Successful Sale pair to take charge of 'A' tour

The Sale Sharks coaches, Jim Mallinder and Steve Diamond, will take charge of the England A team during this summer's inaugural Churchill Cup competition.

England play Canada on 14 June in Vancouver, and then face the United States a week later. They then head to Tokyo to play Japan on 5 July. Mallinder and Diamond, who have transformed Sale into one of England's top clubs, get their chance as the trip coincides with a short England tour to Australia and New Zealand.

Clive Woodward will be in charge of that trip and said: "Jim and Steve are doing a great job with the Sharks and I'm delighted that they will be leading the party."

The Welsh Premier clubs have requested a meeting with David Moffett, the WRU group chief executive, over the future of the professional game in Wales. Today's meeting will centre on funding issues for the five clubs which are set to forge the structure of Welsh rugby from next season.

Martyn Williams, the Wales captain and Cardiff flanker, will have a knee operation, that will keep him out of action for four weeks, after his side's Principality Cup quarter-final against Pontypridd on Friday.

* The English and Irish RFUs have apologised to Ireland's president, Mary McAleese, after she was forced to walk on the pitch instead of the red carpet at Sunday's Grand Slam decider in Dublin amid the confusion of where the teams should stand for the pre-match presentations.