5:28 PM BST The British & Irish Lions beat Japan 28-10 in the warm-up for their South Africa tour on Saturday but the match was overshadowed by a shoulder injury for captain Alun Wyn Jones which could jeopardise his participation. The veteran Welsh lock was forced off after eight minutes supporting his left arm, seemingly

8:54 PM BST Two late tries by winger Louis Lynagh ensured that Harlequins were crowned English Premiership champions for the first time in nine years on Saturday as they beat holders Exeter 40-38 in a Twickenham final full of superb tries. Harlequins struck first with an early penalty try, only for Exeter’s forwards to deliver

11:10 AM BST ESPN Reuters Scotland’s Zander Fagerson and Hamish Watson have been ruled out of the British & Irish Lions lineup to face Japan on Saturday due to injury. Prop Fagerson has a back spasm and will be replaced by Ireland’s Tadhg Furlong, while flanker Watson suffered a head injury in training on Tuesday

4:45 AM BST Wallabies coach Dave Rennie is disappointed the red-card replacement trial will not be adopted in international rugby, saying he “can’t understand” the northern hemisphere’s resistance to it. World Rugby is poised to green light both the 50/22 and goal-line dropout variations that have been used in both Super Rugby AU and Super

3:28 PM BST South Africa have said they are hopeful Duane Vermeulen will be fit enough to join the British & Irish Lions series, as assistant coach Deon Davids suggested on Wednesday the No. 8 was a “couple of weeks” away from joining the squad. Davids was coy on whether the forward would be available

11:23 AM BST Warren Gatland has named his first British & Irish Lions team for the 2021 tour with Alun Wyn Jones captaining the side against Japan on Saturday. Gatland’s team is without those in Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership final and features players from Wales, Scotland and Ireland. This weekend’s match is at Murrayfield and is

10:37 AM BST Sale Sharks centre Manu Tuilagi has withdrawn from the England squad for the summer series against the United States and Canada due to injury, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said on Tuesday. Tuilagi, who was named in coach Eddie Jones’s revised 36-man squad on Sunday, picked up the injury in Sale’s 40-30

12:48 AM BST Liam Napier Few major gripes or grumbles can be found with Ian Foster’s first All Blacks squad of the year that sprinkles the old with the new and welcomes back several headline figures. When naming a 36-man squad for a campaign expected to feature 15 Tests this season, it’s more about who

11:44 AM BST Leicester Tigers hooker Tom Youngs must undergo a refereeing course and officiate in two community age grade games after he was charged with disrespecting the authority of the match official, England’s rugby union (RFU) said on Monday. The Tigers’ captain was cited following a heated argument after the Premiership game against Bristol

8:05 AM BST The Ireland men’s rugby sevens team secured their maiden Olympic berth after beating France 28-19 in the final qualifier on Sunday. Terry Kennedy’s try gave Ireland an early lead before scores from Stephen Perez and Paulin Riva put France ahead. Ireland responded through Jordan Conroy, who scored a pair of second-half tries,