Scotland captain Finn Russell reflected on a range of emotions after his team ended their Cardiff hoodoo by thwarting an astonishing Wales fightback at the Principality Stadium.
A nerve-shredding 27-26 victory was Scotland’s first win in the Welsh capital since 2002, but it did not come before they were left staring at a 12th successive defeat as Wales threatened arguably the greatest Six Nations recovery act.
Having helped orchestrate a 27-point lead two minutes into the second half, Russell could have been excused for thinking it was a case of job done.
But Wales had other ideas, scoring four tries during 20 minutes of mayhem that included yellow cards for Scotland pair George Turner and Sione Tuipulotu, transforming what had been a hopelessly one-sided encounter.
Scotland also conceded 14 successive penalties, such was the ferocity and unrelenting nature of Wales’ all-court game.
Just when it was required, though, Scotland showed courage and composure during the closing minutes to dominate territory and go close to claiming a bonus-point fourth try.
“We had a really good first half and a brilliant start to the second, then a bit of complacency crept in,” Russell said.
“We had discipline issues in the second half which led to two yellow cards and them really getting on the front foot.
“But it showed that we’ve come quite a long way that we managed to win the game in the end. We held tough and did not allow them to get anything towards the end.
“I am probably a little bit disappointed with the second half, but overall it is a great start to the tournament for us. We’ve not won here in 22 years.
“We managed to dig it out in the end, but it shows how tough a place it (Cardiff) is to come. Wales never went away, and that was the pressure the team put us under, but also that the crowd getting involved.
“I’ve played in games with Scotland like that when we have lost, and that was the most pleasing thing, that we managed to find a way to win even though momentum, the crowd, everything was against us towards the end.
“There was loads of good stuff in that first half. With the way everything unfolded in the second half, I am a little bit down, a little bit frustrated, but when we look back there will be loads of positives to take.
“It (the second-half performance) was nowhere near where we need to be. But that is something we will address on Monday and we will build on the back of it and get ready for France (next weekend).”
Les Bleus will arrive at Murrayfield following a crushing defeat against Ireland, and Scotland can also take heart from beating France five times out of the last seven attempts in Edinburgh.
Their mission, though, will be undertaken without lock Richie Gray, who could miss the rest of this season’s Six Nations due to a biceps injury.
And flanker Luke Crosbie is a major doubt after hurting his shoulder, with Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend stating: “Both are in a lot of pain.
“Richie and the medics knew straight away it was a biceps injury. So that doesn’t look good for this Championship.
“Luke was a shoulder injury. It’s a painful one and that might settle. Let’s hope he has not done any significant damage there.”
Harvey Barnes is refusing to give up on Newcastle’s quest for a second successive top-four finish after drawing a line under his injury misery.
The 26-year-old had not kicked a ball in anger since September 24 after damaging a toe in the Magpies’ 8-0 Premier League win at Sheffield United just seven appearances into his career on Tyneside following a £38million summer switch from Leicester.
There were eight goals once again on his return, but thanks to his intervention they were shared evenly as Eddie Howe’s men, who had led 1-0 and 2-1, fought back from 4-2 down to snatch a 4-4 draw courtesy of his equaliser on a remarkable afternoon at St James’ Park.
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Asked afterwards if Newcastle – currently 13 points off fourth – could still make a push for the Champions League places, Barnes said: “This team is capable of great things, as we showed last year.
“We have shown it in spells this year too. When we are on top of our game, we can go on a great run and climb the table quickly.”
The Magpies, who ended a run of four successive Premier League defeats with a 3-1 win at in-form Aston Villa in midweek, looked to be on their way to another when Sean Longstaff fired them ahead and then after Gabriel Osho had levelled, restored their advantage.
However, with wide man Chiedozie Ogbene tormenting full-back Dan Burn from the off, the lead was never comfortable.
Ross Barkley made it 2-2 before the break, and Carlton Morris’ twice-taken penalty and a fourth from Elijah Adebayo had the Hatters in dreamland with 62 minutes played.
Howe chose to introduce Barnes in the aftermath and after Kieran Trippier had reduced the deficit, it was he who ultimately rescued a point with 17 minutes remaining as late flurries at both ends came to nothing.
Asked what his instructions had been, Barnes said: “I was just told to go out and make an impact. I’ve been out that long.
“This has been my toughest period in football, how long I’ve been out. Signing for a new club and being hit with injury is a hard thing. I have been working hard.
“It was great to get a goal, but disappointing not to get three points.”
Barnes’ return, along with that of striker Callum Wilson, provided Howe with a welcome boost, but Anthony Gordon’s half-time departure with an ankle injury and the concession of 10 goals in his side’s last three home games provided further food for thought.
Howe said: “The last few games here have been far from ideal defensively and it’s certainly something that we’ll go away and look at and try to find answers to.”
If Howe’s emotions were mixed, so too were those of opposite number Rob Edwards, whose disappointment at not hanging on to the lead was tempered by his pride in the performance.
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Edwards said: “It’s nice to be able to come to a huge ground like this, a huge football club, a team that’s been competing in the Champions League this year, a team that’s competing to get in the Champions League again this year and take the game to them.
“That’s pleasing and that’s good to see, but it doesn’t surprise me. We’ve been showing it now for quite a while.”
Ireland, England and Scotland made winning starts to the Guinness Six Nations on a dramatic opening weekend that provided many twists and turns.
Here, the PA news agency examines five things we learned from round one.
England broaden their horizons
While a too-close-for-comfort victory over Italy hardly paints a flattering picture of their performance in Rome, tactically the game was a welcome change in direction for England.
True to the word of Steve Borthwick and Jamie George, their head coach and captain, greater ambition was shown in attack than at the World Cup.
Marauding wing Tommy Freeman roaming the Stadio Olimpico provided the most obvious evidence of a change in thinking, but the sight of scrum-half Alex Mitchell taking on defenders in a way not seen at a kick-heavy France 2023 was possibly more telling.
Italy’s near miss
Italy making an encouraging start to the Six Nations before falling away in the later rounds is a familiar theme, but in Rome there were many impressive moments from the tournament’s perennial strugglers.
Not only was it the smallest margin of defeat in their 31 Tests against England, but the inspired Azzurri were sharp in attack with Tommaso Allan’s first-half try brilliantly constructed and finished.
They led 17-14 at the interval and outscored England 3-2 on the try count and should march into round two with a renewed sense of purpose even if it is Ireland they face.
A star is born
What Ireland’s rivals would give to have their own ‘Big’ Joe McCarthy, the hulking second-row who laid waste to France’s pack in a remarkable victory in Marseille.
A man-of-the-match performance on his Six Nations debut was evidence of his nation’s depth at lock with even the outstanding James Ryan unable to force his way into the starting XV.
McCarthy’s physicality was a throwback to old school tight five forward play and he took on the role of enforcer by bossing the collisions and breakdown as well as carrying hard. Every team should have one.
Les Bleus in post-World Cup limbo
The question of how France would recover from the crushing disappointment of exiting their home World Cup in the quarter-finals was answered emphatically at the Stade Velodrome.
Their hangover from the tournament was most visible in a passive defence, which was breached easily by Ireland.
It could be a long Six Nations unless Fabien Galthie finds the right buttons to push psychologically as well as providing a new sense of purpose in the wake of their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity being snatched away by a one-point defeat by South Africa.
The great entertainers
Scotland feature heavily in the recent Netflix documentary on the Six Nations and they are undoubtedly box office, although not always for reasons they would appreciate.
From amassing a sensational 27-0 lead against Wales in swashbuckling fashion to almost falling victim to the greatest comeback in Championship history, they can dazzle and confound in equal measure.
And with magician fly-half Finn Russell – the self-anointed Lionel Messi of rugby – pulling the strings, you can not take your eyes off them.
England boss Gareth Southgate watched from the stands as Jordan Henderson made his “special” Ajax debut in a 1-1 draw against PSV Eindhoven.
Former Liverpool captain Henderson played the full 90 minutes at the Johan Cruyff Arena as Steven Berghuis’ opener for Ajax was cancelled out by Luuk de Jong.
Henderson joined Ajax in mid-January after spending less than six months at Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq, but his first appearance was delayed while he waited for a work permit.
The England midfielder said of Southgate’s visit: “Hopefully he picked a good game and he enjoyed the game.”
He added: “The atmosphere was incredible. Obviously it was a special day for me and my family.
“To represent this football club for the first time. That was special. And to play in this stadium was really special.”
De Jong equalised for PSV before half-time after Berghuis had given Ajax a 19th-minute lead.
Ajax trail runaway leaders PSV by 21 points in the Eredivisie table, but Henderson was delighted to have made his first appearance.
“I think there’s still a lot to improve on, but it’s been a privilege and an honour to play for this club,” Henderson told a post-match press conference.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t finish it in the end. But we’ve got a point to move on from.
“PSV have an amazing team, they’ve been unbeaten all season. But I thought we had some good chances to win the game towards the end. But unfortunately we couldn’t find the back of the net.”
Pep Guardiola hopes John Stones can now start to put a run of games together after what has been a frustrating season to date.
The England centre-back, who shone in a hybrid defence-midfield role in Manchester City’s treble-winning campaign last season, has made only 11 appearances this term.
He missed 12 games at the start of the season with a hip problem and then picked up a muscular injury in November that sidelined him for another month.
His return from that setback then proved shortlived as he hurt his ankle at former club Everton in December, not featuring again until last Wednesday’s Premier League victory over Burnley.
Yet after the 29-year-old managed 90 minutes against the Clarets, City manager Guardiola is hopeful he can put his fitness issues behind him.
Guardiola said: “He’s really good. The injury was not muscular, it was the ankle and when the ankle is OK, the risk is minimal, I would say.
“It was good (after Burnley). Still he needs to make a step forward, it’s not the John Stones that we met last season but (it’s) step by step.
“We have had a lot of setbacks this season for many injuries but hopefully he can continue and avoid them.”
Champions City are back in action as they travel to Brentford on Monday.
The Bees did the double over City last season and Guardiola has been impressed by the work manager Thomas Frank has done at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Guardiola said of the Dane: “He’s been unbelievable. The consistency, the club, how they’ve relied on him for many, many years.
“Everyone comes in and knows what exactly what they have to do. When you have a manager for many years everybody knows what they have to do. That helps a lot.
“In the beginning it is more difficult but they did really well. They have incredible strikers up front. Big compliment. I have a lot of admiration for him.”
Harry Kane is proud of how he handled a “difficult” time settling into his new life in Germany.
The England captain swapped London for Munich last summer as he left boyhood club Tottenham to join Bayern.
He spent the first few months of his stay in Germany in a hotel as his wife Kate and their children stayed behind before they all made the move into a new house after Christmas and a new chapter in their lives is now in full swing.
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You would never have known Kane was finding it tough given his performances on the pitch, scoring 28 goals in his first 27 games for Bayern.
“It wasn’t easy, the first four or five months being in the hotel and being away from the family,” he told the PA news agency.
“That was for sure difficult so I was proud of the way I was still able to perform on the pitch in those circumstances.
“We’ve had a good winter break and everyone came back with me, the kids are in school, we have got the house.
“Month by month it starts to feel more like home, you meet parents at school, my wife is meeting new friends and you just start to meet new people and see new things.
“Everyone has been fantastic, all the fans here, the club have been great and trying to make me welcome and so far it is nothing but praise for everyone here.”
Now that things are settling down, he cannot wait for the German golf courses to reopen.
The winter weather means he has been unable to play much of his beloved golf lately – though he has still been busy, investing in sportswear brand Reflo, whose mission is to become the most sustainable apparel brand in the world by using materials derived from single-use plastic waste.
Kane, who will wear the Reflo brand when playing pro-am and exhibition competitions, said: “The weather, since the snow hit us we have been struggling, I don’t think the courses open here until March so I have been hitting the golf simulator a little bit and trying to stay in a decent shape for now.
“That is one thing I am looking forward to, I am starting to feel at home with the family, the kids are in school so the next step is to start finding the golf courses when I get some alone time with friends.”
Kane has been determined to immerse himself in the culture of Munich and that includes learning the language.
So how is he getting on?
“I’ve started German lessons and have these at least once or twice a week,” he said.
“I want to fit in as much as possible and learning the language is important and I’m willing to try.
“The Bayern fans are great, I hear them chanting lots of songs throughout the matches.”
:: Harry Kane is a golf ambassador for sustainable performancewear brand Reflo. To find out more about the apparel, visit Reflo.com
Fabio Silva wants Rangers to keep the winning bandwagon rolling after closing in on cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with a comprehensive 3-0 home win over bottom side Livingston on Saturday.
The Portuguese striker, who arrived in Glasgow from Wolves on loan last month, opened his Gers account after 40 minutes when he pounced on a loose ball inside the box to slam the ball past Livi keeper Shamal George.
Winger Rabbi Matondo added a second before the break with a deflected strike from distance and midfielder Todd Cantwell knocked in a Ross McCausland cut-back on 56 minutes to take Rangers to within three points of Celtic with a game in hand.
The Viaplay Cup winners also have the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup in their sights and welcome Ayr United to Ibrox next Saturday.
Rangers have won five in a row since the turn of the year and ahead of the visit of Aberdeen on Tuesday night, Silva told RangersTV: “It was amazing, the most important thing was the victory.
“We have had good results and it is important we continue with these with good moments.
“Everyone is involved in this and doing everything for Rangers to win titles in the final part of the season.
“The most important thing was the victory and the clean sheet and of course I am very happy to score my first goal because it is important.
“It was a little bit different for me because I played against three big centre-backs and it was a bit difficult to move.
“I like to move so they held me, but it was nice to be aware in the box, to feel when the ball comes and after I scored, I was very happy.
“Starting with me and finishing on Jack Butland we did a brilliant job in defensive and offensive, so the most important thing is the winning and now we have to prepare for the next game.”
Livingston have now gone 16 league games without a win and boss David Martindale, who saw his side come back twice at home to second bottom Ross County last Tuesday night to draw 2-2, looked for context after failing to trouble Gers keeper Butland.
He said: “There is a big difference between Ross County at Livingston and Rangers at Ibrox. You could probably go back 20 games and there would be about three shots on target.
“You are going there and you are trying to pose an attacking threat, but you’d need to be expansive and open up to create chances.
“But we have lost sloppy goals recently and I felt the last thing we needed was to go there and focus on posing more of an attacking threat.
“The game plan was to get in 0-0 at half-time, see out the next 15 minutes and then change the shape and personnel.
“But it’s difficult to make sure your defensive shape is bang on while also posing an attacking threat.”
Harry Kane is confident he will win silverware with Bayern Munich this season before trying to lead England to Euro 2024 glory in Germany.
The 30-year-old is blazing a trail in the Bundesliga following his summer move from Tottenham, scoring 28 goals in 27 games as Bayern are locked in a title race with Bayer Leverkusen and also in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
He hopes his goals continue Bayern’s domination of German football before aiming for more glory in his new homeland with England in the European Championship.
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“I’m feeling confident,” he told the PA news agency. “Bayern Munich have been winning their league for the last 11 years or so and also won the Champions League a few years ago, there’s an expectation to be winning every trophy that we’re in.
“The focus is to win both tournaments.”
Asked whether the summer tournament was England’s best chance of ending their trophy drought, he said: “I would probably say ‘yes’, if you look how close we got in the last Euros and getting knocked out in the quarter-final to a great team in France.
“I am just looking at it from a point of view where our experiences as a team, our different ages in terms of having good younger players, good experienced players, young exciting players.
“When you look around the European nations now, we will be looked at as one of the favourites.
“There won’t be too many teams wanting to play us but games in tournaments are hard to win, they’re not easy, that’s why we haven’t won one in 60 years.
“We have to go there and try and achieve it. A great opportunity for us. We’re in a great moment as a team, but as always, we have to go there and make it happen so it is an exciting challenge to do that but a tough one as well.”
As he enters the second phase of his career, Kane has already shown his sustainability in the game, but is also tackling the matter off the pitch.
He has invested in golf sportswear brand Reflo, whose mission is to become the most sustainable apparel brand in the world by using materials derived from single-use plastic waste.
Kane, who will wear the Reflo brand when playing pro-am and exhibition competitions, has tackled social issues such as children’s mental health through his Harry Kane Foundation and now wants to learn more about sustainability.
“It’s more me as a father looking into the future and looking at my kids and thinking, ‘What can I do to help their future’,” he said.
“Sustainability is something that I know not too much about, I am still learning and getting to know more about it but when I am looking to partner or invest in brands, I want to see what they are doing for the future as well.
“Reflo are definitely hitting that market and trying to help a lot of other people understand about being sustainable and the impact that can have on the world itself. I am hoping to learn more as the relationship grows.”
Reflo have pledged to plant 500 trees for every goal that Kane scores in the 2023/24 season so they are going to be busy, with the England captain hitting the ground running in Germany.
Kane became a record breaker twice in the space of two months last season as he broke Jimmy Greaves’ all-time scoring for Tottenham and then became England’s greatest ever scorer the following month.
He has another achievement in his sights with Bayern as he chases down Robert Lewandowski’s seasonal record of 41 goals in the Bundesliga.
Kane, with 24 goals in 20 games so far, admitted he did not expect to be as prolific as he has been but was not focusing on eclipsing Lewandowski’s tally just yet.
“I didn’t know what to expect. I always believed in myself and I had scored goals every year in the Premier League and that’s what I wanted to go and do in the Bundesliga,” he added.
“I probably didn’t picture scoring as many goals as I have now at this stage of the season. But you know me, I don’t like to put a limit on anything.
“I don’t like to think about records in particular, they are a consequence of hard work and doing all the little stuff off the pitch that put you to where you are on it.
“My focus is on the short term and then as we get closer and we get towards the end of the season and I am in touching distance, then for sure it will be something I would love to achieve.”
England will need to spring the biggest upset of the Bazball era as Shubman Gill’s century left them facing a huge fourth-innings chase in the second Test at Visakhapatnam.
The odds were already stacked against the tourists at the start of day three, 171 behind with 10 wickets still to take, but Gill’s knock of 104 gave India an iron grip.
England fought hard for everything they got, with two early wickets for the outstanding James Anderson and a pair of excellent catches from Ben Stokes and Ben Foakes, but a tea score of 227 for six looked emphatic for the hosts.
That left England 370 behind – already close to their record chase of 378 against the same opponents at Edgbaston in 2022.
To make matter worse, Joe Root was absent for the entirety of the afternoon session after injuring his finger stopping a ball at slip.
Anderson picked up exactly where he had left off 24 hours earlier in India’s first innings, producing a sterling spell from the pavilion end. At 41, and with no other seam bowlers in the side, he would have preferred a longer break between shifts but he showed no signs of weariness as he blew away the Indian openers.
More than half of a sold-out Sunday crowd were still queuing outside when he struck with his fourth ball of the morning, a beauty that stood up off the seam and hit the top of Rohit Sharma’s off stump as he looked ruefully over his shoulder.
Yashavi Jaiswal, following up his stunning double century, was next to succumb to Anderson’s unforgiving line and length as he flashed a drive to slip. For a brief moment, England were calling the shots but Gill survived two close calls on four and went on to turn the game.
First he was given lbw to Tom Hartley and seemed more surprised than anyone when DRS suggested a tiny inside edge. Technology would not have saved him when Anderson went up with another big appeal, but this time the on-field umpire said no to one that could have gone either way.
When Anderson left the attack, the control went with him, leaving England’s inexperienced spinners unable to keep a lid on the run-rate. Gill took the lead past 200 by launching Shoaib Bashir for six and dashed to 50 with back-to-back fours off Rehan Ahmed.
A stand of 81 with Shreyas Iyer (29) did real damage but Hartley ended it thanks to a moment of inspiration from Stokes. He chased down what looked to be a lost cause to brilliantly catch Iyer at full length.
Foakes followed suit, reacting instinctively to gather Rajat Patidar’s bottom edge off Rehan Ahmed, but 102 runs in the session still hurt.
There was another 97 between lunch and tea as Hartley, Ahmed and Bashir picked up the strain. Gill moved the lead beyond 300 as he powered Ahmed for a six and two fours in one over and brought up his hundred in 132 balls.
He was gone soon after, gloving a sweep off Bashir to the waiting Foakes, and Hartley had Axar Patel lbw for 45. It was a morale-boosting end to the session but the task already seemed extreme.
Stephen Curry scored 60 points for the second-most in his career and made 10 3-pointers, but the Atlanta Hawks started fast in overtime in a 141-134 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
Curry had eight points in overtime to notch the second 60-point game of his career, falling two points shy of matching his career high set against Portland on Jan. 3, 2021. He was 22 of 38 from the field, 10 of 23 from long range, and made all six free throws.
Dejounte Murray scored the last seven points in an 11-0 run to open overtime for the Hawks and finished with 19 points.
Curry’s second 3 of overtime drew Golden State within 136-131 with 67 seconds to play but Trae Young hit a floater and Jalen Johnson’s layup with 20 seconds left sealed the win.
Young scored 35 points with seven 3-pointers, and Onyeka Okongwu added a career-high 22 points and a season-best 16 rebounds for Atlanta, which has won a season high-tying four straight.
Lakers snap Knicks’ 9-game streak
LeBron James scored 24 points and the Los Angeles Lakers pulled away down the stretch for a 113-105 victory to end the New York Knicks’ nine-game winning streak.
Austin Reaves had 22 points, D’Angelo Russell and Taurean Prince each scored 16 and Anthony Davis added 12 with 18 rebounds.
It was the second straight impressive road win for the Lakers after their 114-105 victory at NBA-leading Boston on Thursday.
Jalen Brunson poured in 36 points and Donte DiVincenzo added 26 before fouling out. The Knicks were done in by a nearly seven-minute scoreless stretch in the fourth quarter, as the Lakers turned a 96-94 deficit into a 105-96 lead.
Antetokounmpo outduels Doncic in Bucks’ win
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 48 points and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied from a 25-point deficit for their first win under coach Doc Rivers, 129-117 over the Dallas Mavericks.
Antetokounmpo shot 20 of 28 from the field to go with 10 assists and six rebounds as Milwaukee avoided a season-high third straight loss.
The Bucks, who lost their first two games under Rivers, started the rally with a 15-0 run in the final two minutes of the first half to get within five.
Damian Lillard added 30 points on 10-of-11 shooting and hit all five 3-point attempts.
Luka Dončić had 40 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to fall just shy of his 10th triple-double of the season.
Maxi Kleber scored 21 points and Josh Green had 20 with nine rebounds for Dallas, which had its biggest blown lead in a loss this season and dropped to 2-6 in its last eight games.
Conor Benn saw off the challenge of American Peter Dobson in Las Vegas with a unanimous decision victory to keep his unbeaten record.
The 27-year-old from London, who is unable to fight in the UK due to failed drug tests, won his second straight fight in the US as he went 12 rounds for the first time in his career.
The judges scored the welterweight fight 119-109, 118-110 and 118-110 in Benn’s favour to extend his record to 23-0.
After the fight, Benn said he would fight anyone promoter Eddie Hearn puts in front of him.
Leading in to the fight, Benn said he had fallen out of love with boxing after the failed drugs tests but was willing to “spend every last penny” to prove his innocence in the appeal.
His career was thrown into turmoil in October 2022 after he twice tested positive for the banned drug clomifene in the lead-up to a bout against Chris Eubank Jr that was called off in fight week.
His provisional suspension was lifted by the independent National Anti-Doping Panel, although the British Boxing Board of Control and UK Anti-Doping have lodged an appeal against that decision.
Hearn said on Friday that Benn must be allowed to fight again in Britain to fill the void left by Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
American Wyndham Clark shot a course record 60 to take the lead heading into the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am.
The US Open champion made five putts of at least 25 feet in his 12-under-par round with two eagles, nine birdies and one bogey, eclipsing the previous record of 62.
Clark, who had a lengthy eagle putt at the last to break 60, said he had a “really good feel on the greens”.
He said: “I was just, ‘See ball, hit ball, try to hit it where I wanted to’.
“So in my mind I was like, ‘All right, let’s just get us to where we’re putting,’ because the hole seemed like a bucket today.”
Clark’s round does count as a course record on the PGA Tour, despite the players being able to clean and place balls on the fairways.
Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg continued his strong tournament with a five-under-par 67 to sit one shot off the lead with France’s Matthieu Pavon a further shot behind as he chases a second successive victory on tour.
Justin Rose shot a 66 to move to 11-under par – six off the lead – but Rory McIlroy is a further none strokes adrift after a 69.
The final day’s play could be determined by weather with strong winds and rain threatening to delay or cut short play.
With another display of his tremendous riding prowess, Jamaican-born United States-based jockey Shaun Bridgmohan registered his first ever win on Jamaican soil, with a come-from-behind effort aboard Phillip Feanny’s Fearless Soul, in Division One of the George HoSang Trophy at Caymanas Park on Saturday.
Bridgmohan’s 4-1/2 lengths triumph with the four-year-old chestnut colt, in the Restricted Allowance IV contest for native-bred four-year-olds and upward (non-winners of three) and imported four-year-olds and upward (non-winners of two), over five and a half furlongs (1,100m), marked another milestone in a decorated career –his 3,400th career win –and where better to have secured it that in the land of his birth.
The 44-year-old jockey, a Spanish Town native, who migrated to the United States at age of 13, dedicated the win to his father Gerald, who was unable to make the trip.
“It is nice to come down here and win a race. I want to thank my trainer Mr. Feanny for giving me the opportunity to ride a nice little horse today. Obviously, I couldn’t mess it up because he had him in great shape, so all I had to do was just keep him out of trouble,” Bridgmohan told SportsMax in a post-race interview.
“I watched him (Fearless Soul) race the last time he won, and he seemed like he was a much better horse on the outside, so my strategy going in was just to keep him wide and give him a clear path. When I pushed the trigger, he accelerated so fast and I thought I asked him a little too soon, but I just followed through. Dad this one is for you, and I love you,” he added.
Breaking from the number two draw, Bridgmohan and Fearless Soul, the 4-5 favourite, were slow from the gate and their trouble was compounded as they were crowded for space in the early exchanges.
With Strike Smart (Phillip Parchment) and Loyal Action (Tevin Foster) setting some decent early fractions of 23.2 and 47.2 seconds, it wasn’t until they left the half-mile (800m) point, that Bridgmohan and Fearless Soul found some racing room, and launched their attack from there.
After Strike Smart turned for home first, Bridgmohan and Fearless Soul entered the stretch run three wide with Royal Ash (Raddesh Roman) for company. However, with just a few more shake of the hands, followed by a flash of the whip by Bridgmohan, Fearless Soul easily rounded rivals and sprinted away in the final furlong to win in a final time of 1:07.2.
Strike Smart, Royal Ash and She’s Myhedgefund (Trevor Simpson), completed the frame behind the Balkrishen Sagan-Maraj-owned charge.
Meanwhile, Tevin Foster, who starred on the day with a dazzling four-timer, won Division Two of the George HoSang Trophy aboard Paul Swaby’s Kem in a time of 1:08.2.
His other winners on the nine-race programme were Howard Jaghai;s Speed On Wheels in the Eight Thirty Sprint; She’s A Godgift for trainer Leroy Tomlinson, and the Rohan Crichton-conditioned Bern Notice.
Andy Farrell insists he had no concerns about Ireland suffering a World Cup hangover during Friday’s thumping Guinness Six Nations win over France.
Both sides went into a blockbuster championship opener in Marseille on the back of having their dreams of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup shattered by narrow quarter-finals exits.
Reigning Grand Slam champions Ireland emphatically responded with a 38-17 bonus-point success at Stade Velodrome to begin their title defence with a bang and help ease memories of a painful last-eight loss to New Zealand in October.
“There are no hangovers with us,” said head coach Farrell.
“There’s a realisation of where we’re at and where we need to go to next and what we need to learn and that’s it.
“Hangovers are for tomorrow; we’re three months down the line – that’s a big hangover, if you can’t get over it in that time.
“We talk about our past performances all the time, sometimes we go back three years to say we learnt this or whatever.
“Of course we’ll learn big things from the All Blacks defeat but it’s not a hangover, it’s just the next step in how we progress going forward as a team and that’s how it should be in my opinion.”
Tries from Jamison Gibson-Park, Tadhg Beirne, Calvin Nash, Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher stunned France to silence the majority of a capacity crowd at Stade Velodrome.
Les Bleus had little answer to their dominant visitors and played around 60 minutes of the match with 14 men after Paul Willemse was sin-binned and then sent off following high tackles on Andrew Porter and Caelan Doris.
Despite Ireland registering their biggest victory away to France, new captain Peter O’Mahony, who succeeded Johnny Sexton following the World Cup, believes there is significant room for improvement moving towards a round-two clash with Italy.
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“We’ve been on a journey for a long time and we’ve had lots of great experiences and banked them and we’ve had some tough ones and banked them as well,” said O’Mahony.
“It’s always about getting better and it was another step for the group.
“We spoke about it being a huge occasion for us but, at the same time, it’s just another game for us and how calm and composed we could really be in an environment like that out there.
“It was a great test for the group. We’ve plenty to work on but there were parts of the game that felt like a good performance.”
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