Steve Hansen has slammed New Zealand Rugby and believes the relationship between All Blacks players and the board is "probably the worst it's ever been".
Former New Zealand head coach Hansen lashed out over the treatment of under-fire All Blacks boss Ian Foster and former Black Ferns coach Glenn Moore, who resigned in April.
Foster, who was appointed as Hansen's successor in 2019, faced questions over his future after a recent series defeat to Ireland that was labelled "not acceptable" by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) CEO Mark Robinson.
The 57-year-old Foster was ultimately backed to remain in the role following an NZR review, while Moore quit after the governing body published a review into the culture and environment of the New Zealand women's side.
Hansen, who masterminded the All Blacks' 2015 Rugby World Cup triumph, has launched a scathing attack on the way NZR is going about its business.
He said in an interview with Today FM: "They've come out and aired all their dirty washing in the front part of the property rather than out the back.
"So their job [NZR] is to run it with strength and leadership but in a way that you're going to look after the people that work for you.
"Otherwise, you'll end up with a high turnover of staff which I think that they're having at the moment. So, the relationship between the board and the exec and players at the moment is probably the worst it's ever been."
Hansen also highlighted the decision to bring in investment from US private equity firm Silver Lake as he accused the governing body of not "doing their job right".
He added: "If you look back to when we were really successful from about 2010 through to 2019, which was our most successful era, the board and the exec at the rugby union were humming.
"There was complete togetherness and connection was with the actual All Blacks team."
Hansen backed CEO Robinson but said the long-serving Steve Tew, who previously held that position, should have been persuaded to stay on to provide a period of transition.
"I think he [Robinson] is up to the job, but you've got to remember, he's just in the job," Hansen said. "The period we're going through at the moment with COVID, no one else has ever had to do that in their time."
Hansen said he "can't fathom" why NZR found themselves with Tew and Foster "running the ship" when they are, by his description, "relatively inexperienced".
"Again, that's a board decision," Hansen said. "Mark Robinson is going to be a good CEO, however... everyone is into Sam Cane about his captaincy... I remember in 2007 Richie McCaw was the worst captain we've ever had according to the media and public, well he went on to become the greatest captain we've ever had."
Former Bayern Munich midfielder Dietmar Hamann has declared Robert Lewandowski did the club a "huge favour" by making it clear he wanted to join Barcelona.
The Poland international this month completed a €50million move to the Catalan giants, bringing an end to his trophy-laden stint in Germany.
Bayern were initially adamant that Lewandowski would not be allowed to leave, despite being in the final year of his contract, but the prolific striker was determined to move to Barca.
The 34-year-old eventually got his wish and Hamann believes Lewandowski helped the Bundesliga champions get a great deal when they sold him due to the way he went about his business with a "distasteful" approach.
"I think they are happy that he has gone. This whirlwind of signings began and he made some statements," he told Sky Germany.
"It has to be said that Bayern behaved very well and very professionally. Lewandowski did [Bayern] a huge favour with his statements.
"Without them, [Bayern] probably never would have been able to get the price that they obtained. As distasteful as his exit was, Lewandowski did Bayern a huge favour."
Lewandowski this week made his Barca debut in a pre-season victory over Real Madrid in Las Vegas.
Xavi's side begin the new LaLiga season at home to Rayo Vallecano on August 13.
Sebastian Vettel will bring an end to his illustrious Formula One career at the end of the season, he revealed on Thursday.
The four-time F1 champion has seen the current campaign shrouded by speculation on his future, with his deal with Aston Martin expiring at the end of the year – and he has now made the decision to step away into retirement.
"I have had the privilege of working with many fantastic people in Formula One over the past 15 years - there are far too many to mention and thank," he said in a statement.
"The decision to retire has been a difficult one for me to take, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it. At the end of the year I want to take some more time to reflect on what I will focus on next.
"It is very clear to me that, being a father, I want to spend more time with my family. But today is not about saying goodbye.
"Rather, it is about saying thank you – to everyone – not least to the fans, without whose passionate support Formula One could not exist."
Vettel began his F1 career in 2007 with BMW, then moved to Toro Rosso for a two-year stint before stepping up to join Red Bull.
Finishing second in his first season with Red Bull, Vettel then won four consecutive world titles from 2010 to 2013 and left to join Ferrari in 2015, spending six seasons there.
Vettel finished 12th in the drivers' championship in 2021, his first season with Aston Martin, and lies 14th in the standings in 2022 – having picked up just 15 points.
Sebastian Vettel will bring an end to his illustrious Formula One career at the end of the season, he revealed on Thursday.
The four-time F1 champion has seen the current campaign shrouded by speculation on his future, with his deal with Aston Martin expiring at the end of the year – and he has now made the decision to step away into retirement.
"I have had the privilege of working with many fantastic people in Formula One over the past 15 years - there are far too many to mention and thank," he said in a statement.
"The decision to retire has been a difficult one for me to take, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it. At the end of the year I want to take some more time to reflect on what I will focus on next.
"It is very clear to me that, being a father, I want to spend more time with my family. But today is not about saying goodbye.
"Rather, it is about saying thank you – to everyone – not least to the fans, without whose passionate support Formula One could not exist."
Vettel began his F1 career in 2007 with BMW, then moved to Toro Rosso for a two-year stint before stepping up to join Red Bull.
Finishing second in his first season with Red Bull, Vettel then won four consecutive world titles from 2010 to 2013 and left to join Ferrari in 2015, spending six seasons there.
Vettel finished 12th in the drivers' championship in 2021, his first season with Aston Martin, and lies 14th in the standings in 2022 – having picked up just 15 points.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas declared Barcelona are "on the right track" to register their new signings before the season begins – but made it clear they cannot pressure Frenkie de Jong to take a pay cut.
The Catalan club's financial issues have been well documented in recent years, but coach Xavi has still been able to make considerable additions, landing Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski while Jules Kounde looks set to follow from Sevilla.
That activity has raised eyebrows across Europe regarding how Barcelona can afford to land new recruits, with it clear that departures will be on the cards in the latter stages of the transfer window to balance the books.
Tebas admitted that was indeed the case, with Barcelona having a "little work" still to complete, but that the situation does not look to be a cause for concern.
The club have raised funds by selling off chunks of future TV rights income, giving them an immediate financial boost.
"We follow all the movements of Barca very closely, but when the documentation of the levers and reduction of players that they have to do arrives, we will see if they register everyone," Tebas said.
"They know what they have to do. They still have a little work to do to be able to register everything they have signed and intend to sign. I think for now they are on the right track."
Regarding outgoings, Manchester United's pursuit of Netherlands international Frenkie de Jong has been well documented. Despite Barcelona being reportedly open to a sale, the player seems unconvinced.
It has been floated that Barcelona would insist on De Jong taking a pay cut in order to remain at the club, but Tebas has made it clear that would not be allowed.
"LaLiga is going to enforce the legislation. Players cannot be pressured or pushed aside, it is what marks the collective agreement, the law, reason and ethics," Tebas said.
Xavi has already admitted the financial situation may take a decision on De Jong's future out of his hands, despite stating he is important for Barcelona.
"He's a key player, but then there’s the economic situation and financial fair play. I like him a lot as a player," Xavi said after the 1-0 pre-season win against Real Madrid.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp called on his players to provide more support to new arrival Darwin Nunez following a 1-0 defeat to Salzburg.
The 23-year-old played the first half of Liverpool's friendly against the Austrian side, with a largely second-string line-up for the opening 45 minutes seeing Nunez joined in attack by fellow new arrival Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott.
By the hour mark, Liverpool had switched to a full-strength side, suggesting that Nunez may begin the season outside the starting line-up, but were unable to claw their way back into the match.
Nunez's game was a far cry from his four-goal show against RB Leipzig the last time he took to the field, and Klopp made it clear his new addition requires sustained support from team-mates.
"First half, we made too many mistakes which they could use. We had good moments as well, we could have scored in the whole game four, five goals at least. We didn't do that," Klopp told Liverpool's club media after the match.
"Darwin was much too often alone. Everybody dropped, everybody was involved in the build-up but too wide, and we could only pass the ball to Darwin in the box.
"He had his moments and nearly scored, but he needs much more support around him. You keep other players busy that they cannot focus on him. So many things. In the second half, imagine now Darwin would have been there in the box, that could have helped as well. It is like it is – it doesn't feel great, but we take it and go from here."
Liverpool will now look ahead to the Community Shield clash against Manchester City on Saturday, with a final friendly against Strasbourg a day later, before their Premier League season commences on August 6 against Fulham.
Dynamo Kyiv boss Mircea Lucescu expressed outrage after fans of opponents Fenerbahce sang the name of Vladimir Putin in Wednesday's Champions League qualifier.
Lucescu boycotted the post-match news conference in protest, with the chants beginning after Oleksandr Karavayev gave the Ukrainian visitors a decisive 2-1 lead in the second leg in Istanbul.
The goal came in the 114th minute, after the teams were level at 1-1 at the end of normal time, and it proved to be a match-winner. It was enough to give Dynamo a 2-1 aggregate victory, carrying them through to the third qualifying round, where they will face Sturm Graz of Austria.
According to Ukrainian news outlet Expres, Lucescu told broadcasters: "We cannot accept the behaviour of the fans. I did not expect such chants. It is a pity."
Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, ordered by president Putin, has led to the deaths of thousands of civilians and forces defending the country, while millions of refugees have fled to neighbouring nations.
The United Nations on July 18 said it had recorded 5,110 civilian deaths since Russia's attack began on February 24, plus a further 6,752 injured.
Aaron Rodgers has backed Allen Lazard to be the number one wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers in the forthcoming NFL season and fill the void left by Davante Adams' departure.
For the first time in his 18-year career, Rodgers heads into the season without a recognised starring man to target following Adams' move to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Lazard is the favourite to step up in the 2022 season, having hauled in 21 receptions for 290 yards and scored five touchdowns in the five matches at the end of the regular 2021 season.
Quarterback Rodgers thinks the 26-year-old can make a big impact.
"When you walk in the locker room for so many years and you see 87's locker, that's Jordy Nelson. You see Davante Adams. It gives you a different feel. You just kind of know that you got that guy," he said during a news conference.
"We have some opportunities for some guys to step into that role.
"I think Allen is ready to make a jump and be a number one wide receiver. [I'm] excited about the opportunity to work with him.
"He's capable of a lot. Since his first day, he's turned heads. He's been working hard. He has a lot to prove to himself I like a hungry Allen Lazard."
The Packers' offense has undergone a major reshuffle ahead of the new season, losing Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency and bringing in Sammy Watkins, as well as drafting three wide receivers.
Rodgers is pleased with the options he has to throw to as the Packers look to make the playoffs for the fourth season in a row.
"Allen sets the standard. Randall [Cobb] sets the standard. The young guys have to pay attention," he added.
"There is a lot of talent in that room for sure, and a lot of motivation for some of the comments that's been sent that room's way. I like what we did on day one."
The Packers face the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs in pre-season, before kicking off the new campaign at the Minnesota Vikings on September 11.
Arsenal's Edu-led evolution is set to come to a head in the 2022-23 season, with the technical director stating publicly this week that a top-four finish is the target.
Inconsistency throughout last season, culminating in a poor run of form at the end of the campaign, saw Arsenal's absence from the Champions League extend to five years.
With Mikel Arteta at the helm and Edu leading the recruitment, the Gunners now believe this is their time and, with the Brazilian's comments in pre-season about this being the season for success in the long-term plan, the pressure is on.
Arsenal have brought in the likes of Martin Odegaard and Aaron Ramsdale in recent times, while they have also cemented the futures of young players like Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe.
One major piece of the puzzle was missing last season, however, with no striker to take the mantle of leading the line until Nketiah's purple patch – but the London club are hoping that will change with the capture of Gabriel Jesus.
Signed following a trophy-laden spell at Manchester City, the fact that Arsenal managed to land Jesus, in a World Cup year no less, is a feather in Edu's cap, but the real question is, can he end Arsenal's number nine curse?
Staggeringly, no number nine has hit 15 goals for the club in a Premier League season since the 1998-99 campaign, when Nicolas Anelka found the back of the net 17 times.
Since then, Davor Sukor, Francis Jeffers, Jose Antonio Reyes, Julio Baptista, Eduardo, Park Chu Young, Lukas Podolski and Lucas Perez have all graced the number nine shirt with varying, but largely disappointing, returns.
Alexandre Lacazette came closest with a 14-goal haul in his first Premier League season but, with just four top-flight goals last year, it was clear the Gunners needed a significant upgrade on the Frenchman.
Jesus has also fallen short of the 15-goal mark in his Premier League career, with a season-high of 14 in the 2019-20 campaign – though it is worth mentioning his City career has seen him be a member of the supporting cast, rather than the leading man.
He will be first choice through the middle at Arsenal and his numbers are encouraging compared to those who have recently had that role.
In Lacazette, Arsenal had a forward who scored 78 Premier League goals at a rate of 0.5 per 90 minutes, totalling just over 14,000 minutes in the competition– a record that Jesus easily beats.
Jesus has scored 95 Premier League goals at a rate of 0.6 per 90 minutes, playing just over 100 minutes more than the Frenchman – and his return is comparable to what Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang achieved during his stint at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal's former captain outscored both with 104 career Premier League goals, a rate of 0.65 per 90 minutes, but he played over 300 minutes more than Jesus did for City.
Again, his role for City was different, playing alongside the likes of Sergio Aguero and, when his fellow South American departed, Pep Guardiola elected to mainly utilise him in a wider area – limiting his opportunities in front of goal.
Through the middle, Jesus' task will be to improve the return in the final third where, during the 2021-22 season, Arsenal netted 39 goals in open play compared to an xG of 48.2.
A number of missed opportunities were high xG chances that, over the course of the season, could have made a significant difference in the battle for Champions League football.
What Arsenal lacked in a recognised striker, however, they made up for in other areas, with a further 21 goals over the course of the season coming from set-pieces.
Other areas where Arsenal shone included the goals they scored on the counter-attack, netting a joint league-high of six, which Jesus should be able to improve. Arsenal also hit the woodwork on 18 occasions, so they will be looking for the Brazilian to make them more clinical.
Pre-season has also been encouraging for the early part of Jesus' career in the capital, scoring four goals in as many games – including a well-taken chipped finish in the 4-0 Florida Cup drubbing of London rivals Chelsea.
Jesus should get support from Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, who both hit double figures for goals last season, while Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Nketiah and Gabriel Magalhaes all scored at least five.
That ought to also help Jesus' assists return, with the 25-year-old providing 29 during his time at City – including eight last season, enough to be joint-top of the Premier League champions' assist charts alongside Kevin de Bruyne.
According to the numbers, Jesus is more than capable of being the man Arsenal have needed ever since Aubameyang's fall from grace – but he cannot do it alone and the Gunners need to be firing on all cylinders.
Paul Pogba hoped his move to Juventus would be a fresh start, but already the midfielder is facing the worrying possibility he could miss the World Cup.
Leaving Manchester United and returning to Turin looked set to be a switch that would allow Pogba to set aside a difficult time in England, where he was plagued by injuries.
However, a knee problem has hit Pogba in the early weeks of his second spell with Juventus, and reports on Thursday in Italy pointed to possible bleak news ahead for the France midfielder, who was a key figure as Les Bleus won the World Cup four years ago in Russia.
Pogba complained of his injury while with Juventus in the United States, and initial checks led Juventus to announce he had suffered a lesion of the lateral meniscus.
The injury to his right knee means Pogba is sure to face a spell on the sidelines, and now it remains to be seen how long that lasts.
It depends on what course of action is taken, and Corriere dello Sport reported that Pogba would see a specialist on Thursday.
The newspaper said there were two options that would be considered, with the first involving the removal of the damaged part of the meniscus and the second focusing on fully repairing the knee. Those are the standard options for repairing a torn meniscus.
The initial path could see Pogba sidelined for around six weeks, reports said, but the secondary option could see him ruled out of action for the rest of the calendar year.
Juventus have yet to give any indication of how long they expect to be without Pogba.
Pogba, 29, spent four years at Juventus between 2012 and 2016, winning four Serie A titles in that period before moving to United for a then world record fee of £89.3million (€105million).
The World Cup begins on November 21 in Qatar, and France boss Didier Deschamps would want 91-cap Pogba to have proven his fitness well in advance of the tournament getting under way.
Green Bay Packers All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari barely played last season, and there’s no telling when he’ll be healthy enough to take the field this coming season after he had another procedure on his left knee.
The latest procedure would be at least the third known surgery since Bakhtiari suffered a torn left ACL on New Year’s Eve 2020.
Bakhtiari has played just one game since the original injury, and that came in the regular-season finale at Detroit on January 9 before he was shut down for the playoffs. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list Wednesday as the Packers opened training camp.
Bakhtiari attended the Packers’ offseason program but did not practice, and instead worked off to the side with the rest of the players rehabbing injuries.
''It's a nightmare, my nightmare that I have to live,'' Bakhtiari said. ''I don't know how many days it's been, but I'm just excited to wake up (from the nightmare) one day.''
The Packers remain hopeful that Bakhtiari will be ready for the season opener at Minnesota on September 11.
''I think we're cautiously optimistic,'' general manager Brian Gutekunst said.
Clearly, the Packers are going to take a cautious approach with Bakhtiari, who was playing well enough to earn first-team All-Pro honours for a second time when he originally hurt the knee. His first surgery came after the 2020 season, before the second procedure to reduce swelling in the knee during the 2021 regular season.
''Everyone loves timelines,'' Bakhtiari said. ''When I'm ready, I'll be out there. What I can say is I do feel really good. I really like – I feel normal.
"My knee feels normal and that's the biggest plus. Now it's just getting that normal feeling again when I play football, so that's what it is, the load, stress, strength, but we're not really in an ACL issue. That's actually been a long time ago that we put that chapter to bed.''
With Bakhtiari unavailable for either of Green Bay's past two playoff losses, the Packers allowed five sacks in each of those games.
Green Bay faces the possibility of opening this season without its two best offensive linemen. Elgton Jenkins is also attempting to come back from an ACL tear he suffered on November 21 against Minnesota.
The New York Yankees have acquired outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for three minor leaguers.
New York has been looking for an outfield bat with Giancarlo Stanton going on the injured list recently and Joey Gallo continuing his season-long struggles.
Benintendi, a first-time All-Star this season, was among the better rental bats available and is a free agent after this season. He is batting .321 with three home runs and 39 RBIs in 92 games for the Royals.
The left-handed hitting Benintendi spent his first five seasons with the Boston Red Sox before he was traded to Kansas City in February 2021.
He was one of 10 players that were unable to play in Kansas City’s recent series in Toronto because he is unvaccinated. The Yankees have three games remaining in Toronto this season.
The Yankees own the best record in the majors at 66-33 but have lost 12 of their past 20 games.
Despite missing a pair of National League MVP candidates, the St Louis Cardinals rode a big performance from future Hall-of-Famer Albert Pujols to a 6-1 away win against the Toronto Blue Jays.
With both Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado unavailable for their side's trip to Toronto due to their vaccination status, it was a combination of new blood and a blast from the past as they made it look easy.
40-year-old starting pitcher Adam Wainwright was at the peak of his powers, giving up just five hits and no walks for one earned run in seven innings, striking out eight batters.
While Wainwright controlled the contest with the ball, 42-year-old Pujols made noise with the bat, knocking a single in his first at-bat, a double in his second try, and then a massive 439-foot, three-run homer with his third trip to the plate. It was longer than any home run Pujols hit in this year's Home Run Derby.
Rookie Nolan Gorman – 20 years younger than Pujols – also went deep with a solo home run, while he and 24-year-old Lars Nootbaar were two of five Cardinals to collect multiple hits.
Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr finished two-for-four at the plate, while ace pitcher Kevin Gausman struggled in one of his worst performances of the season.
Gausman gave up five runs in less than five innings, allowing eight hits and a walk with his six strikeouts.
Mets walk-off against Yankees
The New York Mets threatened to waste a spectacular start from pitcher Max Scherzer, but ultimately got the job done in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the New York Yankees 3-2 in walk-off fashion.
Pete Alonso's solo home run in the second inning and Francisco Lindor's RBI single in the third frame were the only runs before Max Scherzer was withdrawn, having pitched seven shut-out innings.
As soon as Scherzer was removed, the Yankees came back with a two-run homer from Gleyber Torres, but Eduardo Escobar led off the ninth inning with a double, setting up Starling Marte to be the hero and drive him in with a base hit.
J-Rod does it again for the Mariners
Rookie All-Star Julio Rodriguez showed once again why he is one of the most exciting young talents in all of baseball, blasting a three-run home run to give his Seattle Mariners a 4-2 home win against the Texas Rangers.
Rodriguez, 21, stepped up to the plate in the seventh inning with two runners on base, trailing 2-1, and he connected on a 419-foot no-doubter over the left-field wall to snatch back the lead.
This season, Rodriguez leads all rookies in hits (96), runs (54), home runs (17), RBIs (53), and stolen bases (21).
It was smooth sailing for the seeded competitors in action on Wednesday at the Atlanta Open, with Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Brandon Nakashima all advancing in straight sets.
Fifth seed Paul started the day off with a straightforward 6-3 6-3 win against South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo thanks to a clear advantage with his serving. He won 73 per cent (36-of-49) of his points on serve, while Kwon could only muster 53 per cent (34-of-64).
Paul will meet Belarus' Ilya Ivashka in the quarter-finals after he successfully navigated the challenge of America's Steve Johnson 4-6 6-2 6-4 after Johnson was a late injury replacement for top overall seed Reilly Opelka.
Ivashka is now 6-3 in his nine matches since the French Open, with his only losses against top-five talents Stefano Tsitsipas and twice against Daniil Medvedev.
Fourth seed Tiafoe was impressive against Japan's Taro Daniel, creating eight total break point opportunities, and capitalising on three.
Tiafoe will play Nakashima in the quarter-finals, with the American surviving a tough first set tiebreaker to eventually defeat Australia's John Millman 7-6 (10-8) 6-4.
In a closely contested match, Nakashima avoided getting into many sticky situations, saving the only break point he faced.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
