Bath centre Shontayne Hape will make his England Test debut in Saturday’s Cook Cup clash with Australia at the Subiaco Oval in Perth.

Newport Gwent Dragons 23 Gloucester 32

Gloucester 23 Biarritz 8

Biarritz 42 Gloucester 15

Court proceedings against England rugby star Lesley Vainikolo were adjourned today to allow the injured winger to fly to New Zealand to “deal with sensitive family matters”.

WASPS flanker Tom Rees will miss the start of England’s RBS 6 Nations campaign after it was confirmed he had suffered ligament damage in his left knee.

Gloucester and England wing Lesley Vainikolo has undergone surgery on his ruptured right Achilles tendon and will not play again this season.

Lesley Vainikolo appeared in court today charged with causing grievous bodily harm during a street brawl.

England rugby star Lesley Vainikolo was charged today with causing grievous bodily harm following an early morning street brawl.

Gloucester 48 Calvisano 5

Cardiff Blues 37 Gloucester 24

Michael Bradley has challenged his Ireland squad to “make a statement” on their tour of New Zealand and Australia.

Ireland 39 Barbarians 14

All Blacks' flanker Jerry Collins is the latest addition to the Barbarians squad for Tuesday's match against Ireland at Kingsholm, Gloucester.

Michael Bradley has hailed Munster’s achievement after they were crowned European champions for a second time in three seasons.

Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll has hailed Munster’s latest Heineken Cup triumph – and admitted he is “very envious” of their achievements.

Munster's Frederico Pucciarello, Leinster's Ollie Le Roux and Ulster's Justin Harrison have been named in a 30-man Barbarians squad for games against Belgium, Ireland and England.

Steve Borthwick will captain England on their New Zealand tour next month.

Gloucester head coach Dean Ryan is determined not to abandon his attacking principles in the cauldron of a Heineken Cup quarter-final against European heavyweights Munster.

England 13 Ireland 10

Regardless of the sport, there’s no such thing as a meaningless game between Ireland and England.

Rob Kearney believes beating England tomorrow will enable Ireland to claw back some credibility from a disappointing RBS 6 Nations.

AS IF EDDIE O’Sullivan hadn’t enough on his mind, with seemingly the whole of Ireland screaming for him to fall on his sword, he spent most of yesterday trying to figure out just what kind of three-quarter line he should put out against England at Twickenham on Saturday.

Danny Cipriani will report for England duty tonight with World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio underlining the Wasps youngster's "dedication" to rugby.

JONNY WILKINSON and Lesley Vainikolo could be the high-profile casualties from England’s Murrayfield horror show.

Shane Geraghty’s hopes of forcing his way into England contention for the RBS 6 Nations clash against France next Saturday could be dashed by injury.

EXPERIENCED half-back pair Stephen Jones and Dwayne Peel are in line to start against Italy a week on Saturday after coming off the bench to guide Wales to victory over Scotland.

Italy 19 England 23

England assistant coach John Wells has no doubt Italy will look to “knock our blocks off” when the World Cup finalists face a testing RBS 6 Nations mission on Sunday.

BRIAN ASHTON insists England are ready for their Italian job tomorrow — and he is confident it will not be a botched mission.

JONNY WILKINSON has avoided the axe for England’s RBS Six Nations Championship clash against Italy in Rome on Sunday. The Newcastle out-half retains his place, despite producing a poor performance when England slumped 26-19 at home to Wales in their tournament opener.

Jonny Wilkinson has avoided the axe for England’s RBS 6 Nations Championship clash against Italy in Rome on Sunday.

Jonny Wilkinson looks set to clear a second major hurdle tomorrow by keeping his place in the England team for next Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations clash against Italy.

England 19 Wales 26

ENGLAND warrior Mark Regan is expecting a battle in today’s RBS 6 Nations opener, claiming: “There is never a friendly with the Welsh.”

Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan insists his policy on substitutes remains unchanged despite drawing heavy criticism for his stance.

SHANE WILLIAMS anticipates a clash of biblical proportions when he comes up against giant winger Lesley Vainikolo at Twickenham on Saturday.

Gloucester number eight Luke Narraway will make his Test debut in a surprise selection for England's RBS 6 Nations Championship opener against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.

Phil Vickery revealed England’s eight-strong Wasps contingent all gave Shaun Edwards their blessing to join the Wales coaching staff.

Gloucester 29 Ulster 21

SKIPPER Rory Best is a shock inclusion in the Ulster team for tomorrow’s Pool Two clash away to Gloucester.

Ospreys 32 Gloucester 15

GLOUCESTER boss Dean Ryanbelieves today’s Heineken Cup showdown against a star-studded Ospreys side “falls right into the top bracket” of European club rugby.

England boss Brian Ashton has sprung a major surprise in his 32-man RBS 6 Nations squad by selecting former Bradford Bulls rugby league star Lesley Vainikolo.