Sporting digest: rugby union

Andy Long, the Bath hooker who made his England Test debut against Australia last November, will captain the England Under-21 touring party which flies to South Africa next week for four matches.

Noel Murphy, the Lions most-capped flanker, was yesterday voted president of the Irish Rugby Football Union at the union's annual general meeting in Dublin. The 61-year-old, who played a record eight Tests for the Lions between 1959 and 1966, was also coach to Bill Beaumont's team on the tour of South Africa in 1980. He played 40 matches for Ireland between 1958 and 1969 and was Ireland coach from 1978 to 1980 before serving as a selector and later chairman of selectors. Murphy was Ireland team manager at the 1995 World Cup in South Africa.

Samoa won its third successive match on their New Zealand tour yesterday with a 21-10 win over the provincial side Bay of Plenty.

Japan A beat a combined Massey-Victoria University side 50-33, in a tour match in Palmerston North, New Zealand yesterday.