Andy Farrell described his appointment as British and Irish Lions head coach as “pretty magical” but has ruled out a repeat of the moment that made his name with the tourists.
Farrell takes charge of the Lions for the first time when they visit Australia in 2025 having been a part of Warren Gatland’s management team in 2013 and 2017.
The 48-year-old Englishman was chosen by a committee comprising of Brian O’Driscoll, Ieuan Evans, Nigel Redman and Sir Ian McGeechan, who spent six months on the selection process before unanimously agreeing on the right candidate.
Farrell, the current World Rugby coach of the year, has been rewarded for guiding Ireland to a Grand Slam, an historic 2-1 series victory in New Zealand and to the summit of the global rankings.
“This means the world to me. To be thought of as a candidate for the head coach’s role is pretty special, but to be chosen is pretty magical,” Farrell said.
“For those of us who have been lucky enough to go on a Lions tour, or go as a supporter, knowing what the Lions stand for, we all know how special this is.
“So for me to be chosen as the head coach, it’s beyond words to be honest.”
Farrell insists that Gatland “took a big punt on me in 2013” when he was taken to Australia as a rookie assistant coach and oversaw the defence for a 2-1 series victory.
But the dual code international also provided one of the highlights of the tour by giving his famous ‘hurt arena’ speech before the Sydney decider, imploring his players to reach new levels “because there is no tomorrow”.
The Wallabies were subsequently crushed 41-16 and Farrell’s Lions reputation was made.
“I’ve probably grown up a little bit since then – I’m probably not as dramatic!” Farrell said.
“There won’t be any film star roles from me, just being myself and making sure that the team comes first.
“My coaching style is what it is. It’s me being myself. It’s me trying to put across to the talented group of players that I will be working with that they can express themselves.
“It’s 100 per cent that the talent will be there so I need to work to make sure I let that talent flourish.”
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Farrell begins his role in December having been given the green light by Ireland to take charge of the Lions for their 10-fixture trip that culminates in a three-Test series against the Wallabies.
He has been given a sabbatical by the Irish Rugby Football Union to focus purely on the Lions, meaning he will miss next year’s Six Nations.
One of his most important tasks will be assembling his coaching team, with Paul O’Connell and Gregor Townsend likely to be given prominent roles.
“I’m in no rush at all. There’s a long way to go isn’t there? There’s a lot of coaches just starting in new roles,” Farrell said.
“Some people will get better as coaches under pressure, so I’ll just sit back and watch.
“You’ve got to have the right people on the bus. It’s about excellence as well and the right balance between the coaching staff in general. If you have all the personalities being the same, it won’t feel right.
“If you don’t get the people right that technically and tactically can deliver to these superb players, that won’t feel right either. We’ve got to do the right thing by the team.”
The Prince of Wales has surprised Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield by presenting them with their CBEs during a visit to Headingley Stadium.
William paid tribute to the pair’s “phenomenal” efforts in raising funds and awareness for motor neurone disease (MND).
Sinfield and Burrow, who were Leeds Rhinos team-mates during their playing careers, were made CBEs in the New Year Honours List for services to MND awareness.
Sinfield has raised more than £15million since his friend Burrow was diagnosed with MND, an incurable and life-limiting condition, in December 2019.
Last year, Sinfield, 43, completed the “7 in 7 in 7” challenge by completing seven ultramarathons in seven cities in as many days.
On Thursday, William met Burrow and Sinfield at the stadium, and presented them with their CBEs in front of their wives and the former’s three children.
After talking to the two friends in the dressing room at Headingley, the prince said: “I’ve brought a special couple of things up with me to give you today.
“I did check with Kevin to make sure you didn’t want to go down to London to receive this, but I brought your CBEs up here to give to you today if that’s OK, while you’re in your home, in Leeds, surrounded by your family and friends. I thought today was a good day.”
William told Burrow: “The most amount of thank yous and congratulations for all the inspirational work you’ve done Rob, you’ve been amazing and everyone’s so proud of you.
“We’ve been following your case and all the money you’ve been raising, and you’re changing people’s lives with MND.”
Presenting Sinfield with his CBE, the prince said: “A huge, huge congratulations. It’s been amazing what you’ve done. It really is.
“You’ve raised so much the profile of MND. Your brotherly bond and relationship between the two of you has been so amazing to watch – an inspiration to everyone to go, like ‘this is how we help each other’.
“The groundswell you’ve created in terms of fundraising and looking after each other and for MND is huge. Make sure you look after your knees, your hips, and everything else, but it’s been incredible.”
Burrow welcomed the prince to the venue with a message recorded on an eye gaze machine, saying: “I would like to welcome you to Headingley, the home of Leeds Rhinos, and thank you for coming today. It is an honour to meet you.”
After being described by the prince as an inspiration to the MND community, Burrow said: “I can honestly say that I never set out to be an inspiration, I just wanted to try and help other people in a similar situation to me.
“I’m just trying to live my best life with the cards that I’ve been dealt.”
He added: “I wouldn’t be here without the love and support of my wife Lindsey. She is stronger than any rugby player I ever played against.”
After being asked about their friendship, Sinfield said: “The humour’s different. It’s different in how we communicate but the humour’s still exactly the same, it’s still there. He’s still as mischievous and funny as he’s always been.”
Talking about Burrow’s reputation for “playing tricks” before big games as a player, Sinfield told William about an incident in the dressing room when Burrow rubbed a Jaffa Cake on the white underwear of another player.
The prince joked: “I’m so not telling my children Rob because that’s the sort of thing they’ll do to me.”
Burrow’s daughters Macy and Maya also presented William with three gift bags for his children.
After receiving the CBE, Burrow said: “It is an honour to accept on behalf of the whole MND community. Days like today allow us to keep the spotlight on the disease and continue to raise awareness and, hopefully, funds to fight the disease and support those who are living with MND and their families.
“It was wonderful that His Royal Highness was able to come to Headingley to see us and very much appreciated. It was lovely to talk to him and for me to meet my family.”
Officials at Wincanton are delighted to play host to Henrietta Knight’s return to the training ranks – but are keeping their fingers crossed the track passes an early Friday morning inspection.
The 77-year-old is best known for the Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning exploits of Best Mate in the early 2000s but has been missing from the training fraternity since handing in her licence in 2012.
However, she announced her plans to end that 12-year hiatus late last year and is set to saddle two runners on the Wincanton card as she begins the new chapter of her decorated career in racing alongside right-hand man Brendan Powell.
Knight is of course no stranger to Wincanton saddling 42 winners from 262 runners during her previous time as a trainer, with her Champion Chase and King George hero Edredon Bleu a winner on four of his five visits to the Somerset track.
“It’s a big day and it’s a testament to their trust in Wincanton to come over and we’re excited,” said clerk of the course Daniel Cooper.
“We heard rumours last week that it could be the case and when we raced on Saturday I asked Brendan Powell and he confirmed it was going to be here.
“It’s lovely and we will look forward to showing Henrietta we are just how she would remember us in the past and we’re a new team here now so it will be good to try to carry on that trust.
“It will be great to have Henrietta and Brendan’s presence here, they are two great figures in racing.”
But before Knight has the chance to enter the saddling boxes to prepare her runners for action, the course will have to pass an 8.30am inspection with Cooper concerned about the prospect of frost affecting areas of the course.
Cooper added: “At the moment (Thursday afternoon) I would be calling this 95 per cent raceable and there are three areas that are frozen in places, so I’m just hoping they improve, and if the forecast temperatures are to be believed, they will improve and we will be OK.
“My god it’s close but things are 95 per cent at Wincanton, but the concern is tonight it freezes again and we arrive to a problem again in the morning.
“I’m not able to do any more than that and it’s a completely precarious situation still, but things are much better now than when I walked the course this morning – I’m convinced it’s better.
“We are going to be having an 8.30am inspection and we want to see a bit of daylight and see what it looks like and if we have to push it back in the morning, we will carry on doing so if we think we will see improvement.
“Everyone wants to race and it is set to be a great day, but we will only do so if it is fit, so we keep our fingers crossed.”
All In You will head to Kempton on Saturday in a bid to replicate a neat Fontainebleau success as part of a renewed team for owner-jockey David Maxwell.
Maxwell owns a string of horses and rides on an amateur licence, with his most recent successes in the saddle including Joker De Mai in a Lingfield handicap, Queensbury Boy in a Chepstow bumper and All In You’s Fontainebleau win.
The latter horse is trained by French-based Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm and will now cross the Channel to contest a juvenile hurdle at Kempton after a neat victory on home turf in mid-December was added to a prior win on the Flat.
The four-year-old was purchased by French agent Guy Petit after his racecourse debut and changed hands and stables having previously been trained by Stephanie Nigge.
“I bought him privately, I can’t even remember how much I gave for him as I tend to blank it out of my mind as a distasteful experience!” said Maxwell.
“He’d won a Flat race and Guy reckoned he looked the business. Sure enough, when he won first time he was the business.
“He jumped straightforwardly and he’s got a bit of a turn of foot, he’s really nice.”
George and Zetterholm hit a significant career milestone at Kempton when their stable flag bearer Il Est Francais won the Grade One Kauto Star Novices’ Chase on Boxing Day, giving them a natural inclination to return to the track.
“I didn’t really have a plan, I just thought he was a nice horse and he went to Noel who said ‘let’s just run him’,” Maxwell said.
“I was probably going to bring him over here but then they ran him and he won, then Noel said ‘let’s send him to Kempton’ because Noel likes coming over to Kempton now for obvious reasons!
“Nothing has come out of that race in France yet so I don’t know if it was an egg and spoon race or if it was decent, but he did it well.
“We’ll see after we run him what sort of horse we have, he’s only a baby.”
All In You is one of a number of nice prospects Maxwell has sourced from the point-to-point field and the French circuit, bringing in younger horses as the older campaigners he is associated with hit their veteran years.
He said: “I’ve restocked, Noel Fehily and David Crosse have been buying Irish pointers for me and Guy Petit has been buying horses in France.
“They’re a nice bunch of young horses, you’ve just got to be patient with them and let them grow and mature and risk the urge to play with the shiny new toys.”
Seasoned chasers such as Bob And Co, Saint Calvados, Cat Tiger and Simply The Betts have been good servants for Maxwell in recent years, but the sad fate of the latter has affirmed his approach of enjoying his horses with few fixed plans.
He said: “I’ll just be led by them, you can’t make plans with horses and I’ll give you an example.
“I laid out a plan for the last 18 months that Simply The Betts was going to win the Foxhunters this year. A Cheltenham specialist, he’s a two-and-a-half-miler but with his age he’ll get the trip, he’s eligible for hunter chasing this year.
“He was going to go to Kelso next week to open his account in a hunter chase and he died last week from colic, we did all we could for him.
“It’s a microcosm of life and sadly it happens. That’s why you can’t really plan, you’ve just got to enjoy it and keep smiling.
“We’ll hopefully stay happy, stay healthy and win some races, that’s the plan, and just keep enjoying it.”
Australia's chairman of selectors, George Bailey, expects David Warner will be available to play in three T20Is against West Indies in February despite the series clashing with the ILT20 tournament where he is contracted to captain Dubai Capitals.
Warner has retired from Test and ODI cricket for Australia but is committed to playing in the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and US during June.
Warner is planning to play in the ILT20 which begins on January 19, just after the home and away portion of the BBL has concluded with his side Sydney Thunder set to miss finals which avoids a schedule clash.
The tournament runs until February 17 but the three T20Is against West Indies start on February 9 and finish on February 13.
It was thought that Warner would miss those matches in order to play in the entire ILT20 despite still holding a Cricket Australia contract and that he would return for the following series against New Zealand in New Zealand that starts on February 21.
But Bailey said Warner is set to be selected for the West Indies series and will be expected to play.
"He'll be part of those T20 matches at the back end of the summer and in New Zealand as well," he said.
Bailey confirmed that CA contracted players, which Warner will be until the end of June, are expected to play for Australia when selected and won't be granted NOCs to play in other leagues at the same time.
"I think that's the same with all our Australian contracted players. If they're going to be selected in a squad then they're available," Bailey said.
"If they're not then it depends on what sort of domestic cricket responsibilities they have. So, I think [Warner] had flagged that as potentially one of the reasons why he has made the decision to retire from one-day cricket but we're still really excited about what he can provide for that T20 team and hoping he can add one more major trophy to his cabinet."
Colin Graves has apologised “personally and unreservedly” to those who experienced racism at Yorkshire after the club’s board approved a loan offer that paves the way for his controversial return as chair.
But Azeem Rafiq, the former spinner turned whistleblower whose revelations lie at the heart of the scandal that has engulfed the club in recent years, has already rejected Graves’ attempts to say sorry.
Rafiq believes the acceptance of Graves’ proposals, described by Yorkshire as the only viable offer left to tackle a crippling financial situation that involves debts of almost £15million to the Graves family trust, shows the game has failed to tackle its discrimination problem.
Graves is set to resume the role he left in 2015, when he became chair of the England and Wales Cricket Board, when Yorkshire members vote at an extraordinary general meeting scheduled for February 2.
The 75-year-old has offered an initial £1million, with another £4m of backing promised over a five-month period, provided members ratify him as chair and agree to bring allies Phillip Hodson, Sanjay Patel and Sanjeev Gandhi on to a much-changed board.
Those currently in charge of the club have recommended the deal but it is a divisive move considering the racism scandal partially took place during Graves’ first stint in charge.
Graves has attempted to row back from his previous bullish approach, apologising fully to those who suffered racism and adding that he “profoundly regrets” comments last summer that appeared to explain away the issue as “banter”.
Rafiq, for one, says that is not enough.
“It’s not something I accept. It’s got to be further than just words,” he told the PA news agency.
“We’ve seen a lot of grand apologies and I’ve believed them – not any more. Be careful what you wish for is what I say, not just to Yorkshire members, but to cricket.
“This is a clear message to me, to other people that have been abused, to south Asians, to people of colour, that cricket is not a place for you. Actions speak louder than words and at the first point of challenge the game has shown exactly what it is, which is institutionally, systemically, racist.
“It’s not my club (anymore). Even after everything that’s happened – driven out of the country, attacked, abused, still I was like ‘I have got pride in this (county) cap’. I no longer do and I am contemplating what to do with it.”
Graves’ statement, which accompanied news that his emergency funding offer had been accepted at board level, read: “I apologise personally and unreservedly to anyone who experienced any form of racism at Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
“Discrimination or abuse based on race, ethnicity or any other protected characteristic is not and never will be acceptable. I profoundly regret some of the language I used when asked about the events that took place when I was chairman, at a time when I was no longer at the club. I understand and sympathise with those who regarded my comments as dismissive or uncaring.
“I am determined to do whatever is required to ensure Yorkshire County Cricket Club continues to reflect the communities it represents.”
Graves went on to make it clear he and his backers accepted the findings of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) and would uphold its recommendations.
The ECB, which recently stepped in to provide Yorkshire with financial support in the form of cash advances, welcomed Graves’ apology but warned it would keep a close eye on the club’s conduct.
“Considerable work has been carried out at Yorkshire – and across cricket more widely – in recent years to tackle discrimination and make the game more inclusive, and it is vital this continues,” read a statement from the governing body.
“We welcome Colin Graves’ commitment to continue this work, his unreserved apology and acceptance of the findings of the ICEC. These words must be put into action if Yorkshire members approve this deal.
“In addition, the ECB continues to exercise its ongoing role of ensuring effective oversight of governance across the wider game. There are also significant powers which can be used to hold Yorkshire County Cricket Club to account if it does not continue with the progress and reform we have seen over the last few years.”
The threat of suspending Headingley’s right to host international cricket was previously imposed in 2021 and lifted the following year following sweeping changes by previous chair Lord Kamlesh Patel.
Graves has been invited to appear in front of the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) select committee, with chair, Caroline Dinenage MP, warning her group would be “watching closely” amid concerns that his comeback “risks undermining what progress has been made so far”.
One of Graves closest allies, and another former Yorkshire chair, Robin Smith offered a more optimistic take.
He told PA: “The proposal from Colin Graves is the only one on the table. Fortunately, it happens to be a rather good one.
“The proposal comes from people of proven integrity and experience, notably Colin Graves himself, who, for the second time, has been willing to come to Yorkshire’s aid in its hour of desperate need.”
Former Ivory Coast star Sol Bamba admits the Africa Cup of Nations hosts need to prove their worth.
The ex-Cardiff and Leeds defender believes the team have fallen short at the tournament too many times.
The hosts, who open the tournament against Guinea-Bissau in Abidjan on Saturday, have only won the competition twice, the last coming in 2015.
Final defeats in 2008 and 2012, with Bamba playing in their penalty loss to Zambia 12 years ago, still hurt and the 38-year-old knows it is time for the squad to step up.
“Have we done enough? We know we haven’t because we should have won at least two more Africa Cup of Nations, definitely,” he told the PA news agency.
“Losing in 2012 was huge because we hadn’t won it since 1992. So we were absolutely desperate.
“We had what people called a golden generation with top players. We went as favourites, didn’t concede a goal and we ended up losing. The disappointment was absolutely huge. We talk about it between ourselves, we felt we missed a trick.
“Now we have top players playing in Europe but the difference of handling pressure in Europe and hosting a tournament in Africa is different.
“The expectation will be huge. In Africa it’s more than football. The first game will be massive. For Ivory Coast, though, winning games is not enough, you have to play a certain way.”
Manager Jean-Louis Gasset has omitted Galatasaray’s Wilfried Zaha for the tournament and Bamba hopes he does not regret the decision.
“It’s controversial because he’s a top player,” said Bamba, who earned 46 caps for his country.
“When you’re a top player you have to be picked for the national team. The manager said it was for the balance of the team, that they’ve got too many right-footed players on the wing.
“For me, this is an excuse. When you’re a manager you need to pick your best players and it is your job to make them perform at the highest level.
“The most important thing is he doesn’t really gel with the group, he keeps himself to himself. You also have to pick a team according to the dynamic of the group.
“The fans know it’s the main reason he’s not been picked. They had better have a good tournament otherwise everyone will be on his (Gasset’s) back.”
Seven-time champions Egypt, with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah spearheading their challenge, face Mozambique in Group B on Sunday and Senegal start their title defence against Gambia in Group C on Monday.
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Senegal, with Tottenham midfielder Pape Sarr, are favourites with the final due to be held on February 11 at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, leaving Premier League clubs waiting to see when their stars will return.
Ghana, coached by former Newcastle and Brighton boss Chris Hughton, boast West Ham’s in form Mohamed Kudus and Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew.
Arsenal will be without Thomas Partey (Ghana) and Mohamed Elneny (Egypt) while Nottingham Forest will miss seven players, including Cheikhou Kouyate and Serge Aurier, in a blow to new boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
Manchester United have Andre Onana (Cameroon), Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco) and Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast) away.
Chelsea have recalled David Fofana from his loan at Union Berlin.
The 21-year-old striker featured 17 times for the Bundesliga side including four matches in the club’s debut Champions League campaign, scoring twice in total.
Having arrived at Stamford Bridge for £10.9million from Norwegian outfit Molde in January 2023, he made three Premier League appearances under former boss Graham Potter last season before agreeing what was due to be a 12-month switch to Germany.
He returns early to west London with the club currently lacking in attacking options, with Nicolas Jackson away representing Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations and Christopher Nkunku having missed the last two games with a hip injury.
Armando Broja has been the only recognised striker available to manager Mauricio Pochettino in recent weeks but has scored just twice this season since recovering from an ACL injury.
Union have endured a difficult campaign after finishing fourth last time, losing nine games in a row which led to the sacking of manager Urs Fischer in November.
They were eliminated in the group stages of the Champions League, collecting two points from their six games.
Meanwhile goalkeeper Jamie Cumming has joined League One promotion hopefuls Oxford on loan for the rest of the season.
The 24-year-old, who has not played a senior competitive game for the Blues, spent 2022-23 on loan at MK Dons where he won player of the year.
Chief executive Darren Eales has admitted even Newcastle could not resist a “£1billion” bid for one of their biggest names after reporting a loss of £73.4million.
The Magpies, who are 80 per cent owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, are considered one of the world’s richest football clubs, but like all their Premier League counterparts they have to operate within profit and sustainability rules.
Sporting director Dan Ashworth has insisted in the past that spending £200m a year on players – Amanda Staveley’s consortium has invested in excess of £400m in the squad since completing its takeover in October 2021 – is unsustainable, prompting speculation that the likes of Sven Botman, Bruno Guimaraes or Alexander Isak could be sold to fund future recruitment.
Asked about that possibility as he discussed the club’s financial figures for the year ending June 30, 2023, Eales said: “It’s difficult to hypothesise, but if we’re offered £1billion for one of those players, then no one could argue against that making sense.
“Any decision we make will always be against the backdrop of the medium to long-term benefit for the club. It’s difficult to say specifically on certain players, but I can say that, if we’re going to get to where we want to get to, at times it is necessary to trade your players.”
Newcastle’s rise since Staveley and her partners – the Ripon-based financier is understood to have reduced her 10 per cent personal stake in the club, but she and the Reuben Brothers still control the remaining 20 per cent of the shares between them – took charge at St James’ Park has been spectacular.
They inherited a side sitting in 19th place in the table and having appointed Eddie Howe as their new head coach, saw him guide them to safety in comfort by the end of the 2021-22 season, and then a fourth-placed finish and Champions League qualification 12 months later with a trip to the Carabao Cup final along the way.
The latest figures, which show a loss after tax of £73.4m, but also how the club have grown off the pitch – turnover increased by £70.3m (39 per cent) from £180m to £250.3m, while an operating loss of £26.4m was transformed into a profit of £20.1m.
However, increased player amortisation costs – the way transfer fees are spread across the length of contracts – rose to £89.3m, contributing to the overall deficit, but one which falls within permitted limits.
The documents also reveal the club have loaned Staveley more than £1.2m “in respect of certain legal fees” which are unspecified.
The results do not include projected revenue of at least £37m from the club’s involvement in this season’s Champions League, nor income from new sponsorship deals with Sela and Adidas, and efforts to increase commercial revenue are ongoing with an expansion of the stadium one possibility.
Eales said: “To put it into perspective, we want to be a top-six sustainable club and Tottenham’s latest accounts available, (total revenue) was £440m. We are at £250m, so there is a big step even to the lower end of the top six.
“We have also seen that Manchester City are £710m in revenue in their latest accounts. There is a long way to go in growing those revenues.”
Eales, who signalled the club’s intention to retain the services of Ashworth amid reported interest from Manchester United, indicated that significant investment during the “difficult” January transfer window is unlikely, but insisted there were no plans to loan players from the Saudi Arabian clubs in which PIF holds controlling interests.
He also confirmed Howe’s centrality to the project amid speculation over his future during a testing series of results as 2023 drew to a close.
Eales said: “There’s no doubt we have had that real progression on the pitch and Eddie is a huge, integral part of that. We hope he is going to be with us for many years to come.”
Jonjo O’Neill has not given up hope of getting Monbeg Genius back on track in time to contest the Randox Grand National, despite being forced to miss another big-race engagement at Warwick this weekend.
Last seen finishing third in the in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury in early December, the eight-year-old is the 14-1 co-favourite with Paddy Power for the Aintree spectacular alongside last year’s first and third, Corach Rambler and Gaillard Du Mesnil.
However, a minor setback led to him not taking up his place as ante-post favourite for the Welsh Grand National over the festive period and he will also miss Saturday’s Wigley Group Classic Handicap Chase.
“He doesn’t run on Saturday, he’s still not right, he’s not recovered,” O’Neill said at Catterick on Thursday.
“He’ll be all right, but I don’t know when he’ll be able to run. He hasn’t done any work, so he won’t be running for a little while I’d say.”
The Jackdaws Castle trainer admits he will need to get another run and potentially another win into his charge to ensure he makes the cut for what will be a 34-runner National for the first time this year.
He added: “He still could be a Grand National horse, it’s a few months away. That is still in the back of our minds obviously, but he needs to come right first. There’s no point running them if they’re not right.
“He will have to run before then (Aintree), he probably needs to win to get into the weights now the field has been cut down.
“If he can’t go there, he could go for the Scottish National or Midlands National or something like that. He has plenty of time, but he’s a horse for those races.”
Victor Wembanyama was delighted to make a "statement" with his first NBA triple-double on Wednesday, having helped the San Antonio Spurs past the Detroit Pistons with a dominant display.
Last year's number one draft pick finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists at Little Caesars Arena as the Spurs ended a five-game losing streak with a 130-108 win over their struggling opponents.
In doing so, Wembanyama – at the age of 20 years and six days – became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double with no turnovers since turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78, surpassing Andre Iguodala, who did so aged 21 years and 54 days in 2005.
Wembanyama's achievement was made all the more impressive by the fact he played just 21 minutes and two seconds overall, the second-fewest minutes needed for a triple-double in the shot-clock era (since 1954-55).
The Frenchman was under a minute away from the outright record, with Russell Westbrook having recorded a triple-double in 20 minutes and 17 seconds for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2014, against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Speaking after the win, Wembanyama said of his landmark performance: "Doing it in a win is everything, of course. I didn't know it was the second-fastest in NBA history.
"It matters to me. I'm not the type to talk for nothing. This is the kind of statement we want to make as a team, and this is the type of statement I want to make as a player."
The Pistons were one of the teams who had hoped to recruit Wembanyama, with Detroit having failed to secure the first overall draft pick despite finishing with the league's worst record last year.
Asked about Detroit's previous interest in him, Wembanyama said: "It's weird to imagine a different future and what could have been."
Detroit also have the worst record in the NBA this season, sitting at 3-35 after losing six straight games. Their current losing run started after a win over the Toronto Raptors in late December, which itself halted a joint-record 28-game losing streak.
Pistons coach Monty Williams was unimpressed after a poor first quarter set the tone for another disappointing outing, saying: "The focus and discipline wasn't there.
"There's nobody to look at other than me, not having guys ready to play."
Whispering Royal will attempt to put himself in the Cheltenham Festival picture when he lines up in the Weatherbys Chatteris Fen Juvenile Hurdle at Huntingdon on Friday.
A useful cast of six have assembled for another competitive running of the juvenile event, with Paul Nicholls’ French import Kabral Du Mathan heading most bookmakers lists ahead of his first outing for the Ditcheat team.
Whispering Royal has already tasted defeat at the hands of the same connections’ Liari earlier in the season, but stepped up markedly on that Wincanton third when a taking winner at Doncaster last month.
Alan King’s youngster now has the chance to follow in the footsteps of recently-retired Barbury Castle stalwart Sceau Royal, who won this contest in 2016, while also going a step closer to booking his ticket to Prestbury Park in the spring.
“It looks like a hot race on paper, as it always is,” said Ella McNeill, National Hunt racing manager for owners Chelsea Thoroughbreds.
“Alan has been really pleased with him at home and he’s a horse that takes his racing really well. He’s been running since the beginning of the summer on the Flat and I hope we go there with a nice chance.
“I think he prefers the better side of soft so hopefully it keeps drying out and doesn’t get too tacky, but I think we will really know what we have got on Friday.
“He obviously won really nicely at Doncaster in the middle of December and I think this is the perfect next race to see what we have really.
“I think most of the horses in there will be looking at the Boodles (Fred Winter) at the Festival so it is nice timing in terms of it being six weeks until Cheltenham. We will see if we can go there after this.”
Gary Moore has won this with Kotmask and Perseus Way in the past two years and will be relying on wide-margin Fontwell scorer Soigneux Bell to bring up the hat-trick.
“He schooled well over hurdles, but then the first time I ran him over them he was disappointing and he was disappointing the next day at Huntingdon,” said Moore.
“When he won at Fontwell I was much happier, and I think he is just starting to come together.
“He needs to improve a lot to win this on Friday, but I did have this race earmarked out for him.
“He seemed much happier on the softer ground the other day as it was his first time on it over here since coming over from France. Hopefully he will continue improving.”
Although that was Soigneux Bell’s first victory in the three starts over obstacles at Fontwell, Moore is yet to totally give up on the four-year-old taking his place at the Festival in March.
He added: “I hoped this lad was going to be a Triumph Hurdle horse, but I don’t think he is that at the moment. He would have to win well on Friday and prove me wrong.
“There are some nice handicaps at the end of the season for juveniles and that is the route he is likely to go down.
“If the owners want to go to the Cheltenham Festival then he would run in the Fred Winter (Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle), but he would need to go up in the handicap to get in that.”
Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel believes his side have taken a “step forward” over the winter break as they set their sights on victory against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Friday night.
Munich have three consecutive home games, starting with the visit of seventh-placed Hoffenheim, as they turn the corner for the final half of the season looking to become champions for a 12th successive season.
They currently sit second in pursuit of that goal, four points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen with a game in hand, and will be looking to keep their home unbeaten run going.
Tuchel thinks his side are improving and has set a clear goal for the remainder of the season.
He told a press conference: “We’ve got the chance on Friday to move closer to Leverkusen.
“We’ve got a very high level but still have room for improvement in the opposition half and in counter-pressing. I’ve got the impression that we’ve taken a step forward in the last week.
“We want to get on a bit of a run with the three home games. The goal is clear that we want to be champions.”
Munich will head off on a four-day training camp to Portugal following the Hoffenheim fixture.
Tuchel is confident that will further improve his squad, giving them the opportunity to train in warm weather with less risk of injury or illness.
He added: “I like training camps with warm temperatures. You can spend more time together.
“We don’t have the extreme cold so can organise the breaks differently. With the cold there’s a greater danger of illness and injuries. The conditions should be perfect to train twice a day.
“We can then continue working more on patterns in attack and defence, set pieces and much more. I’m looking forward to it. I hope we head to Portugal with a win. We can gain a few more percent from it.”
Bayern Munich are expected to confirm the signing of Eric Dier from Tottenham ahead of the game and Tuchel thinks the England international will add great versatility to his team.
The former Chelsea boss said: “Things can always go wrong at the final moment. He’s (Dier) in Munich and we’re trying to finalise the deal. He’d be a good alternative for the squad. We’ll have to wait and see with everything else, but he’s in the city.
“Eric has become a specialist at centre-back. He can play either centre-back position and in a back three. He often used to play in midfield. We’ll see whether it happens or not.
“Patience isn’t my greatest virtue. Every coach wants to have all their players from the first day, but that will never happen. I’m more patient than in the past. I know how complicated the transfer business has become.
“There are a lot of interests and it’s become very complex. Even though Eric is in the city, it’s not done yet. When he signs, we’ll be pleased. We’re always trying to make things happen – not just transfers but also other things. We have ambitious goals.”
Stephen Curry acknowledged something needs to change for the Golden State Warriors after they suffered their second blowout loss in the space of three days, saying: "It all sucks."
The Warriors were booed off at Chase Center following Sunday's 133-118 defeat to the Toronto Raptors, and a similar reception awaited them on Wednesday as the New Orleans Pelicans ran out 141-105 victors.
Steve Kerr's team did not lead at any point in those back-to-back defeats and are now 17-20 for the season, having gone 2-5 throughout a vital seven-game home stretch since Christmas.
Curry was limited to 15 points by the Pelicans after only managing a paltry nine against Toronto, both well below his season average of 26.7.
The two-time NBA MVP was at a loss to explain the Warriors' struggles after their latest home defeat, saying: "It's pretty evident that if things stay the same, that's the definition of insanity, right? Keep doing the same thing but expecting different results.
"You get to a point where you're trying to explain it, trying to figure out what can change specifically that can help us.
"Those conversations are happening between games, in film sessions, in the locker room. But it's headed in the opposite direction.
"I don't know what to say about it. We're not used to this vibe around our team. It all sucks."
While the Warriors have suffered several gut-wrenching reverses this season, blowing big leads to lose to the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets, head coach Kerr says their back-to-back blowout defeats exposed a lack of belief.
"We are lacking confidence," Kerr said. "You get to a stage where you lose your belief.
"One of the coaches said we are the quietest team ever. We need guys who can rally the troops right.
"When you're going through it like this, there is only one way out. That's to fight together, to compete together."
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