Fullback Ayumu Goromaru is hopeful that his move to French club Toulon will pave the way for more Japanese rugby players to play in Europe.

Japanese poster boy Ayumu Goromaru is expected to draw one of Queensland Reds' biggest crowds of the Super Rugby season when he faces the Tokyo-based Sunwolves on Saturday.

The New South Wales Waratahs urged Wallabies star Kurtley Beale to stay put on Friday after he reportedly accepted an offer from Wasps that would make him the highest paid player in English rugby.

South Africa’s Rugby World Cup-winning scrum-half Fourie du Preez announced his retirement on his 34th birthday on Thursday, ending a 15-year professional career that included world, southern hemisphere and Super Rugby titles for a player rated at one time the best number nine in the world.

It has been a tough start to Super Rugby life for the Sunwolves and it might well get worse before it gets any better, according to Sanzaar boss Andy Marinos.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen confirmed the first of his major rebuilding decisions following back-to-back World Cup victories with the naming of Kieran Read as the next national captain on Friday, replacing the retired Richie McCaw.

Former Ireland captain Paul O’Connell has retired from all rugby on medical grounds with immediate effect, the lock announced on Tuesday.

The Americas Rugby Championship, a second-tier competition for the six best northern and southern American rugby union national teams, kicks off Saturday with regional power Argentina taking on the United States in Houston.

Controversial Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley is the frontrunner to succeed Chris Robshaw as England’s Six Nations captain with an announcement due on Monday, British media reported Friday.

Former England centre Sam Burgess was on Saturday hailed a hero in Australia after he reportedly helped a man choking on a piece of seafood.

Celebrated All Blacks captain Richie McCaw has sidestepped a knighthood and been awarded New Zealand’s supreme honour – the Order of New Zealand – which recognises the country’s “most respected people”.

Watch World Rugby’s video review of 2015 featuring a top-class selection of the year’s best Garryowens, grubbers, dummies and dumps from the Six Nations, Sevens World Series, Asia Rugby Championship, World U20s Trophy, Olympic qualifiers, Rugby Championship and, of course, the Rugby World Cup.

New Zealander Mark Hammett was confirmed as the inaugural coach of Japan’s new Super Rugby team the Sunwolves on Monday, unveiled at a news conference just over two months before their maiden match.

Japanese rugby pin-up Ayumu Goromaru, one of the stars of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, has added a new weapon to his already formidable arsenal after being made a certified “Master of Ninjas”.

France's most-capped player Thierry Dusautoir retired from international rugby on Friday after a career which saw him play 80 times and skipper his country on 56 occasions.

Heyneke Meyer has decided to stand down as coach after four years in charge of the Springboks.

Double World Cup-winner Dan Carter arrived in Paris on Friday and immediately said he moved to France to continue the success he achieved with New Zealand and the Canterbury Crusaders back in his homeland.

A golden Buddha in Japan has attracted new – and unexpected – attention from rugby fans who are thronging to the religious icon to witness in person the hand gesture it shares with their beloved Rugby World Cup hero Ayumu Goromaru.

Eddie Jones has insisted there will be no conflict of loyalties when he coaches England against his native Australia for the first time next year.

Queen Elizabeth II offered her condolences over Jonah Lomu's death Friday as the rugby legend's family revealed they were planning a send-off as big as the great man himself.

England on Friday named Australian Eddie Jones as their first foreign head coach with the task of reviving the national team after their Rugby World Cup disaster.

Retiring All Black skipper Richie McCaw is known by many names to Kiwi rugby fans – “Captain Fantastic”, “The Real McCaw”, “Richie McAwesome” – but team-mates simply call him GOAT: Greatest Of All Time. After 15 years at the top, the 34-year-old bowed out on Thursday on an unprecedented 148 test caps.

News of the death of former All Blacks winger Jonah Lomu on Wednesday has been met with great sadness around the world, but with this collection of highlights videos we hope to pay tribute to the life of the New Zealand rugby legend who was a giant on the pitch and a gent off it.

Rugby legend Jonah Lomu, who died unexpectedly on Wednesday from kidney disease aged 40, launched his career at the Hong Kong Sevens - and he never forgot it.

Rugby legend Jonah Lomu, the game's first global superstar whose speed and power terrorised opponents, died unexpectedly on Wednesday aged 40, the player's family and New Zealand Rugby said.

Richie McCaw, the double World Cup-winning captain of the All Blacks, is expected to confirm his decision to retire from rugby this week, New Zealand media reported on Sunday.

Montpellier boss Jake White insists he won't take part in a drawn-out application process for the vacant England head coach role.

Australia's Israel Folau will be sidelined for three months, officials said Thursday as they confirmed he will need surgery for an ankle injury sustained during the Rugby World Cup.