There was relief for bookmakers after El Fabiolo’s Champion Chase defeat saved them a a “multi-million pound” pasting from the punters on day two of the Cheltenham Festival.
After a Willie Mullins treble landed on day one of the meeting, the layers were staring down the barrel of a repeat after Ballyburn and Fact To File had both landed the spoils at short odds.
With the absence of Jonbon, El Fabiolo was sent off the 2-9 favourite to inflict more misery on the bookies in the Betway-sponsored feature, but they were given a reprieve as the market leader’s jumping fell apart – being subsequently pulled up, with fellow Irish raider Captain Guinness limiting the damage as he obliged at odds of 17-2.
“After his opening day treble, we knew the three Willie Mullins-trained hot favourites would feature in many, many accumulators on day two, and the writing looked on the wall when Ballyburn and Fact To File landed the first two legs,” said Coral’s David Stevens.
“On this occasion, however, it wasn’t to be, and to the great relief of the layers, an early blunder from the favourite saw punters’ hopes dashed.
“It wasn’t up there with the Annie Power fall, but we needed a result and we got it, and we go into day three with all to play for.”
Lawrence Lyons, spokesperson for BoyleSports, added: “Punters were jumping for joy when Willie’s first two favourites bolted up, but El Fabiolo threatened major damage so we’re saying cheers to Captain Guinness who definitely pulled a rabbit out of the hat for us.”
Although not many punters benefitted from the victory of Captain Guinness, one winner was the ‘Rachael Blackmore – Serial Winners Fund’ with Betfair adding a further £10,000 to the charity initiative set up to raise funds for both the Injured Jockey Fund and the Irish Injured Jockeys.
“What an amazing win for Rachael and the injured jockeys’ charities in the UK and Ireland,” said Betfair’s Barry Orr.
“The pot now strands on £205,000 and hopefully there are more celebrations to come this week.”
One firm refusing to get carried away in the Captain Guinness celebrations was BetVictor, with representative Sam Boswell feeling the advantage very much lies with the punters with two days of action still to go.
He said: “After winning the first race with Ballyburn the pressure was on as punters rejoiced, Mullins then had Fact To File win the Brown Advisory Novice Chase at 8-13.
“The respite of a domestic winner in the Coral Cup was limited as Langer Dan (13-2) was a popular pick to score back to back wins.
“It came down to the Champion Chase where El Fabiolo looked set to put us to the sword. It was only a jumping error that prevented potentially significant payouts across the industry as Rachael Blackmore was able to take advantage on Captain Guinness.
“It was another big day for punters and at the halfway stage bookies are very much 2-0 down.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Paddy Power, with spokesperson Paul Binfield adding: “El Fabiolo’s unfortunate mistake was the crucial moment of the day for the bookies and was absolutely massive saving us a seven-figure payout.
“We were slightly up on the day, but after a resounding victory for punters on Tuesday, they’re still in front.”
NB: You can watch the Cheltenham Festival live on Sportsmax.
England white-ball captain Jos Buttler remains confident Jofra Archer can be a key player at this summer’s T20 World Cup.
Archer has not represented his country since last March when he featured in a T20 in Bangladesh and not played on the global stage since May when he broke down at the Indian Premier League.
The fast bowler has been plagued by a series of stress fractures in his right elbow over recent years, but managing director of England men’s cricket Rob Key stated in January the plan was for Archer to be fit for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States, which starts on June 2.
No further updates have been provided for Barbados-born Archer, who spent time with the white-ball squad during their short tour of the Caribbean in December and caught the England and Wales Cricket Board management off guard by playing for his old school side Foundation during the trip.
Archer was pulled out of this year’s IPL by the ECB but is currently in India with his county Sussex to prepare for the new season and Buttler is hopeful there will be no setbacks between now and June.
Asked if he was optimistic about Archer being fit for the T20 World Cup, Buttler, speaking at an event to promote Major League Baseball coming to London in June, said: “I think so.
“For Jofra, we all know just what a special cricketer he is and it’s been a tough few years for him not being able to get on the park and perform, but with someone like him who is such a superstar, you’re always optimistic that with the physios and doctors working, his body will just allow him to get back where he was.
“I know how hard he’s been working at it and of course how desperate he is to come back.
“A couple of times (I’ve spoken to him). It’s really exciting for him that hopefully he’s going to get back to performing because as a captain he’s someone you want to throw the ball to.
“I think as a player he brings so much to the game – not just for us obviously but for the cricket world when he’s performing.”
New York Mets will play Philadelphia Phillies in the MLB World Tour: London Series 2024 on June 8-9 at London Stadium. Tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster.co.uk/MLB
Willie Mullins reached the magical 100-winner mark at the Cheltenham Festival as the Patrick Mullins-ridden Jasmin De Vaux provided him with a 13th victory in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.
It is 29 years since the master of Closutton broke his Festival duck with Tourist Attraction in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Twelve months later he trained and rode Wither Or Which to claim his first Champion Bumper success.
Wind the clock forward almost three decades and Mullins is out on his own as the most successful trainer in the history of National Hunt racing’s showpiece meeting, with his tally of 94 ahead of his return to the Cotswolds this week putting him well clear of his great friend and rival Nicky Henderson on 73. In contrast to Mullins, the Seven Barrows handler has not enjoyed a good time of things, having to withdraw a number of his leading contenders.
Having sent a terrifically strong squad across the Irish Sea, it was a matter of when, not if, he would reach the century, and following a Tuesday treble courtesy of Champion Hurdle hero State Man, Mares’ Hurdle victor Lossiemouth and Gaelic Warrior in the Arkle, the figure loomed large.
With Ballyburn and Fact To File delighting favourite-backers in the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle and Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase respectively, El Fabiolo was widely expected to be the history maker in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, but he was dramatically pulled up after hitting the fifth fence and the wait went on.
The Coral Cup and Grand Annual also came and went without a Mullins winner, but it was fitting that the big one came in the Festival race he has won more than any other as Jasmin De Vaux obliged at 9-2 with the trainer’s son in the saddle.
“It’s a wonderful day, it’s fantastic. As much I enjoy what’s happening, I think of my colleague and fellow trainer Nicky Henderson and what’s happened with his yard this week,” Mullins said.
“That’s always a worry that we have in the two or three weeks coming up to Cheltenham, that something will come in and bite you from outside. As much as we’re enjoying it, I don’t know how he must be feeling.
“You want competition and it must be gutting for him. You’d like good opposition to have fun with because I’m sure he would have beaten us a few times this week.”
Brendan Rodgers expects Cameron Carter-Vickers to be fit enough to return to the Celtic defence for Saturday’s cinch Premiership match at home to St Johnstone.
The influential centre-back has had an injury-disrupted campaign since undergoing knee surgery at the end of last term and he sat out Sunday’s Scottish Cup quarter-final victory over Livingston as a “precaution” after feeling a “twinge” in his hamstring.
Carter-Vickers has been given the all-clear after a scan, however, and Rodgers is optimistic that the American will be available for the visit of Saints.
“We will have a look at Cam, I think he should be fine,” Rodgers told Celtic TV. “I spoke to Cam at length (on Tuesday), he just feels everything is based from around his knee operation.
“And then also, when you have picked up a few injuries from that, maybe from what is a normal twinge, you get that sensation and think it’s linked to another injury. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem that.
“We’ve had the scan which has come through fine. He’s done some work with the medical team and hopefully he will rejoin the training squad on Thursday and Friday and be available for the weekend.”
Luis Palma and skipper Callum McGregor will remain sidelined by injury until after the international break but Rodgers is hoping his team – who lost their last league game away to Hearts – can get their Premiership title bid back on track when they host Craig Levein’s Saints.
“Craig’s team will be very hard to beat,” said Rodgers. “They will be diligent. Even though we should have won the game earlier in the season (in August), we drew 0-0, we missed chances and they showed courage to defend the way they did.
“In the game up there (a 3-1 win in December), the first half wasn’t at our level, that tempo of the game.
“But once we injected that tempo and took it out of our comfort zone, we took the game to a really high level and it was difficult for St Johnstone to stay with us.
“That is the key for us, maintaining that consistency and mentality to keep the game up at a high level. When we get to that point and arrive at that moment then we look a very good team.”
AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli says his side has the quality to finish the job against Slavia Prague and reach the Europa League quarter-finals.
The Italian side hold a two-goal advantage going into the second leg of their last-16 tie in Prague following last week’s 4-2 win at San Siro.
Pioli told reporters: “We knew this moment would arrive, a crucial point in the season. Tomorrow we have an aim we need to reach.
“There’s a lot of talk around our opponents having the game of their lives, but we can and want to do the same.
“Our opponents will bring all their quality to bear. They’ve only lost once at home all season, but we want to go through and we’re convinced that we can with the quality we’ve got.
“We don’t need to force it, nor can we afford to be too calm. We need to play our own game, which is at a high tempo, especially in Europe, where you come up against some really good teams, good in attack and defence.”
The Czech runners-up went toe-to-toe with Milan in the first leg, despite the 26th-minute dismissal of defender El Hadji Diouf.
Milan’s Christian Pulisic struck the all-important fourth goal for Pioli’s side with five minutes remaining.
Pioli, whose side are second in Serie A, 16 points behind leaders Inter Milan, added: “We weren’t pleased, especially with that second half.
“We need to be clear on the fact that at 11 versus 11, our opponents caused us problems.
“I honestly think they will change it up from the first leg, even though they did well for the first 30 minutes before the red card, but now they have to overturn a two-goal deficit.”
Slavia Prague, also second in their domestic league, one point behind city rivals Sparta, lost for the only time this season at home against Viktoria Plzen in November.
Slavia boss Jindrich Trpisovsky told a press conference: “We will play in a stadium full of fans, the whole country will be watching us.
“We will do everything we can. We want to continue playing as we did in the first leg. We want to be brave. We’ll see if we can stand up to Milan.”
Captain Guinness came out on top in a dramatic renewal of the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, in which red-hot favourite El Fabiolo was pulled up.
Trained by Henry de Bromhead and ridden by Rachael Blackmore, the nine-year-old was sent off a 17-2 chance, with Willie Mullins’ El Fabiolo starting as the heavily-supported 2-9 market leader in the absence of supposed main rival Jonbon.
However, a jumping error led to Paul Townend’s mount being pulled up, and when the front-running Edwardstone fell two out – albeit when looking beaten – it was Captain Guinness who went on prevail, holding off El Fabiolo’s stablemate Gentleman De Mee in a real battle up the hill.
Winning the race for the fourth time, De Bromhead said: “Obviously after El Fabiolo went you knew then that the race had opened right up and we felt we had a right chance then.
“Can mistakes happen more at the speed they go in this race, I don’t know.
“He had his thing at Christmas (fibrillating heart) and I just kept thinking the horse deserved to get his Grade One so much, to get this one is amazing.
“Everyone at home has done a fantastic job and the vets. The tests he went through after Christmas, his heart specialist was happy and the IHRB (Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board) was happy and everyone was. In fairness to Sam who looks after him, he hadn’t known him in such form.
“We took a view from Leopardstown in February we just wouldn’t train him hard and keep him fresh and happy and that’s what we did. We just wanted him really bullish and he’s been trying to buck Sam off for the last two weeks, so I’m not sure he was as happy with the plan as I was, but it’s worked out for us all now.”
He added: “We’ve been so lucky in this race, it’s such an exciting race. You can’t make any mistake really, it’s about speed and accuracy.
“Another year when we won it Douvan was odds-on for the whole year. You can’t be afraid of one horse, but you pick your spots. You don’t do it every day of the week, but this place is different.”
Blackmore was adding the Champion Chase to her glittering CV for the first time.
“I could hear and see El Fabiolo make a mistake beside me, so I knew he was out of the equation then and your thinking changes, I suppose,” she said.
“It happened quite early on and we still had a long way to go, so I was just trying to ride from fence to fence, but it does change your brain a little bit for sure.
“The horse in front (Edwardstone) is such a good jumper, but my horse is a good jumper as well and and I didn’t want him to have it too easy in front.
“It was a long way up the hill after the last and I was glad we got to the line. I was trying to save and halfway up the hill I was thinking I hadn’t saved enough, but he’s an incredible horse.
“I’m not shocked because I thought his day would come, but at the same time I can’t believe it came.
“He ran so well here last year, I know he was beaten a long way but he still ran really well behind an incredibly talented horse (Energumene). He’s been in great form at home and when you’re riding for Henry around here this week, he does get them spot on.
“I was very hopeful coming into the race and I’m so delighted it’s happened for him on the biggest stage of all. I know Henry has won this race a few times, but I haven’t and it’s an incredible race to win.
“Sometimes it’s hard to let these things sink into you, it’s unbelievable.”
Mullins said: “I was very concerned that he reached for an early one and then stood back too far at the fence going away from the stands and didn’t get high enough.
“He got very low over a couple of them and I know he was a bit chancy before, but I was very concerned. He jumped the last one good and then of course he just stood back too far and didn’t get high enough. It’s very disappointing.”
He added: “I’m delighted for Henry and delighted for Rachael and our Gentleman De Mee ran a cracker, so we’re delighted.”
Alan King was thankfully able to confirm that Edwardstone was essentially fine following his fall.
He said: “He’s a bit shaken up but he’s OK, thankfully.
“He was in the process of running a solid race, but the winner cruised up as if he had just jumped in.”
Harry Brook has withdrawn from the Indian Premier League in order to prioritise his mental wellbeing following the death of his grandmother.
The England and Yorkshire batter pulled out of England’s recent Test tour in India in January, citing personal reasons, and in a social media post revealed the reason at the time was because his grandmother “was ill and didn’t have long left”.
In a post on Instagram, the 25-year-old confirmed that he would not be joining up with Delhi Capitals, saying: “I can confirm that I have made the very difficult decision not to play in the upcoming IPL.
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“I was so excited to be picked by Delhi Capitals and was so looking forward to joining up with everyone.
“Whilst I don’t think I should need to share my personal reasons behind this decision, I know there will be many asking why. So I do want to share this.
“I lost my Grandmother last month – she was a rock to me and I spent a huge amount of my childhood in her home; my attitude to life and love for cricket was shaped by her and my late grandfather.”
Brook pulled out of England’s five-Test tour to India before the squad flew out from their training camp in the United Arab Emirates.
He added: “I made the decision to leave the India Test tour the night before we flew from Abu Dhabi to India because I was told for the first time that my grandmother was ill and didn’t have long left.
“Now that she has passed my family & I are grieving and I need to be around them.
“Over the last few years I have learned to prioritise my mental wellbeing and that of my family’s, honestly nothing is more important to me than family.
“So whilst this may come as surprising to some, I know it’s the right decision for me. I’m young and hope to have many, many more years of cricket to come which I intend to make the absolute most of.
“I couldn’t be more grateful for the support I have received, especially from the ECB and Delhi Capitals, thank you.”
Brook, who has made four centuries in 12 Test appearances for England, played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL last season.
Delhi Capitals are due to play their first match of the new season against against Punjab Kings on March 23.
Gareth Southgate has some headaches to contend with as the England manager prepares to select his squad for a pair of high-profile Euro 2024 warm-up friendlies on Thursday.
With just three months to go until their tournament opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, preparations ramp up with March meetings against Brazil and Belgium at Wembley.
This is the last camp before Southgate names his provisional Euros squad just after the Premier League season concludes, with the final selection to be submitted to UEFA on June 8.
Southgate will be hoping to avoid injury to key players before then but first he has to deal with issues over availability, game time and form in this meet up.
Joe Gomez and Jack Butland have been tipped for recalls, while Kalvin Phillips will be hoping he has enough credit in the bank to earn a call-up despite a disastrous start to life at West Ham.
The 28-year-old’s loan from Manchester City has not gone to plan and on Sunday he was culpable for the opener against Burnley, then hauled off at half-time.
The selection of Jordan Henderson, another of Southgate’s favourites, has been another major talking point in the build up to the Euros after he joined Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq.
The 33-year-old was included in every squad despite last summer’s controversial move but has now returned to Europe, joining Dutch giants Ajax in January.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, seen as a midfielder by Southgate, has been out for a month due to a knee issue, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley among those knocking on the door.
Kobbie Mainoo has been tipped in some quarters for a call-up after bursting onto scene impressively at Manchester United, but the 18-year-old could instead join up with the Under-21 set-up.
United team-mate Marcus Rashford has been less impressive and has hot competition in his area of the field, although Jack Grealish is set to miss out this time due to a groin injury.
Anthony Gordon’s hopes of a maiden senior call-up appear to have been dashed by a knee issue and Southgate is sure to be quizzed about Raheem Sterling’s future if the forward is omitted again.
Brentford striker Ivan Toney is pushing to be involved after the one-cap player completed his Football Association betting ban and returned to action in January.
Arguably Southgate’s biggest headache comes at left-back.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag does not expect Luke Shaw to be back fit until May and Chelsea have announced Ben Chilwell is “undergoing specialist medical assessment” on a knee complaint.
Kieran Trippier has regularly filled in at left-back but he too looks set to miss March’s fixtures, while versatile defender Levi Colwill’s toe complaint could rule him out as well.
Rico Lewis made his bow at left-back and was named man of the match in November’s debut display in North Macedonia, but he has only made four Manchester City appearances in 2024.
Gomez, who won the last of his 11 England caps in 2020, is pushing for a recall having done brilliantly as left-back for Liverpool, while talented Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento has impressed.
Reece James remains out and in-form Ben White has been overlooked since leaving the 2022 World Cup squad.
Marc Guehi has been dealing with a knee injury, but fellow centre-back Harry Maguire should be fit enough to be involved and Eric Dier has made an impressive start to life at Bayern Munich.
Jarrad Branthwaite has also staked a claim with his fine displays at Everton, whose goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is the only definite selection among the shot-stoppers.
Aaron Ramsdale has made just two appearances for Arsenal since the turn of the year and Sam Johnstone has only recently returned to the Crystal Palace starting line-up.
Nick Pope is out with a dislocated shoulder and Southgate has been keeping a close eye on Butland’s performances at Rangers.
Captain Guinness came out on top in a dramatic renewal of the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, in which red-hot favourite El Fabiolo was pulled up.
Trained by Henry de Bromhead and ridden by Rachael Blackmore, the nine-year-old was sent off a 17-2 chance, with Willie Mullins’ El Fabiolo starting as the heavily-supported 2-9 market leader in the absence of supposed main rival Jonbon.
However, a jumping error led to Paul Townend’s mount being pulled up, and when the front-running Edwardstone fell at the last – albeit when looking beaten – it was Captain Guinness who went on prevail, holding off El Fabiolo’s stablemate Gentleman De Mee in a real battle up the hill.
Bullish Philippe Clement has challenged Rangers to make the rest of Europe sit up and take note by reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League at the expense of Benfica.
The two sides are locked at 2-2 after the first leg in Lisbon and the Ibrox boss, who is ready to welcome influential midfielder Todd Cantwell back into his squad after injury, believes it would be a statement result for his players if they could eliminate the Portuguese title chasers on Thursday.
“We are not naive, we know that Benfica has a really talented squad with a lot of experience also,” Clement said at his pre-match press conference.
“They have World Cup winners in their team, they have a lot of really big talents who will go for a lot of money after this season maybe and other players who have played at a really high level before.
“We know it will be a really big surprise in all of Europe if we can take out Benfica, but we are really hungry to do that.”
Clement told his Rangers players that, if they have aspirations of playing at the very top level, then it is nights like Thursday when they can showcase their abilities.
“It would be something really exciting, because they will show something towards all of Europe (if they get through),” said the manager. “For their career, it can be something really special.
“When you do special things like this, you can come more into attention. I understand the story here in the club that if players can make a step higher than Rangers and there’s a good deal for the club, you need to accept that and find other players to replace them in a good way.
“So in evenings like this, they can make steps in that way. But the most important thing is to understand that it is not an individual thing to show yourself. They can only show themselves if they show themselves as a team.”
Clement admits Benfica are slight favourites, but having led former side Club Brugge to a 2-2 draw in the Bernabeu in October 2019, he will not allow his team to go into the match with any sense of inferiority in front of another capacity Ibrox crowd
“Yes, I think so,” he said when asked if Gers were the underdogs. “If you’re realistic, yes. But in my heart, no.
“I’m always a realistic guy, but I’m a realistic guy who sets the standards high and I know, and I’ve seen, that this team can do that. I told them before the Benfica game that with Brugge we drew 2-2 with Real Madrid and we deserved that.
“We could have won that one, but this Rangers team is better than that Brugge team, so I believe we can win against whatever team we play when things fall on our side. I really believe that.
“I know that Benfica rested four or five players at the weekend towards this game. But my players are ready, I saw enough today, I see the freshness is back, the hunger is really big.
“We know we need to play above our level to qualify, but we are going to do everything to do that and the support of the fans can give something extra.
“This game was sold out really fast. Although it is a really early kick-off and a lot of people have to take a day off work to get to the stadium, we could have sold the stadium two, three times.”
Dujon Sterling will miss out with a minor injury, while Ross McCausland is a doubt, but Cantwell is set to return after missing the last five matches with a hamstring issue.
“He is ready to play an amount of minutes,” said Clement. “He is clearly not ready for 90 minutes, so then it’s about deciding whether to start him or not.
“He feels good and he was good in the training so I’m happy to see him back.”
Grant Gilchrist has told his Scotland colleagues to embrace the pressure of having to produce a positive response against Ireland on Saturday as they bid to banish “a dark couple of days” following their damaging Guinness Six Nations defeat in Italy last weekend.
The Scots have been heavily criticised after losing 31-29 in Rome and squandering the chance to set up a title shootout with Andy Farrell’s side in Dublin.
Instead Gregor Townsend’s team are now chasing a face-saving result away to “arguably the best team in the world at the minute” in order to avoid potentially finishing as low as fifth in the championship.
“We should feel under pressure,” said veteran second-rower Gilchrist. “Every time you put on the jersey you should feel under pressure, nothing for me changes.
“Through our own play we’ve set the bar a lot higher than any other Scotland team that I’ve ever been part of and that pressure is a privilege.
“It’s a privilege to wear the jersey, it’s a privilege to play in a team that’s good enough to be expecting to get huge results and to win all these big games.
“We’re not going to shy away from pressure. Pressure comes with big games and big moments and that’s why we play the game.
“We know the strength of the opposition, Ireland are arguably the best team in the world at the minute. With their home record, you can’t pick a tougher test but that’s a huge excitement for us.
“We know we’re going to have to be at our very best but that’s what we strive to be anyway. We need to embrace the pressure, embrace the challenge – I don’t think there’s any bigger challenge – and go out and deliver a performance.”
Gilchrist, 33, admitted the defeat in Rome was a tough one to swallow.
“In the immediacy, it was a dark couple of days,” he said. “No one cares more than the guys in that changing room and we’re devastated with how the game went and the opportunity we let slip by.
“It’s not a case of being able to move on too quickly but we had a really good day on Monday going through it and players taking a lot more responsibility.
“It was on us to look at solutions and come up with a plan so that we could put it behind us and it was great to get out on the grass on Tuesday and start putting things in place for what’s going to be… well there’s no bigger challenge.”
Hours after their own defeat, there was further reason for Scottish regret when Ireland’s surprise loss to England effectively meant Townsend’s team had blown a golden chance to go into the last weekend of the championship knowing victory would bring them title glory for the first time in 25 years.
“You couldn’t give me more of a blow than losing a game of rugby for my country that I know we were more than good enough to win, but because of our own doing we allowed ourselves to get into a game where we came out on the wrong side of the result,” said Gilchrist.
“Yes, it was a double blow (with Ireland also losing) but the first blow was enough for me. I couldn’t be more devastated at the fact that we didn’t take care of what we were doing and we knew all that stuff (the result at Twickenham) was out of our control anyway.”
George North has announced that he will retire from international rugby following Wales’ Guinness Six Nations game against Italy on Saturday.
It will be his 121st and final Wales appearance during a career that saw him help his country win four Six Nations titles, including two Grand Slams, play in four World Cups and go on two British and Irish Lions tours.
Here, the PA news agency recalls three of North’s finest moments.
2010 (November 13)
North was just 18 years old when Wales head coach Warren Gatland handed him a Test debut against South Africa in Cardiff. North had produced some blistering form for his regional team the Scarlets, and he simply carried that with him into the international arena. A thrilling game ultimately went South Africa’s way, but North announced his arrival as a star-in-the-making by scoring two tries opposite revered Springboks wing Bryan Habana. He was the largely unknown quantity in a Wales team that featured the likes of Shane Williams, James Hook, Alun Wyn Jones and Martyn Williams, but he could not have made a greater impact.
2013 (June 22)
North’s progression for Wales made him an obvious choice for the 2013 British and Irish Lions’ tour of Australia, and he did not disappoint. He made his presence felt early in the first Test in Brisbane, scoring a stunning solo try that showcased the 6ft 4in wing’s pace and power as he brushed aside Wallabies defenders Pat McCabe and James O’Connor. It was a highlight of the Lions’ 23-21 victory, while a week later in the Melbourne-staged second Test, North provided another memorable moment when he tackled Israel Folau by effectively picking the Australia wing up and carrying him.
2019 (February 1)
Wales began their 2019 Six Nations campaign with a Friday night encounter against France in Paris, and it looked bleak for the visitors when they trailed 16-0 at half-time. North, though, proved the catalyst of a remarkable turnaround, He pounced on a dreadful defensive error by France wing Yoann Huget to touch down and put Wales back in contention, then he intercepted France lock Sebastien Vahaamahina’s pass to speed away and leave Les Bleus crestfallen. Wales went on to win the Six Nations title and a Grand Slam.
Having proved a model of consistency amid the relative chaos of recent seasons, Leeds second-row Rhyse Martin believes the time is right to crown his Headingley career with some serious silverware.
The ultra-dependable 31-year-old has only a solitary Challenge Cup success in 2020 to show for his efforts since moving to the club in 2019, and with his contract up at the end of the year, 2024 may be his last chance to lift more trophies.
But Martin is convinced he has already seen a shift-change in his side’s ability to chisel out precious points after three wins in four matches, culminating in lashttps://content-wordpress.pressassociation.com/wp-admin/media-upload.php?post_id=9499691&type=image&TB_iframe=1t Friday’s fightback – ignited by Martin’s opening try – to beat Leigh from 16 points behind.
“To be able to find that rhythm to pull it back is impressive and it’s something that has got the team through in recent years,” Martin told the PA news agency ahead of Friday’s Super League clash with St Helens.
“Obviously to get a lead and grind it out to get the win is easier on the stress levels and we’ve probably had to find ourselves fighting back from deficits a bit too often for my liking.
“But I think in recent years we might have found a way to lose that game, and also the games against Catalans and Salford, so being able to close out games and get the two points is crucial.
“In previous years we’ve been one win from four, so it’s nice to be in this position. These early wins will help us in the back end of the season. Silverware is what you strive for because it’s what you want to look back on and talk about with your kids.”
Martin has been a virtual ever-present in an otherwise inconsistent Rhinos side over the last three years, playing at centre for much of the 2023 campaign, and adding his accuracy with the boot that saw him equal the world record for consecutive successful kicks in 2022.
But Martin’s status as arguably one of the most underrated players in Super League – and certainly one of its most successful overseas signings – may be on borrowed time with his future beyond the current campaign still unclear.
“I am off contract at the end of the season and at the moment it’s up in the air,” added Martin. “For me, nothing else has changed since I came to the club – I turn up and train hard and play hard.”
Martin, one of a growing number of PNG players in Super League, made no secret of his desire to be involved in a prospective Papua New Guinean franchise in Australia’s lucrative NRL.
Talks on funding a franchise team in Port Moresby are understood to be ongoing and Martin, who has represented his country at two World Cups, said: “If PNG got an NRL team it is something I’d be interested in, 100 per cent.
“I don’t know when that will be, so I don’t know in what capacity. But it would be something to play for them. It would be like playing for Manchester United, one of those massive teams that gets crazy fans everywhere they go. It would be something special.”
Langer Dan retained his title for Dan and Harry Skelton in the Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
The eight-year-old struck last year off the same mark and started as a 13-2 chance to return the trophy to owner Colm Donlon’s mantelpiece.
After moving sweetly in the mid-division Langer Dan inched his way into the race as it developed before powering into the lead up the hill, pulling away to win comfortably on the line, by three and a half lengths from Ballyadam.
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