Ireland wing Andrew Conway admits it was a “bizarre feeling” watching his country face up against New Zealand in July after being ruled out with injury before the tour.

Although the Munster man was disappointed not to travel with Ireland, he was impressed with how well the team performed as they secured a series win in New Zealand, becoming the first northern hemisphere side to achieve the feat.

Ireland had the confidence

Conway felt that he was still part of the team all the way from Ireland but revealed it was difficult to watch at times. However, the 31-year-old said the squad always had the confidence to go and challenge the All Blacks in their backyard.

“Yeah, it is, of course it is, it’s not the most pleasant viewing in the world at times, you’re just conflicted, it’s a bizarre feeling,” Conway said.

“It’s one of the worst parts about professional sports, particularly because it’s a team game. But in saying that I think I’ve matured a lot over the last number of years where you kind of realise it doesn’t mean that lads … I know you’re not physically there but you’re massively part of the team and there is a feeling of that as well, and you throw in a little baby as well, you do see life a bit different.

“It was unbelievable to see and I remember chatting to Tadhg Beirne after the first Test and I was kind of taken aback by how confident they were.

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“I watched the first Test and New Zealand were good but they got a few gimme tries that they tend to do anyway, but I was just a bit taken aback by Tadhg saying how confident the group was.

“It was just a bit more unusual than I was expecting, and then they went out and they were spot on, the messages Faz [Andy Farrell] was giving them, by all accounts, was spot on, ‘this is here to be won’.

“And you obviously throw in the first loss, the Maori one, and it was a special, special few weeks to be involved, to be an Irish rugby fan and an Irish rugby player, to go down there and do that.

“Obviously New Zealand aren’t going that great at the moment but it’s still no joke to go down there and do that.

“Beat them once, fair enough, beat them the second time is the really tough task and they did that pretty well.”

Munster’s new set up

Munster has undergone a coaching revamp after the departure of Johann van Graan saw the arrival of Graham Rowntree as the new head coach. Conway says the Englishman has a straightforward and “authentic” approach to coaching.

“You get what you see with him, I think, he’s not going to bluff you, he’s not going to butter you up, he’s not going to tell you something to make you feel better,” he added.

“He’ll tell you how it is in a way that is authentic to him and those northern English old school rugby boys have a very good way of doing it, similar to Faz, where they can balance the toughness and the fun and get it across to you right.”

Nathan Staples and Peter Rutzler analyse the races in for 2nd, 5th and to avoid the drop in Ligue 1 this season, as we near ever closer to the season’s climax.

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Brazilian superstar and PSG attacker Neymar will undergo surgery at the end of the week after he suffered an injury to his ankle in Sunday’s Le Classique vs Marseille, the capital club have confirmed in a press release.

Neymar is suffering from an external right ankle sprain and a fissure of his fifth metatarsal.

Crucially, the player’s surgery will be led by the Brazilian national team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar, with PSG’s Professor Saillant in attendance.

For this type of procedure, the recovery time is typically 2 months.

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Australia legend Mark Ella can’t see anything other than an All Blacks victory on Thursday and lamented the current state of rugby union in the country.

The Wallabies take on New Zealand in Melbourne looking to end their barren spell against their arch-rivals.

Some believe that this is their best chance to win the Bledisloe Cup for the first time since 2002, considering their opponents’ issues this year.

Ian Foster’s men have lost four of their seven matches in 2022, including a first-ever home defeat to Argentina, but Ella still believes that the All Blacks are huge favourites for the Rugby Championship encounter.

Haven’t worked it out

“I can’t see anything changing,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“I wouldn’t have ever thought it would be 20 years. I thought we would have been smart enough to work it out by now. Obviously, we can’t for some reason.

“You can’t go this long without winning. Anybody with half a brain in rugby knows we’re not going to beat them.”

Ella also believes that little has improved over the past few years, insisting that the quality is not there in either coaches or players.

“We’re consistently bad,” he said. “The solution is we need better coaching and better players, simple as that. That’s the predicament for Rugby Australia to work out.

“You’ve actually got to deliver the goods rather than moaning or groaning that we didn’t play well and (saying) we’re learning and we’ll get better next game. That’s bulls***.”

One player who never won the Bledisloe Cup is Drew Mitchell and he admits that beating the All Blacks twice is going to be “difficult” for the current side.

“It’s not pretty reading,” said Mitchell. “Hopefully it’s this year. We’ve got to believe that. There’s desperation to get our hands back on it.

“They’re probably not as confident as they have been. If the Wallabies start like they did in Adelaide (in a 25-17 victory), then perhaps some of those doubts start to creep into the forefront of the mind.

“Some of the pressures and cracks start to get a little bit wider. But it’s going to be a difficult task.”

Australia’s last match-winner

A crucial part of Australia’s last Bledisloe Cup win was Matt Burke, who kicked a late penalty to earn a 16-14 triumph over New Zealand in 2002.

“I remind everyone at work every time I’m there. I always say ‘who kicked the goal? I can’t remember’,” Burke said. “20 years, wow. That is a long time.

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“The irony is that night I kicked two from five and became a hero. I should have been hung, drawn and quartered for kicking so s***.”

Check out the highlights from Round One of the Premiership campaign, which saw a number of impressive individual and team displays.

After the two matches on Friday were rescheduled for later in the weekend, the season began at Exeter Chiefs, London Irish and Newcastle Falcons.

Champions defeated

The Chiefs overcame defending champions Leicester Tigers, while the Exiles defeated Worcester Warriors and the Falcons went down to Harlequins.

Later on Saturday, Ellis Genge scored two tries on his Bristol return in their rearranged game against Bath as the Bears claimed a narrow win over their West Country rivals.

Victories for Gloucester and Sale Sharks followed on Sunday as the former produced a come-from-behind triumph over Wasps and the latter proved too strong for Northampton Saints in the Premiership.

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Premier League side Chelsea have very recently made an enquiry for Ivorian international midfielder and OGC Nice man Jean-Michaël Seri, according to our colleagues at L’Équipe.

The player has a gentleman’s agreement with his Ligue 1 side that will allow him to leave Les Aiglons if an offer comes in worth €40m.

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French international attacker Anthony Martial has rejected a 5-year contract extension offer from Manchester United and has decided to attempt to leave the club this summer, according to RMC.

Multiple factors have played a role in this decision, including the January signing of Alexis Sanchez to play in Martial’s current position and a difficult relationship with manager José Mourinho.

With his current contract expiring in 2019, Martial has a 1-year extension clause in the existing deal, but wants to force a move this summer – his agent is now looking for a new home for the player, with Tottenham, Atletico Madrid & Juventus all historically interested in the attacking talent.

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Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa claims that his teammate Darcy Swain is “devastated” for the damage he caused to All Black Quinn Tupaea’s knee during the Bledisloe I clash in Melbourne.

Swain was yellow carded for a dangerous clean-out that saw him make significant contact with Tupaea’s knee during the dramatic Test.

All Blacks coach Ian Foster feared an ACL injury for his player in his comments after the game, whilst many feel Swain should have been sent off for his actions.

Swain showed remorse

Alaalatoa says the incident had taken its toll on Swain, who looked distraught after the game and claimed the second-row had no intention of injuring the All Black centre.

“Seeing him after the game, mate, he was devastated,” Alaalatoa said.

“He was more devastated for Quinton (Tupaea).

“there was no intention there to injure him the way that he did.”

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This is not the first time Swain’s discipline has been in the spotlight after his red card earlier this year for a head butt on England’s Jonny Hill in the July internationals.

Granted, Hill was an instigator in that instance, but it will still be considered in his prior disciplinary record when the judicial committee decides on a ban for the Wallaby.

Wallabies showing their support

Alaalatoa says the team are supporting the second-row who has taken flack for his actions on social media as they prepare for the outcome of the judicial process.

“We definitely, as players and I think I’ve seen some of his close mates just throw their arm around him because he’s probably copping a fair bit on social media at the moment.”

“Mentally he’s doing alright but I can tell he was definitely devastated after the game for Quinton and what happened there.”

“I think he goes to the Judiciary today and then we’ll get an answer off that.”

The Wallabies travel to Eden Park for the final round of the Rugby Championship after their chances at claiming the title were dampened by a controversial time-wasting call by referee Mathieu Raynal at the end of the Bledisloe I Test. A decision that saw the Australians give up their lead in the game’s final play.

The Springboks and All Blacks are levels on points at the top of the log with only superior points difference, leaving the New Zealanders at the top of the pile.

Flanker Josh Navidi has praised his fellow Wales back-row Taulupe Faletau following the number eight’s outstanding Cardiff debut at the weekend.

Faletau was deservedly named player of the match as Dai Young’s men overcame Munster 20-13 in their United Rugby Championship opener.

The 31-year-old is a new signing at the Arms Park and Navidi, who can now call him a team-mate at both regional and international level, hailed his “world-class” qualities.

Wow factor

“He’s outstanding and consistent,” The flanker told the BBC.

“It’s the stuff you don’t see – a lot of the stuff he does off the ball. Playing with him, you notice. He’s world-class.

“It makes it a lot easier for whoever is alongside him to do their job. He adds that wow factor to our pack and our team.”

Faletau is already a crucial cog in the Cardiff machine but will be particularly important over the next month as Navidi recovers from injury.

He is currently suffering from a neck issue picked up against the Springboks in the third of their three-Test series in July.

“It is slow and steady at the minute,” Navidi said.

“I am rehabbing it and seeing how we’re going with that. I have just had injections. It’s taking its time, but hopefully will be a couple more weeks.

“It would have been great to come straight back in with pre-season and get into the mix with Cardiff.

“I find it quite frustrating. The boys went well and you want to be out there with them.

“It’s going to be a good year for us, having watched pre-season and seeing the way the boys have gone about their business.”

Wales take on New Zealand, Argentina, Georgia and Australia in their end-of-year series, but Navidi doesn’t expect it to be a long-term problem.

“It’s just a nerve and discs putting pressure on it, that’s why I’m getting issues,” he said.

“I can only take it week by week. Hopefully it settles.

“Working with the physio, we’ve done everything to get back on the pitch and get playing again.

“It’s just a bulged disc really. I think the word scares people, but it’s just a bulged disc.”

World Cup preparations

It is a big season for Wales with the Rugby World Cup in France just under a year away and Navidi says that they have unfinished business at the global tournament.

“(The World Cup) feels like a stone that we need to turn. Again, it was disappointing to pick up an injury in the French game (in 2019) and having to watch the semi-final (against South Africa),” he added.

“We could have made the final. It was frustrating and you feel like there’s something left out there.”

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Swiss manager and OGC Nice boss Lucien Favre’s discussions with Borussia Dortmund are “progressing well,” according to L’Équipe.

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Talks are moving in the right direction to such an extent that the French outlet reports that an announcement could be made on Favre’s arrival in Dortmund within the next 10 days.

Favre is holding back a little, in the sense that he wants the job if Dortmund confirm their Champions’ League status for next season, something that they have yet to do in the Bundesliga so far, having lost to Mainz yesterday.

With Hoffenheim & Leverkusen just 3 points behind BVB with a game left to play, Dortmund are not yet home and dry for the Champions’ League, a fact that is likely to temporarily slow talks down.