The full details of this most welcome news will now be reported by the officers of their respective

The full details of this most welcome news will now be reported by the officers of their respective unions and committees for approval and confirmation.". It was not just Michael Schumacher's helicopter that hovered over Formula One's controversy here yesterday. The meeting took place with the knowledge and concurrence of the FFR [French Federation]."The meeting resulted in an accord which has saved the Five Nations' Championship for the coming season and for the foreseeable future. It is a weight off our shoulders and a help that we are not fighting battles on so many fronts."Following the meeting in Bristol, a joint statement was issued by the four Home Unions which read: "Last evening senior officers of England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland met at the offices of the International Rugby Board in Bristol in a last attempt to resolve the issues between them as they relate to the Five Nations' Championship. It is a very good thing and has set the foundations for the future," Brittle said.Hallett added: "This is the result of team work on all sides It is a major achievement by the negotiators The competition is special and attractive.

This has not just been done for the unions, it's been done for everyone who is interested in rugby football throughout the Five Nations."It has emerged that in addition to Wednesday night's eight- hour meeting in Bristol between the four home unions - held with the knowledge and approval of France - that there had also been intense activity off stage over the last three weeks which involved Brittle in particular in a great deal of travelling from his holiday home in the south of France as the deal was brokered among the Big Five."After a lot of hard work throughout the summer we have come to a sensible agreement which satisfies all parties. We still have a lot of work to do there and we will be pursuing that. Hopefully the settlement of the Five Nations will contribute to the ultimate resolution and help that come to pass."Cliff Brittle, chairman of the executive committee and a member of the RFU president John Richardson's three-man team, which also included the treasurer Colin Herridge, said: "I think we are all relieved. The problem with Epruc, which we take very seriously, still has to be resolved. The agreement could also go a long way towards helping sort out the problems between the English Professional Rugby Union Clubs and the Rugby Football Union.Tony Hallett, the RFU secretary, said last night: "Resolving the Five Nations issue must help in the jigsaw of problems we face.

All it needs now is the approval today of the unions' respective committees, which should be a formality. After 10 weeks of uncertainty, recriminations, brinkmanship and anxiety, not to mention behind-the-scenes machinations, manoeuvres and meetings among the respective unions, the historic tournament that dates from 1909 is back on everyone's fixture list and social and sporting calendar -and for up to 10 years.While much credit must go to the presidents and their teams, it emerged last night that BSkyB, whose pounds 87.5m five-year deal with Twickenham triggered the crisis, may also have offered to make some concessions to their proposed deals with the other home unions which might permit selected matches to be broadcast live on terrestrial television within Wales, Scotland and Ireland simultaneously with the satellite company's coverage.However, it was not clear last night whether the other home unions would take up the original offers to them from Sky, worth pounds 40.5m to Wales and pounds 28m each to Scotland and Ireland.The feeling throughout the game last night was one of relief that a troubled summer was going to give way to a winter of content throughout the British Isles and France. That form and his times during training suggest he could become the first rider to shatter the 56km barrier.. England are back in the Five Nations' Championship. Two months after they were banished into the international wilderness, senior officials from all the home Unions have thrashed out an agreement which goes well beyond the five-year deal Twickenham struck with BSkyB. Details of the agreement will be announced on Monday, but the indications are that the unions of Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and England have agreed to keep the Championship intact for the next 10 years. Molyneux, attempting to win a record-equalling eighth All-England title, was stung on the finger during her match against Sue Lee from the North Walsham Private Club, Norfolk. The finger began to swell and Molyneux crashed to a 21-9 defeat, wrecking her hopes of taking the singles crown for the first time.

Irene Molyneux, the England international who on Wednesday won the Women's All-England Triples title for the fourth time, was brought down to earth by a bee in the preliminary rounds of the singles at Leamington Spa yesterday. The Olympic marathon champion, Josia Thugwane, who claims death threats have been made against him, has pulled out of the Bupa Great North Run on 15 September. The 25-year-old security guard fears for his life after becoming South Africa's first black gold medallist. Sources say Thugwane, from a township on the outskirts of Johannesburg, may have fallen foul of a local drugs baron, angry at his new-found fame. "Everyone is talking about the plan to kill me," the Johannesburg Star quoted him as saying. "I do not know who the crooks are, but if they say they will kill someone, they will do it." Thugwane, who was wounded in a hijacking three months before the Olympics, added: "They think I am rich. I fear more for my wife and family than myself."South African athletics officials have announced that instead of competing on Tyneside, Thugwane will attend a reception being hosted by Nelson Mandela on the same day..