Lions coaches keeping watch

RUGBY UNION: Graham Rowntree has revealed the intense detail that is underpinning the British and Irish Lions’ Test team selection for next week’s series opener against Australia in Brisbane. The Lions play their penultimate warm-up game today before tackling the Wallabies, with New South Wales Waratahs providing the opposition at Allianz Stadium. Asked if the selection process had been ongoing since the tour opener against the Barbarians assistant coach Rowntree said: “We have been doing that since the very first training session at the Vale of Glamorgan. We watch how the guys are in the environment, who the diligent ones are, who are the ones learning the calls.”

Essex fall apart

Cricket: Essex were bowled out for their lowest-ever score of 20 as Lancashire crushed them at Chelmsford. Already in arrears of 125 after Lancashire posted a first-innings 398, six Essex batsmen made ducks in a total which was smaller than their previous worst of 30 against Yorkshire in 1901. Veteran seamer Glenn Chapple took five for nine from 7.2 overs and Kyle Hogg (ex-Delph) posted four for 11, with captain James Foster run out.

Two changes

RUGBY UNION: There will be two changes for the second Test as England hunt a 2-0 Test series win against Argentina in Buenos Aires tonight. Marland Yarde will make his debut on the left wing and Kyle Eastmond takes over at inside centre from Billy Twelvetrees.

Rossi on top

MOTO: Valentino Rossi made a return to the top of the timesheets as he edged out Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo in practice for tomorrow’s Catalan Grand Prix. The Italian, a seven-time world champion in the top class, has not won a race since the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix.

Scratch draw

Golf: The draw for the Halifax, Huddersfield Union Scratch Team Championship Second Division at Ryburn tomorrow is:

8.00 – C Rudd 4 & J Smith 0. 8.10 – J Burton 6 & M Birkett 0. 8.20 – P Jackson 7 & C R Crawshaw 0. 8.30 – Robert Emmett 7 & A D Woodhead 0. 8.40 – C P Walton 5 & B Adamson 0. 8.50 – R Wilby 5 R Gee 0. 9.00 – N D King 6 & I Nicholl 0, 9.10 JE Gill 9 & J Burke 0, 9.20 I R Powell 1 & F Scholefield & 3 R Harris 4, 9.30 G Bamford 3 & T Williams 3 & N S Bell 5, 9.40 C Bamford 6 & E Pickles 6 & N Kelly 6, 9.50 N Clegg 7 & C Jaffry 8 & M Spink 7, 10.00 J Hazelden 3 & S Minto 5 & T Irwin 5, 10.10 J Lawton 5 & L Sifleet 6 & JElliott 7, 10.20 SBeeby 7 & T Hetherington 7 & O Tasker 7