Plus, the Spotted Lanternfly spreads across East Coast vineyards and remembering a Burgundy icon On Aug. 14, a violent storm and small tornado hit the French town of Bédarrides, with 120mph wind gusts and hailstones inflicting damage in vineyards along the eastern side of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Read more about the damage to the region, plus the spread of the Spotted Lanternfly and senior editor Bruce Sanderson's tribute to the late Burgundy icon Louis-Fabrice Latour. Full access to our database of more than 425,000 wine ratings Early access to reviews on our editors' favorite just-rated wines Plus, Martin Short joins Kathryn Hall for a Palm Springs wine tasting The 29th Premiere Napa Valley Auction showed enthusiasm for the 2023 vintage Plus, a new home for Sullivan Rutherford Estate and more news from California Plus, remembering Martine Saunier and Peter M.F. Sichel The longtime Grand Award winner closes its doors after 34 years Sniffer dogs might be the answer to solving vineyard pest problems This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Bedford Blues are pleased to bolster their options in the back row with the news that Fred Tuilagi has signed on the dotted line for the upcoming 2024/25 Championship campaign Tuilagi returns to English rugby looking to make an impact back in the second tier he can also feature on either flank if needed The 27-year-old will add a huge amount of ball carrying power to what is an already highly competitive back row division and his arrival comes at the perfect time to integrate within the squad ahead of the club’s pre-season fixture schedule starting later this week Commenting having arrived ready for training last week Tuilagi commented: “Really excited to get stuck into things Grateful to the people who have made this happen and hopefully I can do everyone proud wearing a Bedford jersey “There are a few factors why this is the perfect fit at this stage of my career I’ve only ever heard good things about the club – got a lot of history and I want to put my mark on that It’s the best place for me to be heading into the new season “My main goal will be to perform and deliver doing everything I can to help the club achieve its aims and ambitions Let’s make it a season to remember!” Tuilagi began his senior career at Leicester Tigers having come through the age grades at Hinckley He made his senior debut for the Premiership and European heavyweights in 2016 making eight appearances in total either side of a loan spell at Coventry before heading to Italy three years later for a stint with Colorno A return to England saw him link up with brother at London Scottish before he re-established himself at Chinnor in the 2021-22 National One campaign he has spent time over the channel with AS Bedarrides His standout performances earnt him a call-up to the Samoa squad for the recent July internationals Mike Rayer added: “We wanted to add a bit of firepower to the back row and Fred looks like he fits that bill in terms of that ball carrying ability “He’s been out of the English scene for a few years but wants to establish himself back in the game and see how he can kick his career on “He sees Bedford as the perfect shop window for that has been training out in Samoa for the last four months so he’s been exposed to a real good training regime and preparation “He’s itching to get his boots on and start playing again.” Huge thanks to Grafton Motorcycles for making this signing possible as they become his player sponsors for the coming season The first chance you will have to see Tuilagi wearing a Blues jersey will be when Blackheath head to town under the lights this Friday for our pre-season opener. Tickets already on sale for the first Goldington Road outing of the new season, click here to purchase tickets at discounted prices. If you can’t wait until then, younger supporters will have a first chance to meet our back row forward as he will feature heavily on the upcoming Rugby Camps at Goldington Road (Monday 19th – Thursday 22nd August). All the details and booking information can be found here. Tickets Shop Rugby Camps Website by Bluegreen Design Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.