Liam Wright will return to the Wallabies for the first time in five years as captain of the national team with up to seven players set to earn their debuts as new coach Joe Schmidt put a full stop on the disastrous Eddie Jones era.
A racing certainty? What a Labour government would mean for the sport
British Horseracing Authority says it has been preparing for a change of government for many months
Few could have guessed when the field came under starter’s orders for the general election in May that betting and the Gambling Commission would turn out to be such fixtures on the daily news grid. Or, for that matter, that Keir Starmer would suggest, in response to a question on his political punting habits, that he “only bets on the horses”.
Assuming the price of around 1-33 is correct and that a Labour administration with a significant majority takes the reins this week, that may well prove to be the first and last significant mention of the turf – or gambling, for that matter – by a member of the new government for some while.
Continue reading...Former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper announces retirement from international rugby
Michael Hooper, who holds the record for the most caps as Australia captain, put an end to his international rugby career on Sunday after missing out on selection for the Paris Olympics.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt doesn’t know his line-up or captain nine days out from clash with Wales
New Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt concedes he’s never been so “underprepared” as he remains without a clear idea of his first team let alone a potential captain just nine days out from the opening Test against Wales and even after a four-day camp in Brisbane with his maiden squad.
MLS ref goes viral for bait-and-switch VAR announcement, calling back St. Louis City SC goal
As part of a new MLS rule, referee Filip Dujic announced the VAR result over the loudspeaker, much to the initial excitement and then immediate disappointment of St. Louis fans.
Blues break 21-year title drought after thrashing Chiefs in Super Rugby Pacific final
Caleb Clarke scored a hat-trick as the Auckland Blues crushed the Waikato Chiefs 41-10 on Saturday to win their first full Super Rugby title since 2003.
Eddie’s warning to England falls flat as Japan thrashed in first game back in charge
Eddie Jones said Japan were “going in the right direction” despite being thrashed 52-17 by England in Tokyo on Saturday in the first game of his second stint in charge.
Blues beat Chiefs to break 21-year Super Rugby title drought
- The Blues sweep aside the Chiefs in a 41-10 drubbing at Eden Park
- It was the first final between the NZ sides in their 28-year history
The Blues have broken a 21-year Super Rugby title drought, sweeping aside the Chiefs in a 41-10 drubbing at a sold-out Eden Park.
In the first ever final between the two New Zealand sides in their 28-year history, the Blues were dominant.
Continue reading...‘Very tight selection calls’: Kurtley Beale named in Wallabies squad as NRL duo miss out
Veteran playmaker Kurtley Beale has earnt a shock recall for the Wallabies after he was one of 38 players named in Joe Schmidt’s first squad as Australian coach that includes 13 uncapped players.
The Breakdown | Ireland and South Africa should be mates but have rugby’s hottest rivalry
Next month’s Test double-header on South African soil will write a new chapter in an increasingly rancorous struggle
No sooner had Ireland claimed a 13-8 win over South Africa in the Rugby World Cup last year – an epic tussle in a tournament littered with all-time encounters – a thumping rendition of the Cranberries’ Zombie rang out around Stade de France. The song’s connections with the Troubles, the IRA and Ireland’s struggle for peace was lost on most South African fans that sweaty Saturday night in Paris. Their primary reaction to Ireland’s adopted anthem was rage.
“What’s in your heeeeaad, in your heeeeeeeaaaaad!” It was hard for them not to feel this was meant as a jibe; that the Irish, who have never seen their players lift the sport’s most glittering trophy, who had never even seen them reach the semi-finals of a World Cup, were rubbing South African noses in their success. That their No 1-ranked team had wormed their way into the subconscious of every South African by relegating the Boks to a stepping stone on their march to glory. The face of Rassie Erasmus, South African rugby’s god-king, said it all. He was seething. What was a friendly rivalry had now become personal.
This is an extract taken from our weekly rugby union email, the Breakdown. To sign up, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
Continue reading...Connor Garden-Bachop, New Zealand rugby union player, dies aged 25
- Highlanders outside back died on Monday following a ‘medical event’
- Garden-Bachop represented the Māori All Blacks in two Tests in 2022
Otago Highlanders outside back Connor Garden-Bachop died on Monday at the age of 25 following a medical event, New Zealand Rugby has said.
Garden-Bachop, who made his Highlanders debut in 2021, was on the team’s roster this season but parted ways with the Super Rugby Pacific club after their latest campaign finished in the quarter-finals.
Continue reading...Super Rugby player Connor Garden-Bachop dies aged 25
New Zealand rugby player Connor Garden-Bachop has died aged 25.
Pakistan beat Ireland by three wickets: T20 Cricket World Cup – as it happened
Group A concludes with another nail-biter as Shaheen Shah Afridi helps Pakistan to a three-wicket win in Florida
How will the pitch behave after so much rain? We will find out shortly. Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie prepare to face Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Ireland belt out theirs, arms round each others shoulders. Pakistan’s military-style ditty is a palm on hearts affair. Babar, face plastered in suncream, looks pensive.
Continue reading...Sporting KC’s Felipe Hernández placed on leave over reported violation of MLS gambling policy
Hernández was previously suspended in 2021 for betting on MLS games.
USA qualify for Super Eights after washout against Ireland: T20 Cricket World Cup – as it happened
The co-hosts USA reached the second group stage and eliminated Pakistan on an historic if damp day in Florida
Meanwhile, in Group B…
The outfield is still very wet, so there will be another inspection at 11.30am local/4.30pm BST. If I had to bet the farm I’d say the match will be washed out because of further rain, but I’m thousands of miles away so I’m not sure what the point of this sentence is.
Continue reading...