Now that rugby union fans have fully recovered from a chaotic Rugby Championship 2024 and turned their attention to domestic club competitions across Europe, some interesting international news has started to trickle in.

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Whether for Autumn Nations 2024 or Six Nations in February 2025, international teams and World Rugby are always preparing for the next big thing. 

With that in mind, some interesting news tidbits this week include Emerging Ireland sweeping through South Africa, Kurt-Lee Arendse heading to Japan and rule changes by World Rugby.

Here's what to know:

Emerging Ireland Rugby Picks Up Series Win

Led by Andrew Osborne and Sam Prendergrast, Emerging Ireland won all three of its games at the Toyota Challenge, topping Airlink Pumas, Western Force and the Toyota Cheetahs. 

The Irish youngsters notably came back from a halftime deficit against the Cheetahs to close out and win the series. 

As the name suggests, many of these players are the future of Irish Rugby, including Prendergrast, who could be the next great No. 10 for Ireland, James Culhane and Osborne (brother of Jamie), who all three play club rugby for Leinster. 

Another successful Emerging Ireland Tour - well done lads! 🙌🇿🇦#TeamOfUs pic.twitter.com/opCn9xjVHI

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) October 9, 2024

World Rugby Laws Trials

World Rugby is aiming to make some notable amendments to the laws of the game, in an effort to speed up play and avoid unnecessary stoppages. The changes will be trialed in upcoming domestic and international competitions. See the proposed changes below. 

• Reduced conversion time: Conversion attempts limited to 60 seconds, aligning with penalty kicks and quickening game pace.
• 30-second scrum and lineout limit: Scrums and lineouts must be set within 30 seconds, managed by the referee.
• Marking inside the 22m line: Players can now mark the ball inside the 22-metre line from a restart, encouraging more contestable kick-offs.
• Single-stop mauls: The ball must be played after one stoppage in a maul, improving game flow.
• Play-on in uncontested lineouts: Play will continue if the ball is not thrown straight during uncontested lineouts, reducing unnecessary breaks.
• Protection of the scrum-half: Enhanced protection for the scrum-half at scrums, rucks and mauls encourages fluid open play.

All Blacks XV Name Squad For Northern Tour

The All Blacks XV has named its squad for a short tour of Europe that will consist of two matches against Munster (in Limerick) and Georgia (In Montpellier, France), on Nov. 3 and 11. 

Notable names include Josh Lord of Chiefs, Georgia Bower of Crusaders and Noah Hotham, who made his All Blacks debut against Fiji in San Diego.

Here's the full squad:

Forwards

Props

• Xavier Numia (25 / Hurricanes / Wellington)
• George Dyer (24 / Chiefs / Waikato)
• Saula Ma’u (24 / Highlanders / Otago)
• Marcel Renata (30 / Blues / Auckland)
• George Bower (32 / Crusaders / Otago)

Hookers

• Brodie McAlister (27 / Crusaders / Canterbury)
• Kurt Eklund (32 / Blues / Bay of Plenty)
• Bradley Slater (26 / Chiefs / Taranaki)

Locks

• Josh Lord (23 / Chiefs / Taranaki)
• Fabian Holland (21 / Highlanders / Otago)
• Isaia Walker-Leawere (27 / Hurricanes / Hawke’s Bay)
• Naitoa Ah Kuoi (25 / Chiefs / Bay of Plenty)

Loose Forwards

• Du’Plessis Kirifi (27 / Hurricanes / Wellington)
• Peter Lakai (21 / Hurricanes / Wellington)
• Hoskins Sotutu (26 / Blues / Counties Manukau)
• Oliver Haig (22 / Highlanders / Otago)
• Christian Lio-Willie (26 / Crusaders / Otago)

Backs

Halfbacks

• Noah Hotham (21 / Crusaders / Tasman)
• Finlay Christie (29 / Blues / Tasman)

First Five-Eighths

• Harry Plummer (26 / Blues / Auckland)
• Josh Jacomb (23 / Chiefs / Taranaki)

Midfielders

• Quinn Tupaea (25 / Chiefs / Waikato)
• Riley Higgins (22 / Hurricanes / Wellington)
• AJ Lam (26 / Blues / Auckland)
• Dallas McLeod (25 / Crusaders / Canterbury)

Outside Backs

• Kiniviliame Naholo (25 / Hurricanes / Taranaki)
• Emoni Narawa (25 / Chiefs / Bay of Plenty)
• Chay Fihaki (23 / Crusaders / Canterbury)
• Shaun Stevenson (27 / Chiefs / North Harbour)

Kurt-Lee Arendse Heads To Japan

Happy trails to Kurt-Lee Arendse, who will head to Japan Rugby League One this season to play for the Sagamihara Dynaboars. Arendse leaves the Vodacom Bulls, whom he helped to the URC final last season. 

Arendse, who is considered one of the best players in the world, is not the first South African to decamp to Japan. 

While it's often not permanent, as many players return to Europe or South Africa - Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Malcom Marx and Jasper Wiese all have played, or are playing, in Japan. 

🟢カート=リー・アレンゼ選手加入のお知らせ🟢

ワールドカップ優勝メンバーの南アフリカ代表選手がやってくる！

◾️カート=リー・アレンゼ
Kurt-Lee ARENDSE

🇿🇦第32回オリンピック競技大会（2020／東京）代表
南アフリカ代表（22キャップ)

🔗詳細https://t.co/Q1gdu8W6CS pic.twitter.com/SIPRvbw3aD

— 三菱重工相模原ダイナボアーズ (@DYNABOARS) October 8, 2024

World Rugby Rankings 2024

1. Ireland, 92.12
2. South Africa, 91.77
3. New Zealand, 88.70
4. France, 86.96
5. England, 85.40
6. Argentina, 83.40
7. Scotland, 82.82
8. Italy, 78.98
9. Fiji, 79.64
10. Australia, 79.32
11. Wales, 76.04
12. Georgia, 74.10
13. Samoa, 72.69
14. Japan, 73.31
15. Portugal, 70.61
16. Tonga, 68.12
17. Uruguay, 67.39
18. Spain, 66.29
19. USA, 65.70
20. Romania, 62.62

International Rugby Fixtures 2024 - October

Saturday, Oct. 5

• Bosnia & Herzegovina 30, Montenegro 20
• Turkey 49, Bulgaria 10
• Serbia 3, Moldova 31
• Malta 43, Cyprus 21
• Denmark 42, Finland 0

Saturday, Oct. 12

• Estonia vs. Denmark - 8 a.m. ET
• Slovenia vs. Kosovo - 9 a.m. ET

Wednesday, Oct. 16

• Paraguay vs. Colombia - 7 p.m. ET

Saturday, Oct. 19

• Finland vs. Norway - 9 a.m. ET

Thursday, Oct. 24

• Lithuania vs. Luxembourg - 5 p.m. ET
• Sweden vs. Czechia - 6 p.m. ET

Friday, Oct. 25

• Japan vs. New Zealand - 8 p.m. ET

Saturday, Oct. 26

• Norway vs. Latvia - 9 a.m. ET
• Slovakia vs. Hungary - 9 a.m. ET

Where To Watch Rugby Internationals 2024?

In the USA, FloRugby will broadcast some of the best international rugby fixtures of 2024.

South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and England will play matches on FloRugby and the FloSports app.

How To Watch The Rugby Championship 2024?

The Rugby Championship will be streaming in the United States on FloRugby and the FloSports app.

Match replays, highlights and more will be on both platforms. 

How To Watch Rugby Matches In the United States On FloRugby

FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to: 

• Investec Champions Cup
• EPCR Challenge Cup
• Currie Cup
• Top 14
• Super Rugby
• And more

FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays. 

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