Rugby Archive

Warren Gatland admitted that the British and Irish Lions had been given "a reality check" after they lost their unbeaten Australia tour record yesterday.

Scotland made sure of their place in next year's IRB Junior World Championship which will be staged in Auckland, New Zealand, after achieving an expected comfortable victory over USA last night at Stade Pascal Laporte in Nantes.

The Lions lost their unbeaten tour record just four days before tackling Australia after Jake White's Brumbies deservedly triumphed at Canberra Stadium.

Rob Harley, the Glasgow Warriors flanker, has been called into Scotland's injury-ravaged squad ahead of Saturday's Castle Lager Incoming Test series third/fourth place match with Italy in Pretoria.

The national team has won just two of its past 10 games.

Glasgow flanker Rob Harley has become the fourth emergency replacement to be called into the Scotland squad for their tournament in South Africa, after another injury-hit weekend left the team struggling for back rows.

The giant steel cantilevers of the Mbombela Stadium are meant to represent giraffes, so where better for a lock forward to make his Test debut?

British and Irish Lions (v ACT Brumbies, Canberra, tomorrow) R Kearney; C Wade, B Barritt, B Twelvetrees, S Williams; S Hogg, B Youngs; R Grant, R Best (capt), M Stevens, I Evans, R Gray, S O'Brien, J Tipuric, T Faletau.

Rugby's international authorities are likely to face calls for changes to the regulations governing the appointment of television match officials (TMOs) after the sin-binning of Scotland lock Jim Hamilton in Saturday's 30-17 defeat by South Africa in Nelspruit.

England last night celebrated a clean sweep of a Test series for the first time in Argentina and it was Marland Yarde who did most to brush aside the hosts.

HEAD coach Warren Gatland hailed the "abso-lutely fantastic" discipline of his British & Irish Lions after they racked up another crushing win in their penultimate match before Saturday's first Test against Australia.

Scotland delivered a hugely improved performance on the second game of their South African tour, but it was not enough to prevent defeat at the hands of the hosts.

Leigh Halfpenny produced a command performance as the unbeaten British and Irish Lions delivered their best display Down Under just seven days before tackling Australia.

Barely two years on from being ditched by Edinburgh on medical grounds, Fraser Brown is in line to make his international debut today after being added to the Scotland bench for this afternoon's match with South Africa in Nelspruit.