England, the top seeds, England had to come from 17-0 down at half-time to beat the Cook Islands 21-17 and to preserve their unbeaten record on the opening day of the New Zealand round of the world sevens rugby series yesterday.

Harlequins have signed the Hull back-row forward Mike Burnett on a season-long loan.

Richie McCaw is to lead a contingent of All Blacks paying their respects to the community in New Zealand that suffered last month's Pike River mining disaster. McCaw, Dan Carter, Sonny Bill Williams and six other Crusaders will visit the West Coast area on 2 February. The 29 miners trapped and killed by two explosions included three Blaketown RFC players – Riki Keane, 28, Michael Monk, 23, and Blair Sims, 28. The Crusaders will wear the West Coast jersey against the Waratahs in the Super 15 in March.

There are two ways of looking at it. Unfortunately for those clinging to the hope that a British Isles team might make a worthwhile impression on next year's World Cup, they amount to the same thing and point to the same end – namely, an exercise in futility. England's second-half display against New Zealand at the start of the month, and the half-hour of Welsh superiority over the silver-ferned Grand Slammers either side of the interval on Saturday evening, might lead an optimist to proclaim: "Look, it can be done." Yet a pessimist will sift through this body of evidence and reach the opposite, more persuasive conclusion.

Andy Robinson is aware Scotland must be at their very best to emerge from today's match against Samoa in Aberdeen unscathed and with a fifth win from six Tests.

Martin Johnson was barely able to contain his excitment on the eve of England's showdown with South Africa as he told his men: "This is what you play for."

England manager Martin Johnson has reverted to his strongest line-up for Saturday's Investec Test against South Africa.

Ben Youngs, one of the bright new stars of English rugby, is already buzzing at the thought of playing world champions South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday.