Mark McCall says ‘case is closed’ over player’s arrest in Mallorca Saracens director of rugby believes in support over punishment Saracens intend to continue their team-bonding social trips, with Mark McCall insisting the recent excursion to Mallorca was “really enjoyable” despite Billy Vunipola’s arrest. McCall insisted that as far as Saracens are concerned “the case is closed” over Vunipola, who was twice stunned with a taser and arrested in Palma during a recent squad trip after a victory over Bath, then fined €240 (£205) by an express trial for resisting the law ..read more

Fewer players in fewer teams, rule changes and a relentless season have combined to create a thrilling climax to the league In the minutes after Harlequins’ Champions Cup semi-final defeat by Toulouse on Sunday, the sense of frustration, of missed opportunity, was palpable. To a man they believed they would have pulled off the greatest European victory in their history without making quite so many first-half mistakes. “You know that emoji with the monkey face? That’s how I feel,” said Danny Care. “We genuinely felt we could get close against a team as good as Toulouse and could have won. Maybe ..read more

Matches could be played in Porto, Lisbon or Marseille Combined attendance of weekend’s two semi-finals was 115,000 Champions Cup organisers are exploring the possibility of hosting “destination” semi-finals in the same city in the future with Portugal among the places under consideration. In a move that would ape the Top 14, which staged both its semi-finals in San Sebastián last season, it is understood that European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) is assessing whether it would be feasible to do so with its competition ..read more

Toulouse 38-26 Harlequins Toulouse set up Champions Cup final against Leinster Another gallant English defeat, another tale of the Premiership’s plucky losers but ultimately another tinged with regret. Toulouse booked their place in the final to secure a widely expected showdown with Leinster but, just as was the case with Northampton 24 hours earlier, Harlequins will wonder what might have been. They had Toulouse on the ropes for large spells of the second half, firing freely from their slingshots without landing the telling blow between the eyes of one of European rugby’s giants ..read more

Athletics Kenya is worried about how the climate might shape the future of its country, let alone its sport. And it is not alone The drive from the tiny Eldoret airport to the town of Iten in the south-west corner of Kenya takes about an hour. It’s a winding unlit road with few road signs: you need to know where you’re going to get there. The town’s population isn’t known – there hasn’t been a census in more than a decade – but the local ­municipal authority estimates it around 56,000, up from 40,024 in 2009. Roughly 35% live below the poverty line. And yet, a sign on the only paved road ..read more

The Scotland back couldn’t be happier after switch to French club who face Harlequins in a Champions Cup semi-final It’s been five months since Blair Kinghorn decided to move from Edinburgh to Toulouse mid-season. He’s played 10 games and won every one of them. Toulouse are second in the Top 14, two points off Stade Français, and have a home semi-final against Harlequins in the Champions Cup on Sunday. Kinghorn has scored six tries and eanred himself a spot in a freewheeling backline that includes Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, and Thomas Ramos. He’s been playing in front of a 20,000 home cro ..read more

Leinster 20-17 Northampton Irish side survive late fightback after Lowe’s superb hat-trick They were not given much of a chance – and sure enough, for most of the match they did not have one. But Northampton, having looked completely lost in front of the 82,000 spectators at Croke Park, burst into life in the final quarter to give Leinster something of a scare. The home side, though, are too packed to the rafters with international quality to have lost from such a position. They have had their wobbles in the recent past, but letting slip a 20-3 lead early in the first half would really have ..read more

One step from a Champions Cup final, Northampton must first navigate a trip to Croke Park that is as historic as it is daunting By his own admission, Northampton’s director of rugby, Phil Dowson, is a history buff. This week he invited the club’s Irish strength and conditioning coach, Eamonn Hyland, to give his players an “incredibly powerful” lesson in the cultural and historic significance of becoming the first English side to play at Croke Park. Players were moved to goosebumps as the size of the challenge that awaits against Leinster on Saturday became all the more acute. It is 104 years s ..read more

Player could be hit with misconduct charge by RFU ‘If I drink, I get to a place where I probably forget what I did’ Billy Vunipola admitted he has a problem “knowing when to stop” drinking as he explained the circumstances behind his arrest in Mallorca. The England No 8 issued a public apology after being fined €240 (£205) by an express trial for resisting the law having refused to leave a bar in Palma in the early hours of Sunday morning ..read more

Harlequins won at Racing 92 and Bordeaux this season ‘To beat Toulouse you have to score a fair few tries’ Harlequins will look to draw on their previous French success stories as they bid to reach their first Champions Cup final on Sunday, according to their head coach, Danny Wilson. Wilson’s side travel to Toulouse for a daunting clash with the five-times champions but take confidence from having won in France twice already this season. In December they edged past Racing 92, coming out 31-28 winners, while in the quarter-finals they sneaked past Bordeaux with a thrilling 42-41 victory ..read more