Two-time Springbok Rugby World Cup winner Handre Pollard has defined why coach Rassie Erasmus has been so successful in keeping the South Africans' winning consistency in recent seasons.

Recently retired and most capped All Black lock Sam Whitelock and two former All Blacks coaches, Ian Foster and John Hart, have received New Year Honours.

Ben O'Keeffe will become the first New Zealand referee to reach 50 Tests when whistling the Ireland-England Six Nations Test in Dublin on February 1. Glenn Newman will be the TMO in the game, and ...