Scotland are reeling from the injustice of being denied a place in the World Cup semi-finals by Craig Joubert after the South African referee awarded Australia an incorrect last-gasp penalty.

The great and the good had been queuing up all week to predict an England win at Twickenham on Saturday night, among them three captains from World Cups long gone, writes Peter Jackson.

New Zealand’s players insist they are not upset by former England scrum-half Matt Dawson’s ’Hakarena’ video, poking fun at traditional war dance the Haka.

My memory of a lot of things from my career wouldn’t be perfect, but Ireland v England at Croke Park in 2007 is as clear as it gets.

Brian O’Driscoll’s punditry role with BT Sport extended to a spot of rugby coaching earlier this week with former All Black Nick Evans.

There was just over an hour to go to kick-off at The Stoop last Sunday, but Daniel Hudson was leaning on a piece of pricey-looking equipment like it was a trusty ledge in his favourite pub and exuding the calm of a man without a care in the world.

Ireland and Leinster legend Brian O’Driscoll will be involved in the station’s coverage of the European Rugby Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup.

Munster may have added motivation against Leinster, given their respective representations in Ireland’s Six Nations squad, but the desire to prove people wrong will work both ways at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

He’s had a plethora of moments to cherish on English soil, from that 2006 pressure conversion for Munster at Welford Road to the standout victories over the Red Rose at Twickenham.

Some of Britain’s most successful sports stars will front BT Sport’s new programmes.

Two British sporting institutions drew neck and neck this week. A Question of Sport has taken 45 years, three hosts, 16 captains, a million high-fives and several makeovers to bring up 1,000 not out.

World champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has joined a new management company just days after putting his snooker playing career on hold.

Manchester United footballer Ryan Giggs has settled his phone-hacking damages claim against News Group Newspapers.

So, no championship title. Certainly no Grand Slam and the diluted Triple Crown is already sitting pretty in a trophy cabinet somewhere in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

AUCKLAND BLUES coach Pat Lam is still ruing the day that Isa Nacewa pulled on a Fiji jersey for the dying moments of a 2003 World Cup game he believes cost the Leinster star at least 50 caps as an All Black.

THE spectre of Gavin Henson continues to hang over Welsh rugby after he featured in a marketing campaign for the new Wales kit yesterday.

MARTIN JOHNSON last night revealed his coaching team would remain intact for the summer tour to Australia after branding England’s critics “ill-informed”.

JONNY WILKINSON admits England’s defeat by Scotland at Murrayfield two years ago was one of the most painful experiences of his career. The England fly-half broke the world record for international points on that filthy afternoon in Edinburgh but there was nothing else for him to smile about.

Jonny Wilkinson today shrugged off the critics and vowed to keep his cool in the face of mounting criticism.

Jonny Wilkinson has been retained in an unchanged England team for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations showdown with Ireland at Twickenham, despite concerns over his form and fitness.

MARTIN JOHNSON will keep faith with Jonny Wilkinson when he names his England team at noon today to face Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday.

Nick Easter would be perfectly happy if England bored their way to the RBS 6 Nations championship title.

Martin Johnson last night took a swipe at critics of England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson – and insisted the whole team must bear responsibility for the uninspiring performance against Italy.

England manager Martin Johnson today launched a vigorous defence of Jonny Wilkinson and blasted critics for working to their own agenda.

WILL CARLING revealed last night he has scrapped plans to manage Danny Cipriani because he believes the Wasps fly-half is not passionate enough about playing for England.

Martin Johnson is confident England head into the RBS 6 Nations with the strongest squad he has been able to select during an often-troubled 18-month reign.

Lions coach Ian McGeechan believes off-field interaction could be just as important as on-field training as he bids to mastermind a series triumph over world champions South Africa.

KYRAN BRACKEN believes England’s discipline problem stems from a lack of on-field leadership – and he warned it is not a problem that can be addressed overnight.

JOHN SMIT is hoping “to put things right” when the Lions tour South Africa later this year.

Keith Wood believes England are suffering from a lack of star players and insists it will take all of Martin Johnson’s fabled leadership skills to change their fortunes.

FORMER British and Irish Lions captain Gavin Hastings believes a London Wasps triumvirate of Ian McGeechan, Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards should lead the 2009 tour to South Africa.

Former British and Irish Lions captain Gavin Hastings believes a London Wasps triumvirate of Ian McGeechan, Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards should lead the 2009 tour to South Africa.

Brian Ashton has defended his decision to ditch Danny Cipriani for tomorrow’s Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland – but revealed he will be back on England duty within 72 hours.

IF Eddie O’Sullivan’s complex and seemingly fraught relationship with Warren Gatland has become the most intriguing subplot ahead of Saturday’s Six Nations tie against Wales, consider the advantage any insider knowledge Eoin Reddan can bring to the Irish camp, given his close working relationship with Wasps blitz defence coach extraordinaire, Shaun Edwards.

IN UNDER three years Eoin Reddan’s ambitions appear fully realised: from bit-part player at Munster to central cog and sometime captain at Wasps, where the English Premiership club hunt a third Heineken Cup title in five seasons, not forgetting current holder of the Ireland scrum-half shirt.

MONDAY lunchtime and the media, pardon the pun, swarm around Wasps scrum-half Eoin Reddan who takes over from the multi-capped (79) Peter Stringer for Friday night’s Pool D clash with France.

BRIAN ASHTON admits he is “a fair distance away” from formulating the World Cup squad that will attempt to create rugby history in seven months.

EOIN REDDAN, called up to the Irish bench for the Murrayfield clash on Saturday, is a realist.

LAWRENCE DALLAGLIO has warned Twickenham officials not to make a panic appointment and hand World Cup-winning skipper Martin Johnson the vacant England coach’s role.

Ex-goalie Peter Schmeichel was hanging up his dancing shoes today after being voted off Strictly Come Dancing.

Gloucester 31 Worcester 23

England’s World Cup-winning scrum-half Matt Dawson has announced he will retire from rugby at the end of the season.

NO doubt, some day we’ll pay for this! You could say it was the luck of the Irish in St Patrick’s week but to hell with that. Ireland were overdue a rub of the green and it came in spades on Saturday when they caught England on the line to claim a second Triple Crown in three years, complete a hat-trick of victories over the “auld enemy” and even run up a record total of 28 points.

Twickenham boss Francis Baron has stressed the need for England to halt their slump ahead of Saturday’s RBS Six Nations Championship appointment with Ireland.