REPORT: Lions go down to the Highlanders in Dunedin

Marty Banks kicked a late penalty as the Lions have suffered their second defeat of their New Zealand tour going down...

End of Lions tour for Stuart Hogg

Stuart Hogg has been ruled out of the remainder of British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand because of injury....

Boring? Reality is Lions will have to chisel out the wins like ‘71

COMMENT BRENDAN GALLAGHER Happy camp followers: Lions fans When you are surrounded by hype and experts real or selfappointed – as...

Te’o can fit that Gatland mould as a big No.12

OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE…EVERY WEEK JEREMYGUSCOTT IT was crucial for the Lions to bounce back and get the victory yesterday and it...

This rugby’s not so Super

ONE of the benefits of playing in a Super Rugby competition in which there is no price to pay for losing...

Iron-man Meades goes bronze

SIR Colin Meads, the great All Black lock voted as New Zealand’s Player of the Century in the 1999 NZRFU Awards,...

Farrell has become Mr VIP for the Lions

OWEN Farrell is the embodiment of the ‘all for one, one for all’ ethos that is the foundation for winning Lions...

Magnificent Mako leads the Christchurch charge

Outstanding: Mako Vunipola PICTURE: Getty Images NICK CAIN’S LIONS RATINGS 1. MAKO VUNIPOLA Immense work-rate. Top tackler with 11, overshadowed Crusaders...

Rampaging Lions breathe fresh life into their quest

From NICK CAIN at AMI Stadium Christchurch THE 2017 Lions have found their road to resurrection. Under growing pressure to deliver,...

MY LIFEIN RUGBY

THE FORMER ORRELL, BRISTOL, LONDON IRISH, HARLEQUINS AND ENGLAND PROP MIKE WORSLEY Iwas born in Warrington and my uncle, Ken Gill,...

Cudmore tells North: See brain specialist

DAVID BARNES FRENCH COLUMN Jamie Cudmore, one of the toughest players the game has known, used to own a bar in...

Toulon marooned without Halfpenny

PETER JACKSON reveals his exclusive table of Europe’s most prolific points scorers PETER JACKSON Leigh Halfpenny stands today at the top...

20 QUESTIONS

BENO OBANO BATH LOOSEHEAD Enjoyed your breakthrough season? I wouldn’t call it a breakthrough season but it’s the beginning of something...

Blues defence guru open to Welsh offers

ALISTAIR ROGERS was part of the the All Blacks’ coaching team to seal backto- back World Cup glory and has already...

Farrell: We have to be together for 24/7

OWEN Farrell was upbeat after the Lions great win over the Crusaders in Christchurch yesterday. “We caused them some problems at...

Lions will need George to be roaring – Kirwan

From ALEX BYWATER in Christchurch FORMER All Blacks wing John Kirwan says George North can deliver the X-Factor the British &...

Phase two can begin now they’ve all had game time

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Just a week in and already it’s a disaster, or that is...

College rugby set for lift off predicts Morris

By NEALE ARVEY UNIVERSITIES and colleges will have a greater say in the development of Premiership players in future, according to...

Euskarians 19 E Counties 61

THE tour of Spain kicked off with a convincing victory over the Basque side Euskarians in San Sebastian on June 1....

Spain 28 E Counties 45

ENGLAND Counties had to resist a late fightback from Spain to end their tour undefeated last Monday. Jack Preece got England...

Spain win earns stay of execution

By JON NEWCOMBE HAVING beaten one of the top 20 ranked sides in the world, veteran Dan Seal hopes England Counties...

YOUNG GUNS

MARCUS STREET ENGLAND & EXETER TIGHTHEAD Marcus Street is still only 18 and making his Exeter and U20s debut by February...

Mitchell cashes in the bonus to bank a perfect ten for England

ROUND 2 ROUND-UP Held: Max Malins looks to break against Wales ENGLAND U20s maintained their perfect ten from ten start last...

Baby Boks finish in style

GROUP C ROUND-UP SOUTH Africa left nothing to chance against Argentina with an 11-try 72-14 thumping to ensure they topped Pool...

Speedster Ibitoye confident champs can find top gear

By NICK VERDIER ENGLAND are 80 minutes away from reaching yet another World Rugby U20 Championship final – but flying wing...

Rampant Kiwis put Ireland under pump

GROUP B ROUND-UP NEWZealand secured top seed at the end of the pool stages by piling more misery on Ireland on...

Late sin-binning lets Malins in for his shot at glory

By NICK VERDIER MAX Malins kicked a penalty one minute from time to deny Australia at the death and ensure England...

Lancashire take crown off Surrey

SURREY’S hopes of winning consecutive Division One finals in the Gill Burns County Championship ended with a 25-13 defeat to Lancashire...

McKenna hits treble to set tone for tour Down Under

By SAM JACKSON SARAH McKenna scored a hat-trick as England got their international series in New Zealand off to a winning...

Life with Lions not the same without scribe Bale

FOR the first time in more than 30 years the Lions are on the road without a scribe whose knowledge and...

Halfpenny and Sexton time out

HADthe French initiative on clocking goalkickers been transferred to New Zealand, the Lions would have been in even more of a...

McGeechan warned of meltdown 24 years ago

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Long before they knighted him for services to the game, Sir Ian McGeechan...

Williams relishing challenge in land of the giants

SCOTT Williams believes his PRO12 final midfield duel with Francis Saili was the ideal way to prepare for Wales’ summer tour...

Townsend tenure off to a flier as Italy self-destruct

By ALEXANDER McLEMAN SCOTLAND opened their summer tour in style with a dominant performance over Italy in Singapore. Tries from Ali...

Japan 33 Romania 21

■JAPAN’S pace got the better of Romania’s brawn at a packed Egao Kenko Stadium. With Michael Leitch and Fumiaki Tanaka showing...

New-look Springboks consign horrible year to history

By GEORGE LAWRENCE SPRINGBOKS coach Allister Coetzee was pleased to take the first of the three- Test series but warned his...

Denny darts over to grab famous win for new breed

By BRENDAN GALLAGHER A BEST-EVER performance from George Ford in an England shirt and a sensational last minute try by debutant...

Hunt stars on debut as slick Wallabies run in five

Australia 37 Fiji 14 KARMICHAEL Hunt impressed on his first outing to help the Wallabies cruise to an easy victory in...

ROOM 101

ROTHERHAM’S NEW LOCK TAKES US THROUGH HIS PET HATES FROM THE RUGBY WORLD AND BEYOND. ROB LOUW 1. Internet buffering Losing...

Bath lose Fruean but Irish keep building

TRANSFER WRAP ROBBIE Fruean will leave Bath this summer after agreeing a two-year deal with Edinburgh. As revealed in Blindside on...

Tigers set to dump JP and four more

BY NEILFISSLER Follow me on Twitter: @neilfissler ■WALES autumn international campaign is set to cost the Principality Stadium the chance of...

Chiefs eye Wallaby Simmons

EXETER CHIEFS have been linked with a move for Queenland Reds forward Rob Simmons who is being released by the Super...

Houston back on French trail

FORMER Bath forward Leroy Houston will return to France next season after signing a two-year contract with Bordeaux-Begles. Wallaby Houston has...

DREAM TEAM

JOE MUNRO, THE EALING AND FORMER NOTTINGHAM CENTRE, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH OR AGAINST… 1. Max Lahiff...

Still one Italian team too many in Euro Cup

COLIN BOAG The Lions tour has somewhat overshadowed what is usually one of the highlights of the early part of the...

Mistake to dismiss Exiles so hastily

COLIN Boag’s article on the June 4 was in my opinion a little hasty in summing up London Irish’s potential in...

Maynard’s view on salary cap is insult to many great clubs

I TAKE issue with Coventry MD, Phil Maynard’s contention that salary cap proposals are splitting the game. As he says, wealthy...

Botham star quality clear from the start

PETER Jackson’s piece on James Botham as well as his grandfather Ian and Dad Liam sparked a few memories for me...

PRL still far from finding a sponsor

PREMIERSHIP Rugby Ltd appear no nearer to finding a title sponsor for the Premiership next season according to an email sent...

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