England beat Germany 24-14 to finish third at the Moscow Sevens in the first round of the Rugby Europe Grand Prix Series.They had earlier beaten Wales 45-14 in the quarter-final but lost 24-19 to France in the semi-final.England won all three group games on Saturday against Spain, Georgia and Russia. The tournament serves as a ranking event for the official…

Sale Sharks winger Chris Ashton has pulled out of the England World Cup training squad for family reasons.The 32-year-old has not been replaced in the preliminary 29-man squad.Ashton, who scored 20 tries in 44 England caps, says he has decided to stay with his wife Melissa, who is pregnant with their second child. "Pulling on the white shirt is always…

Gregor Townsend would be making "a mistake" by leaving Richie Gray out of Scotland's Rugby World Cup training camps, former prop Ryan Grant says.The 29-year-old Toulouse lock has missed out on selection for Townsend's 44-man squad after recovering from hip surgery to help his club win the French Top 14 title this month.But Grant, a former British and Irish Lion,…

Netball star Maria Folau will not be punished for supporting sacked rugby player husband Israel Folau.Australian rugby union authorities terminated the devout Christian's contract over a social media post in which he said "hell awaits" gay people.New Zealand international Folau, 32, shared a post from her husband on social media asking people to support his legal action against his sacking.…