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14

Steve Borthwick focused on Fiji as England boss faces growing scrutiny

England head coach Steve Borthwick insists he is focused only on ending a five-Test losing run against Fiji despite mounting pressure.

Thursday, Jul 9

17

Andy Farrell’s selection for Japan-Ireland Nations Championship clash shows one eye on the future

Andy Farrell has handed four players Ireland debuts for the Nations Championship clash with Japan as he looks to build for the future.

13

New Rugby Paper Roundup: Steve Borthwick on the brink? Fiji v England + Wales’ revival ft Paul Williams

Is Steve Borthwick’s time running out? The Rugby Paper Roundup examines England’s struggles, the Fiji challenge, Wales’ revival and plenty more talking points from around the world of rugby.

Tuesday, Jul 7

18

School of Hard Knocks youngsters enjoy unforgettable Barbarians experience

Youngsters from the School of Hard Knocks were given a behind-the-scenes taste of elite rugby after spending a week with the Barbarians ahead of their men’s and women’s fixtures against Wales national rugby union team.

14

Top 5 Online Casinos for Casino Slots

Finding the right place to play casino slots can feel overwhelming when there are so many online casinos to choose from. You want a site that is easy to use, has a good range of slots and gives you a smooth experience from the start. This…

Sunday, Jul 5

06

Jamie George: England’s discipline was too poor in Johannesburg against South Africa

Skipper Jamie George ordered his England side to sort out their discipline after they caught another bout of yellow fever here yesterday.

Chris Hewett: Captain, my captain (but maybe not yours)

Chris Hewett explores what makes a great captain, arguing there is no single blueprint for leadership as he compares Ben Stokes with rugby’s most influential skippers.

Prem review: Jason Gilmore banking on George Furbank to spearhead Harlequins’ push back to the top

Paul Rees continues his summer series reviewing the Prem season, with the focus this week on Harlequins.

05

England U20s ready for Argentina decider in Junior World Cup

England U20 are gearing up for a winner-takes-all clash against Argentina to book their place in the Junior World Cup semi-finals.

Toulouse are hit by huge fine

TOULOUSE, who beat Montpellier in last weekend’s Top 14 final to clinch their fourth successive league title, have been fined €2.47 million (£2.88m) for violations of the “salary cap”. They escaped a points deduction as the National Rugby…

Tough draw for Bath and Northampton in Champions Cup

Prem champions Northampton and last year’s winners Bath have been drawn in the same tough Champions Cup pool for next season along with URC runners-up Bulls and Billy Vunipola’s Top 14 beaten finalists Montpellier.

Cadan Murley: I had to fight my way back into England squad

Cadan Murley fought his way on to England’s current tour and believes Harlequins’ struggles last season helped him secure a place on the trip.

Alex Goode backs Saracens wing Noah Caluori for England success

Alex Goode applauded England’s decision not to rush Noah Caluori into action but is hoping to see the Saracen spread his wings next weekend.

Nations Champ ‘worth £1billion’

■By SAM JACKSON TOM Harrison, chief executive of Six Nations Rugby, is confident the Nations Championship will become a $1 billion sports brand, generating almost double what it stands to make in its opening media rights cycle. He told The…

South Africa 45-21 England: Steve Borthwick under mounting pressure after Springboks run riot

Steve Borthwick’s reign as England coach is teetering on the brink after they crashed to a seven tries to three defeat to a rampant South Africa in Johannesburg.

Paul Rees: England’s headless chickens end up getting roasted

It was England’s first match since the review at the end of the Six Nations that pledged change without specifying what that amounted to.

Jeremy Guscott: Test matches are the lifeblood of the game

Jeremy Guscott argues international rugby must remain the sport’s priority, defending the expanded Test schedule and the financial reality behind it.

New Zealand 34-32 France: The French battle hard but Cam Roigard keeps All Blacks in the clear

Will Jordan and Cam Roigard both scored twice as New Zealand opened the inaugural Nations Championship with a thrilling victory over France in Christchurch.

Argentina 38-47 Scotland: Hutchinson leads the Scottish hit squad

Scotland registered a record victory in Argentina with a seven-try demolition powered by the impressive Rory Hutchinson.

Australia 31-33 Ireland: Sam Prendergast seals Irish comeback

Ireland launched their Nations Championship campaign with a dramatic victory over Australia in Sydney after Thomas Clarkson’s late try and Sam Prendergast’s nerveless conversion sealed a remarkable comeback.

All Blacks in the clear

Fabien Brau-Boirie, below, endured a frustrating spell, first failing to gather Matthieu Jalibert’s kick in-goal before later having a try ruled out for a knock-on. Attissogbe then finished in the corner to cut the gap to one point,…

Japan 27-10 Italy: Japan have too much in reserve despite Eddie Jones absence

Japan saw off Italy in Tokyo despite head coach Eddie Jones being absent through suspension.

Taste of winning is good, says Lake

AFTER a long losing run, it was Wales’ third consecutive win, following on from victories over Italy and the Barbarians, a fact which their skipper, Dewi Lake, was keen to point out. He said: “That’s three wins now and it’s important that…

CLOSE-UP

SEMI RADRADRA Fiji centre EDDIE JAMES Wales centre Radradra was beginning to show glimpses of his Bristol best with sleight of hand sending his wing into space and a crunching tackle on Dan Edwards but a tackle from Eddie James saw him end…

Fiji 24-39 Wales: Jac Morgan’s double is enough to quell the Fijians

Jac Morgan scored two tries as Wales began their Nations Championship campaign on a bizarre afternoon at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Nick Cain: Excluding the Willis brothers is costing England

Nick Cain explores how England are harming themselves by excluding Jack and Tom Willis, urging the RFU to scrap its overseas player eligibility policy.

Nick Cain: Nations Championship gets off to a humdinger of a start

The Nations Championship naysayers – and there is an army of them – should take a look at the competition’s inaugural fixture between New Zealand and France in Christchurch yesterday.

Brendan Gallagher watches six Nations Championship Tests in one day – here’s what happened

Brendan Gallagher settled down to watch six Nations Championship Test matches in a row. How did he find it? And did he make it all the way from New Zealand to Argentina via Japan and South Africa? Read on to find out...

Peter Jackson: Louis Bielle-Biarrey leading a race to hit a century

Peter Jackson sees the French flyer reach 92 tries in his career so far as he takes a break ahead of the World Cup next year.

Chris Hewett: Champions Cup revamp sounds good to me

The most predictable story of the week concerned yet another revamp of the much-maligned, used-and-abused Champions Cup, which was once the Lord Mayor’s Show of club rugby but has long been mutating into the other thing.