2 h. ago Lions squad to be announced live by Welshman in front of thousands of fans inside arena

The British and Irish Lions will tour Australia this summer

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3 h. ago British and Irish Lions to unveil squad in front of fans at O2 Arena in London

Supporters will be able to watch the squad naming live in person for the first time on Thursday 8 May

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4 h. ago Five British and Irish Lions hopefuls who impressed in Six Nations round four

Who might have caught Andy Farrell’s eye in the penultimate round of the tournament?

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16 h. ago ‘Devastated’ England wait for test results after Ollie Lawrence injury

Borthwick: ‘Fingers crossed it’s not as severe as we fear’Maro Itoje ‘looking forward’ to ‘humungous’ Wales tieEngland stayed in the chase for the Six Nations title with a bonus-point victory against Italy but lost Ollie Lawrence to an achilles injury that threatens his hopes of touring Australia with the British & Irish Lions.Steve Borthwick’s side scored seven tries as they overwhelmed the Azzurri after a close first half in sunny south-west London, with the fly-half Fin Smith orchestrating the attack impressively. Continue reading...

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2 d. ago Finn Russell shutting out the critics after Scotland’s Calcutta Cup heartbreak

|The Scotland co-captain missed three kicks, including a late conversion in the 16-15 defeat to England.

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4 d. ago Taulupe Faletau not thinking of Lions and concentrating on returning to action

Influential number eight has recovered from major injury setbacks.

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4 d. ago Marcus Smith faces uphill battle to regain England place after Italy axe

Borthwick decision is blow to Smith’s Lions hopesDingwall replaces Slade at inside-centreMarcus Smith faces an uphill battle to regain his England place after Steve Borthwick sought to kickstart his side’s spluttering attack by axing the Harlequins playmaker, dealing a major blow to his British & Irish Lions hopes.Borthwick dropped Smith for Sunday’s Six Nations fixture with Italy in a one-on-one meeting in England’s hotel bar and has offered him no assurances over his future place in the starting XV with Elliot Daly coming in at full-back. In his favoured position of fly-half, Fin Smith continues and with Fraser Dingwall replacing Henry Slade at inside-centre, Borthwick has picked five Northampton backs and highlighted the cohesion that brings. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Five British and Irish Lions hopefuls who impressed in Six Nations round three

Who might have caught Andy Farrell’s eye in the middle round of the tournament?

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2 w. ago RFU adds extra England Test and leaves Borthwick without warm

Extra match against Australia added for NovemberBorthwick will lose time he has used for training in SpainSteve Borthwick will have to forgo a crucial training camp and guide England into this year’s autumn internationals with a week’s less preparation after the Rugby Football Union arranged an extra lucrative November Test against Australia.England habitually play three autumn internationals in the same year as a British & Irish Lions tour but the RFU arranged a fourth, which could generate up to £10m in revenue, after its latest accounts reported record losses to reserves of £42m. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Time is running out for England's and Scotland’s Lions hopefuls to state their case | Ugo Monye

All the way across the field there are mouthwatering head-to-heads with players pushing for the tour to AustraliaFor British & Irish Lions hopefuls, time is running out. Three Test matches left to stake their claim, to catch Andy Farrell’s eye and book a place on the plane. Farrell is due to be at Twickenham on Saturday and he will be analysing everything. As a player that’s precisely where you want to be.At this stage of the Six Nations, England against Scotland feels all the more pivotal for Lions hopefuls. We can safely say that there will be a large Ireland contingent and, unless something dramatic happens in the coming weeks, a relatively small group of Wales players. That congested middle is full of England and Scotland players and that makes Saturday’s match all the more mouthwatering. Continue reading...

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