Rugby World Cup

RTÉ coverage of Dublin riot secures biggest news viewership of 2023, with 9pm bulletin on November 23rd the 11th most-watched programme

Having signed a new contract until the end of 2025 season, this year was not a last dance for the Connacht player

The 43-year-old will remain in place for the Six Nations and the three Tests arranged for June and July, but in a new role overseeing skills and kicking

Maintaining competitive provincial and national teams is a balancing act for the IRFU but it has served Irish rugby well

Based on past experience, we IT sportswriters should probably offer advance apologies to all those we have predicted to have a mighty 2024

Sports Review 2023; A great atmosphere, a huge Irish crowd and a magnificent contest made for a truly memorable rugby occasion as Ireland defeated world champions South Africa

It was a truly memorable World Cup victory for Irish rugby but though South Africa lost that seismic battle they went on to win the war

Death of Sinéad O’Connor, Dublin riots and RTÉ pay scandal were just some of the stories to hold readers’ attention this year

Outgoing IRFU high-performance director admits lineouts weren’t as consistent as hoped for in tournament

Leinster forward says athletic profile of the province’s players mean they can fit in to Jacques Nienaber’s new system

Greek woman died and several others were hospitalised, including woman’s Irish husband, after eating homemade sardine preserves

Having digested the disappointment of missing the Rugby World Cup, the backrower is looking forward to a mouthwatering series of matches with Connacht, starting with Saturday’s meeting with Leinster - and his brother Sam

Governing bodies at centre of lawsuit, including World Rugby, criticise players’ solicitors for withholding medical records and delaying the case

Presenter’s debut eclipsed audience for Ireland’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final

Following Antoine Dupont’s decision to forgo the Six Nations for Sevens in the Olympics, eyes are turning to other players possibly following suit

Rugby is not in denial to anything like the same level nowadays but the price must still be paid for past failures to adequately protect players’ health

The World Cup final referee on how many of the perceptions of him are well wide of the mark

The spectacle is suffering, and referees are being attacked by morons, because of a broken system

Leinster's Josh van der Flier looking forward to working with new defence coach Jacques Nienaber

Cathal Meehan crowdfunding to raise money for ‘lengthy and costly’ legal action over wife’s death from botulism

Emer McLysaght: Forget ‘Girl Math’, Irish Maths is what matters when it comes to bacon fries and paying rent

Retired official says he and his family received threats on social media following World Cup final

South Africa hooker says ‘misunderstanding’ arose because Tom Curry failed to realise he was speaking Afrikaans

As is customary at the end of a four-year World Cup cycle, the level of change is more acute than at any point over the previous three seasons

The scrum has moved far from its original purpose and has become, too often, a penalty-generating machine

World Cup-winning lock suffers a third significant injury after missing nearly two years due to ACL ruptures

New Zealand skipper accepts foul play but says his tackle did not deserve a red card

IT Sunday: Food Month kicking off at The Irish Times and the fallout from the Rugby World Cup final among the events of the week

All Blacks coach Ian Foster says he is keen to continue to work with former Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt

Rugby World Cup review: France, England and New Zealand all lost to South Africa in the knockouts despite in some cases comfortably outperforming them on xP

In four World Cup Finals, or 320 minutes of rugby, South Africa have scored only two tries - but won all four games

Wayne Barnes's last match after 17-year international career was Saturday’s World Cup final

What the laws intended

Rugby World Cup peaked in the quarter-finals for attacking play

The 2027 showpiece will not break new ground so making the US a rugby hotbed in 2031 is now an unlikely mission

Best try, highs and lows and the most memorable quotes from France 2023

Springboks’ conservative game plan prevailed again and whatever about enjoying watching them, no one can enjoy playing against them

Many players now play about a 60-minute version of the sport, to be replaced by equally huge men who play even less

The Offload: Rugby has a problem if attacking is bad for you - Ireland’s resilience pays off with WXV3 title

Handré Pollard replaced the injured Malcolm Marx and steered them home with unerring kicking displays