
Harry Randall challenges England to 'make a statement'
The majority of the 27-year-old's 14 international caps have been from the bench, as was the case in his two Six Nations appearances earlier this year, but Alex Mitchell's British & Irish Lions call-up has opened up an opportunity for the scrum-half.
It is one the Bristol Bears star is determined to seize and he was able to get to know some of those he may end up touring with as part of a 33-man training squad who assembled at Pennyhill Park last week.
'It will be really cool,' he said. 'I've never been to Argentina or Washington, which is exciting in itself, and it will be a great group of boys to be a part of.
'It's an opportunity to go out and make a bit of a statement in Argentina and America.
'We have a few Argies at Bristol now who talk it up so look forward to seeing them out there.
'Argentina are probably one of the most improved sides over the past four or five years, competing in the Rugby Championship as they do every year.
'They are a big, physical team, that's the first battle, and they pose a load of threats out wide, as you've seen in the Premiership this year. It will be a great test.'
Randall hopes to head into the summer off the back of a play-off campaign with Bristol Bears, who head into the final weekend of the Premiership season in the fourth and final spot.
That means their destiny is in their own hands for the visit of Harlequins and their No.9 is hoping to end a rollercoaster regular season on a high.
'It has been very up and down,' he added. 'At the start of the season, your goal is to be in those play-off spots and within a chance of winning the Premiership and that's where we are at the moment, so we can't complain.
'We are in that spot, we have a big last game at home and hopefully we get a chance at a play-off.
'Teams have developed how they play against us so being able to adapt in games, for myself as a nine, doing what's best for us to win games has been big this season.
'That last game of the season at home is always a nice send-off for a few boys who are heading off at the end of the season and it's a chance to celebrate the year in front of your own fans.
'We know the test Quins will pose and we are really excited about it.'
Randall was an unused replacement when England beat France in the Guinness Men's Six Nations earlier this year.
Should Bristol not make the Premiership showpiece, he will hope to have a greater involvement when the international summer begins with a visit from a Les Bleus XV to Allianz Stadium on June 21.
'It's an opportunity for those boys not involved in the (Premiership) final, a chance for boys to stamp their chances of getting on tour and the team to get a bit of cohesion.'
England XV face France XV at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Saturday 21 June at 3:15pm. Tickets from £25, please visit www.englandrugby.com/xvtickets
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South Wales Guardian
32 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Appleby offers note of caution ahead of Ruling Court's Derby bid
Perhaps unsurprisingly given one is run over a straight mile and the second takes place over a turning mile and a half, few horses have landed the first two Classics of the British season, with only three managing to do so since the great Nijinsky completed the Triple Crown 45 years ago. Nashwan claimed Guineas and Derby glory in 1989, but it took a horse as brilliant as Sea The Stars two decades later to repeat the feat before Camelot did the same in 2012, after which he came up narrowly short in his Triple Crown quest in the St Leger. Appleby, who has trained two previous Derby winners in Masar (2018) and Adayar (2021), is hoping Ruling Court can etch his name into the history books, but said at Epsom on Friday: 'We're just on weather watch. There's not as much rain around – we were forecast showers this afternoon and it's been a lovely, drying day. 'We know what this track can do in these conditions, the horse is in great form and I'm looking forward to him running, (but) I will just highlight that if all of a sudden we get a deluge (of rain) and the ground becomes very testing, then conversations will have to be had during the build-up to the race over whether we participate or not. 'So there is a warning out there, but I think we'll be OK. It looks as though the weather has broken up a bit and the forecast tonight doesn't look as though it's going to be quite as severe as it was first forecast to be.' Like Masar, Ruling Court will be ridden by William Buick, who said: 'He's not too dissimilar from Masar. They have completely different pedigrees, but Masar was a good third in the Guineas and again went to Epsom having not run beyond a mile. They are not similar horses but have not too dissimilar profiles. 'Masar winning the Derby was the highlight of my career. I'd ridden in it enough before and been placed before and I thought I'd know how it would feel to win it, but it was an amazing day.' On whether his mount could be a Triple Crown contender, he added: 'I got asked about it before the Guineas and there were still three races to go! 'Ruling Court is heading into the most important race now. I'll answer the question after Saturday as I don't think I can answer it in a sensible way right now.' The biggest threat to Ruling Court appears to be Aidan O'Brien, who has saddled a record 10 Derby winners, including the last two and eight in the last 13 years. His chief hope this weekend appears to be Delacroix, who has impressed in winning the Ballysax Stakes and the Derby Trial at Leopardstown this spring and is the chosen mount of Ryan Moore. 'Everything has gone well with him, he's won his two trials and we always thought of him last year as a potential Derby horse,' said O'Brien. 'We've been very happy with both of his runs. We found out that he gets a strongly-run mile and a quarter and there's every chance that he will get a mile and a half. 'He has form on all types of ground and he's a big, powerful horse. We feel he has gone the right way every week really.' At the start of the year Delacroix's stablemate The Lion In Winter was at the head of ante-post lists for the Derby, but an interrupted spring campaign and defeat in the Dante at York have dented his reputation. 'He'd only the two runs as a two-year-old, winning his maiden at the Curragh and then winning the Acomb at York. The Acomb is over seven furlongs on a quick track and you're never sure, but we always thought that there was a strong possibility that he could (be a Derby horse),' O'Brien added. 'He's a good traveller, that's what he did in the Acomb and the Dante. I think Ryan was very happy with the way he travelled in the Dante, he travelled down the straight well and as he was getting ready to have a go he just got a little bit chopped and with a horse needing the run as badly as he did, that would be a big disadvantage to him. 'Everything has gone well since York and we couldn't have asked any more from him really.' The Ballydoyle handler's trio is completed by Chester Vase winner Lambourn, of whom he said: 'He had a lovely run first time and then he ran a lovely race in Chester. There's no doubt he looks like a horse that will stay further, he's straightforward and obviously he got the trip in Chester well. 'You couldn't be happier with him at Chester as we knew it would be plenty sharp enough for him, but he still coped with it and we're looking forward to seeing him run again.'


Wales Online
2 hours ago
- Wales Online
Tonight's rugby news as Wales collapse against England and Farrell sweats on injured Lions stars
Tonight's rugby news as Wales collapse against England and Farrell sweats on injured Lions stars The latest rugby news stories from Wales and beyond Sion Davies of Wales is tackled by Connor Treacey and Ben Redshaw of England (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency ) Here are the latest rugby headlines on Friday, June 6. Wales in late collapse against England Wales U20s conceded five tries in the final 13 minutes as England U20s ran out 47-14 winners in a World Cup warm-up at Pontypool Park. There were only five survivors from the side which beat England U20s in the final game of the U20s Six Nations, but Richard Whiffin's team held a 14-7 lead at the interval. Outside centre Elijah Evans opened the scoring before openside flanker Caio James powered over from short-range, with Harri Ford converting both tries. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. But England hit back in the 25th minute when backrower Reggie Hammick barged his way over the line with Josh Bellamy adding the extras. Whiffin made mass substitutions after the break and second-row Luke Evans got sent to the sin bin for a technical offence. England's pack began to gain the upper hand, with flanker George Timmins smashing his way over the line. Article continues below Wales wing Aidan Boshoff was then cruelly denied a try from 45 metres because he was deemed to be offside when he received the ball. The hosts fell apart after that and England extended their lead through a penalty try which also saw Wales tighthead prop Jac Pritchard sent to the sin bin for illegally collapsing the maul. Hammick then claimed his second try for England, with Bellamy adding the extras. England piled on the misery as Tyler Ofiah - son of rugby league legend Martin Offiah, ran in an interception try from 70 metres out. There were further tries for Jonny Weimann and Nic Allinson. Farrell sweats on Lions Leinster have lost two more of their British and Irish Lions call-ups to injury, with both Josh van der Flier and Hugo Keenan missing for the United Rugby Championship semi-final against Glasgow Warriors. They join fellow tourists Tadhg Furlong and Garry Ringrose on the sidelines just two weeks before the Lions' first match, as Leinster continue their bid to avoid a fourth successive season without silverware. Ireland international Robbie Henshaw is also missing through injury. Keenan and van der Flier both picked up injuries in their BKT United Rugby Championship play-off quarter-final victory over the Scarlets last Saturday, which could well have Lions coach Andy Farrell concerned ahead of the tour of Australia. The Lions travel down under later this month, ahead of their three Test series against the Wallabies in July and August. Back-row van der Flier was forced off after 30 minutes against the Scarlets, with the former World Rugby player of the year failing to recover from a hamstring injury. Full-back Keenan misses out due to a calf injury. The Lions take on Argentina in Dublin on June 20 - a week after the URC final - before playing their first game on Australian soil against the Western Force in Perth on June 28. URC Player and Coach of the Year announced Leinster and Springboks second row RG Snyman has been crowned United Rugby Championship Players' Player of the Season. The award is voted for by the captain and vice-captains of the 16 URC teams, with the 30-year-old following in the footsteps of Leinster hooker Dan Sheehan and Munster fly-half Jack Crowley by winning it. He joined Leinster from rivals Munster last summer and has been a huge presence as the Irish giants topped the regular season table and beat the Scarlets to earn a place in the URC semi-finals. Zebre's Massimo Brunello is the surprise winner of the Coach of the Year award after guiding the Italian side to five wins and a draw this season CEO of BKT Europe Lucia Salmaso said: 'Massimo has done a wonderful job this season with Zebre Parma, guiding them to some famous wins against tough opposition. 'He has demonstrated excellent leadership in his first season at the helm, creating history with Zebre's first away win in four years. In creating a custom ring for him as the BKT Coach of the Season, we want this achievement to live long in the memory. 'Congratulations to Massimo on his fantastic work this season, and we wish him all the best in the future.' Wales' Ioan Lloyd won the Golden Boot award, while Cardiff's Harri Millard was top try scorer and Cam Winnett took the Ironman prize for the most appearances. Full list of URC Awards Winners 2024-25 Gilbert Golden Boot: Ioan Lloyd (Scarlets) OFX Top Try Scorer: Harri Millard (Cardiff Rugby) Tackle Machine: Ruben van Heerden (DHL Stormers) Ironman: Cam Winnett (Cardiff Rugby) Playmaker: Tom Farrell (Munster Rugby) Elite XV: Jamie Osborne (Leinster Rugby), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh Rugby), Tom Farrell (Munster Rugby), Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Blair Murray (Scarlets), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Craig Casey (Munster Rugby), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), RG Snyman (Leinster Rugby), Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby), Jac Morgan (Ospreys), Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors), Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls) Next-Gen Player of the Season: Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls) Innovation Award: Hollywoodbets Sharks Try of the Season Powered by Deon Fourie (DHL Stormers) South African Vodacom URC Player of the Season: Sacha Feinburg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) BKT Coach of the Season: Massimo Brunello (Zebre Parma) Players' Player of the Season: RG Snyman (Leinster Rugby) Huw Jones to miss out again as Warriors face Leinster in URC semi-finals By PA Sport Staff Glasgow centre Huw Jones will again miss out as Warriors travel to Dublin to face Leinster in the BKT United Rugby Championship semi-finals. Jones has been missing for several weeks with an Achilles problem and has failed to make the 23-man squad for the Aviva Stadium encounter despite some optimism over his fitness from Scotstoun earlier in the week. Forwards Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey and Zander Fagerson all miss out again as expected but were progressing well in their recoveries earlier in the week. Head coach Franco Smith has made just two personnel changes following the 36-18 triumph over Stormers last weekend, which took the defending champions into the final four of the competition. Former Scotland Under-20 international Fin Richardson comes into the starting line-up at tighthead prop as Murphy Walker drops out of the 23. Adam Hastings is recalled at fly-half to spark a reshuffle in the back division. Tom Jordan moves to inside centre, where he will partner Sione Tuipulotu. Stafford McDowall drops to the bench. Warriors are making their third trip to Dublin inside two months and will need to make further improvement. Glasgow were thrashed 52-0 by Leinster in April in the Champions Cup and lost 13-5 in the Irish capital in the final match of the regular URC season. Article continues below Smith told 'Leinster are the standard setters in this competition. They finished top of the standings for a reason, and have consistently out-performed teams across the course of this season while showing their strength in depth. 'It is a challenge that we know we will need to be at our best to meet, and the players are focused on the task at hand. 'Training this week has been sharp and competitive, with every player working hard for each other to put this squad in the best possible position.'


Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Scotsman
Here are the top 15 football clubs in Scotland ranked by attendance across season 2024-25
Celtic fans celebrate winning the Scottish Premiership title in the final match of the league season against St Mirren at Celtic Park, on May 17, 2025. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group) | SNS Group The best supported clubs in the country ranked in order Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Scottish football season is over and the prizes have been handed out. Celtic are Premiership champions once again, while Falkirk, Arbroath and Peterhead also ended the campaign as title winners in the Championship, League One and League Two respectively. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Aberdeen also claimed silverware for the first time in 11 years after their Scottish Cup final win over Celtic at Hampden, with the Hoops claiming the League Cup back in December. While no trophies are handed out for attendances, there is no doubt that some supporters like to brag about the size of crowd their club can attract to their matches. Attendances are, in fact, a source of pride across Scotland with the country ranking top of the UEFA rankings when it comes to match attendance per capita across the whole of Europe.