Wales will go into the Guinness Six Nations with a new-look squad containing five international rookies and a 21-year-old captain.
But head coach Warren Gatland believes it is “incredibly exciting” as his players embark on the long road towards World Cup 2027 in Australia.
Although the last World Cup finished just four months ago, only 18 of that 33-strong squad feature for a Six Nations campaign that Wales kick off against Scotland before facing successive appointments away from home with England and Ireland.
The list of absentees is startling, highlighted by wing Louis Rees-Zammit’s career switch to American football, Dan Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny retiring from Test rugby and Liam Williams now playing in Japan.
There are tournament-ending injuries to the likes of World Cup co-captains Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake, plus number eight Taulupe Faletau, with France-based props Tomas Francis and Henry Thomas also missing out.
The uncapped contingent comprises Cardiff quartet Cameron Winnett, Evan Lloyd, Alex Mann and Mackenzie Martin, in addition to Bath prop Archie Griffin, while almost half the squad have eight caps or fewer.
It could well be a case of short-term pain leading to long-term gain for Wales, but Gatland is relishing what lies ahead.
“It is incredibly exciting,” said Gatland, who named Exeter lock Dafydd Jenkins as his skipper. “If you look at the squad we have got some talent, we’ve got some experience there from players we had with us at the World Cup.
“We have lost a lot of experience, but it is a new cycle for us to go through. We probably need a little bit of time and a little bit of patience from the Welsh public.
“I hope they can see that given some time together we can develop a squad over the next few years.
“I think this for us, looking at Wales having such a small group of players in terms of a Tier One nation, it is something that we need to plan and look at how we implement that plan over the next three or four years.
“Some of that is doing it right from the start. I think that despite all the negativity around Welsh rugby I think there are a lot of positives.
“There are a lot of negatives financially, but the financial challenges mean that we are giving opportunities to lots of youngsters that we may not have seen a few years ago, and for me that is a massive positive.
“We are not going to benefit in the short term, but I think that in the next three or four years we are going to benefit from us giving them those chances.
“Despite what people are talking about, the financial challenges, I see it differently as a real positive and a real chance for a reset in Welsh rugby that is going to put us in good stead over the next few years.”
With Biggar having departed the Test scene, considerable attention will focus on his fly-half successor – 22-year-old Sam Costelow – and his fellow squad number 10s Ioan Lloyd and Cai Evans.
Gatland added: “We are pleased with the progression of Sam in the time that he has been with us, but he has still got a little bit of learning.
“With Ioan it has probably been a little bit difficult for him over the last couple of seasons in terms of nailing down a position. He has played a lot of 10, he can cover 15 as well.
“The important thing for him is just to be playing regularly in one or two positions, and we are also thinking we can spend some time with Cai Evans in terms of giving him a little bit of time in that 10 position just to give us an option.”
On this day in 2008 six-time champion jockey Kieren Fallon was banned from racing for 18 months after testing positive for a banned substance.
He initially failed a test following Myboycharlie’s success in the Group One Darley Prix Morny the previous August.
A B-test sample confirmed the original positive test for a banned substance and France Galop imposed the ban.
Fallon had previously served a six-month suspension imposed by France Galop for testing positive for a metabolite of cocaine in June 2006.
Speaking about the ban, he told the Racing Post: “It’s not a tragedy, you know. Far from it.
“There’s no doubt I’ll bounce back. It’s very silly of people to talk of retirement. I’m young at heart and have many years left.
“I’ll use the duration of the ban to get back on track, and when I do come back I’ll be stronger, both mentally and physically.”
He immediately launched an appeal against the ban which was heard the following month and subsequently upheld.
Fallon returned to the sport in September 2009 and made his return to action at Lingfield.
Giannis Antetokounmpo notched his third triple-double in four games and the Milwaukee Bucks ended the Cleveland Cavaliers’ eight-game winning streak Wednesday with a 126-116 victory in their first game since the firing of coach Adrian Griffin.
Antetokounmpo had 35 points, a season high-tying 18 rebounds and 10 assists for his seventh triple-double this season. He came up one assist shy of having four consecutive triple-doubles after he had 31 points, 10 boards and nine assists in Saturday’s win at Detroit.
Joe Prunty served as Milwaukee’s interim head coach after Griffin was fired on Tuesday despite the Bucks leading the Central Division with a 30-13 record. The team was finalising negotiations with Doc Rivers to take over.
Damian Lillard added 28 points and Khris Middleton had 24 for the Bucks, winners of six of seven.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 23 points and Jarrett Allen had 21 and 12 assists.
Booker scores 46 for streaking Suns
Devin Booker scored 22 of his 46 points in the third quarter and the Phoenix Suns won their seventh straight game, 132-109 over the Dallas Mavericks.
Bradley Beal had 20 points and Kevin Durant added 12 and 10 rebounds as Phoenix matched its longest win streak of the season by turning a 16-point deficit in the second quarter into a 22-point lead after outscoring Dallas 43-20 in the third.
Luka Dončić tallied 34 points, eight rebounds and nine assists but didn’t get much help with All-Star sidekick Kyrie Irving out with a right thumb sprain.
Gilgeous-Alexander keeps Thunder hot
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points, 10 assists and six rebounds as the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled away for their fourth straight win, 140-114 over the San Antonio Spurs.
Aaron Wiggins scored 22 points and Chet Holmgren added 17 and nine rebounds as the Thunder remained tied with Minnesota atop the Northwest Division.
Victor Wembanyama had 24 points and 12 rebounds as the Spurs rookie faced off against Holmgren in a matchup of two of the top contenders for Rookie of the Year.
Taiwan’s Kevin Yu fired eight birdies as he took a one-shot lead after the first round of The Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego.
Yu carded a bogey-free 64 on the North Course at Torrey Pines, a birdie at the last edging him ahead of America’s Patrick Cantlay and Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune.
Ireland’s Shane Lowry and England’s Aaron Rai are among a group a further shot back after opening 66s, along with former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, Germany’s Thomas Detry and Alejandro Tosti of Argentina.
Nicolai Hojgaard, who finished seventh at the Dubai Desert Classic, and America’s Nick Hardy were the best of those who started on the more difficult South Course – their 67s leaving them amid a large group on five-under-par.
Hojgaard’s first start as a full-time member of the PGA Tour came despite jetlag and just nine holes on the North Course in practice.
“You’ve got to try to find a way,” the Danish Ryder Cup star told the PGA Tour website. “I’ll just push myself until we feel like the jetlag’s gone.”
“I think sometimes you can take advantage of not knowing the golf course and you’re just thinking about your execution. I felt like that was the only thing I was doing today.”
Jim Harbaugh wants to win the Super Bowl.
He can't win one coaching in the college ranks.
Harbaugh will reportedly become the next coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, leaving Michigan just over two weeks after leading his alma mater to the NCAA national championship.
The 60-year-old had his second interview with the Chargers on Wednesday and the two sides agreed to a contract, according to multiple sources.
Harbaugh, who played for the Chargers in 1999 and 2000, takes over for a Los Angeles team that fired Brandon Staley on December 15, a day after the Chargers were crushed 63-21 by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Harbaugh was one of the hottest names for a possible head coaching job after many speculated he was looking for a new challenge after achieving the highest level of success at the college ranks.
This will be his second stint coaching in the NFL after he was in charge of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014. In those four seasons, he led the 49ers to three play-off berths, two conference title games and an appearance in the 2012 Super Bowl, where he lost to the Baltimore Ravens, coached by his brother, John.
The Chargers, meanwhile, have only made the play-offs three times in the last 14 seasons, and haven't won the AFC West since 2009.
Harbaugh, who spent the last eight years at Michigan, where he went 86-25, will get to coach one of the NFL's top young quarterbacks in Justin Herbert.
Herbert helped the Chargers to a 10-7 record and play-off berth in 2022, but he broke a finger on his throwing hand late this past season and the team stumbled to a 5-12 finish.
Modernising Old Trafford and improving the matchday experience could help Manchester United achieve “revolutionary” growth in revenue, a football finance expert has said.
The Red Devils may have gone a decade without a Premier League title and 15 years without winning the Champions League, but commercially they remain a success story.
They dropped one place to fifth in the Deloitte Football Money League but earned a club record £648m for 2022-23, which briefly stood as a Premier League record before Manchester City announced their results for the same period in November last year.
Tim Bridge, the lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, hailed their enduring ability to generate revenue despite their on-field struggles, but believes upgrading Old Trafford could elevate them above their Premier League and European peers in commercial terms.
“What is so impressive (about United) is that resilience, that ability to continue to generate significant commercial return in the market, to find new (commercial) partners,” Bridge told the PA news agency.
“They have this way to engage with commercial partners in a way that few other clubs can.
“But you could also flip it around and also talk about what is the scale of the opportunity if they got it right. There have been a lot of reports around the current conditions at Old Trafford, there has been a lot of comparison to other football stadiums and the overall offering.
“I genuinely believe that if they had a genuine matchday offering that kept the fans in and around the stadium in the way that you have at somewhere like Tottenham, the results from a revenue perspective could be revolutionary and really outplay the rest of the competition.
“Because they still generate £100million-plus from Old Trafford and yet in experience terms, compared to what is also available on the market, or what may be available on the market from a Real Madrid or a Barcelona in the future, then the two are probably not comparable.
“So the strength of their brand, the strength of their fanbase, the loyalty is absolutely incredible and is extremely resilient and impressive.”
Ineos is set to invest 300 million US dollars (£235m) on club infrastructure after securing a 25 per cent stake in United.
Supporters have issued a number of complaints about the stadium, highlighting in particular leaks in its roof.
Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City have all slipped down the rankings in the latest Deloitte Football Money League as clubs from continental Europe gained ground.
Liverpool have had the biggest fall of any club in the top 20, from third place down to seventh, after Deloitte found their revenue had dropped slightly from £594.3million to £593.8m.
Deloitte attributed that fall to the Reds’ on-field performance, with the club finishing fifth in the Premier League last season and bowing out in the Champions League last 16.
Manchester United dropped one place to fifth despite a healthier revenue figure than the season before, while treble winners City were leapfrogged by Real Madrid and now sit second, despite posting a record Premier League revenue figure in their most recent accounts.
The Money League looks at revenue figures reported in clubs’ annual accounts for the 2022-23 season and does not look at operating costs.
Tottenham and Chelsea switched places compared to last year, with Spurs up one place to eighth, while Arsenal held on to 10th position.
Real led the way with revenue of £723m in 2022-23, demonstrating the club are doing well out of European football’s current ecosystem, despite their president Florentino Perez being arguably the most staunch advocate for a Super League.
Paris St Germain enter the top three for the first time, while Barcelona moved up three places to seventh with a revenue figure of £696m.
Tim Bridge, the lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, told the PA news agency: “There is a point in time, a moment here, where you’ve got Real Madrid and Barcelona redeveloping their stadiums, they have made moves towards controlling much more of their operations, particularly merchandising and licensing, so those revenue figures are a result of direct changes they have made to their business model.
“When we look at the Premier League holistically we’re not 100 per cent certain the days of significant domestic growth in media rights is over, but what we can say is, without significant competition coming into that market, then single-figure percentage growth is the likely outcome in that domestic market. Therefore the focus is on what can be done in the international market.
“What has always underpinned the fact there have been 10 or 11 Premier League clubs in the Money League has been that the media rights growth has given them significant distributions. Other leagues have caught up and there has been a slight plateauing of Premier League rights.”
Deloitte said the top 20 clubs had earned 10.5billion euros (£9bn) collectively, a 14 per cent increase on the previous season.
Barcelona Femeni were the top-earning women’s club in the world, with revenue rising by 74 per cent to £11.6m.
Athletic Bilbao’s Williams brothers both scored in extra-time as Barcelona endured more Copa del Rey misery at the San Mames in a 4-2 humbling in their quarter-final.
Inaki came off the bench to put the hosts ahead right at the end of the first additional period before Nico, eight years his junior at 21, applied the finishing touch with the last kick of the game.
The Catalans’ previous two visits in the competition in 2020 and 2022 both ended in defeat and when Inaki Williams reacted brilliantly to a huge stroke of luck by converting his own shot which rebounded off a post, history repeated itself.
It was no less than they deserved after stunning Barca by taking the lead after just 36 seconds through Gorka Guruzeta.
The visitors turned things around with goals from Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal in a six-minute spell midway through the first half but they never looked comfortable and Oihan Sanchet’s equaliser – from a sublime Nico Williams cross – just after the interval paved the way for former Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde’s side to win the game over 120 minutes.
This was the 46th Copa match between the two teams, who have won the trophy a combined 54 times, and it turned into an occasion befitting that history as Bilbao delivered some payback for the four defeats by Barca in the six finals they have reached since their last Copa triumph in 1984.
Guruzeta’s goal – the third time this season Barcelona have conceded in the first minute – was a scrappy affair with Sancet’s knockdown headed back by the diving Malcom Adu Ares for Sancet to help it on to his team-mate to fire home.
Guruzeta’s volley on the run went marginally wide before, after losing left-back Alejandro Balde to a hamstring injury, the visitors struck back with Lewandowski’s 13th of the season.
Pedri tried to get on the end of Ferran Torres’ left-wing cross and the loose ball fell to defender Yuri Berchiche, who hammered a clearance against Lewandowski who pounced to equalise.
When Yamal cut in from the right on his left foot to drill a low shot inside the far post Barcelona appeared to be in control but just four minutes after half-time Nico Williams’ deep cross to the far post was headed down and in by Sancet.
Yamal could have twice restored the visitors’ lead; first he was sent clear by Lewandowski but although he dinked it past goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala his shot went wide.
Four minutes from time he blazed wide after robbing Aitor Paredes 35 yards out as he received a pass from his goalkeeper and with Lewandowski now subbed off Bilbao sensed their chance.
In the final minute of the first half of extra-time Inaki Williams fired against the far post but a lucky rebound behind the goalkeeper gave him a second chance and he stabbed home.
He then inadvertently provided his brother with an assist when his miscontrol saw Nico Williams score arguably the best goal of the night, a curling effort with the outside of his right foot.
Union Berlin head coach Nenad Bjelica saw red after pushing Leroy Sane in the face during Bayern Munich’s narrow 1-0 win in the Bundesliga.
Bayern led through Raphael Guerreiro’s strike early in the second half before Bjelica appeared to push the former Manchester City winger twice in a sideline clash.
The narrow victory moved Bayern to within four points of Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen as they bounced back from the weekend’s defeat to Werder Bremen.
Harry Kane had an effort disallowed for offside while England team-mate Eric Dier made his Bayern debut as a half-time substitute.
Athletic Bilbao’s Williams brothers both scored in extra-time as Barcelona endured more Copa del Rey misery at the San Mames in a 4-2 humbling in their quarter-final.
Inaki came off the bench to put the hosts ahead right at the end of the first additional period before Nico, eight years his junior at 21, applied the finishing touch with the last kick of the game.
The Catalans’ previous two visits in the competition in 2020 and 2022 both ended in defeat and when Inaki Williams reacted brilliantly to a huge stroke of luck by converting his own shot which rebounded off a post, history repeated itself.
It was no less than they deserved after stunning Barca by taking the lead after just 36 seconds through Gorka Guruzeta.
The visitors turned things around with goals from Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal in a six-minute spell midway through the first half but they never looked comfortable and Oihan Sanchet’s equaliser – from a sublime Nico Williams cross – just after the interval paved the way for former Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde’s side to win the game over 120 minutes.
LaLiga leaders Girona were also knocked out as they fell to a 3-2 defeat at 10-man Real Mallorca.
The hosts scored three times in the first half courtesy of Cyle Larin and two efforts from Abdon Prats, one a stunning strike and the other a penalty.
Girona pulled a goal back midway through the second half when Cristhian Stuani scored a spot-kick after being fouled by Antonio Raillo, who was sent off, and they reduced the deficit further via a Savio finish in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but a last-gasp equaliser proved beyond them.
Leeds boss Daniel Farke revealed his side’s 1-0 home win against Norwich came at a price with Daniel James and Archie Gray both sustaining injury.
James was withdrawn during the interval due to a hip problem after providing an assist for Patrick Bamford’s winning header, which lifted Leeds to within two points of the Sky Bet Championship’s top two.
Teenage defender Gray, whose brilliant second-half tackle denied Adam Idah as the Norwich substitute bore down on goal, was forced off in the closing stages after taking a knock to his knee.
Farke said: “Daniel James sadly, I had to substitute him because at the half-time whistle he overstretched his hip flexor.
“I think it’s a little strain. I hope it’s not too bad. I think he will definitely be out for the FA Cup game at the weekend, but hope he can return to training soon because we need him. He’s in brilliant shape.
“Archie Gray, in the beginning, I was concerned because he had a hit against his knee and overstretched it and was panicking a little bit.
“He was fearing something with the ligament and had to limp off. After the first assessment I’m carefully optimistic. It seems like ACL ligaments are OK and it’s more or less just a hit.
“We have to wait for further assessment, but I’m carefully optimistic it’s not a long-term injury.”
Farke’s side extended their unbeaten home run this season to 15 matches to keep the pressure on their promotion rivals, while also winning their first five games of the year in all competitions.
They dominated for long spells, but failed to find the killer second goal and came through an anxious finale.
“Credit to Norwich, first of all,” Farke added. “They are definitely one of the best sides that have played at Elland Road this season.
“It was a really complicated game and for that I’m more than happy that we won this game, three points, another clean sheet.
“Four clean sheets in January and scoring goals – I’m pretty pleased with this.”
Norwich had their chances – notably Kenny McLean and Gabriel Sara in the first half – but while head coach David Wagner was disappointed with the result, he was pleased with his side’s performance.
Wagner said: “We gave Leeds a real game, we were absolutely competitive, and games like this will get decided by small margins.
“Congratulations to Leeds, a top team with super attacking individuals. But I think we kept them quite calm.
“In the second half everyone could see when we were really able to pin them into their final third without, to be honest, having the final punch in the box.
“Result, frustrating, but I’m absolutely fine with the performance.”
Emma Hayes admitted Chelsea played a boring game against Real Madrid as a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge ensured progression to the Champions League quarter-finals with a game to spare.
In the first half, Chelsea struggled to find a way through against Real, already eliminated after collecting a single point from their four games.
Chances fell to Guro Reiten and Erin Cuthbert, both denied by goalkeeper Mylene Chavas, while Mia Fishel put an effort wide of the near post from close range.
It took a clumsy challenge from Real full-back Kenti Robles, bringing down the lively Niamh Charles as she darted into the box, to earn Chelsea the penalty from which Reiten finally broke the deadlock just past the hour.
Substitute Athenea tapped in to level as Real made Chelsea sweat on qualification, leaving them facing two dropped points and an awkward trip to play Paris FC next week needing a result to seal a last-eight berth.
But Cuthbert, wearing the armband with Millie Bright unlikely to be back this side of the international break, took charge and within a minute had forced the winning goal, her cross bouncing in off Chavas as the goalkeeper’s concentration deserted her.
“We expect to go through, that’s a bare minimum,” said Hayes. “We should expect to go through as group winners. That’s already a sign of progress, that we expect those things.
“I didn’t think it was a scintillating performance, I thought it was a boring game. Not every game is swashbuckling and dynamic. I thought it was flat.
“I think it was understandable. We had an amazing performance at the weekend against Manchester United. Our league is really tough and I think it showed in some of the flat play for us. But we controlled the game without maybe doing enough in the final third.
“I brought Lauren (James) on at half-time, I thought that helped. Got the penalty, concede a sloppy goal from back to front, a poor goal.
“Then a really good response to go 2-1 up, then managed the game somewhat to the end in what was an efficient performance, but it was boring.”
Hayes said she looked forward to rotating her side in what will now be a dead rubber in Paris next week.
“Managing a squad of players is tricky when you’re making multiple changes,” she said. “I didn’t want to change much from the weekend, I think you need to build rhythm.
“For us the priority has got to be experimenting, giving opportunities in one of these two games coming up; Brighton (in the Women’s Super League) and Paris.
“It’s making sure we get Millie Bright back, we get Nat Bjorn registered. Maybe there’s a new player coming at some point (reports say a club record deal has been agreed for Colombia international Mayra Ramirez).
“But we’ve got to get ourselves ready. If we want to progress, we’ve got to get better. I think it was comfortable and measured from us.”
Real boss Alberto Toril reflected on a game that got away from his side despite a spirited performance.
“We played with our strengths, we contained them,” he said. “We restricted them. They’re a great team and we’re happy with the performance, even though we’ve lost. Sometimes you learn from the defeats.”
Jurgen Klopp was delighted his Liverpool side matched Fulham’s desire to reach the Carabao Cup final after the Reds secured their place at Wembley with a spirited 1-1 second-leg draw at Craven Cottage.
Luis Diaz put the Reds in the driving seat in the first half and despite Issa Diop’s 76th minute equaliser giving Fulham late hope, Liverpool sealed a 3-2 aggregate win after their 2-1 victory at Anfield earlier this month.
Klopp lauded his side’s spirit in the late stages as they now ready themselves for a repeat of the 2022 final against Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea.
“We were just ready for this game and that’s the most important thing. I saw Marco Silva’s press conference and we know what this game meant to them and so I told the boys we have to also show it,” Klopp said.
“We had to show it to the outside world that we wanted it as much as them and I saw that.
“We had to get over the line and we did. It feels great, we are really happy, the boys wanted it and they got it and so we have 10 games to play before the final in four weeks or so. We are looking forward to Wembley.”
Liverpool defeated Chelsea in both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals two years ago and Klopp believes the Blues will be motivated to get their revenge.
He added: “It will be a big one but we all know it’s against Chelsea. They will want to put history right after playing us twice two years ago.”
Diaz was quick to react and beat Timothy Castagne in the air before a deflected strike got past Bernd Leno at his near post.
The Liverpool boss talked up the winger’s impact after his standout performance on the night.
Klopp said: “He was very good. He’s a fantastic player and I have absolutely no criticism of him but I wish he set up the second and scored the third.
“The speed and the power he can generate, the technique and the combination of that is outstanding so I’m really happy.”
Fulham dug deep to try and force the game into extra-time but their earlier missed opportunities frustrated Silva come full time.
Silva believes Liverpool’s experience in big games was the difference maker between the two sides.
He said: “Tonight I felt like they were much calmer than us and to them it was just another game. With most of our players it is new to them to play in a semi-final of this competition and it is what it is.
“I think the club is going to grow in these type of moments and the players as well.”
Philippe Clement is happy to have a selection headache after Rangers closed the gap on cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with a commanding 3-0 win over Hibernian.
Defender Ridvan Yilmaz and midfielder Todd Cantwell gave the visitors a two-goal interval lead at Easter Road with substitute Cyriel Dessers adding a third in the second half to leave the Light Blues five points behind their Old Firm rivals with one game in hand.
Keeper Jack Butland chipped in with some crucial saves but Clement spoke in glowing terms about his whole squad.
“It is about everybody,” said the Rangers boss, who reiterated his earlier statement that Abdallah Sima would be out for “between two and three months” after having an operation on his thigh.
“To be honest, after a game like this, I don’t even remember who scored the goals because for me it is not important who scores.
“It’s scoring as a team and it is the same with Jack. He makes the saves because the other guys will get red cards if they make saves with their hands.
“But, for example, John (Souttar) also made a really good save with his chest. It’s a team effort. That’s what we wanted to create a few months ago. To see a team all the time on the pitch and the guys are doing that now.
“I hope also after several victories they keep on understanding where it is coming from. It is not falling out of the sky.
“It is about a lot of effort, a lot of solidarity and not having too big an ego to play for yourself.
“So I am going to be really strict on that and to look at the team and making team decisions.
“I told them after training yesterday [Tuesday] they give me quite a headache for the moment to pick a starting 11.
“But it is a good thing. I hope they give me a lot of headaches the next couple of months.”
Before the game Clement revealed the extent of Sima’s injury.
The 22-year-old Senegal international, who has scored 15 goals since arriving on loan from Brighton in the summer, was sent home from the Africa Cup of Nations after picking up the injury in training.
Clement told Rangers’ official website: “Abdallah had his operation and the surgeon was really happy with the way it went.
“It was a good operation, everything went well and he will be out for between two and three months.
“He is positive, he is someone who is always working hard and we expect him to be back as fast as possible in a healthy way and we can count on him at the end of the season.”
Hibs boss Nick Montgomery was left ruing some missed opportunities.
He said: “Myziane (Maolida) has a chance from six yards and it’s a top save from the goalkeeper.
“Those are the moments that change games. If that goes in it’s 2-1 the crowd lifts and I’m pretty sure we could have got back into the game. We would have been right in the ascendency.
“If you don’t take your chances you are going to start chasing the game and you can’t do that against a team like Rangers.”
St Johnstone manager Craig Levein admitted he had ditched a plan to take debutant David Keltjens off before the Israel international netted a late equaliser against Aberdeen.
Saints appeared to be heading towards a hard-luck story after Bojan Miovski’s penalty put the Dons ahead but debutant Keltjens headed home in the 78th minute to seal a 1-1 draw.
The 28-year-old January signing had been without a club since last season and Levein planned to remove him after an hour after starting him at wing-back.
“That was our intention but he was doing so well that I didn’t see any reason to take him off,” the saints boss said.
“David was excellent. He has hardly played any football at all for a long time and that was one of the considerations when we signed him. But he has played six times for Israel and he is a good age.
“It was just about whether he was capable of performing at the levels that we require and he more than did. He was steady, reliable and tough. To get the goal was the icing on the cake.”
Liam Gordon was twice on the end of VAR decisions – a disallowed goal and a penalty – which were far from clear and obvious to anyone inside McDiarmid Park, including Levein.
The Saints skipper was penalised for catching Jamie McGrath after the midfielder cleared only as far as Graham Carey, whose volley had squeezed inside the near post of Kelle Roos.
The defender was then ruled to have fouled Slobodan Rubezic following a Dons corner and referee John Beaton pointed to the spot after being called to his monitor for a second time by Steven Kirkland.
Levein, who felt his side deserved “at least a point”, said: “I haven’t seen any of the incidents. The boys said Gordy caught somebody for their penalty so that was fair enough. I don’t know what happened with their disallowed goal. I will wait and see.
“It was a bit of a palaver to be honest. It does seem there is a lot of time taken to make decisions and if every decision was correct then I would be happy for them to spend as much time as they want.
“But when you have human beings involved, there is always a chance there is going to be errors. I’m not saying there was tonight because I don’t know.”
Aberdeen missed the chance to move into the cinch Premiership top six and manager Barry Robson felt his side paid the price for poor game management.
“It was disappointing, when you are 1-0 up with 15 minutes to go, you are hoping to go on and win the game,” said Robson, who lost Rubezic late on to a knee injury which will require a scan.
“When the opposition is coming at you and they will come at you, you have to be calm and use your experience. You get your distances right, stop crosses coming into the box and when the ball does come in the box, you win your headers.
“We never did that well enough in the last 15 minutes.”
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
