Former All Black great Tana Umaga is to return to New Zealand and leave his post as a member of the backroom staff of France Top 14 club Toulon.

In 12 months time, the best rugby nations from around the world will venture to New Zealand for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The question is, who’ll be world champions?

Sonny Bill Williams is set to become the greatest modern day dual code forward to represent his native country. While that may sound impressive, the fact is that the honors list of is not that honorable. At least in size.

Western Force have replaced a former Springbok with a former All Black in a bid to solve their Super 14 woes in the key five-eighth position.

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw is to miss the first three rounds of the Super 14 competition on a “sabbatical”.

There is plenty of talk about the likes of Carl Hayman, Aaron Mauger, Chris Jack, and even Byron Kelleher and Jerry Collins returning to the shores of New Zealand with ambitions to force their way back into the All Blacksx squad.

Ex-All Black Aaron Mauger is heading back to New Zealand with a cool eye fixed firmly on recapturing his former postings in the Canterbury Crusaders and the All Blacks. Playing at second 5/8, he was a pivotal player for both the Crusaders and All Blacks with 45 caps in the latter.

Former All Black Sosene Anesi has been given first crack at the highly contentious Waratahs fullback position in their opening rugby union trial of the season this Saturday against Queensland in Lismore.

Watching the Test match on a Saturday afternoon in 2008 between the All Blacks and South Africa, I was impressed with the non-stop tear-away speed of the game brought about by the inclusion of the ELVs.

Former All Blacks five-eighth Carlos Spencer has agreed to leave English Premiership side Gloucester to take up a player-coach role with South African Super 14 club the Lions.

Australia is highly likely to play a Bledisloe Cup match in Asia again this year, but it will almost certainly be the last time the Wallabies and All Blacks clash four times in a calendar year.

The steal of the 2003 World Cup from New Zealand, at least partially, was a major coup for the Australian rugby community.

Whenever we watch a game of pro rugby, in whichever league or competition, it’s no great surprise when somebody has to go to the blood bin for tape or stitches.

One hundred Tests won in a decade of rugby, yet still the long faces from All Blacks supporters. The past 10 years has seen one team dominate the international landscape more than any team in the game’s history.

Being an Aussie who cheers for the Wallabies and admires the All Blacks, I never thought I’d be rooting for the Boks over either team, but I certainly did while watching Invictus.

The New Zealand Rugby Union and the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association have agreed terms for a new collective employment agreement for 2010 to 2012.

After Hoy’s excellent Wallaby side of the decade, I’ve put together an All Blacks side of the decade. A couple of players had played their best rugby before 2000, but are deserved nevertheless.

Hoy’s recent post about the Wallaby team of the decade sparked a debate in my mind about an equivalent All Black team of the decade. However in my mind there wasn’t a great deal of debate or difficulty in selecting the majority of the team that played from 2003 – 2007.

All the public analysis, examination, and scrutiny that a ten or fourteen team National Provincial Competition (NPC) should get has been rubbished by Graham Henry.

Five rugby Test wins and a strengthened team culture has left All Blacks coach Graham Henry a happy man at the end of the northern hemisphere tour.