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OPINION: Tauriq Ebrahim looks at the decision taken by the Varsity Cup organisers to promote a team who could possibly not be the Varsity Shield champions.

The Glenwood Festival kicked off on Monday, March 28 with 15 schools taking part.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder made four changes to the team to take on the Lions in a Super Rugby crunch match at Ellis Park on Friday.

NEWS: Mils Muliaina, a Samoan-born fullback who earned 100 caps for New Zealand, has signed with the new PRO Rugby North America league and will play for San Francisco.

NEWS: The Bulls were dealt a cruel blow ahead of their first game back on home soil.

REACTION: England prop Joe Marler has been the victim of an "excruciating media witch hunt" over his "gypsy boy" slur.

INTERVIEW: The Brumbies return to Canberra after a spell in South Africa, where they took one win from two matches to stay atop the Australian Conference.

Daffodils are flowering in the north and that means crucial club matches.

NEWS: Thomas Waldrom said Exeter Chiefs won't allow last Saturday's Premiership loss at Saracens to define their season.

NEWS: The Golden Lions Rugby Union (GLRU) have secured the services of a number of their stars for 2017 and beyond despite earlier rumours of a mass exodus. 

NEWS: Lions playmaker Elton Jantjies has been bracketed with Marnitz Boshoff in the Lions' team to face the Crusaders in Johannesburg on Friday.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: rugby365's acclaimed writer Paul Dobson takes a look at two momentous incidents in the career of Craig Joubert.

INTERVIEW: The Blues will be looking to win their next three games to keep their play-off aspirations alive in this year's Super Rugby tournament.

NEWS: England's Joe Marler will face a World Rugby misconduct hearing on April 5 after he called Wales's Samson Lee a "gypsy boy", the global governing body announced Monday.

NEWS: Key All Blacks Sevens player Scott Curry has re-signed with New Zealand Rugby making him available to play Sevens through to the end of 2018.

NEWS: Three players each received bursaries to the Sharks Academy for 2017.

REPORT: UJ beat a weakened Maties side 42-16 in Cape Town on Monday to set up a home semifinal against NWU-Pukke in Johannesburg next week.

NEWS: The furore over Joe Marler calling Wales's Samson Lee a "gypsy boy" has taken a new twist as the England prop's club Harlequins claim their man he was called "posh" and a "four-letter word". 

REPORT: Defending Varsity Cup champions UFS-Shimlas were knocked out of this year's competition after they went down 21-37 to NWU-Pukke in Cape Town on Monday.

The St John's Easter Festival ended on Easter Monday with a titanic clash between Affies of Pretoria and Paul Roos of Stellenbosch.

REPORT: TUT bagged their first win of the season when they defeated Fort Hare 45-40 on Monday.

The KES Easter Festival ended on Easter Monday with only one unbeaten side.

The 33rd Saints Easter Rugby Festival ended with lots of scoring - an average of 48 points per match for the six matches.

REPORT: CUT finished their Varsity Cup campaign on a high when they beat NMMU-Madibaz 35-26 in Cape Town on Monday.

REACTION: Brumbies head coach Stephen Larkham praised David Pocock for his outstanding performance at the breakdown against the Cheetahs.

NEWS: Southern Kings duo Luzuko Vulindlu and JP du Plessis will both be in a race against time to be fit for their team's next clash against the Sunwolves on Saturday after they sustained concussions against the Hurricanes.

REPORT: UP-Tuks kept their play-off hopes alive after they crushed UCT 100-25 in Cape Town on Monday.

REPORT: Wits advanced to the Varsity Shield Final Final after they thrashed UWC 60-13 on Monday.

NEWS: Santiago Cordero was not part of the Jaguares squad which flew out to New Zealand on Sunday after he injured himself in a car accident.

NEWS: After four rounds of rugby action at neutral venues, Varsity Cup will be concluded at the various qualifying universities' campuses. 

SACS and Selborne started Day 3 of the Kearsney Easter Festival with a close contest.

NEWS: Reds prop Sef Fa'agase has been suspended from all forms of the game for one week After being found guilty for foul play in his team's 13-15 loss to the Waratahs on Sunday.

SUPER RUGBY SPOTLIGHT: The Chiefs currently lead the Super Rugby standings and they dominate rugby365's famous team of the week for Round Five.

REACTION: Jaguares players Santiago García Botta and Lucas González Amorosino said they were angry with their error rate in their 8-13 loss to the Stormers on Saturday.

REACTION: Danny Cipriani was praised by Sale coach Steve Diamond after guiding the Sharks to a 27-20 win over Leicester in the English Premiership on Sunday.

TOP 14 WRAP: Veteran winger Vincent Clerc closed in on the French try-scoring record on Sunday as Toulouse routed old rivals Stade Francais 36-3 to stay on course for the Top 14 play-offs.

PREMIERSHIP SUNDAY WRAP: Danny Cipriani helped himself to 17 points against Leicester Tigers as Sale Sharks kept up their impressive home record in a match which was temporarily halted due to lightning.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: At this sacred time of the year, as autumn settles on South Africa, there are many rugby tournaments.

PRO12 REPORT: Edinburgh battled to a 16-15 win over Newport Gwent Dragons to keep their Pro12 play-off hopes alive at Rodney Parade.

The final day of the ninth annual Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival is set for further thrilling games.

NEWS: The Stormers suffered a huge blow with the news that Dillyn Leyds will be out for the rest of the season after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in training last week. Warren Fortune reports.

INTERVIEW: Eddie Jones is expecting a hard time from his Australian compatriots when he returns in June aiming to lead England to more success. 

NEWS: Reds prop Sef Fa'agase has been cited for alleged foul play during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.

There is only match that carries any significance in the final round of the Varsity Shield as a place in the Final awaits the winner.

We have reached the final round of the Varsity Cup before the play-offs and just two sides have already booked their semifinal spot - Maties and UJ.

REACTION: Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall believes his returning international stars paved the way for an outstanding bonus-point 38-16 victory over the Exeter Chiefs at Allianz Park.

REACTION: Sharks Director of Rugby Gary Gold was pleased with the character showed by his players in their 14-19 loss to the Crusaders in Durban on Saturday.

REACTION: Bulls coach Nollis Marais was left frustrated by his side's poor conversion rate after they narrowly beat the Sunwolves 30-27 in Singapore on Saturday.

REPORT: Handling errors were the order of the day in Queensland as the Waratahs scraped past the Reds 15-13, in a rain-affected Australian derby.

TOP 14 WRAP: Toulon went second in France's Top 14 on Saturday moving ahead of Racing 92 with a thrilling 21-20 win over the Paris side in front of 40 000 fans in Lille.

REPORT: The Stormers put in a strong performance up front as they edged the Jaguares 13-8 in difficult conditions in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

PREMIERSHIP SATURDAY WRAP: Saracens returned to the top of the Premiership table with the returning Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola spearheading a scintillating 36-18 win against Exeter Chiefs.

There were interesting results on Day 2 of the KES Easter Festival.

PRO12 SATURDAY WRAP: League leaders Connacht stayed atop the Pro12 standings after they edged an intense clash with second-placed Leinster at the Sportsground.

There was a lot of exciting rugby down on Burger Field at St John's College on Day 2 of their Easter Festival.

REPORT: Kieran Read scored a late try as the Crusaders edged the Sharks 19-14 in a tense and bruising encounter at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday.

VARSITY SHIELD REPORT: UKZN regained top spot from Wits after they crushed TUT 72-8 on Saturday.

REPORT: The Brumbies recorded their fourth win of the season when they beat the Cheetahs 25-18 in a scrappy game in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

There was a huge win for Grey High on the second day of the Saints 33rd Easter Festival.

REPORT: The Bulls withstood a late Sunwolves charge to claim a slender 30-27 victory in what was essentially a scrappy affair in Singapore.

A good crowd turned out early for what promised to be a superb day of schoolboy rugby up at Botha’s Hill.

REPORT: The defending Super Rugby champions, the Highlanders, put in a defensive masterclass to claim a 27-3 bonus point victory over the Rebels in  Melbourne on Saturday.

VARSITY SHIELD REPORT: Wits put themselves in pole position to claim a spot in the Shield Final when they ran out convincing 64-13 winners over Fort Hare at the Rand Stadium.

REPORT: A massive second half performance by the Chiefs saw them score 41 unanswered points, including four Charles Ngatai tries, to claim an emphatic 53-10 bonus point victory over the Force on Saturday.

The 33rd St Stithians College Easter Sports Festival started on Thursday 24 March 2016 with great games and lots of fun.

PRO12 FRIDAY WRAP: Scotland's Stuart Hogg marked his return to the Glasgow Warriors side with a try and a dramatic late long-range penalty as the reigning Pro12 champions kept up their winning run with a 27-17 victory over Ulster.

After the first day of the 2016 Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival the sides which stood out are Selborne from East London and hosts Kearsney.

NEWS: European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) confirmed on Friday that they are in talks with SANZAAR about a possible match between then the winners of the European Champions Cup and the winners of the Super Rugby competition.

PREVIEW: Sale Sharks attack coach Paul Deacon insists his side need to improve and quickly if they are to earn a Premiership top-six finish this season.

PREVIEW: Sale Sharks attack coach Paul Deacon insists his side need to improve and quickly if they are to earn a Premiership top-six finish this season.

PREVIEW: Sale Sharks attack coach Paul Deacon insists his side need to improve and quickly if they are to earn a Premiership top-six finish this season.

TOP 14: Racing 92 recalled their big guns for a top billing Top 14 match against Toulon on Saturday, two weeks before the two teams meet again in the European Champions Cup quarterfinal.

NEWS: Stormers' young lock JD Schickerling will have a huge amount of responsibility on his shoulders in his team's clash with the Jaguares on Saturday. Warren Fortune reports.

NEWS: Former Ireland fullback Conor O'Shea was Friday named as the new Italy coach, taking over from Frenchman Jacques Brunel.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: We have reached the penultimate round of the Varsity Shield and three sides remain in the hunt to qualify for the Final and have the possibility of being promoted to the Cup division.

NEWS: Jim Botham, the grandson of England cricket great, Ian Botham, is set to make his international debut, but in Rugby Union and for Wales.

NEWS: A stadium in Porirua Park in Wellington has been renamed after All Black legend Jerry Collins.

NEWS: South African lock Jandre Marais has extended his contract with Bordeaux-Bègles until June 2019, the Top 14 side confirmed on Thursday.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Bernard Foley returns to the Waratahs fold to make his first Super Rugby appearance for their Round Five match against the Reds in Brisbane.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: The Reds have announced their side to take on the Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium in a blockbuster clash on Easter Sunday.

REPORT: The Hurricanes were made to work hard for their 42-20 bonus-point win over the Southern Kings in an entertaining match in Wellington on Friday.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Tauriq Ebrahim looks at the remaining Round Five Super Rugby fixtures played over Easter weekend!

The 21st St John's Easter Tournament kicked off on Thursday in excellent weather conditions.

The annual King Edward VII Easter Rugby Festival started in balmy weather on Thursday, day of lively rugby.

REPORT: Maties made it six wins from six matches when they beat defending champions UFS-Shimlas 35-14 in Cape Town on Thursday.

NEWS: Jaguares head coach Raul Perez has made six changes to the team that lost 26-30 last weekend for their Super Rugby Round Five match against the Stormers at Velez Sarsfield on Saturday.

NEWS: The Cheetahs will play against Japan Top League side Verblitz on July 23.

REPORT: NWU-Pukke stayed in touch of the Varsity Cup pacesetters when they beat CUT 44-14 in Cape Town on Thursday.

REPORT: NWU-Pukke stayed in touch of the Varsity Cup pacesetters when they beat CUT 44-14 in Cape Town on Thursday.

PREVIEW: The Pro12 is starting to assume it's final form in terms of the log as the season comes to a close with only five games left for most teams.

REPORT: UCT suffered another confidence-shattering defeat when they went down 0-63 at the hands of UJ at the Cape Town Stadium on Thursday.

NEWS: Three bronze medal winners from last year's World Rugby Under-20 Championship, JT Jackson, Tinus de Beer and Marco Jansen van Vuren, are amongst 56 players invited to a Junior Springbok trials camp in Cape Town next week. 

REPORT: UP-Tuks fought off a plucky NMMU-Madibaz to win 45-23 in their Varsity Cup Round Six tie in Cape Town on Thursday.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Bulls coach Nollis Marais gave first starts to Tian Schoeman, Jason Jenkins and Lizo Gqoboka in his run-on team for Saturday's Super Rugby match against the Sunwolves in Singapore.

On a warm day of Highveld autumn, the Saints 33rd Easter Rugby Festival kicked off with two big wins.

NEWS: Springbok scrumhalf Fourie du Preez called time on his illustrious rugby career on Thursday.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Joubert Engelbrecht will make his Super Rugby debut for the Cheetahs against the Brumbies in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

Hosts Kearsney kicked off the college's ninth Easter Festival with a big win for the home side.

The St John's Easter Festival starts on Maundy Thursday, 24 March 2016, with a strong body of 12 teams.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: There are four changes to the Stormers team to face the Jaguares in a Super Rugby match in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

NEWS: England prop Joe Marler is to face an independent World Rugby misconduct hearing after calling Wales's Samson Lee a "gypsy boy" during the Six Nations international at Twickenham on March 12.

Paarl Gim's annual tournament for Under-14 teams ended on 23 March 2016.

INTERVIEW: Australian veteran Adam Ashley-Cooper, busy honing his "Frenglish" skills with Bordeaux-Begles, has admitted to AFP that playing in the Top 14 and European Cup was proving a tough physical challenge.

NEWS: The head of the Tonga Rugby Union (TRU) says the organisation is in receivership and is negotiating a rescue package with the Pacific island nation's government.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: The Highlanders will have the services of a number of key players for their clash against the Melbourne Rebels on Saturday.

Paarl Gim hosted an Under-16 Tournament which ended on 23 March 2016.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Fullback Reece Hodge has overcome injury to be selected in the Melbourne Rebels' matchday squad Saturday's game against Super Rugby’s defending champions, the Highlanders, at AAMI Park.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Scrumhalf Cobus Reinach and flank Jean-Luc du Preez were included in the Sharks starting XV for their match against the Crusaders in Durban on Saturday.

If you watched the Sunwolves' match in Singapore, you would have recognised the voice of the commentator.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Crusaders head coach Todd Blackadder has made seven changes to his starting XV to take on the Sharks at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: The Brumbies will welcome back a number of familiar faces for this weekend's Super Rugby match against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: The Western Force have made two changes to the matchday 23 to face the Chiefs at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton on Saturday.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: New Zealand World Cup winner Stephen Donald will don the Chiefs jersey for the first time since 2011 when the Waikato team takes on the Western Force on Saturday.

The Tony Stoops Rugby Festival ended in Parow on Wednesday with 15 matches.

After spending two week at Soccer City, the penultimate round of Varsity Cup action gets underway in Cape Town as the tournament heads to the iconic Cape Town Stadium.

EXCLUSIVE: Tauriq Ebrahim and Eugene Eloff speaks England's Grand Slam and all things Super Rugby, including more controversy!

At the end of the Oakdale Rugby Week, a team was chosen and awards were made.

Oakdale Rugby Week ended in Roiversdale on 23 March.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Tauriq Ebrahim looks at the only Round Five Super Rugby match taking place on Good Friday.

NEWS: England World Cup winner Will Greenwood will help Robbie Deans coach the Barbarians against South Africa in November.

The Saints Easter Sports Festival takes place on 24, 26, 28 March 2016 at St Stithians College in Sandton.

NEWS: Varsity Cup side CUT and Varsity Shield side Fort Hare have both been docked two points after an audit revealed they had fielded ineligible players during their respective competitions.

REPORT: St Andrew's came to Bishops for another meeting of good spirit and creative  rugby.

NEWS: Former Wallabies wing, Nick Cummins, is ready to make his mark with the Australian Sevens squad - in a late push to Rio.

Thursday is Maundy Thursday, the start to a sacred period for Christians and of rugby tournaments in Durban, Johannesburg and Krugersdorp.

NEWS: SA Rugby has addressed the potential threat of match fixing in the sport by putting in place a monitoring service for Super Rugby and Springbok Test matches in 2016.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd has made three changes to his starting XV for Friday's Super Rugby match against the Southern Kings at Westpac Stadium.

NEWS: A prototype headband to record brain trauma is being designed in Australia, as sports such as football and rugby around the world grapple with how to manage knocks to the head.

In the North-South interschools matches being played at Hoërskool Garsfontein in Pretoria the hosts just got home against Paarl Gim.

It was Wales's first Under-20 Grand Slam as they did what was expected of them - beat Italy.

England Women were rampant in the Six Nations till France brought them down with a bang.

NEWS: Leinster player Darragh Fanning decided to call it quits on the field and look towards other opportunities.

INTERVIEW: Sharks scrumhalf Michael Claassens says the Crusaders will pose a totally different threat out wide than what they already faced this year.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Southern Kings head coach, Deon Davids, has made five changes to the starting line up for the match against the Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday.

NEWS: It turns out the wrist injury Elton Jantjies suffered against the Cheetahs is not as serious as first feared.

Of the 30 schools playing at the Oakdale Rugby Festival in Riversdale, seven have won both of their matches.

NEWS: Newcastle Falcons have added Fijian international, Vereniki Goneva, to their ranks for next season.

NEWS: Toulon's Australian international back James O'Connor returned to training on Tuesday five weeks after being laid low by a heart problem.

SIX NATIONS SPOTLIGHT: Players from champions England and second-placed Wales dominate our 2016 Six Nations team of the tournament.

The Six Nations is done. The cheering is over and the referees fade back home. But there is still life ion rugby north and south.

NEWS: A SANZAAR Judicial Hearing has found Chiefs flank Sam Cane of the Chiefs not guilty of a dangerous tackle in the match against the Jaguares on Saturday.

NEWS: Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies will undergo surgery on Tuesday to repair a fractured left wrist that he sustained in his team's Super Rugby match against the Cheetahs at Ellis Park last weekend.

INTERVIEW: England head coach Eddie Jones on Monday challenged his Grand Slam-winning players to "rewrite history" and become the first England team to win a Test series in Australia.

NEWS: Having played with the Springboks on numerous occasions in Argentina, Schalk Burger is expecting a hostile environment when the Stormers run out at Vélez Sarsfield in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

After the second day of the Tony Stoops Rugby Festival, being played in Parow, there are still nine undefeated sides.

REPORT: UJ put in one of their best performances in recent years in the Varsity Cup when they smashed defending champions UFS-Shimlas 72-49 in Johannesburg on Monday.

EXCLUSIVE: rugby365 law guru Paul Dobson looks at the controversial Dillyn Leyds try in the match between the Stormers and Brumbies.

REPORT: UP-Tuks bagged their second win in this year's Varsity Cup when they beat CUT 68-25 in Johannesburg.

Hoërskool Garsfontein is hosting the North-South matches which kicked off on Saturday.

VARSITY SHIELD WRAP: UKZN-Impi got back to winning ways in this year's Varsity Shield when they pummeled Fort Hare 97-0 in Johannesburg on Monday.

The 31st Oakdale Rugby Festival kicked off at the Riversdale school on Saturday with 28 schools in action.

REPORT: The Maties continued their unbeaten run in this year's Varsity Cup after they thrashed NWU-Pukke 56-12 in Johannesburg on Monday.

SUPER RUGBY SPOTLIGHT: After a weekend where no New Zealand teams lost it is no surprise that players from the land of the long white cloud dominate our famous Team of the Week.

REPORT: NMMU-Madibaz put in a strong second-half performance to beat UCT 46-33 in Johannesburg on Monday.

Once again in 2016 Premier Interschools have 12 top schoolboy matches to show South Africa.

INTERVIEW: Nick Frisby and Jake McIntyre are finally starting to come into their own as a halfback combination for the Reds in this year's Super Rugby tournament.

NEWS: Brumbies loose forward Ita Vaea is flying to Cape Town today to link with the rest of the squad ahead of next Saturday's match against the Cheetahs.

REPORT: Parktown scored in the last seconds of the match to beat St John's 31-25 in the first Classic Clash of 2016.

TOP 14 REPORT: Fijian wing Alivereti Raka scored a pair of tries as Clermont beat 14-man Toulouse 32-23 on Sunday to return to the summit of the French Top 14.

NEWS: Brumbies hooker Josh Mann-Rea has been suspended from all forms of the game for one week after he for punching an opponent in his team's 11-31 loss to the Stormers and Newlands on Saturday.

NEWS: Prop Schalk Ferreira and loose forward Thembelani Bholi will both return home from the Southern Kings' tour to New Zealand after picking up injuries in their team's 24-57 loss to the Crusaders on Saturday.

On a warm autumn after noon in the Cape the big, friendly Tony Stoops Rugby Festival kicked off at Hoërskool Tygerberg in Parow.

PREMIERSHIP SUNDAY WRAP: Exeter Chiefs moved top of the Premiership after a second-half fightback inspired by England international Henry Slade saw off Northampton Saints at Sandy Park.

REACTION: France coach Guy Noves insisted he had seen his team make progress despite finishing fifth in the Six Nations with just two victories.

INTERVIEW: Wales great Graham Price believes the team's playing style under coach Warren Gatland has "not evolved enough" to end a losing streak against New Zealand that spans six decades. 

REACTION: Stormers head coach Robbie Fleck praised his team's composure and maturity in their match against the Brumbies on Saturday. 

REACTION: Eddie Jones took over England at one of the team's lowest ebbs, the Red Rose outfit having failed miserably at the World Cup on home soil.

It's the fringe of holiday time as the world prepares for Easter - and rugby festivals break out in South Africa.

REACTION: Jaguares wing Santiago Cordero says basic mistakes cost them victory against the Chiefs in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

REACTION: Brumbies head coach Stephen Larkham believes the red carded handed to hooker Josh Mann-Rea for punching in his team's 11-31 loss to the Stormers was a harsh decision.

NEWS: Chiefs flank Sam Cane, Sunwolves lock Tim Bond and Brumbies hooker Josh Mann-Rea have all been has been cited for alleged foul play during this weekend's Super Rugby action. 

REACTION: England coach Eddie Jones said he was "ecstatic" to have won the Six Nations Grand Slam, but immediately turned his focus on the tour to Australia.

REACTION: Wales coach Warren Gatland said his side had to believe in their ability if they were to end decades' worth of defeats by New Zealand later this year.

REACTION: Italy captain Sergio Parisse said talk of introducing relegation to the Six Nations was "ridiculous" after a 14-67 thrashing by Wales again raised questions over the Azzurri's place among Europe's elite.

REPORT: A 79th minute Brad Weber try helped the Chiefs claim a dramatic 30-26 victory over the Jaguares in the first Super Rugby match to be played in Argentina on Saturday.

REPORT: England, led by bullocking No.8 Billy Vunipola, confirmed their remarkable transformation from World Cup flops to Six Nations Grand Slam winners when they beat France 31-21 on Saturday.

REPORT: Ruthless Ireland punished an indisciplined Scotland to round off a disappointing Six Nations championship on a high with a 35-25 win at Lansdowne Road on Saturday.

REPORT: The Stormers ran in three second half tries to defeat the Brumbies 31-11 in a bruising encounter at Newlands on Saturday to hand the Brumbies their first defeat of the season.

PREMIERSHIP REPORT: Wynand Olivier and GJ van Velze both struck in a Worcester Warriors first half blitz as they dented Harlequins' Top Four hopes at the Twickenham Stoop.

TOP 14: Montpellier ran in nine tries as they pummelled an under strength French Top 14 leaders Racing 92 with a 60-7 victory on Saturday.

REPORT: The Lions put in a superb performance in their first home fixture to claim a comfortable 39-22 victory over the Cheetahs in Johannesburg on Saturday.

REPORT: George North starred as Wales assured themselves of second place in the Six Nations with a record 67-14 thrashing of Italy in Cardiff on Saturday.

VARSITY SHIELD WRAP: UWC made the high flying UKZN-Impi taste their first defeat while Wits bagged a massive win to take over as log leaders at the Rand Stadium.

REPORT: An Ihaia West penalty after the final hooter handed the Blues a 25-25 draw with the Reds in Queensland on Saturday.

REPORT: The Crusaders ran in eight tries, including a Nemai Nadolo brace, to overwhelm the Southern Kings 57-24 in an 11-try fest in Christchurch on Saturday.

REPORT: The Rebels travelled to Japan and ran the Sunwolves into the ground in the second half to claim a convincing 35-9 victory in Tokyo on Saturday.

PREMIERSHIP REPORT: Tom Homer's nerves of steel gave Bath back-to-back wins for the first time in this season's Premiership. 

PRO12 FRIDAY WRAP: Munster's play-off charge was derailed in Wales as Rhys Patchell produced an impressive showing as Cardiff Blues claimed a 37-28 Pro12 win.

PREVIEW: They first met in 1896, making the Bishops-St Andrew's College match one of the oldest in the country.

REPORT: Sharks flyhalf Joe Pietersen missed an easy penalty just before full-time as the Durban-based side played out a 16-16 draw with the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.

NEWS: Stormers head coach Robbie Fleck believes their opponents this weekend, the Brumbies, is the best team in this year's Super Rugby competition. Warren Fortune reports.

REPORT: The Highlanders hung on for dear life in the second half to claim a 30-26 victory over the Waratahs, as the home side came back from 0-30 down to almost sneak the win.

REPORT: An immense second half performance by the Hurricanes, in which they scored five tries, saw them keep the Western Force scoreless to claim a massive 41-6 victory.

PREVIEW: It is the final round of the Under-020 Six Nations and only Wales are unbeaten.

NEWS: The Rebels' relationship with Japanese Rugby will be preserved with the introduction of the Ganbatte Trophy ahead of the club's first game against the Sunwolves in Tokyo on Saturday.

TOP 14 PREVIEW: French Top 14 leaders Racing 92 will rest superstar Dan Carter on Saturday when they tackle Montpellier, with one eye already on next month's heavyweight European Cup clash against Toulon.

SIX NATIONS ROUND FIVE: Ireland coach Joe Schmidt has revealed he will decide on his international future after the country's three-Test tour of South Africa in June.

SIX NATIONS FINALE: Wales and Italy will go in search of consolation wins of very different sorts when they meet in the final round of the 2016 Six Nations at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.

SIX NATIONS FINALE: Paul Dobson takes a unique look at England's final push for Grand Slam glory when they travel to Paris to take on France.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Jan de Koning looks at the Saturday matches in Part Two of Super Rugby's Round Four.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Italy coach Jacques Brunel has made five changes to his team to face Wales in their Six Nations finale in Cardiff on Saturday in what will be his last game in charge.

The PRO12 returns to action on Friday with two of the three outstanding fixtures from Rounds Nine and 12 being played.

REACTION: England coach Eddie Jones said Wales "don't know if they're Arthur or Martha".

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Rory Best has shaken off a calf injury to be named as Ireland captain for Saturday's home Six Nations match against Scotland in a battle to nail down third place.

PREVIEW: It's make-or-break time for Bath this weekend as they host Newcastle Falcons and fullback Tom Homer has challenged his teammates to dig deep.

NEWS: Frankie Horne, who has not featured in any of this season's World Sevens Series events, will be part of a Springbok training group of 14 players that will attend the Team South Africa Olympic training camp.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Scotland coach Vern Cotter has made three changes to his side for Saturday's match against Ireland in Dublin as they look to finish this season's Six Nations with a third straight win.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: The Southern Kings made two changes to their starting line up for the game against the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday.

The big day is 18 June.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Joe Marler will be on the bench when England go in search of a Six Nations Grand Slam against France in Paris on Saturday.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: France coach Guy Noves on Thursday made just two changes to his starting line-up for the final Six Nations match against England at the Stade de France on Saturday.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Ruan Ackermann, son of Lions coach Johan Ackermann, will get his first Super Rugby start against the Cheetahs on Saturday.

NEWS: Brumbies head coach Stephen Larkham has named an unchanged side for Saturday's match up against the Stormers at Newlands.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: The Cheetahs wasted no time in drafting in star Springbok Lodewyk de Jager for their Super Rugby showdown with the Lions.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: There are two backline changes in the Stormers team to face the Brumbies at Newlands on Saturday.

DOPING UPDATES: World Rugby has provisionally suspended two Russia players, but cleared former South African and Kenyan national Sevens coach Paul Treu on doping charges.

Union High School of Graaff-Reinet is very proud to be hosting the 29th Union High School Senior Rugby and Hockey Festival from 19-21 March.

On Saturday the first Classic Clash of 2016 takes place when Parktown go across to St John's.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Blues lock Josh Bekhuis joins illustrious company when he celebrates his 100th appearance in Super Rugby against the Reds in Brisbane.

NEWS: Brisbane City prop Pettowa Paraka has been included in the Reds matchday 23 for their match against the Blues after Ben Daley was ruled out with injury.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: All Blacks Luke Romano and Matt Todd will both play their first game of the season for the Crusaders against the Southern Kings in Christchurch on Saturday.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: The Melbourne Rebels welcome back captain Nic Stirzaker and Scott Fuglistaller for Saturday's game against the Sunwolves at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo.

EXCLUSIVE: Jan de Koning and Tauriq Ebrahim talk rugby again, with Paul Dobson revealing the key calls a referee got wrong - without anybody noticing.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Sunwolves head coach Mark Hammett has tweaked his team for their Super Rugby Round Four clash with the MelbourneRebels on Saturday.

NEWS: Joe Marler will be available to face France when England go in search of a Grand Slam in Paris on Saturday after Six Nations officials decided to take no action against him for calling Wales prop Samson Lee a "gypsy boy". 

EKSKLUSSIEF: Jan de Koning en Eugene Eloff gesels weer lekker rugby, met die Super Rugby seisoen wat interessante wendings begin neem!

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Jan de Koning looks at the Friday matches in Part One of Super Rugby's Round Four.

NEWS: Australian flyhalf Mike Harris and former England international fullback Delon Armitage have signed for French second-tier leaders Lyon, ahead of their likely promotion to the Top 14.

NEWS: England prop Joe Marler has escaped a ban despite admitting to striking Wales front row forward Rob Evans in last weekend's 25-21 win at Twickenham.

NEWS: England's forwards coach Steve Borthwick stated that captain Dylan Hartley is "fine" and "not carrying an injury" ahead of Saturday's Grand Slam bid against France in Paris.

NEWS: Wales coach Warren Gatland apologised for labelling England prop Joe Marler's verbal abuse of Welsh counterpart Samson Lee as "banter".

NEWS: Cape Town Stadium will play hosts to the final two rounds of Varsity Cup action on March 24 and 28 but the dates and venue of the semifinals and Finals remains a mystery.

One more time ...

NEWS: Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots special teams player Nate Ebner has been drafted into the United States seven-a-side rugby set up.

EXCLUSIVE: rugby365 cartoonist Matthew Ackermann looks at the drama surrounding EP Kings boss Cheeky Watson.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Western Force and Wallaby prop Tetera Faulkner has been named as one of six changes to the franchise's starting XV for the Super Rugby clash with the Hurricanes.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Sharks Director of Rugby, Gary Gold, has made numerous to his starting XV ahead of their trip to Pretoria to face the Bulls on Friday.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Hooker Liam Coltman will make his 50th Super Rugby appearance in Highlanders colours when they travel to Sydney to face the Waratahs on Friday.

NEWS: All Black wing Nehe Milner-Skudder will miss the rest of Super Rugby season with a shoulder injury.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Wycliff Palu has been handed his first start of the season at No.8 for his side's Round Four Super Rugby encounter against the Highlanders at Allianz Stadium on Friday.

NEWS: Lions loose forward Warwick Tecklenburg has been slapped with a one-week ban for 'recklessly' charging into a ruck.

INTERVIEW: The Sharks, who are unbeaten after three rounds in this year's Super Rugby competition, do not want lose any momentum when they face the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.

NEWS: The New Zealand Rugby Union confirmed that All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith had signed a two-year contract extension.

NEWS: Wallaby back row forward David Pocock will remain in Australian until at least the 2019 Rugby World Cup, but he will take a one-year sabbatical.

England are the only unbeaten side in the Women's Six Nations and a Grand Slam is clearly well within their capabilities.

RESULTS: There were six senior matches on a lively Schools Day at Newlands, the 13th in modern era.

This year the Durban High School, one of South Africa's greatest schools, is celebrating its 150th birthday.

NEWS: Tradtitional schools rivalries will be reignited this year with 53 Classic Clashes scheduled to take place in 2016.  

NEWS: Injured Scotland forwards David Denton and Jonny Gray will both miss the team's Six Nations finale away to Ireland this weekend, it was announced Tuesday.

INTERVIEW: Chris Robshaw has urged already-crowned Six Nations champions England to "finish the job properly" by completing a Grand Slam against France in Paris on Saturday.

NEWS: Tomas Francis will miss Wales's match against Italy on Saturday after he was given an eight-week ban for eye gouging.

NEWS: The Sharks will be without the services of flank Jean-Luc du Preez for Friday's match against the Bulls at Loftus because of a foot injury.

INJURY UPDATE: The Lions will have a full squad to select from when they play in their first Super Rugby home game of the season.

NEWS: Wasps on Tuesday announced the signing of Guy Armitage from London Welsh. 

NEWS: Springbok scrumhalf Francois Hougaard has made his move to Worcester Warriors a permanent one, the club said on Tuesday.

Being consistent, firm with his players and always leading by example is the philosophy Lesiba Molopa will be implementing when he leads Parktown Boys into battle against rival St John's College.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Dan Lydiate will lead a Wales side that includes four personnel changes for the clash against Italy on Saturday. 

Sibiya Sibiya does not only provide St John's College with an anchor at scrum time but the hooker has an influential aura about him that helps lift his side in times of need.

NEWS: Springbok Sevens captain Kyle Brown will not return to South Africa with the rest of the squad and will instead stay behind in Vancouver on medical advice. 

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Springbok Sevens flyer Jamba Ulengo will make his Super Rugby debut on Friday, when the Bulls host the undefeated Sharks at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

NEWS: The Stormers know all too well what the Brumbies are capable of ahead of their clash at Newlands on Saturday.

REACTION: South Africa will need to improve their discipline or they will continue to lose crucial games in the Sevens World Series.

DRAW FOR WORLD SERIES ROUND SEVEN: The draw or the Hong Kong leg of the Sevens World Series have produced a number of intriguing showdowns in the pool stages.

It's the last round of Six Nations this week and England are already champions and winners of the Triple Crown.

INTERVIEW: Not content with telling his England players to emulate the country's Ashes cricket heroes, Eddie Jones has urged them to play "Bodyline" rugby against his native Australia later this year.

NEWS: Former Fiji international Seru Rabeni died on Tuesday at the age of just 37, rugby officials in the Pacific nation said, prompting shock and tributes from teammates and fans.

NEWS: The search for a new head coach for the Highlanders is officially under way.

NEWS: Argentina legend Agustin Pichot is set to be World Rugby's new Vice-Chairman, replacing South Africa's Oregan Hoskins, who is standing down.

NEWS: Exeter Chiefs centre Michele Campagnaro will be replaced by Giulio Bisegni for Italy's final Six Nations clash against Wales after suffering a knee injury in a 15-58 thrashing by Ireland.

UNDER-20 SIX NATIONS: Four down and one to go for Wales. Win that one, and they will win the Under-20 Six Nations with a Grand Slam.

REPORT: Maties were simply marvellous in their 60-13 rout of Cape-rivals UCT-Ikeys in Johannesburg on Monday, to remain unbeaten in the Varsity Cup.

NEWS: Varsity Cup CEO Duitser Bosman confirmed on Monday that the next round of fixtures will return to Soccer City on Human Rights Day, March 21.

SIX NATIONS SPOTLIGHT: England have already won the Six Nations and there is further reward for them in the form of rugby365's famous weekly selection.

NEWS: South African flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff signed two-year deal with Irish province Connacht, the team announced on Monday.

REPORT: UP-Tuks put in dominant performance to thrash a poor UJ side 43-8 in Johannesburg on Monday.

SUPER RUGBY SPOTLIGHT: The Brumbies dominate our famous team of the week after bagging another impressive win in this year's Super Rugby competition.

REPORT: NWU-Pukke claimed their third victory of the campaign with a convincing 46-18 victory over a mediocre NMMU-Madibaz in Johannesburg on Monday.

REPORT: UWC claimed an emphatic 30-5 victory over Fort Hare in Johannesburg on Monday, to keep themselves in the running for a spot in the Shield Final, albeit a slim one.

NEWS: Toulon prop Florian Fresia has been called up to the France team ahead of Saturday's Six Nations clash against England.

NEWS: Joe Marler could miss England's bid for Grand Slam glory against France in Paris on Saturday.

REPORT: UKZN-Impi were forced to come from behind to claim a 26-21 victory over a determined Wits side in Johannesburg on Monday.

REPORT: Defending Varsity Cup champions UFS-Shimlas edged neighbours CUT-Ixias 10-9 in a tightly fought encounter at Soccer City on Monday.

NEWS: The Sharks will prepare for their encounter with the Bulls on Friday with no new injury concerns after their 18-13 victory over the Stormers at Newlands.

REACTION: Better tactics and tougher matches. This, in a nutshell, is the reason why New Zealand beat South Africa in the Final on the Vancouver Sevens.

NEWS: Lock Ben Hyne will link up with the rest of the Brumbies squad in South Africa this week for matches against the Stormers and Cheetahs. 

NEWS: Fiji wing Sisa Waqa has signed for two years with French Top 14 club Grenoble from Australian National Rugby League side Canberra Raiders.

INTERVIEW: Reds hooker Andrew Ready says the coaching transition from Richard Graham to co-interim coaches Nick Stiles and Matt O'Connor has been a good one.

EXCLUSIVE: rugby365 law guru Paul Dobson kills the fire that erupted after Siya Kolisi was sin-binned and the Sharks being handed a penalty try during their match on Saturday.

REACTION: France coach Guy Noves was left shaking his head and deriding his players for their stumbling Six Nations performance Sunday in the 18-29 loss to Scotland at Murrayfield.

REACTION: Relief and optimism for the future flooded the Scottish rugby camp in equal measures following the pulsating 29-18 Six Nations win over France at Murrayfield.

NEWS: Wales prop Tomas Francis was on Sunday cited for eye-gouging during the 21-25 Six Nations defeat to England at Twickenham on Saturday.

CANADA SEVENS FINALS WRAP: New Zealand walked away winners at the first ever Vancouver leg of the Sevens World Series,

CANADA SEVENS semifinal WRAP: South Africa will meet arch rivals New Zealand in the Final at the Vancouver leg of the Sevens World Series on Sunday.

CANADA SEVENS QUARTERFINAL WRAP: All the big guns advanced to the semifinals at the Vancouver leg of the Sevens World Series on Sunday.

NEWS: England coach Eddie Jones set his sights on the Grand Slam after his team were crowned Six Nations champions on Sunday with a round to spare, as Scotland beat France 29-18 in Edinburgh.

REPORT: France were unable to remain in contention for the Six Nations title as Scotland tore them apart with a convincing 29-18 victory at Murrayfield on Sunday.

NEWS: England prop Joe Marler has apologised to his Wales counterpart Samson Lee for verbally abusing him during Saturday's Six Nations clash.

REPORT: Montpellier moved up to fifth spot in the French Top 14 with a bonus-point 31-10 victory over rock-bottom Oyonnax on Sunday.

NEWS: The Southern Kings will head on a tough tour of New Zealand as the Crusaders and the Hurricanes await their arrival.

NEWS: The Jaguares have named a 42-man squad in preparation for their first ever home Super Rugby fixtures against the Chiefs and Stormers, respectively.

If they are playing rugby in sweltering Singapore, they may as well enjoy it in wet Northvaal.

Following two weeks of inactivity, the Varsity Cup makes a welcome return to action on Monday, March 14 with all Round Four's matches being played at a neutral venue - Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.

REACTION: The Stormers were unable to handle the pressure of the Sharks' tactical kicking game as they succumbed to their first Super Rugby defeat of the season, going down 13-18 at Newlands.

TOP 14: Ma'a Nonu and Drew Mitchell took centre-stage for European champions Toulon in a 38-8 rout of Grenoble on Saturday, with the New Zealand legend grabbing a try and getting sin-binned.

REACTION: Captain Sergio Parisse insists Italy still deserve a place in the Six Nations despite their nine-try 15-58 humiliation by Ireland in Dublin.

REACTION: England coach Eddie Jones said his side needed to demonstrate greater tactical awareness if they were to mark the Australian's first season in charge with a Six Nations Grand Slam.

DAY ONE WRAP: World Sevens Series leaders Fiji, second-placed South Africa and third-placed New Zealand were perfect in pool play to book quarterfinal berths at the Vancouver Sevens.

REPORT: Alex Goode scored a try and kicked four second-half penalties to power Saracens over London Irish 26-16 Saturday and back to the top of the English Premiership in the league's first match in the United States.

Kingswood finished Greame Coillege's rugby Day with an impressive win over Queen's.

SATURDAY PREMIERSHIP WRAP: Gareth Steenson set a new league points scoring record for Exeter Chiefs as they overcame a determined Newcastle Falcons.

REPORT: Top 14 leaders Racing 92 made the most of Stade Francais' indiscipline to romp to a bonus point 34-16 victory in the Parisian derby on Saturday.

REPORT: Maro Itoje starred as England beat Wales 25-21 at Twickenham on Saturday to put one hand on the Six Nations title and keep their Grand Slam hopes alive.

REPORT: Joe Pietersen and namesake JP Pietersen combined to produce a rare moment of magic as the Sharks sent the Stormers packing - with an 18-13 win in their Super Rugby showdown at Newlands on Saturday.

REPORT: Ireland scored nine tries to thrash Italy 58-15 in their Six Nations Round Four match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.

REPORT: The Chiefs hardly moved out of second gear, but were still too good for the hopelessly outclassed Southern Kings.

REPORT: The Cheetahs came from behind to secure a morale-boosting 32-31 win over the Sunwolves at the Singapore National Stadium on Saturday.

NEWS: Lions flank Warwick Tecklenburg has been cited for alleged foul play during his team's 15-34 loss to the Highlanders on Saturday.

REPORT: The Rebels kept the hapless Reds winless and stuck at the bottom of the Super Rugby standings.

REPORT: The Highlanders brought the Lions down to earth with a massive bang at Dunedin's indoor stadium on Saturday - the defending Super Rugby champions claiming a 34-15 win over the visitors from South Africa.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Scotland will be after their first back-to-back Six Nations wins in three years at Murrayfield on Sunday, but to do so they will have to beat France for the first time in 10 years.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Boyhood friends Billy Vunipola and Taulupe Faletau could well determine whether England or Wales emerge on top in front of a capacity crowd during Saturday's crunch Six Nations clash at Twickenham.

REPORT: French Top 14 play-off rivals Toulouse and Bordeaux battled out a 13-13 draw on Friday, with the record four-time European champions now having gone four games since the start of the Six Nations without a win.

NEWS: French Top 14 club Pau were mourning the loss of second row forward Damien Fevre and former president Andre Lestorte, after both passed away on Friday.

FRIDAY WRAP: Harlequins returned to winning ways against struggling Bath thanks to a two-try showing from flyer Charlie Walker and all-star performance from Nick Easter to claim a 35-28 victory.

It is the ninth and penultimate round of the European Nations Cup, the so-called Six Nations B.

NEWS: Connacht prop Finlay Bealham could make his Ireland debut off the bench against Italy in the Six Nations on Saturday after Cian Healy was ruled out with a hamstring injury.

World Rugby has appointed Alain Rolland of Ireland as its high performance match officials' manager for the 15-a-side game.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Francois Trinh-Duc will make his first Six Nations start since 2013 after being named at flyhalf for Les Bleus' match against Scotland on Sunday.

In an innovation, schools matches will be curtainraisers to four Super Rugby matches at Ellis Park from March 19 to May 14.

The 32nd Easter Festival hosted by St Stithians College kicks off on March 24.

SIX NATIONS ROUND FOUR: It's been 10 years since Scotland last beat France in the Six Nations, their only win over Les Bleus in the Championship, but they'll be hoping to put that right on Sunday when the sides meet at Murrayfield.

NEWS: Jerome Kaino of the Blues has been issued with a citing commissioner warning for a high tackle during his team's 19-23 Super Rugby loss to the Hurricanes on Friday.

Easter is on the way and so is the 32nd Easter Festival hosted by St Stithians College of Randburg.

SEVENS: Chris Dry will make his 50th tournament appearance for the Springbok Sevens this weekend at the Canada Sevens in Vancouver after the Blitzboks confirmed an unchanged 12-man squad.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Josh Strauss and Alex Dunbar will make their first Scotland starts of the 2016 Six Nations against France on Sunday.

REPORT: The Brumbies remained unbeaten in this year's Super Rugby competition when they beat the Western Force 31-14 in Perth on Friday.

NEWS: Allister Coetzee on Friday took a step closer to being officially named Springbok coach.

NEWS: The Stormers are wary of the threat posed by Sharks flyhalf Joe Pietersen in Saturday's crunch match at Newlands. Warren Fortune reports.

Springbok Sevens coach, Neil Powell, has urged his squad to toughen up on their mental approach for the inaugural Canada Sevens in Vancouver.

The Women's Six nations looks to be England's to lose.

NEWS: In a dramatic about turn the Varsity Cup organisers have decided to open the Soccer City stadium to the public for next Monday's games.

SIX NATIONS ROUND FOUR: Paul Dobson gives us his unique view of the crucial Six Nations encounter between these historic rivals.

REPORT: The Hurricanes recorded their first win of the Super Rugby season when they edged the Blues 23-19 in a nailbiter in Auckland on Friday.

NEWS: Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson has admitted it will be hard to keep hold of Wallabies back Kurtley Beale after Wasps offered him a big-money deal, a report said on Friday.

NEWS: Sherwin Stowers has come back into the New Zealand Sevens side after recovering from the broken arm he suffered at the Cape Town Sevens in December.

SIX NATIONS ROUND FOUR: Joe Schmidt has insisted he's still enthused by his Ireland team, despite them sitting second bottom of the Six Nations table ahead of Italy's visit to Dublin on Saturday.

After several skirmishes, the intensity in the Eastern Cape schools programme will move up a few notches with the Graeme Rugby Day .

IN THE SPOTLIGHT. Jan de Koning looks at the Saturday matches in Part Two of Super Rugby's Round Three.

This is a huge opportunity for Wales Under-20.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Italy coach Jacques Brunel injected new blood into his side ahead of Saturday's Six Nations game against Ireland.

PREVIEW: Harlequins prop Will Collier insists his side are ready to put recent form behind them against Bath this Friday.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Ireland coach Joe Schmidt made two changes, both to the backline, to the team to take on Italy in a Six Nations encounter in Dublin on Saturday.

NEWS: Sharks Director of Rugby Gary Gold believes their Super Rugby opponents this Saturday, the Stormers, are "years ahead" of them in terms of development. 

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Sunwolves head coach Mark Hammett has named and unchanged starting XV for their Super Rugby clash against the Cheetahs in Singapore on Saturday.

NEWS: England coach Eddie Jones has named an unchanged starting side for Saturday's potential Six Nations title showdown against Wales at Twickenham, but recalled powerhouse centre Manu Tuilagi to the bench.

NEWS: Cheetahs coach Franco Smith produced a surprise by naming Sias Ebersohn, a regular flyhalf, at fullback.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: A largely new-look forward pack will front for the Chiefs when they take on the Southern Kings this Saturday in Port Elizabeth.

NEWS: Stormers head coach Robbie Fleck has made four changes and a positional switch in the starting XV to face the Sharks at Newlands on Saturday.

EXCLUSIVE: Jan de Koning and Tauriq Ebrahim look into the reasons for the Lions' recent success.

NEWS: Eastern Province Rugby (Pty) Ltd, the professional arm of the EP Kings, have been provisionally liquidated.

NEWS: Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham made three changes to his side for Friday's Super Rugby encounter with the Western Force in Perth.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: The Melbourne Rebels head coach Tony McGahan has shown faith in his starting line-up by making just one change to the team for Saturday derby with the Reds at AAMI Park.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Sharks Director of Rugby Gary Gold has stuck with the same team that defeated the Jaguares at Kings Park  for their match against the Stormers.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Reds co-interim coaches Nick Stiles and Matt O'Connor have made five changes to the starting team that lost to the Western Force last week for their match against the Rebels in Melbourne this Saturday.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Highlanders head coach Jamie Joseph has refreshed his forward pack for Saturday's game against the Lions. 

NEWS: The Lions, who play the Highlanders on Saturday, are currently stranded in Christchurch after bad weather en route to Dunedin on Thursday necessitated their aircraft to make a U-turn.

EXCLUSIVE: The Varsity Cup tournament will be revived next week, but behind closed doors.

EKSKLUSIEF: Jan de Koning en Eugene Eloff gesels oor die Leeus en hoekom hulle so suksesvol is.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT. Jan de Koning looks at the Friday matches in Part One of Super Rugby's Round Three.

NEWS: Stormers fullback Cheslin Kolbe is not focussed on the threat his upcoming counterpart, Springbok Willie le Roux, poses but chooses to focus on what he has to do to contribute to the team's success.

NEWS: Former Ireland international Ronan O'Gara has extended his contract with Racing 92 until 2019, the Top 14 club said on Wednesday.

NEWS: Scotland centre Matt Scott will miss the rest of this season's Six Nations Championship because of an elbow injury.

NEWS: England reserve hooker Jamie George has been ruled out of this weekend's Six Nations decider against Wales at Twickenham.

NEWS: The Hurricanes are continuing to sweat over the fitness of a number of key players, ahead of their Super Rugby Round Three encounter with the Blues.

NEWS: World Cup winning All Black Charlie Faumuina makes his first start of the Super Rugby Championship for the Blues against the Hurricanes at Eden Park on Friday.

NEWS: Wallaby back row forward Ben McCalman has been named at No.8 in one of five changes to the Western Force starting XV set to do battle with the undefeated Brumbies in Perth on Friday.

NEWS: The Eastern Province Kings have appointed Academy Manager, Springbok Robbie Kempson, as their Currie Cup coach despite the current financial challenges being faced by the embattled union.

OPINION: There has been major concern about whether or not the Varsity Cup will continue but Tauriq Ebrahim may just have found a solution to the current situation.

INTERVIEW: Seasoned flyhalf Louis Fouche must give the Southern Kings direction when they host the two-time Super Rugby champion Chiefs on Saturday.

NEWS: Jim Carmichael will step down from his role as CEO of the Queensland Rugby Union at the end of the year after he revealed that he would not seek to extend his current contract.

NEWS: The New South Wales Rugby Union scored a coup by luring Ospreys Chief Executive Officer Andrew Hore to Sydney.

EXCLUSIVE: rugby365 law guru Paul Dobson has a look at what the law states regarding sliding the ball down the post -Try? No try? The law and the view.

NEWS: Powerful centre Manu Tuilagi is back in the England squad for the first time since June 2014 ahead of Saturday's potential Six Nations decider with Wales at Twickenham.

Paarl Gim will be holding its Sports Day at the school on Saturday, March 12.

NEWS: Stormers head coach Robbie Fleck remained coy as to when and how he would rotate his players, hinting at the fact that there could possibly be a change in the front row.

INTERVIEW: France scrumhalf Maxime Machenaud on Tuesday credited a diet for hs return to the international set-up.

NEWS: The USA will welcome tItaly and Russia to the United States this June, hosting tests in San Jose, California, and Sacramento.

NEWS: The Stormers face the prospect of introducing young, inexperienced flyhalves into their setup after the loss of Robert du Preez to a knee injury that has ruled him out for about 12 weeks.

The generous Tony Stoops Rugby Festival takes place from March 19-23, with 36 teams taking part.

NEWS: Springbok lock Lodewyk de Jager was not included in Franco Smith's Cheetahs squad for their trip to Singapore to face the Sunwolves on Saturday.

NEWS: Ian Humphreys confirmed that he will retire from rugby at the end of this season.

NEWS: George Smith of Wasps will appear before an RFU Disciplinary panel charged with striking an opponent in a Premiership match last weekend.

NEWS: George Smith of Wasps will appear before an RFU Disciplinary panel charged with striking an opponent in a Premiership match last weekend.

NEWS: George Smith of Wasps will appear before an RFU Disciplinary panel charged with striking an opponent in a Premiership match last weekend.

NEWS: Lions centre Harold Vorster will play no further part in his team's Super Rugby campaign after picking up a serious knee injury in his team's 36-32 win over the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday.

INTERVIEW: American rugby player Carlin Isles has launched an ambitious bid to represent the United States in two different sports at a single Olympic games after deciding to resurrect his sprinting career.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Wales head coach Warren Gatland named an unchanged starting XV for their crunch Six Nations match against England at Twickenham on Saturday.

INTERVIEW: Eddie Jones' England side face Wales at Twickenham in a game that is likely to decide the destination of the Six Nations title.

INTERVIEW: Springbok Sevens head coach said their will have to be "consequences" if his players continue to throw away games with their ill-discipline

NEWS: England flank James Haskell believes the sport's authorities should end their policy of showing slow motion replays of incidents of foul play on the big screen in stadiums.

Six Nations rugby is back for its penultimate round, each with a Southern referee.

INTERVIEW: After two wins from two in this year's Super Rugby tournament as well as beating two of France's powerhouses in the pre-season, the Sharks are in a buoyant mood ahead of their clash with the Stormers.

NEWS: Australia Sevens will have a fresh look at the Vancouver leg of the World Sevens Series after head coach Andy Friend made a handful of changes to his squad that finished runners-up in Las Vegas.

Graeme College of Grahamstown is hosting its annual rugby day on Saturday, March 12.

The 21st Annual St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival takes place over the Easter weekend - March 24- 28.

NEWS: The Chiefs headed for South Africa without their star All Black lock Brodie Retallick.

NEWS: The Bulls enjoy the first of their two mid-season byes this week, before resuming their Super Rugby campaign next week.

NEWS: Back row forward Antoine Burban will miss France's last two Six Nations matches against Scotland and England due to a head injury.

Some may think that it's summer and temperatures around the country seem to confirm that but not rugby.

NEWS: Clermont flyhalf Camille Lopez will be sidelined for at least six weeks after suffering multiple fractures to his face in an accidental head collision.

NEWS: Fraser Brown, Alex Dunbar and Henry Pyrgos have been drafted into the Scotland squad ahead of Sunday's Six Nations match against France.

NEWS: The Southern Kings received a timely boost ahead of their Super Rugby showdown with the Chiefs in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

NEWS: The Brumbies have escaped relatively unscathed from the brutal encounter with the Waratahs at the weekend.

NEWS: Hurricanes captain Dane Coles and fellow All Black Nehe Milner-Skudder are both in a race against time to prove their fitness ahead of their team's meeting with Blues on Friday.

EXCLUSIVE: rugby365 law guru Paul Dobson reviews the two penalty tries against the Blitzboks in their semifinal defeat to Australia - the first one being an "erroneous" call.

NEWS: Uncapped Munster flank Jack O'Donoghue has been called up by Ireland for the country's two remaining Six Nations fixtures against Italy and Scotland.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: After their impressive 36-32 away win over the Chiefs in Hamilton, it is no surprise that the Lions dominate rugby365's famous selection for Round Two of Super Rugby.

NEWS: Wales have called up Ospreys scrumhalf Rhys Webb ahead of Saturday's crunch Six Nations clash with England.

INTERVIEW: England centre Jonathan Joseph admits last September's World Cup loss to Wales still rankles with many in the squad ahead of their crucial Six Nations rematch this weekend.

REACTION: Australia Sevens suffered their second successive Cup Final defeat when they went down 15-21 to Series leaders Fiji in Las Vegas.

South African Sevens captain Kyle Brown speaks about his team's dramatic and controversial exit at the semifinal stage of the Las Vegas Sevens.

REACTION: Springbok Sevens captain Kyle Brown was left disappointment by their lack of discipline which cost them a place in the Cup Final of the Las Vegas tournament.

NEWS: World Rugby has announced the pools for the sixth round of the World Rugby Sevens Series in Vancouver, Canada, to be played on March 12-13.

NEWS: Leicester forward Ed Slater and Northampton centre Luther Burrell were Sunday called into England's training squad for next weekend's Six Nations clash with Wales.

NEWS: Reds head coach Richard Graham has been released from the remainder of his contract with immediate effect after the Brisbane side started the 2016 Super Rugby season with two straight losses.

SEVENS WRAP: Fiji stole a march on their main rivals in the Sevens World Series by winning the Las Vegas leg on Sunday.

DAY THREE WRAP: Australia will meet Fiji in the Cup Final at the Las Vegas leg of the Sevens World Series on Sunday.

TOP 14 WRAP: European champions Toulon saw a three-game winning run ended by La Rochelle in a 14-19 defeat on Sunday that prevented the big-spending club from reclaiming top spot in the Top 14.

PREMIERSHIP REPORT: Leicester Tigers weathered a second-half storm to notch to secure a 31-27 bonus-point victory over the high-flying Exeter Chiefs.

PRO12 REPORT: A first-half blitz ensured Glasgow Warriors maintain their impeccable recent home record with a 27-20 victory over Cardiff Blues at Scotstoun.

REACTION: A frank chat with head coach Rafael Ibanez proved key to Adam Ashley-Cooper running riot with a hat-trick of tries for Bordeaux-Begles against Oyonnax.

NEWS: Sonny Bill Williams is returning to New Zealand after a leg injury ruled him out of contention for next weekend's Canada Sevens in Vancouver.

REACTION: Stormers head coach Robbie Fleck says his team were not accurate enough in their hard-fought 20-10 win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

NEWS: Star centres Harold Vorster and Lionel Mapoe are heading home for different reasons ahead of the Lions' Super Rugby clash with defending champions the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday.

NEWS: Waratahs hooker Silatolu Latu has been suspended for one week for punching in his team's 15-32 loss to the Brumbies on Friday.

REACTION: Sharks Director of Rugby Gary Gold said their 19-15 win over the Jaguares on Saturday was crucial a one in their bid to make the play-offs this season.

REPORT: Agustin Ormaechea scored on five penalty kicks and converted two tries to give Uruguay a 29-25 home victory Saturday over the United States that ensured Argentina captured the inaugural Americas Rugby Championship.

REACTION: Jaguares flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez said that he was "upset" with the way they allowed the Sharks to beat them in their Round Two Super Rugby match in Durban on Saturday.

LAS VEGAS SEVENS DAY TWO WRAP: The BlitzBoks defeated New Zealand 14-7 in their Cup quarterfinal match on Saturday in Las Vegas to book a semifinal showdown with Australia at the USA event.

PRO12 WRAP: Leinster were made to work hard to preserve their 100 percent home winning record in the Pro12 with a 19-16 victory over the Ospreys.

TOP 14 WRAP: Replacement Jean-Baptiste Pejoine charged down a last-gasp Sebastien Bezy conversion from under the posts to earn Brive a draw in a 21-all stalemate with Toulouse on Saturday.

REACTION: The Highlanders admitted their were a touch fortunate to emerge with a one-point win over the Hurricanes in a replay of last year's Super Rugby Final.

SATURDAY WRAP: Northampton Saints produced a fine display as they saw off Premiership leaders Saracens 20-15 at Allianz Park to move back into the Top Four.

REPORT: The Sharks gave the Super Rugby newcomers, the Jaguares, a taste of reality - as they beat them 19-15 in Durban on Saturday.

REPORT: The Stormers did enough to beat the Cheetahs 20-10 in a disappointing Super Rugby match in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

REACTION: Lions coach Johan Ackermann said his victorious team still has "lots" to improve on.

REPORT: The Bulls eased past the Rebels to record a 45-25 Super Rugby win over their Australian rivals in Pretoria on Saturday.

REPORT: The Western Force managed to get back in the winner's circle when they beat the Reds 22-6 in a dour Super Rugby encounter in Brisbane on Saturday.

REPORT: Hayden Parker kicked a pressure penalty five minutes from time as the defending champion Highlanders edged the Hurricanes 17-16 in Dunedin on Saturday.

LAS VEGAS SEVENS DAY ONE WRAP: New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa and Australia have confirmed their spots in the Cup quarterfinals after the opening two rounds of matches in Las Vegas.

REPORT: The Lions broke their duck in Hamilton when they beat the Chiefs 36-32 in an eight-try Super Rugby thriller on Saturday.

NEWS: Tevita Kuridrani of the Brumbies has been issued with a citing commissioner warning for foul play.

TOP 14 REPORT: France wing Noa Nakaitaci scored a hat-trick as Clermont went top of the French Top 14 table with a 45-12 bonus point rout of Grenoble on Friday.

PRO12 FRIDAY WRAP: Connacht extended their lead at the top of the Pro12 table with a 28-23 victory away to Edinburgh, who secured a losing bonus point with the final kick of the game.

PREMIERSHIP REPORT: Worcester Warriors leapfrogged Newcastle Falcons in the Premiership table after Craig Willis' late missed conversion saw the visitors record a rare 15-14 away victory at Kingston Park.

IN DIE KOLLIG: Cheetahs kaptein Francois Venter se sy span sal die regte ingesteldheid moet hê indien hulle die Stormers Saterdag in Bloemfontein wil afransel.

NEWS: The Sharks will be looking to bring the fear factor back to Kings Park this season by starting with a win against a strong Jaguares team on Saturday. Warren Fortune reports. 

NEWS: Waratahs hooker Silatolu Latu has been cited for foul play in his team's 15-32 loss to the Brumbies on Friday.

NEWS: Jurie Roux is on the rise, after months of being bombarded by negative criticism over allegations of mismanagement of funds during his time at Stellenbosch University.

NEWS: Stormers head coach Robbie Fleck says his team will have to be more patient on attack against a tricky Cheetahs outfit in Bloemfontein on Saturday. Warren Fortune reports.

NEWS: Ospreys' Welsh international prop Aaron Jarvis has penned a two-year deal with Clermont.

TOP 14 SPOTLIGHT: Clermont can regain the leadership of the French Top 14 on Friday before defending champions Stade Francais, big-spending Racing 92 and Toulouse attempt to exorcise last week's morale-sapping defeats.

NEWS: Counties Manukau duo, Josh van Lieshout and Sione Molia will make their All Blacks Sevens debuts at the fifth leg of the World Sevens Series in Las Vegas.

REPORT: The Brumbies stayed the top of the Australian conference with an hard-earn 32-15 win over the Waratahs in their Super Rugby showdown in Canberra on Friday.

NEWS: Canada is set to 'Rise as One' as Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto are set to host Japan, Russia and Italy as part of the annual June International Series.

NEWS: Six-time Super Rugby finalists, the Brumbies and French Top 14 giants Stade Francais have added a significant boost to the World Club 10s taking place in Mauritius in June 2016.

REPORT: The Crusaders brought the Blues down to earth with a bang as they beat them 28-13 in their Super Rugby showdown in Christchurch on Friday.

PREVIEW: Bath's backline may not be striking with the same ruthlessness as last season but with the forwards delivering the goods up front, Ross Batty is confident they can rediscover their title-challenging form.

NEWS: The Hurricanes were forced into a late change to their team to face the Highlanders in a Super Rugby Round Two match.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT. Jan de Koning looks at the Saturday matches in Part Two of Super Rugby's Round Two.

NEWS: Clermont backs Wesley Fofana and Scott Spedding were recalled into the France squad for the Six Nations clash against Scotland in Edinburgh on March 13.

NEWS: Former England captain Bill Beaumont said he intends to run for the post of World Rugby Chairman.

PREVIEW: With only six rounds left for most of the teams in the Pro12, the race for the play-offs and European Champions Cup 2016/17 qualification is intensifying.

NEWS: The Executive Council of the South African Rugby Union revealed that Jurie Roux retains their unanimous support to continue in his role as the organisation's CEO.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Jaguares coach Raúl Perez has been forced into making changes to his team or their Super Rugby showdown with the Sharks.

The Springbok Sevens are very aware of the threat posed by their three pool opponents for this weekend’s Las Vegas Sevens, which kicks off on Saturday.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: The Melbourne Rebels have made two changes for their Round Two Super Rugby meeting with the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.

REACTION: Leading players hit back after over 70 doctors and medical experts called on the British government to ban tackling in school rugby matches.

NEWS: Bernard Lapasset will stand down as head of Rugby Union's governing body this year to concentrate on leading the Paris bid to secure the 2024 Olympics.

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Sevens Springbok Johannes Prinsloo has been dropped to the bench by the Cheetahs.