Around the same time that Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe was breaking down the facts and figures of his Budget, the South Africans were crunching numbers and opponents of their own when hammering Canada 66-7 in Kobe.

‘The Shock of Shizuoka’, as it became known around the world, was alluded to by a number of Japanese media outlets in the build up to last Saturday.

As Ireland hunkers down for the arrival Thursday of Hurricane Lorenzo (has a weather event ever sounded as masculine?), over in Japan the boys in green are slowly moving on from the wreckage of last Saturday’s storm in Shizuoka.

Ireland won’t make any knee-jerk decisions following their shock World Cup defeat to Japan as the camp looks to quickly get their Pool A campaign back on track following the mother of all rugby upsets.

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

At least 51 people are confirmed dead following severe flooding in the region of Durban in South Africa .

Marcell Coetzee marked his comeback for Ulster with one of their five tries in a 33-19 Guinness PRO14 win over the Southern Kings.

If the Cheetahs thought they might get an easy run out against Leinster during the Six Nations, the South Africans were sadly mistaken.

The instruction leaving the accommodation in Cape Town to get to George was pretty straightforward, ‘turn right on to the N2 and drive’ … all 430 kilometres along the same road.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar presented all sorts of conundrums for opponents, writes Brendan O’Brien

There has only been one topic of conversation in Australian sport this week — the ball tampering antics of the Australian cricket team in their Test series against South

It has been a hard road for Southern Kings, the whipping boys of the Guinness PRO14, and things are unlikely to get easier for the South Africans at the RDS tonight.

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.

The protest against South Africa’s apartheid regime was one of the most compelling stories of 1985. Workers were arrested during the strike outside Dunnes on Henry St, Dublin, says Michael Clifford.

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.

Is there any particular autumn international I’d buy a ticket for?

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.

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.

Frontrunners at breakfast, dirt-trackers by brunch.

Rassie Erasmus has defended his position in the midst of an apparent tug of war over the services of his touted replacement as Munster’s director of rugby.

Philip Browne doesn’t do extremes of emotion or hyperbole.

Munster 51 - Cheetahs 18: Munster coach Rassie Erasmus has warned against reading too much into the province’s eight try-rout of his native Toyota Cheetahs in a hopelessly one-sided Guinness PRO14 game at Thomond Park on Saturday.

Munster have made one change to their team for tomorrow's Pro14 match against the Cheetahs at Thomond Park.

Zimbabwe has blocked flights by South Africa's government-owned airline amid tensions over allegations that Zimbabwe's first lady assaulted a young model.

The Irish management last night insisted that their Munster players are not being sidetracked by talk of Rassie Erasmus leaving the province.

One of the first things you learn booking flights for this summer tour is that contrary to the initial IRFU missive announcing Ireland taking on the USA en route to Japan, is that it ain’t on the way to the Land of the Rising Sun.

South Africa's president has responded to the political crisis that erupted after he fired the finance minister, acknowledging that public disputes at the top of the government are a "serious weakness".

South Africa's parliament descended into chaos as opposition politicians denounced President Jacob Zuma as a "scoundrel" and "rotten to the core" because of corruption allegations and then brawled with guards who dragged them out of the chamber.

Legal trade in rhinoceros horns could save the species from extinction — or hasten their demise, says Rachel Nuwer.

Back on the water after high winds led to the cancellation of Sunday’s programme, it was worth the wait for Ireland at the Lagoa Rowing Stadium yesterday.

A potent mix of old rivalries, family ties and fervent patriotic values will make life very uncomfortable for Ireland’s three South African-born players with former Springbok Thinus Delport predicting a hostile reception on their return.

Jack McGrath knows what it takes to beat the Springboks. He is equally aware that beating them in Dublin is one thing, attempting to repeat the trick in Cape Town quite another.

You just wonder what was going through Joe Schmidt’s mind as he boarded Ireland’s flight from Heathrow to Cape Town last Sunday night. 

There was a time not so very long ago when Connacht teams dreaded travelling to Thomond Park to take on Munster. Invariably, they made their way down the N18 on the back of a string of poor results to tackle a side at, or very close to, the top of the rugby tree in front of their own famed Red Army. For 29 long years, the result was familiar.

Our good wishes to the people and government of Ireland, on the centenary of the 1916 Rising.

How Argentina’s men — coached energetically by Pat Spillane — had any emotions left after their extra-time victory in the international final is beyond me. But they did, and displayed the sort of joy you associate with their colourful soccer history.