LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) – Wales flanker Sam Warburton will captain the British and Irish Lions for this year’s tour of Australia.

“Warren gave me a call a week ago on Sunday so it’s been nine or 10 days since I found out,” Warburton said at the squad announcement on Tuesday.

LONDON (Reuters) – Having had eight months to finalise his British and Irish Lions squad to tour Australia it is unlikely that coach Warren Gatland would have been swayed too heavily by the action taking place two days before he unveils the chosen few.

Yet so complete was Jonny Wilkinson’s domination of Sunday’s Heineken Cup semi-final, where he kicked all the points in Toulon’s 24-12 victory over a Saracens side with Lions favourite Owen Farrell stuttering at flyhalf, that Monday’s final selection meeting was likely to be a lively one.

LONDON, April 29 (Reuters) – Having had eight months to finalise his British and Irish Lions squad to tour Australia it is unlikely that coach Warren Gatland would have been swayed too heavily by the action taking place two days before he unveils the chosen few.

Yet so complete was Jonny Wilkinson’s domination of Sunday’s Heineken Cup semi-final, where he kicked all the points in Toulon’s 24-12 victory over a Saracens side with Lions favourite Owen Farrell stuttering at flyhalf, that Monday’s final selection meeting was likely to be a lively one.

LONDON (Reuters) – Jonny Wilkinson saw off numerous pretenders to his throne during his storied England career and on Sunday proved that he still remains peerless when it comes to winning big matches.

Four weeks shy of his 34th birthday and two years after retiring from internationals, Wilkinson returned to his old stomping ground of Twickenham to completely dominate the Heineken Cup semi-final.

LONDON, April 28 (Reuters) – Jonny Wilkinson saw off numerous pretenders to his throne during his storied England career and on Sunday proved that he still remains peerless when it comes to winning big matches.

Four weeks shy of his 34th birthday and two years after retiring from internationals, Wilkinson returned to his old stomping ground of Twickenham to completely dominate the Heineken Cup semi-final.

LONDON (Reuters) – Jonny Wilkinson spent half his career ruining French dreams at Twickenham but on Sunday it was his club Toulon celebrating as he kicked all the points in a 24-12 win over Saracens to earn them a first Heineken Cup final.

Wilkinson, who kicked all Toulon’s points in their 21-15 quarter-final victory over Leicester, landed seven penalties and a drop goal at Twickenham as the big-name, multi-national side set up an all-French final against Clermont Auvergne in Dublin on May 18.

LONDON, April 28 (Reuters) – Jonny Wilkinson spent half his career ruining French dreams at Twickenham but on Sunday it was his club Toulon celebrating as he kicked all the points in a 24-12 win over Saracens to earn them a first Heineken Cup final.

Wilkinson, who kicked all Toulon’s points in their 21-15 quarter-final victory over Leicester, landed seven penalties and a drop goal at Twickenham as the big-name, multi-national side set up an all-French final against Clermont Auvergne in Dublin on May 18.

LONDON, April 24 (Reuters) – Toulon, Clermont Auvergne and Saracens go into this weekend’s semi-finals desperate to validate their domestic progress with a debut Heineken Cup final appearance but perennial party-poopers Munster are not about to vacate the top table without a fight.

Munster, twice champions and twice runners-up, will have to reproduce the dogged resistance that got them past Harlequins in London in the quarter-finals if they are to overcome French league pacemakers Clermont in Montpellier on Saturday (1600 GMT).

LONDON (Reuters) – Track cyclist Chris Hoy is Britain’s most successful Olympian and has won more titles than he can remember yet his greatest sporting legacy could be his utter destruction of the notion that nice guys finish last.

Hoy, who announced his retirement on Thursday at the age of 37 having decided against carrying on until next year’s Commonwealth Games at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in his native Scotland, won six Olympic golds and one silver.

LONDON (Reuters) – Track cyclist Chris Hoy is Britain’s most successful Olympian and has won more titles than he can remember yet his greatest sporting legacy could be his utter destruction of the notion that nice guys finish last.

Hoy, who announced his retirement on Thursday at the age of 37 having decided against carrying on until next year’s Commonwealth Games at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in his native Scotland, won six Olympic golds and one silver.