Rugby

12:00 PM BST South Africa centre Damian de Allende has said he went into “a bit of a shock” after he was burned in a fire pit accident last month and is lucky to play again following his selection for Saturday’s opening test against the British & Irish Lions. De Allende and Springbok lock RG

9:58 AM BST Alun Wyn Jones has been named as captain for the British & Irish Lions’ first test against South Africa, it was announced on Wednesday. Jones returned to the squad last week having recovered from a dislocated shoulder he sustained in the Lions first warm up match against Japan on June 26. This

Venue: Cape Town Stadium Date: Saturday, 24 July Kick-off: 17:00 BST Coverage: Follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. For a few days Alun Wyn Jones thought his British and Irish Lions tour was over before it had properly begun. But he is no ordinary rugby player. Just four weeks after

Scotland fans heading to Rugby World Cup France 2023 can take in the delights of Marseille, Nice, Lille and Paris. Time to snap up a spot with sportsbreaks.com Scotland fans following their team – you could too! (Getty Images) Follow Scotland to Rugby World Cup France 2023 AT THE last Rugby World Cup in France,

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi has recovered from Covid-19 to be named in the starting XV to face the British and Irish Lions in the first Test in Cape Town on Saturday. Kolisi leads a side which includes 11 of the players who started the World Cup final win over England in 2019. Handre Pollard

11:33 AM BST The British and Irish Lions coaching staff held a “robust” selection meeting on Sunday, but defence coach Steve Tandy said there are decisions still to be made ahead of the first test against South Africa in Cape Town on Saturday. With fly-half Finn Russell set to miss the series opener due to

Ahead of the first match against South Africa in Cape Town, the Lions have a number of big selection calls to make in the back-row, back-three and midfield. What should the Lions Test XV be for game one? After nearly 18 months of wondering if the British & Irish Lions 2021 tour would even go ahead,

The team for the first Test on a Lions tour has never been a foregone conclusion. Particularly over the last three tours, we have gone through the process of trying to second guess head coach Warren Gatland. My experience of him is that he has a very definite type of player in mind who needs

7:16 PM BST Scrum-half Ali Price impressed for the British & Irish Lions and put his hand up for Test selection in a comfortable seven-try 49-3 victory over the Stormers on Saturday, as Alun Wyn Jones returned to the team with 30 minutes off the bench. It was another slow start for the Lions in

British and Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland says he expects a lively discussion about selection for the first Test with South Africa. Gatland says he thinks the toughest decisions will be made in “the back three and the loose forwards”. “We will go through the process over the next 72 hours and there will

The Lions winger sported a lightning bolt against South Africa A Louis Rees-Zammit scores a try against the Stormers (AFP/Getty Images) The story behind Louis Rees-Zammit’s haircut When Louis Rees-Zammit lined up against South Africa A last Wednesday, he was sporting a new haircut. The British & Irish Lions 2021 winger had a lightning bolt

10:34 AM BST South Africa’s Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus has cranked up the tension with the touring British & Irish Lions by going onto social media to question the tackling technique of Owen Farrell. Erasmus posted video clips of two tackles Farrell made in the Lions’ tour match on Wednesday, when they lost to

The two-time World Cup winner discusses what the future may hold with Campbell Burnes of NZ Rugby News  Kieran Read leads out the All Blacks at the 2019 World Cup (Getty Images) Kieran Read on TMOs, All Blacks and Japan Kieran Read has an impressive CV. The former All Blacks captain played 127 Tests for

Date: Saturday, 17 July Kick-off: 17:00 BST Venue: Cape Town Stadium Coverage: Live text commentary via the BBC Sport website and app Former British and Irish Lion Matt Dawson says “the wheels are off the tour” if the side records a second loss against the Stormers on Saturday. They face provincial side Stormers at the

11:59 AM BST British & Irish Lions lock Alun Wyn Jones will start from the bench against the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday after a remarkable return to the tour party following a dislocated shoulder. Jones had been ruled out of the tour after being injured in the 28-10 victory over Japan in

Western Force fly-half Jake McIntyre tells us what to expect from rugby’s latest law change Jake McIntyre during his time with Agen (Getty Images) “The 50:22 kick should suit the more attacking teams” The first person Jake McIntyre saw properly take advantage of the 50:22 kick law in Australia was full-back Rob Kearney. In a

9:33 PM BST Wing Sbu Nkosi and centre Lukhanyo Am scored first-half tries as a strong South Africa ‘A’ side inflicted a first defeat of the tour on the British & Irish Lions with a 17-13 win in what was dubbed an unofficial ‘fourth test’ in Cape Town on Wednesday. Lions coach Warren Gatland had

The British and Irish Lions may have suffered their first defeat of the 2021 tour, but head coach Warren Gatland says his players are in “bullish” mood. The New Zealander claims his team is “confident that we can handle whatever they throw at us going forward”. But is it a false confidence? Or can the