Under the new Nations Championship, July's six-Test slate will effectively start selecting Rugby World Cup 2027 squads - and each Tier One nation faces a very different demographic challenge.
Gloucester-Hartpury scrum-half Mo Hunt has shrugged off the growing resentment of England's rivals, telling The Guardian the Red Roses will not tire of dominating women's rugby on the road to the home World Cup.
Lions tighthead Asenathi Ntlabakanye has been banned for 18 months for anastrozole and DHEA, ending on the date of the 2027 World Cup final. Jordan Buhrs charts the fallout for the Lions URC run and the Springbok front row.
Frank Bunce has lifted the lid on his fiery confrontations with Sir Laurie Mains, his role as a buffer for the young Jonah Lomu, and the food-poisoning final that still divides the All Blacks of 1995.
South African analyst SG Rugby builds a hypothetical Springbok 23 for a World Cup final played today, with Ox Nché, Malcolm Marx and Pieter-Steph du Toit fronting a near-unchanged title-winning pack and Damian Willemse holding down 15.
Two years on, Deon Fourie has revealed that he was never meant to come on in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final — Rassie Erasmus had told him as much in warm-up. Three minutes in, Bongi Mbonambi went down, and the plan collapsed.
Forever Sport ran a straight-ranking simulation of the new 2027 Rugby World Cup format. The result: a New Zealand–South Africa quarterfinal, France out before the final and an unseeded knockout that critics say defeats its own purpose.
Saudi Arabia has withdrawn its bid to host the 2035 Rugby World Cup after a pullback in state sports funding, clearing the path for Argentina, the UAE and European contenders.
All Blacks captain Ardie Savea has spoken with rare honesty about the fear that gripped him before New Zealand's 2023 Rugby World Cup opener against France, the rage that fuelled the team's run to the final, and his belief that World Rugby's eligibility rules need to evolve. He also offered a window into his life now in Japan.
The All Blacks leader admits to pre-match fear before facing France, explains the rage that fuelled the Ireland quarter-final, and calls for New Zealand to modernise its eligibility policy.