Leicester have signed New Zealand World Cup winner Brad Thorn.

Former Great Britain scrum-half Bobbie Goulding was today appointed as national coach of France.

Martin Johnson called on England to bring the crowd to its feet in tomorrow’s Cook Cup showdown with old enemy Australia and start rebuilding Fortress Twickenham.

ITV Sport have announced a two-year deal to share coverage of the Heineken Cup, rugby union’s premier European event, with the BBC.

Australian football supremo Frank Lowy is determined to press ahead with a bid to host the 2018 World Cup despite FIFA president Sepp Blatter suggesting the country would be better served bidding for the 2022 tournament.

England football fans heading to Russia for the World Cup will be safe and enjoy visa-free travel as guests of the country, Moscow's ambassador to London has said.

JIM BOYCE, who takes over as Britain’s new FIFA vice-president today, believes England need to work hard to build bridges to combat an “anti-FA feeling” in world football.

Uefa chief executive Gerhard Aigner claims England have more chance of winning the World Cup than his own Germany.

Sony Entertainment said it has won the exclusive cable and satellite television rights for live telecasts of international cricket, including the next two World Cups, on the Asian sub-continent.

Captain William Porterfield wants to provide extra “ammunition” to Ireland’s fight to be allowed a place in the next World Cup when they meet Pakistan in Belfast this weekend.

Not that Ireland haven’t enough to be getting on with, but there was little evidence in Scotland’s 34-0 defeat of Samoa in Kobe today that Gregor Townsend’s men are ready to rain on Japan’s World Cup parade come their decisive Pool A clash at the World Cup on Sunday October 13th.

Gus Hiddink has emphatically ruled out any chance of becoming the next Chelsea manager – but believes fellow Dutchman Frank Rijkaard could be a good choice to succeed Avram Grant.

Ireland face a rematch with India in the Hockey World Cup quarter-finals tomorrow evening as the Asian side eased by the challenge of Italy 3-0 in their crossover tie in London.

FORMER world player of the year Rivaldo could be on his way to Bolton. The Barclaycard Premiership club confirmed tonight they were involved in talks with the Brazilian playmaker.

Japan coach John Kirwan has called for an end to the “political games” and insisted the International Rugby Board must take the 2015 World Cup to Asia.

Devin Toner’s World Cup ambitions remain intact with the news that the Leinster second row faces just a 4-6 week recovery period from the knee injury suffered against Munster in last week’s Guinness PRO14 semi-final.

FIFA disciplinary chairman Claudio Sulser says Russia will be punished if their supporters show any form of racist behaviour at the 2018 World Cup in the country.