Borthwick insists he can handle pressure after Erasmus raises the heat

  • Boks coach suggests Borthwick is under the pump
  • Steward returns as England make four changes

Steve Borthwick has insisted he is well equipped to block out the ­pressure of England’s current plight after Rassie Erasmus suggested he is under the pump and may feel like he “has a gun against his head”.

A number of ex-England ­stalwarts, including Clive Woodward and Will Carling, have taken aim at ­Borthwick after Saturday’s last-gasp defeat by Australia extended his side’s ­losing run to four. He retains the Rugby Football Union’s “100% ­support” but England could slip to eighth in the world rankings should they fail to arrest their ­losing streak against Erasmus’s ­Springboks on ­Saturday in the first meeting between the sides since last year’s ill-tempered World Cup semi-final.

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Cavaliers’ Undefeated Start Sparks Boom for Team Business

Few teams in NBA history have come off the blocks with such ferocity as this year’s Cleveland Cavaliers, who at 13-0 hold the longest undefeated start to a campaign since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors went 24-0. Those Dubs ended with the best regular season record in history at 73-9 but were infamously dispatched by …

Glenn Maxwell and Australia bowlers power home in rain-shortened T20 slog

Glenn Maxwell went wild with the bat, then Xavier Bartlett ripped apart Pakistan’s top order as Australia dominated a seven-over Gabba Twenty20 slog to win by 29 runs.

Lightning and heavy rain reduced Thursday’s series opener in Brisbane to a seven-overs-a-side contest, and it was one-way traffic as soon as Maxwell (43 off 19) strode to the crease. His brazen innings featured boundaries to all corners of the ground, before Marcus Stoinis chimed in with 21 off seven balls, including 10 off the final two balls of the innings as Australia finished on 93 for four. The visitors could only muster 64 for nine in their allotment as Australia took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

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