George Ford admits England must conduct an uncomfortable inquest into Saturday’s Fiji debacle if they are to halt their freefall in time to make an impression on the World Cup.
Twickenham was stormed 30-22 by the Islanders as England fell to a current tier two nation for the first time in their 152-year history, registering a fifth defeat in six matches.
Fiji’s magnificent victory has heightened the sense of crisis at the Rugby Football Union with the pivotal World Cup opener against Argentina on September just two weeks away.
Even the Pool D fixtures against Japan and Samoa are fraught with danger given the depth of England’s current malaise and Ford insists that only by confronting hard truths will disaster be averted in Marseille.
“We don’t want the benefit of the doubt, we know we haven’t played well enough and know the results haven’t been good enough,” Ford said.
“When you lose for England you understand what’s going to come with it. We’re not shying away from that.
“We’re going to stick together and sort ourselves out in terms of making our preparation as good as it can be for Argentina. I’m comfortable we’ll be in a good place.
“What separates good teams from the great is that when things aren’t going well and you need to front a few things up and be honest, you do that.
“Look it square in the face because you can’t ignore those things – if you do then they will come back to haunt you later on.”
Head coach Steve Borthwick repeatedly highlighted the error count and missed tackles when explaining the nation’s first ever loss to Fiji, whose customary magic in attack was matched by tactical cohesion and smart decision-making.
England started like a freight train with Manu Tuilagi and Ollie Lawrence running on to Ford’s fizzing passes, Jonny May crossing in the left corner and the breakdown being bossed by a high-energy pack.
But as a downpour of heavy rain came and went, Fiji took control to expose a defence that has now conceded 30 tries in nine matches under Borthwick.
In recent weeks England have repeatedly stressed the quality of their training, suggesting the performances on a Saturday were an anomaly, but Ford insists practise has also been sub-par.
“Any time you play for England – especially at Twickenham – you you’ve got to pull out on the right side of the scoreboard and unfortunately we had a lot of errors against Fiji,” Ford said.
“We’re making too many errors. Now what the reason for that is I can’t be sure. Maybe it is a little bit of over eagerness or a little bit of inaccuracy, or maybe it is a little bit of understanding.
“It’s probably a little bit of all of it, to be honest. But one thing for sure is we can’t keep doing it.
“When it comes to our plan for Argentina and our understanding of what we need to do to win that game, we’ll be crystal clear on it. I’m more than confident we’ll be able to get it right for that game.
“We understand that we need to make fewer mistakes. There’s an urgency that we need to fix it and get better.
“The way you do that is to be more consistent in training. We’re clearly not consistent in training, there are probably too many errors in training. We’re playing the way we train at the minute, which is not good enough obviously.”
Jamie Ritchie declared Scotland were “ready to go” ahead of the World Cup after a largely encouraging summer campaign ended with a 33-6 win over Georgia.
Gregor Townsend’s team head to France next weekend for the global showpiece on the back of three home wins – all after trailing at half-time – and a narrow defeat away to the host nation from their four warm-up matches.
Captain Ritchie is now relishing the prospect of leading the Scots into the tournament, with their first game against South Africa in Marseille on 10 September.
“I’m really chuffed but probably the predominant emotion now is excitement – we’re just ready to go,” he said.
“I feel we’ve built well. We’ve not had a perfect performance yet but for me that’s a positive thing because we know there’s one coming.
“I’m glad we had a little bit of a tough test in that first half against Georgia. We had to manage ourselves through that and then we stepped up in the second.”
Despite their first-half struggles throughout the summer, Scotland scored 15 tries in their four summer Tests against Italy, France (home and away) and Georgia, with 13 of them coming in the second half.
“Positive,” said Ritchie, when asked to sum up the warm-up campaign.
“I think we’ve shown that we can play really well, we’ve shown that we can come back from adversity, which I think is a really positive thing, and we’ve played some really good rugby.
“We’ve shown how we’ve grown over this period in terms of how we’ve wanted to build when we’ve had this extended period of time together and we’re really clear on how we want to play.
“It’s not been perfect but we’ve had more positive results and positive performances than not and we’re really excited for this first game.”
For all that Scotland go into the tournament in good fettle, their first opponents South Africa have sent out an ominous warning with back-to-back destructions of Wales and New Zealand over the past two weekends.
Ritchie insists his team – who watched the Boks’ 35-7 annihilation of the All Blacks on Friday together in their hotel – will learn from having seen how the world champions are going about their business in the lead-up to the tournament.
“The main thing for us is it’s been great learning for us to see what they might bring to a game,” he said.
“It’s pretty clear how they want to play and for us, we’re looking to exploit that and match them in certain areas so these games have been great for us to learn from them.
“They’ll be riding high off the back of them but we do well with an underdog tag and I’m really excited for it.”
Stand-in captain Iain Henderson insists looming World Cup selection was not a factor in Ireland’s underwhelming performance in scraping past Samoa.
Ireland were far from convincing in rain-soaked Bayonne but ultimately emerged with a 13th consecutive win on the eve of Andy Farrell naming his 33-man squad for France.
Second-half tries from Conor Murray and Rob Herring earned an unconvincing 17-13 success after Samoa battled back to lead following Jimmy O’Brien’s early score.
Six Ireland players are set for disappointment on Sunday afternoon when Farrell announces his final squad.
Yet Henderson, who skippered a mix-and-match line-up at Stade Jean Dauger, does not feel that situation contributed to a disjointed display which almost ended in an upset.
“No and if it did it’s probably one of the adversities that Faz (Farrell) would like us to be tested by,” said the lock.
“That’s not the most difficult thing we’re going to face over the next number of weeks.
“It’s an incredibly strong group of guys and the guys who’ve been waiting to find out their fate have probably carried themselves as well as you could have expected them to throughout training.
“The guys who are nervous about selection, who might be carrying that anxiety have trained well, everyone’s been on time, been as diligent as possible throughout the reviews, staying on top of stuff.
“It’s been a well-prepped Test week for us, so hats off to those guys who’ve been prepping so well.
“I think it’s not that side of things that affected us, it was a handful of other things like conditions, probably great pressure brought by Samoa.”
Head coach Farrell is awaiting injury news on prop Cian Healy.
Veteran loosehead Healy hobbled off in the first half with help from medical staff due to a calf issue, throwing his participation in a fourth World Cup of his career into doubt.
Henderson, who has endured plenty of his own fitness issues in recent times, empathised with his Ireland team-mate.
“I’ve felt it a handful of times this campaign,” he said.
“It’s worse when it’s a team-mate but even watching other guys from other nations who are looking to play at a World Cup, whether it’s their first, second or third, pick up an injury it’s not nice.
“It’s a crescendo of hard work over four years and to see that pulled away from someone in the dying minutes of that four-year cycle is not nice.
“Again, it’s the game we’ve all signed up to and, again, that’s the reason what we do is so special, it means so much to us because it’s so fragile sometimes.”
Skipper James Tavernier believes Rangers’ 2-0 win over Ross County in Dingwall on Saturday sets them up for their crunch Champions League play-off tie against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night.
Striker Kemar Roofe, hampered by injury problems during his time at Ibrox, was handed his first start in 16 months and scored the opener after 22 minutes with his first goal since February.
Tavernier added a stunning second four minutes later with a strike from distance for his third goal in the first six games of the season and attacker Tom Lawrence, out for a year with a knee injury, made his return off the bench in the second half to offer boss Michael Beale another boost.
Ahead of their trip to the Netherlands, where the Light Blues take a 2-2 draw from the first leg at Ibrox, right-back Tavernier was pleased with his goal and the day overall.
He told RangersTV: “It was a quick interception, I was driving and I saw Kemar make a run to take the player away and my eyes lit up when I saw the goal. I am really happy it went in.
“Kem is a really good player for us – as is Tom Lawrence – and to have those two back in the squad fully fit is only going to make us stronger so I am delighted to see them back on the pitch and Kem starting and getting his goal.
“We need all the players to chip in this season. It was really important to go there and get the three points.
“I was delighted we got the clean sheet and I thought we were really dominant in possession in the first-half performance, and in the second half, we probably let them back into the game more than what we should have, but we kept a clean sheet and towards the end, Abdallah (Sima) made an unbelievable header to keep it that way.
“So I am really pleased and it puts us in good stead for the PSV game.
“It is a big week ahead – we will look forward to the game at PSV – we know it is going to be a tough game but we are coming off the back of a win and a clean sheet so hopefully we can do the same over there.”
Ross County boss Malky Mackay thought the difference in finishing was key to the three points going to Govan but he was happy to see midfielder Yan Dhanda back in action following the hip injury which led him to miss last week’s Viaplay Cup win over Airdrieonians.
He said: “I thought he was excellent. No matter any time he was near the ball he showed real quality.
“He is a top player who drives us forward and he has real nerve to make sure he wants the ball over the park. He is someone who is going to help us massively this season.”
James Maddison is more than happy to shoulder responsibility at Tottenham but has insisted it will take a “collective” effort to replace Harry Kane.
Maddison continues to impress in the Spurs number 10 shirt previously worn by Kane, who completed a £100million move to Bayern Munich on the eve of the new season.
Kane’s departure has not derailed the early progress of Ange Postecoglou’s team with Maddison relishing his role as creator in chief with two assists at Brentford earlier this month followed up with a maiden Tottenham goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth.
While Richarlison and captain Son Heung-min are yet to open their accounts for the season, Dejan Kulusevski ended his drought with the second at the Vitality Stadium to extend the feelgood factor currently around the club.
“It’s tough if you’re asking me to try and get 30 goals,” Maddison joked.
“It’s a collective. You can’t even look to replace what Harry Kane gives you. You’ve got to all chip in and look to try and score the same amount of goals from different areas.
“Harry is probably the best number nine in the world. You will never find a direct replacement in terms of goals and what he can give you. We should all be chipping in.”
Spurs have had five different goalscorers and benefited from an own goal during their three Premier League fixtures and there appears a new lease of life for several members of a squad rundown by the end of a tough 2022-23 campaign.
Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr, having rarely featured under Postecoglou’s predecessor Antonio Conte, have quickly formed an encouraging midfield partnership with Maddison, and Pedro Porro has made the most of his early opportunities at right-back.
When Maddison joined from Leicester in June for an initial £40million fee, he was not viewed as a replacement for Kane but continues to provide creativity and a goal threat.
The 26-year-old insists the philosophy of ex-Celtic boss Postecoglou has been key to Tottenham’s flying start despite losing the England captain.
Maddison told BBC’s Match of the Day: “The type of person I am, I’m at my best when I have responsibility on my shoulders and that’s when I thrive.
“I am a player who loves to be on the ball and that fits with how the manager wants his players to play. This was a good day for all that.
“We’ve got the bit between our teeth. We have some momentum so long may that continue and hopefully we can still implement the final steps the gaffer wants to see, which is attacking football.”
Postecoglou has enjoyed an unbeaten start to life at Tottenham but it is a different story for Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola.
Iraola watched his team open the season with a 1-1 home draw against West Ham before defeats have followed against Liverpool and Tottenham.
The fixture list does not get any kinder with Brentford, Chelsea, Brighton and Arsenal to come in September but Iraola blamed himself for a drop-off during the latter stages of this Spurs loss, with Ryan Christie’s withdrawal on the hour mark viewed in hindsight as a mistake.
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“We knew from the beginning that we had a very tough schedule to start and now we have some important players out with injuries but we have to keep competing,” Iraola insisted.
“I think probably after the game you think and I shouldn’t have taken Ryan out of from the game because especially without the ball, he was pressing really well.
“I wanted to go a little bit more offensive, but we were worse from that point. I don’t know if it was after the subs or 2-0 because it was one minute later.
“Probably until the 62nd minute we were playing well and – against a very good team – having our chances.
“So, I was quite happy with the performance, but from there we couldn’t keep the intensity and they were controlling the game much easier.”
Norwegian Viktor Hovland is closing in on his first FedEx Cup title as he surged to a six-stroke lead in Atlanta on Saturday.
Hovland started the Tour Championship tournament on eight under par on the handicap system as the number two seed due to his good form over the year, and pushed away from American Xander Schauffele who sits in second place.
He said the tournament has felt like more of a sprint then a marathon but “it’s hard to win the FedEx Cup if you haven’t played well the last few weeks”.
“It’s just a great list of names that’s won the tournament… and it would be awesome to have my name on there.
“Like, putting it all together, I don’t think I’ve ever played this well before, with this stretch, just putting all the short game and stuff together.”
The 25-year-old hit a four under par 66 to finish the day on 20 under, landing five birdies and one bogey to get closer to the 18 million dollar prize that comes with the trophy.
Rory McIlroy won the title last year and holds the most FedEx Cup wins with three, but sits tied for eighth on nine under par.
Hull ended a 74-year wait for a Wembley victory as they came from behind to beat favourites Warrington 12-10 in a classic Challenge Cup final on this day in 2016.
It was Hull’s fourth Challenge Cup triumph, but their first at the national stadium as the Wolves suffered their first defeat in four trips to Wembley under coach Tony Smith.
The agony looked set to continue for the Black and Whites when they trailed 10-0 after an hour, but tries in the last 13 minutes from centre Mahe Fonua and full-back Jamie Shaul brought them level and half-back Marc Sneyd kicked the winning goal to settle a 114th cup final that lived up to all the pre-match hype.
Sneyd was named the Lance Todd Trophy winner as man-of-the match, two years after being substituted in Castleford’s defeat by Leeds, and his joy was in sharp contrast to Warrington’s goalkicker Kurt Gidley, whose simple penalty miss early in the second-half proved costly.
Gidley, who had done much to earn his side their 10-point cushion, kicked just one goal from three attempts and missed the last 22 minutes of the match with a head injury as the Wolves lost their way towards the end.
In a contest of epic twists and turns, Hull were indebted to hooker Danny Houghton’s last-ditch tackle – his 52nd of the match – that denied Warrington second rower Ben Currie what looked like the match-winning try two minutes from the end.
Hull coach Lee Radford said: “This is history-making. So many teams prior to us, so many unbelievable players, have not achieved what we did today. I feel privileged and proud putting this group of players together.
“You can’t manufacture chemistry and friendship. We have been mocked, but that togetherness won us the cup final.
“Throughout this competition we have been clinical and dominant, and nobody can begrudge us taking that cup back to Hull. My greatest achievement is putting that together.
“A mention to Danny Houghton, who came up with that tackle. That is the most important tackle in any game I have been involved in.”
Teoscar Hernandez hit two of the Seattle Mariners’ franchise record-tying seven home runs in a 15-2 drubbing of the Kansas City Royals.
Hernandez hit a grand slam as part of a seven-run third inning and belted a 446-foot shot off infielder Matt Duffy in the eighth.
Josh Rojas, Mike Ford, Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh and Cade Marlowe also homered as the Mariners improved to 10-1 in their last 11 games and remained tied with Texas atop the AL West.
Seattle hit seven home runs in a game for the fifth time, also done in 2002, 1999, 1996 and 1985.
Logan Gilbert didn’t need all the offense as he limited the Royals to one run and two hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out seven to win his sixth straight decision.
The Mariners broke open the game with three home runs and seven run off 15-game loser Jordan Lyles in the third inning.
Rojas led off with a home run, Hernandez connected for his third career grand slam and Ford’s two-run blast made it 7-0.
Rodgriguez’s fifth-inning solo homer made him just the second player in history with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in his first two seasons.
The other is Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., who totaled 67 homers and 53 steals over his first two seasons in 2018 and 2019.
Reds get help from balk to cool Diamondbacks
TJ Friedl scored the go-ahead run in the 11th inning on a balk and the Cincinnati Reds pulled out a wild 8-7 win to end the Arizona Diamondbacks’ six-game winning streak.
Arizona trailed 7-4 in the 10th but rallied for three runs, helped by an error from Reds second baseman Matt McLain. Christian Walker’s sacrifice fly tied it at 7.
Cincinnati closer Alexis Diaz suffered just his second blown save of the season, though all three runs were unearned.
Arizona’s Paul Sewald failed to protect a 4-2 lead in the ninth, as Tyler Stephenson doubled home a run before Friedl singled and McLain knocked in the tying run with a soft groundout.
Brewers edge Padres for seventh straight win
William Contreras delivered a two-run double in a five-run fifth inning as the Milwaukee Brewers held off the San Diego Padres, 5-4 for their seventh consecutive victory.
Mark Canha, Brice Turang and Andruw Monasterio opened the fifth with three straight singles.
With one run already home, the Brewers pulled off a double steal and an errant throw by catcher Luis Campusano produced another run. After Christian Yelich walked, Contreras doubled down the left-field line to make it 4-1.
Freddy Peralta struck out nine in 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs to improve to 5-0 in five starts this month.
Daniel Dubois’ camp said they are lobbying for a no contest following a controversial low blow call in the British boxer’s loss to world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in Wroclaw.
A ninth-round knockout ensured Usyk kept hold of his WBA, IBF and WBO belts with a 14th knockout win in 21 fights, much to the delight of the large contingent of his fellow Ukrainians who have resided in Poland since Russian’s invasion of their country last year.
However, promoter Frank Warren told reporters at the post-fight press conference that the contest was spoiled by the referee’s decision to allow Usyk to recover after he was buckled by a low blow from Dubois in the fifth.
The shot was deemed accidental, but Warren said his camp would be taking action seeking either a no contest or rematch.
He said: “The situation is that we will be lobbying the WBA to declare this as a no contest.
“The knockdown which the referee said was below the belt… the punch actually landed on the waistband of his shorts.
“The criteria, as is explained at the rules meeting, waist is the mid-point of your hips. So it’s much lower.
“That was a legitimate blow and (the fight) should’ve been stopped. He got three minutes and 46 seconds recovery time, which was wrong. He got it wrong the referee and I still don’t understand, if it was a low blow, why he didn’t take any points off him.”
Warren added: “I don’t think (the referee’s) crooked, I think he just got it totally wrong.
“As a result, it should be declared a no contest in the worst case, or a rematch ordered.”
Dubois did not attend the press conference, but earlier told talkSPORT: “It wasn’t to be my night. But that wasn’t a low blow, it was a body shot. I’m gutted.”
Dubois was the overwhelming underdog but he had tipped the scales on Friday almost a stone heavier than Usyk’s 15st and 10lbs frame, and the Londoner did himself justice with a battling performance.
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky appeared on the giant screens before the fight to deliver a rallying cry for his country in their war with Russia.
The crowd at the Tarczynski Arena chanted “Usyk, Usyk, Usyk” as the action got under way with Dubois determined not to be overawed.
The 25-year-old tried to hold the centre of the ring but Usyk’s accurate jab saw him shade the opening round.
Dubois was more adventurous at the start of the second but was briefly set back on his heels by some powerful shots.
Usyk stayed on the outside to dominate the next two rounds but Dubois was proving many pre-fight predictions wrong by remaining in the contest.
Usyk was put down by the accidental low blow in the fifth, but was given time to recover.
However, Dubois sensed this was his moment and the pair traded heavy punches.
The bad feeling between the pair was evident as the bell sounded and Dubois continued to focus on the Ukrainian’s body in the sixth.
Usyk upped the pace in the seventh, forcing Dubois to take a backward step and leaving the Londoner marked for the first time.
Dubois recovered in the eighth but in the final 10 seconds he was dropped to the canvas.
He managed to get back to his feet as the bell sounded but there was to be no respite for Dubois.
Usyk charged in again and put down Dubois again for the referee Luis Pabon to wave the fight off.
Starting the day on 99 wins, jockey Raddesh Roman would have been brimming with confidence that his 100th career win would come on Saturday's 10-race card at Caymanas Park, and so it did, as he guided favourite Runaway Algo to an easy triumph in the She's A Maneater feature.
Perfectly placed in the early stages of the one-mile (1,600m) contest, the Dale Murphy-conditioned Runaway Algo surged through approaching the half-mile and later coasted to a comfortable eight-length win in the three-year-olds and upward Graded Stakes/Open Allowance event, at odds of 3-5.
While Roman, who started his riding career in 2018, celebrated the milestone, he also beamed about the fact that it was a third consecutive win aboard the Lanmark Farms-owned American-bred charge, who again demonstrated his class among his peers.
Running from the number one draw in the six-horse field, Runaway Algo, a four-year-old colt by Algorithms-Misunify, was uncharacteristically slow out the blocks, allowing the Jason DaCosta pair of Outbidder (Jordan Barrett) and joint favourite I am Fred (Reyan Lewis) to dictate terms in the early exchanges.
In fact, at that point, it seemed the usual cat-mouse tactics of the DaCosta stables would again be on show, but it proved futile on this occasion, as Roman sensed the ploy and soon forced his way between the two to assume the ascendancy.
So confident was the Roman that he even glanced across at Lewis aboard I am Fred, as he went through, almost indicating that the race was all but done and dusted from there, as he moved two lengths clear.
As they approached the homestretch, Lewis rallied with a challenge on the outside but by the time the straightened and Roman released the reins on Runaway Algo, the fleet-footed footed colt went about business to secure the lion's share of the $1.75 million purse for his connections.
He completed the distance in a time of 1:38.0, behind splits of 24.2, 46.4 and 1:11.3.
I Am Fred and stablemate Outbidder stayed on for second and third respectively, with D Head Cornerstone (Sadiki Blake) in fourth.
"I am pleased and very proud of myself, it took a lot of hard work to get here, and I am just hoping there will be many more wins to come. I am just going to remain focus and continue putting in the hard work hard," Roman said in a post-race interview.
Meanwhile, trainer Howard Jaghai also registered his 100th career win courtesy of Premier Identity in the sixth event.
Premier Identity was also one of three winners for jockey Tevin Foster, who was the pick of his peers on the day. Foster's other winners were Buckaluck in the third event for trainer Adrian Prince and the Anthony Nunes-trained Milos in the ninth race.
Racing continues on Sunday with another 10-race card.
Norwegian Viktor Hovland is closing in on his first FedEx Cup title as he pushed out to a six-stroke lead in Atlanta on Saturday.
Hovland started the Tour Championship tournament with eight under par as the number two seed due to his good form over the year, and pushed away from American Xander Schauffele who sits in second place.
He said the tournament has felt like more of a sprint then a marathon but “it’s hard to win the FedEx Cup if you haven’t played well the last few weeks”.
“It’s just a great list of names that’s won the tournament… and it would be awesome to have my name on there.
“Like, putting it all together, I don’t think I’ve ever played this well before, with this stretch, just putting all the short game and stuff together.”
The 25-year-old hit a 66 four under par to finish the day with 20 under, landing five birdies and one bogey to get closer to the 18 million dollar bonus that comes with the trophy.
Rory McIlroy won the title last year and holds the most FedEx Cup wins with three, but sits tied for eighth spot with nine under par.
By all indications, the Sandals Latin American Travel Agents Golf Tournament is not all about fun and games.
There is a serious side to the annual tournament.
Apart from serving as a common unifying force where Latin American-based travel agents meet to get their swing on and view close-up the exquisite Sandals Resorts International properties, the tournament also boasts a charitable side.
Financial proceeds raised, especially from a side-show putting contest, will go to the Sandals Foundation, which nourishes a robust junior golf programme that spawned the likes of Jamaican pro Wesley Brown.
Beyond that, Arlenes Garcia, director of sales and marketing for Latin America, pointed out that promoting the island as a major sports tourism attraction is of vital importance and the annual golf tournament presents the opportunity for travel agents to do so.
This year's ninth staging of the LatAm tournament attracted 98 agents from countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru and Mexico, who graced the Sandals Golf and Country Club in Upton, St Ann.
“The Caribbean and Jamaica is our home and so we are always pleased to be here spending time with our travel advisors and, more importantly, showing them the product. Being here is the opportunity to actually see the resorts and experience the Sandals product because seeing is believing,” Garcia said.
“So, when the travel advisors go back home, this is what they are going to talk about. Also, to be here playing golf on this fantastic golf course is the opportunity for them to actually grow that niche, as they make the most of the opportunities to bring tourism to this beautiful island,” she added.
While the putting contest – which sees the travel advisors contributing a small fee to participate –created some excitement of its own, there was also fireworks in the major four-member scramble tournament, as the two-day event picked up momentum on Saturday’s final day.
The team of Breno Luz, Ricardo Dantas, Denilson Milan, Raphael Abreu, were front runners from the start, while the trio of Artur Costa, Ricardo Silva, Marco Oliveira, and the quartet of Jorge Bardot, Jose Cabrera, Leonardo Curutchague and Andres Elissalde, also proved competitive.
Still, Garcia reiterated that camaraderie witnessed during golf, is just a small taste of how they work together to achieve a common goal.
“Year over year we see the increase of the tourism from the (Latin American) region into the Caribbean, especially Jamaica. We are one team promoting the life at Sandals beautiful resorts, this fantastic golf course and everything that we do day-by-day and so for me, Sandals has provided a career and the opportunity to grow,” she ended.
Oleksandr Usyk ended Daniel Dubois’ world heavyweight title dream with a ninth-round knockout in Wroclaw.
Usyk kept hold of his WBA, IBF and WBO belts with a 14th knockout win in 21 fights, much to the delight of the large contingent of his fellow Ukrainians who have resided in Poland since Russian’s invasion of their country last year.
Dubois was the overwhelming underdog but he had tipped the scales on Friday almost a stone heavier than Usyk’s 15st and 10lbs frame, and the British boxer did himself justice with a battling performance.
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared on the giant screens before the fight to deliver a rallying cry for his country in their war with Russia.
The crowd at the Tarczynski Arena chanted ‘Usyk, Usyk, Usyk’ as the action got under way with Dubois determined not to be overawed.
The 25-year-old Londoner tried to hold the centre of the ring but Usyk’s accurate jab saw him shade the opening round.
Dubois was more adventurous at the start of the second but was briefly set back on his heels by some powerful shots.
Usyk stayed on the outside to dominate the next two rounds but Dubois was proving many pre-fight predictions wrong by remaining in the contest.
Dubois caught Usyk with a low blow in the fifth that put the Ukrainian down but was deemed accidental.
While some observers might have considered the punch to be on the belt line, Usyk was given time to recover. But Dubois sensed this was his moment and the pair traded heavy punches.
The bad feeling between the pair was evident as the bell sounded and Dubois continued to focus on the Ukrainian’s body in the sixth.
Usyk upped the pace in the seventh, forcing Dubois to take a backward step and leaving the Londoner marked for the first time.
Dubois recovered in the eighth but in the final 10 seconds he was dropped to the canvas.
He managed to get back to his feet as the bell sounded but there was to be no respite for Dubois.
Usyk charged in again and put down Dubois again for the referee Luis Pabon to wave the fight off.
Dubois told talkSPORT: “It wasn’t to be my night. But that wasn’t a low blow, it was a body shot. I’m gutted.”
Andy Farrell is anxiously awaiting injury news on Cian Healy ahead of naming his World Cup squad after the veteran prop hobbled off during Ireland’s underwhelming 17-13 success over Samoa.
Loosehead Healy had to be helped from the field by medics in rain-soaked Bayonne, having suffered a calf issue which left him in obvious distress.
Head coach Farrell is poised to announce his final 33-man selection for the upcoming tournament in France on Sunday afternoon in Dublin.
Second-half tries from Conor Murray and Rob Herring saw Ireland scrape a record 13th straight win after Samoa threatened an upset at Stade Jean Dauge by battling back to lead following Jimmy O’Brien’s maiden Test score.
“Well, you saw what I saw – he pulled up sharpish, didn’t he, and then struggled to walk off,” Farrell said of Healy.
“It’s his calf so there’s something going on there but rather than guess we have to take a picture and see how it goes.”
Asked if he is hopeful Healy will be available to go to the World Cup, Farrell added: “I don’t know, I wouldn’t know.
“We’ll get him back to Dublin and get him scanned and we’ll know soon enough.”
Healy departed just 21 minutes into his 125th Test outing to add to Ireland’s front-row concerns.
Fellow loosehead Dave Kilcoyne and hookers Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher are already undergoing treatment for ongoing injury issues, although the trio are expected to be available in the coming weeks.
Keith Earls pulled out ahead of the game due to a niggle, while his replacement Jacob Stockdale felt a hamstring problem.
Opening try-scorer O’Brien (clavicle) and centre Robbie Henshaw (shin and ankle) were also feeling the effects of a physical encounter in south-west France.
Farrell, who was generally upbeat on those issues, praised his players for not panicking as they avoided an upset to maintain momentum.
“Delighted to get the win,” he said. “It was a proper Test match, wasn’t it? I said during the week that it would be good if it rained to find out about ourselves.
“It was difficult conditions and things weren’t always going to go your way, especially against a good side like that. They’re going to shock a few teams.
“In the end, I was pleased with our mentality – as in no panic, finding a way.
“Test matches are tough to win in conditions like that and we managed to find a way again. I’m pleased really.”
Duncan Paia’aua’s fine breakaway try and eight points from the boot of Lima Sopoaga had Samoa in front until 17 minutes from time.
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