NIK SIMON IN TOYOTA: The Rugby World Cup's credibility was called into question as feelings grew that rich nations have received favourable treatment as Scotland vent their frustrations.

Gregor Townsend insists Scotland can recover from their World Cup heartache - but knows they must learn from the mistakes that cost them in Japan.

ROB ROBERTSON IN YOKOHAMA: Japan took a stunning 28-21 victory in Yokahama. The result means that the host nation will now face South Africa in the quarter finals.

CHRIS FOY IN TOKYO: England's match against France is in danger of being cancelled, as Typhoon Hagibis has changed course and is now due to tear through Tokyo and Yokohama.

Hogg said he would be 'very annoyed' if one of his Scotland team-mates was so quick to move on from their own exit at this year's showpiece in Japan.

Stuart Hogg admits that if his Exeter Chiefs side win the Premiership, people will believe they triumphed only because of Saracens' hefty points deduction for breaching the salary cap.

Exeter Chiefs are desperate for their 'normal' squad to solve the European puzzle this year, having added Border piece Stuart Hogg. The 27-year-old Hawick-born full-back faces his old club.

CHRIS FOY AT THE AJ BELL STADIUM: Exeter extended their lead at the top of Pool Two of the Heineken Champions Cup with a close-fought 22-20 victory over Sale courtesy of Stuart Hogg (middle).

Scotland lock Jonny Gray has signed a two-year deal to join Exeter Chiefs next season from Glasgow Warriors. Gray follows Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell in leaving Glasgow in recent times.

Scottish rugby fans were left truly stunned after it was revealed that the SRU chief executive more than doubled his salary from £455,000 to £933,000. The news comes prior to the Six Nations kick-off.

Finn Russell was dropped from Scotland's Six Nations opener after refusing to stop drinking at the team's hotel bar and then skipping training the following morning.

Every morning at Pennyhill Park, Eddie Jones walks past a table in the hotel lobby offering free fruit and a collection of daily newspapers. On Tuesday they did not make for pleasant reading.

EXCLUSIVE BY CHRIS FOY: England are talking about Scottish dirty tricks again, ahead of their trip to Murrayfield, but John Barclay has dismissed what he considers to be familiar 'whinging'.

The Edinburgh flanker missed last week's Six Nations opener with Ireland in Dublin due to a thigh strain and his recall to Gregor Townsend's team is the only change from that defeat.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has warned his players not to let their emotions get the better of them in Saturday's Calcutta Cup showdown.

NIK SIMON IN EDINBURGH - Sam Underhill admits the pressure is on as England walk into the eye of a storm in Saturday's clash with Scotland.

Dylan Hartley runs the rule on England's trip to Edinburgh, as Eddie Jones' side prepares to face old foe Scotland in a Calcutta Cup clash. 

OLIVER HOLT AT MURRAYFIELD - The trees outside Murrayfield swayed in the gale and empty plastic coffee cups scattered. Storm Ciara was brewing, but Owen Farrell remained unfazed.

All those training sessions when Steve Borthwick brings a bucket filled with slippery, soapy water paid off on Saturday night. England overcame foul weather to beat Scotland.

Gregor Townsend has absolved Stuart Hogg from blame despite the Scotland skipper making his second costly mistake in as many Guinness Six Nations games.

NIK SIMON AT MURRAYFIELD: England could not dodge the storm but they at least averted the crisis on Saturday afternoon - thanks to a late try from Ellis Genge.

MARTIN SAMUEL AT MURRAYFIELD - It was at a certain moment, following England's dogged win over Scotland in torrid conditions, that the game's observers received enlightenment.

Officials are investigating ugly scenes at Murrayfield on Saturday where Neil Craig, a member of England's backroom staff, was struck on the head by a plastic beer bottle.

Townsend has warned exile Russell that he will have to make the same 'sacrifices' as every other Scotland player - or be banished from his squad for the duration of the Six Nations.

The veteran fly-half's kicking was exemplary as he added the extras to tries from Jacques Vermeulen and Stuart Hogg as well as slotting over four penalties.

ROB ROBERTSON IN ROME: Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend believes the pressure has been lifted after his side 'zeroed' Italy in an emphatic Six Nations win in the Italian capital.

Russell will not feature in the remaining games, against France on Sunday and Wales in Cardiff on March 14, as it is feared his arrival would detract from preparations for two games only six days apart.

EXCLUSIVE: A Scottish Women's Rugby player being treated for coronavirus spent days training near to Team GB Olympians at their base in Loughborough before she was diagnosed.

The PFA Player of the Year ended last season with no opponent completing a dribble past him in a staggering 64 matches. Liverpool centre back has lifted the lid on what has helped him.

De Jong completed a big-money £65million move to the Spanish giants from Ajax in January and he will be officially unveiled as a Barcelona player on Friday.

De Ligt became the most sought after youngster in the world after a huge breakthrough season with Ajax, and he has attracted heavy interest from the likes of Juventus and Barcelona.

Ajax have announced their star defender Matthijs De Ligt has been left out of their squad for their summer tour to Austria pending 'a possible transfer'.

Georginio Wijnaldum admits Holland's recent absence from major tournaments has been 'painful' as they look set to end that exodus at Euro 2020 next summer.

De Toekomst training complex in Amsterdam was like a scene from Armageddon as Ajax fans let their players know what the fixture means to them while there were similar scenes in Rotterdam.

Ruud Gullit (right) treated football fans to a throwback photo of himself posing with fellow Holland legends Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard (left).

Holland and Liverpool star Gini Wijnaldum says he would walk from the pitch were he to be targeted with racial abuse, just as Ahmad Mendes Moreira was recently in a Dutch second division tie.

Ronald Koeman has revealed he rejected the chance to manage Lionel Messi and Co at Barcelona in order to focus on his job as Holland's head coach.

Barcelona had high hopes for Frenkie de Jong after winning the race to sign him last summer for £65million, but the 22-year-old has so far failed to live up to expectation at the Camp Nou.

Dutch top-flight club FC Utrecht are preparing for legal action to fight the Royal Netherlands Football Association's decision to cancel the remainder of the league season.

These celebrity lookalikes are so convincing, they've turned it into a full -time career - including a Prince Harry double who has flown business class to China to attend a billionaire's birthday party.

Taking to Instagram, Ed, 28, thanked his fans for their support and said he will 'never forget' the Divide tour.

The Grammy winner, 28, who is currently on his Divide tour in Hannover, Germany, took to Instagram on Friday to share the devastating news with fans.

Ed Sheeran and his wife Cherry Seaborn were enjoying a rare date night in London together on Tuesday.

After amassing an estimated £160million fortune, Ed Sheeran has set about creating his own extraordinary estate - dubbed 'Sheeranville' - in Suffolk.

Ed Sheeran has found himself in another court battle in which he is being accused of 'stealing' material for his songs.

The Shape Of You hitmaker, 28, is said to be taking a short hiatus from music in order to spend time with his wife Cherry Seaborn, who he married in December 2018.

The teenager, from Portsmouth, has created her own 'smile' bracelets to generate funds for cancer sufferers, and she was thrilled after Sheeran asked to wear one for his entire set.

Ed Sheeran's manager has revealed that the Shape Of You singer asks him whether he can do the James Bond theme song every day.

They're expected to tie the knot in a lavish ceremony at a stately home in Yorkshire on Saturday, in front of a host of celebrity pals.

ALISON BOSHOFF: Pop star Ellie Goulding will be watched by royalty as she walks down the aisle of York Minister, a £150,000 ring on her finger, and into the arms of Old Etonian Caspar Jopling.