"This tournament will be remembered as a very special and ground-breaking rugby event."

Irish rugby boss Philip Browne can find “no reason on earth” why Ireland could not host the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke confirmed today that an email he sent suggesting the 2022 World Cup was “bought” was genuine – but insisted he was referring to Qatar using their “financial strength” to legitimately lobby for votes.

David Strettle and Mike Tindall could both be ruled out of World Cup contention today when England boss Brian Ashton assesses his casualty list.

Canada cruised to a 51-16 victory over Uruguay to move a step closer to qualifying for the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

Leinster coach Michael Cheika has a number of selection calls to make ahead of the provinces home outing in the Heineken Cup this Saturday and insists the World Cup players are integrating well.

England 1 Sweden 0

It's a year away, but now is the time to get organised if you are planning a trip to England for next year’s Rugby World Cup.

Germany moved into the Women's World Cup semi-finals thanks to a penalty shootout victory over France in Montreal last night.

Former Republic of Ireland striker Clinton Morrison fears for our World Cup qualification hopes if Robbie Keane can't provide the goals.

Alan Hansen has announced he will quit his role as a Match of the Day pundit after the 2014 World Cup.

UEFA has denied a report that it wants to revamp the European Championship so that it rivals the World Cup.

Paul O’Connell hopes to guide Ireland to World Cup glory in 2015 in what potentially could be the end of his career.

Germany’s national team have agreed on a structure of bonuses for their qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup.

Reigning European champions Leinster have announced the signing of New Zealand World Cup winner Brad Thorn on a three-month contract.

Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro has announced he will retire from the national team after the World Cup.

Good morning. Here’s everything you need to know before you start your day.

JAPAN booked their place at a third consecutive World Cup finals as goals from Atsushi Yanagisawa and Masashi Oguro gave the Asian champions a 2-0 win over North Korea in Group B of Asia’s World Cup qualifying tournament in Bangkok.

Follow live updates below or across social media, with expert analysis and insight from our panel of Irish Examiner columnists Ronan O'Gara and Donal Lenihan, who are joined on stage by Munster Rugby's Johann van Graan and Stephen Larkham.