Northampton Saints 24 Sale Sharks 17

Leicester have confirmed that England fly-half Toby Flood is expected to miss the start of the RBS 6 Nations championship with a knee injury.

The Aviva Premiership Grand Final could be staged at Old Trafford in 2013 or 2014 as part of a concerted effort to engage rugby fans in the north of England.

Johnson successor must not worry about Six Nations results as much as blooding kids for next World Cup

The old ultraviolence is fine but Lawes was lucky not to see a card

If England's victory over Ireland in Dublin solved a couple of difficult World Cup conundrums – it is now very hard to see Martin Johnson, the manager, going into the big game with Argentina a week on Saturday without the Sale prop Andrew Sheridan or the Gloucester centre Mike Tindall – it also raised a question or two. Not least over the full-back position, where Ben Foden's status as a nailed-on starter is not quite as secure as he imagined at the beginning of the month.

Ireland 9 England 20: Samoan-born centre has suddenly become England's bright hope for World Cup after lighting up the midfield with pace, power and another try

Make no mistake; this was no warm-up game. Well, technically it was, but it was ultimately one hell of a Test match. It had everything; a ferocious battle at the scrummage, car crash collisions all over the park and one or two moments of brilliance providing that creative spark we all wantedto see.

Martin Johnson has named a new-look midfield of Jonny Wilkinson, Mike Tindall and Manu Tuilagi for England's final World Cup warm-up international against Ireland on Saturday.

England flanker James Haskell has been passed fit for selection against Ireland on Saturday.

England's last-minute planning for the World Cup in New Zealand, already disrupted by injury concerns over three leading players, were further undermined yesterday when the flanker James Haskell, a prominent contributor to the Six Nations Championship victory in the spring, broke down with foot trouble. The 26-year-old back-row forward must have the injury scanned and is in danger of missing this weekend's final warm-up match with Ireland in Dublin.

England's quest for revenge will ensure Saturday's final Rugby World Cup warm-up match against Ireland is anything but a friendly, according to scrum coach Graham Rowntree

There were extremes of emotion yesterday as Lewis Moody was named as England's Rugby World Cup captain but there was no place for Riki Flutey in the squad for New Zealand.