Exeter forward Jannes Kirsten is the latest player to announce he is leaving the former Premiership champions.

Departing Leicester Tigers fly-half Freddie Burns gets emotional reading a message sent to him from a supporter.

Saracens reveal versatile back will be out for 12 weeks Lawes and McGuigan remain doubts for Scotland gameEngland’s Six Nations injury crisis took another turn for the worse on Friday when it was revealed Elliot Daly has been ruled out of the whole campaign with a hamstring injury.The versatile back had already withdrawn from new head coach Steve Borthwick’s training camp earlier this week, but his club Saracens have now confirmed he will be sidelined for three months and therefore miss all of the tournament. Continue reading…

Channelling his hatred of losing has helped Leicester’s scrum-half go from fourth choice at his academy to a rising star with EnglandJack van Poortvliet was 15 when they told him he was not going to make it. Leicester’s age-group selectors felt there were bigger, better scrum-halves out there and, for a while, the farmer’s son from Norfolk was inconsolable. “It was everything to me and I was absolutely devastated. I remember the other boys at school trying to pick me up. I was so glum and shed a few tears. It was tough.”So when you see Van Poortvliet, still only 21, running out for England in this year’s Six Nations championship do not make the mistake of thinking he was always the chosen one. The one destined to score a try on his England debut in Australia last summer. The one who could play international rugby for the next decade. The long-term heir apparent to one of his schoolboy local heroes, Ben Youngs. Continue reading…

NIK SIMON: Saracens confirmed the centre will be sidelined for 12 weeks, having injured his hamstring during Sunday night’s defeat by Edinburgh in a huge blow to England.