Johnny Sexton’s outburst at Jaco Peyper has cost him a three-game ban - but does that stack up?

The newest twist to be proposed to the global rugby calendar is on the way - but is it actually a good thing?

The hype of the NFL draft captures the attention of America’s sporting media every year - so could a similar concept be used to give rugby some more pazazz?

The Flanker rates the players on both sides after Ireland’s 32-18 victory over England in Dublin to close out both their 2021 Six Nations campaigns.

The Springboks joining the Six Nations is one of rugby’s current hot-button issues - but would it solve the current problems, and what new ones might it create if the Rugby World Cup champions made the switch?

As Dan Leo’s powerful documentary ‘Oceans Apart: Greed, Betrayal and Pacific Rugby’ takes the game by storm, the issue of World Rugby’s outdated eligibility rules has never been more important. The Flanker examines why the rules need to be updated and how it can benefit the game of rugby across the world.

The Flanker remembers Christophe Dominici, the 67-cap France winger who was involved in two of France’s greatest ever victories, over New Zealand at both the 1999 and 2007 Rugby World Cup tournaments, who has died suddenly aged 48.

It was set for a historic day at Twickenham when Saracens arrived for the 2019 Gallagher Premiership final, chasing their second Double in four years. Up against them was familiar opposition in the Exeter Chiefs. What would transpire over the next 80 minutes defied all logic - and caused Alastair Eykyn to break Exeter hearts.

As Dave Rennie names his first Wallabies squad, fresh off the success of Super Rugby AU, he will know there are problems he needs to address to start the rebuild for Australian rugby - but how has he done so far?

The last round of Super Rugby AU set up a tantalising finals series, as the Rebels squeaked past the Force to knock out the Waratahs and set up a qualifying final date with the Reds, who in turn knocked over eventual grand final hosts the Brumbies.

The penultimate round of Super Rugby AU left the competition fascinatingly poised as the Brumbies clinched a home final by downing the Western Force, in the first Super Rugby game to be officiated by a female referee, and the Waratahs put themselves in the mix for the last spot in the finals by seeing off their direct competitors, the Melbourne Rebels.

Round 7 of Super Rugby AU was a week of acid tests, as the Waratahs looked to build on their thumping of the Reds against the Western Force and the Queenslanders took on the Melbourne Rebels as both sides looked to prove their title credentials.

If last week in Super Rugby AU saw the runners and riders separated, this was the week the pack got bunched back together as the Rebels and Waratahs put up massive first half displays to humble the unbeaten Brumbies and the Reds respectively.

As rugby makes its comeback after the coronavirus pandemic, here is your complete guide to the remaining fixtures in the 2019/20 Gallagher Premiership season.

It was a nail-biting Round 5 of Super Rugby AU, as a penalty after the siren saw the Brumbies past the Reds and the Western Force were denied a first win in Super Time by the Melbourne Rebels.

As Exeter Chiefs confirm they will not be changing the club’s branding despite protests from fans and the Native American community, The Flanker’s resident Exeter fan explains his position on the issue and the problems it could pose for the club.

Round 4 summed up Super Rugby AU so far, as the table-topping Brumbies showed their class to down the Force 24-0 while the Waratahs crumbled to a 29-10 defeat to the Rebels.

When we look back at the journey Japan has taken in rugby, there will be many places we can point to but we will never forget that it started on a day in Brighton where no-one believed in them - except themselves.

It was a classic round of what might have been in Super Rugby AU, as both the Force and the Waratahs look back on games they could have have come out of as winners but instead the Reds and Brumbies march on.

There is an ongoing narrative, stretching back all the way to the days of rugby existing purely as an amateur sport, that New Zealand are the single dominant force in world rugby - but how have they earned it?