Matty’s On the Five: All Blacks silence doubters, Fiji falls short of semi and Fetu Samoa show class in PNG

1. All Blacks send Ireland packing

Following the All Blacks’ defeat of Ireland, it was clear the aura of the black jersey was still intact, after the three-time rugby world cup champions silenced all doubters, snapping Ireland's 17 test win streak in the quarter-finals.

The All Blacks defended nearly forty phases in the dying minutes of the game, as a desperate Irish side were eager to find a crack in the defense.

In the 80th minute Sam Whitelock secured a turnover for the All Blacks, sparking emotions of both despair and elation from fans at the ground, as New Zealand closed out a hard-fought 28 - 24 win.

All Blacks’ flanker Ardie Savea said in a post-match interview that the team held on to their “blackness” referring to their black jersey, which many had questioned in the past year.

Ireland dominated in almost every attacking statistic in the game, but it was the tactical kicking and strong defense that kept the All Blacks in the fight. The All Blacks made nearly 230 tackles in the match compared to Ireland's 155.

The team now eye-up Argentina who are their opponents in the semi-final this coming Saturday (NZ time).

2. Fiji fall short by four against England

Two tries in 15 minutes from Fiji bought the team inches away from victory against England. But it was a drop-goal and penalty that gave the English side the win, breaking the hearts of Fijian fans worldwide.

Fiji were pinged throughout the match for their ill-discipline and were punished by Owen Farrell, who put up 15 of England's 30 points by penalty conversions. Fiji were pushing the pace in the second half as they trailed England, showing no quit on both attack and defense.

Barnstorming flanker Levani Botia scored in the 70th minute following a brilliant Semi Radradra off-load to set up a grandstand finish. But then a controversial penalty in the 78th minute allowed Owen Farrell to kick the English side into the semi-final.

3. Williams-Guthrie dons Toa Samoa jersey for first time

With cross-code star Niall Williams-Guthrie captaining the Fetu Samoa team against Fiji at the weekend, it more than made up for her brother, Sonny Bill missing out on fulfilling his own Toa Samoa aspirations.

Both womens’ teams went to battle at Santos Stadium in Papua New Guinea, with Samoa becoming the eventual victors winning 24 - 12.

With only eleven games under her belt, former Black Fern and Olympic silver medalist Williams-Guthrie captained the side in Port Moresby. She has played over 150 games for New Zealand in rugby, but this was the first time representing her cultural heritage.

Williams-Guthrie told a local PNG media outlet that she was excited to represent her father’s family for the first time and run out for Samoa.

4. Rookie Sua Faalogo shines for Toa Samoa

The explosive flair of young Sua Faalogo shone out against the rugby league world champion Australian side, crossing over for a try in Toa Samoa’s 38 -16 loss.

Sua Faalogo made headlines in his NRL debut for the Melbourne Storm in round 26 showing elite attacking prowess against the Brisbane Broncos - scoring two tries on debut.

Questions loomed if Toa Samoa’s decision to start the youngster at fullback was the right one, but coach Ben Gardiner's choice seemed to be confirmed by Faalogo’s strong performance.

Gardiner praised Faalogo in a post-match interview for backing himself in the game, and playing his style of play. Faalogo now awaits selection for their upcoming match this weekend in Auckland.

5. Roman Reigns returns after months away

The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns returned to the WWE on Friday after taking months off from the organisation. Since Reigns’ absence, his faction the Bloodline have been a shadow of their dominance in previous years. And former member Jey Uso has become tag-team champion with Reigns’ rival Cody Rhodes.

Reigns returned to the ring hoping to re-establish his assertion on the company and demanded the crowd to “acknowledge him”.

But he was confronted by veteran John Cena who has returned in Reigns’ absence, bringing out popular talent LA Knight who has gained a lot of support from fans as the next challenger for Roman.

Throughout the show, Reigns was seen backstage questioning Jimmy Uso, who has filled the role for Roman in his absence, about the Bloodlines’ lack of dominance in his absence.

Jimmy Uso and his brother Jey have been rivaling each other in the months leading up to Reigns’ return. Eventually, Reigns came face to face with tag-team Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes in an intense stare-down for what could be a foreshadowing of a future face-off between the superstars.