so how much did rugby union know about it? well, more than you might think. y board held a medical conference in dublin where head injuries were discussed, and they were warned by neurosurgeon geoffrey vanderfield that concussions needed to be taken seriously, as even a slight injury could be life—threatening. the rugby authorities reacted, ruling players had to take a three—week break after a suspected concussion, and they continued to get advice from experts over the following decades. in 1992, at a rugby medical conference in new zealand, the message from two neurosurgeons is pretty blunt. they say there's good evidence of some permanent effect from a single concussion. and if they have a third concussion, they shouldn't be selected to play again and should be advised to take up a non—contact sport. world rugby told us there are different opinions on how concussion should be managed, but they were unaware of any current guidelines or research recommending that players should retire after three concussions. back when rugby union was amateur, it was the job o

until now, permitted only under the government's pilot schemes, but football, rugby union and rugby leaguell throwing open their gates to a limited number of spectators for their games today. along with several race meetings as well. so how's it gone? well, we'll hearfrom jockey megan nicholls in a moment, we'll be live at kingston park shortly, where newcastle face northampton in rugby union's premiership. but first let's sample the atmosphere ourselves, this the scene at the vitality stadium on the south coast, where just over 2,000 fans are watching bournemouth take on brentford in the first leg of their championship playoff semifinal. what a game to return for. around ii,500 will will also be watching the other semi between barnsley and swansea at 8.15. large stadiums can admit up to 10,000 spectators, smaller grounds will be capped at 4,000. but with five matches in super league and two in rugby union's premiership tonight, for the first time in well over a year, fans will be swapping a spot on the sofa for a seat in the stands. and that will be a special moment. one of those is at ki

danny kerr speaking to our rugby union correspondent.that on the weekly podcast on bbc sounds. staying with rugby union, more than 3000 fans will be allowed to watch the women's premier 15s final which takes place on sunday the 30th of may at kingsholm. also today london irish have announced... they're aiming to have a team in the competition from 2023. i've been speaking to fiona tomas, women's sport reporter for the daily telegraph, and started by asking her how big a boost it'll be to have fans at the final: these girls in the premier 15 have been playing without fans for i think practically all of the season, so to have fans back to my think it will certainly elevate the standard of women's rugby that we have been seeing over the past season, even more, and it's absolutely fantastic to see. . , more, and it's absolutely fantastic to see. ., , ., more, and it's absolutely fantastic tosee. , . to see. last season was cancelled, of course. — to see. last season was cancelled, of course. when — to see. last season was cancelled, of cours

rugby union now, then.ents after missing out on selection for the british and irish lions in a remarkable game against wasps at the stoop. in a free—scoring game with 12 tries, iii—man quins trailed by eight points with just a few minutes remaining, only for the england fly half to pop up with his second try of the game. he then converted it himself for a 48—16 win. cardiff blues edged out dragons 17—16 in the second round of the pro ia rainbow cup. despite losing their lead after centre owen lane was sent off for this foul, the hosts fought back to win at cardiff arms park. replacement lock teddy williams�* converted try giving cardiff their first win in this season's competition. the world athletics president lord coe says athletes must be prepared to make sacrifices while competing at the olympics this summer, with the pandemic continuing to impact the hosts, japan. a national state of emergency remains across large parts of the country, including tokyo, with competitors unlikely to enjoy many of the fre

toulouse are through to rugby union's champions cup final for the first time in more than a decade.orrow in the second semifinal. and pakistan eased to victory in their first test against zimbabwe in harare. hasim ali took five wickets to help bowl zimbabwe out for 134, meaning pakistan win by an innings and 116 runs. the second and final test starts next friday. tonight sees one of the most eagerly—anticipated fights in women's boxing. ireland's katie taylor, the undisputed world champion at lightweight, defends herfour belts against england's natasha jonas, at manchester arena. the pair have history — they fought nine years ago as amateurs at the london olympics, where taylor beatjonas on her way to winning gold. jonas quit boxing in 2015, but after having a baby, she returned to the ring two years later. taylor doesn't believe their previous fight will have much bearing on this one. i always treat every fight as if it is going to do my hardest fight to date. this fight is no different. she is obviously technically very good. she is coming off her best performance as well. she had

to rugby union where harlequins have cemented their spot in the premiership playoffs.opsy—turvy game at the stoop. despite scoring 4 first half tries, they had to come from behind to confirm their spot in the top 4 with two games still to play. a losing bonus point takes bath into 8th as they chase a champions cup spot. worcester�*s miserable season continues. they did lead by 17 points to 6 against leicester. but two second half tries from ellis genge saw their opponents fight back to win18—17. worcester have now lost 10 matches in a row. to cycling and colombia's egan bernal is on the verge of winning the giro d'italia. it's after coming through today's penultimate stage, which saw him maintain his commanding lead over his nearest rivals, including britain's simon yates. as drew savage reports. after 2101 miles he knows they zeroed to tell you is is to lose without the pink jersey has come under great pressure in the last week with the colombian climber showing his mountain pedigree. simon yates has done more than anyone to challenge them in the final week but it was

former wales coach rob harley has been speaking about how tough it was to find the strength to to rugby uniont canada, was a part of the successful side but by one in gatley for over ten years. he was sent home from the 2019 training camp injapan for a breach of sports betting rules. earlier, he spoke to laurenjenkins. to lauren jenkins. i certainly grown ofthe to lauren jenkins. i certainly grown of the last 18 _ to lauren jenkins. i certainly grown of the last 18 months, _ to lauren jenkins. i certainly grown of the last 18 months, and - to lauren jenkins. i certainly grown of the last 18 months, and i - to lauren jenkins. i certainly grown of the last 18 months, and i am - to lauren jenkins. i certainly grown | of the last 18 months, and i am very fortunate that i have got a loving family who obviously supported me through a really tough time going back to the investigation and everything that came from that. and what i did at the time, and i put my hand up, and then there were reasons, and i apologise for that. and for me now it is about looking ahead. and i am in a really good place. i a

switching codes to rugby union and toulouse have made history by becoming the first club to win the european 22-17. in a cagey first half, there was one big moment — levani botia becoming the first player to be sent off in a european final for this high tackle. despite the red card, la rochelle led 12—9 — but toulouse scored the first try — juan cruz mallia going over. la rochelle did score a try of their own late on — but it was too late to affect the result. toulouse winning the trophy for the first time since 2010. now, the monaco grand prix returns this weekend after it was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. and the fans have already had plenty to cheer about in the principality. monaco—born charles leclerc taking pole at his home race for the first time. but a dramatic ending saw lewis hamilton end up 7th as nick parrott reports. the return to monaco saw the return of fa ns fans and the perils of racing on a tight and twisty street circuit. schumacher did not even get to qualify, crashing in final practice, leaving his mechanics too much to do. lewis hamilton were struggling to ge

three former professionals from rugby union, rugby league and football whose lives changed dramaticallyf the pandemic. rob burrow, stephen darby and doddie weir have been supporting each other coping with the many challenges of mnd — and they've been talking to sally nugent. live life, keep smiling and wake up every day fighting mnd. you can always find love and happiness and laughter even through the most difficult of situations. i only have to look— at what i have to live through. i need to be a husband, _ a daddy and that reassures me of why i have too many reasons to live. it's amazing to see you all again. thank you very much indeed for coming to talk to us today. lovely to catch up with the boys. thank you so much for putting us together. stephen, what about you? what is it like to see the lads again? it's great to see them. i've been looking forward to seeing them but also talking as well. it's been a tough old year, hasn't it? lindsay, you are here to help rob use his machine, which is an eye scanner normally, but you're going to help him. rob, what is it like for you to see the

you and they take on the french side for rugby union at twickenham.of how times have changed. there might have been a time where they would look down their nose a bit at the cup, but they haven�*t had european success since 2009. they haven�*t been in a big twickenham vinyl since 2013. in the premiership, things have been thin on the ground —— twickenham final. this marks a change and the fans will be back, though it�*s a pretty big deal. irate fans will be back, though it's a pretty big deal-— fans will be back, though it's a pretty big deal. we want to play well, but pretty big deal. we want to play well. but it's — pretty big deal. we want to play well, but it's the _ pretty big deal. we want to play well, but it's the next _ pretty big deal. we want to play well, but it's the next step. - pretty big deal. we want to play i well, but it's the next step. we're well, but it�*s the next step. we�*re not looking at it... three year plan, and this is part of the game. you come into this game as underdogs. finished bottom of the premiershipjust a few und

leicester were narrowly beaten by montpelier in the final of rugby union's european challenge cup. it 18—17.leicester haven't won a trophy for eight years. and finally there was a bizarre moment at the european aquatics championships in budapest where britain's kathleen dawson had to swim her race twice and fortunately for her she won gold twice. it all went wrong at the start of the 100 metres backstroke when a faulty speaker prevented sweden's louise hansson from hearing the starting buzzer. she finished last with dawson taking gold. sweden then lodged an appeal which was upheld so they had to do it all again two hours later and once again dawson triumphed, although she was slightly slower, losing the championship record she set in the first race. although, she was slightly solar in this as soon as i had that next chance to be able to get that gold again, i knew that i was going to be number one. i was going to be stood on top of the podium, something like that shouldn't really be happening at europeans. itjust shows that i've deserved it for me to have come from third—place five

the country, as well as numerous covid—19 protocols — but fans were back to watch horse racing, rugby unioncoast! this is the next step to sport returning to some kind of normality — supporters back in stadiums, albeit in a limited capacity. there were 2,000 lucky ticket—holders at bournemouth last night in their championship playoff semifinal. and there were around 4,000 at barnsley for their match against swansea. over a year away from the terraces, it doesn�*t take long for the raw emotion to return. and it wasn�*t just football that reopened its doors — fans were flying high at newcastle with live rugby union on offer, their pre—match pie now accompanied by a squeeze of sanitizer. i think it�*s a mixture of relief and excitement. relief because perhaps, you know, during the dark days, we didn�*t believe that we�*d get to this point and excitement, really, because, you know, it�*s going to be great to hear the kingston park stadium roar as the fellas run out for the first time. switching codes but not switching attire — face masks aplenty at warrington as around 4,000 fans packed in to s

history was made in rugby union's premiership as exeter�*s sam simmonds broke the record for most triese up to second in the table. britain's adam peaty has retained his 100—metres breaststroke title at the european swimming championships in budapest. he's the reigning olympic champion in that discipline and is looking good for the tokyo games this summer. britain's james wilby took third with a superb final 50 metres. i've never ever been this fast in season, i so that's a testament to the hard work that i'm putting _ in but also where i'm at. and come olympics, it's- the same with me and james. we'll both be tapered, - both be properly prepared. coming into a competition like this, it's always a bit difficult _ because you know people l are going to be taking this seriously, and there's i nothing wrong with that, but we like to dominate - the olympics, not europeans. and that's all for now. there's more reaction to tonight's fooball on the bbc sport website. goodnight. hello. although the weather will be a little quieter across the uk overall today, in contrast to recent days, it's no

there's more on the bbc sport website, including today's rugby union results where a late penalty gavels on andy murray's decision not to play at tennis's french open later this month. thank you so much. good night to you, and you can see more of all today's stories on the bbc news channel. good night. hello, this is bbc news. i'm lu kwesa i'm lukwesa burak. misinformation about the coronavirus has dramatically impacted minority communities, making some groups more hesitant to accept the vaccine. a new film to educate transient populations, including travellers and showmen, has been created by a man who saw how the virus swept through his community with devastating consequences. our reporter zoie o'brien has been to meet the menjoining the fight back against fake news. gypsies, travellers, showmen — three of the uk's most transient communities, divided by culture, united by their love of boxing. but when coronavirus struck, they each found themselves in the fight of their lives. les stevens was a giant in the gypsy world, and amateur boxing coach respected across the sport. in april la

the highs and lows of professional rugby union.or england in february six nation win over italy things took a turn for the worst. its, nation win over italy things took a turn for the worst.— turn for the worst. a sad sight to see jack willis, _ turn for the worst. a sad sight to see jack willis, he _ turn for the worst. a sad sight to see jack willis, he took - turn for the worst. a sad sight to see jack willis, he took his - turn for the worst. a sad sight to see jack willis, he took his try i see jack willis, he took his try well. ~ ., , ., , , well. we not wish them all the best. a season ending _ well. we not wish them all the best. a season ending knee _ well. we not wish them all the best. a season ending knee injury - well. we not wish them all the best. a season ending knee injury took - well. we not wish them all the best. | a season ending knee injury took the glass of what was supposed to be a dream six nations debut. injuries are much part and parcel of the game of the willis it was a case of history repeating. i of th

in rugby union, harlequins have won the premier 15s title for the first time in their history.ate fight—back to overcome their great rivals. 25—17 the final score at kingsholm. and that's the sport for now, clive. sarah, thank you. that's it. restrictions next month. you're watching the bbc news. the government has confirmed that it's considering making it mandatory for all nhs staff in england to have coronavirus jabs. but the suggestion by the vaccines minister nadhim zahawi has been criticised both by labour and by groups representing health workers, who said it would be better to engage with the concerns some staff had. earlier we spoke to dr jenny vaughan, chair of the doctors association, about the significance of this issue. it is an important issue and the government is right to think about it. and it seems that he is right to talk about surgeries because there are precedents where there is necessarily level of vaccination, particularly hepatitis b. we have to remember here, the nhs workforce is just recovering or trying to recoverfrom a pandemic which clearly isn't ove

sale are up to second in rugby union's premiership after a 26—10 victory over leicester.eyn sealing the win with this try. in a bad tempered game, both sides had a man sent off in the first half. elsewhere, ulsterwere beaten 38—10 by munster. regan grace scored a hat trick for st helens as they came from behind to beat huddersfield 23—18. and reach the challenge cup semi finals. huddersfield had been leading 12—10 at half time, but two second half tries from grace, who signed a new contract with the super league champions earlier in the week, sealed their place in the last four. warrington are also through after beating catalan dragons. the man known as the king of clay, rafa nadal, has been knocked out of the madrid open at the quarter final stage he was beaten by germany's alex zverev for the first time on the surface. zverev winning in straights sets against nadal, who was aiming to win a sixth title in the spanish capital. lewis hamilton will be hoping to claim the 100th pole position of his career in qualifying for the spanish grand prix tomorrow. the world champion

to rugby union and up to second in the partnership after late bonus point victory at bath.or sale given them a 2k points to 20 victory taking them 2a points to 20 victory taking them above exeter in the table. ireland's robbie henshaw that the crucial try for leinster in the pro 1a rainbow cup over alston. it's the third straight loss for them. a losing bonus point. 21—17 the score. anna rugby league leeds rhinos claimed their second win of the super league season beating willis whitefield 15-13. season beating willis whitefield 15—13. thanks to a penalty and golden point extra time from martin. halep is in a race to be fit for the defence of her title. they confirmed today the injury that forced her to pull out of the italian open is a test. she will certainly miss the french open which started ten days' time. wimbledon begins on the 20th ofjune and halep is defending champion from her victory in 2019. last years tournament was canceled. and that is just about all the support from us for now. hello if you're waiting for a prolonged warm, dry spell of weather your way to se

there've been five matches in the rugby super league and two two in rugby union's premiership tonight. one of those games was at kingston park where newcastle falcons beat northampton saints with spectators present for the first time in m months. still on the same theme. museums in england, scotland and wales have re—opened their doors again, and one of those welcoming the public was the museum of natural history in oxford. 0ur arts correspondent david sillito went to have a look at one rather familiar object on display. oxford university, the museum of natural history, and not even the rain could dampen the enthusiasm for today's grand reopening and its new work of art. an object that's affected us all. we're here face to face with the thing we've all been trying to avoid, the virus. it is some 8 million times bigger than the real thing. but it does allow you to get up close to something that is both terrible but also strangely beautiful. it's made up of tens of millions of pieces of scientific data, crunched and slowly assembled to reveal this. and the moment of revelation came, i w

bath won't be facing leicester in the final of rugby union's european challenge cup later this month.ts. british sport is looking to a summer where the supporters come back, these challenge cup semifinal was empty but the finals at twickenham with a crowd of 10,000, that was the incentive for bath is knew beating montpellier would set up an all english final. with tom dunn scoring, they had the lead in three minutes, but bath's problem is letting teams backing montpellier scored and then led at half—time. to get to the home of english rugby men just as much to the french side, they barely stopped defending when their shirts came off, and that kind of commitment kept bath at bay and for the premiership side this was a missed opportunity. the challenge cup is a european rugby's secondary competition but the prize for montpellier is the occasion to come, final in three weeks' time when the noise is back. joe lynskey, bbc news. lewis hamilton just missed out on his 100th career pole position in qualifying for tomorrow's portuguese grand prix. instead, his mercedes team mate — valterri bot

rugby union fans will be admitted to twickenham for the first time since december, with at least 10,000summer test matches. eddiejones�* side will play tests against the usa on sunday the 4th ofjuly and canada on saturday the 10th ofjuly. an england a side will face scotland a in leicester on sunday the 27th ofjune. there's plenty more rugby on the website including news of wales and ireland's summer fixtures. wales will come up against their former coach rob howley who is now assistant coach of canada. they'll also play two matches against argentina. check out the details on bbc.co.uk/sport, or the bbc sport app the labour leader, sir keir starmer, says he hopes his "refreshed and renewed" frontbench team will help the party bounce back, after poor local election results in england. among the changes — angela rayner, the deputy leader, was sacked from her role as party chair on saturday, before being handed more senior roles last night. anneliese dodds lost herjob as shadow chancellor — she takes up the position of party chair in place of ms rayner. ms dodds was replaced as shadow chan

there've been five matches in the rugby super league and two two in rugby union's premiership tonightn the same theme. museums in england, scotland and wales have re—opened their doors again, and one of those welcoming the public was the museum of natural history in oxford. 0ur arts correspondent david sillito went to have a look at one rather familiar object on display. oxford university, the museum of natural history, and not even

in rugby union, reigning champions exeter chiefs thrashed the newcastle falcons by 7a points to 3.play off. the win also sees them move back into second place and three points behind league leaders bristol. there was a disappointing end for great britain in theirfinal event of the european team championships in poland. the men's four by a00 metres relay team failed to pass on the baton for the final leg of the race. britain had been leading the standings going into the final day. but failing to finish has seen them slip to third overall, behind winners poland and runners—up italy. that's all your sport jane, bye for now. thanks, very much katie. see you in the next hour. the colombian government has deployed 7,000 troops across some of its major towns and cities in a bid to end two months of deadly protests and riots. demonstrators have vowed to march on the streets of the capital, bogota, today, as they continue their stand against poverty, police violence and tax rises. 0ur latin america correspondent will grant reports. colombia is no stranger to violence but these scenes have s

harlequins are looking good for the rugby union premiership play—offs, after an incredible victory againstast—minute try which he then converted to seal victory by 48 points to 46. and that's all the sport for now, mishal. thank you. that is it from us on bbc one, the news where you are, goodnight. hello, this is bbc news. i'm mary and machinery. more than 400 athletes, including us athletejustin gatlin, are taking part in a test event at the olympic stadium in tokyo. it is hoped this will show everyone that the olympics can take place safely injuly, as they were cancelled last year due to the pandemic. but there are concerns, as parts ofjapan are under a recently extended state of emergency due to the number of coronavirus infections in the country. rachel stanton reports. on your marks, get set, and go. athletes here in tokyo are preparing for the upcoming olympics. due to happen injuly, more than 11 test events have taken place to make sure the games can go ahead after they were cancelled last year as a result of the pandemic. translation: they had social distancing. - and every time we

let's get more on the lions squad from our rugby union correspondent chris jones.o talk where he was named a few hours ago. on the banks of the thames back in 2009 i'm sure all the memories have come flooding back today. but a squad full of surprises named.— back today. but a squad full of surprises named. yeah, i'll tell you what. for surprises named. yeah, i'll tell you what- for the _ surprises named. yeah, i'll tell you what. for the last _ surprises named. yeah, i'll tell you what. for the last week _ surprises named. yeah, i'll tell you what. for the last week i've - surprises named. yeah, i'll tell you what. for the last week i've been i what. for the last week i've been realty— what. for the last week i've been really excited. slightly different emotion this brown is a punter and as a obviouslyjust excited to be here _ as a obviouslyjust excited to be here to — as a obviouslyjust excited to be here to put some faces to the speculation with everyone try to do. gallons _ speculation with everyone try to do. gallons from his first surprise in 37 players — gall

lots more on the bbc sport website, including the latest from the french open and this afternoon's rugby unioncommissioned by the government to try to boost british trade and industry overseas. the royal navy vessel — which will cost a reported £200 million and be in service for 30 years — would be used to host trade fairs and diplomatic meetings. it will be the successor to the royal yacht britannia, which was retired in 1997. lord ricketts is a former british ambassador to france and is now a crossbench peer. he told me he believes the vessel isn't worth the money. colossal waste of money, because i don't think it's at all relevant to the way that modern business and modern contracts are negotiated. the government says it wants britain to be a science and technology superpower, which is great, but i don't think the corporate bosses of the world's great high—tech companies and financial companies are going to be all that impressed with an invitation to go to some distant port and have a cocktail on board a ship in the harbour. so, i think it harks back generations to the way export promotion

bristol bears are sure of a place in the play—offs in the rugby union premiership.their tries. there were also wins for gloucester, exeter and newcastle. we've had the last of the quarter finals in rugby league's challenge cup, hull fc beat wigan 20—10. but it was much tighter in the other quarter, castleford needed extra—time to get past salford. gareth o'briens golden—point drop goal saw them make it through to the semis 19—18. finlaly, british fighter billyjoe saunders has a world title fight in the early hours tomorrow morning, you can follow that on the bbc sport website with commentary on 5 live. that's it from us. tomorrow morning, nicola sturgeon and michael gove will be on the andrew marr show — that's at 9am on bbc one. goodnight. brighter skies tomorrow. clearing the but we are _ brighter skies tomorrow. clearing the but we are left _ brighter skies tomorrow. clearing the but we are left with _ brighter skies tomorrow. clearing the but we are left with this - brighter skies tomorrow. clearing the but we are left with this area | the but we are left with t

bristol bears are sure of a place in the play—offs in the rugby union premiership.s challenge cup — hull fc beat wigan 20—10 but it was much tighter in the other quarter. castleford needed extra time to get past salford. gareth o'brien's golden point drop goal saw them make it through to the last four. 19 points to 18. in the next few hours, we're going to see the biggest crowd at a us sporting event since the start of the pandemic. 70,000 fans will pack the at&t stadium in arlington, texas, for the super—middleweight unification fight between saul "canelo" alvarez and british fighter billyjoe saunders. it will also be a record for an indoor boxing event in the us. mexico's alvarez is putting two belts on the line against the unbeaten saunders, who holds the wbo title. you're going to see an absolutely boxing masterclass from billyjoe saunders and he will win a unanimous decision over 12 rounds. a lot of gypsy decision over 12 rounds. a lot of gypsy magic in the air, billiejo is on form and is looking in better shape, best i have ever seen him, a real good fight on

harlequins won a thriller against bath to reach rugby union's premiership play—offs.t the stoop — to make sure of a top four finish with two games to go. after three weeks of racing, we're heading into the final stage of the giro d'italia. and egan bernal, of the ineos grenadiers, leads by nearly two minutes ahead of the 18—mile time trial. simon yates is likely to finish on the podium — the englishman is third overall, well clear of his closest rival. great britain are leading the standings at athletics' european team championships after the first of two days. the quartet of beth dobbin, imani—lara lansiquot, bianca williams and desiree henry won the a—by—ioom relay at silesa in poland — one of four performances that earned full points for the team. and you can watch day two live on the red button, as well as the bbc sport website and app, from 11.55. now on bbc news, here's ben with the papers. hello and welcome to our look at what the the papers are bringing us today. with me are bloomberg economics reporter — lizzy burden and independent features writer, james ram

now, history's been made in rugby union's premiership as exeter�*s sam simmonds broke the record forhe european swimming championships in budapest. he's the reigning olympic champion in that discipline and is looking good for the tokyo games this summer. britain's james wilby took third with a superb final 50 metres. i've never ever been this fast in season, so, you know, i that's a testament to obviously . the hard work that i'm putting in, but also where i'm at. and, you know, come olympics, | it's the same with me and james. we'll both be tapered, i both be properly prepared. always coming into a competition like this, it's always a bit - difficult because you know people are going to be taking this- seriously, and there's i nothing wrong with that, but we like to dominate - the olympics, not europeans. and that is all for now. there's more reaction to tonight's fooball on the bbc sport website. but from me and the team for now, goodnight. hello. although the weather will be a little quieter across the uk overall today, in contrast to recent days, it's not settling down properly a

the country, as well as numerous covid—19 protocols — but fans were back to watch horse racing, rugby unionth coast! this is the next step to sport returning to some kind of normality — supporters back in stadiums, albeit in a limited capacity. there were 2,000 lucky ticket—holders at bournemouth last night in their championship playoff semifinal. and there were around a,000 at barnsley for their match against swansea. over a year away from the terraces, it doesn't take long for the raw emotion to return. and it wasn't just football that reopened its doors — fans were flying high at newcastle with live rugby union on offer, their pre—match pie now accompanied by a squeeze of sanitizer. i think it's a mixture of relief and excitement. relief because perhaps, you know, during the dark days, we didn't believe that we'd get to this point and excitement, really, because, you know, it's going to be great to hear the kingston park stadium roar as the fellas run out for the first time. switching codes but not switching attire — face masks aplenty at warrington as around a,000 fans packed in to see

three former professionals from rugby union, rugby league and football whose lives changed dramaticallyn through the most difficult of situations. i only have to look— at what i have to live through. i need to be a husband, _ a daddy and that reassures me of why i have too many reasons to live. it's amazing to see you all again. thank you very much indeed for coming to talk to us today. lovely to catch up with the boys. thank you so much for putting us together last year. stephen, what about you? what is it like to see the lads again? it's great to see them. i've been looking forward to seeing them but also tough as well. it's been a tough old year, hasn't it? lindsay, you are here to help rob use his machine, which is an eye scanner, normally, but you're going to help him. rob, what is it like for you to see the lads again? doddie and stephen have become great friends through us - all being in the same position. they have become uncle doddie and my brother stephen. - i can't thank them enough through sharing advice - and showing me the path to go down. stephen texts me often and checks

rugby union fans will be admitted to twickenham for the first time since december, with at least 10,000e. there's plenty more rugby on the website including news of wales and ireland's summer fixtures. wales will come up against their former coach rob howley, who is now assistant coach of canada. they'll also play two matches against argentina. check out the details on bbc.co.uk/sport, or the bbc sport app. i will be back in the next hour but for now, back to you, martin. the family of a woman who took her own life after her benefit payments were cut is bringing legal action against the government. an inquest into the death of philippa day said the department for work and pensions made 28 mistakes in handling her case. it's now emerged the department has reviewed around 150 other similar cases, in which claimants either died or came to serious harm. michael buchanan reports. it's been six months. i am in so much debt. i have nothing to eat. i can't... phillipa day pleaded repeatedly with benefits officials for help. her money had been cut. they insisted she couldn't have a benefits asse

these are some of the volunteers from the rugby football union _ volunteers from the rugby football unionay like this. | essential to a day like this. i appreciate it is not your line of responsibility but you will have a good handle on it because you are on the front line. everybody is now looking to the 215t ofjune in england for the final relaxation of restrictions. do you feel optimistic about that?— about that? you know, i think that is in the public _ about that? you know, i think that is in the public because _ about that? you know, i think that is in the public because my - about that? you know, i think that| is in the public because my control. if is in the public because my control. if people _ is in the public because my control. if people come forward and be vaccinated, that is the best we can do to— vaccinated, that is the best we can do to get— vaccinated, that is the best we can do to get back to normal. the hand now is— do to get back to normal. the hand now is with — do to get back to normal. the hand now is with the public. they need to come _ now is with the public. the

bristol bears extended their lead at the top of rugby union's premiership with a dominant 40—20 win overfive tries to give them a eight point lead at the top. hull fc are into the semi—finals of rugby league's challenge cup, theyjoin warrington and st helens in the last four after a confident win over wigan. it finished 20—10 to hull, this brilliant run—in try from adam swift sealing their win. a tough afternoon for wigan who are above hull fc in the super league, but they just weren't at the races today. and the final quarterfinal is under way right now. these are the live pictures from headingley as castleford tigers take on salford red devils. it's12—0 in the early stages of the second half. you can watch the game live on bbc two. and that's all from sportsday. manchester city are still 1—0 in that crucial game. up next it's the film review. hello and welcome to the film review with me, mark kermode. rounding up the best new movies available for viewing in the home while we look forward to cinemas reopening in the very near future. the mortal kombat video game series first came to the

sale sharks have made it into rugby union's premiership play—offs, for the first time in 15 years.ns are now level on points with leaders wigan, after beating hull 34—16. jack welsby scored a hat—trick of tries to give them the edge going into their second consecutive meeting. the sides face each other in next saturday's challenge cup semi—final. it's last chance saloon time realistically for simon yates today, if he's to stand a chance of winning the giro d'italia. the british cyclist broke clear with around four miles to go on the final climb to win yesterday's 19th stage. but with race leader egan bernal finishing third. it wasn't enough to move yates up the standings — he's stilljust under three minutes behind with two stages to go. a last day of pain climbing the alps today, before a time trial in milan tomorrow. great britain's liam kirk has become the top scorer at the ice hockey world championship, but they're stilljoint bottom of their group. he opened the scoring against sweden in latvia with his fifth goal of the tournament, but that was as good as it got, as the swedes

it was a great day for leicester in rugby union too, as the tigers edged out harlequins in a premiershipwins over edinburgh, with victory at murrayfield. the scores were level after a0 minutes but adam hastings' try on the cusp of half—time put glasgow in the driving seat as they went on to win 31—2a. after a77 tournaments without a win, england's richard bland has a title to his name. he won the british masters at the belfry, beating italy's guido migliozzi in a play—off, and at the age of a8, he's the oldest first—time winner on the european tour. what a win. british riders simon yates and hugh carthy are both well in contention after stage 8 of the giro d'italia. yates started the race as joint favourite — and he's moved up to 9th place, while carthy is now 5th overall, after they finished in the main bunch, alongside attila valter of hungary, who still leads by 11 seconds with 13 stages to go. if you want a blockbuster final we've got it at the italian open where rafa nadal will meet novak djokovic later. nine—time champion nadal knocked out the american reilly opelka in straight set

and history was made in rugby union's premiership last night as sam simmonds broke the record for mostto extend his record. he is absolutely incredible. what an athlete. his coach was talking last night after the game, trying to explain why he was so good and the reasons for his success. one of the things he said was he has a very low centre of gravity. i’ge things he said was he has a very low centre of gravity.— centre of gravity. i've got the o- osite centre of gravity. i've got the opposite to- _ centre of gravity. i've got the opposite to. so _ centre of gravity. i've got the opposite to. so have - centre of gravity. i've got the opposite to. so have i. i- centre of gravity. i've got the i opposite to. so have i. i blame a ve hiih opposite to. so have i. i blame a very high centre _ opposite to. so have i. i blame a very high centre of _ opposite to. so have i. i blame a very high centre of gravity i opposite to. so have i. i blame a very high centre of gravity for i very high centre of gravity for everything. i very high centre of gravity for everything-— everything. i wish i had

leicester are through to rugby union's challenge cup final after a brilliant comeback win.ch dominant. still, you want to win it.— pretty much dominant. still, you want to win it. you want to get to the final whistle _ want to win it. you want to get to the final whistle at _ want to win it. you want to get to the final whistle at least. - sunday is an important day for a lot of people. line of duty has provided some of the most talked about tv moments of the year — and some of the biggest audiences.more than 13 million of us tuned in last week — and similar numbers are expected to switch on for tomorrow night's finale. students from one acting school in nottingham have been watching even more closely — because two of the show�*s stars learnt their trade there, as carolyn moses reports. let's colour the gp are, find out what is delightful.— let's colour the gp are, find out what is delightful. vicky mcclure and carrie fitzpatrick— what is delightful. vicky mcclure and carrie fitzpatrick in - what is delightful. vicky mcclure and carrie fitzpatrick in the - what is delightfu

sale are up to second in rugby union's premiership after beating leicester.miles of racing over three weeks. ouch! and through those mountains as well! britain's simon yates is joint favourite for the winner's pink jersey, but having led for two weeks and then cracking in the closing stages three years ago. he came so close, didn't he? he says this could be his time. he says he'll wait until the time is right before going all out. without much mileage, knowing when to go all out... bhd without much mileage, knowing when to go all out- - -— to go all out... and it is overshadowed - to go all out... and it is overshadowed a - to go all out... and it is overshadowed a bit i to go all out... and it is overshadowed a bit by i to go all out... and it is i overshadowed a bit by the to go all out... and it is - overshadowed a bit by the tour to go all out... and it is _ overshadowed a bit by the tour de france but it is spectacular. from personal experience i remember the pain of those mountains. i didn't compete, i did one day with the cavendish team. i did cheat an

and it was close in rugby union's premiership, where sale moved up to second with a late bonus—pointbeat ulster 21—17 in the pro—14 rainbow cup. rafael nadal took revenge on alexander zverev to reach the semi—finals of the italian 0pen. last week zverev knocked him out of the madrid 0pen but nadal won in straight sets in rome, to reach the semi—finals of the italian 0pen, where he's looking for a record—extending 10th title. next he faces the american reilly 0pelka, who's never made it this far in a top tournament before. it's been the battle of the root brothers in cricket's county championship. glamorgan are taking on yorkshire in cardiff. billy root was out for 23, as the hosts were skittled forjust 149. but england captainjoe root, was unbeaten at the crease, as his side closed on 69—4. and is sporting talent all in the genes? we have evidence that it could be. stewart sink is a former 0pen champion, and his mum anne, is also pretty useful with the clubs, as stewart's social media video proves. my my gosh! that is right at the flag. look at this. it is a hole—in—1! my gosh! it's