Rassie Erasmus preps South Africa for challenge of ‘desperate’ England

  • Springboks head coach expects ‘very, very tough game’
  • England looking for first win of Autumn Nations Series

Rassie Erasmus expects England to bring a sense of frustration to their match against South Africa on Saturday and labelled them “desperate” for a win after two defeats from two in their autumn campaign.

Erasmus’s world champions returned to the world No 1 ranking with a patchy 32-15 victory over Scotland on Sunday as they kicked off their own run of Tests in the northern hemisphere. They now travel to Twickenham to take on Steve Borthwick’s side, who are reeling after suffering two late losses to New Zealand and Australia, 24-22 and 42-37, respectively, having expected to win both on home soil.

Continue reading...

How old is Stipe Miocic?

How long has it been since Stipe Miocic last competed in the octagon? It's been so long that the former UFC heavyweight champion's resume doesn't include a fight – yet alone a win – against a currently active UFC fighter. And yet, despite being out of action…

‘Frustrated’ Gatland wants better performance against Wallabies

A frustrated Warren Gatland admitted “some things we need to be better at” after his side slipped to a 10 successive defeat in the 24-19 loss to Fiji in the 2024 Autumn Nations Series opener. Wales led 14-3 in the first half but fell behind after conceding 12 penalties and missing 32 tackles in the […]

The post ‘Frustrated’ Gatland wants better performance against Wallabies appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

Calhanoglu’s penalty miss shows nothing is certain in Serie A title race | Nicky Bandini

Inter midfielder never fails from 12 yards. This weekend he did – and now the top of the table is tighter than ever

Would it be too dramatic to portray a November missed penalty as a sign to let go of everything we thought we knew about the Serie A title race? Well, yes, OK, probably it would. But seeing Hakan Calhanoglu’s spot-kick carom back off a post in the second-half of Inter’s 1-1 draw with Napoli was at the least a shock to the system.

He had converted all his previous 19 attempts since joining the Nerazzurri from Milan in 2021. “It had to happen sooner or later,” said the player. Were the rest of us ready, though, to live in a world shorn of such certainties? As commentator Patrick Kendrick put it: “With Calhanoglu missing, we’re just left with the misery of death and taxes”.

Continue reading...