Dual Champion Hurdle hero Hardy Eustace has died at the age of 27.

The hugely popular gelding was trained by the late Dessie Hughes to win 14 times in a 48-race career, including a trio of Cheltenham Festival victories.

Having landed the Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle at Prestbury Park in 2003 under Kieran Kelly, he returned 12 months later to make all in the Champion Hurdle at 33-1, partnered by Conor O’Dwyer.

Hardy Eustace was a 7-2 joint-favourite for the same race in 2005 when showing tremendous battling qualities to get the better of Harchibald and Brave Inca in one of the most memorable Champion Hurdles of recent times.

He was retired from racing in 2009 and had been at the Irish National Stud since 2015.

Hardy Eustace’s owner, Lar Byrne, said: “It’s a very sad day to announce the passing of the legend Hardy Eustace.

“Hardy gave us so many special days out and will forever be remembered as a once in a lifetime horse for all the Byrne family.

“Hardy made us many special friends over his racing career and retirement. Thanks for all the great memories Hardy.”

Sandra Hughes, daughter of Dessie, stated: “Hardy was a horse of a lifetime for my dad. He was a beautiful horse with a huge heart who loved racing. We will cherish the memories.”

O’Dwyer added: “I am very sad to hear the sad news of his passing, but he had a wonderful life and wonderful retirement. He was a huge part of my career and it was an honour to be associated with him.”

Irish National Stud CEO Cathal Beale commented: “That era of Irish two-mile hurdlers; Hardy Eustace, Brave Inca, Harchibald, Macs Joy and others lives long in the memory and coincided with an upturn in Irish fortunes at Cheltenham that we still see today.

“He was a lovely, gentle horse who lived out his days receiving the greatest of care from all the team here. He will be deeply missed by everyone at the Irish National Stud.”

Double Olympic champion and former world record holder Rebecca Adlington announced her retirement from competitive swimming on this day in 2013.

Adlington, a two-time winner at the 2008 Beijing Games, called time on her career six months after she had won two bronze medals at her home Olympics in London.

“I love swimming but as a competitive element and elite athlete I won’t compete any more,” she said.

“I have achieved everything I wanted to. Some people want to milk it all they can. I’ve always said I wanted to finish on a high, despite my love of the sport.”

Aged only 23, Adlington went on to end the year by appearing in ‘I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!’ before becoming a regular pundit for the BBC.

It was the 2008 Olympics where the Mansfield-born swimmer came to prominence with a record-breaking Games.

Adlington won both the 400-metre freestyle and 800-metre freestyle in Beijing to become Britain’s first Olympic swimming champion since 1988.

The teenager’s winning time of 8:14.10 in the 800-metre final broke American Janet Evans’ 19-year record, while her double gold-medal haul made her the first British swimmer to achieve that feat in 100 years.

More medals would be won at the 2009 World Championships in Rome with Adlington claiming two bronzes before she clinched the 400-metre freestyle title at the European Championships in Budapest the following year.

At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi she repeated her Olympic double with golds in the 400-metre freestyle and 800-metre freestyle events.

More gold-medal success was achieved in the 800m freestyle at the World Championships in 2011 – she won silver in the 400m – and Adlington finished third in both events at her home Olympics in London before she retired from the sport.

Bradley Beal delivered his best game with his new team in his first encounter with his old one.

Beal poured in a season-high 43 points to lead the visiting Phoenix Suns to a 140-112 blowout of the Washington Wizards on Sunday in the three-time All-Star's return to the arena he called home for 11 seasons.

The veteran guard was facing the rebuilding Wizards for the first time since being traded by Washington to the Suns in June. Beal missed the Suns' win over the Wizards in Phoenix in December due to a sprained ankle.

Beal was selected by the Wizards with the third overall pick in the 2012 draft and ranks second in franchise history in points and third in games played.

The 30-year-old had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the first quarter to help stake Phoenix to an early 42-28 lead, then added 12 more in the second as the Suns opened up a commanding 79-58 advantage at half-time.

Phoenix's lead never got to under 19 points in the second half as it coasted to its 10th win in 13 games. The Suns also received 18 points each from Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic, who added 13 rebounds and eight assists. 

Deni Avdija had 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting to lead Washington, which lost its third straight game to drop to 9-40 on the season.

Jazz beat Bucks behind dominant fourth quarter

Lauri Markkanen led a balanced Utah attack with 21 points and the Jazz dominated the fourth quarter to rally for a 123-108 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Utah trailed by 16 points late in the third quarter before outscoring Milwaukee by a whopping 40-13 margin in the fourth to halt a three-game losing streak and drop the Bucks to 1-3 since head coach Doc Rivers took over the team last week.

Playing for the second time in as many nights, Milwaukee ran out of gas in the final period as it missed 13 of 17 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter. The Jazz, meanwhile, shot 60 per cent over the final 12 minutes.

Keyonte George had 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and was one of seven Utah players to score in double figures. The rookie added 10 rebounds, while John Collins also posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Down 95-83 after three quarters, the Jazz began the fourth on a 21-7 run to take a 104-102 lead on Markkanen's 3-pointer with 6:26 left. They put the game away soon afterward with an 18-3 flurry that staked Utah to a 122-108 advantage with under two minutes to go. George had eight points during that spurt.

The Bucks lost despite a 33-point, 13-assist effort from Giannis Antetokounmpo and a 27-point performance from Bobby Portis.

Clippers stay hot by extending Heat's woes

Kawhi Leonard had 25 points and 11 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers pulled away late to hand the still-slumping Miami Heat a 103-95 loss.

James Harden scored 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 11 assists as the red-hot Clippers won for the eighth time in nine games. Los Angeles is an NBA-best 25-5 since Dec. 1.

After breaking out of a seven-game losing streak by winning their previous two games, the Heat struggled to an 8-for-30 shooting effort from 3-point range on a night they were without one of their best outside shooters in Tyler Herro, who was scratched due to a headache.

The Clippers, meanwhile, went 16 of 39 (41 per cent) from beyond the arc with Harden leading the way by hitting five of his nine 3-point tries.

Despite its shooting woes, Miami held a 72-71 edge with nine minutes left before the Clippers took control. Los Angeles broke open the game with a 20-6 run, capped by back-to-back Harden 3-pointers, to take a 91-78 lead with five minutes remaining.

The Heat fought back and got to within 99-95 on Jimmy Butler's 3-point play with 13.3 seconds left, but Paul George and Leonard each made two free throws in the closing stages to end any comeback hopes. 

Butler had 21 points and Terry Rozier scored 17 for Miami, which also received 14 points and 13 rebounds from Bam Adebayo.

Wyndham Clark has been declared the winner of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am after extensive wind and rain forced the PGA to cancel the final day of play.

The 30-year-old American was six shots behind before hitting a 12-under-par 60 on Saturday to take the lead on the third day.

He finished on 17-under par, one shot clear of Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg and two shots ahead of France’s Matthieu Pavon after 54 holes.

Strong wind and rain had postponed the final round to Monday, but a statement from the PGA Tour late on Sunday said after consulting the Monterey County emergency authorities and out of an “abundance of caution” for spectators and players, there would be no further play.

In a press conference call on Sunday, Clark said: “It’s pretty surreal right now.

“It’s maybe not the way you dream of winning.

“With that said, a lot of us yesterday had, not that we knew, but we definitely had this outside shot and thinking that maybe this is our last round.”

It was Clark’s third win in nine months after winning his first major at the US Open last year.

Joel Embiid's availability for the remainder of this season is in question after the Philadelphia 76ers announced Sunday that the reigning NBA MVP will undergo surgery to repair a meniscus injury to his left knee.

The Athletic reported Saturday that Embiid suffered a displaced flap in his meniscus when he was injured in the 76ers' 119-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.

The typical recovery time for such an injury is usually several months, meaning Philadelphia may need a deep run in the playoffs for their superstar center to return this season.

That doesn't seem likely given the Sixers' struggles when Embiid hasn't been available. Philadelphia is 26-8 when Embiid has played this season but 4-10 in games he has missed.

The injury also makes it all but certain that Embiid, who leads the NBA in scoring at 35.3 points per game, will not capture a second consecutive MVP award. Under terms of the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, players must appear in a minimum of 65 regular-season games to be eligible for honours such as the MVP or All-NBA teams.

Philadelphia currently sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 30-18 record and trails the rival Boston Celtics by seven games in the race for the No. 1 seed.

The NBA's scoring champion in each of the previous two seasons, Embiid finished second to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić in NBA MVP voting in both 2020-21 and 2021-22 before claiming the award last season after averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 66 games and leading the Sixers to the third-best record in the East.

Embiid was putting up even better numbers when healthy in 2023-24, as his scoring and assist (5.7) averages were both career highs and his 11.3 rebounds per game ranks sixth among qualified players.

The 29-year-old has also often been beset by injuries since being selected by Philadelphia with the third overall pick of the 2014 draft. Embiid missed the entire 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaigns recovering from a broken foot and was limited to 31 games the following season due to a left knee injury. He has never played in more than 68 games in a regular season.

Paul Reed, who's averaged 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a starter this season, will take over as the 76ers' primary center for the time being. Philadelphia may look for additional help prior to Thursday's league trade deadline. 

Andy Farrell believes talk of leading Ireland to successive Grand Slam titles is premature as he attempts to build on the “feelgood factor” created by a resounding Guinness Six Nations victory over France.

Reigning champions Ireland made a statement of intent in Friday evening’s curtain-raiser in Marseille with a stunning 38-17 bonus-point success over the pre-tournament favourites.

The fixture has proved to be a championship decider in each of the past two years, with the Irish dethroning Les Bleus 12 months ago thanks to a 32-19 Dublin win, which avenged a 30-24 loss in Paris in 2022.

Head coach Farrell acknowledges victory at Stade Velodrome was “pretty special” but is focused on conducting a thorough review of the contest and striving for improvement rather than contemplating silverware.

“We want to be in it (title contention) at the last week but internally we’re hungry to be as good as we possibly can be,” he said.

“In reality it’s one win, it’s one win out of one and we’ve got to be on to the next one.

“It (the championship) is not won or lost but it’s about building on this.

“We tend to be pretty harsh on our performances when we’ve won because we’re able to do that and make some good points so hopefully we’re able to get better because of that.

“But the feelgood factor of a victory like that… it’s a special victory, it definitely is and it’s there to be celebrated, that’s for sure.”

Ireland host Italy on Sunday before welcoming Wales to the the Aviva Stadium on February 24, ahead of March appointments with England and Scotland.

Aside from a “few bangs and bruises”, Ireland emerged from their opening fixture unscathed, while centre Garry Ringrose will be assessed after sitting out due to a shoulder issue.

Farrell has rotated his squad against the Azzurri in previous years and will weigh up his options for the round-two clash.

“Whatever’s right for the team,” he said of selection for next weekend.

“There’s always the balance about opportunity but also doing what’s right for the team and the cohesion of the team going forward.

“It’s a bit of an awkward one, isn’t it? We’ve only had one game together so we’ll how we shape up on Monday.”

Stephen Bunting delivered the performance of his lifetime to end his Michael van Gerwen hoodoo and finally claim a first major PDC televised title with victory at the Cazoo Masters.

The 38-year-old Englishman, who was a former BDO world champion, has been on the PDC scene for much of the past decade but had never got past a semi-final on the big stage and has endured a particularly torrid time against Van Gerwen.

A fourth-round defeat at the recent World Championship was his 22nd loss in 26 matches against the Dutchman and Van Gerwen boasted that he had Bunting’s number.

Bunting put that right in style in Milton Keynes, securing an 11-7 victory in a career-high moment.

He had laid a marker down with a stunning 11-1 win over Nathan Aspinall in the semi-final and returned to boss a pulsating final, landing eight 180s and averaging 102.5.

“It means a lot, I have been in the PDC for a lot of years now, I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry again on telly, this means an awful lot, the practice is paying off,” he said. “I am lost for words.

“To eventually get over the line in a major tournament is surreal. I’ll wake up tomorrow and think it’s a dream. I have put a lot of hard work in over the years.

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“Everything I have been doing behind the scenes has paid off. You have always got to dream and believe, even in the darkest days.

“Michael had won so many games against me, he smashed me in the worlds. It shows now that the belief is there and I have a never give up attitude.”

Van Gerwen had been hoping to issue a reminder of his status as top dog on the darting scene as he chased a sixth Masters title.

The Dutchman, who demolished Dimitri Van den Bergh in the semi-final, has been overshadowed by Luke Littler since the teenager’s emergence on the scene.

But with Littler not playing in Milton Keynes, Van Gerwen had a chance to grab the limelight, only to came up against an inspired opponent.

“Stephen is the form guy. I thought I was playing a bit better but I couldn’t make the difference,” Van Gerwen said. “He put me under a lot of pressure. Fair play to him he played really well through the whole tournament.”

England will take special care with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso this week knowing the exciting Exeter wing is closing in on a first appearance against the country of his birth.

Feyi-Waboso made his Test debut as a late replacement in the 27-24 Guinness Six Nations victory over Italy, capturing his eligibility for England at the expense of Wales – Saturday’s round two visitors to Twickenham.

Born and raised in Cardiff but qualifying for the Red Rose through a grandmother, a tug of war for his allegiance was brewing only for the 21-year-old sensation to quickly opt for Steve Borthwick’s team.

Wales boss Warren Gatland said in response that the decision made by the Exeter University medical student and former Wales Under-18 international had not gone down well in some quarters across the border.

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England are acutely aware of the need to protect their players in the wake of fly-half Owen Farrell and flanker Tom Curry facing intense online criticism during the World Cup and it’s build-up.

Head coach Borthwick said: “We are really cognoscente of that and rightly so given the World Cup experience.

“There is a heightened awareness now of those external noises and external factors. We will give all the players all the support they need.

“Regarding Manny, three things: he trains really hard, he enjoys being with the players and in the remaining time he is studying for his medicine degree. He is pretty busy.

“My experience right now is that he has his head focused on where it needs to be.”

Veteran fly-half George Ford, who directed Saturday’s victory in Rome, is backing Feyi-Waboso to take the coming week in his stride.

“Manny’s a pretty quiet lad but it looks like not many things affect him. He gets on with it and gets on with his work as good as anyone I’ve seen,” Ford said.

“He’s an exciting player – so physical and fast. He’s a game-breaker, so hopefully we can get the ball in his hands a bit more.”

England are assessing injuries to Marcus Smith, Ellis Genge, Ollie Lawrence and George Martin.

Smith has a calf problem and the results of another scan will dictate whether he is able to participate in the latter stages of the Six Nations.

Genge pulled out on the morning of the Italy clash because of a foot issue and England are optimistic he will be available against Wales, but Lawrence and Martin will not feature because of respective hip and knee complaints.

Feyi-Waboso was one of five England debutants against Italy, another was his Exeter team-mate Ethan Roots, who delivered a man-of-the-match display at blindside flanker.

“He didn’t look like he was playing his first game, did he? That’s what struck me from the first day he came into camp,” Borthwick said.

“We did a fitness session in the afternoon on the first training day. It was a special session to put the players through their paces. What struck us was how much he was talking to the other players around him.

“He was loud, he was encouraging others and demanding of others. That’s his personality in camp. That really impressed me and we saw that out there against Italy.

“I knew he was a good player, but as a character he’s grounded and experienced, with a real leader’s voice.”

Rory Darge and Grant Gilchrist look set for Test match returns when Scotland continue their Guinness Six Nations campaign against France at Murrayfield.

Both players were sidelined for Scotland’s thrilling 27-26 victory over Wales in Cardiff, with flanker Darge nursing a knee injury and lock Gilchrist being suspended.

And their availability is timely, given that second-row forward Richie Gray could miss the rest of this season’s tournament due to a biceps problem, while Luke Crosbie suffered a shoulder injury as both players made early exits at the Principality Stadium.

“Grant will be available,” Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend said.

“He trained all week, and it is good we have got a second-row back this week with Richie’s injury.

“Rory trained fully the last two days, so he will be good to go. It is timely that we’ve got two replacements there.”

Scotland were almost overwhelmed by a stunning Wales fightback that saw them score 26 unanswered points between the 48th and 68th minutes.

It left Townsend’s team hanging on by a point – they also had two players yellow-carded and conceded 14 successive penalties – before regaining their composure and closing out the game for a first win in Cardiff since 2002.

“We will look at each penalty, why we got on the wrong side of the referee,” he added.

“We have to show the players of being aware if a referee is penalising you, or if a team starts to get dominance, let’s not help them by giving more penalties away.

“The two yellow cards really cost us, just when the momentum swing went in their favour.

“There are going to be times when the opposition do gain momentum. We just can’t help them by going down to 14 men and giving penalties away.

“We had to contain Wales at the end, call a play and execute it. That was really good. But if we had lost, it would have been a big blow. No denying that.”

France will arrive in Edinburgh following a crushing 38-17 home defeat against Ireland, which was their first game since bowing out of the World Cup to quarter-final conquerors South Africa.

“They are a great side with world-class players and a massive pack,” Townsend said, of Les Bleus.

“France will be desperate to get a win on the back of the two defeats they’ve had – one in the World Cup and one against Ireland.

“But we also have an opportunity to play in front of our supporters and make sure we deliver the game we did for 42 minutes (against Wales), and the last few minutes. Don’t forget those!”

Keagan Kirkby, a point-to-point rider and highly valued member of the Paul Nicholls team at Ditcheat, has died following a fall at Charing point-to-point on Sunday.

The Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) said the 25-year-old was riding at the meeting in Kent when his horse ran through the wing of a fence in the final race of the day.

A statement from the IJF read: “It is with deep sadness that we have to report that West Country point-to-point rider, Keagan Kirkby, 25, has died following a fall at Charing point-to-point in Kent today.

“His horse, trained locally, ran out through the wing of a fence on the second circuit of the final race. The on-course medical team attended immediately and despite additional support from a 999 Helicopter Emergency Services crew, he could not be saved.

“Keagan was a respected member of the Paul Nicholls team, who joined in 2019 and who had been awarded employee of the month in December 2021. He was shortlisted for the 2024 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards in the Rider/Groom category.

“We kindly ask that everyone respects the privacy of Keagan’s family and the team at Paul Nicholls Racing at this tragic time.”

Paying tribute on his X (formerly Twitter) account, champion trainer Nicholls said: “Life is so hard sometimes, winners totally insignificant compared to what has happened today.

“Sadly Keagan Kirby, one of our best, hardworking lads, lost his life today riding in a point-to-point. All at team Ditcheat are mortified. Thoughts with all his friends and family.”

He added: “He was passionate about his job and his riding and rode Afadil every day. Last thing he said to me on Friday was ‘boss Afadil will win tomorrow’ (at Musselburgh). How right he was.

“RIP Keag we will all miss you terribly.”

Julie Harrington, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, said in a statement: “We are devastated to hear the tragic news regarding the fatal injuries sustained by Keagan Kirkby.

“Our thoughts are with his family and friends, and everyone at the yard of Paul Nicholls. The entire racing industry will be in mourning at the loss of someone so young and with such potential.

“The esteem in which he was held is clear from the fact that he was nominated for the Rider/Groom category of the 2024 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, and made it through to the final 10 in his category. The nomination spoke of Keagan’s qualities as a thoughtful rider who develops a personal bond with his horses, understands their characters and adapts his riding accordingly, as well as his affable, helpful nature and popularity on the yard.

“We call on everyone to respect the privacy of Keagan’s family and the Paul Nicholls yard.”

Barry John, the Welsh rugby union great who was crowned ‘The King’ after inspiring the Lions’ famous 1971 series victory over the All Blacks, has died at the age of 79.

Tributes poured in for the former Llanelli and Cardiff fly-half, with the Lions calling him “truly one of the greatest”, and Welsh Rugby Union president Terry Cobner saying John “was and will remain a legend of our game”.

John, who won 25 Wales caps between 1966 and 1972 and was given the nickname ‘The King’ by New Zealand journalists due to the impact of his performances on the 1971 tour, died in hospital on Sunday.

A statement released by John’s family read: “Barry John died peacefully today at the University Hospital of Wales surrounded by his loving wife and four children.

“He was a loving dad to his 11 grandchildren and a much-loved brother.”

John played his club rugby for Llanelli and then Cardiff, where he struck up a half-back partnership with Gareth Edwards that went on to flourish for Wales and the Lions.

John was partnered by Edwards in 23 of his Wales international appearances, plus all five Lions Tests – one against South Africa and four against New Zealand. He retired from the sport at the age of 27.

His death comes just four weeks after another star of Welsh rugby’s golden era, JPR Williams, also passed away.

Jonathan Davies, one of the most renowned Welsh players of the 1980s and 1990s, paid tribute to John, writing on social media: “RIP Barry – another one of my heroes sadly gone. #BarryJohnTheKing”.

John will be particularly remembered for his performances on the two Lions Tours, in which he scored 30 of the Lions’ 48 points across four Tests.

Calling him “truly one of the greatest”, the Lions added in a statement: “We are hugely saddened that the great Barry John has passed away at the age of 79.

“Barry inspired so many and will forever be remembered for how much he gave to the sport.

“All our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

WRU president Terry Cobner, who played in the Welsh back-row and toured with the Lions in 1977, described John as “probably the greatest” fly-half of all time.

“To be crowned ‘The King’ in New Zealand when every back row forward in both the North and South Islands is trying to take your head off is quite some accolade,” said Cobner.

“For me, he has got to be right up there among the greatest outside halves who have ever played the game – probably the greatest.

“He was a glider, rather than a sidestepper, who had a subtle change of pace and direction. Coming on top of the recent deaths of Brian Price and JPR Williams, this is another huge blow for Welsh rugby.

“After what he did for Wales and the Lions in 1971, those of us who followed him into both teams always felt we had huge shoes to fill. He was and will remain a legend of our game.”

Scarlets, where John started his first-class career in 1964, described John as “an icon of the game”, while former Lions tourist John Devereux tweeted: “My greatest idol of all time has gone”.