Finn Russell insisted he had been revitalised by his move to Bath as he plots Scotland’s attacking strategy for the Six Nations with Gregor Townsend.
Russell helped Bath qualify for the knockout phase of the Investec Champions Cup by directing a 29-25 victory over Top 14 leaders Racing 92 on Sunday, their third win in as many group matches.
The 31-year-old Scot left the Parisians for the Recreation Ground over the summer and the change of scenery has been an unqualified success, with his new club enjoying a revival in the Gallagher Premiership and Europe.
He hopes to enter the Six Nations with the same brio and has been in frequent contact with Scotland head coach Townsend ahead of the opener against Wales on February 3.
“Coming and changing teams with Bath has given me, not a new lease of life, but it has energised me,” Russell said.
“It has been a new challenge and I’ve worked with new players in a slightly different structure and with a new gameplan, which has been good fun.
“I have grown again since I have been here. It is good for me as a 10, the more experience I get, the better.
“I have spoken to Gregor quite a lot. He texted me on Saturday and every week we have been chatting.
“I have got a call with him on Monday to chat about a few options with the attack through the Six Nations.”
While the move to Bath has put a spring in Russell’s step and provided the Premiership with a new poster boy, it also helped the fly-half come to terms with Scotland’s recent group exit from the World Cup.
“Physically I was all right. I played three games out of four at the World Cup but every game I had a week off after so physically I was fine,” he said.
“It was more disappointment. I wanted to get straight back in here so I almost didn’t have time to dwell on what had happened.
“I took a week off, three or four weeks after I came back in, got away and had a proper holiday and switched off a bit, but coming back in here and getting something fresh has been really good to get over it.
“Potentially, if I had stayed at Racing I would have gone back there and it would have been the same again and dwelling on the World Cup.
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“Coming into a new team with new coaches and a new environment and starting from scratch helped me get over that World Cup.”
Russell’s immediate assignment is Bath’s trip to Toulouse on Sunday with the winners finishing top of Pool 2 and guaranteed home advantage in the round of 16.
“Toulouse will be really tough but we are going there to try and win that game. They have got 40 points every game so it’s going to be a challenge, but we have got the confidence and belief to go and do that,” Russell added.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe met supporter representatives and local community leaders on Monday as he continues to await Premier League ratification of his investment in Manchester United.
Ratcliffe attended United’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham at Old Trafford on Sunday, his first appearance since the announcement of his prospective £1.3billion deal.
The Ineos chairman, who watched the game alongside Sir Alex Ferguson, has conducted a series of meetings with club staff and associates in recent days.
After meeting with leaders of the independent Manchester United Supporters’ Trust, Ratcliffe spoke with local leaders including senior representatives of Trafford Council, and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.
Ratcliffe is reportedly already planning to lead an overhaul of United’s playing squad, starting with four new players to aid Erik ten Hag’s bid to lead a belated charge for Europe.
Lee Kang-in's individual brilliance inspired South Korea to a 3-1 victory over Bahrain in the Asian Cup on Monday.
Used to being overshadowed by Kylian Mbappe at club level and Son Heung-min on the international stage, Paris Saint-Germain's Lee took centre stage at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
While Son missed a golden chance late on and was also booked for diving, Lee scored two picture-perfect goals to get South Korea off to a winning start in the competition the country has not won since claiming back-to-back titles in 1956 and 1960.
Not that he was comfortable with the spotlight.
"I would just like to say and highlight that it is not about individual performance. It's not just about my two goals. All the goals we score are very important for the team," he said after the Group E match.
His coach Jurgen Klinsmann was also restrained in his praise.
"If you score two in the opening game of the Asian Cup for us you deserve to be man of match and [it was] a very good performance. But I have to keep him on the ground every day," he said with a smile.
The game was tied at 1-1 when Lee took control, giving South Korea a 2-1 lead in the 56th minute with a left-footed shot from around 30 yards.
He was equally clinical as he scored his second goal 12 minutes later when showing sharp footwork and curling the ball into the bottom corner.
Hwang In-beom had given South Korea a first-half lead, but Bahrain equalised six minutes after the break through Abdullah Al Hashash.
Jordan sit top of Group E on goal difference after a 4-0 win over Malaysia.
Mahmoud Al Mardi and Mousa Tamari scored two goals each in the match at Al Janoub Stadium.
Jordan raced to a 3-0 half-time lead, with Al Mardi on target twice and Tamari scoring from the spot. The latter, who also had a goal disallowed by VAR, doubled his tally in the 85th minute.
In Group D, Iraq moved level with Japan on three points thanks to a 3-1 defeat of Indonesia.
Goals from Mohanad Ali, Osama Rashid and Aymen Hussein secured victory at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, while Marselino Ferdinan netted for Indonesia, who are making their first appearance in an Asian Cup in 16 years.
Women’s Super League giants Arsenal and Manchester City have been drawn together in the fifth round of the Women’s FA Cup.
The two clubs currently sit third and second respectively in the league table, with the Gunners narrowly getting the better of their most recent meeting in November.
Leaders Chelsea, looking to sign off the Emma Hayes era with a fourth straight crown, have been drawn at home to Championship Crystal Palace.
Wolves, the lowest-ranked team left in the competition who beat Reading in round four, have been handed a home draw against WSL strugglers Brighton.
Championship leaders Birmingham will travel to Leicester while in-form Charlton, currently second in the second tier, head for a London derby at Tottenham.
Championship Southampton host Manchester United, Nottingham Forest face Everton and London City Lionesses, in the fifth round for the first time, have been drawn at home to Liverpool.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was named best men’s coach at The Best FIFA Awards 2023 in London.
Guardiola guided City to the treble last season, adding the Champions League crown to their Premier League and FA Cup triumphs.
Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi, former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou, now at Tottenham, Luciano Spalletti, who took Napoli to the Serie A title, and Barcelona’s Xavi were also on the shortlist.
Guardiola said: “I want to share this trophy and moment with our owners at Manchester City.
“On behalf of my backroom staff and myself, I want to say thank you so much to our players, that they have done for this club for eight years already together, without exception all of them.
“Thanks so much for this incredible journey because they don’t know what it means every morning to go there and live with them, winning or losing it doesn’t matter – living with them has been incredible.”
Cameroon were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by resolute 10-man Guinea in their Africa Cup of Nations opener in Yamoussoukro.
Mohamed Bayo had given Guinea a shock early lead before captain Francois Kamano was sent off in first-half stoppage time following a VAR review for standing on Frank Magri’s foot.
Magri’s header levelled things up six minutes into the second half, but Cameroon could not find a winner past the well-organised Guinea defence.
Earlier, defending champions Senegal had beaten Gambia 3-0 to sit top of Group C.
Cameroon – missing injured captain Vincent Aboubakar – started with Fabrice Ondoa in goal after bad weather caused travel problems for his cousin Andre Onana, who had flown in from Manchester on a private jet only to be further delayed and not named in the match squad.
Guinea, without Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy, took a shock lead in the 10th minute.
Cameroon midfielder Olivier Kemen lost possession on the edge of the penalty area and Le Havre forward Bayo stabbed the loose ball past Ondoa.
The Indomitable Lions, five-time African champions, looked for a swift response as captain Frank Anguissa headed wide at the far post.
Guinea defender Sekou Sylla tried a long-range effort to catch Ondoa off his line, but the back-pedalling Nimes keeper was relieved to see the ball drop onto the roof of the net.
Guinea, though, were down to 10 men in stoppage time at the end of the first half when Kamano was sent off following a VAR review after standing on Magri’s foot.
Having looked at the challenge again on the pitchside monitor, Libyan referee Ibrahim Mutaz rescinded the original yellow card and showed a red to the forward.
Cameroon equalised six minutes into the second half when Magri got up at the back post to head in Georges-Kevin Nkoudou’s deep cross from the left.
Just after the hour, Guinea midfielder Aguibou Camara burst clear on the right, only to be brought down by Cameroon defender Harold Moukoudi, who was shown a yellow card.
Cameroon pressed for a late winner, with N’Koudou glancing a header wide before Guinea keeper Ibrahim Kone saved from Karl Toko at point-blank range as the 10 men held out.
Anthony Joshua expects an “explosive” encounter when he takes on Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on March 8.
The Briton will go head to head with the MMA star following his impressive fifth-round stoppage of Sweden’s Otto Wallin in December.
Ex-UFC fighter Ngannou, who is now contracted to the Professional Fighters League, made his professional boxing debut against Tyson Fury in October and only narrowly missed out on an unlikely victory, dropping the WBC heavyweight champion in the third round.
“He brings two arms, a body, but his mind is different to everyone else. In terms of his frame and make-up I’ve seen people like him many times before,” Joshua said at a press conference on Monday evening to announce the ‘Knockout Chaos’ show in Riyadh.
On his thoughts when the Ngannou fight was offered, Joshua added: “No problem. Every fight leads to somewhere, so this fight is my everything and we will see where it leads me.
“My main focus is Ngannou and getting through an intense training camp.
“I have got to take his mind and his spirit, it will be explosive. We can both trade and it will be a good fight.”
Joshua won all three of his fights in 2023 as he bids to return to the top of the heavyweight division, but Ngannou is determined to derail that ambition.
Ngannou said: “I’m going to come as an underdog to win the fight. I will get this done, I’m just a beginner.
“I will come out better and that’s how I see things. I prepared for a hard fight. The Fury fight is in the past and I will take this more serious than before because there’s more on the line, the undisputed.
“I will do something nobody has done before and I have the tools to do that. It will not be an easy fight, but a possible one (to win).”
The Joshua-Ngannou fight will take place three weeks after Fury fights Oleksandr Usyk in the same city for the undisputed world heavyweight title.
Promoter Frank Warren said: “This is what boxing fans have been crying out for for years. We are in the golden age of boxing.
“Francis brought something to the ring that I never expected. He can be a handful on the inside, he put Tyson through his toughest fight for a long time.
“I take my hat off to AJ (Joshua) for taking this fight. I think he’s in a tough fight and it will be knockout chaos.”
Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn added: “If you can imagine the winner of this fight against the winner of Fury v Usyk, it’s been a long dream of Anthony and his team to be undisputed.”
Everton and Nottingham Forest are facing possible points deductions over alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.
The league issued a statement on Monday afternoon which claimed the clubs had confirmed to it that they had breached profitability and sustainability rules after incurring losses above the permitted threshold for the assessment period up to and including the 2022-23 season.
Both cases have now been referred to the chair of the independent judicial panel, who will appoint separate commissions to determine the appropriate sanction, the league said.
The clubs could face points penalties, with Everton having been docked 10 points last November over an earlier PSR breach. That sanction is the subject of an appeal.
The league’s statement, which came shortly after each club had released their own statements acknowledging a referral, read: “Everton FC and Nottingham Forest FC have each confirmed to the Premier League that they are in breach of the league’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
“This is as a result of sustaining losses above the permitted thresholds for the assessment period ending season 2022-23.
“In accordance with Premier League rules, both cases have now been referred to the chair of the judicial panel, who will appoint separate commissions to determine the appropriate sanction.
“Commissions are independent of the Premier League and member clubs. The proceedings are heard in private with the commissions’ final decisions made public on the Premier League’s website. The league will make no further comment until that time.”
Everton issued a statement which read: “Everton Football Club acknowledges the Premier League’s decision to refer a breach of Profit & Sustainability rules (PSR) for the assessment period ending with the 2022-23 season to an independent Premier League commission.
“This relates to a period which covers seasons 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23. It therefore includes financial periods (201920, 2020/21 and 2021/22) for which the Club has already received a 10-point sanction. The Club is currently appealing that sanction.
“The Premier League does not have guidelines which prevent a club being sanctioned for alleged breaches in financial periods which have already been subject to punishment, unlike other governing bodies, including the EFL.
“As a result – and because of the Premier League’s new commitment to deal with such matters “in-season” – the club is in a position where it has had no option but to submit a PSR calculation which remains subject to change, pending the outcome of the appeal.
“The club must now defend another Premier League complaint which includes the very same financial periods for which it has already been sanctioned, before that appeal has even been heard. The club takes the view that this results from a clear deficiency in the Premier League’s rules.
“Everton can assure its fans that it will continue to defend its position during the ongoing appeal and, should it be required to do so, at any future commission – and that the impact on supporters will be reflected as part of that process.”
Forest’s statement read: “Nottingham Forest acknowledges the statement from the Premier League confirming that the club has today been charged with a breach of the league’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules.
“The club intends to continue to co-operate fully with the Premier League on this matter and are confident of a speedy and fair resolution.”
The clubs have been contacted by the PA news agency over the Premier League’s assertion that they have confirmed they are in breach of the rules.
Eastleigh boss Richard Hill has challenged his players to write their names in the history books and set up an “absolutely massive” FA Cup clash at home to Manchester United.
A visit from the Premier League giants is the mouth-watering reward on offer for the non-league Spitfires when they host Newport in Tuesday’s third-round replay at the Silverlake Stadium.
Eastleigh have never made it to the fourth round before and beating the League Two outfit to secure a glamour tie against United would hugely boost exposure and revenue.
“The prize is absolutely massive,” said boss Hill, whose side fought from back from a man and then a goal down to draw the first meeting 1-1 in south Wales.
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“Forget what it could lead to financially – I don’t know, I don’t get involved in that.
“The financial side could be good, but just to get Manchester United to the Silverlake would just be… I keep saying it’s going to be massive, but it’s massive.”
Eastleigh beat Dover, fellow National League side Boreham Wood and stunned League One strugglers Reading en route to just their third ever appearance in the FA Cup third round.
Progress on Tuesday would secure at least an additional £105,000 in prize money and a £110,000 broadcast fee after the BBC selected United’s fourth-round tie for TV coverage.
“If the players want to dream, let them dream,” Hill said of the prospect of facing the 12-time FA Cup winners.
“My message to the players has been, today it might mean nothing that you got to the fourth round of the FA Cup personally.
“But in another 15, 20 years’ time, when there is a little snippet in the programme, local paper, that filters its way back through, it will mean something.”
Hill recalled the excitement of his son and grandson recently when they read about one of his goals in the programme at Oxford, where he played alongside United assistant Steve McClaren.
“I had a message (from) Steve McClaren,” he said. “He’s a very good mate of mine. We played together at Oxford back in the 80s. He sent me a message of good wishes, so I appreciate that.”
United’s visit to the 5,192-capacity Silverlake Stadium would comfortably be the biggest match in Eastleigh’s history.
The Hampshire side are exploring the possibility of temporary seating and say the game will be played at their home “unless our Safety Advisory Group feels the club cannot stage the match safely, which we feel is extremely unlikely”.
On the prospect of United coming to the Silverlake Stadium, a ground that welcomed just 360 fans for his first game in charge in 2012, Hill said: “It would be unbelievable, wouldn’t it? But I don’t make those decisions.
“If we are successful tomorrow, if it’s decided that the game should be moved, then I have to accept that.
“But I’m sure, knowing (owner) Stewart (Donald), that any remote chance that it can be played here… you’ve got to remember that’d be a massive legacy for him to leave as well.
“The chairman of Eastleigh Football Club, in the fourth round of the FA Cup and got Manchester United to the Silverlake. (Even) Manchester United in a pre-season friendly would be massive at the Silverlake.”
Last year’s Dubai World Cup runner-up Algiers has been retired from racing.
Trained by Simon and Ed Crisford, he improved from winning a handicap at York in October 2022 to be beaten only by the Japanese winner Ushba Tesoro just six months later in one of the richest races in the world.
The Shamardal gelding excelled on dirt, winning two rounds of the Maktoum Challenge before his World Cup effort.
Just touched off in a Grade Three at Woodbine on his only outing since, he had been thought to be all set for another Dubai Carnival.
But in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Simon Crisford said: “Unfortunately, Algiers is not showing the same sparkle in his work and we have decided to retire him.
“He was a very consistent horse who loved Meydan. He showed his brilliance in Rounds 1 and 2 of the Maktoum Challenge before running a close second in the Dubai World Cup.
“He will now enjoy a happy retirement and I would like to thank his owners Sultan Ali and Hamdan bin Sultan Ali Alsabousi for their support.”
South Africa boss Hugo Broos has emphasised his desire to win the Africa Cup of Nations for a second time as his side prepare to open their campaign in the Ivory Coast against Mali.
Broos was in charge of Cameroon when they lifted the trophy in Gabon in 2017.
The Belgian is now overseeing a Bafana Bafana outfit making an AFCON return with Tuesday’s Group E clash with Mali in Korhogo, having failed to qualify for the last tournament two years ago, hosted by Cameroon, under Molefi Ntseki.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the match, Broos said: “When you won it once, you want to win it twice.
“It’s a fantastic feeling winning an AFCON. I’m a European but the intensity and joy, everything around winning an AFCON is unique, it’s really unique.
“It was a fantastic experience, and you can be sure that I dream of it, to do it a second time.
“But saying it is much easier than doing it, let’s start tomorrow and do our best and see where we arrive.”
The team are currently 66th in FIFA’s world rankings, 15 places below Mali, who were knocked out in the round of 16 in 2022.
The Eagles, managed by Eric Chelle, have been making checks on midfielder Mohamed Camara.
A statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, by the Malian football federation read: “Mohamed Camara travelled this afternoon to Abidjan where he will undergo an MRI for a final check following the injury contracted with his club, Monaco, a few weeks ago.”
Head coach Amir Abdou hopes Mauritania can be “spoilsports” at the Africa Cup of Nations ahead of their opener against Burkina Faso in Bouake.
Ahead of Tuesday’s contest, Abdou recognises their opponents, who have reached the semi-finals in two of the last three editions, and 2019 champions Algeria are favourites to progress from Group D.
While Mauritania have yet to record a win in their past two appearances in the competition, Abdou senses his side and Angola have nothing to lose as they seek to upset the odds.
“As an outsider, the favourite is Algeria, there’s no contest,” Abdou told reporters. “Burkina Faso have always been there in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
“These are teams that are always present at the competition. We’ll be the outsiders along with Angola, so we’ll be trying to be the spoilsports.
“We want to have an interesting tournament, and avoid the troubles Mauritania had in the last two editions. That’s our aim: to go and take on the big boys and why not reach the last 16?”
Despite Burkina Faso’s excellent recent record in reaching the latter stages of this competition, the 2013 finalists have never won their opening match with five draws and seven defeats.
His team might be favourites to beat Mauritania but Burkina Faso boss Hubert Velud is taking nothing for granted.
“We will have to be careful, the slightest mistake will be fatal,” he said. “We will make sure to apply ourselves as much as possible to achieve a result.”
Former New England Patriots safety Duron Harmon has credited Bill Belichick with helping Tom Brady become the greatest player in NFL history, saying the legendary duo "needed each other".
Belichick and the Patriots parted ways last week, bringing an end to one of the most remarkable coaching tenures in league history.
The 71-year-old led the Patriots for 24 seasons, overseeing 18 playoff visits and taking the team to nine Super Bowls, winning six of those showpiece games with the most recent coming in 2019.
However, New England missed the playoffs in three of their last four seasons under Belichick, prompting team owner Robert Kraft to replace his long-serving coach with former linebackers coach Jerod Mayo.
Some have suggested Belichick's failure to win a Super Bowl without Brady diminishes his achievements somewhat, with the coach's overall NFL record without the quarterback standing at 85-102, but Harmon does not subscribe to that view.
"I think both those guys are motivated by one thing; being the best they can each and every day," Harmon – who played for Belichick's Patriots between 2013 and 2019 – told Stats Perform.
"Tom's job would be to be the best quarterback and rally his team. Bill's job was to be the best head coach and rally his team as well, and to make sure the coaches understand his vision so they can pass it to the players and put the best product on the field.
"It's easy to try to put those two against each other, but I think at the end of the day, they needed each other.
"They understand that they couldn't have accomplished what they accomplished in New England without each other.
"I think there's a great amount of respect that they have for each other. I'm still grateful and appreciative that I got to be around the greatest quarterback and the greatest head coach of all time."
Brady did manage to win one more title after he and Belichick parted ways in 2020, collecting his seventh ring by leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to glory at Super Bowl LV.
Harmon does not believe Brady was motivated by a desire to prove he could succeed without Belichick, saying: "I truly don't believe he needs any extra motivation.
"This guy wanted to be the best player that he can be every day, whether it was with the Buccaneers, whether it was with the Patriots, he just wants to get the best out of himself every day.
"I don't think it was, 'I want to prove I could do this without Bill', I think more so it was just him going to Tampa and doing what he does.
"The thing that people don't realise, and I know Tom was always a great competitor, but the cultural style that came from Bill to him is what I believe gave him that extra motivation, that extra push to make Tom truly who he is.
"As a young player, when he first took from Drew Bledsoe [in 2001], it was a very veteran-based team, so he wanted to gain the respect of not only the players, but also Bill Belichick.
"Bill pushed him as best he could to be the best that he could be, and in the end, he became the best ever."
Having won three Super Bowls in six years in New England, Harmon is uniquely placed to offer an insight into the relationship between Belichick and Brady at the height of the Patriots' dominance.
"It was like yin and yang. It was Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson. Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson," he recalled.
"I was fortunate enough to be captain one year with the Patriots and saw how they interacted in the captains' meeting and how they were always on the same page.
"There were times when Bill got on Tom in front of everybody, and it wasn't to demean Tom, but it was to let everybody know that there is a standard in this organisation, it doesn't matter who you are, whether you're the best player or you're the last guy on the practice squad.
"Seeing those guys work together allowed me to see what that head coach-quarterback partnership is supposed to look like at the highest level."
Everton and Nottingham Forest have confirmed to the Premier League that they are in breach of the competition’s financial rules, the league has said.
The league issued a statement on Monday afternoon which stated the clubs had confirmed to it that they had breached profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) after sustaining losses above the permitted threshold for the assessment period up to and including the 2022-23 season.
Both cases have now been referred to the chair of the independent judicial panel, who will appoint separate commissions to determine the appropriate sanction.
The clubs could face points penalties, with Everton having been docked 10 points last November over an earlier PSR breach. That sanction is the subject of an appeal.
The league’s statement, which came shortly after each club had released their own statements confirming a referral, read: “Everton FC and Nottingham Forest FC have each confirmed to the Premier League that they are in breach of the league’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
“This is as a result of sustaining losses above the permitted thresholds for the assessment period ending season 2022-23.
“In accordance with Premier League rules, both cases have now been referred to the chair of the judicial panel, who will appoint separate commissions to determine the appropriate sanction.
“Commissions are independent of the Premier League and member clubs. The proceedings are heard in private with the commissions’ final decisions made public on the Premier League’s website. The league will make no further comment until that time.”
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