MARTIN JOHNSON admitted he was relieved to escape Rome with a victory after watching England battle to an unconvincing win against Nick Mallett’s Italy yesterday at the Stadio Flaminio.

England manager Martin Johnson has finalised a forwards-dominated bench for Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Italy.

Leicester tight-head prop Dan Cole will make his full England debut in Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Italy in Rome.

Martin Johnson has cast off the shackles and named the boldest attacking team of his 18-month tenure for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations championship clash with Wales.

THE smiles were back and promises kept as the 2009 British and Irish Lions produced the performance of this South African tour to emphatically avoid a whitewash at Ellis Park, Johannesburg on Saturday with a victory that highlighted just how unlucky they were to lose the three-game Test series.

British and Irish Lions boss Ian McGeechan has made wholesale changes for Saturday's final Test against world champions South Africa.

Ireland fly-half Ronan O’Gara will captain the British and Irish Lions in tomorrow night’s clash against the Emerging Springboks at Newlands.

Brian O’Driscoll and Jamie Roberts will reprise their destructive centre partnership when the Lions tackle the Sharks in Durban on Wednesday.

England will start with Toby Flood at fly-half in Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations showdown with Ireland at Croke Park.

Ben Foden’s blistering form for Northampton has been rewarded with a call-up to the elite England squad.

DANNY CIPRIANI put his England misery behind him as Wasps survived a sterling Edinburgh fightback in another Heineken Cup thriller at Murrayfield.

TOBY FLOOD steps into the number 10 limelight vacated by Danny Cipriani at Twickenham on Saturday determined to make some publicity of his own.

England manager Martin Johnson appeared to provide an early glimpse into his thinking ahead of a demanding autumn Test campaign by making eight players available for EDF Energy Cup action this weekend.

DANNY CIPRIANI and Josh Lewsey produced a neat one-two combination punch to floor Castres as Wasps opened their Heineken Cup campaign with an emphatic home victory yesterday.

OSPREYS boss Lyn Jones has predicted “an encounter to remember” when his star-studded Welsh challengers tackle English champions Sale Sharks in a mouth-watering Heineken Cup clash this evening.

Wellington 6 Lions 23

WELLINGTON scrum half Piri Weepu will face the British and Irish Lions for the second time in five days believing the Maori’s victory can help his provincial side.

Ma’a Nonu is the only one of Wellington’s five All Blacks to have been released for Wednesday’s clash with the Lions at the Cake Tin.