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.