Paul Wellens has told his stuttering St Helens stars he will not tolerate any more complacency as they prepare to host struggling Castleford in the Betfred Super League on Friday.

Wellens’ world champions looked to have shrugged off their sluggish start to the current campaign after dazzling back-to-back wins over Wigan and Huddersfield earlier this month.

But having belatedly nudged themselves back into the play-off slots, Saints summoned an abject display in last Thursday’s 34-6 loss at Hull FC that suggests their bid for a fifth consecutive title remains very much a work-in-progress.

In contrast Castleford head for the Totally Wicked Stadium on the back of a stirring win over previous pace-setters Warrington last week, and Wellens has demanded his players be on their guard for a repeat performance.

“I thought we were complacent at the weekend, Hull came at us with an intent and energy that we couldn’t match, and that was the most disappointing aspect,” said Wellens.

“Too many of us turned up to the game hoping for an easy night, and when you do that you make things much more difficult for yourself.

“It’s a massive learning for us and we’ve had some pretty honest conversations this week. But what this group has done well in the past is respond to a bad performance and we need a really positive performance at the weekend.”

Wellens did not exclude himself from criticism last week, admitting he may have made an error in opting to rest captain James Roby and hand Morgan Knowles a rare start at number nine.

So ineffective was the formation – though no particular blame could be attached to Knowles – that Roby emerged off the bench for the second half and immediately made a difference in his side’s bid to claw their way back into the match.

Their patchy performances this season have made Saints increasingly aware of their talisman’s impending retirement, with Warrington’s Daryl Clark yet to be officially confirmed as his replacement next season.

Insisting he is relaxed about the prospect of having to fill such a huge hole in his line-up, Wellens referenced Roby’s ability to make the position his own in the wake of the departure of the previous incumbent, Keiron Cunningham, in 2010.

“As a club we will be really smart about how we go about bringing in a replacement, and I will bring in a player of real quality who can add to this team,” said Wellens.

“When Keiron retired, James Roby came in and was true to himself, and we expect the same from James Roby’s replacement. James Roby is going to retire and we will move forward as a club and deal with that.”

The launch of Premiership Women’s Rugby has been hailed as a “new era” with the aim of making England home to the most “competitive, progressive and sustainable” domestic rugby competition in the world, says chief executive Belinda Moore.

PWR is replacing the Premier 15s and will manage the Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby club competition, which kicks off in the autumn.

PWR has been established to deliver a 10-year strategy for women’s rugby in England, which includes starting a new 10-team league in partnership with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the clubs.

Women’s rugby is already seeing a steady rise in popularity with a record crowd of 9,668 watching Gloucester-Hartpury beat Exeter 34-19 in the Allianz Premier 15s final at ‘Queensholm’ – Kingsholm having been rebranded for the day – on Saturday.

Additionally, a record-breaking crowd of 58,498 watched England lift their fifth successive Six Nations crown after beating France at Twickenham in April, and PWR chief Moore has outlined the aims for the new competition.

She said: “Our ambition is to transform the league into the world’s most competitive, progressive, and sustainable domestic rugby competition.

“Elite women’s rugby in England has never been in a stronger place. We have just seen Gloucester-Hartpury win the Allianz Premier 15s with a thrilling victory over Exeter Chiefs, in front of a record crowd at the newly-named Queensholm.

“The final was the culmination of a season which has confirmed that we have strong player talent depth as the foundation to grow the league over the next decade.

“The new era starts today, and the competition’s new look and feel is designed to be powerful, dynamic, and eye-catching.

“It aims to capture the excitement and high energy of the league, the players, the fans, and the sport as a whole.”

Warren Gatland says Wales could have two captains at the World Cup after skipper Ken Owens was ruled out of the tournament.

Scarlets hooker Owens, capped 91 times, has failed to recover from a back injury ahead of the World Cup, which starts in September.

Gatland says it is possible 36-year-old Owens could feature in the later stages of the tournament if there was an injury at hooker, but he will not be named when the New Zealander announces his 33-man squad at the end of August.

“Ken didn’t train at all with us (in recent weeks), his back has not recovered,” head coach Gatland said.

“He has not been able to do any of the training. It is the same injury but not as severe as before so he may need an operation on that.

“He wanted to reiterate he has not retired from rugby and he is hoping potentially he could be available later if we pick up injuries in the tournament.”

Asked about Owens’ successor, Gatland added: “Co-captaincy is a possibility. We did that with Ellis Jenkins and Cory Hill in 2018 and it worked well.

“It is something I have put out there potentially as an option, it is not guaranteed we will do that.

“We will put a leadership group together and we will tell the players. You look at the squad and I don’t think there are any guaranteed starting positions and players will get opportunities in the squad.

“It is looking at the team and picking the right person as captain. It is the support they are going to get or is it potentially co-captains that can share that role and responsibility?”

Outside-half Dan Biggar, who captained Wales in the 2022 Six Nations and the following summer tour to South Africa, and second-row forward Adam Beard are among the leading candidates to take the armband.

Possible younger options could be hooker Dewi Lake, 24, and 23-year-old flanker Jac Morgan.

Gatland chose Sam Warburton, then 22, to be Wales’ captain at the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

Asked if he would consider a young captain again, Gatland said: “Yes absolutely. We have time for that with the two camps (in Switzerland and Turkey) and seeing more of the rugby.

“We have been doing that more with players getting plenty of touches on the ball.

“We probably won’t name a captain or captains until we name the squad.”

Scarlets back-rower Josh Macleod (shoulder) and Cardiff prop Will Davies-King (foot) have both been released from the squad.

Taulupe Faletau will miss the first week of the Switzerland camp because of a calf injury.

Alex Cuthbert and Owen Williams will miss the trip altogether but Gatland, who has called Ospreys hooker Sam Parry into a revised 47-man squad, is confident they will be fit for the Turkey trip.

Veteran trio Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb have all retired from Test rugby during a turbulent build-up to the World Cup.

Prop Rhys Carre was released from an initial 54-player training squad after he failed to hit individual performance targets, while lock Hill withdrew to pursue a club contract opportunity outside of Wales.

“They are different in a way,” Gatland said when asked how this group compared to previous squads.

“There are some young players that are a bit green, but even in a short of period of time we have seen how they have developed.

“They’re all sponges in terms of wanting to learn and wanting to get better. I see that as hugely positive.”

Wales captain Ken Owens has been ruled out of their World Cup training squad due to injury.

The hooker has been released from the squad with a back injury along with Scarlets team-mate Josh Macleod who has a shoulder problem.

Cardiff’s Will Davies-King has also been ruled out with a foot injury, while Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb have all retired since the preliminary squad was released last month.

Ospreys hooker Sam Parry has been called up ahead of the World Cup, where Wales’ campaign gets under way against Fiji on September 10 followed by games against Australia and Georgia.

Head coach Warren Gatland said: “We’ve been really pleased with the players’ attitude and commitment throughout the first few weeks of our mini camps.

“The group has worked really hard and there have been a few curve balls from us in terms of testing them mentally and physically as people may have seen in some of our videos.

“Unfortunately we’re having to release Ken, Josh and Will due to injury which is really disappointing, but all three are hoping to be available later in the year should we need an injury replacement at any point.

“Ken has a niggle in his back which he needs some time out to sort. Josh got the injury on club duty – we were hoping to be able to manage it but specialist assessment showed that wasn’t possible.

“Will picked up the foot injury in training with us which we were managing but then he got re-injured so has been released.”

Billy Vunipola has undergone a minor operation on his injured knee but expects to be fit for the Rugby World Cup.

The England forward remains with a 36-player squad named by head coach Steve Borthwick for their third World Cup training camp at The Lensbury Resort in south-west London.

“The medical team are positive about my prospects and I understand exactly what needs to be done over the next few weeks,” said Vunipola.

The line-up is the same as last week’s camp with the exception of Will Joseph and Beno Obano, who both miss out. Players from Gallagher Premiership finalists Sale and Saracens have not been included.

“I’m pleased with the progress that’s been made over the last two weeks and we look forward to another productive training camp at the Lensbury,” said Borthwick.

“There’s still a long way to go until we are ready for a World Cup but each day we take another step forward.”

Ollie Chessum, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ollie Lawrence and Jack Walker all remain with their team-mates as they continue their rehabilitation from injury.

England will take on Wales in Cardiff on August 5, with Borthwick due to name his 33-strong squad for the World Cup in France two days later.

Training squad:

Backs – H Arundell (London Irish), D Care (Harlequins), J Cokanasiga (Bath), F Dingwall (Northampton), T Freeman (Northampton), J Marchant (Harlequins), J May (Gloucester), A Mitchell (Northampton), C Murley (Harlequins), G Porter (Leicester), H Slade (Exeter), F Smith (Northampton), M Smith (Harlequins), F Steward (Leicester), J Van Poortvliet (Leicester), A Watson (Leicester), B Youngs (Leicester).

Forwards – J Blamire (Newcastle), D Cole (Leicester), A Dombrandt (Harlequins), T Dunn (Bath), C Ewels (Bath), E Genge (Bristol), J Heyes (Leicester), T Hill (Bath), C Lawes (Northampton), L Ludlam (Northampton), J Marler (Harlequins), G Martin (Leicester), Z Mercer (Montpellier), T Pearson (London Irish), V Rapava-Ruskin (Gloucester), D Ribbans (Northampton), K Sinckler (Bristol), W Stuart (Bath), S Underhill (Bath).

Allianz Premier 15s chief executive Belinda Moore believes that women’s sport is beginning to “stand alone” as interest continues to grow.

The RFU announced in June 2022 that up to £220m would be invested into the professional women’s game over 10 years and Moore was announced as CEO of the Premier 15s last October.

It comes as part of an exciting time of growth in women’s sport which will be seen this summer with England’s cricketers and netballers in action alongside the Lionesses, who will be aiming to build on last year’s Euro win at the World Cup.

There has also been success in rugby as the Red Roses reached the World Cup final last November before scooping a fifth successive Six Nations title in front of a record-breaking crowd of 58,498 at Twickenham in April, and Moore insists women’s sport is now providing entertainment in its own right.

“We all know what an amazing job the Lionesses did and the growth that’s come off the back of that,” she told the PA news agency.

“One of the things they proved very eloquently was that women’s sport now is starting to stand alone.

“It’s recognised for what it is, so it’s not regarded as men’s sport – there’s a women’s brand of football, a women’s brand of rugby and they’re really entertaining games in their own right.”

Women’s domestic rugby is set to take centre stage on Saturday when Exeter Chiefs face Gloucester-Hartpury in the Premier 15s final at the renamed “Queensholm” Stadium.

Neither team has previously won the competition and so far 8,000 tickets have been sold for the West Country clash.

“I’m hugely looking forward to Saturday, I think the two semi-finals set a really good benchmark for what we can expect this weekend,” Moore said.

“It’s been amazing to see the growth of women’s rugby, even in the short time since the World Cup last year and that crowd last year, and the crowd at Twickenham for the England-France game.

“They’ve sold over 7,000 tickets for this match this weekend, which is a huge uptake on last year.

“The great news is we can see the interest in the sport is growing and I’m looking forward to a cracking final at Queensholm, as they’ve aptly renamed it this weekend!”

Alongside plans to grow the Premier 15s competition, England are also set to host the World Cup in 2025.

Last year’s World Cup final saw hosts New Zealand beat the Red Roses in front of 42,579 in Auckland and Moore believes a home tournament is an ideal opportunity to keep generating interest.

She said: “The number of people who got up at daft o’clock in the morning, myself included, was a really big thing.

“It was a great one, the challenge always is when you play rugby of any description down on the southern hemisphere, it’s harder to get that wider attention in a busy, crowded sports market.

“So I think what you got primarily was rugby fans, which is brilliant, but what we also want to do is expand the game out to those who maybe don’t know it so well, sports fans or more general fans of women’s sport.

“The great news is we’ve got a strong base to build on, but we definitely need to build on it and 2025 I think will be that big springboard that puts women’s rugby in people’s living rooms at primetime and starts to change that narrative.”

Ireland lock Iain Henderson has signed a two-year contract extension with the Irish Rugby Football Union.

The IRFU said that the 31-year-old Henderson’s deal will keep him at Ulster until the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

He has won 71 caps and was part of last season’s Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam campaign following previous title successes in 2014, 2015 and 2018.

“Iain has developed into an important leader within both the Ireland and Ulster environments, and we are delighted to have ensured that he continues his career in Ireland,” IRFU performance director David Nucifora told www.irishrugby.ie.

“I have no doubt that he will continue to add positively to both environments in the months and years to come.”

Ireland international forward Jean Kleyn has been cleared to represent South Africa under new eligibility rules.

The Johannesburg-born Munster lock qualified for Ireland on residency and made five appearances in 2019, including two at the Japan-hosted Rugby World Cup.

He has not been selected since then, though, and therefore qualifies for South Africa under a new regulation.

Since the start of last year, players can switch to their country of birth – or their parents’ or grandparents’ birth – provided a minimum period of three years has elapsed since they were last selected for an adopted country.

SA Rugby said World Rugby confirmed to them on Thursday that Kleyn fulfilled the necessary “birthright transfer” requirements.

Kleyn has made more than 130 Munster appearances and helped them win the United Rugby Championship title last season.

He is currently part of South Africa’s Rugby Championship training squad, with the Springboks kicking off that campaign against Australia in Pretoria on July 8.

Kleyn becomes the latest international player to switch countries ahead of the World Cup, following the likes of Charles Piutau (New Zealand to Tonga), Israel Folau (Australia to Tonga), Henry Thomas (England to Wales) and Byron McGuigan (Scotland to Namibia).

English challengers Leicester and Sale Sharks have landed a fearsome pool draw in next season’s Heineken Champions Cup.

The pair, who cannot play each other in the group stage, face games against Champions Cup holders La Rochelle, runners-up Leinster, South African heavyweights DHL Stormers and Parisians Stade Francais.

They will play two matches at home and two away in December and January. The top four teams in each group will comprise the round of 16 later next term.

Premiership champions Saracens and Bristol, who replaced London Irish after the Exiles went into administration, will tackle Bordeaux-Begles, Vodacom Bulls, Lyon and Connacht in Pool 1.

Bath, Champions Cup qualifiers following a dramatic last day of the Premiership season, are in Pool 2 alongside Harlequins.

They will take on newly-crowned French champions Toulouse, Racing 92, Ulster and the solitary Welsh representative Cardiff.

Past tournament winners Exeter and Northampton are in Pool 3, where they will face fixtures against United Rugby Championship title holders Munster, Glasgow, Bayonne and Toulon.

Premiership challengers Gloucester have been handed a tough European Challenge Cup draw, being grouped in Pool 3 alongside Clermont Auvergne, Scarlets, Edinburgh, Castres and a yet-to-be-announced invited club.

Newcastle are in Pool 2 with Ospreys, Benetton, Montpellier, Perpignan and Emirates Lions, while Pool 1 comprises another invited club alongside Dragons, Pau, Oyonnax, Zebre Parma and Cell Sharks.

The top four in each group progress to the Challenge Cup round of 16, where they will be joined by the four fifth-placed Champions Cup teams.

The Challenge Cup and Champions Cup finals take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 24 and 25.

England expect Bath centre Ollie Lawrence and Harlequins hooker Jack Walker to be available for World Cup selection after they both suffered injuries during training.

Premiership player of the season Lawrence is recovering from a knee injury, while Walker has a calf muscle problem.

Both players were hurt in England squad training last week and they are understood to each be facing a minimum of six weeks’ rehabilitation.

England’s opening World Cup warm-up game is against Wales in Cardiff on August 5, while head coach Steve Borthwick is due to name his final 33-player squad for the tournament two days later.

Lawrence and Walker will join a 38-strong group for treatment during England’s preparation camp in Brighton this week.

The Welsh Rugby Union was responsible for a “serious failure of governance” and missed opportunities to act on concerning behaviour within the organisation, a report has found.

A committee of Senedd members noted “systemic failures in the culture” of the WRU following allegations of racism, misogyny, sexism and homophobia.

The issues first came to light in a BBC documentary which aired at the beginning of the year, after which the WRU announced an external taskforce had been set up to investigate.

Concerns female rugby players in Wales may have faced “unfavourable treatment” had been highlighted to the WRU two years ago in a review of the women’s game, extracts of which were published on Friday as part of the Senedd report.

The WRU expects its independent review panel (taskforce) to report “before the end of summer” and welcomes the Senedd’s suggestion that an implementation plan should follow soon after.

“It is unacceptable that it took a BBC documentary for the Welsh Rugby Union to act decisively to tackle long-standing toxic behaviour within the organisation,” read the 33-page Senedd sport committee report.

“There is a clear body of evidence that points to opportunities that were missed by the WRU to act on concerning behaviour, or to acknowledge and tackle a pattern of this behaviour.

“This includes formal complaints; the WRU entering into several settlement agreements in relation to allegations of sexism, racism and homophobia over several years; the review into the women’s game; and the resignation of Amanda Blanc (chair of Wales’ Professional Rugby Board).

“Taken together, these point to systemic failures in the culture of the WRU.

“The fact that senior management did not identify and tackle the problem is a serious failure of governance.”

The Senedd committee expressed its belief that little would have changed at the WRU had individuals not spoken to the media.

Nigel Walker, who stepped in as acting chief executive of the governing body following the resignation of Steve Phillips in January, admitted the initial allegations “made very challenging reading”.

Walker confirmed most of the recommendations made by the 2021 review into the women’s game had already been implemented.

The WRU said it was “fully committed” to enacting all of the recommendations of the ongoing review.

“We have already accepted that we have much work to do to ensure that we address our past failures and we again express our sincere remorse for the missed opportunities and failures described and offer our sincere apologies to anyone affected,” read a WRU statement.

“We are fully committed to implementing all of the recommendations of the current independent review into the WRU.

“The committee are right to highlight that we should not wait until the taskforce completes its work before we make changes, specifically to ensure that our staff feel safe, supported and valued, and that we tackle incidents and behaviours in a robust and consistent matter.”

Interim CEO Walker published details from a letter he sent to the Senedd after appearing before it in February alongside WRU chair Ieuan Evans.

In the document, he warned changing culture “takes time” but insisted the WRU is “determined” to do so.

“Whilst this period has been extremely challenging for us, I hope you can appreciate that our intention is to accept and learn from the challenges we face, and to change the way that we work day to day,” Walker wrote.

“The (2021) review made very challenging reading for us and described a committed squad of high-performance athletes frustrated by the support they were receiving, with failures in strategic and operational management.

“The review report also made clear that we had not ensured that our female players felt fully welcomed, valued and an equal part of our game.

“Changing culture takes time, but we are determined to do it.”

Fifty-one years of Wembley hurt was extinguished for Salford in the most bittersweet way in 2020 when supporters were locked out of their side’s first Challenge Cup final appearance since 1969 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is sure to be an additional incentive for Paul Rowley’s buoyant side as they head into Saturday lunchtime’s quarter-final against Hull KR at Craven Park with arguably their best opportunity yet to re-converge on the sport’s most enduring showpiece.

For the second consecutive season, Rowley’s Red Devils have shattered expectations and head into their last-eight clash against their injury-plagued opponents on the back of seven wins out of eight and sitting just two points off the Super League summit.

“It’s a rare occurrence for Salford to get to any cup final, so to do it when there are crowd restrictions, it would have been easy to fall into that trap of thinking it’s always us, and we’re unlucky as a club maybe,” said Rowley.

“It would be fantastic for the fans to experience what they were robbed of last time. But we really try and just focus on our jobs. It’s important we just stick to the task and don’t get derailed or carried away, and you just hope we take the opportunities when they come to us.”

Salford’s unfortunate recent history in the Challenge Cup can also be traced back to 1998, their best chance to repeat their previous final appearance, when they were edged out in the dying seconds of their semi-final by underdogs and eventual winners Sheffield Eagles.

Painful reminders of the importance of not getting carried away are illustrated on the balance sheet, which show Salford operating one of the tightest budgets in Super League.

They recently launched a community share offer scheme in a bid to become the top-flight’s first wholly fan-owned club.

In that context on-field results have been remarkable, as Rowley’s men have built on last year’s run to the play-off semi-finals with an expressive style of rugby that has won plaudits and points in equal measure, and which included a 26-16 win over Rovers two weeks ago at Magic Weekend.

For Rowley, a Wembley appearance would be a timely reward for the successes his current squad are fashioning against the odds on an almost weekly basis, as well as a welcome profile boost in an increasingly tough financial climate.

“There are no silver spoons at this club,” added Rowley. “We don’t have a carpet rolled out and we go into a rusty old gym and a team room that has nothing posh about it.

“Keeping our feet on the ground is never a difficult proposition. But as one of the old school people, the Challenge Cup was the thing you dreamed about growing up.

“The history and heritage that goes with it is something quite remarkable, and it’s something we want to continue. This is the first of three opportunities to win a trophy and I’d like any sort of success for this group because I think it’s a special one.”

Jason Robinson insists England must look to his 2007 runners-up rather than the triumphant vintage of 2003 for inspiration to drive their World Cup quest this autumn.

Either France, Ireland, South Africa or New Zealand are tipped to become champions in what is expected to be the fiercest battle yet for the global crown currently held by the Springboks.

England, meanwhile, are outsiders as Steve Borthwick continues to find his feet, having taken over an under-performing side from the sacked Eddie Jones in September.

Managing only two wins in the recent Six Nations has done little to rouse hopes, but Robinson recalls the 2007 tournament as an example of how quickly a team’s fortunes can be reversed.

“The reality is that England have got a better group than most and they’ve got to top it. And then when you get into the knockout stage it’s anybody’s,” Robinson, the Asahi Super Dry ambassador for the 2023 World Cup, told the PA news agency.

“I don’t think there has ever been a World Cup where there are so many teams in contention and I would say England are in the mix, but they are going to have to build some form.

“I would never have said we’d get to the final in 2007 with the form that we had in the lead up to it, not a chance. We were playing crap.

“We limped through the pool stages in 2007, getting beaten 36-0 by South Africa. I pulled my hamstring in that game. It was a real slap in the face for us.

“While we didn’t have form in the team, we still had some good players. The defeat against South Africa was the shock we needed.

“We got through the pool and then we found some form against Australia in the quarters. We beat France who were hosts and suddenly we were in the final. We could have won that too had Mark Cueto (who had a try controversially disallowed after it was ruled his left foot had made contact with the touchline) not had six toes!

“What happened to us in 2007 gives hope. It can be done – in sport you can turn things around in a very short space of time.

“Sometimes you get written off and you’ve got to take that on the chin and try to find a way to win.

“This England team have got some great players, but they’ve got to find form and also find the way they want to play.”

Robinson played in both the 2003 and 2007 World Cup finals and, although he was part of the greatest side to emerge from these shores, he sees the semi-final victory over New Zealand four years ago as the finest single performance.

The All Blacks were flattened 19-7 on a dramatic night in Yokohama that saw the tone set through a defiant response to the Haka.

“While we won the World Cup in 2003, England’s game against New Zealand in 2019 is the best I’ve ever seen an England team play. That’s the standout England game for me,” cross-code star Robinson said.

“I was blown away by how England approached the game. I’ve never seen New Zealand dominated like that before.

“We mixed up our game so well. We were physical, we played smart, we played around them, we played through them. When I watched it I thought ‘wow’.”

:: Asahi Super Dry is offering fans a host of beyond expected experiences, including tickets to the sold-out tournament, through retail promotional packs and QR codes on pint glasses in pubs, bars, restaurants nationwide.

Premiership Rugby has launched a Sporting Commission in what chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor believes is “a landmark moment” for the organisation.

The seven-strong group will be chaired by Nigel Melville and includes former England captain Tom Wood.

Massie-Taylor and Premiership Rugby’s rugby director Phil Winstanley, meanwhile, will be joined by Women in Football director Jane Purdon, Ministry of Justice board member Mark Rawlinson and financial services executive Carys Williams.

As part of its remit, the commission will now rule over matters such as season structure, Premiership Rugby regulations and player-loading.

It will also have full delegated authority from the Premiership Rugby board to decide on matters relating to sporting and regulatory issues, as well as impose sanctions in accordance with Premiership Rugby regulations.

The move comes after the most damaging season in Premiership history saw three clubs – Wasps, Worcester and London Irish – enter administration.

A 13-club league less than a year ago now stands at 10 teams, with the commission, which has decision-making powers, set to transform Premiership Rugby’s operations.

PRL said the commission’s objectives included that decision-making on sporting and regulatory matters “operates in the best interests of the league as a whole and independent from the clubs.”

Massie-Taylor said: “Launching the Sporting Commission is a landmark moment for Premiership Rugby as we transform our ways of working.

“Improving our governance structures with independent thinking and scrutiny is key to strong foundations and our future success.

“Having already met as a group, it is clear that the energy and expertise of our independent experts will help Premiership Rugby deliver change.”

And Melville, who is also chairman of Premiership Rugby’s investor board, added: “Putting together this innovative new group has been possible thanks to the efforts and support of our Premiership Rugby clubs.

“Our goal has always been to strengthen our governance and make internal decision-making more agile, whilst also bringing about greater independence to any contentious issues.”

The commission will meet eight times a year or more, and provide a quarterly update to the investor board.

Northampton have announced the signing of England World Cup hopeful Tom Pearson.

Back-row forward Pearson was left without a club when London Irish went into administration last week after being suspended from all competitions by the Rugby Football Union.

The 23-year-old helped Irish to a fifth-place finish in the Gallagher Premiership, delivering numerous eye-catching performances.

He was named in England’s first World Cup training squad of the summer by head coach Steve Borthwick, while Pearson ended last term with Premiership and Rugby Players’ Association young player of the season honours.

“I will always be incredibly grateful to London Irish and treasure my time there,” he said.

“They gave me a shot two years ago coming out of university when I was an unknown and probably a bit of a risk.

“It’s tragic to not know the true potential of that team we had, but I want to thank all the players, staff, and the fans for everything they gave me over the last two years and for helping me create lifelong memories.

“From my very first conversation with (Northampton rugby director) Phil Dowson, he has been extremely honest and clear on the direction he wants Saints to go as a club.

“He really made me feel like I would fit in well in Northampton with the playing group and the style of rugby the team plays.

“He has also got clear ideas on where my game can improve, and I want to push on and develop as much as I can as a player.”

Two of Pearson’s England squad colleagues and former Irish team-mates – Henry Arundell and Will Joseph – have yet to confirm their club futures.

Arundell is thought to be a target for Bath and French club Racing 92, while Joseph has been strongly linked with Harlequins.

On recruiting Pearson, Dowson said: “Tom is an incredible athlete and is just going to get better the longer he is in the professional environment.

“He is very versatile, able to play across the back-row, and thanks to his physicality, movement and off-loading game he can make significant impacts all over the park.”