Midfield muddle
More questions than answers continue to arise in the All Blacks’ quest to rebuild their midfield.
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Earning the right
Wanted by Scotland and England, Cam Redpath smashed a Calcutta Cup hoodoo on debut. This is his story.
Flicking the switch
Nathan Sharpe talks about how Eddie Jones masterminded the 2003 World Cup win over New Zealand
Rise from the ashes
NZ were once unstoppable at Under 20s level but the landscape has changed over the last decade.
Loyalty in question
Clubs need to make player welfare a priority, not an afterthought
Nothing is impossible
Passion and resilience underpin the MLR and make everyone confident the US competition will flourish.
The prodigal son
Simon Zebo may have a happy-go-lucky nature but the returning Munster star doesn’t shy away from the sport’s biggest issue.
Room to move
Analysis: Greater policing of the offside line has helped attacks flourish in Super Rugby Aotearoa 2021.
Guessing game
Some major All Blacks selections still remain a mystery ahead of the test season.
Laying down a marker
Leinster will be left to take on the power of the Top 14 and English contenders fell by the wayside in Europe
Devil in the detail
New Zealand’s rugby clubs are struggling – but aren’t expecting a large piece of the Silver Lake pie.
Back in the running
After two years out with a potentially career-ending knee injury, Ellis Jenkins’ comeback has been uplifting
Advantage over
Quirks of the law were brought to fore in the Chiefs’ golden-point win over the Highlanders.
Silver bullet or silver medal?
A probable $465m cash injection is going to change New Zealand rugby forever.
Ruling the roost
Sam James isn’t chicken about talking up Sale’s chances of challenging at the top
Pain, pleasure and patience
Pari Pari Parkinson, one of the most promising physical specimens in New Zealand rugby, is back.
National question
Exeter Chiefs have taken the Premier 15s by storm but face the threat of a move to limit overseas players.
Back to the future
Mike Brown is having to move on but Harlequins are in safe hands with Marcus Smith
Back seat driver
All Black legend Sam Whitelock is a stickler for New Zealand’s traditions
Building the empire
From Liverpool to Lancaster, how Leinster have become a European rugby juggernaut.
Bubble and squeak
A Trans-Tasman Super competition has just gone from doubtful to highly likely. That’s good news for everyone.
Centre stage
From hulking winger to shrewd centre – the stats and details behind George North’s compelling transformation.
The great entertainer
Tom O’Flaherty has been pulling up trees down in Devon and the wing is thriving in esteemed company
Blonde ambition
Faf de Klerk has spent a career confounding critics and his bite around the fringes may trouble the Lions
The final whistle?
Calls for Eddie Jones to be sacked are growing so someone had to defend the England coach
Stats and Snapshots: Episode five
How much can Warren Gatland rely on statistics to help him choose his 36-man Lions squad for South Africa?
Love, hate relationship
The rise and fall of Eddie Jones is a story New Zealanders are not surprised to be reading.
Coping with a crisis
The England captain has had a year of injury hell – but she refuses to abandon her dream.
Attacking the underbelly
Modern defences have forced an attacking re-think and the Hurricanes have a new trick up their sleeve.
Red zone shuffle
Law changes for Super Rugby Aotearoa have changed the way that teams attack inside the red zone.
Better never stops
Jason Ryan is helping to keep the Crusaders’ pack at the top of the heap.
Never give up hope
A scintillating Six Nations, a try-fest in the Premiership and a familiar Pro14 ending, it’s all in our weekend wrap
The hard yards
The community game has faced an unprecedented year of hardship but now there is finally a chink of light
Pain and triumph
Jean de Villiers talks about how his injury setbacks made him into a Springbok legend
Simply the best
Ali Williams compares his former teammates Dan Carter and Jonny Wilkinson, two of the best 10s to play the game.
On the brink
Anxiety, career pressure and low income may force stars of women’s game to give up
Edge of glory
The Crusaders exposed some familiar failings of the Blues in Sunday’s victory.
On a wing and a prayer
Scotland can still party like it’s 1999 in France despite missing Sean Maitland
Time to breathe
Thumping England was a huge fillip for Andy Farrell and his Ireland reign. The next step is to win a trophy.
Risky business
The announcement that the 2021 Lions tour will take place in South Africa has rugby fans hoping for the best
Pomp to ‘poison’
After five years in charge, now bereft of the Saracens swagger, it is increasingly unlikely Eddie Jones is the man to rediscover England’s mojo.
Raising the bar
When will Richie Mo’unga finally transfer his excellent Super Rugby form into the test arena?
Agony and ecstasy
A modern-day classic in Paris, a humbling in Dublin and a walkover in Edinburgh, the Six Nations finale had it all
Who makes our Lions XV?
A bonkers Six Nations leaves Warren Gatland with much to ponder. Who makes our writers’ Lions XVs?
Groundhog Day
More heartbreak and yet more frustration. Will Scotland ever become Six Nations contenders?
Attack force one
If Super Rugby looks to be a different game entirely to the Six Nations, that’s because it is.
The Force awakens
Being culled in 2017 has made the Western Force a stronger club.
Stats and snapshots: Episode 4
England have found an attacking edge but defence could win Wales the Grand Slam
Taking the hits
The England v Ireland games were always feisty affairs according to 48-cap Lions prop Nick Popplewell
Ambition is critical
Former England captain wants to see Eddie Jones’ men playing with more verve against Ireland
Blue blooded
Joe Rokocoko’s soft spot for the Crusaders vanished when they beat his beloved Blues in the 1998 Super 12 final.
The comeback kids
Wales have an ageing, unfancied team but they may yet have the last laugh on a gifted French side
French renaissance artist
Little-known coach Didier Retière has led the revival in France’s fortunes
Downward trend
The Chiefs need to look hard at themselves as they try to work out what has gone so wrong at the club.
Forza farmer
From tackling Jason Leonard to rearing ‘therapy donkeys’, Andrea Lo Cicero’s life glistens with colour.
Mac in the box
The game has evolved such that Damian McKenzie is no longer the threat he once was – but that could change.
CJ’s last stand
From project player to talisman, back-row CJ Stander will be remembered as an Ireland great
The need for speed
In the storied career, Tom Varndell tasted intoxicating highs and soul-searching lows but has emerged smiling
The beautiful game
Six Nations rugby proved what an attractive competition it can be for its new partners CVC this weekend
League of his own
Leicester Fainga’anuku is setting Super Rugby Aotearoa alight. But he’s ambivalent about how his career develops.
Calling the tunes
Stephen Myler’s musical tastes have been questioned but the fly-half is on song at the Ospreys
Six Nations talking points
Against the backdrop of coronavirus angst and bonkers refereeing, the show goes on.
Stats and snapshots: episode three
With a Triple Crown, Wales have taken the Six Nations by storm. Rob Vickerman explains how they’ve done it.
The missing piece
Super Rugby Aotearoa is under way but there appears to be something lacking.
Time to change tack
If England are to regain form, Owen Farrell needs to show more maturity when dealing with referees
Pressing his case
Max Malins was once compared to Beauden Barrett and the Bristol full-back is now ready for the grandest stage
Myth buster
Folau Fakatava should ignore the selection myth that players need to start for their clubs to be All Blacks.
Age concern
Ireland are sticking by their veterans but is it time to abandon policy and go with youth?
Banging the drum
Sam Simmonds continues to shine, the Cornish Pirates shock Saracens and Leinster power on
Life at the coalface
Andrew Sheridan was one of the game’s strongest men and the giant England prop is still a mighty force
Under pressure
Every top-level player feels the heat but some can handle it better than others
Task master
Patrick Tuipulotu has helped mould the Blues into his own hard-working image.
The arms race
How do you keep top players in Scotland? And how do you replace the ones who leave? Recruitment supremo Jan McGinity lifts the lid on contracting.
Out in the cold
Can even a rugby nation as rich as England afford to keep ignoring the untapped brilliance on its shores?
Generation X
A new crop of Kiwi 10s are set to make names for themselves in Super Rugby Aotearoa.
Striving for perfection
England’s attack has been a work-in-progress since the heroics of 2019, so can they re-find their mojo?
The blame game
The Waratahs are in chaos and its origins can be traced back to one decision in 2018.
The American dreamer
Kate Zackary and Exeter Chiefs Women are giving the Premier 15s the shake-up it needed.
Free spirit
Tony Brown can already be compared with coaching genius Wayne Smith
Steyn alive
Frans Steyn will be 34 in May, but the two-time world champion’s lust to play in a second Lions series burns white-hot.
Rugby chaos reigns
The Wales vs England game served up controversy and rancour while Ireland executed the Italian job with ease
Game of thrones
New Zealand seems to want uncertainty to prevail when it comes to major coaching roles.
Fortifying the defences
Steve Tandy has been the inspiration behind Scotland’s improved defensive performances
Stats and snapshots: episode two
Your attack gets you noticed but your defence gets you picked
Case for the defence
Elliot Daly has vast sums of credit in the bank with England, but as Matt Perry warns, his starting berth now looks in jeopardy.
Dai against Goliath
It’s all to play for as Graham Simmons previews the weekend’s Six Nations clashes
Pack mentality
How Blues’ forwards went from easy beats to heavy hitters to challenge Crusaders’ supremacy.
The Crusaders’ cause
How will the Super Rugby standard setting Crusaders be preparing for a fifth consecutive year of glory?
Lost identity
The Highlanders have brought in Tony Brown to help them find who they really are.
High-speed half-life
The Hurricanes struggled to replace Beauden Barrett in 2020. How will they fair without TJ Perenara in 2021?
All or nothing
All Blacks great Dan Carter officially bows out at a time when his body was still willing – even at almost 39.
The enduring wait
A horror season in 2020 is something the Chiefs are desperate to forget all about in 2021.
Redemption time
David Havili will be eager to bounce back after illness and Covid de-railed his stunning start to 2020.
The Lord’s work
Politician, psephologist, Lord, referee, and chairman of the world’s first gay-inclusive rugby club – meet Robert Hayward.
Making a head start
Progressive Rugby want to help the sport deal with the head injury crisis but will anyone listen?
Missing ingredient
Scotland have the players to cause plenty of damage but their rigid game plan is hampering their attack.
Singing the Bleus
For all France’s development, they will not win the next World Cup without a top-class goal-kicker.
Building bridges
Boosting Australian club rugby is the key to preparing aspiring Super Rugby players.
Thrill seekers
Welsh enigma, Sinners become Saints, Ireland’s redemption man, Munster’s old dog for the hard road