Roundup: November Internationals Week 3

A roundup of the international results from the final week of the test window, which again was a disappointing one for many sides, particularly for the Pacific Islanders.

Georgia’s poor form a blip or a concerning step backwards?

After recent positive progress, Georgia's form this month has been dire and a step back. Whether it's just a blip remains to be seen, but a third subpar performance in a row against Japan would leave confidence dented and a fair amount of concern over their World Cup challenge.

Team News: November Internationals Week 3

Team lists for the final week of the November international window, which includes big games for Samoa and Tonga whilst the ENC sides attempt to salvage something from a poor month.

Roundup: November Internationals Week 2

A roundup of the international results from the second week of the test window, which was a disappointing one for virtually all sides for various reasons apart from Tonga.

Do Japan need to revert to safer defensive wing options?

Japan despite possessing several good finishers, have struggled to find finishers who have also complemented that with safety and solidity in defence. This continued in the matches where the wide defence again looked vulnerable.

Team News: November Internationals Week 2

All the team lists ahead of the second week of the November international window, which notably includes Georgia's first non-RWC tests against a 6 Nations side for over 11 years.

Key moments in Japan's missed chance to beat Maori All Blacks

Whilst obviously a much improved performance in light of the previous week, Japan really missed a great chance and should have beat the Maori All Blacks in the second test. Here is a look at some of the key moments in the game.

Startling quote from Mike Tolkin on the USA’s scrummaging woes

Following last weekend's win over Romania, there was a rather startling and surprising quote from USA head coach Mike Tolkin regarding his side's ongoing struggles in the scrums.

Roundup: November Internationals Week 1

A roundup of the weekends international results from a busy weekend of action, which included a mixture of disappointments for some, with pleasant surprises for Tonga and USA.

Team News: November Internationals Week 1

All the team lists ahead of the first week of the November international window, which includes a chance for redemption for Japan and big games for Fiji and Samoa amongst others.

Team News: International friendlies November 1/2

Team news ahead of the internationals that are taking place the week before the November international window starts, involving big games for Japan and USA, and a trial game for Canada.

Eddie Jones talks about Japan's much improved scrum

Recently Japan coach Eddie Jones was asked during a talk at the Japan National Press Club about the remarkable improvements of his side’s scrum under the guidance of former French hooker Marc dal Maso, claiming it’s now approaching the level of the most elite scrummaging units in the world rugby.

Squad news for the November international window

A quick roundup looking at the squad news ahead of the upcoming November window of international friendlies.

JRFU Super Rugby project comes with considerable cost and risk

Whilst the JRFU have managed to secure a spot in an expanded Super Rugby format, there is a considerable amount of both cost and risk attached to the project.

The false sense of importance behind the IRB rankings

It’s become increasingly common to attach a ridiculous amount of importance to the IRB rankings. With some using them falsely to back up points, or arguing they should dictate the goals of the management.

Tongan complaints at odds with IRB Olympic loophole clarification

The alteration to the much reported Olympic loophole was met with anger from by Tongan officials who were hoping to benefit. However their complaints don’t appear to fully add up with the IRB’s actual clarification.

USA get PRL player release agreement for All Blacks test

There is now confirmation of USA Rugby's agreement with PRL for out of window release of players for the All Blacks test in Chicago, however it looks like it will come with a catch of not having players for the other 3 November games.

Players from 'Tier 2' nations playing in Europe (2014/2015)

For the 2014/15 season there are around 350 players from 29 nations outside the Tier 1 clique playing in the European professional leagues the Premiership, Championship, Top 14, Pro D2 and Pro12. Here is a look at them country by country.

Team News: Russia vs Uruguay RWC Qualifying Playoff September 27

Team news for the Rugby World Cup qualifying playoff match between Russia and Uruguay for the final place up for at the 2015 Rugby World Cup in the pool of death.

Explaining Super Rugby expansion – Japan vs Singapore

Since SANZAR's confirmation of Super Rugby expansion from 15 to 18 teams from 2016, alongside the addition of the Southern Kings and an Argentine franchise the other spot is being tightly contested by two options from Asia in Japan and Singapore.

September playoff fixtures confirmed

With the Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup fixtures announced, confirmation of the September playoffs involving teams from Eastern Europe were confirmed.

How World Cup failure unfairly cost John Kirwan credit for Japanese progress

After a recent winning run and a top 10 world ranking has finally made the rugby media more aware of Japan's improvements, the former coach John Kirwan has been totally forgotten from the narrative.

New American back row talent Danny Barrett

USA back rower Danny Barrett showed a just an early glimpse of his raw talent in his first international tests last June.

The remarkable improvement of the Japan scrum

The importance of the incredible improvements of the Japanese scrum under coach Marc dal Maso simply cannot be overstated and are making a huge difference for the side.

Pacific Islanders state their positions on eligibility loophole

The Pacific Island trio of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa have now all talked about their positions and views on the new Olympic 7's eligibility loophole to the media in recent days.

IRB announce Tier 2 November fixtures for 2014

The IRB have announced a complete list of fixtures involving the top 18 ranked sides in the world for the November Test window later this year. Some details are still yet confirmed.

Debate: What's the best approach to Japan's RWC dilemma?

Japan will be hoping to cause an upset at the next World Cup, but the scheduling of their opening 2 matches leaves them a bit of a dilemma of how best to approach the tournament.

Samoa confirmed to host the All Blacks on 8 July 2015

The Samoan Prime Minister has now confirmed the date of Wednesday July 8 that the All Blacks will travel to Samoa for a historic test match.

Japan's November schedule now set

Japan now have a November schedule set with 2 home games against the Maori All Blacks followed by a trip to Europe to face Romania and Georgia again.

Pacific Nations Cup final now highly unlikely

The PNC trophy looks like it will have no holder this year with the proposed final unlikely to be scheduled.

The truth of just how wrong the old All Blacks "poaching" myth is

For years and years, the myth of New Zealand "pillaging" the Pacific Islands has continually persisted. However when analysed further it is miles from the real truth.

Namibia reach the World Cup for a fifth time

Namibia have reached the World Cup for a fifth time in a row, but only narrowly with a trickier route through the African qualifiers than they would have hoped for.

Reasons for Super Liga champions Timisoara's non participation in the inaugural Qualifying Competition

The reason why the FRR's development side Bucharest Wolves instead of the SuperLiga champions Timisoara will compete in the first season of the new reformed European system has been clarified.

The self-righteous act of the IRFU and Irish media

Throughout the recent European dispute, the Irish media has stuck firmly to the IRFU narrative, one that manages to be self-righteous and hypocritical.

Further details on plans for the Qualifying Tournament emerge

Following the revelation of some details of September playoffs, gradually there is becoming some more updated news on the inaugural Qualifying Competition next season.

Why Kieran Crowley deserves fans backing to take Canada forward

Why Canada coach Kieran Crowley, the man who drove the side out of a ditch, still should have the backing of the fans despite a frustrating recent run of results.

Roundup: IRB Nations Cup & IRB Tbilisi Cup

A lookback on this year's glorified training tournaments the IRB Nations Cup and the IRB Tbilisi Cup, where Emerging Ireland and Argentina Jaguars took the trophies.

Japan now ranked a top 10 nation, but don't get carried away

This week Japan reached the top 10 of the IRB rankings for the first time in their history, an achievement that has been regularly reported around the rugby world. But don't get carried away, there still remains a lot of work to be done to become a genuine top 10 nation of the world.

Details on European Rugby Challenge Cup qualifying emerge

Finally some details on what the "Qualifying Tournament" for the European Rugby Challenge Cup will likely be appears to have emerged following FIRA-AER AGM meetings in Croatia.

Roundup: June Internationals Week 3

A roundup of the weekend's action from the final week of the June window where Samoa kept their status as top Pacific Island, Japan took a Tier 1 scalp and USA ended a long losing streak.

Team News: June Internationals Week 3

Team news ahead of the final week of the June test window. Pacific Island and North American bragging rights is at stake, there is also an interesting clash between Japan and Italy. 

Players may now be able to switch nationalities thanks to 7's addition to the Olympics

Following rugby's addition to the Olympics and the requirement to hold a passport of the nation you are competing for there, it is leading to some changes that could potentially see some players now able to switch nationalities through 7's.

How will Kenki Fukuoka bounce back from nightmare in the USA?

After a nightmare match at the StubHub Center, will the exciting young wing Kenki Fukuoka be able to recover and bounce back and prove it was a one off in the big game against Italy.

How the smallest man in pro rugby Fumiaki Tanaka can still contribute defensively

At only 5ft 5in and 75kg, how can Japan scrum half Fumiaki Tanaka contribute defensively in a sport littered with giants?

Mike Fraser and some other past refereeing controversies that have cost wins against Tier 1 nations

After Canada lost out to a controversial decision by Kiwi ref Mike Fraser last weekend against Scotland, here is a lookback at a few other controversial refereeing decisions that have cost sides wins against Tier 1 nations over the years.

Roundup: June Internationals Week 2

A roundup of the weekend's action from the second week of June, where Samoa dominate Italy, Canada lost out in controversially whilst there were two other high scoring PNC matches.

Team News: June Internationals Week 2

Team news ahead of the second week of the June test window. The Pacific Nations Cup matches continue, whilst 6 Nations Italy and Scotland move onto to face Canada and Samoa.

Team News: IRB Nations Cup & IRB Tbilisi Cup Round 1

Team news ahead of the glorified training tournaments the IRB Nations Cup opening in Bucharest on Friday and the IRB Tbilisi Cup opening in Tbilisi this Saturday.

Should Georgia really be awarding caps in the IRB Tbilisi Cup?

The June tournament the IRB Tbilisi Cup is used as an experimental one for all involved in it. Should Georgia really be awarding all their games in it full cap status?

Canada's struggles in the last 30 minutes

A look into Canada's squandered 16 point half time lead last weekend against Japan and their issue of finishing poorly over the last 30 minutes of games.