New Zealand have dropped to an all-time low of fifth in the world rankings after losing to South Africa in their Rugby Championship opener on Saturday.

The All Blacks started the defence of their title with a 26-10 defeat at the hands of the world champions at Mbombela Stadium.

It was a third consecutive loss for New Zealand, representing their worst run since they were beaten five times in a row back in 1998.

The Springboks piled more pressure on under-fire All Blacks head coach Steve Foster, who vowed to fight on after a first ever home series loss to Ireland.

Another setback in Nelspruit has dropped New Zealand below England just over a year before the Rugby World Cup starts in France.

It is now five defeats in six Tests for the All Blacks, who face South Africa once again at Ellis Park this weekend with Foster's job seemingly on the line.

Ireland are top of the rankings ahead of France, with the Springboks third.

MotoGP title hopeful Aleix Espargaro is confirmed to have fractured his heel during a highside at Silverstone.

The Aprilia rider suffered the injury during the final free practice session at the British MotoGP on Saturday and was stretchered away from the scene before hobbling to the medical tent.

Espargaro returned for Saturday's qualifying session and secured sixth place, taking his place on the second row on Sunday following doubts over whether he would be fit to race.

The 33-year-old was unable to compete for the win but secured a ninth-placed finish, picking up seven points and coming in just behind title rival Fabio Quartararo – who he trails by 22 points in the standings.

Espargaro has now been prescribed a week of rest, during which time he will have to use crutches, but the Spaniard does not require surgery.

With Espargaro carrying an injury and Quartararo having to serve a long-lap penalty, Francesco Bagnaia took the victory at Silverstone for the second race in a row to boost his title hopes.

The MotoGP season continues from August 19-21 in Austria.

A great launch from @FabioQ20 saw Maverick squeezed into a gap that was closing quickly! #BritishGP ?? pic.twitter.com/i9kiaQHJ3o

Cesar Azpilicueta has admitted he came close to leaving Chelsea for Barcelona last season, but that he ultimately felt a responsibility to remain "in my home".

The Blues skipper penned a new two-year contract extension earlier this month, to end weeks of speculation over his future, after the club triggered a 12-month extension clause before his prior deal expired amid the off-season.

The Spaniard completed a sweep of major honours at Stamford Bridge with the Club World Cup in February, and says that he felt ready to consider a move back to his home country in the aftermath.

But the subsequent sanctions imposed against owner Roman Abramovich amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine saw him have a change of heart, with a desire to stand by the team as they transitioned to the Todd Boehly era.

"Yes the conversations were there [with Barcelona]," Azpilicueta was quoted by The Guardian. "After the Club World Cup, where I became the only player to ever win every trophy, I felt it was the time to go back.

"But then everything happened with this club. I wanted to stay committed to the club. I never did anything against my club.

"We had private conversations where I said everything. We had players leaving, and I have never been in a transfer market situation in 10 years. It was different. For a period I was a free agent.

"Who knows what could have happened in that period. I decided to stay silent because I think there was already enough noise around me. I didn’t want to make it worse because I wanted to stay focused on my game.

"I had a meeting with the new owners. They wanted me to stay here to lead the team both on and off the pitch. It’s a big thank you to them. They were very honest and transparent from the first day.

"I felt a responsibility to stay here in my home. My family are happy here. We have a new project with new players and youngsters coming in. I feel right and ready to look forward."

Azpilicueta started Chelsea's first game of the new Premier League season on Saturday, as Thomas Tuchel's side ran out 1-0 victors against Everton.

The Blues next face Tottenham, in an early test of their top four credentials, on Sunday.

Lewis Hamilton has opened up on his emotions following the controversial end to the 2021 Formula One season, admitting his "worst fears came alive" in Abu Dhabi.

The Mercedes driver was at the tail-end of a fierce battle with Red Bull's Max Verstappen for the championship in last year's finale, knowing a record eighth world title would be clinched if he finished ahead of his rival.

On lap 53, Hamilton led but drama would soon erupt as Williams' Nicholas Latifi crashed into the barrier at the exit of turn 14 and the safety car was deployed.

Under FIA guidelines, lapped cars are allowed to overtake behind the safety car but that guidance was not followed by race director Michael Masi, who instead only allowed the cars between Verstappen and Hamilton to move through.

Verstappen, having pitted, then completed an overtake of a defenceless Hamilton at the restart to clinch his maiden title.

The controversy that followed rumbled on for months, with Masi departing his role prior to the start of the 2022 season, and Hamilton has now spoken about his feelings regarding the incident.

"You see things start to unfold and my worst fears came alive," he told Vanity Fair.

"I was like, there's no way they're going to cheat me out of this. There's no way. That won't happen. Surely not.

"I don't know if I can really put into words the feeling that I had. I do remember just sitting there just in disbelief. 

"And realizing I've got to undo my belts, I've got to get out of there, I've got to climb out of this thing, I've got to find the strength. I had no strength.  And it was one of the toughest moments, I would say, that I've had in a long, long time.

"I knew what had happened. I knew what decisions had been made and why. Yes, I knew that something wasn't right."

Ahead of the 2022 season, questions were raised whether Hamilton would return to the grid, and he admits that he considered retirement.

"I, for sure, considered whether I wanted to continue," he confirmed.

Hamilton did return, racing alongside new teammate George Russell, but has not been able to compete for the crown, instead encountering numerous issues with Mercedes unable to compete with Red Bull and Ferrari at the start of the season.

Better fortune was found ahead of F1's summer break, with back-to-back podium finishes for both drivers, but Hamilton remains 112 points adrift of Verstappen in the standings.

Tom Brady's return made complete sense to Tampa Bay Buccaneers team-mate Scotty Miller, who was stunned the legendary quarterback briefly retired in the first place.

That Brady's decision to quit ahead of his 45th birthday could have come as a surprise to anyone says a great deal for his enduring quality.

Indeed, Brady, who finished the 2020 season celebrating his seventh Super Bowl success, was still setting career highs in 2021.

In no previous season had the veteran thrown (719) or completed (485) more passes for more yards (5,316) – albeit with an extra game on the slate.

Only in his 50-touchdown season of 2011 had Brady completed a greater share of his passes (67.5 per cent) or tossed more TDs (43). Brady only has three 40-touchdown seasons, with the other his first year in Tampa in 2020.

Three of his TD passes in that time have picked out wide receiver Miller, as did a 39-yard throw for a score in the NFC Championship Game in January 2021.

Injury has subsequently hindered Miller's young career, but he is delighted to get the opportunity to again link up with a quarterback who had a transformative impact after joining the Bucs at the end of the wideout's rookie season.

"[Brady's return] was awesome," Miller said. "I have so much appreciation for Tom, as we all do, and just what he has done for my career and helping me become a better player – just watching him work and how he goes about his business each and every day...

"I wasn't really expecting him to retire in the first place; that kind of shocked me, just because I know he had so much left in the tank, and he was playing at such a high level.

"And I know how competitive he is, and it would be tough for him to walk away when he's playing that well.

"When he came back, I was just super excited, super stoked to play alongside him again."

Tom Brady's return made complete sense to Tampa Bay Buccaneers team-mate Scotty Miller, who was stunned the legendary quarterback briefly retired in the first place.

That Brady's decision to quit ahead of his 45th birthday could have come as a surprise to anyone says a great deal for his enduring quality.

Indeed, Brady, who finished the 2020 season celebrating his seventh Super Bowl success, was still setting career highs in 2021.

In no previous season had the veteran thrown (719) or completed (485) more passes for more yards (5,316) – albeit with an extra game on the slate.

Only in his 50-touchdown season of 2011 had Brady completed a greater share of his passes (67.5 per cent) or tossed more TDs (43). Brady only has three 40-touchdown seasons, with the other his first year in Tampa in 2020.

Three of his TD passes in that time have picked out wide receiver Miller, as did a 39-yard throw for a score in the NFC Championship Game in January 2021.

Injury has subsequently hindered Miller's young career, but he is delighted to get the opportunity to again link up with a quarterback who had a transformative impact after joining the Bucs at the end of the wideout's rookie season.

"[Brady's return] was awesome," Miller said. "I have so much appreciation for Tom, as we all do, and just what he has done for my career and helping me become a better player – just watching him work and how he goes about his business each and every day...

"I wasn't really expecting him to retire in the first place; that kind of shocked me, just because I know he had so much left in the tank, and he was playing at such a high level.

"And I know how competitive he is, and it would be tough for him to walk away when he's playing that well.

"When he came back, I was just super excited, super stoked to play alongside him again."

Adam Lallana has revealed part of Brighton and Hove Albion's plan in their opening weekend victory at Manchester United was to target new arrival Lisandro Martinez.

Graham Potter's side got their Premier League campaign underway with their first ever win at Old Trafford, with the former England international a key figure to his team's 2-1 success on Sunday.

The introduction in the second half of Cristiano Ronaldo by new United manager Erik ten Hag was not enough for the hosts, as Pascal Gross' two first-half goals proved enough to see off an Alexis Mac Allister own goal.

Martinez made his debut from the start following his pre-season move from Ajax, and the Argentine's partnership with Harry Maguire was put to the test early on by the movement of the visitors.

Speaking to Sky Sports' Melissa Reddy after the win, Lallana said it had been part of the plan to try and unsettle Martinez as he was new to the league.

"[The plan was] to have a lot of courage," the former Liverpool man revealed. "We had a shape, we had triggers. Me and [Danny Welbeck] have a lot of experience in the final third.

"We went a little bit more direct because we knew United had been pressing well in pre-season, obviously with new ideas from the manager, and I thought Wells caused them problems all game.

"With their new signing [Martinez], we know the Premier League's difficult, so we thought we'd ask him questions early on. We landed on second balls, gained good territory and attacked the ball well in numbers. Something we've spoken about is getting across the front post and Pascal got the finishes."

Ronaldo was left on the bench initially by Ten Hag, having only featured for 45 minutes of pre-season due to personal reasons, though there had also been frequent speculation suggesting he wishes to leave for a Champions League club.

His introduction early in the second half led to a change of shape, with another United debutant, Christian Eriksen, moving from a false nine position into midfield.

Lallana credited Potter with "taking the sting" out of the game, while also bemoaning some refereeing decisions that went against them, including a push from Martinez on Welbeck in the penalty area that was deemed fair by the officials.

"We knew they were going to react tactically or with personnel," he said. "We played the second half knowing it wasn't going to be the same [as the first], but we weathered the storm.

"I thought there were a couple of decisions that didn't go our way. We had a penalty chance, a couple of fouls that the ref let go, but we made good subs at good times. I thought the manager just took the sting out of the game and we shored the game up brilliantly in the last five or 10 minutes.

"It was a huge positive and good game management."

Marko Arnautovic's agent says they have received an offer from "a well-known club" amid reports linking Manchester United with a move for the Bologna forward.

The Austria international joined the Serie A outfit last term, having spent two years with Shanghai Port in the Chinese Super League, and remains under contract until 2024 with them.

But news broke over the weekend that United, who suffered an opening Premier League defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion, were exploring a remarkable move for the 33-year-old.

Bologna have reportedly rejected an opening offer from the Old Trafford club, but now Danijel Arnautovic - both agent and brother to the star - has confirmed the existence of a bid and says they are working for a result.

"It's true that there is an offer from a well-known club," he told Kurier. "I'm in contact with Bologna to see if that can be realised."

Arnautovic previously spent a six-year spell in the English top-flight, with four years at Stoke City and two at West Ham, where he was voted Hammer of the Year in 2018.

Since arriving at Bologna last year, the attacker has arguably been in the best form of his career, netting 14 goals in 33 Serie A games last term.

News of a potential move for the star however has been met with a broadly negative reaction by many fans and figures associated with United, including former captain Gary Neville, who labelled them as "desperate".

The first exciting, intriguing weekend of the Premier League season is out of the way, with a number of themes consistent with the last campaign.

Manchester City remain dominant, as rivals Manchester United continue to struggle.

Both teams have a different look this term, however, and there were several interesting new developments across the first 10 matches.

With Bournemouth in the Champions League places and Liverpool winless, it is a little too early for firm 2022-23 conclusions.

But where is the fun in that?
 

Haaland takes City to another level

There were doubts after a Community Shield bow in which Erling Haaland did not find the net and City lost to Liverpool.

But Haaland answered any critics in a dominant Premier League debut, scoring twice in a 2-0 win at West Ham that sent a daunting message to the rest of the division.

Sergio Aguero, in 2011, had been the last City player to net a brace on his league debut, and fans of the champions would have awoken on Monday morning having dreamt of a similar Etihad Stadium career for their new hero.

Unlike against Liverpool, Haaland was clearly in tune with his team-mates, evidenced by the first of surely many link-ups with Kevin De Bruyne for the second goal.

Indeed, City gave Haaland chances worth 1.66 expected goals (xG) on Sunday – a higher total than 17 entire teams managed across the weekend, yet still a mark he outperformed.

Liverpool close the gap – to Spurs

If City were transformed from their Community Shield display, so too were Liverpool.

An extremely slow start away at Fulham saw the Reds fortunate to emerge with a 2-2 draw, narrowly beaten on xG (1.25-1.23) – something that only happened four times in the whole of last season.

Pre-season concerns around Liverpool had centred on their attack, with Sadio Mane having departed, but new forward Darwin Nunez had to bail out his ailing defensive colleagues.

Nunez, like Haaland, matched a feat from Aguero's Premier League debut in both scoring and assisting from the bench. Alvaro Morata is the third and final player to date to mark their bow in the competition in this manner.

With City outstanding, Liverpool might have ended the first weekend more concerned about the progress of Tottenham. Spurs top the table after a 4-1 win over Southampton in which none of their lauded new signings started.

Another season of struggle for United

There should have been optimism around Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag took charge of United for the first time; instead, they were two down at home to Brighton and Hove Albion before half-time and lost 2-1.

After their worst-ever Premier League points total last term, there was precious little to convince United fans this season would be any different.

Brighton's long-awaited first victory at Old Trafford condemned United to a second opening-day defeat in three seasons, and it was thoroughly deserved.

This is the third consecutive season in which a visiting team have attempted 12 first-half shots away to United; before 2020-21, it had not happened since 2011-12.

Even United's goal was a Brighton own goal, the record 73rd and perhaps least consoling the Red Devils have benefited from in the competition.

Newcastle look great... or Forest look awful

Newcastle United finished last season 11th but have earned the fourth-most points in the Premier League in 2022, and their fine form continued with a 2-0 home win over Nottingham Forest.

And this was a far more dominant victory than many of those enjoyed late last season.

Newcastle led the division in shots (23) and shots on target (10) on matchday one, with Forest (five and zero) ranking last in both categories, as well as in xG (0.28).

No team won more high turnovers than Newcastle (21) or started their attacks further upfield on average (49 metres), with Eddie Howe's men swarming all over Forest to encourage optimism for a European push.

Yet it is a little tricky to tell if this one-sided contest owed more to the home side or the visitors, with Forest – last season's lowest-ranked side, as the Championship play-off winners – way off the pace in their first Premier League match in 23 years.

New Zealand coach Ian Foster says there is no point in his side "sulking" over their defeat to South Africa, as the All Blacks coach faces increased calls to stand down.

The tourists slipped to an opening defeat into the Rugby Championship against the Springboks on Saturday, with the world champions claiming at 26-10 win in Mbombela.

It means New Zealand have now gone three games without victory, following consecutive losses to Ireland on home turf, producing their longest barren streak since 1998.

With five losses in their last six Tests now, expectations are that Foster's position may become untenable with another loss in Johannesburg this weekend, with the New Zealand Herald calling for him to go in a front page editorial on Monday.

But for now, the coach say his team must focus on the next step rather than their mistakes.

Foster said: "We know there’s a lot of pressure on, and we’re feeling that. But our job is to look at our performance and how we can grow it.

"I understand the frustration, but that doesn’t change what we have to do here.

"There’s no point sulking about it for too long. We’ve just got to get into Ellis Park and keep growing our game and still believe."

Foster also stated his intent to address South Africa's mid-air challenges following a scrappy first encounter, with Beauden and Jordie Barrett both injury doubts following tackles by Kurt-Lee Arendse.

"It*s becoming a free-for-all for jumpers just to be able to jump and stick a hand out and say they’re competing. It needs to be addressed," he said.

Manny Machado feels the San Diego Padres have no reason to be concerned despite falling to a weekend sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Padres were beaten 4-0 at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, following their previous two heavy 8-1 and 8-3 losses to the same opponents.

But three convincing defeats to the Padres' star opponents have not overly concerned Machado.

The 30-year-old faced questions on how big the gap was to their division rivals despite the high-profile trade for Juan Soto earlier in the week, which came along with moves to sign Josh Bell, Brandon Drury and Josh Hader.

Tyler Anderson gave the Padres little chance on Sunday, and they have now dropped to 2-8 against the Dodgers this season, with a huge 15.5-game gap to Los Angeles in the National League West.

Machado was asked how concerned he was about the prospect of facing the Dodgers in the postseason based on the way these latest matchups had gone.

"Concerned? Why would I be concerned? Not at all," he said, per ESPN. "We know what we have and that's it.

"We have no pressure in here. We're going out there and playing baseball every single day. Whatever that day brings us, we're going to go out there and give it all we have.

"We keep playing baseball. It's plain and simple. Nothing else to it." 

San Diego have the chance to bounce back with a three-game home series against the San Francisco Giants, which begins on Monday.