The road to Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand continues with the opening qualifying match in Africa on Sunday 11 May when Cameroon play Nigeria in Yaounde in a match that will kick off a two-year qualification process in the region.
The IRB has announced that Japan will host the IRB Junior World Championship in 2009. The awarding of the Tournament, which will bring together the world¿s best U20 teams, is a significant boost to the continued development of Rugby in Asia.
The International Rugby Board Council has approved a new £48m Strategic Investment Programme for the 2009-2012 period.
Trinidad and Tobago won the Caribbean Rugby Championship on Saturday to book their place in the next round of qualifying for Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand.
Trinidad & Tobago will play Guyana in the final of the Caribbean Rugby World Cup 2011 qualifying tournament on Saturday after the two sides won their respective Cup semi finals against Barbados and Bermuda in Georgetown.
Trinidad & Tobago were the victors of the first IRB Rugby World Cup 2011 qualifying match, overcoming Cayman Islands 39-12 at the Truman Bodden Stadium in Georgetown, Grand Cayman.
Former All Black lock Andy Haden has dismissed the New Zealand Rugby Union's (NZRU) review of the 2007 World Cup campaign as "a complete and total waste of time".
It has now been six months since that black night in Cardiff and the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) has released its review on Thursday justifying the premature World Cup exit.
An eight-team tournament, featuring the Under-20 squads of Georgia, Romania, Chile - the hosts, Korea, Uruguay, Jamaica, Namibia, and the Cook Islands, comprising 208 players in total, kicked off in Santiago, Chile, on Tuesday.
The IRB is considering taking on a number of top referees into permanent employment, a move similar to unions or franchises centrally contracting their players.
Qualification for the 2011 Rugby World Cup will begin on April 20 in the Cayman Islands, with the 2008 Caribbean Championship doubling as a qualification event.
SA Rugby's managing director Jonathan Stones has indicated South Africa could bid to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
NZRU chief executive Steve Tew has defended the national team after Wales coach Warren Gatland accused the All Blacks of failing to do enough homework on their opponents.
The Argentinian Rugby Union has revealed that bidding to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup is not a priority.
Auckland will host both 2011 Rugby World Cup semi-finals in addition to the final it has been announced by the event's organisers after Christchurch conceded that it would not be logistically possible to hold the semi-finals in differents cities.