UCC 1-18

This New Zealand team don’t want to be that team that loses the first one to Ireland, writes Simon Lewis. 

How does New Zealand remain at such an imperious level from season to season, asks Ronan O'Gara.

Joe Schmidt isn’t the only one looking forward to seeing his charges face the best side in the world twice over the next few weeks.

There was relief all round for Michael Cheika and his Wallabies after they secured their first win in seven test matches with a sometimes nervous win over S Africa in Brisbane on Saturday.

Graham Henry can see a day when Joe Schmidt returns home to coach in New Zealand but the World Cup-winning mastermind believes there is no need for the Ireland supremo to start packing his bags right away.

Last week, Tommy Walsh picked up his phone and scrolled down through his phonebook looking for Éamonn Fitzmaurice’s number.

Few people understand what it takes to be a successful All Blacks coach more than Richie McCaw and the two-time World Cup-winning captain happens to believe that Joe Schmidt has exactly what it takes to do the job.

Sport is often littered with ham-fisted hyperbole — but Richie McCaw bucks the trend as a rugby superstar who deserves every ounce of praise lavished upon him.

If Richard Hugh McCaw lifts the Webb Ellis Cup up to the London skies tonight in his final act as an All Black, it would do more than reinforce his claim to being rugby’s ultimate gladiator, the best player the game has seen.

More than rugby pride is at stake when Australia and New Zealand clash in this afternoon’s World Cup final Remember when your little brother or sister beat you for the first time?

It is a list so illustrious, you don’t even have to use their first names.

Argentinian’s transformation of Aussie scrum means Welsh pack must up game, says Baldwin...

New Zealand 43 Georgia 10: New Zealand moved into the World Cup quarter-finals by predictably beating Georgia in bonus-point fashion – but it was a performance laced with errors.

Rugby World Cup Pool C

World Cups can be yawn-inducing events for players who have so much time to kill between their daily duties and Steve Hansen’s All Blacks could do worse than spend an afternoon staring at the walls of their Lensbury Park Hotel.

New Zealand 26 Argentina 16: World champions New Zealand got the defence of their crown off to a winning start, but not until shaking off a terrible opening period in front of a Rugby World Cup record crowd at Wembley yesterday.

If you’re an All Black waiting to hear if you’ve made the World Cup squad, the one name you don’t want to see on your mobile phone is Steve Hansen’s.

Ireland’s stuttering form and the losses they posted in their last two outings may have curbed the enthusiasm levels, but Joe Schmidt will be entitled a discreet smile and maybe a sigh of relief when the door of the plane taking them to over the Irish Sea swings shut tomorrow.

To qualify for selection on Donal Lenihan’s best ever World Cup XV, the players had to have at least one winner’s medal in the pocket

New Zealanders have been fretting just a little about this emotional Carter and McCaw farewell storyline. Is this World Cup one tour too many for the pair of them? Ian Chadband finds out

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw has declared there can be no excuses for his side in this morning’s Rugby Championship decider against Australia and warns they’re in for a tough game if they don’t improve.

Before the 2011 Rugby World Cup, the All Blacks did an exercise with control circles called The Attention Seeker. Two circles were drawn on a white board, one titled ‘Can Control’ and another titled ‘Can’t Control’.

He is the greatest rugby player of his generation — perhaps of all time.

Wales lock Alun-Wyn Jones believes New Zealand are "probably 20 minutes ahead of everybody else" after signing off in Europe before next year’s world title defence by serving emphatic notice that they remain a class apart.

New Zealand back-row colossus Kieran Read has targeted an improvement from the All Blacks at next year’s World Cup.

AUTUMN INTERNATIONAL:

Rising star Teddy Thomas has been dropped for tomorrow’s Test against Argentina by France manager Philippe Saint-Andre for missing a training session by arriving two hours late.

New Zealand coach Steve Hansen believes that captain marvel Richie McCaw is “probably our greatest rugby player ever”.

The Scots went to some trouble to make Richie McCaw feel at home at Murrayfield, unearthing evidence placing his ancestors from the same county as Robbie Burns, Bill Shankly and Robert the Bruce.

AUTUMN INTERNATIONAL:

Stuart Lancaster has no qualms about picking Anthony Watson on the right wing for tomorrow’s QBE International against South Africa and believes he is ready for his first Test start.

Ireland fly-half Jonathan Sexton has been nominated for the 2014 International Rugby Board World Player of the Year award.