Sam Burgess revealed he was given the blessing of Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe to leave Australia behind and pursue his first head coach role at Warrington.

Burgess enjoyed two successful playing stints at South Sydney Rabbitohs, the NRL club Crowe co-owns, and the ex-dual code England international stayed on as assistant after hanging up his boots in 2019.

The pair remain close and Burgess admitted he sounded out the A-list star and listened to the advice of mother Julie, plus brothers Luke, Tom and George, before signing a two-year deal with Wolves.

Warrington have endured a couple of challenging seasons but owner Simon Moran and chairman Stuart Middleton have backed Burgess, who was named the permanent successor to Daryl Powell in August.

Burgess said: “I’ve got Russell who I have known for a long time. I speak to him weekly. We are great friends. He just urged me to be myself and enjoy the ride. He was very encouraging.

“He is good friends with Simon, they have a great relationship, so they had spoken in the background. Russell’s guidance was that Warrington have a strong position in the community. He is huge on that.

“But I lean on a lot of different people. Some other great friends. My brothers and my mum are great counsel.

“I am not going to copy or be anyone else. I will manage it my own way. But there will be things that I’ll ask for advice on or lean on a couple of people that have done it for a number of years.”

Burgess batted away suggestions Kevin Sinfield could join Warrington as an assistant, amid speculation the Leeds Rhinos great could leave his job as England rugby union defence coach after the World Cup.

The 34-year-old, who says his coaching team is fully in place, said: “I’ve not heard anything about that.

“I’ve spoken to Kevin. That’s it. We are going to catch-up for a coffee. But I’ve not said anything about coming to Warrington. That’s a good rumour.”

Burgess is set to become Super League’s youngest head coach but he insisted neither his age nor his considerable profile will have any bearing on how he will approach this latest challenge.

He added: “It’s all external for me. I think I was the youngest Super League player at some point as well. It just comes and goes. It’s part of the job. I don’t see myself as a young coach.

“The recognisable stuff is not going to help me coach. You’ve got to do your job and connect with the players and grow that stuff. I have a good feeling about it. I won’t make any bold statements.

“It’s not going to help the team. It’s not going to help me. We have plenty of hard work to do between now and the start of the year.”

Barcelona and Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati has won the women’s Ballon d’Or, France Football has announced.

The 25-year-old enjoyed a fine year for club and country – winning a league and Champions League double before playing a pivotal role in Spain’s World Cup success, where she also won the Golden Ball.

Bonmati beat Chelsea and Australia striker Sam Kerr into second place, with her Spain and Barcelona team-mate Salma Paralluelo coming third.

Two of England’s Lionesses who reached the World Cup final made the top 10, with Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps fifth and Rachel Daly of Aston Villa 10th.

Manchester City were crowned the men’s team of the season after Pep Guardiola’s side delivered the treble of Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

Meanwhile, City’s Erling Haaland won the Gerd Muller Trophy for the world’s top-scoring striker after hitting a record 56 goals last season.

Aston Villa and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez won the Lev Yashin Trophy for goalkeeper of the year after his starring role in his nation’s World Cup win.

England international Jude Bellingham was voted the Kopa Award winner for the best under-21 player in the world.

The Real Madrid and England midfielder picked up the trophy after the 20-year-old finished 18th for the main award.

Bellingham has hit 13 goals in 13 appearances since moving to Madrid in the summer, including a double to lead Real to victory in his first El Clasico against Barcelona on Saturday, but his success was for last season – where he shone for Borussia Dortmund and England.

Jude Bellingham’s meteoric rise continued as he was awarded the Kopa Trophy for the best player under the age of 21 in world football.

The Real Madrid and England midfielder picked up the trophy at the Ballon d’Or event in France, where the 20-year-old finished 18th for the main award.

Bellingham has hit 13 goals in 13 appearances since moving to Madrid in the summer, including a double to lead Real to victory in his first El Clasico against Barcelona on Saturday.

The Kopa Trophy was awarded for his form last season, when Bellingham helped Borussia Dortmund to finish second in the Bundesliga and starred for England at the World Cup in Qatar.

“I just want to thank everyone who has helped me get to this point – from Birmingham to Dortmund and now Real Madrid and the national team,” he said.

“Thanks for the support, it means a lot – and more to come.”

Former winners Gavi and Pedri – both of Barcelona – were in the top five, as was Bellingham’s Real Madrid team-mate Eduardo Camavinga.

Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala came second, having roomed with Bellingham during their time together in the England youth set-up.

Bellingham had finished second in 2021, with Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho the only other England player to ever finish in the top three – taking second place in 2019 while at Dortmund.

The English Ice Hockey Association will make it mandatory to wear a neck guard during “all on-ice activities” from the start of 2024 in a change to regulations following the death of Nottingham Panthers player Adam Johnson.

The 29-year-old American was playing in a Challenge Cup match at the Sheffield Steelers when he reportedly suffered a slashed neck following a collision.

The Panthers described the incident as a “freak accident” when the club confirmed his death on Sunday, and police are investigating.

Under current rules, players in the UK do not have to play with neck guards once they turn 18.

The English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) is the sport’s governing body in England and Wales, with almost 400 teams at junior and senior level below the Elite League, who are yet to comment on whether or not they will make neck guards mandatory.

The EIHA says it will also conduct a thorough review of safety equipment in the next 12 months including, but not limited to, the use of helmets, mouthguards/gumshields and facial protection, and the application of International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rules.

A statement from the governing body on Monday read: “The EIHA makes a ‘strong recommendation’ that all players at all levels across English ice hockey use an approved ice hockey neck guard/protector whilst participating in all on-ice activities.

“This ‘strong recommendation’ is in place until 31 December 2023, after which it will become a mandatory requirement.

“It is not mandatory with immediate effect due to anticipated supply issues. This will be under constant review between now and mandatory implementation.

“All protective equipment must be worn without alterations and as directed by the manufacturers’ specification.”

NIHL team Oxford City Stars, who have former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech on their roster, have announced their players must wear neck guards at all times on the ice.

Shane Moore, director of hockey operations, said safety must be a priority, adding: “A life has tragically been taken too soon in a freak accident, and if wearing neck guards can prevent another devastating loss, then we want to ensure we have done everything within our power to protect our players.”

Sheffield City Council’s health and safety team are also assisting the police as investigations continue.

Meanwhile, the player’s fiancée Ryan Wolfe paid tribute on Instagram, saying: “My sweet angel, I’ll miss you forever and love you always.”

Fans gathered at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena to pay tribute with flowers and cards.

Steelers fan Gary Hibbert was at the game and said: “I have come to pay my respects. It is heart-breaking.

“My kids absolutely love ice hockey and they have both been absolutely heart-broken after Saturday’s game, as we all are.”

Speaking of the incident in which Minnesota-born former NHL player Johnson was injured, he said: “My initial thought was he had a stick to the face, as it happens.

“Within two, three, four seconds we have seen the pool of blood.”

Mr Hibbert said Johnson had skated off for a moment after the collision before he collapsed and said he then shielded his son as best he could from the tragedy unfolding on the ice.

More tributes were left at Sheffield’s arena, with one card saying: “To a young man who came to Sheffield on a Saturday night to do his job and play for his team, left the arena fighting for his life, and didn’t return home with his team mates RIP Adam Johnson #47.”

Ontario Reign paid tribute to their former player before the club’s American Hockey League game against the Abbotsford Canucks on Sunday.

Johnson’s name was announced to the crowd as his number 49 jersey was placed on a chair in the middle of the ice by former Nottingham player Jacob Doty.

Every Ontario player touched the jersey in a moving gesture.

Andy Murray admitted he is not enjoying his tennis after suffering another disappointing defeat to Australian Alex de Minaur in the first round of the Paris Masters.

Murray had lost all five previous matches against the Australian, including three this season with the most recent coming in Beijing where the Briton failed to convert three match points.

The former world number one looked on course to end that run on Monday after recovering from losing the opening set tie-break to lead 5-2 in the decider.

However, Murray failed to win either of his next two service games – despite having a match point in the second – and the world number 13 prevailed 7-6 (5) 4-6 7-5 in just over three hours.

Murray’s temper boiled over during the final set, knocking the drinks bottles and towel off his bench during a change of ends before he smashed his racket off the floor after the last point.

The disappointing run of form has left the 36-year-old two-time Wimbledon champion questioning what else he has to do to get back to winning ways.

“I’m not really enjoying it just now in terms of how I feel on the court and how I’m playing,” Murray told several national newspapers.

“The last five, six months haven’t been that enjoyable, so I need to try and find some of that enjoyment back because playing a match like that there’s not much positivity there.

“When I play a good point, I’m not really getting behind myself and then in the important moments, that will to win and fight that has always been quite a big, big part of my game…”

Another Briton who did not enjoy the match was Katie Boulter – the girlfriend of De Minaur.

The British number one wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Had enough Alex and Andy for the rest of my life. No more please and thank you.”

Murray, who is entered for next week’s ATP 250 event in Metz, said he will take some time to consider whether to play for Great Britain in the Davis Cup at the end of November.

He added: “If I want to keep going, I’m going to need a lot of work.

“It’s not just going to be like one or two weeks of training to get me to where I need to get to, it’s going to have to be a lot of work and consistent work to give myself a chance.”

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is set to miss the rest of the NFL season after suffering a torn Achilles.

The 35-year-old, who has never missed an NFL game due to injury, was forced out of Sunday’s victory over NFC North rivals the Green Bay Packers.

An MRI scan on Monday confirmed he had torn his Achilles and would require surgery, all-but certainly ruling him out of the rest of this campaign.

A Vikings statement read: “Kirk Cousins underwent an MRI this morning at Twin Cities Orthopedics that confirmed an Achilles tendon tear.

“The timeline and details of his upcoming surgery will be determined this week. The team will continue to provide updates.”

Cousins is the second high-profile quarterback to suffer an Achilles injury this season, with four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers lasting just four plays on his New York Jets debut in early September.

Cousins had thrown for 274 yards and two touchdowns at Lambeau Field on Sunday before being forced off.

The Vikings went on to win 24-10 as they recorded a third straight victory and moved into a wildcard spot in the NFC.

Liam Livingstone insists there are “no rifts in the camp” amid England’s World Cup meltdown, shooting down former captain Eoin Morgan’s suggestion that all is not well within the squad.

The defending champions have been in dire form since arriving in India, losing five out of their first six group games to lie rooted to the foot of the table.

No England team has ever lost as many games in a World Cup and with three matches still to play, including rivals Australia next up, there is scope for things to get even worse.

Morgan, the man who lifted the trophy at Lord’s four years ago and is credited with revolutionising England’s white-ball philosophy, remains close to the dressing room following his retirement 18 months ago and has sparked intrigue with his assessment of their campaign.

He suggested morale was as much of an issue as form and claimed “there is something within the team that is definitely unsettled”.

Livingstone waved away that theory, defending the team spirit amid mounting pressure.

“With all respect to Morgs, because everybody loves him in the dressing room, that’s completely not true,” he said.

“There’s certainly no rifts in the camp, I can tell you that. It’s not bowlers versus batters: we’re a unit. One thing about unity is you probably get tested more when things don’t go well; it’s easy to say the dressing room is amazing when things are going really well.

“From what I’m seeing, everybody is working their nuts off trying as hard as we can to turn it around. Things just haven’t really gone our way and we haven’t played as well as we want, pretty much all of us at the same time, which is disappointing.

“It’s obviously not easy when you lose so heavily a few times in a row, but the boys keep coming back to training day after day.

“There’s probably nobody more disappointed than what we are in that changing room, but everybody is trying to work together to change it.”

Morgan was commentating for Sky Sports as England crashed to their latest defeat, a 100-run loss to hosts India, and his post-match assessment will make further uncomfortable reading for head coach Matthew Mott.

The Australian worked briefly with Morgan before he called time on his career last summer, but the latter appeared to suggest Mott needed to take a lead from Test counterpart Brendon McCullum in his dealings with the team.

“When you sit back and nobody has an answer in the changing room or we can’t explain it (as pundits), you always compare things across formats,” he said.

“It has to be the intangible stuff, the feelings, the emotions. The preparation and the mindset has to change. It has to be tailored for that changing room. Maybe take a leaf out of Baz’s book.”

The long-term implications of England’s losing streak has become painfully clear over the past 48 hours, with their place at the 2025 Champions Trophy now in danger.

Qualification for the secondary 50-over tournament used to come via the ICC rankings, but a little-discussed change was made in 2021 to tie it directly to performance at the World Cup – a shift Mott says he was first became aware of midway through Sunday’s game.

England will need to climb from 10th to eighth to avoid being edged out, meaning they cannot afford to treat their remaining fixtures as dead rubbers.

“It is obviously very disappointing, but it gives us something to play for over the next three games,” said Livingstone.

“I think Australia are a good team to be facing next. They are someone who, in the World Cups that I’ve played in, we’ve done really well against and they are obviously massive games.

“It will be a great way for us to start our fightback and hopefully we can turn it around.”

Former UFC fighter Dan Hardy labelled Francis Ngannou’s performance against Tyson Fury “the biggest upset in boxing history” after his split decision defeat in Saudi Arabia.

Professional Fighters League star Ngannou dropped WBC heavyweight champion Fury in the third round and appeared to dominate for much of the 10-round bout despite Fury picking up the victory.

Hardy believes Ngannou – who signed a multi-fight deal with mixed martial arts league PFL in May – did the “unthinkable” and said he had him winning the fight on his own scorecard.

PFL Europe Head of Fighter Operations Hardy told the PA news agency: “For Francis to hold his composure like he did and to outpoint and outbox him was unthinkable.

“It is the biggest upset in boxing history even though he didn’t get the decision.

“I had him winning the fight. I have my scorecard and I had him 96-93 because of the knockdown in the third and I stand by it. Ngannou certainly won the fight.

“It was an unfair decision, Francis deserved the victory and deserved the nod. But it was a close fight, no doubt about it.

“I was blown away and I still am. I think right now Ngannou is the king of combat sports, he is the biggest combat sport athlete because of what he achieved on the weekend.”

Fury had written off Ngannou’s chances in the build-up, comparing the fight to “a table tennis champion facing (Novak) Djokovic in the Wimbledon final”.

Hardy added: “I think (Fury overlooking Ngannou) was a big part of it.

“It was a perfect storm on the night and that to me looked like Tyson Fury halfway through training camp expecting a sparring match ahead of the Oleksandr Usyk fight.

“I don’t think he looked at Ngannou with the same fear he would Deontay Wilder.

“After the third round Fury would’ve been thinking ‘I wish I prepared better for this, I wish I came in lighter’.”

Hardy believes former UFC champion Ngannou has a future in heavyweight boxing and that he can go toe-to-toe with the division’s best.

He said: “I think we’ll see him fight in Professional Fighters League and then see him move back into the boxing world and have another big fight.

“Who else in the top 10 can he give problems to? And the general consensus now is quite a few of them. The two that come to my head are Joe Joyce and Anthony Joshua.

“The Francis we saw against Tyson at the weekend would cause those two serious problems stylistically.

“I think he can have a career in boxing if he wants to and he’s going to be ranked soon so the door’s open for him.

“Wilder is an obvious opponent, because it would be two of the biggest punchers on the planet.

“Wilder does not have the same finesse as Fury.”

Anwar El Ghazi is set to play for Mainz again after the German club said he has “distanced” himself from a social media post about the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The former Aston Villa forward was suspended on October 17 by the Bundesliga club, who called the now-deleted Instagram post “intolerable”.

It was widely reported that El Ghazi would have his contract terminated, but Mainz have confirmed that the 28-year-old Dutchman will be staying.

A club statement read: “Anwar El Ghazi is warned by 1. FSV Mainz 05 for publishing a post on social media two weeks ago.

“After the publication, the club immediately released its player from training and games.

“Since then, in several conversations with the club’s board, El Ghazi has distanced himself from his post on his Instagram channel, which he himself deleted after just a few minutes.

“He regretted the publication of the article and its negative impact, especially for the entire club.

“In this context, El Ghazi also clearly distanced himself from terrorist acts such as those by Hamas, which led to a renewed escalation of violence in the Middle East two weeks ago, to the board.”

The club added: “He (El Ghazi) emphasised his sympathy with the victims of this attack as well as with all victims of this conflict. He made it clear that he did not question Israel’s right to exist.

“The club’s board clearly emphasised to Anwar El Ghazi in the discussions that it requires its employees to commit to the club’s values.

“This implies a special responsibility towards the State of Israel and the Jewish people, which derives from German history, but also the history of the club with its Jewish club co-founder Eugen Salomon.

“Against the background of El Ghazi’s commitment and the remorse he has shown, the club’s culture of dealing with mistakes requires that the player be given a chance for rehabilitation.

“Anwar El Ghazi will therefore return to training and games at 1. FSV Mainz 05 as soon as possible.”

El Ghazi joined Mainz on a free transfer last month from PSV Eindhoven and has made three substitute appearances.

He played for Lille and Ajax before moving to Villa in 2018. He made nearly 120 appearances in four years at Villa and also had a loan spell at Everton during his time in England.

James Doyle will join Wathnan Racing as retained rider for the 2024 Flat season.

The 35-year-old has ridden as second jockey for Godolphin since 2015 and tasted Classic success in the royal blue silks in 2022 when partnering Charlie Appleby’s Coroebus to 2000 Guineas glory.

However, Doyle – who partnered Kingman, among others, when he was the retained rider for Juddmonte – will ride as number one for the Qatar-based Wathnan operation from the new year when his contract with Godolphin expires.

Doyle has already worn the Wathnan silks in victory, guiding Adrian Keatley’s Ballymount Boy home at Doncaster on Saturday, and has a plethora of high-profile mounts to look forward to, including Ascot Gold Cup hero Courage Mon Ami and fellow Royal Ascot winner Gregory.

“It is a tremendous honour for me to sign for Wathnan,” said Doyle, in a statement released by Wathan Racing on Monday afternoon.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for me going forward with His Highness Sheikh Tamim’s Wathnan Racing and I’m greatly looking forward to working with Olly Tait, Richard Brown and the rest of the team.

“I want to thank His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, Charlie Appleby and everyone at Godolphin for the unstinting support they’ve given me over the last nine years. It’s been a wonderful time and I have enjoyed literally every moment. But this is an incredible new venture and I can’t wait to get started in January.”

Many of Doyle’s biggest victories have come when riding for long-time Godolphin ally Appleby, and the Moulton Paddocks handler has fond memories of their time together.

He said: “James has been a key member of our team for his whole time with us and, whilst we will miss him greatly, he is leaving very much with our blessing and we wish him all the very best with this exciting new chapter in his riding career.

“James and I enjoyed many big days together on the racecourse, not the least of which was Coroebus winning the 2000 Guineas last year, but he also rode a number of other stable stars like Blue Point and Naval Crown.

“To my mind, one of his great rides for us was aboard Rebel’s Romance in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland where he was quite superb. So we will continue to use James whenever his new commitments permit because he’s a world-class jockey.”

Wathnan Racing’s Adviser Olly Tait added: “Wathnan is delighted to have retained the services of James Doyle. He is a fantastic rider and an incredible addition to the team. We are all looking forward to working closely with James in the coming years.”

Andy Murray smashed his racquet in frustration after Alex de Minaur produced a stunning fightback in a last-set decider to win another epic contest between the pair 7-6 (5) 4-6 7-5 at the Paris Masters.

Murray had lost all five matches he played against the Australian, including three this season with the most recent coming in Beijing where the Briton failed to convert three match points.

The former world number one, though, looked on course to end that run in the first-round contest on Monday afternoon after recovering from losing the opening set tie-break to level and then forced two breaks to lead 5-2.

However, Murray failed to hold either of his own next two service games as the world number 13 rallied before turning the set around to close out another hard-earned victory.

A first match point went begging in the 10th game when Murray sent a return long and smashed his racquet on the floor after handing De Minaur a break-point opportunity, which he took to level at 5-5.

After De Minaur then held, Murray’s temper boiled over again during the change of ends when he knocked the drinks bottles and towel off his bench.

De Minaur grew with the momentum and was given a match point of his own after the chair umpire over-ruled a call on the baseline, which was shown to be out.

There was to be no reprieve for Murray when he sent a return into the net, which sealed De Minaur’s victory in just over three hours.

Murray – who had not won a match at the Paris Masters since winning the event in 2016 – then again smashed his racquet on the floor before trudging off court on the back of another gut-wrenching defeat.

The New England Patriots will be without leading wide receiver Kendrick Bourne for the remainder of the season after he tore his ACL in Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Bourne had three receptions for 36 yards and one touchdown before leaving in the fourth quarter. The seventh-year receiver was having a breakout season with team highs of 37 catches, 406 yards and four TD receptions in eight games.

Undrafted out of Eastern Washington, Bourne began his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 before signing with New England in 2021.

His best season came in his first year with the Patriots, as Bourne set career bests with 55 catches and 800 receiving yards while tying his career high with five TD receptions in 17 games.

New England has struggled this season and is an AFC-worst 2-6 heading into a Week 9 visit from the Washington Commanders (3-5).