🏉 LIPPY'S BLOG

The All Blacks beat the Wallabies 50-19 at Eden Park to keep the Bledisloe Cup for a 24th straight year. Northampton beat Bath 71-48 in an 18-try epic, Canterbury, Northland, Otago and Taranaki reach the NPC semifinals, and Dupont leads Toulouse back to the top of the Top 14...

Gloucester run in eight tries in a 48-0 demolition of Harlequins as Bristol stun champions Northampton. Canterbury finish top of the NPC and the quarterfinals are set, while Counties Manukau keep the Ranfurly Shield for the summer. Toulouse lead the Top 14 and the Sharks top the URC after beating Leinster...

One of the most extraordinary Test finishes ever. The Wallabies beat the Springboks 42-38 in Perth, leading 42-17 before being reduced to 11 men by four yellow cards, allowing the Boks to score 21 unanswered. England beat the Black Ferns 26-19 in front of 50,000-plus at Twickenham. The Premiership, Top 14 and URC all kick off their new seasons...

Japan dethrone Fiji 20-15 in Tokyo to claim the Pacific Nations Cup, their fourth title and first since 2019. Three sides tied on 32 points in the NPC after Bay of Plenty upset Hawke's Bay. A leaked NZR document reveals NRL now draws more NZ viewing hours than Super Rugby and the NPC combined...

The Springboks win Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series 3-1 with a 43-28 victory in Baltimore before the largest rugby crowd in North American history. Griquas retain the Currie Cup. North Harbour end Hawke's Bay's unbeaten NPC run with a stunning late comeback...

The Springboks take a 2-1 series lead after 29-24 win at FNB Stadium in Soweto before 85,976 fans. Savea, Jacobson and Tupaea ruled out of Baltimore. Kolbe out for South Africa with a broken jaw. The Wallabies draw in Mendoza but claim a historic first series win in Argentina. Griquas vs Pumas in the Currie Cup Final...

The Springboks level the series 1-1 at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, winning 33-26. Kolbe's boot the difference. Du Toit's 100th Test. Erasmus switches his entire front row less than an hour before kick-off. The Wallabies win in Argentina to go 3-0 under Kiss...

The All Blacks have announced themselves again as the World No 1 team. Arriving at Ellis Park as underdogs, they produced a masterclass in pressure absorption to win 33-16. Five tries to one. The series lead is 1-0. Test 2 is in Cape Town...

The All Blacks shut out the Sharks 54-0 as Ma'a Nonu delivers an unforgettable haka. The Bulls are beaten 50-19 at altitude. The injury toll mounts. Richie Mo'unga is already in South Africa. Test 1 at Ellis Park is this Saturday. The Wallabies sweep Japan. Griquas and Cheetahs locked at the top...

Rugby's Greatest Rivalry begins in Cape Town. The All Blacks survive a fierce Stormers examination. South Africa edge Argentina 17-10 with Siya Kolisi limping off. The Wallabies win a thriller in Osaka. And Ma'a Nonu, at 44, prepares to face his former team in Durban...

Griquas knock the Cheetahs off the top in a Kimberley thriller. The Lions thump the Bulls to lead the Currie Cup. Michael Cheika confirmed as Waratahs head coach. The All Blacks have landed in South Africa and the tour begins Friday...

The Cheetahs lead the Currie Cup, powered by an extraordinary Faf de Klerk. Richie Mo'unga returns for Canterbury and Dave Rennie takes note. Rugby's Greatest Rivalry begins Friday: the All Blacks tour South Africa for the first time in 30 years...

The July Nations Championship block concludes with South Africa and New Zealand standing alone at the top. The Junior Springboks retain their world title, Georgia and the USA complete perfect Nations Cup phases, and Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour looms on the horizon...

Will Jordan breaks the All Blacks try-scoring record with his 50th Test try, Henry Pollock announces himself to the world with a hat-trick off the bench, and France produce a stunning comeback to beat Australia in Brisbane. The Junior World Championship semi-finals are set...

The inaugural Nations Championship delivers 54 tries across six matches as the international season roars to life. The All Blacks survive a France ambush, South Africa bully England, and Scotland stun Argentina. Plus Junior World Championship updates and the Bledisloe Anzac Day announcement...

Toulouse claim an historic fourth consecutive Top 14 title, Wales edge a thriller against the Barbarians in George North's farewell, and the Junior World Championship kicks off in Georgia. Plus a full preview of next weekend's inaugural Nations Championship...

Three trophies decided in three days. Leinster go back-to-back as URC champions, Northampton claim a dramatic Premiership title, and the Hurricanes produce one of the great Grand Final performances in Super Rugby history. Plus the Top 14 final is set and the Chicago Hounds complete a perfect season...

Finals weekend is set. Northampton demolished Leicester in a Premiership classic, Exeter produced a stunning comeback to beat Bath, the Chiefs shellacked the Crusaders 49-12, and the Hurricanes blew the Blues away to set up an epic Super Rugby final...

The Bulls overturn a 21-3 deficit to reach the URC final. New Zealand sweep all three Super Rugby qualifying finals. Kobe Steelers claim Japan's League One title in a classic. Exeter confirm the Premiership top four. And Bordeaux miss the Top 14 playoffs three weeks after winning the Champions Cup...

URC quarterfinals deliver South African dominance, Leinster demolish the Lions 59-10 with James Lowe breaking the all-time try record on his 100th appearance, Kobe Steelers set a Japan playoff record in a 69-23 demolition, and the Premiership fourth-place race goes to the final round...

Bordeaux retain the Champions Cup in a Bilbao demolition job, Montpellier sweep the Challenge Cup, the Crusaders produce one of the matches of the season against the Chiefs, Japan League One playoffs deliver extraordinary drama, and the rugby world mourns Scott Hastings...

History at Franklin's Gardens: Northampton obliterate Bristol 94-33 in the biggest win in Premiership history, the Hurricanes extend their Super Rugby lead with a dominant Eden Park win, Kobe Steelers top the Japan League One table, and Dave Rennie brings Graham Henry back into the All Blacks fold...

Cracks in the Crown: Leicester dismantles Northampton to blow the Premiership title race open, the Crusaders roar back against the Blues with Faingaʻanuku irrepressible in his hybrid role, and the Champions Cup final countdown is on: Leinster vs Bordeaux-Bègles in Bilbao...

European Knockout Drama: Leinster edge Toulon 29–25 to reach the Bilbao final, Bordeaux-Bègles dismantle Bath 38–26 with clinical width and driving maul power, the Hurricanes reclaim Super Rugby top spot, and the Reds surge into the top four...

Hearts, Minds, and Seismic Shocks: All Blacks legend Michael Jones warns Union is losing to League, Gilbert Enoka returns, NZ teams sweep Super Round at Te Kaha Stadium, Pollard's ice-cold finish, and Bath's second-string nearly topples Northampton...

The Great Leveling: Drua dismantle the Brumbies, Force stage a comeback from 19-0, Chiefs claim #1 in a golden point thriller, Moana Pasifika's exit confirmed, and Saracens shatter their own Premiership scoring record with 85 points...

Champions Cup quarter-finals deliver greatness with Bath's 84-point thriller, Bordeaux shocking Toulouse, Damian McKenzie breaking the Chiefs try-scoring record, and Lippy's view on the weekend's spectacular rugby...

Champions Cup Round of 16 delivers 626 points across eight matches, NZ teams surge in Super Rugby Pacific, and Louis Bielle-Biarrey shows why he's the best finisher in world rugby...

Japan Rugby League One keeps producing pressure games, the Waratahs' win over the Brumbies gives Australian rugby more life, and Toulouse keep setting the standard in France...

Bath laid down a Premiership marker, the Brumbies and Chiefs produced one of the matches of the season, and the Hurricanes and Blues kept the Super Rugby Pacific top-four knife fight alive...

France seal back-to-back Six Nations titles with an 82nd-minute penalty in one of the greatest matches in tournament history. Wales end a 1,000-day losing streak...

Italy's historic victory over England, Scotland's Murrayfield Miracle against France, Dave Rennie appointed All Blacks coach, and Lippy's view on the blueprint for beating the best...

Australian teams dominate Super Rugby Pacific, All Blacks coaching saga reaches critical week, Brian O'Driscoll on England's nervousness, and Lippy's view on the future...

Ireland's connectivity demolishes England 42-21, Wales' heartbreaking 26-23 loss to Scotland, witnessing Antoine Dupont's greatness, and Lippy's view on belief and culture...

Scotland stuns England to end 12-test win streak, France demolishes Wales with eight tries, Ireland survives Italian challenge, and the great "flow vs flawlessness" debate...

France's "systematic narrowness" dismantles Ireland, England demolishes Wales, Italy stuns Scotland, Japan League One's upset of the season, and Lippy's view on rugby's kicking obsession...

Ireland's prop crisis deepens, Super Rugby's law experiments begin, Rassie's "Bikini Stat" controversy, Six Nations preview, and Lippy's take on rugby's spectacle crisis...

Sharks upset unbeaten Stormers, Premiership title race heats up, Six Nations approaches, and the historic All Blacks-Springboks tour announcement...