10:00 PM BST Tom HamiltonRugby Editor Close • Joined ESPN in 2011• Grew up in Bath but has New Zealand roots• Covered England’s tour of New Zealand in 2014 and Australia in 2016• Was ESPN’s man on the ground for the 2013 British & Irish Lions series and Rugby World Cup 2015 HAMILTON, New Zealand — British & Irish

Anthony Watson believes the British & Irish Lions must add a killer instinct if they are to topple New Zealand. The Lions throttled the Maori All Blacks in an imperious 32-10 victory in Rotorua on Saturday, but still left a host of fine line breaks unconverted. Warren Gatland’s men strangled their hosts into submission, but

6:23 AM BST Tom HamiltonRugby Editor Close • Joined ESPN in 2011• Grew up in Bath but has New Zealand roots• Covered England’s tour of New Zealand in 2014 and Australia in 2016• Was ESPN’s man on the ground for the 2013 British & Irish Lions series and Rugby World Cup 2015 HAMILTON, New Zealand — Rory Best will

Johnny Sexton and Owen Farrell have less than an hour’s rugby in tandem but are ready to forge a combination for the British & Irish Lions to sink the All Blacks. Ireland fly-half Sexton believes Saturday’s first Lions Test against New Zealand in Auckland will be the toughest challenge of his career. The Leinster playmaker

2:50 PM BST ESPN Staff Following Saturday morning’s news that Warren Gatland has called up six players — Wales quartet Kristian Dacey, Cory Hill, Tomas Francis and Gareth Davies and Scotland duo Allan Dell and Finn Russell — into his British & Irish Lions squad their respective clubs and countries were quick to congratulate those

10:30 AM BST ESPN Staff Owen Farrell has been pictured wearing heavy strapping as he took to the training field for the first time since suffering the injury which has rocked the British & Irish Lions’ preparations for the first Test against New Zealand. Fly-half Farrell was forced to withdraw from the 23-man Lions squad

Argentina captain Agustin Creevy says his team will be out for revenge in Saturday’s second Test against England at Estadio Brigadier General Estanislao Lopez in Santa Fe. The 32-year-old hooker, who played for Montpellier and Worcester before joining up with the Buenos Aires-based Jaguares Super Rugby franchise on their formation two years ago, says his

2:58 PM BST Tom HamiltonRugby Editor Close • Joined ESPN in 2011• Grew up in Bath but has New Zealand roots• Covered England’s tour of New Zealand in 2014 and Australia in 2016• Was ESPN’s man on the ground for the 2013 British & Irish Lions series and Rugby World Cup 2015 EDEN PARK, Auckland — There were a

The French rugby federation has been reprimanded for failing to follow head injury assessment (HIA) protocols during the conclusion to March’s Six Nations win over Wales in Paris. Wales’ interim head coach Rob Howley said the “integrity of the game had been brought into disrepute” after France replacement prop Uini Atonio went off for a

In another universe, Jared Payne may well have run out to a packed Eden Park on Wednesday as a Blues player – or, in two weeks, as an All Black. Instead, he’ll take to the Auckland fortress as a British and Irish Lion. The naturalised Irishman has been named at centre for the Lions’ first