While most of the focus is currently on the Rugby World Cup in France, the 2023/24 BKT United Rugby Championship season gets under way this weekend.
Ireland have suffered a double blow at the Junior World Championship, starting back-rower James McNabney and replacement Rory Telfer both receiving three-match suspensions following disciplinary hearings in the wake of separate incidents in last Thursday’s pool win over Australia.
Paarl in the Thursday mud was a cauldron of raw emotion, agony and ecstasy shared out across all three compelling Junior World Championship fixtures.
The Junior World Championship hasn’t hung around in quickly heaping the pressure on Ireland, the back-to-back Six Nations Grand Slam champions of 2022 and 2023.
England and Ireland clashed in a fiercely physical encounter during the pool stages of the World Rugby U20s Championship, resulting in a rare draw, only the second in the tournament's history.
Scrum-half John Cooney scored 30 points as Ulster beat Scarlets 55-39 in a 12-try thriller at Parc y Scarlets.
.Ulster secured their seventh straight PRO14 win with a 26-24 victory over Scarlets but they were made to fight all the way in an entertaining game which brought try bonuses for both sides.
The Autumn Nations Cup is live and while not perfect, rugby lovers have plenty of rugby to feast upon
The 2020 Six Nations will go down as a curious affair but firm conclusions are required
The teams are all in for this weekend's round two action in the Guinness PRO14 following a week in which Ireland, Wales and Italy named Six Nations squads.