Paris Saint Germain eased into the semi-final of the Coupe de France as Kylian Mbappe’s goal helped Luis Enrique’s side to a 3-1 win over Nice.

Coming off the back of three consecutive Ligue 1 draws that had seen their lead at the top of the table cut to 10 points, PSG maintained their bid to win three trophies this season as they comfortably dispatched Francesco Farioli’s team at the Parc de Princes.

Mbappe struck after just 14 minutes to give the home side the lead.

Ousmane Dembele’s cross from the right took a deflection and landed at the striker’s feet, and after playing a one-two with Fabian Ruiz he burst beyond Jean-Clair Todibo and on the stretch poked the ball between goalkeeper Marcin Bulka’s legs from close range.

Ruiz made it two just past the half-hour mark, taking advantage of confusion in the visitors’ defence.

Todibo played a ball back to Bulka but the former PSG keeper was promptly put under pressure by Dembele.

As he sought to clear his lines, his kick deflected into the path of Dembele, who cushioned it down and played it to Ruiz who finished into an empty goal with Bulka stranded.

Gaetan Laborde pulled one back to restore interest in the tie for Nice, Jeremie Boga setting off on a weaving run down the left and advancing on goal, stopped only by an intervention by Lucas Beraldo.

However, his clearance made it only as far as Laborde, who hit it past Gianluigi Donnarumma on the half-volley to restore Champions League-chasing Nice’s hopes of progressing.

It proved only a temporary blip for Enrique’s team, and on the hour mark Beraldo headed past Bulka to make it 3-1.

Lee Kang-in collected a short corner and whipped a ball into the box, seeing his cross taken only just off the head of Goncalo Ramos by a glancing clearance from Dante.

His interception made it only as far as Beraldo, who reached it with his head to turn it into the bottom corner and keep PSG on course for a domestic double.

Things could have got better for the home side had Mbappe not struck a post in search of his second goal, and Lee also came close to making it four when his free-kick was turned onto the crossbar by a diving save from Bulka.

PSG move on to face Rennes on April 3 for a place in the final.

Jan Oblak saved two penalties in a shoot-out as Atletico Madrid booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 3-2 win on penalties after they drew 2-2 with Inter Milan on aggregate.

Marko Arnautovic’s first-leg goal gave last year’s finalists a lead heading into the second leg at Civitas Metropolitano and they opened the scoring to double their aggregate lead just after the half-hour mark through Federico Dimarco.

Antoine Griezmann struck a couple of minutes later to bring the deficit back to one at the break but it was all Atletico following the interval.

Substitute Memphis Depay came to Atletico’s rescue with three minutes to spare, making it 2-1 on the night and level on aggregate just moments after hitting the post.

Neither side managed to find in a winner in extra time and Oblak saved penalties from Alexis Sanchez and Davy Klaasen before Lautaro Martinez blasted over to send Inter out.

Inter were in no mood to rest on their laurels as Hakan Calhanoglu set Denzel Dumfries before the Netherlands international worked his way inside the box and was twice denied by Oblak.

At the other end Mario Hermoso’s cross found Morata but he could only head at Yann Sommer.

Inter opened the scoring on the night in the 33rd minute when Nicolo Barella worked his way down the wing and cut back to Dimarco, who lashed home from inside the box.

Atletico were not behind for long and were on level terms a couple of minutes later as Koke lifted the ball back into the box, where it bounced into the path of Griezmann, who picked out the bottom corner.

Atletico’s tails were up following the equaliser and they could have gone into the half-time break level on aggregate when Griezmann unleashed on goal only for Benjamin Pavard to block and clear to safety.

Inter could have put the tie to bed with 15 minutes to go as a swift counter attack ended at the feet of Marcus Thuram, who ran through on goal but shot over the crossbar.

Atletico were still looking for the important goal that would bring them level and Angel Correa’s low cross found Depay, who turned but could not get enough contact to trouble Sommer.

Time was running out for the hosts who continued to probe and the woodwork saved Inter on this occasion when the ball popped out to Depay from 20 yards who rifled past a bystanding Sommer but onto the post.

A minute later, Atletico had their deserved aggregate equaliser as Koke’s defence-splitting pass found Depay, and this time he made no mistake to put them 2-1 up on the night.

Atletico had a chance to snatch it at the death as Griezmann picked out the onrushing Rodrigo Riquelme who blazed over the bar to send the match into extra time and subsequently the second penalty shoot-out of the round.

Inter were first to blink in the shoot-out when Sanchez saw his penalty saved by Oblak but opposite number Sommer repeated the feat to keep out Saul Niguez and, after Klaasen saw his penalty saved, Martinez blasted over to seal Inter’s fate.

Darren Ferguson knows Peterborough are in with a chance of automatic promotion from League One after a 3-1 victory over Stevenage.

Posh, with a game in hand, closed to within four points of the top two after reeling off a fifth successive win.

The visitors should have had a penalty for a Josh Knight handball just after the half-hour before Posh snatched a 44th-minute lead from the spot through Harrison Burrows.

Jadel Katongo doubled the lead with a stunning first English Football League goal of his career in the 64th minute before Kwame Poku smashed in a 77th-minute clincher as Posh climbed into fourth ahead of a super Saturday when they host table-topping Portsmouth, while second-placed Derby do battle with Bolton in third.

Nick Freeman hit a consolation for Stevenage, who remain in the final play-off spot.

Ferguson said: “We were nowhere near our normal quality, but I can’t expect us to be perfect all the time.

“What I do need is for us to find a way of winning games and we did that by being ruthless.

“We made it hard for ourselves but we still managed to overcome an opponent who were just as tough as we knew they would be. Stevenage are not sixth in the league for no reason at this stage of the season.

“We told the lads a while ago to stay in touch and get to March. I always felt this month would be pivotal and that we really had to go for it, and there’s no doubt we’ve got a chance.

“We’ll roll the players out again on Saturday against Portsmouth. It’s the sort of game you want to be involved in.

“They’ve been the best team so far, they’re bringing 4,000 with them and we need our fans more than we’ve needed them all season.”

Stevenage are one point above seventh-placed Blackpool as the play-off race hots up.

Boss Steve Evans insisted: “The best team lost tonight. We just were not as clinical as Peterborough were.

“The balance of the game changed when we didn’t get a penalty and Peterborough did get one.

“I’m not disputing theirs is a penalty, but there is a clear and obvious handball in their box in the 31st minute and the referee gives a goal kick.

“We’re somehow going to have to go above these decisions to get into the play-offs. Managers get the sack, but referees just get told to be better.

“It’s always a problem when you’re not scoring goals. We have to take our chances more but we’re going through a little spell where our strikers are not finding the net.

“Peterborough are a wonderful team to watch when they get into flow and I wish them every success. I really hope they go on to win promotion and the Bristol Street Motors Trophy as well.”

Aberdeen caretaker manager Peter Leven warned his players that better teams have got relegated after a 1-0 defeat at Dundee left them just three points above the cinch Premiership danger zone.

Luke McCowan’s 66th-minute penalty, following a VAR-assisted handball call against Jack MacKenzie, earned the home side a well-deserved three points at Dens Park as Aberdeen’s run without a league win stretched to 11 matches.

A late equaliser for Ross County against Hibernian edged the Dingwall side closer to the Dons and allowed Dundee to jump back into the top six – leaving the spectre of the play-offs hanging over Leven’s side.

Leven is expected to remain in charge for Saturday’s trip to Motherwell after being put back in caretaker charge following Neil Warnock’s departure and he had some home truths for the players after a fourth consecutive league defeat.

“Not good enough,” the first-team coach said. “First half, really poor. Started well second half and the goal has killed us. But, for me, not enough quality on the ball and we dropped too deep.

“I just said to them, listen, we are in trouble. You have got to find a way. We had some honest words in there.

“We are running out of games and we have got to pick up points. Yeah, I could blame VAR but it’s just not good enough. (The penalty) was harsh, I have only seen one replay, but whatever I can say can’t change it.

“We have got to stand up and be counted now, that was nowhere near good enough for Aberdeen Football Club.

“Better teams have gone down, probably. It’s a big game on Saturday now.

“It’s about desire, playing for the badge, playing for the fans. We never picked up second balls, we never tested them.”

The travelling fans chanted “sack the board” in the closing stages and “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” as the players left the park.

Leven said: “I apologise to the fans. They pay their hard-earned cash to come here and follow us all over Europe and Scotland.”

Dundee manager Tony Docherty was delighted with his side’s display.

“I thought it was a fantastic performance, one of the best of the season,” he said. “We had huge dominance in the first half, I was bemoaning a final pass and cross but the level of performance was outstanding.

“Before the game we were bemoaning the fact we were surrendering too many leads. I felt, when we went 1-0 up, I didn’t have any fear we would lose the game.

“Aberdeen threw a lot at us but the mentality of the team was fantastic and it shows we are learning and developing.”

Hibernian boss Nick Montgomery was left furious that a refereeing mistake cost his side all three points against Ross County.

Hibs had come from behind to lead, with Myziane Maolida and Adam Le Fondre scoring after Josh Sims’ opener, only for Yan Dhanda to strike with practically the final kick of the game and rescue a 2-2 draw for County.

Montgomery, though, felt that the final goal stemmed from a County throw-in that should have gone Hibs’ way, and was frustrated that what he saw as a mistake by the officials proved so costly to his team.

“We just lost two points we shouldn’t have lost,” he said.

“We dominated the game in the second half and got back into the game, and should have won it.

“A Ross County defender heads it out for our throw-in. I think everyone can see that, and their defender starts heading backwards – but somehow they pick up another ball 10 yards down the pitch, throw it back in and we concede.

“We have to pick out several moments for not defending that, but we lose two points and it’s really disappointing and frustrating.

“We have to be responsible for not defending our box, even though we should not have had to.

“We should be good enough to win anyway, but we also should not have to defend the throw-in.

“We’ve got another game before the international break at home, so we’ll prepare for that now and aim to get three points on Saturday.”

Montgomery’s opposite number Don Cowie, meanwhile, felt County showed plenty of character to come back and salvage a point when it looked as though they would come away empty-handed.

“It backs up what I already know about the character of the group,” Cowie said.

“It looked like the game had got away from us, but you have to keep going. That point could be invaluable come the end of the season.

“We’re disappointed to let our lead slip from half-time, but we showed great character to get a point in the end.

“That’s the last three home games where I’ve felt comfortable at half-time, so it’s something I’ve got to look at.

“Naturally the opposition is going to respond, but we need to be ready for that and we need to get better at that.”

Returning Cambridge rower Luca Ferraro believes the reason people flock to the Boat Race year after year is to see sport in its “purest form”.

The 22-year-old classics student was part of the crew that beat Oxford to win last year’s edition, extending a dominant run for the light blue boat that has seen them come out on top in four of the last five years.

Ferraro, a world champion in the men’s eight with Great Britain’s Under-23s last summer, moves from stroke to the seven seat for his third Boat Race and was one of 36 athletes named on Tuesday night to the crews for the 78th women’s and 169th men’s races, taking place on March 30th.

He told the PA news agency: “It really feels like a new race, a new group, the dynamic just changes so much every year and that’s part of the fun. It’s a new challenge. I’m super excited to see if we can get out there and see if we can defend our title.

“The Boat Race is so random. There’s so many variables. Anything can happen on the day, so it’s quite hard to prepare in that sense, other than just being prepared for anything, so I’m super excited to see what twists and turns will happen.

“Its appeal is so hard to pin down. It’s across so many different factors – the tradition, the history plays a massive part. It’s that iconic university rivalry; it’s Oxford, it’s Cambridge.

“I really think that in a world where sport is so flashy – it’s so high-profile these days, there’s so much money involved – the Boat Race is still sport at its purest form.

“It’s almost spartan. It’s just you and the other guys and you’ve got to go faster than them if you want to win. There’s something super primal about it.”

Ferraro’s Cambridge crew contains five men returning to defend their 2023 title, while Oxford has just one left over from last year’s defeat.

There was little between the rivals after the weigh-in – in which only the men participate – with Oxford coming in at an average 92kg, just half a kilogram heavier than their Cambridge counterparts.

The women’s crews also contain a mix of experienced and returning crew members, with 20 Brits involved across all four men’s and women’s boats and others coming from countries including France, the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Germany and Australia.

This year, the Boat Race is taking inspiration from Drive to Survive and other sports documentaries, launching a behind-the-scenes YouTube series ahead of the race.

Cambridge have dominated the women’s race for the last six years but Oxford’s Annie Sharp is confident her crew has what it takes to turn the tide.

Sharp, an MSc water science and policy management student stepping up from the Oxford reserves for the first time, told PA: “We’ve had a really good season, really good vibes from day one.

“We are definitely excited to have the opportunity to go side by side and see what we can do.”

Peterborough continued their charge back into League One automatic-promotion contention by beating play-off chasing Stevenage 3-1.

Harrison Burrows’ spot-kick, a stunning first league goal for 19-year-old Jadel Katongo and Kwame Poku’s clincher earned a fifth straight league success.

Stevenage would arguably have been disappointed to still be level at the break after being the dominant first-half side, so Luther James-Wildin’s reckless challenge on Ephron Mason-Clark to gift the hosts a 44th-minute penalty – coolly converted by Burrows – will have come as a hammer blow to former Posh boss Steve Evans.

Evans’ Stevenage also had the first big chance of the second period when Posh keeper Jed Steer pulled off a full-stretch save to keep out top-scorer Jamie Reid’s header.

But it was Posh who found the net again as Manchester City loanee Katongo embarked on a marauding run from inside his own half, exchanged passes with substitute Malik Mothersille and steered a low shot past Taye Ashby-Hammond in the 64th minute.

Mothersille was again the architect when Poku sealed the points with a ferocious 77th-minute finish before Nick Freeman hit a consolation in the 85th minute for Stevenage as they slipped to a first defeat in five games.

Bournemouth became the fifth team in Premier League history to win a game having trailed by three goals.

The Cherries came back from 3-0 down to beat Luton 4-3 at the Vitality Stadium.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the other three-goal comebacks in England’s top tier that resulted in victories.

Leeds 4-3 Derby – November 7 1997

Dean Sturridge’s early brace and an Aljosa Asanovic penalty gave Jim Smith’s Rams a 3-0 lead after 33 minutes at Elland Road.

But Rod Wallace and Harry Kewell scored before half-time for the home team to set up an absorbing second half.

Derby held on until the 82nd minute, when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scored from the spot, and the Dutch striker then set up his fellow substitute Lee Bowyer for a last-minute winner.

West Ham 3-4 Wimbledon – September 8 1998

John Hartson’s seventh-minute opener was followed by two Ian Wright goals in 13 minutes as West Ham raced into a 3-0 lead at Upton Park.

Marcus Gayle’s header on the half-hour mark pulled one back before half-time for Wimbledon.

And Joe Kinnear’s men produced a stunning second-half display, with goals from Jason Euell, Gayle and Efan Ekoku securing a dramatic victory.

Tottenham 3-5 Man Utd – September 29 2001

Glenn Hoddle’s Tottenham were in dreamland when Dean Richards, Les Ferdinand and Christian Ziege all struck before half-time at White Hart Lane.

But Manchester United responded in the first minute of the second period through Andy Cole before Laurent Blanc’s header and Ruud van Nistelrooy’s finish made it 3-3.

Juan Sebastian Veron fired United in front with 16 minutes left before David Beckham had the final say.

Wolves 4-3 Leicester – October 25 2003

Two goals from Ferdinand plus a Riccardo Scimeca effort put Leicester 3-0 up after 35 minutes at Molineux.

But Wolves mounted a four-goal fightback in the second half to take all three points.

Colin Cameron started the recovery in the 52nd minute and added a second from the spot eight minutes later. Alex Rae levelled and Henri Camara registered a late winner.

Luke McCowan’s penalty sent Dundee back into the cinch Premiership top six and left Aberdeen facing a battle against the drop.

McCowan’s fourth goal in six games – and his eighth overall this season – earned Tony Docherty’s side a deserved 1-0 win at Dens Park.

The midfielder netted in the 66th minute following a lengthy VAR check which ultimately saw Jack MacKenzie penalised for handball.

The home side had dominated the first half but some hesitancy in front of goal, good goalkeeping from Kelle Roos and some poor deliveries from corners kept the scores blank at half-time.

Aberdeen were led into the game by first-team coach Peter Leven, who was back in caretaker charge for the second time in six weeks following the end of Neil Warnock’s brief spell at the helm.

But the Dons have now gone 11 league games without victory and the defeat leaves them just three points clear of the danger zone following second-bottom Ross County’s stoppage-time equaliser against Hibernian, which allowed Dundee to jump above the Edinburgh side.

Any slim hopes of a top-six push vanished completely as results on the night left the Dons nine points behind Dundee with four games until the split.

They face another away game on Saturday, against Motherwell, before the anticipated appointment of a long-term successor to Barry Robson during the international break, although the visiting fans clearly had little faith in the decision-makers as they chanted “sack the board” in the closing minutes.

Dundee had Owen Dodgson back in the team after Owen Beck failed a fitness test while Leven named the same team that started in Warnock’s final game, a Scottish Gas Scottish Cup win over Kilmarnock.

The home side were quickly on the front foot and Curtis Main should have converted the rebound after Roos parried Scott Tiffoney’s strike. The former Dons striker took a touch and the goalkeeper smothered.

A brilliant Dodgson cross was just too far in front of Main six yards out before Dundee had a penalty claim for handball when Connor Barron blocked Tiffoney’s shot. Referee Steven McLean delayed and then gave a free-kick to Aberdeen inside the box.

Dundee remained well on top. Roos bravely denied Lyall Cameron as the midfielder slid in to meet Main’s low cross and the Dutchman tipped over Dodgson’s long-range striker.

Angus MacDonald blocked well from Tiffoney and Cameron shot just wide as Dundee continued to probe.

Aberdeen looked slightly better at the start of the second half but they fell behind after initially surviving a free-kick into the box.

McLean kept the 8,215 crowd waiting even after going to his monitor but he eventually pointed to the spot and McCowan sent Roos the wrong way.

Cameron soon had a great chance to double the lead but he dragged a shot wide following Tiffoney’s square ball.

Dundee continued to create chances and Roos saved from Cameron and Main.

There was plenty of effort from the visitors but home goalkeeper Jon McCracken remained untested other than from aerial balls until he held two headers from substitute Ester Sokler in the closing stages.

Yan Dhanda scored a last-gasp equaliser as relegation-threatened Ross County secured a 2-2 draw against Hibernian in the cinch Premiership.

The Staggies had gone in front in the 43rd minute through Josh Sims, who was left with a tap-in at the back post from Simon Murray’s cross, but Hibs powered back through goals from Myziane Maolida and then Adam Le Fondre.

That was not all, though, as in the ninth minute of added time Dhanda popped up to convert Murray’s cross and salvage a point for the hosts in Dingwall.

County had what looked like a golden opportunity to break the deadlock in the first half when they got a three-on-one advantage inside the Hibs half.

Sims, however, could not pick out Eamonn Brophy in the middle – a moment that summed up the goal threat in the match to that point.

Hibernian suffered a blow when Lewis Miller was forced off through injury around 10 minutes before the interval, but they tried not to let that hamper them too much, with Will Fish sending the next attempt at goal wide of the mark before Maolida forced George Wickens to dive to his right to keep the ball away from goal.

Just a couple of minutes before the interval, though, the Staggies took the lead.

Murray’s cross was initially aimed towards Connor Randall, but when David Marshall came out to try and collect it the ball flew past everyone to Sims, who was left with a tap-in at the back post.

The lead was relatively short-lived, with Hibs pulling back level within 10 minutes of the restart.

Elie Youan slipped Maolida through on goal, and much like in the last match between the two sides he made no mistake in slotting past Wickens.

The visitors dominated possession in the second half, making it difficult for County to reply, and so it was perhaps no surprise when Hibs took the lead in the 77th minute.

Jordan Obita put in an inch perfect cross for substitute Le Fondre, who duly converted at the back post.

There was one final twist in the tale though as, with practically the last kick of the ball, Dhanda announced his return from injury by finding the bottom corner.

Antoine Semenyo scored twice as Bournemouth produced a stunning second-half display to recover from three goals down and beat Luton 4-3.

On an evening that saw Tom Lockyer return to the Vitality Stadium to thank the medical staff who had helped to save his life 88 days earlier, when this fixture was abandoned after the Luton captain suffered a cardiac arrest, the hosts’ rousing response put a huge dent in the Hatters’ survival hopes.

Luton raced into a three-goal lead at half-time before a dramatic second-half showing from Andoni Iraola’s side.

The visitors opened the scoring in the ninth minute after Jordan Clark stood up a sumptuous cross for Tahith Chong to head in at the far post.

Bournemouth sought an immediate response and Ryan Christie and Luis Sinisterra both went close to scoring but saw their efforts blocked by Thomas Kaminski.

Iraola’s side had gone two goals behind against bottom club Sheffield United at the weekend before fighting back to earn a point in stoppage time.

They found themselves in a similar position when Luton scored a brilliant second goal after 31 minutes.

It came after an incisive one-two between Chong and Alfie Doughty, before the latter crossed low to Chiedozie Ogbene, who rounded off a superb team move.

Edwards must surely have thought his team had sealed their third away win of the season when Issa Kabore drove upfield to pick out the excellent Ross Barkley, who powerfully fired the ball high into the net to give the Hatters a considerable cushion going into the break.

But after making two substitutions during the interval, Bournemouth hit back dramatically, scoring three times in 14 minutes at the start of the second half.

The first was a stunning piece of individual brilliance from top scorer Dominic Solanke. The Cherries striker back-heeled the ball between the legs of Daiki Hashioka before chipping it beyond Kaminski.

The second came after Luton were unable to clear Lewis Cook’s corner to safety and Illia Zabarnyi headed in from close range despite Doughty’s desperate attempts to prevent it crossing the line.

Two minutes later the Vitality Stadium erupted when Semenyo cut in from the right and fired his shot powerfully into the near post to level the scores.

Bournemouth were not done there and claimed all three points when Semenyo scored his second seven minutes from time, collecting the ball from Enes Unal before shooting powerfully across Kaminski to give the Cherries their first home win since Boxing Day.

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is expected to miss the first one-to-two months of the upcoming season due to lingering discomfort in the 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner's right elbow, the New York Post reported Wednesday.

Cole is expected to fly to Los Angeles for an in-person visit with noted sports orthopaedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache. According to the report, a recent MRI taken on the All-Star's elbow showed no tears in his ulnar collateral ligament, but ElAttrache recommended Cole undergo further testing as well as an in-person exam after reviewing the MRI results.

The 33-year-old had been scheduled to pitch New York's season opener in Houston against the Astros on March 28. Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed to reporters Tuesday that Cole would not make that start.

“Right now, there’s uncertainty about what’s going on in there,” Boone told MLB.com. “We’re waiting on everyone to weigh in. Sometimes the first look isn’t [conclusive]. You want to make sure when you’re talking about the elbow. You want to make sure you get it right and make the best decision. We’ve just got to be patient.”

Cole informed the Yankees' medical staff of elbow discomfort after he threw 47 pitches in a three-inning simulated game on Thursday. He underwent the MRI on Monday and was subsequently scratched from Tuesday's scheduled spring-training start. 

The six-time All-Star has made one Grapefruit League appearance this spring, a two-inning stint against the Toronto Blue Jays on March 1 in which he allowed three runs and threw 39 pitches.

According to the New York Post, the Yankees are hopeful Cole can make his season debut sometime in May or early June.

Cole captured his first career Cy Young Award with an outstanding 2023 campaign in which he led the AL with a 2.63 ERA while compiling a 15-4 record with 222 strikeouts in 209 innings. The Yankees went 23-10 in his 33 starts.

The accomplished right-hander has also been remarkably durable. Cole's 664 innings pitched since 2020 are the most in Major League Baseball over that time frame, and he has not been on the injured list for an arm-related issue since 2016.

Cole, entering the fifth season of a nine-year, $324 million contract he signed to join the Yankees in December 2019, is 51-23 with a 3.08 ERA in 108 regular-season starts during his tenure in New York.

The No. 1 overall pick of the 2011 MLB draft, Cole spent his first five major league seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates before being traded to the Astros in 2018. He pitched two seasons for Houston and won a career-high 20 games in 2019 while helping the Astros reach the World Series.

 

Gloucester have signed former Wasps and England winger Christian Wade – who quit rugby in 2018 to join the NFL’s International Player Pathway – just weeks after losing ex-Wales star Louis Rees-Zammit to the same programme.

The 32-year-old will join from French club Racing 92 ahead of the 2024/25 season and will help fill the void left by Rees-Zammit’s shock move to the US.

Wade was drafted to the Buffalo Bills in 2019 but never played a competitive NFL match and returned to rugby in 2022.

“I’m excited to be returning to the Premiership next season and for a great club like Gloucester,” Wade said.

“After speaking with George (Skivington), I believe in his vision and ambition for the team and I can’t wait to play my part in that.

“I have fond memories of playing at Kingsholm in Wasps colours so I’m looking forward to getting out there in Cherry & White next season.”

Wade played just one Test for England but was selected for the British and Irish Lions’ 2013 tour of Australia.

Head coach Skivington said: “It’s been clear since he returned from America that he has come back in even better shape and still has that sixth sense for the try line that he had before he left.

“We’ve got a pretty exciting stock of back three players here, but it’s hugely pleasing to add someone of Christian’s experience to that group.”

Simona Halep may have celebrated the reduction of an initial four-year ban but tennis must be wary of players "losing faith in the system" after her alleged doping-related punishment.

That was the thoughts of Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) representative Ahmad Nassar after supporting Halep through the appeal process after she was banned by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for "intentional" doping offences.

The two-time grand slam champion remained staunch in her defence of innocence and eventually succeeded earlier this week as the ban that was initially set to last until 2026 was reduced to a nine-month suspension, which was backdated and allowed her straight back on the court.

"That's the shame of this – there are two impacts to this and they're at different ends of the spectrum," Nassar told Stats Perform.

"One is losing faith in the system and, the other is being pretty darn scared of the system.

"I never thought this could happen to even a former number one grand slam champion, or especially, a lower-ranked player that just gets completely rolled over.

"It really can happen to anyone. If we're making people lose faith in it, and simultaneously petrified of it – that's not a good system that is working."

Halep will return at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida, where the action starts on March 17, as the former world number one marks a comeback tournament with her record – and reputation – reinstated.

Questions remain for Nassar, though, as repeated calls persist for improvements in the regulatory system with reform needed in his eyes.

"This is the end of Simona's nightmare chapter dealing with this, and may she never have any dealing with this again," he continued.

"But we just know that the process out there right now is a ticking time bomb. Other players are still navigating it, there are players to come who will sadly have to navigate it.

"The goal of the programme is a clean sport, and a fair score for first and foremost, the players.

"So how do we how do we strike that balance? Within the current system, there is a lot of room for improvement.

"How do we ease that burden without losing sight of the first goal, which is nobody wants to play in a clean sport more than the players themselves? They are most affected if somebody is cheating."

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