Rugby Union: Tigers sign Fijians

The promise of a more expansive game from Leicester next season was heightened yesterday when they signed two Fijian internationals, Waisale Serevi and Marika Vunibaka.

Both have played notable parts in their country's success at Sevens. Serevi, 29, captained Fiji to victory in the Hong Kong World Sevens in March, scoring 117 points in the tournament.

Marika Vunibaka, 22, was another lynchpin of Fiji's success in Hong Kong in March - the tournament's top try-scorer with 12, including four in four minutes in the semi-final win over Western Samoa. He was named player of the tournament, following in the recent footsteps of Jonah Lomu in 1995 and Christian Cullen in 1996.

The Saracens captain Tony Diprose will lead England against Argentina A today. The No 8 leads a side that includes six players starting their first game of the tour. Northampton centre Matt Allen, Harlequins wing Daren O'Leary and Coventry second-row forward Danny Grewcock come in for the first time, while Gloucester full-back Mark Mapletoft, Sale centre Jos Baxendell and Bristol flanker Martin Corry start after substitute appearances against Buenos Aires.

ENGLAND (v Argentina A, Buenos Aires, today): Mapletoft (Gloucester); Rees (Sale), Baxendell (Sale), Allen (Northampton), O'Leary (Harlequins); King (Wasps), Gomarsall (Wasps); Yates (Bath), Cockerill (Leicester), Garforth (Leicester), Haag (Bath), Grewcock (Coventry), Corry (Bristol), Diprose (Saracens, capt), Jenkins (Harlequins). Replacements: Bracken (Saracens), Greenstock (Wasps), Mallinder (Sale), Hardwick (Coventry), Greening (Gloucester), Ojomoh (Bath).

The All-Black wing Jeff Wilson scored five tries as he helped the New Zealand Academy XV rout the Irish Development team 74-15, with 12 tries, in North Harbour, Auckland yesterday. It was a second huge defeat for the Irish Development side, who conceded 69 points in their opening tour match against Northland last Thursday.