Tom Isaacs of Newport Gwent Dragons breaks a tackle during his side’s victory over Newcastle Falcons in the EDF Energy Cup. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images
Jonny Wilkinson may have successfully undergone surgery on his injured left knee yesterday but Newcastle remain in urgent need of treatment for travel sickness. They have yet to taste success on [...]

Neil Best attempts to escape the attentions of James Haskell. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images
Northampton forward Neil Best has been banned for 18 weeks by the Rugby Football Union after admitting illegally making contact with the eye or eye area of Wasps’ James Haskell with his hand during last month’s Guinness Premiership game.
The Ireland international [...]

Hanover players celebrate what turned out to be the winning goal condemning Bayern Munich to another defeat. Photograph: Michael Sohn/AP
Forget banks going bust and crashing stock markets. Global meltdown of the economic system? Boooooring. Down in Germany’s prosperous south, there’s only been one story this week: the sweeping, nay, catastrophic, nay “crushing defeat” (Süddeutsche Zeitung) [...]

Charlie Hodgson is mobbed by his Sale team-mates after scoring the decisive drop goal in the dying seconds. Photograph: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
Charlie Hodgson had the final word of a kicking contest with a drop-goal which allowed Sale’s stellar squad to escape with victory last night. Mathew Tait, Dwayne Peel and Kristian Ormsby all made their [...]

All Blacks coach Graham Henry has come under increasing scrutiny. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
The presence of English referee Wayne Barnes in South Africa this week has offered Graham Henry a much-needed diversion from speculation about his own future. While public opinion in New Zealand was divided about Henry’s reappointment after last year’s World Cup failure, [...]

South Africa players celebrate victory after Ricky Januarie’s try. Photograph: Ross Land/Getty Images
The world champions are back on track, but this win required an individual try out of nothing from Ricky Januarie with five minutes to go while they were down to 14 men. Victor Matfield, stand-in skipper in the absence of John Smit, had [...]

Topsy Ojo and Mike Brown have been fined and reprimanded. Photographs: David Rogers/Getty Images
Topsy Ojo and Mike Brown have been fined and reprimanded after being found guilty of misconduct on England’s recent tour of New Zealand, following a report by Judge Jeff Blackett, the disciplinary officer of the Rugby Football Union. Ojo was fined £500 [...]

Johnson called up former New Zealand Maori Riki Flutey to the England squad. Photograph: Tom Shaw/Getty Images
Mike Tindall and Ben Kay have been dropped from the senior England squad announced by new team manager Martin Johnson. However, the former New Zealand Maori Riki Flutey has been included as one of four uncapped players.
Tindall and [...]

Danny Care. Photograph: Ross Land/Getty Images
Martin Johnson did not exactly pick his moment when he turned up in Swansea on Sunday to watch the previously all-conquering England Under-20s in the junior world championship final against New Zealand.The England team manager’s hope for some relief after running up a huge telephone bill finding out what was [...]

The England manager didn’t like the look of the Kiwis’ tactics. Photographer: David Rogers/Getty Images
England have a struggle on their hands if they wish to level their two-Test series with the All Blacks and the task became still harder today. Losing Andrew Sheridan with a lacerated eyelid has deprived the tourists of their biggest forward [...]