I feel sorry for Geoff Toovey, who is paying the price for being at a dysfunctional club.

The bigger picture of the World Cup is constantly in the background but the most important thing about next weekend's game against Australia is winning.

Rugby is choking in its complexity and becoming increasingly confusing, but moments like Richie McCaw's try redress the balance, writes Wynne Gray.

I remember my first and only club rugby final. I was playing for Takapuna in the North Harbour under-19 title match against Silverdale, a team we had beaten earlier in the season in a muddy and....

Poise under pressure - three small words which capture the thrust of the All Blacks' distinction.

It's time for Israel Dagg to make way because this is Ben Smith country.

The NRL has hit the jackpot with its recent rule changes, particularly the reduction in the number of interchanges permitted.

Crikey. All it took was a couple of rolling Argentinian mauls and the rugby world is in uproar, as if no one had ever seen a pile of slowly moving bodies on a rugby field before.

There's been no mention of any other problem with Beauden Barrett.

The performance of the tight five was what impressed the most about the All Blacks during Friday night's opening Championship test in Christchurch. Justin Marshall explains.

Chris Rattue writes: Cooper is as crazy as ever and will lose more games than he wins for the Wallabies.

The All Black selectors have talked about giving everyone a lick at the World Cup and offering them all a chance to create their wish-list.

Fancy watching cricket at the Olympic Games? No thanks.

The hottest tip in thoroughbred racing is that the legal threshold level of cobalt in horses will soon be reduced from 200 micrograms per litre of urine to 100mcg.

After the motley start to this season against Samoa in Apia, tonight must be about picking up some rhythm against the Pumas, writes Wynne Gray.

If the Olympic Games golf tournament was to start today, Ryan Fox would be in the field.

It seemed a classic either/or scenario but the All Black selectors have decided they can solve the Sonny Bill Williams or Ma'a Nonu dilemma by including them both.

The classics remain in this team - the meat and potatoes of the All Blacks' degustation, the players who have satisfied even the fussiest of palates, writes Scotty Stevenson.

Comparing stars of different eras is a funny business, but it's hard to imagine there's been a player to better an on-song Serena Williams, writes David Leggat.

We were uncertain what Samoa would bring and got a strong response; we know what we expect from the All Blacks and did not get it, writes Wynne Gray.

Oh dear. What an ugly war, but there was a lesson or two dished out at Apia Park and a reminder of what World Cup games can turn into, writes Chris Rattue.

As the historic rugby tension reaches new levels today at Apia Park we need to reset marking guidelines for the All Blacks.

A decade ago, Tim Nanai-Williams' talent burned brightly enough to interest a variety of rugby scouts.

The Highlanders won the Super Rugby final because they took their opportunities when the key moments arose.

Hey mum, I want an Elliot Dixon doll for Christmas, complete with extras like his trademark electrical tape to wrap around the head.

The Apia test takes Wynne Gray back almost to the birth of Super Rugby, when the All Blacks last played midweek matches on tour.

Sympathy for the southern man is a sporting trait we find hard to shift, writes Wynne Gray.

As an exercise in convincing the world that day-night tests represent a bold future and New Zealand are damn fortunate to be at the forefront of the revolution, it was less so.

When defeat cuts the gizzard out of Australian sport they move quickly to another topic.

When Highlanders co-captain Nasi Manu wants to relax he strums his ukulele. His choice of song will vary but he might roll out something from the Lion King movie.