Rugby Union

England's rugby union side play their second and final test of the tour against hosts Argentina in Santa Fe on Saturday after their epic 38-34 victory in San Juan last weekend.

Eddie Jones's team contained 10 debutants and had looked destined for defeat until a brilliant late solo try from Denny Solomona gave the Red Rose victory.

There could be more new faces for the upcoming fixture, with Jones expected to make changes for the second test.

The head coach has warned his players the game represents a great chance to impress and seal a World Cup spot, per Daniel Schofield at The Telegraph.

Another youngster in Alex Lozowski will be hoping to retain his place after winning his first cap on Sunday, and he'll surpass the international record of his father, Rob, if he does.

#Argentina2017 | We catch up with @alexlozowski, the centre hoping to surpass his father's cap record this weekend: https://t.co/Oiats5Ptjw pic.twitter.com/LaNJfJN9KO

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) June 13, 2017

Scum-half Danny Care has also given his backing to the younger players, per BBC Sport, as the youthful squad prepare for the second test.

"People are right to be excited—the young lads coming through are a different breed these days," he said.

Jones, meanwhile, is wary of a backlash in the second test and has warned his team against complacency, as per Michael Aylwin of The Guardian.

"We know Argentina are going to respond. It's always the case when one side win and one side lose," he said. "We have got to treat this like a loss and make sure we have the same intent to improve from the last game."

               

Team News

Chris Robshaw is expected to feature after returning to training after an ankle injury, per Sky Sports, which should mean either Mark Wilson or 18-year-old Tom Curry making way.

Both players shone on Saturday and certainly did enough to impress BT Sport's Nick Mullins:

So good to see Mark Wilson doing what he does in an England shirt. And has anybody actually seen Tom Curry's birth certificate?

— Nick Mullins (@andNickMullins) June 10, 2017

Solomona will also be pushing for a start after his heroics last time out, where he emerged as a second-half substitute to score a late, match-winning try.

It was a rollercoaster debut, though, with Solomona also missing several key tackles before his key contribution, and Jones could therefore hand debuts to either Nathan Earle or Harry Mallinder.

             

Prediction

If the two sides can get anywhere near the excitement of the first test, then a thriller is in prospect, with even match referee Nigel Owens taking time out to congratulate the teams after Saturday's game:

Credit to Argentina & England for playing one of the great games of rugby yesterday. Was a pleasure to referee it. Well done all the players

— Nigel Owens MBE (@Nigelrefowens) June 11, 2017

England could well introduce more debutants in Santa Fe, but their inexperienced side will have gained huge confidence over the last week, particularly given the nature of their late win.

Argentina will be expected to respond and were superior to England at times during Saturday's game, although their mistakes were ruthlessly punished.

The returning Robshaw should boost England, and while it could be another close game, the momentum is with Jones' men.

England to win tight game       

Ireland cruised to a 55-19 win over the USA Eagles during Saturday's summer international, powered by a great performance from Keith Earls.

The European giants were expected to beat the Stars and Stripes and lived up to the expectations, although the hosts also impressed in a high-scoring match.

The visitors scored no less than nine tries, with Earls (2), Jacob Stockdale, Kieran Marmion, Niall Scannell, Jack Conan, James Ryan, Luke McGrath and Simon Zebo all touching down. Joe Carberry and Rory Scannell each added two conversions.

For the Stars and Stripes, Ryan Matyas, Nick Civetta and John Quill scored tries, and Alan MacGinty had two conversions.

The USA started the match with plenty of attacking intentions but quickly ran into a first setback, as Earls cleverly slid over after a brilliant attack. Carbery missed the conversion, but the visitors still had the early lead.

Balls.ie were impressed with Earls' recent form―and he was only just getting started:

Somebody photoshop Keith Earls onto the Hamburgler from The Simpsons' 'Stop, stop..' meme, this is getting out of hand. #IREvUSA

— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) June 10, 2017

While the Stars and Stripes impressed with plenty of offloads and exotic attacking moves, the more experienced Irish team was ruthlessly efficient early, and Stockdale scored a try on his debut from a great set-piece. Carbery was on point this time around, making the score 12-0.

Earles continued his monstrous showing by going close to scoring a second try before playing a clever one-two with Kieran Marmion that resulted in another score.

But just as the USA's efforts seemed hopeless, Carbery made a silly mistake that gave the Eagles some space, and they duly capitalised via Civetta. USA Rugby were ecstatic:

20' TRY TIME!!! @nickcivetta blocks the kick and dives over the line! @Aj_MacGinty converts.#USA 7-17 #IRE

WATCH on @NBCSports#USAvIRE

— USA Rugby (@USARugby) June 10, 2017

Ireland took control of the ball after the mistake and eventually restored the big advantage through an excellent maul, with Scannell going over. Marmion put the half-time score on the board after yet another good effort from Earls, who easily stole the headlines in that half.

Three Red Kings thought the Stars and Stripes' limitations showed:

Ireland have been good without having to be great. USA limited enough. Keith Earls absolutely outstanding #USAvIRE

— Three Red Kings (@threeredkings) June 10, 2017

The high scoring volume didn't stop after the break, with Conan pushing on for Ireland's sixth before another poor kick from Carbery gave the hosts their second score, this time via Quill.

Irish Times Sport were not impressed:

Joey Carbery not covering himself in glory. A second block down gifts the US a second try, USA 14 Ireland 36 https://t.co/hGcuWra7Fb

— Irish Times Sport (@IrishTimesSport) June 10, 2017

Numerous substitutions pulled the momentum from the match, although the USA didn't seem to mind, and Ireland were happy to give some of their fringe players a run out. The hosts dealt with the changes best, and Matyas deservedly added to their tally.

Ryan got in on the scoring fun, with Earls once again playing a big role in the buildup. Not to be outdone, McGrath also showed his strength on his way to another score.

And the visitors weren't done yet, as Zebo scored their ninth try to complete the one-sided affair.

  

Argentina and England served up an epic encounter on Saturday, with the visitors narrowly beating the Pumas 38-34 in a summer international.

Juan Martin Hernandez had given the hosts the lead with a drop-goal with minutes left to play, but Denny Solomona answered in the dying seconds with a huge try.

George Ford scored a try and added four penalties and three conversions, while Marland Yarde and Jonny May also went over. For the Pumas, Nicolas Sanchez made one penalty and four conversions, and Joaquin Tuculet, Jeronimo De La Fuente, Emiliano Boffelli and Tomas Lavanini scored tries.

England's squad featured four debutants, including the 18-year-old Tom Curry. Per OptaJonny, he was the youngest to do so in a long time:

18 - Tom Curry (18y 360d) will become England's youngest player since J Wilkinson in 1998 (18y 314d) & the youngest forward since 1912. Star pic.twitter.com/Lz4dzBbped

— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) June 9, 2017

The more experienced Pumas made a fast start and earned a penalty on Nathan Hughes at a scrum after two minutes. Sanchez hooked his effort wide, but the hosts kept up the pressure, and Sanchez more than made up for his miss with a great kick through the English line for Boffelli, who scored the first try.

Per BBC Sport's live blog of the match, former England coach Andy Robinson was impressed: "That's a really smart bit of play from Argentina. The chip from Sanchez is perfect for Boffelli to get in and score. Argentina look to move the ball to the right side and move Brown away from the sweeper role, which gave them space to score."

Ford sent his first kick from the tee booming down the middle, putting England on the board inside of 20 minutes. A second kick made it a 7-6 match, with Argentina failing to capitalise on the many turnovers of their opponents.

Just past the half-hour mark, Yarde was matched up against a prop and made quick work of his opponent, handing England their first lead. O2 Sports enjoyed the score:

https://twitter.com/O2sports/status/873627833985269760

But the lead was short-lived, as the Pumas hit back through the powerful Lavanini, with Sanchez scoring the extras.

With the last kick of the half, the 28-year-old added to his side's lead, passing 500 international points in the process.

Ultimate Rugby enjoyed the action:

HT: Argentina 17-13 England #ARGvENG

Exciting game with Argentina outscoring England by 2 tries to 1 🇦🇷

LIVE 👉 https://t.co/5uxjJ6cDJj pic.twitter.com/OEgnuOeZxM

— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) June 10, 2017

Ford reduced the deficit to a single point with another penalty early in the second half, and May reclaimed the lead for the visitors with a stunning try, courtesy of a great kick through from Henry Slade.

Former international Jason Robinson was impressed:

Great skills from @Sladey_10 !!#ENGvARG 🏉

— Jason Robinson (@Jason15Robinson) June 10, 2017

The back-and-forth continued with two Argentinian tries in quick succession, from De la Fuente and Tuculet, but minutes after Sanchez missed a penalty, Ford added a try of his own before missing the conversion, leaving the match tied.

The Loose Head urged fans to tune in to watch the thriller:

Argentina v England is one hell of a game.

If you're in a position to watch the last 15m, I recommend it.

— Jeff Neville (The Loose Head) (@TheLooseH) June 10, 2017

The final minutes were cagey, but Hernandez gave the home fans reason to celebrate with a well-executed drop-goal just before the final whistle.

Argentina thought they had won it, but substitute Solomona scored a try at the death to win it for the visitors. Ford kicked the extras and cleared after a scrum past the hooter to cap off a memorable night for England.

South Africa got their three-match home series with France off to an excellent start in Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, on Saturday, as they comfortably beat the visitors 37-14.

Jesse Kriel and Henry Chavancy went over for each side in the first half before France substitute Baptiste Serin picked up a second try for France in the second.

The hosts finished strongly, though, as Courtnall Skosan and Ross Cronje went over in the space of a minute before Jan Serfontein added a fourth try.

The Springboks started brightly on home soil and were soon 6-0 up thanks to two penalties from Elton Jantjies after Djibril Camara was caught offside and Clement Maynadier collapsed a maul.

Sports journalist Neil Collins remarked on their early dominance as they put France under pressure:

IT'S ALL SOUTH AFRICA AT LOFTUS: @springboks 6-0 France 18mins

— Neal Collins (@nealcol) June 10, 2017

France were eventually able to settle into the contest and responded with an attack of their own, but after surviving a brief onslaught, South Africa grabbed the first try of the game through Kriel.

The 23-year-old was picked out by Malcolm Marx, before charging over with a burst of pace to escape the French defence.

Gerald Imray of the Associated Press hailed Marx's performance:

Malcolm Marx having storming game in first start. Sets up Jesse Kriel's try. @Springboks lead France 13-0, 33 mins gone #SAvFRA

— Gerald Imray (@GeraldImrayAP) June 10, 2017

France hit back almost immediately, though, when they worked the ball out to Yoann Huget on the left, and the winger chipped it over South Africa's line before racing on to it. Despite an unfortunate bounce, he was able to offload it to Chavancy to touch down.

A late penalty for the hosts handed them a 16-7 lead at the break, but France reduced that gap to just two points within quarter of an hour of the restart when Serin powered over, with Jules Plisson adding the extras, as he had before.

The hosts responded magnificently, though, hitting back with two quick-fire tries.

As noted by South African Rugby, the first was a penalty try for Skosan:

Penalty try to #Springboks as @Skosan14 is impeded on way to scoring his first test try Yellow card to @FFRugby as well. 23-14 after 60 mins pic.twitter.com/NSK1bJt0MP

— Springboks (@Springboks) June 10, 2017

Just one minute later, Cronje gave the Springboks even more breathing room when Warren Whiteley won a lineout and picked him out in space with a clever pass, allowing him an easy run over the line.

South Africa rounded out the match with a final try on the counter-attack, breaking through Francois Hougaard and Andries Coetzee before Serfontein wriggled through

USA will host Ireland in a Test at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey on Saturday. It's a key showpiece event to help the expansion of rugby union on U.S. shores.

The match is also an opportunity for both squads to give debut caps to burgeoning talents. In the case of Ireland, Ulster wing Jacob Stockdale has already been named as a starter by coach Joe Schmidt.

Before a preview, here are the schedule and live-streaming details:

     

Date: Saturday, June 10

Time: 10 p.m. BST. 5 p.m. ET

TV Info: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sport App.

      

Preview

Former U20 star Stockdale is one of a number of new faces set to be involved for Ireland. The 21-year-old is one member of "an inexperienced team with only four players boasting more than 10 caps" chosen by Schmidt, per BBC Sport.

Andrew Porter, Rory Scannell, Dave Heffernan and James Ryan are other players in the squad who could earn their first caps by featuring in New Jersey, should they be called on as replacements.

Schmidt is already looking at this friendly as an opportunity to help some youngsters earn much-needed experience. He explained his thought process, per Gavin Cummiskey of the Irish Times: "I think the young guys were impressive in the World Cup. It's an opportunity to build the base and those guys can help form that with performances in the next three weeks."

As for the U.S., the Eagles are hoping to increase the focus on the game. It's something already happening thanks to their practice sessions at Drew University, according to Jane Havsy of the Daily Record.

The Eagles have already had to make a change to their squad for this friendly, per USA Rugby:

UPDATE | @Eagles7s Matai Leuta replaces an injured Luke Hume in the Men's XVs squad ahead of #USAvIRE.

ROSTER: https://t.co/6l5ZchqY0q pic.twitter.com/Yi3fsFkR7V

— USA Rugby (@USARugby) June 5, 2017

Matai Leuta will join key figures such as captain Madison Hughes and flanker Andrew Durutalo. There's also a spot for the ultra-versatile Mike Te'o, a player who could feature in any one of three spots, including scrum-half or full-back.

Ultimately, even a much-changed Ireland squad should have too much quality for the Eagles, although Hughes and Co. will be keen to make an impression on home soil.

South Africa will begin their summer series against France with the first Test at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday. The Springboks have picked a refreshed squad with up to five players set to earn their first caps.

By contrast, Les Bleus are preparing to rely on established stars from the likes of Top 14 finalists Toulon and Clermont for the tour.

Before a preview, here are the schedule and live-streaming details:

      

Date: Saturday, June 10

Time: 4 p.m. BST. 11 a.m. ET.

TV Info: Sky Sports 3.

Live Stream: Sky Go.

      

Preview

South Africa coach Allister Coetzee has put his faith in a collection of newbies at international level. The new faces include Lions full-back Andries Coetzee, along with Cheetahs wing Raymond Rhule, per Sky Sports.

However, the bigger question marks could be along the back row. The Springbok are going to give Oupa Mahoje and Siya Kolisi the chance to combine with skipper Warren Whiteley.

It's an experiment coach Coetzee is looking forward to seeing, per Sky Sports:

"I am excited about our loose trio combination. Siya Kolisi has played at openside for the Springboks and the Stormers, and I know he will be able to do the job for us. Oupa Mohoje has good ball-carrying abilities, he is an excellent lineout option and I think the combination will complement each other."

Coetzee's willingness to test new partnerships reflects the experimental approach the Springboks are content to take on this tour. It's a chance for Coetzee to find out which groups of players are capable of giving his side greater width and helping South Africa play more open rugby.

Using width as part of a more open game used to be a tradition of French rugby at the national level. It's something coach Guy Noves has struggled to revive during his time in charge.

However, the 63-year-old has still felt comfortable leaving out some key stars, including Clermont Auvergne fly-half Camille Lopez. He won't feature, nor will his Clermont team-mates centre Remi Lamerat and back row Damien Chouly, per Sky Sports.

Noves explained his reasons for not calling up a replacement for Lopez, during an interview with AFP (h/t Sky Sports): "For the moment, I prefer to wait."

Restoring confidence in France rubgy can only start with a strong showing in Pretoria. Yet Noves' men are unlikely to have an easy time against a Springboks side always strong on home soil, no matter who plays.

England will get their summer tour of Argentina under way on Saturday hoping to get their two-Test series started on the right foot.

Head coach Eddie Jones has had his squad selection restricted by the British and Irish Lions' ongoing tour of New Zealand, but he'll undoubtedly hope his remaining stars will be sufficient to beat Argentina.

The Pumas, on the other hand, have no such grave obstacles in their selection and will be utilising this series as preparation for the 2017 Rugby Championship, which kicks off in August.

England come to South America as Six Nations champions for two years running, meaning despite their stars' split commitments, they have a reputation to defend as the best team Europe has to offer at present.

Read on for a preview of Saturday's duel in San Juan, complete with all the necessary viewing information to ensure you don't miss out on the action.

     

Date: Saturday, June 10

Time: 8:15 p.m. BST/3:15 p.m. ET

Venue: Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan

Live Stream: BBC Sport website (UK)

TV Info: BBC Two (UK)

     

Preview

Argentina play host to England this summer with possibly their strongest ever chance of mounting some dominance over the Red Rose, having lost their last six meetings in succession. Their last win took place in June 2009.

While Jones' selection has been crippled by the Lions tour, Argentina find themselves close to full squad fitness. The England Twitter feed celebrated the number of England players named for the Lions' tour match with the Crusaders:

Congrats to the 5 England players picked for the Lions on Saturday v the Crusaders 👏Go well lads 🦁LionsNZ2017 #AllForOne pic.twitter.com/e2ozN6lIFt

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) June 8, 2017

Chief among the players the visitors will want to keep an eye on is electric winger Santiago Cordero, who starred at the 2015 Rugby World Cup alongside fellow threats fly-half Nicolas Sanchez and hooker Agustin Creevy.  

But England have some star names of their own left without tickets to New Zealand, and rugby writer Ben Coles recently spoke of Wasps No. 8 Nathan Hughes as a big talent during last month's Aviva Premiership final:

Easily Nathan Hughes' best game at Twickenham. You can tell why Eddie likes him from that rampage.

— Ben Coles (@bencoles_) May 27, 2017

Hooker Dylan Hartley retains his place as captain opposite Creevy, while Joe Launchbury, Chris Robshaw, Mike Brown and Danny Care are among some of the more seasoned internationals in the team.

That being said, England attack coach Glen Ella has spoken of several exciting players to watch out for, per the official England Rugby website:

“It’s good to see Sladey (Henry Slade) step up; I don’t think he got a run in Australia last year and now he's one of the senior players and is looking good. I like Alex (Lozowski) as well. Harry (Mallinder) is keen, he runs good lines, he’s a good kicker of the ball and is just a sponge - he wants to ask questions, wants to learn and get better, it’s a good attribute."

“So there’s a few guys I think could go to the next level, it’s just about giving them the experience of Test rugby now.” 

Of course, it's a boon for Jones to have fly-half George Ford under his command after Lions coach Warren Gatland didn't select the Leicester-bound playmaker, although Northampton full-back Ben Foden disagreed with that decision:

Two guys who would of made a difference to the lions squad - @George_Fordy and @jasonwoodward06 missed a trick #GameChangers #lions2017

— Ben Foden (@ben_foden) June 7, 2017

Views like that go to show just how slim the margins are between some of those still in the England summer squad and their peers in New Zealand, promising Argentina will have a major task on their hands regardless.

Whichever team takes victory in San Juan this weekend will take the upper hand in their two-legged encounter, with the Pumas chasing their first win over the Red Rose in eight years.

England continued their fine run in international rugby on Sunday, beating Barbarians 28-14 at Twickenham Stadium in London.

Nathan Earle gave England the lead after a strong spell from Barbarians, and George Ford added to the lead with his boot. Nick Isiekwe scored England's second try after half-time, while Adam Ashley-Cooper got on the board for Barbarians. Joe Tekori added some late excitement, but a score from Danny Care secured the win.

England fielded a weakened team because of the British Lions' tour of New Zealand, with several top stars absent. Barbarians were led by the likes of Alex Goode and Timoci Nagusa, with the latter impressing early.

His surging run after just three minutes nearly broke the deadlock, with Jeremy Thrush preventing major damage after Chris Robshaw was left for dead.

Goode thought he had scored shortly after, but the try was correctly disallowed for a forward pass from Nagusa. BBC London Sports' Jamie Hill loved what he saw from the wing:

That's what the Barbarians are all about. Timoci Nagusa starts inside his in-goal area, nearly creates something truly astonishing

— Jamie Hill (@jamiephill) May 28, 2017

Earle attacked out of control and lost possession, as the back-and-forth continued in the early stages. Barbarians dominated possession, but Earle made up for his mistake by giving England the lead, taking a pass from Sam James and scoring after 17 minutes. Ford added the conversion.

Sam Underhill was denied a try shortly after for a knock-on from Earle, with the TMO instead leading to a Barbarians scrum.

The visitors kept playing sensational rugby at times, but England were far more efficient, and Ford missed the chance to add to the lead after Frans Steyn was caught offside.

He had more luck minutes later, kicking a penalty after Robbie Fruean took out Mike Brown away from the ball, with the latter requiring treatment.

Barbarians failed to take advantage of some late possession, and instead, Ford ended the half by adding to the lead with another penalty, per England Rugby:

40' ENG 13 - 0 BAR
PEN | George Ford wraps up the first half with a well struck penalty.

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) May 28, 2017

Ashley-Cooper put Barbarians on the board early in the second half, finishing a lovely move despite a late tackle from Earle.

Ford added another penalty before the TMO was needed for another big call, as Jeremy Thrush had a try disallowed for losing the ball forward.

A yellow card for Mikheil Nariashvili gave England some breathing room, and the English scrum started to really take hold in the second half, wearing down Barbarians.

Isiekwe scored a try with 11 minutes to play, all but ending the match as a contest. Tekori's late try made things more interesting, but to the relief of Twickenham, Care added a late score to end the match.

The Lions will tour New Zealand to start the summer, taking on New Zealand Provincial Barbarians on June 3.

England will host a star-studded Barbarians lineup at Twickenham this Sunday in what promises to be a tantalising tune-up for a busy summer of international rugby.

The Red Rose will travel to Argentina for their summer tour in June, and some will be treating this weekend's non-cap international as a chance to raise their hand for future involvement in the national team.

Many European stars will be missing for Sunday's duel ahead of the British and Irish Lions' tour of New Zealand—as will any All Blacks who promise to take part in the three-part series.

Chris Robshaw has been elected Red Rose co-captain by head coach Eddie Jones and will lead the team for the first time since being relieved of his armband duties following the disastrous 2015 World Cup campaign, per The Rugby Paper

England name squad to face the Barbarians.

10-12 combination of George Ford and Alex Lozowski. pic.twitter.com/jLcL9LWUiJ

— The Rugby Paper (@TheRugbyPaper) May 25, 2017

Read on for a preview of Sunday's international encounter, complete with details on how you can catch the action, as well as a look toward who will be out to entertain most.

      

Date: Sunday, May 28

Time: 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET

Venue: Twickenham, London

Live Stream: Sky Go app (UK)

TV Info: Sky Sports 2 (UK)

      

Blossoming Rosebuds

Among the contingent of established names and newfound talents named in England's squad, there are a number of assets on the steady path to stardom, perhaps the highest-placed of whom is Sam Underhill.

The Bath-bound flanker has been tipped for big things after two seasons honing his craft with Ospreys, and The Telegraph's Charlie Morgan picked him out for special praise upon hearing news of the England team announcement:

Very intriguing England side, back five of the scrum especially. Lineout options, athleticism...and Sam Underhill. pic.twitter.com/28Sv7uo5Xv

— Charlie Morgan (@CharlieFelix) May 25, 2017

Another soaring starlet is Saracens back Alex Lozowski, who earned high praise from club team-mate Schalk Brits—who will also happen to be lining up against the youngster after being named in the Barbarians lineup:

Massive congrats to @alexlozowski @natenate174 @NickIsiekwe @rwiggy9 called up for the England vs @Barbarian_FC.#takeiteasyontheoldman

— Schalk Brits (@SchalkBrits) May 25, 2017

"Baptism through fire" is a phrase one might attribute to players making their international rugby debut against the Baa Baas, some of the most experienced stars in the world exercising their skills in a pressure-free environment.

That being said, Underhill and centre-cum-fly-half Lozowski, 23, can make a bold statement in standing up to some of the best in the world, and given England's trend of promoting young stars of late, it's far from inconceivable.

        

One to Watch: David Smith

Crowds come to watch the Barbarians due to the fact its ever-classy lineup can't help but ooze quality when it takes to the pitch, but even then, there are always those who stand a cut above the rest in these fixtures.

We're banking on Castres wing David Smith to be that man on this occasion, and it was no surprise to hear the Baa Baas happy to announce his involvement as a late addition to the team on Tuesday:

Like a lumberjack, keep lining em' up & he'll keep chopping em' down 🌲

Defending master David Smith 🇼🇸

#rugby 🏉 #rugbyunited pic.twitter.com/LwkTYcH833

— Barbarian FC (@Barbarian_FC) May 23, 2017

Smith has just come off the back of a busy season in the Top 14, during which he scored seven tries, which included a hat-trick display against Stade Francais last month:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otbZWLLsS_w

The ox-like speedster holds as much pace as any other player likely to be on the Twickenham turf this Sunday, and it will be of interest to see how much fortune the England line has restraining him.

Smith has reigned in the Top 14 for going on seven years as one of its most consistent try-scoring talents, and he returns to the Barbarians fold hoping to give his campaign an end-of-season boost.

University of California, Berkeley, rugby player Robert Paylor is paralyzed after suffering an injury in the Bears' national championship win over Arkansas State on Saturday.

Paylor's family released the following statement, courtesy of Cal Varsity Rugby:

The Paylor family has released this statement with an update on Robert Paylor. pic.twitter.com/SYeI61leuS

— Cal Varsity Rugby (@CalVarsityRugby) May 9, 2017

According to Julia Prodis Sulek of the Mercury News, the 20-year-old is paralyzed from the chest down.

The sophomore suffered the devastating injury early in Saturday's game as part of the "maul," when players from each side are in contact moving toward the goal.

Cal head coach Jack Clark commented on Paylor and the tough road he faces, per Tom FitzGerald of SFGate.com: "Our team is devastated by Rob's injury. There aren't words to adequately explain our sorrow for what he and his family are going through. Rob is an extraordinary teammate, friend and student-athlete.

"... His challenges will be severe, long in duration and difficult beyond measure. Our team intends to be there with him every bit of the way."

Paylor is an El Dorado Hills, California, native who played "lock" (emphasis on height and strength) for the Bears.

He was part of California's 32nd national championship-winning team.