England Women conceded a try after the full-time hooter had sounded as they lost 7-5 to Canada in the World Rugby Sevens Cup final in Japan.

Amy Wilson-Hardy put England 5-0 up, but Canada kept the ball alive for two minutes after full-time as Ghislaine Landry touched down then converted.

England beat Australia and France to reach their first final in 16 events dating back to April 2016.

USA beat France 36-12 in the bronze final in Kitakyushu.

England climb to seventh in the rankings.

The top four teams qualify automatically for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

England beat Australia 21-7 thanks to tries from Alex Matthews, Helena Rowland and Holly Aitchison.

Aitchison converted an Abigail Brown try to give England a 19-17 victory over France, after tries from Brown and Emma Uren.

For the first time in the World Rugby Sevens Cup's seven-year history, the semi-finals featured neither New Zealand nor Australia.

New Zealand remain ahead of Canada at the top of the rankings having won the first three events of 2018-19.

England, who trail fourth-placed Australia by 19 points, will play an Olympic qualifying event in Russia in July if they are ranked fifth or lower.

Billy Vunipola says being confronted by a Munster fan after Saracens' Champions Cup semi-final win was "quite scary".

The Sarries and England forward, 26, was booed throughout, scored a late try and was named man of the match in the 32-16 win at Coventry's Ricoh Arena.

He was warned by his club and the Rugby Football Union this week for defending Israel Folau's social media post in which he said "hell awaits" gay people.

"People say I put my foot in it so I have to deal with it," Vunipola said.

The number eight told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's not something I'm afraid of. I probably have to expect that it's going to keep happening.

"It was quite a motivating factor that people were booing me. I wanted to back up my words and show my team-mates that I did not mean to distract them."

The fan who confronted Vunipola was quickly led away by stewards.

European Professional Club Rugby, the tournament organisers, said: "Following the regrettable incident at the Ricoh Arena, the spectator in question is currently being detained by the stadium authorities."

Last week Vunipola was criticised for 'liking' an Instagram post from Australia winger Folau which warned gay people that hell awaited them unless they repented.

Folau later had his contract cancelled by Rugby Australia.

Vunipola defended his views, writing on Instagram: "There just comes a point when you insult what I grew up believing in that you just say enough is enough. Man was made for woman to procreate, that was the goal no?"

Vunipola said after the game on Saturday: "It was probably insensitive, but also something I strongly believe in.

"I'll probably not be as honest as I have been about things that probably hurt a lot of people. I know that now.

"I'm not going to change the happy-go-lucky person I am. My faith is what got me to this position. It's something I'll stick by.

"It's been awesome having friends supporting me, whether they agree with me or not."

Leinster back Noel Reid, Newcastle lock Calum Green and Munster centre Jaco Taute will join Premiership club Leicester at the end of the season.

Reid, 28, who can play at centre or fly-half, won an international cap for Ireland against Argentina in 2014.

Green, 28, came through Leicester's academy and the lock has played 120 games during five seasons at Newcastle, the Premiership's bottom side.

South Africa international Taute, 27, has been with Munster since 2016.

Reid told the Tigers' website: "I'm very excited to be joining a club like Leicester, with its history and success in the game."

Green added: "To have the opportunity to return was too good an opportunity to let go by.

"I know a lot of the players in the squad, coaches and staff and am excited to get back to Welford Road and be called a Tiger once again."

Leicester are 10th in the Premiership but almost safe from relegation - they are eight points ahead of Newcastle with three games left to play.

Israel Folau's future will be decided at a hearing on 4 May after the full-back was sacked by Rugby Australia following a social media post in which he said "hell awaits" gay people.

The 30-year-old requested a code of conduct hearing after his dismissal.

It will be heard behind closed doors in Sydney by a three-member panel.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has said Folau, who won 73 caps and was expected to play at this year's World Cup, was unlikely to be selected again.

Folau, who signed a four-year deal with Sydney-based Super Rugby side the Waratahs in March and had a contract with Rugby Australia until 2022, escaped punishment for similar comments last year.

Rugby Australia said he "had committed a high-level breach of the Professional Players' Code of Conduct warranting termination of his employment contract".

The governing body has also set aside Sunday, 5 May if the hearing goes into a second day.

In addition to his rugby union career, Folau has also played professional rugby league and Australian rules football.

Last week, Australian rugby league's governing body ruled out Folau returning to the National Rugby League.

MARIETTA, Ga. – He’s only two races into his ARCA Menards Series tenure with Chad Bryant Racing, but 16-year-old Corey Heim has already discovered that it’s a big step up from the late models he’s used to.

However, he’s taken the adjustment in stride and has several strong finishes to show for his efforts already, with back to back top-five finishes in the first two short-track races of the season.

Heim came home fifth at both Florida’s Five Flags Speedway in March and Salem (Ind.) Speedway in April, one of three ARCA drivers to earn top-five finishes in each of those two events.

Even though he isn’t old enough to run a full season on tour, Heim sits 11th in points on the strength of those two results, just 10 points behind Brad Smith for a position inside the top 10 in the standings.

That’s good news for the Georgia teenager, because he freely admits that he wasn’t fully prepared for everything that a move to ARCA competition entailed when he signed with team owner Chad Bryant back in October.

“I think my move to the ARCA Series was honestly kind of a wake-up call for me, that I need to take things a little bit more seriously now, because I need sponsors and success to be able to continue with my career beyond this point,” Heim told SPEED SPORT. “The (Chad Bryant Racing) crew and I already work really well together, though, even though I’m still learning and developing into these heavier cars.

“It’s been a great and challenging learning experience for me, but I definitely think we’re getting better with each test session and race weekend we go through together.”

Heim raced his way to second in the CARS Super Late Model Tour standings last season, earning one win, three top-five and six top-10 finishes in nine races and coming up just eight points shy of eventual champion Jared Fryar in the final points tally.

However, Heim peaked at the right time, winning the last race of the year at South Boston (Va.) Speedway in November to give himself some much-needed momentum going into his new opportunity.

“The way we ended last year was pretty important,” Heim noted. “I think that win at South Boston was huge for me in terms of confidence, just reminding myself that I can do this on a bigger stage and against some of the competition that we were racing against.”

It doesn’t mean that Heim hasn’t noticed plenty of differences between racing his super late model and racing a 3,400-pound ARCA car, however.

“I think the biggest thing is that it’s for sure a different feel,” Heim said of the heavier ARCA machines. “The weight factor is definitely the biggest thing that I’m getting used to. Other things like aero and steering box feeling are big factors for my learning curve as well. The good thing is that I have great people like Chad and Paul (Andrews, crew chief) helping me develop into who I want to be.

“I have to admit, having only five cars on the lead lap at some points during these races is a little bit odd compared to what I’m used to, as well,” he added with a laugh. “Our hope is obviously to keep building this program, so that hopefully soon I’m the one lapping the top guys instead of fighting to stay on the lead lap.”

Heim has a set goal ahead of him, as he’s contending for this year’s Sioux Chief Short Track Challenge title, a championship within the ARCA national points race meant to allow the younger drivers who can’t race on the bigger speedways an opportunity to still contend against the veterans of the series.

Currently sitting fourth in the Short Track Challenge standings, Heim is confident in his chances going forward and excited to already be in the mix this early in his journey.

“Winning the Short Track Challenge is definitely our goal; taking home that title would definitely look good on my resume if we can pull it off,” Heim noted. “I really want to win a race – or a couple of races – along the way, though. I believe we have the team to do it and I’m excited about some of the tracks that are coming up on the schedule.”

With 10 more races on tap this year, including both dirt miles at Springfield and DuQuoin and the second race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway once he turns 17, Heim is focused on enjoying what’s ahead of him.

“This has been a really exciting start to my time in ARCA and I can’t thank Chad enough for believing in me and giving me a chance,” Heim smiled. “I hope I can continue beyond this year, but I want to enjoy every moment I can while it’s here in front of me.”

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Last year, Joe Graf, Jr. came to Talladega Superspeedway as a raw, untested rookie.

His experience had been gained on the short tracks of the Midwest and the Northeast, and two ARCA Menards Series starts at Nashville and Salem. He had no experience in the draft at Talladega, or any experience on a track longer than a mile for that matter.

“When I arrived at Talladega and got on the track for the first time, it wasn’t anything like I had ever experienced in my life,” Graf said. “It was amazing. I was gleaming ear to ear even after getting out of the car. You have to remember – before that point I had been on mainly short tracks with very big track experience.

“Then I go to Talladega and I was like a kid on Christmas day. Definitely something that will stick with me for a long, long time.”

Graf left Talladega that day the runner-up finisher, but that notation in the record book belies the significance of his efforts.

Graf qualified seventeenth and worked his way towards the front through the 76-lap duel on Talladega’s famous 33-degree banking. By the time the field was in line for a one-lap overtime dash to the checkered, Graf was lined up alongside race leader Zane Smith. Graf received drafting help from Michael Self down the backstretch, but by the time they hit the tri-oval Graf and Smith and broken away and were engaged in a fender-banging duel for the win. When they flashed across the stripe, it was a photo finish, with the computer scoring monitors registering a margin of 0.000, a statistical dead heat.

A review of the video camera at the line showed Smith ahead by just a matter of inches, almost imperceptible to the naked eye at full speed. Graf would be forced to settle for second.

“It still hurts,” Graf said with a chuckle. “It was amazing for our Chad Bryant Racing team to be in that position and avoid all the late race carnage. On that last start, I had a good restart and my spotter (Brian Crammer) was keeping me well aware of what I needed to do. It was five minutes full of exhilaration, excitement and disappointment.

“I hate that we ended up second, but at the end of the day – it’s still cool to be a part of ARCA history.”

Graf returns to Talladega with a full season of ARCA Menards Series experience under his belt. He even evened the score with Smith, winning his own fender-banging duel to the finish at Berlin Raceway in August. After a frustrating run at Daytona, a sister track to Talladega, Graf is ready to return and pick up the final piece of the puzzle from last season.

“We feel very confident that we can come back to Talladega and contend for the win,” he said. “We have the same car we had at Daytona. Chad (Bryant, crew chief and team owner) have been working hard to get our Ford Fusion ready for the race.

“You’d like to think we can come back and duplicate or better our finish from last year – but let’s get real. It’s Talladega. You have to be prepared for anything. For us, we’d love to win. It would be a huge boost for us and help in our hunt to get back in this championship fight.”

Graf’s day at Daytona was ruined by overheating issues, a problem caused when a plastic bag from the grandstands landed on his grille. To raise awareness about the problem’s plastic pollution is causing, Graf and his sponsors will award one lucky fan with a reusable shopping bag filled with $1,000 in cash after Talladega.

“We’re proud of the sweepstakes,” Graf noted. “It’s taken a lot of work by my team and my marketing partner EAT SLEEP RACE. But when you think about it, they are giving away cash money to someone for a good cause. It’s humbling for me to be able to announce the winner and look forward to doing stuff like this in the future.”

SEATTLE — The NHRA’s unsinkable Pro Stock class has weathered all kinds of “fixing.”

And this month marks the first time it will be absent from an NHRA national event since it burst on the scene in 1970.

The NHRA cut the Pro Stock schedule from 24 races to 18 in another attempt to reduce costs and increase fan interest. The teams were just starting to adapt to the 2016 rule changes that ushered in the electronic-fuel-injection era. At steep costs, teams were forced to toss out their carburetors and distinguishing hood scoops. In an effort to achieve transparency with the fans, the sanctioning body ordered teams to back their cars into the pits and leave engines uncovered. Cars were equipped with shorter wheelie bars and an NHRA-controlled 10,500-rpm rev limiter.

Then in 2017, the NHRA ponied up $5,000 and several sets of Goodyear tires to entice the drivers at the U.S. Nationals to perform smoky burnouts to excite the crowds. Never mind that the NHRA leaned on no other class to emphasize the sport’s entertainment value.

And never mind that this wasn’t a stand-alone contest. This Battle of the Burnouts took place during qualifying for the race with the year’s biggest payout and the one that set the field for the Countdown to the Championship. So a lot was at stake for these racers, and doing long, smoky burnouts — something that was the traditional hallmark of the Funny Cars, not the Pro Stock cars — had the potential to ruin a run.

INDIANAPOLIS – Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has confirmed J.R. Hildebrand will return to the team to drive the No. 48 Chevrolet-powered Dallara in an attempt to qualify for the 103rd Indianapolis 500.

Hildebrand, an eight-time Indy 500 starter, was the 2011 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year and has recorded four top-10 finishes in the Indianapolis 500. Last year, Hildebrand drove the DRR Chevrolet from the 27th starting position to 11th.

The 31-year-old driver joins Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for a second consecutive year at the world’s biggest auto racing event and will drive the No. 48 car, a longtime racing number campaigned by legendary racer/car builder/team owner Dan Gurney. DRR will also field Sage Karam in the No. 24 WIX Filters Chevy the month of Many at IMS.

Hildebrand, a California native now residing in Boulder, Colo., was the 2009 Indy Lights champion and also captured racing titles in the USF2000 (2006) and SCCA Formula Russell (2004) series. He made his IndyCar Series debut with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2010 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He also drove the DRR IndyCar at Sonoma Raceway that year.

“Last year, we had a great relationship with Dennis Reinbold’s DRR team in our initial Indy 500 effort,” said Hildebrand. “I started my IndyCar career with Dennis back in 2010 when he brought me up to the big leagues in IndyCar Racing. We have always had a great rapport over the years. I have always been impressed with the speed in the race of the DRR team.

“I’m thrilled to have Salesforce back on our race car, and also honoring the great Dan Gurney with the No. 48 this year. Dan was one of my racing heroes, by saluting him in this year’s Indy 500 and campaigning his famed No. 48. Dan’s No. 48 won the 1975 Indy 500 with Bobby Unser driving. Now, we’ll celebrate Dan’s great racing achievements with the No. 48 car.”

Another longtime Indy 500 legacy comes with the Dreyer & Reinbold families at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, dating back to 1927 with DRR team owner Dennis Reinbold’s grandfather, Floyd Dreyer, serving as a mechanic in the 1927 Indy 500. Dreyer, a famed motorcycle racer before building and owning racing cars, built a variety of Indy 500 entries, sprint cars and midgets from the 1930s to 1950s.

“I’m very pleased to bring back J.R. to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway again this year,” said Reinbold. “Last year, we expanded to two cars with J.R. and Sage and the combination worked very well. J.R.’s experience at Indy brings our team a lot of background to develop the cars quickly in practice and prepare for qualifying. With J.R. and Sage, we have two very talented young drivers who can compete for the win on May 26. Plus, running the No. 48 in honor of Dan Gurney is exciting for me and our team. Dan was one of my heroes as a kid and it will be great to have the No. 48 back at IMS.”

The Gurney legacy, with many Eagle cars competing at the Indy 500, is well-known at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with race wins and record qualifying performances.

“We are very much looking forward to another exciting Indy 500 in 2019,” said Alex Gurney, Dan Gurney’s son.  “The number 48 is special to our family as my dad took that number to second place in both ’68 and ’69 as well as a win for AAR as a team and manufacturer in 1975. This is a great tribute to my dad. JR Hildebrand is a special person as well as a fantastic driver and he seems always to be in contention for the win at Indy. I hope he can put the 48 up front in the big race.”