Missed anything? Catch up with all the news from the last week in rugby union
Monday 3rd August
Wales’s George North’s return to rugby has been delayed by a further three weeks. The Welsh wing has not played since he was knocked out playing for Northampton in March, which was his third concussion in four months.
Argentina have dropped eight starters from the recent hammering by Australia for the 2015 Rugby Championship Test against South Africa in Durban on Saturday.
Tuesday 4th August
Cian Healy is set to return for Ireland at the end of August as the prop continues his recovery from neck surgery
Stuart Lancaster insists the path has been cleared for Danny Cipriani to play his way into England’s World Cup squad after he was re-bailed until November having been arrested on suspicion of drink driving.
Fiji fired a warning shot to their Rugby World Cup rivals with a flashy attacking performance to defeat Samoa 39-29 and win the Pacific Nations Cup.
Tonga claimed third place with a hard-fought 31-20 victory against Japan in Burnaby.
AJ MacGinty scored a drop goal in the 80th minute as the United States downed Canada 15-13 in the fifth-place game.
Wednesday 5th August
Jean de Villiers will captain the Springboks when South Africa host Argentina at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday.
Thursday 6th August
The Wallabies are set to start David Pocock and Michael Hooper against All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw as they look to reduce his usefulness. McCaw will have a big stage to equal Brian O’Driscoll’s world’s most-capped rugby player record when he makes his 141st cap in the Rugby Championship decider against Australia in Sydney on Saturday.
Friday 7th August
France Skipper Thierry Dusautoir is a doubt for next weekend’s World Cup warm-up match against England owing to a knee injury.
Saturday 8th August
Nic White’s late scoring burst gave Australia a memorable 27-19 triumph over New Zealand to secure the Rugby Championship in Sydney.
Argentina made history by beating South Africa for the first time with an impressive 37-25 win in Durban on Saturday.
Ireland had a dream start to their World Cup preparations as they notched five tries in an imposing 35-21 victory over Wales at the Millennium Stadium.
Sunday 9th August
South Africa captain Jean de Villiers will be out for at least four weeks with a fractured jaw he sustained in his side’s defeat by Argentina.