Nic White has gone from starting No.9 to out of the Wallabies squad completely for the second Bledisloe Cup clash in Wellington as Dylan Pietsch earnt his maiden start in a gold jersey, replacing injured winger Marika Koroibete.
Seven Premiership clubs are balance sheet insolvent, finance report warns
- James Haskell fears rugby ‘heading for precipice’
- Ten clubs collectively lost around £30.5m in 2022-23
Seven of the 10 English Premiership clubs are balance sheet insolvent, according to an independent financial industry report which has prompted a stark warning that unless the sport embraces change it is “heading for a precipice”.
A comprehensive study analysing the financial sustainability of all the Premiership sides, unveiled by the leading UK corporate recovery and insolvency firm Leonard Curtis, concluded that only three clubs – Leicester, Northampton and Gloucester – would be viable without the backing of wealthy owners and said they must face “some harsh realities”.
Continue reading...Super League playoffs: can anyone topple serial champions Wigan?
Warriors have hit form at an ominous time but Hull KR, Warrington and Salford have grounds for optimism
The Super League playoffs begin on Friday but there is a very different feel this time around. Four of the six sides vying to reach Old Trafford on 12 October have yet to win a Grand Final – though to do so they will have to get past the reigning champions and undoubted favourites, Wigan Warriors.
Wigan Warriors (1st)
Continue reading...Dan Biggar: ‘I quite enjoyed taking flak and proving people wrong the next week’
The former Wales fly-half on breaking the mould to survive in the No 10 jersey, disappointment over concessions from players’ strike threats and life by the beach in Toulon
“I’m certainly not your stereotypical Welsh fly‑half and I don’t apologise for being different,” Dan Biggar says with a wry smile at a little restaurant on the beach front in Toulon. “I quite like the fact that I was different and did it my way.”
Storm clouds are rolling in from the sea and the atmospheric setting adds to a compelling conversation with Biggar, who, in contrast to his feisty image on the rugby pitch, is a friendly and thoughtful man. The darkening sky reminds us of Wales, which, for Biggar, “has always been a land of poets and dreamers”.
Continue reading...NRL legend’s son with Roosters, Blues links signs with rival code
NRL legend Brad Fittler’s son Zach has signed up with the Waratahs and committed to playing the 15-a-side code.
‘The table needs to be burned’: Mark Allen hits out at British Open conditions
- Allen: Cheltenham conditions ‘absolutely embarrassing’
- Judd Trump records the 999th century of his career
Mark Allen has hit out at “embarrassing” playing conditions at the British Open in Cheltenham, adding the table he won his first-round match on “needs to be burned”.
Allen, who was world No 1 from May to August of this year, defeated Gary Wilson 4-3 on table two at the Centaur, a venue at Cheltenham racecourse. Afterwards, he alleged that doors were left open at the venue, making the playing area “cold and humid” and the table “unplayable”.
Continue reading...County cricket talking points: Surrey champions again as Somerset hearts are broken
Rory Burns’ team makes it three in a row and Sussex will play in division one next season
By Gary Naylor for the 99.94 Cricket Blog
So we’re halfway to the quiz question we’ve all been waiting for – what connects Kennington and Kansas City? All we need now is for Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce to emulate Rory Burns and Ben Foakes and deliver their Super Bowl three-peat to match Surrey’s in the County Championship. With Taylor Swift apparently indisposed on Friday, there’s still a chance for somebody to witness both hat-tricks in person.
Continue reading...Lancashire chief fears players’ agents threaten County Championship’s future
- Daniel Gidney says agents ‘don’t care’ about county game
- Long-serving executive wants higher salaries for players
Lancashire’s chief executive has said agents are the main threat to the future of the County Championship. Daniel Gidney, one of county cricket’s longest-serving chief executives, criticised agents for not caring about the championship and instead turning players’ heads to the ever-burgeoning number of franchise tournaments.
“We need to have more of an open conversation,” Gidney said as he watched Lancashire turn the tables on Somerset at Old Trafford to improve their survival chances and give Surrey the title. “Coaches get blamed, administrators get blamed, but if you want to blame anybody, blame agents … I think the game as a whole needs to come together to find a way to support the championship.
Continue reading...Argentina stun South Africa to keep Rugby Championship hopes alive
- Argentina shock South Africa in 29-28 win
- Pumas aiming for unlikely first Rugby Championship title
Flyhalf Tomas Albornoz kicked a penalty 11 minutes from the end to hand Argentina a thrilling 29-28 victory over South Africa and keep their hopes of winning the Rugby Championship alive in a blisteringly hot Santiago del Estero on Saturday.
The world champion Springboks, who had the chance to win the game with a late penalty from flyhalf Manie Libbok that was missed, lead the table with 19 points from second-placed Argentina on 14 points ahead of a final meeting between the sides in Nelspruit next Saturday where the title will be decided.
Continue reading...Springboks stunned in big upset as giant-killing Pumas keep unthinkable dream alive
Argentina have ended South Africa’s unbeaten run with a thrilling 29-28 win in their Rugby Championship match at Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades.
Wigan close in on history as Super League reaches thrilling climax
Warriors are two wins away from becoming first side to win a major quadruple but unpredictable season could continue
After 27 engrossing rounds, it all came down to Frantic Friday: the night Super League’s playoff picture would be thrillingly resolved. That was how it played out too, with the lineup set after Leigh’s dramatic victory over St Helens.
But to water it all down into one night would be doing a disservice to a season full of twists and turns. For months, the suspicion was many of the big narratives would go to the wire. Now, the top six are fixed and the business end of the season begins with plenty to ponder.
Continue reading...Wallabies’ fresh Bledisloe pain as All Blacks deny epic comeback; Slipper’s all-time record: Wrap
The All Blacks have retained the Bledisloe Cup with a 31-28 win over the Wallabies, with Australia falling just short of a stunning comeback victory at Accor Stadium.
Surrey seal title as Somerset fold against Lancashire: county cricket day four – as it happened
Surrey sealed their third title in a row as Somerset’s forlorn chase against Lancashire lasted barely 30 minutes
Just popping down to speak to Somerset, as Lancashire bellow loudly in their dressing room. Elsewhere, Glamorgan are nine down, and Worcestershire seven, as the penultimate round zips towards a conclusion.
What a match! A century and 4-36 in Somerset’s crucial second innings.
Continue reading...Surrey celebrate third straight County Championship title after Somerset loss
- Title confirmed by Somerset’s Friday loss to Lancashire
- First side since Yorkshire in 1966-8 to win three in a row
Surrey had to wait just 43 balls on Friday morning before they were crowned the 2024 County Champions, as Somerset, their only possible challengers, slipped away like a soggy sandcastle at Old Trafford.
The Surrey squad, watching in the dressing room at the Oval, hugged and punched the air. Maybe it lacked the piquancy of winning the title on the pitch, but who was going to turn their nose up at a third Championship in a row, the first time any club have done that since Yorkshire under Brian Close in 1966, 67 and 68? Rory Burns, who has played in every one of Surrey’s 13 championship games, alongside Dom Sibley and Jordan Clark, and who passed 1,000 runs for the season against Durham this week, wins his fourth pennant as captain.
Continue reading...Jordan Chiles appeals to Swiss supreme court over stripping of Olympic bronze
- Romanian athlete was awarded bronze over Chiles
- IOC ordered American to return Olympic medal
Jordan Chiles is asking Switzerland’s supreme court to overturn a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that stripped the gymnast of a bronze medal in the floor exercise at the 2024 Olympics.
Chiles, with the support of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and USA Gymnastics, filed the appeal on Monday.
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