7 h. ago Guide Dogs puppies form guard of honour at Premiership Women’s Rugby match

The dogs, all in training to become guide dogs, visited Kingsholm Stadium as part of their socialisation training.

Politics

11 h. ago What a Wales win, loss or draw v Japan means for the Rugby World Cup draw

Wales and Japan's Rugby World Cup draw fate likely comes down to this match

Politics

12 h. ago Fantastic Ford steers battling England past All Blacks in Twickenham thriller

England 33-19 New ZealandBorthwick’s side clinch a perfect 10 of successive winsA perfect 10 wins in a row is a reliable indicator of a team on the rise. What England really craved, though, was a statement victory to underline just how far they have come in the past 18 months or so. And on a dull grey November afternoon they finally secured it, beating a disappointed New Zealand for the first time in south-west London for 13 long years.They deserved it, too, storming back from 12-0 down to claim the kind of result that rewards all the painstaking hard work of both the players and the management. There were four English tries in all, including two in the final half hour from Fraser Dingwall and Tom Roebuck, as Steve Borthwick’s team become only the ninth England side to cut the All Blacks down to size. Continue reading...

Events

69 h. ago Rugby World Cup ‘heartbreak’ but then ‘a cool feeling’: New Zealand duo Liana Mikaele

The Black Ferns pair arrive at Harlequins eager to put semi-final defeat behind them and ‘to see how this side of the world plays’There’s a certain aura that surrounds New Zealand rugby players. Liana Mikaele-Tu’u and Layla Sae have all the athleticism, talent and professionalism that come with being a Black Fern but during a joint interview at Harlequins’ training ground in Surrey, what stands out most is their humility, refreshing honesty and wicked sense of humour.The duo have signed for the Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) club until March. Sae, fresh off the plane from New Zealand, could make her debut against Exeter Chiefs on Sunday, while Mikaele-Tu’u already has a few appearances under her belt after joining a few weeks earlier. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Rugby LIVE: Wales player to address the media as full details of ban emerge

The latest rugby news from Wales and beyond ahead of Wales' autumn international match against the Brave Blossoms in the capital

Sport

4 d. ago England play Generation Game against All Blacks with overhaul of traditional order of selection

Steve Borthwick has picked six British & Irish Lions on his bench with a further nod to the growing importance of the endgame Selecting your best XV to start a big rugby match feels increasingly quaint these days, as redolent of a different era as the Generation Game or Starsky & Hutch. To the point where you half expect to find the home team sheet to face New Zealand this weekend has D-N-A-L-G-N-E printed at the top of it. Even with the All Blacks in town, the traditional order of selection no longer applies.Instead it is all about the endgame. On this occasion Steve Borthwick has picked six British & Irish Lions on his bench compared with only four in his starting lineup. At some point around the 50th minute on Saturday there will be a mass discarding of XXL tracksuits and a whole fresh set of white orcs will rumble on. As South Africa’s “Bomb Squad” have long since shown, it can be mighty hard to combat. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Damian McKenzie edges All Blacks home after scare to crush Scotland comeback

Scotland 17-25 New ZealandAll Blacks squander 17-point lead before late tryA 33rd attempt, a 31st defeat and crucially still no win for Scotland against the All Blacks. And so the search will go on. Let us not resort to that familiar lament, if Scotland could not win it here, will they ever? It is true, they had as gilt-edged a chance as they may ever have, New Zealand forced to play a total of half an hour a man down, having been shown three yellow cards. It is true, Scotland showed remarkable spirit to recover from 17-0 down at the break to level on the hour. But the All Blacks remain deadly, deadlier than Scotland.This Scotland team is deadly too, but it is a question of deadliness when it matters. That is where they continue to come up short. New Zealand wrote the manual – and did that a long time ago. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Blind veteran to lay wreath at Cenotaph supported by guide dog

Archie the golden Labrador retriever cross will join Kelly Ganfield during the event in London on Sunday.

Politics

1 week ago Taxi driver fined after refusing to take blind passenger and guide dog

The customer was hoping to catch a train in the city centre

Politics

1 week ago England Rugby ban 'man of the match award' for being insensitive

The Rugby Football Union says it is striving to make the game as inclusive as possible, with people also encouraged to avoid using terms like 'chairman' and 'ladies and gentlemen'

Events

1 week ago Gabby Logan admits 'we have ups and downs' in candid confession about husband Kenny

Former international gymnast Gabby Logan and former Scotland rugby international Kenny Logan wed in 2001, but the Match of the Day host admitted the pair don't always see eye-to-eye

Politics

2 w. ago Pollock proves the key before England cavalry seal victory over Australia

England 25-7 AustraliaEarl, Mitchell and Cowan-Dickie also cross for hostsThere will be higher octane games than this one in the coming weeks but for England the primary objective has been safely ticked off. An eighth successive Test victory is in the bag and Steve Borthwick’s team have also gone one better than the corresponding fixture last year when the Wallabies took the spoils in the dying moments.While this encounter was not nearly as thrilling, the final scoreline – shining brightly on the big screen in the gathering evening gloom – was what really counted for Borthwick and his players. Defeat to a weakened Wallaby side would have prompted some uncomfortable questions and cast a nagging shadow over the remainder of their November schedule. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Intruder hauled from pitch at major rugby match as live TV cameras spot him

A notorious prankster invaded the pitch ahead of their clash with England in the second clash of the Rugby League Ashes. The stadium was left red-faced for failing to stop the prankster

Politics

2 w. ago Ultimate prankster manages to pitch invade at Everton's new stadium in 'embarrassing' incident

A notorious prankster invaded the pitch during the England vs Australia rugby league Ashes match in Liverpool, and was not stopped by security until he had sung the Australian anthem

Events

2 w. ago The Spin | Sophie Devine’s impact on women’s cricket should be measured in more than statistics

The New Zealand legend played with joy and fun, but was also a true fighter who spanned eras in the women’s gameAs the Women’s World Cup has progressed, sanding down the edges and turning up the four semi-finalists you might have predicted from the start, a sideshow has been quietly playing stage left. A down-to-earth sideshow – just like the woman herself – the Sophie Devine farewell.Devine made her New Zealand debut in October 2006, in an ODI and T20 series against Australia. Nineteen years later, still with the same open face and broad smile, she has played her final one-day international – a losing affair against England neither side will polish up for the mantelpiece. The most memorable moment came at the end with the affectionate guard of honour given to Devine by both sides and the Māori tribute led by Melie Kerr and sung by her teary teammates as the stadium emptied. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Referee hauls Siya Kolisi away as he fights Wales star in rarely seen incident

The South Africa legend is usually cool, calm and collected but he clashed with one Wales international as tensions boiled over during a United Rugby Championship match

Politics

3 w. ago Taulupe Faletau limps off minutes into match to hand Steve Tandy big worry

The 34-year-old had to come off the field against Edinburgh just minutes into the match at the Arms Park

Politics

3 w. ago Premiership Women’s Rugby gears up to to surf England’s World Cup wave

New season given massive boost by Rugby World Cup that brought an England triumph, unprecedented attendances and a huge rise in TV viewersThe Premiership Women’s Rugby season begins at the Stoop on Friday, just across the road and almost a month on from England’s Rugby World Cup victory against Canada in the final at Twickenham.One of the most famous images of that day was the Red Roses captain, Zoe Aldcroft, jumping around with the trophy, an image her teammate Meg Jones has now had tattooed on her leg, and the Gloucester-Hartpury lock will be aiming to replicate the pictures if her club side defend the title they have won for the past three seasons come the PWR final on 28 June. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Rugby LIVE: International star banned for Wales match as Tomos Williams' future takes twist

The autumn internationals are almost upon us, with some of the world's leading rugby nations naming their squads this week ahead of an exciting campaign

Politics

4 w. ago Go potty: disused public toilets in West Norwood and Isle of Dogs at auction for over £100k

The disused toilets in West Norwood and the Isle of Dogs are up for auction with guide prices of £150,000 and £110,000 respectively

Economics