TOKYO — The funny thing about World Cups is that they help the All Blacks find their inner Zen.

Today’s meeting between New Zealand and South Africa will be their 99th.

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.

The All Blacks may have suffered a major blow to their chances of retaining the Rugby World Cup after influential lock Brodie Retallick left today's 16-all draw with South Africa with an injury.

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.

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?

You cannot blame Joe Schmidt for trying to keep a lid on expectations after this epic first home victory over the All Blacks, but you pity the futility of the exercise.

The last time the reigning Grand Slam champions dared to beat the All Blacks, they followed up by winning the World Cup within a matter of months, writes Peter Jackson.

Dan Leavy has been ruled out of Ireland's November test against New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow.

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

Beauden, Jordie, and Scott Barrett will become the first trio of brothers to start a Test together for the All Blacks when they line up in the series-opener against France at Auckland’s Eden Park on Saturday.

Far away from the madding crowds of the Six Nations last weekend, Tom Clifford Park, the famed home of Young Munster, hosted my own club Cork Constitution in the latest of a series of hotly contested Ulster Bank League Munster derbies.

Ireland's Tadhg Furlong has been named among the best rugby players in the world.

Joe Schmidt insists this evening’s match with Argentina has nothing to do with revenge, but he does not deny that the 2015 World Cup quarter-final defeat has informed the Ireland boss’s approach to this Guinness Series finale.

Sam Whitelock does not want to emulate family history when he captains New Zealand against Wales today.

New Zealand power on.

The All Blacks juggernaut hit a road bump in the British and Irish Lions series but it should be back to business as usual for the world champions when they take on South Africa, Australia and Argentina in the Rugby Championship.

Brodie Retallick wants world champions New Zealand to create their own history when they face a Test series decider against the British and Irish Lions.

Donal Lenihan looks at three key areas the Lions must address.

New Zealand 30

Here's how we rated the players at tonight's clash at the Aviva.

Scrum-half Conor Murray praised Ireland's young bench after a bruising 21-9 defeat by New Zealand in Dublin.

Ireland go once more unto the breach against New Zealand in Dublin this evening, armed with the confidence of having at last beaten the world champions but under no illusions about the challenge of beating them twice in a row.

As much as he enjoyed beating the best team in world rugby, Donnacha Ryan would gladly swap all the slaps on the back for another victory over the All Blacks this weekend.

Dane Coles is in the dog house. Or so he says.

Italy 10, New Zealand 68: Conor O’Shea’s mantra since day one of his Italian job has been “Rome was not built in day”. The 10-try drubbing on Saturday seemed like a reminder it only took the Goths three days to destroy it.

Joe Schmidt has admitted Ireland's maiden victory over New Zealand weighs heavily with "daunting" expectation.