Wales boss Warren Gatland has made seven changes to the starting line-up for Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash against England at Twickenham.

Centre George North returns from injury for his 50th Six Nations appearances, lining up alongside Nick Tompkins in midfield.

Fly-half Sam Costelow, who went off injured during the first-half of Wales’ 27-26 loss to Scotland last weekend, is replaced by Ioan Lloyd, with Tomos Williams at scrum-half.

Gatland has also selected a new front-row of Gareth Thomas, Elliot Dee and Keiron Assiratti, with Cardiff flanker Alex Mann handed a first Wales start following his try-scoring appearance off the bench against Scotland.

Sean Bowen is looking to make up for lost time when he makes his return from a lengthy absence at Huntingdon on Thursday.

Bowen held a significant advantage over Harry Cobden before he suffered a nasty fall from Gordon Elliott’s Farren Glory in the Grade One Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day.

A problem with a knee has kept him on the sidelines since, and Cobden has whittled away at his advantage to such an extent that before racing on Wednesday the gap had been reduced to just four.

Bowen returns on Olly Murphy’s Roccovango in the Mulberry Developments Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.

“It’s been a long six weeks out of the saddle, and I really can’t wait to get back riding on Thursday,” said Coral ambassador Bowen.

“I don’t tend to watch much racing when I’m out of action, but I do watch James (brother) and support him, and I’ll always check the results to see how Olly’s horses have got on. It is always tough seeing the horses you’d have been on go out there and win, because even though you’re happy they’ve won, you always want to be the jockey to win on them.

“Harry has been riding right at the top of his game recently, and Paul’s (Nicholls) horses are also in great form, so I really need to get back riding winners if I want to be champion jockey, which make no mistake, I do!

“I’d much rather still have a comfortable lead, but the fact Harry is now breathing down my neck at the top of the championship has given me that extra bit of fire in my belly to want to get back out there and ride as many winners as I possibly can.

“It’s very much going to be a numbers game for me for the rest of the season, so wherever I think I have the best chance of riding a few winners is where I’ll be heading, regardless of the high-profile action that might be taking place elsewhere.”

He added of Roccovango: “He’s not a horse we know much about as he’ll be having his first start for Olly on Thursday, but he’d look potentially well-handicapped on some of his form in Ireland, so he goes there with a chance.

“I’d say we’ll have to go some to beat Harry Derham’s horse Nordic Tiger though, as he looks particularly well-in at the weights.”

Europe captain Luke Donald insists Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have not been “judged” for their decision to join LIV Golf and place their Ryder Cup futures in jeopardy.

Hatton and Rahm won both of their matches together in Rome last year, the fiery characters earning the nickname of “Team Angry” as they helped Donald’s side to a convincing victory over the United States.

As things stand, both will be eligible to qualify or receive a wild card for Europe’s defence of the trophy at Bethpage in 2025 as long as they remain members of the DP World Tour, which requires them to play in four regular tournaments per season.

They will also earn points towards qualification through major championships, but face fines and suspensions for playing in LIV tournaments without the required “conflicting event” releases from the DP World Tour.

Asked ahead of his appearance in the WM Phoenix Open if he had spoken to Rahm and Hatton, Donald told a pre-tournament press conference: “I haven’t seen too many of the guys.

“We still have a group WhatsApp chat and we’re all participating in that chat that we created for Rome.

“There’s nothing adverse or anything within that chat. Everyone understands each individual wants to do the best for themselves and I don’t think anyone is judging Tyrrell or Jon’s decision.

“Jon is someone who decided that was the best choice for him. A lot of guys have decided that going to LIV is the choice that they were comfortable with. I’m not here to judge that.

“There’s been a lot of talks about the World Rankings and should LIV guys get it. Again, I think sometimes there are consequences to certain decisions and I think a lot of these guys knew that going into it.

“Do I see them (on the team)? It’s really hard for me to answer that question now. What I did so well in my captaincy last year was just control what I can control.

“We’re seven months out probably until qualification starts. We have all this talk about being potential deals with the PGA TOUR, with DP World Tour, with the PIF (Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia).

“I have no idea what’s going to happen and for the next seven months I don’t really need to know what’s going to happen because qualification for the Ryder Cup won’t start until then.”

As soon as Rahm’s decision to join the Saudi-funded breakaway was announced, Rory McIlroy said the rules on qualification for the European team would have to be changed to allow the Masters champion to compete at Bethpage.

The four-time major winner subsequently acknowledged that was not strictly accurate and Donald confirmed that he had monitored the form of LIV players who had remained eligible to make the team in Rome.

“Even going back to last year, there was a couple of guys playing on LIV that maintained their membership and I kept an eye on everyone that was eligible for me to be able to pick,” Donald said.

“The guys that decided to resign their membership, yeah, at that point I couldn’t pick them, but at this moment those are the rules and so far I’m sure Jon, I’m sure Tyrrell, they want to be a part of it and they will hopefully adhere to whatever the rules are that allows them to play in the Ryder Cup.”

Kyrie Irving described himself as "at peace" over his time with the Nets after scoring 36 points in a stellar return to Brooklyn as the Dallas Mavericks won 119-107 on Tuesday.

Irving, acquired from the Nets exactly one year ago, shot 15 of 24 from the field, was 4 of 11 on 3-pointers and handed out five assists.

Luka Doncic fell just short of a 10th triple-double this season with 35 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists.

Dallas improved to 28-23 with its second straight win before Thursday's road game in New York.

After the win, Irving faced a string of questions over his time spent with the Nets, with his return coming after Kevin Durant also made a winning return to Brooklyn last week.

"I don’t think about it too often now, I’m pretty much at peace with what happened and the time I spent here," said Irving.

"I wish a lot of the guys well. Obviously, it was emotional and you could see my emotions running on out there but after that, I was just pretty much focused on winning the basketball game.

"It was just like any other basketball game, but it felt like I was home."

Pressed on his Brooklyn exit after impressing in his second game back after missing six with a sprained right thumb, Irving added: "It was time to get my own peace of mind and go somewhere where I was able to thrive.

"I did not want to be in a situation where I didn't have to worry about behind-the-back talk or the media talk or not knowing how to handle real-life circumstances that has nothing to do with the game of basketball. 

"While I was here, I learned a lot of lessons. I've made my peace again and I just want to move forward."

The Nets only won one playoff series with Durant and Irving, who spent three-and-a-half years in Brooklyn.

However, they almost defeated the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2021, a battle that took place while James Harden and Irving were both short of full fitness.

Irving said: "Things could have changed, and you look back at the past and you have 20-20 vision then this could've gone right or if this would've happened…

"If I didn't get injured versus the Bucks, do I still ask for a trade? If KD's foot wasn't on the 3-point line, are we talking about a different legacy here? If James doesn't ask for a trade – all of the woulda, coulda, shoulda, wouldas.

"Everything that I've learned about myself has come from being in the city and being in Jersey. It was a childhood dream to play for the Nets.

"Obviously I fell short in terms of the championship aspirations, but for me, I think it was bigger than a championship here.

"I had to really take some moral stances. There were some political things that were going on here as well and there were some things that I did on my accord that I look back on and they were mistakes. And I have to be accountable for those things. 

"I'm not perfect. But one thing I can say is I've been able to learn from things and continue to push forward."

Mikal Bridges scored 28 points and Royce O’Neal added 18 for Brooklyn, which cut a 23-point deficit to 107-101 with roughly five minutes left before Irving hit two straight 3s for a 113-101 advantage.

The Mavericks are eighth in the highly competitive Western Conference standings.

Irving added: "Hopefully after this night, we can just put that to rest, just move forward and I can look forward to the rest of my career and just handle it in Dallas and going after my second championship."

The draw for the newly-expanded Nations League will take place in Paris on Thursday evening.

Here the PA news agency takes a closer look at what to expect.

How will the draw work?

The 54 competing UEFA nations will be paired into four-team groups – with four groups in Leagues A to C and two groups in League D.

Scotland are in with Europe’s big guns in League A. England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland are in League B and Northern Ireland occupy League C.

So could any of those five nations be drawn together?

In the group phase, the only possible head to head is England or Wales facing the Republic of Ireland in League B. England and Wales are in Pot 1 so cannot be drawn against each other, while the Irish are in Pot 3.

There is then the potential for some of the sides to come together in the competition’s new-look latter stages – see below.

The group stage will consist of teams playing each other home and away during the September, October and November international breaks this year.

How will the competition be different to previous editions?

Whereas in previous tournaments it has been only the winners of each of the four League A groups who have progressed to the Nations League semi-finals the following June, now the winners and runners-up in each group will feature in two-leg quarter-finals in March 2025.

In addition, there will be promotion-relegation play-offs in the same international window. Teams finishing third in groups in Leagues A and B will face play-offs against teams finishing second in groups in Leagues B and C respectively. This is where, for instance, Scotland and England could come head to head if the Scots finish third in their group and England come second in theirs.

The intention of the expansion is to provide further meaningful matches at international level, with the original purpose of the Nations League at its foundation being to take up space in the calendar previously occupied by friendlies.

The Nations League finals in June 2025 will continue to be played as single-leg semis and a final, with one of the last four teams standing serving as hosts.

How does the Nations League link in to qualifying for the next World Cup?

The primary qualification competition for the 2026 finals begins next year. The 12 group winners in that competition will qualify direct for the finals, with the 12 group runners-up entering play-offs. However, four play-off berths will also be reserved for the four best-ranked Nations League group winners who have not finished first or second in regular qualifying. The last four European qualifiers for the 2026 finals will be determined by those play-offs in March 2026.

Anything else to mention?

Under UEFA’s excessive travel restrictions, only one of England, Wales or the Republic can possibly be drawn to face Kazakhstan, who are in Pot 4 of League B.

Last year’s 1000 Guineas winner Mawj has been retired from racing.

The four-year-old provided trainer Saeed bin Suroor with his first British Classic success in 14 years when holding off Tahiyrah by half a length a thrilling finish to the Newmarket contest.

Her season was then interrupted by a setback, with the daughter of Exceed And Excel eventually returning to action to win the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Stakes at Keeneland in October before rounding off her three-year-old campaign with a nose defeat at the hands of fellow Godolphin runner Master Of The Seas in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Mawj disappointed on her return in the Jebel Hatta at Meydan last month and it has been decided to call time on her career, bowing out the winner of six of her 11 starts, with her juvenile highlight coming when claiming the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket.

Bin Suroor told www.godolphin.com: “Mawj is a very special filly, who showed her brilliance throughout her racing career. It was a fantastic day when she won the 1000 Guineas and I was especially pleased that it was her who provided me with my 500th Group race victory out in Keeneland.

“She proved herself against the best horses across the world, winning in Dubai, the UK and the United States as well as finishing second in a Breeders’ Cup Mile. Everyone at Al Quoz and Godolphin Stables is going to miss her but we look forward to the next stage of her life as a broodmare.”

It may be almost 20 years since his heartbreaking Champion Hurdle near miss, but Harchibald still holds a special place in the affections of his trainer Noel Meade.

Harchibald won 14 of his 48 career appearances and struck at the highest level on five occasions.

But the conclusion of his 2005 Cheltenham Festival defeat – where he loomed up large in the hands of ever-loyal pilot Paul Carberry before agonisingly falling a neck short of victory – remains the underlying memory of Harchibald’s storied career on the racecourse.

Retired in 2009 and now 25 years of age, Harchibald is enjoying life in Cork, but his old tutor is always keen to be updated on the well-being of his favourite pupil.

“He was a great horse to have and we enjoyed him. He’s still my favourite horse,” said Meade.

“He is down in Cork with the Hurleys. When he retired, we gave him to Johnny Hurley’s wife to ride in racehorse classes, which she did for a while, but he wasn’t that simple at it.

“So, they eventually retired him from that as well and he’s been living the life of luxury for the last number of years, being well looked after.

“I’ve seen him a couple of times since he’s retired, I haven’t been down there lately, but they let me know what’s happening with him.”

Harchibald was at his peak during the 2004-2005 season, when successful raids on Newcastle’s Fighting Fifth and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton made him a prime candidate to land the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Sent off 7-1 behind joint-favourites Hardy Eustace (the defending champion) and Back In Front, Carberry was at his patient best when biding his time in the rear before beginning to smoothly move into contention on the run to two out.

What happened next has gone down in Festival folklore, as a motionless Carberry cruised alongside fellow hurdling greats Hardy Eustace and Brave Inca jumping the last and remained locked on the bridle as the trio edged their way up the lung-busting Cheltenham hill.

With the winning post approaching, Carberry remained static, as if a cat playing with his prey, but although he knew Harchibald better than most, when the time finally came to ask his mount to go on and win the Champion Hurdle, he was repelled by the tough-as-teak title holder.

“I suppose he is remarkable in that he is remembered more for being beaten than he was for winning,” said Meade.

“That Champion Hurdle defeat, people remember him for that more than anything else. But he was always a strong traveller in his races and jumped very well, which was a big thing.

“It is what it is and you often think about it again and think if something was done different, maybe he could have won. I always stood by Paul and still do – and he did what he thought was right on the day. It’s hard to watch now even.

“I was stood alongside Dessie Hughes and when they jumped the last, Dessie tapped me on the back and said well done – and of course his horse stayed on. The other two horses were very strong battlers, both Hardy Eustace and Brave Inca were very tough.”

It was en route to that famous reversal when Meade believed Harchibald was at his very best, reeling in former Champion Hurdle victor Rooster Booster to claim the first of two Christmas Hurdles he would win at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Meade added: “The time he beat Rooster Booster at Kempton, I was watching at Leopardstown and stood next to Frank Berry and Rooster Booster went half a furlong in front and we were watching it wondering were we going to get there – and of course we did. That was very exciting and one I remember well.

“I think that was the year he was at his peak, although extraordinary enough, his piece of work he did before the Champion Hurdle that year at Navan on very soft ground was very poor. It was about 10 or 12 days before the race, but on the good ground at Cheltenham, he was a different proposition.”

No Harchibald story is complete without a word for Carberry, the man who partnered the gelding more than other and perhaps the only one to eclipse Meade’s love of the brilliant bay hurdler.

Carberry was on board for Harchibald’s biggest victories, but also in some of his most cruel defeats and Meade will always remember the jockey’s answer to a question posed after the 8-11 favourite had failed to conquer Straw Bear in the 2007 Christmas Hurdle.

“Paul absolutely adored Harchibald, he just loved him,” said Meade.

“I will never forget when he got beat in the Christmas Hurdle by Straw Bear, with AP riding, and he was beaten a head.

“Paul never hit him and I wasn’t there, I was in Leopardstown, so the following day I said to him ‘would you not have hit him just once?’.

“And Paul looked at me, and there was a tear in his eye as he said ‘why would I hit him, he was doing his best’. I will never forget him saying that to me.

“He was very good on a flat track and Paul felt he just didn’t get home on a stiff track. He was very good at Newcastle and he was very good at Kempton.

“He won at both of those tracks twice and he won at Punchestown, which is flat enough too, he just struggled to get home when the track was a bit stiffer. He did win the International at Cheltenham though, which was a Grade Two.”

Harchibald would correct the record when winning the Christmas Hurdle for the second time in 2008, with his final career success followed by retirement in November the following year.

However, before time was called, Harchibald was given one start over fences, when he finished second to Sizing Europe, leaving his handler to wonder if connections should have pursued options over the larger obstacles sooner.

Meade said: “In the end, he did have one go over fences and I was always a bit worried about putting him over fences because he was so brave. But he jumped brilliant and I was a bit sorry we didn’t put him over fences earlier.

“He used to get a problem behind when he would run in soft and sticky ground, where he would pull a ligament behind and go lame on us, and that was always a problem. But it was probably a pity that we didn’t try him over fences earlier.”

The player of the match in the men’s Super League Grand Final will be presented with the Rob Burrow Award from this year onwards.

The new prize will replace the Harry Sunderland Trophy, which had been presented to the most influential player in all 26 Grand Finals since 1998 and was previously used in Championship and Premiership finals.

The change was announced on Wednesday by the game’s commercial management board, Rugby League Commercial, and the award’s organisers, the Rugby League Writers and Broadcasters Association.

Former Leeds, England and Great Britain scrum-half Burrow won eight Super League titles and was the first player in the summer era to win the Harry Sunderland Trophy twice, in 2007 and 2011.

He is now a passionate campaigner and fundraiser for people with motor neurone disease – a condition with which he was diagnosed in 2019 – and was awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours list.

RLWBA chair Trevor Hunt, who is also serving as the vice-president of the Rugby Football League, said: “After long and serious consideration, we believe that now is the right time to make a change that brings the award recognition into the new era.

“I am certain that rugby league players and supporters will agree that the name of Rob Burrow is a fitting one to recognise.”

Two other two-time winners of the previous trophy, Burrow’s former Leeds team-mates Kevin Sinfield and Danny McGuire, have been invited to present the new award at this year’s Grand Final at Old Trafford on October 14.

The 2024 Betfred Super League season begins on Thursday, February 15 with a derby between Hull and Hull KR.

What the papers say

Manchester United are said to be turning their transfer focus to a data-driven approach, targeting players of a younger age profile. The i reports the shift stems from new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, with Everton’s 21-year-old defender Jarrad Branthwaite at the top the club’s wishlist.

According to the i, another name on United’s radar is Crystal Palace’s 22-year-old winger Michael Olise, though the France Under-21 player has also been linked with Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in recent weeks.

Staying with United, The Telegraph reports Mason Greenwood, who is on loan from the Red Devils at Getafe, has attracted the attention of Atletico Madrid. The England forward has impressed since arriving in Spain this season, and there is expected to be heated competition across LaLiga for his future services.

Elsewhere, the Daily Mail, citing Footmercato, says Liverpool contacted Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso in November about succeeding Jurgen Klopp as manager.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Federico Chiesa: Liverpool are keeping a close eye on the Juventus forward’s situation, according to the website HITC.

Savio: ESPN reports talks have taken place between Manchester City and the 19-year-old Brazilian winger, who is currently on loan at Spanish club Girona from French side Troyes.

Chandler Stephenson snapped a tie in the third period and the Vegas Golden Knights ended the Edmonton Oilers’ 16-game winning streak, 3-1 on Tuesday.

The Oilers fell one win shy of matching the NHL record of 17 straight wins, held by the Mario Lemieux-led 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Edmonton’s 16-game streak is tied with the 2016-17 Columbus Blue Jackets for the second-longest in league history.

Nicolas Roy scored in the first period and William Karlsson added an empty-net goal as Vegas improved to 6-1-1 in its last eight games.

Adin Hill stopped 30 shots and is 3-0-0 with a .955 save percentage in three starts since returning from an injury that sidelined him over a month.

Connor McDavid scored a short-handed goal for the Oilers, who lost for the first time since Dec. 19 against the New York Islanders and dropped to 24-4-0 in their last 28 games.

Lindholm shines in Canucks debut

Elias Lindholm scored a pair of power-play goals in his Canucks debut and J.T. Miller snapped a third-period tie as Vancouver extended its point streak to 12 games with a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.

Lindholm, who began his career with Carolina, scored in each of the first two periods in his first game since he was acquired from Calgary last week.

Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser each had two assists and Thatcher Demko stopped 22 shots as the NHL-leading Canucks improved to 10-0-2 in their last 12 games.

Demko won his ninth straight start to set a franchise record, breaking a tie with Dan Cloutier (2002).

Jordan Martinook and Sebastian Aho scored for the Hurricanes, who had won three straight.

Jarry earns NHL-best sixth shutout

Tristan Jarry turned away 24 shots for his NHL-leading sixth shutout to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-0 win over the slumping Winnipeg Jets.

Jarry stopped eight shots in each of the first two periods and seven more in the third for his 19th career shutout. He is 5-0 lifetime against the Jets.

Bryan Rust, Jeff Carter and Kris Letang scored to help the Penguins win their second straight following a three-game skid.

Winnipeg has dropped four in a row after winning 10 of 11.

Kyrie Irving scored 36 points in a stellar return to Brooklyn and Luka Doncic fell just short of a triple-double in the Dallas Mavericks’ 119-107 win over the Nets on Tuesday.

Irving, acquired from the Nets exactly one year ago, shot 15 of 24 from the field, was 4 of 11 on 3-pointers and handed out five assists in his second game back after missing six with a sprained right thumb.

Doncic had 35 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists to come up short for his 10th triple-double of the season.

Mikal Bridges scored 28 points and Royce O’Neal added 18 for Brooklyn, which cut a 23-point deficit to 107-101 with roughly five minutes left before Irving hit two straight 3s for a 113-101 advantage.

Brunson hurts ankle in Knicks’ win

Jalen Brunson had 27 points and eight assists before leaving with an ankle injury and Donte DiVincenzo had 32 points as the New York Knicks held off the Memphis Grizzlies, 123-113.

Brunson appeared to injure his ankle when he was fouled by G.G. Jackson with 5:31 remaining. The Knicks did not have an update postgame.

Isaiah Hartenstein had 17 points and eight rebounds and Precious Achiuwa added 17 as the Knicks won for the 10th time in 11 games to move to 16-3 in their last 19.

Vince Williams Jr. led seven players in double figures with 19 points, but Memphis lost its sixth straight game to match a season high.

Suns’ star trio delivers in win

Devin Booker scored 32 points and Kevin Durant had 28 and 10 rebounds as the Phoenix Suns pushed past the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks, 114-106.

Bradley Beal added 25 points and 10 rebounds and Jusuf Nurkic had 10 points with 10 boards as the Suns won their third in four games despite missing 20 of 28 from 3-point range.

Giannis Antetokoumpo led Milwaukee with 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but the Bucks dropped to 1-4 since hiring coach Doc Rivers.

Damian Lillard missed the game with a sprained ankle and starting center Brook Lopez was out for personal reasons. Forward Khris Middleton left in the first quarter with a sprained ankle.