japan with Italy next month, 10 years after featuring there for Ireland in the Junior World Cup, would circle a remarkable rugby journey.

Wales number eight Taulupe Faletau has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup due to a clavicle injury, the Welsh Rugby Union has announced.

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.

Complaining about the weather is an art form unique to the Irish. But Ireland’s Joey Carbery has more reason than most to complain. Born to Irish parents in New Zealand, he enjoyed its temperate climate until the family returned to Ireland when he was aged 11.

Munster’s new-look brains trust will have little time to brace for their first intensive exam on the back of a Heineken Champions Cup draw in Lausanne yesterday which did the province few favours.