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...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 Brad Fittler’s son Zach has signed up with the Waratahs and committed to playing the 15-a-side code.
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...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’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...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...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.
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...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 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 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...Christian and Alexis react to the first Champions League matchday. Then Christian and Alexis chat MLS midweek action. Later, Christian and Alexis talk soccer news in another edition of “rápido reactions”.
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.
Continue reading...Christian and Alexis react to Arsenal’s big win in the North London Derby. Then Christian and Alexis welcome on Wiso Vasquez and Amelia Lopez to chat MLS. Later, Christian and Alexis talk Trinity Rodman’s case to be the new face of the NWSL.