Rugby Union

Forwards: Tom Ahern (Munster), Ryan Baird (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht), Jack Boyle (Leinster), Thomas Clarkson (Leinster), Gavin Coombes (Munster), Max Deegan (Leinster), Cormac Izuchukwu (Ulster), Alex Kendellen (Munster), Gus McCarthy (Leinster), Paddy McCarthy (Leinster), Michael Milne (Munster), Darragh Murray (Connacht), Tom O’Toole (Ulster), Cian Prendergast (Connacht), Stephen Smyth (Leinster), Tom …

The squad that Parling inherits will be one without a cast of iconic Tigers figures. Defeat at Twickenham marked the end of the careers of scum-half Ben Youngs and prop Dan Cole – England’s two most capped male players in history, who also shared nine Premiership titles between them. Former …

Backs: Filipo Daugunu, Ben Donaldson, Jake Gordon, Len Ikitau, Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway, Noah Lolesio, Tom Lynagh, Tate McDermott, Hunter Paisami, Dylan Pietsch, Harry Potter, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Corey Toole, Nic White, Tom Wright. Forwards: Allan Alaalatoa, Angus Bell, Nick Champion De Crespigny, Matt Faessler, Nick Frost, Langi Gleeson, Tom Hooper, …

With those who joined up late thanks to domestic play-off involvement, with the exception of replacement hooker Ronan Kelleher, not selected for this first game, Farrell has named a fresh side with some new combinations. Of the 23 selected, 14 will be representing the Lions for the first time. His …

“What we have done is given them certainty as to their position for the near term, as in through the World Cup. “But I think we are having excellent conversations and we are very close to providing them with all the outcomes that they are looking for. “Before they play …

With 14 first-timers among the Lions side, for Beirne and his usual Ireland team-mates the week has felt both familiar and very different. “The lead-up to the game is going to feel very similar, doing all the same things that we would do in Irish camp, either going to the …

Making Gloucester a sustainable club has been the aim of the owners for a number of years since the Covid-19 pandemic. Of the 10 Premiership clubs, Gloucester were the closest to breaking even when the most recent set of accounts was released for 2022-23, although their debt still totalled £541,000 …

With Leinster, Bath and Leicester Tigers all involved in domestic finals last weekend, and Toulouse’s season still ongoing in France, it was a smaller panel that Farrell brought to Portugal last week for a training camp. Although Leinster hooker Ronan Kelleher will be on the bench on Friday night six …

Hill made his England debut in the autumn of 2018 under former head coach Eddie Jones, a selection he says “100%” came too soon. “When I look back at getting my international cap at 19, I feel a completely different player and person to then,” he said. “I was selected …

There is a welcome return for Tadhg Furlong, who has played just nine times this season because of various injuries and has not featured for Leinster since their defeat by Northampton in the Investec Champions Cup semi-finals last month. The tight-head will start on the bench, with his Ireland colleague …

Wales finished bottom after losing all five games, including a record defeat against Italy in the final game. “I made it clear when I was appointed by the WRU this was the job I always wanted and I needed the mandate to create a new team culture, to drive standards …

“We haven’t been together for seven months and now getting together with lots of new faces it has been a challenge, but the guys have been magnificent,” said head coach Felipe Contepomi. “They are training with a lot of intensity, we are very pleased with how they adapted.” The former …

Canada prop DaLeaka Menin has signed a new deal to stay at Exeter for the 2025-26 Premiership Women’s Rugby season. The 30-year-old has played 61 times for the Chiefs since joining in 2021 and has scored 10 tries for the club. She is currently with the Canada squad preparing to …

Santiago Carreras is preparing for a match 20 years in the making. For Argentina, who are not part of the British and Irish Lions touring rotation, the scarcity value of Friday’s fixture in Dublin is sky high. “You might play this game once in your life – it is so …

Head coach Sean Lynn is delivering on his promise of a brutal pre-season as Wales prepare for this summer’s Rugby World Cup. BBC News

Gloucester have signed New Zealand prop Nepo Laulala for the 2025-26 Premiership season. The 33-year-old has been rehabilitating from a ruptured Achilles tendon at Kingsholm after being released by French side Toulouse last season. Laulala has won 53 caps for the All Blacks and featured at the last two World …

Owen Farrell says he wants to get back to “loving every minute” of rugby with Saracens after returning to the club following a “difficult year” playing in France. The 33-year-old former Sarries captain said his remaining years were “more and more precious”, having made just 17 appearances in his one …

Former captain Siwan Lillicrap endured some of Wales women’s most turbulent times during her rugby playing career. Amid a conveyor belt of coaches and poor results, there were calls for player pathways to be reinstalled. Those calls reached fever pitch in the 2021 Women’s Six Nations when Lillicrap sobbed uncontrollably …

Sexton said he and Russell shared a “handshake” and a “brief chat” in Lions camp before the Bath out-half returned to his club for what Sexton called an “outstanding” performance in last week’s Premiership final victory over Leicester. “He was racing off obviously because those guys were in finals, they …

Leicester scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet has been called up to train with the British and Irish Lions after Ireland’s Jamison Gibson-Park suffered a minor glute strain. Van Poortvliet will fly to Dublin on Tuesday morning to help the team prepare for their match against Argentina on Friday. Gibson-Park, England’s Alex …