Backrower Wallace Sititi has capped off a breakout year in style, being crowned the All Blacks’ best player at the ASB Rugby Awards.
Exclusion drove Stockdale daft and it needed the lay-off that came with a January 2022 ankle operation for him to finally realise he was too caught up by it all. Nearly three years later, he is mentally in a very different place when it comes to his rugby.
The Chiefs coaches have stuck to their word, rewarding two of the most impressive performers in last weekend's dead-rubber loss to the Blues with places in the matchday 23 for the Super Rugby Aotearoa grand final against the Crusaders.
Lippy players can sometimes get the better of referees, but Jaco Peyper had the last say at the weekend.
Luke Jacobson, despite having little experience at international or even Super Rugby level, was selected to travel to Japan with the All Blacks. The dream of playing at a World Cup was shattered, however, when concussion struck the talented loose forward.
There were wins for Ulster and Edinburgh over the Scarlets and Newcastle Falcons in the European Champions Cup on Friday.
An Ed Fidow hat-trick helped Samoa take a giant stride towards Pool A at Rugby World Cup 2019 following a comfortable 66-15 first-leg play-off victory over Germany in Apia on Saturday - report World Rugby.
At the U18 level, dedicated fans may know of a handful of players coming through at their club, province or region, but their knowledge of talents from other teams or nations is minimal. This is the beginning of the spotlight-shining process.
Remember back at the start of the year when World Rugby decided to crack down on high tackles? If you do, you’re doing better than referee Jaco van Heerden.