British driver Abbi Pulling has been disqualified from both qualifying sessions on the inaugural weekend of the all-female F1 Academy series after initially topping both at Austria’s Red Bull Ring.

Lincolnshire’s Pulling looked to have secured the championship’s two maiden pole positions after laying down an emphatic marker on Friday, but a subsequent inspection found an “unintentional technical infringement” related to “non-homologated parts” on all three Rodin Carlin team cars.

The new single-seater championship features a 15-woman grid from 10 countries competing for five professional teams over seven rounds, each with three races – the second in a semi-reverse grid format.

Alpine academy driver Pulling, 20, was also a standout in W Series, where she finished fourth in her first full season on a grid that also included Marta Garcia, who inherits the two pole positions in Spielberg.

While it is easy to draw comparisons between W Series – on hiatus since financial difficulties forced organisers to curtail the 2022 season – and the F1 Academy, Pulling’s fellow W Series alumna Bianca Bustamante, 18, marked several significant differences.

All of the teams with F1 Academy entries – which also include Campos Racing, PREMA, MP Motorsport and ART Grand Prix – have well-established experience elsewhere in F2 and F3, desired destinations for Academy drivers.

That is massive for PREMA’s Bustamante, who explained: “One of the greatest things about it is you get to work with such professional teams. And I think that makes the most difference.

“I’ve only started to work with PREMA for about two to three months and I’ve learned so much.

“This opportunity would have never come about if it weren’t for the Academy. To be able to work with such a professional team, to learn with the best drivers and to get the track time.

“It makes the most difference, because now we learn all the good habits. We learn what it’s like to be at the top of the sport and competing with the best teams, the best drivers, overall the best bits.”

F1 Academy’s triple-race weekends also allow for considerably more track time which was a long-standing request from W Series drivers who competed in just one per round.

The Academy season’s venues include grand prix tracks like the Netherlands’ Zandvoort and Italy’s Monza, designed to prepare drivers for career next steps.

The team element also differs in facilitating more consistent relationships with engineers and other key personnel, while W Series rotated engineers of varying experience as part of its own development mission.

Bustamante said: “To have that consistency right from the beginning in your junior years is one of the most important things.”

Organisers of the development-focused competition hope it will provide a critical stepping-stone between karting and other junior categories to F1 feeder series like F3, with the long-term goal of one day seeing a woman back in F1.

Pulling and Philippines-born Bustamante are among the many female drivers who have faced considerable challenges funding their careers, an issue F1 hopes to mitigate by subsidising each car – a T421 Chassis developed specifically for the Academy – with 150,000 euros (£131,600).

Drivers are expected to cover the same amount, while teams provide the rest of the budget.

The series faced early criticism after it was revealed races would not be broadcast live, but instead delivered later in the form of highlights packages, complemented by what organisers promised would be extensive live content on social media.

But the PA news agency understands there are ambitions for future live broadcasts, with the Academy set to join select F1 grands prix as part of next season’s support series.

Having the weight of the increasingly-recognisable F1 brand behind the new all-female venture is also an unprecedented step for the sport, one the drivers feel is significant.

“It makes a huge difference,” added Bustamante. “To have F1’s support means a big change to the sport. We went from not having many female drivers to having our own series.

“F1 has given us that exposure. They’ve allowed us to have a platform where we can expose our vision, our aspirations, and to have a voice.”

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen expects Toulouse to take his team on physically in Saturday’s clash of the Heineken Champions Cup heavyweights.

Four-time European champions Leinster tackle a club with a record five European titles under their belt.

And the semi-final clash at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium will be one of the tournament’s classic encounters if it lives up to its billing.

“(They have) a big physical pack,” Cullen told www.epcrugby.com.

“I think they will be very direct when they have the ball, confrontational.

“They kick the ball a fair amount. I know Toulouse’s reputation is free-flowing, off-loading rugby, but I think they will be pretty pragmatic, particularly at the start of the game.

“As the game starts to open up then they will start to move the ball around and you see a lot of their points come late in games.

“I think they will try to take us on physically, which is good because that is what we want as well, a good physical challenge for our guys.

“You want to test yourself against the best teams out there. It’s a great challenge. They have great quality.

“You can’t switch off for a second with some of the players that they have – game-changing players.”

Leinster beat Toulouse comfortably in last season’s semi-finals to secure their place in the showpiece, where they narrowly lost to La Rochelle.

And it is going to require another huge effort in Leinster’s quest for an Aviva Stadium return on May 20, when the winners will face holders La Rochelle or sole English survivors Exeter, who clash in Bordeaux on Sunday.

Cullen added: “Last year, they (Toulouse) had played 100 minutes (against Munster in the quarter-finals) and travelled.

“I heard some of their comments this week about that, how they got things wrong around some of the selections leading into that game, or that sequence of games.

“You need to be prepared to deal with whatever comes your way on any given day.”

Leinster will be without Ireland international centre Robbie Henshaw through injury, so Charlie Ngatai partners Garry Ringrose in midfield.

“We wanted to be the top seeds, we wanted to make sure we did everything to be here at the Aviva, and now we are,” Cullen said.

“We are here, which is great, and it is a real privilege and honour to be here at this point in the tournament.”

Stephen Hendry criticised Mark Selby and Mark Allen for casting a “dark cloud” over the Crucible after the second session of their World Championship semi-final was halted three frames earlier than scheduled in Sheffield.

Selby battled back from a three-frame deficit to establish a 7-6 overnight advantage against his opponent after a gruelling session in which safety play prevailed and both players appeared reluctant to take on important pots.

Seven-time world champion Hendry, who was on punditry duty for the BBC, said: “A dark cloud came over the match table at the Crucible.

“It was not pretty. It’s not the snooker that I want to watch, but I understand that snooker has to be played in different ways. It’s almost like they’re trying to be too precise, too exact in their matchplay. Just play the ball sometimes.”

In complete contrast, Hendry had earlier been purring over the style of China’s Si Jiahui, who hit his third century of the match and five more breaks of 50-plus as he extended his lead over Luca Brecel to 11-5 ahead of Friday evening’s resumption.

Selby’s clash with Allen, who has been criticised for his slow play this season despite lifting three titles, was always going to be more attritional, and it took a superb pink from the latter to finally clinch a 45-minute opening frame.

That took Allen three frames clear at 6-3 but the Northern Irishman missed a golden chance to extend his lead, with out-of-sorts Selby dredging deep to claim the snooker he required before nervelessly clearing to reduce the deficit.

The four-time champion built on his reprieve as he recovered from 33 points down to take the 11th frame with a brilliant 95 clearance, and Allen paid for two more missed opportunities in the next as Selby duly levelled.

Another marathon frame went Selby’s way before the duo shook hands and went off to prepare ahead of their scheduled return on Saturday morning and what promises to be a long-drawn out concluding session on Saturday evening.

The first semi-final could hardly have presented a greater contrast as Si, ranked 80 in the world, stormed closer to becoming the youngest Crucible finalist in history and also the first debutant to win the tournament since Terry Griffiths in 1979.

His stunning pot success impressed former world champion Dennis Taylor who told the BBC: “I’ve been coming to the Crucible since 1977 and I’ve enjoyed watching this young player as much as anyone I’ve ever seen here.”

Showing no sign of nerves, Si got off to a quick start with a break of 64 before fluking a snooker by easing the white into the jaws of the top right pocket.

After failing to extricate himself, Brecel showed his frustration by slamming the white off the table, incurring a warning from referee Rob Spencer, but responded with a 65 to reduce Si’s lead.

A remarkable long blue was the highlight of a 122 break from Si in the following frame, and further back-to-back breaks of 89 and 58 moved the Chinese player five frames clear at 9-4.

Brecel, who was not doing a lot wrong, won the 14th frame in two visits but the irrepressible Si maintained his astonishing long-pot success rate as breaks of 55 and 71 moved him within sight of a place in the final.

Charles Leclerc will start on pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for the third season in a row after an impressive qualifying run on Friday.

Ferrari's Leclerc surprisingly outpaced the Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, who will start second and third respectively in Baku.

The Monegasque driver kept up with Verstappen before putting in a time of one minute and 40.203 seconds to beat his opponent by 0.188s.

"I like city tracks in general," Leclerc told Sky Sports. "It's not only here but Singapore, Monaco, here, a track that I really enjoy. You can really play with the limits, more than on a normal track.

"The limit is a hard limit as it's the wall! You cannot overstep it, so it's about building up to be very close to the wall without ever touching it."

Friday's qualifying session determined the race order for Sunday’s Grand Prix, with another, standalone shorter qualifying session to take place on Saturday ahead of a 17-lap sprint event – the first of six this season.

However, Leclerc is in no doubt where his priorities lie, even though he admitted his Ferrari is unlikely to be able to compete across Sunday's 51 laps of the six-kilometre Baku City Circuit.

"It went well in the last three years, but we have another qualifying tomorrow, so it could be four poles in a row," Leclerc said. "But we have the race on Sunday, which is more important, but I believe we will struggle a bit more as I think Red Bull is still a step ahead."

Leclerc's team-mate Carlos Sainz will start in fourth on Sunday, with Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton in fifth and Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin sixth.

Hamilton's team-mate George Russell will start 11th after a surprise elimination in Q2 on Friday, while there were early crashes from Nyck de Vries (AlphaTauri) and Pierre Gasly (Alpine) as a hectic start to qualifying began with red flags, both hitting the barrier on turn three.

PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:40.203
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.188
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +0.292
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +0.813
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +0.974
6. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +1.050
7. Lando Norris (McLaren) +1.078
8. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) +1.378
9. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +1.408
10. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +1.408

One of the biggest weekends of the Scottish football season takes place with two intriguing Hampden semi-finals.

Inverness and Falkirk meet in the first of the Scottish Cup semi-finals on Saturday before Celtic and Rangers lock horns again 24 hours later.

Here are some of the major talking points ahead of the fixtures.

Celtic will move to within two victories of the treble if they beat Rangers on Sunday and consign their city rivals to a barren season. With a 13-point lead in the Premiership, Celtic can clinch the title at Tynecastle next weekend, and setting up a final against lower-league opposition would leave Ange Postecoglou on the verge of joining Jock Stein, Martin O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon as treble-winning Celtic managers. Rangers boss Michael Beale will get some leeway if they end the season without a trophy given he arrived halfway through but he will be under added pressure to start next term well.

The champions have gone five derby games unbeaten, a sequence which has included three victories this season including the Viaplay Cup final. The run started after Rangers beat the Hoops at the same stage of last campaign and the context of this semi-final is very similar, although Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Light Blues side were well on their way to the Europa League final in 2022.

Stopping Kyogo Furuhashi, or restricting the service to the Japan forward, could be a key factor if Rangers are to turn the tables. The sharp centre-forward has netted 29 times this season and has notched five goals against Rangers this year alone. Rangers’ main goalscorer over the last six seasons, Alfredo Morelos, has only hit three goals in total against Celtic throughout his time in Scotland and is on 12 so far in what looks likely to be his final season at Ibrox.

Saturday’s semi-final sees Inverness and Falkirk reunited eight years after meeting at the last stage of the tournament. Ten-man Caley Thistle triumphed that day to take the trophy back to the Highlands for the only time and consign Falkirk to a third final defeat in 18 years. Both sides have experienced relegation since – Caley Thistle are in the Championship and the Bairns in League One – but both are hoping for promotion via the play-offs. It will be a thrilling finale to the season on two fronts for the winners at Hampden.

The introduction of video technology to Scottish football has been far from smooth since October but Celtic and Rangers will at least know what to expect, to a certain extent. Falkirk and Inverness will be experiencing the system for the first time as it is only in use in the Premiership and selected cup ties. Inverness manager Billy Dodds admitted he was “wary” of its impact while Falkirk boss John McGlynn has stressed to his players to play to the whistle and not expect decisions to come instantly.

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from April 28.

Jesse Marsch loves Ted Lasso.

Wembley Stadium celebrated a big birthday.

Fabian Schar was ‘furious’ with Dan Burn after being denied a superb goal against Everton by VAR, which showed his Newcastle team-mate in an offside position.

Matt Targett was more than happy with the 4-1 result though.

Marcus Rashford urged Manchester United not to lose heart as the season reached a critical stage.

Alejandro Garnacho signed a new deal at Manchester United.

F1 returned after a month-long absence with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc made it a hat-trick … but only after a tense tie with Max Verstappen early in Q3.

Organisers of the Women’s Six Nations showed off the competition’s new silverware.

The Houston Texans shook up the top of the draft, taking their quarterback of the future at number two and trading up to the very next pick.

The New York Jets made a young fan’s dream come true – earning him a high-profile admirer.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz dug in to avoid a shock loss against Emil Ruusuvuori and reach the third round of the Madrid Open.

The young Spaniard thrilled his home fans last year by defeating Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on his way to the title, establishing himself as not just the future but the present of men’s tennis.

He was in brilliant form last week as he successfully defended his Barcelona Open title but looked on the way out early in Madrid before turning the match around to win 2-6 6-4 6-2.

Errors flowed from the Alcaraz racket during the first set against powerful Finn Ruusuvuori, ranked 41.

Normally so composed, the 19-year-old threw his racket in frustration early in the second set but the turning point came in a long sixth game where he saved five break points before eventually holding.

He broke the Ruusuvuori serve in the next game and did not look back, going on to dominate the deciding set and move through to a clash with Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated Gregoire Barrere.

Casper Ruud’s troubles continued, though, the third seed suffering another early defeat, this time losing 6-3 6-4 to Italian qualifier Matteo Arnaldi.

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev edged out Stan Wawrinka 7-5 6-4 while fellow Russian Karen Khachanov was a 6-3 3-6 6-3 winner against Thiago Monteiro.

Meanwhile, Andy Murray has reacted to the disappointment of his defeat by Andrea Vassavori on Thursday by taking a wild card into next week’s Challenger tournament in Aix-en-Provence.

British driver Abbi Pulling has laid down an emphatic marker after securing two pole positions on the inaugural weekend of the all-female F1 Academy series at Austria’s Red Bull Ring.

The new single-seater championship features a 15-woman grid from 10 countries competing for five professional teams over seven rounds, each with three races – the second in a semi-reverse grid format.

Lincolnshire’s Pulling, 20, racing for Rodin Carlin, topped both of Friday’s qualifying sessions. The Alpine academy driver was also a standout in W Series, where she finished fourth in her first full season.

While it is easy to draw comparisons between W Series – on hiatus since financial difficulties forced organisers to curtail the 2022 season – and the F1 Academy, Pulling’s fellow W Series alumna Bianca Bustamante, 18, marked several significant differences.

All of the teams with F1 Academy entries – which also include Campos Racing, PREMA, MP Motorsport and ART Grand Prix – have well-established experience elsewhere in F2 and F3, desired destinations for Academy drivers.

That is massive for PREMA’s Bustamante, who explained: “One of the greatest things about it is you get to work with such professional teams. And I think that makes the most difference.

“I’ve only started to work with PREMA for about two to three months and I’ve learned so much.

“This opportunity would have never come about if it weren’t for the Academy. To be able to work with such a professional team, to learn with the best drivers and to get the track time.

“It makes the most difference, because now we learn all the good habits. We learn what it’s like to be at the top of the sport and competing with the best teams, the best drivers, overall the best bits.”

F1 Academy’s triple-race weekends also allow for considerably more track time which was a long-standing request from W Series drivers who competed in just one per round.

The Academy season’s venues include grand prix tracks like the Netherlands’ Zandvoort and Italy’s Monza, designed to prepare drivers for career next steps.

The team element also differs in facilitating more consistent relationships with engineers and other key personnel, while W Series rotated engineers of varying experience as part of its own development mission.

Bustamante said: “To have that consistency right from the beginning in your junior years is one of the most important things.”

Organisers of the development-focused competition hope it will provide a critical stepping-stone between karting and other junior categories to F1 feeder series like F3, with the long-term goal of one day seeing a woman back in F1.

Pulling and Philippines-born Bustamante are among the many female drivers who have faced considerable challenges funding their careers, an issue F1 hopes to mitigate by subsidising each car – a T421 Chassis developed specifically for the Academy – with 150,000 euros (£131,600).

Drivers are expected to cover the same amount, while teams provide the rest of the budget.

The series faced early criticism after it was revealed races would not be broadcast live, but instead delivered later in the form of highlights packages, complemented by what organisers promised would be extensive live content on social media.

But the PA news agency understands there are ambitions for future live broadcasts, with the Academy set to join select F1 grands prix as part of next season’s support series.

Having the weight of the increasingly-recognisable F1 brand behind the new all-female venture is also an unprecedented step for the sport, one the drivers feel is significant.

“It makes a huge difference,” added Bustamante. “To have F1’s support means a big change to the sport. We went from not having many female drivers to having our own series.

“F1 has given us that exposure. They’ve allowed us to have a platform where we can expose our vision, our aspirations, and to have a voice.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc put a brake on Red Bull’s dominant streak by securing a surprise pole position for Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Formula One bosses have tinkered with the format in Baku by introducing two qualifying sessions.

Friday’s result decides the order for Sunday’s Grand Prix, while a second shorter qualifying session on Saturday determines the grid for a 17-lap dash – the first of six sprint events this season – later in the day.

The sport’s chiefs hope the revamp will enliven the weekend, and Leclerc’s qualifying triumph for Sunday’s main event marks the first non-Red Bull pole of the season.

Max Verstappen, who has won two of the opening three rounds to establish a 15-point championship lead, will line up alongside Leclerc, with Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez – the only other man to stand on the top step of the podium in 2023 – third.

Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth, a second back from Leclerc. Mercedes team-mate George Russell was eliminated in Q2 and will start 11th on Sunday.

By his own admission, Leclerc’s start to the season has been a “disaster”. He broke down in Bahrain, and then finished only seventh in Saudi Arabia following an engine penalty. Last time out in Australia he failed to complete a single lap after a collision with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.

He then arrived on the Caspian Sea amid a report in Italy that he is already plotting his Ferrari exit with a move to Mercedes as Hamilton’s replacement.

But after claiming his third pole in a row on Baku’s streets, the 25-year-old deliberately pointed to the Prancing Horse on his Ferrari overalls.

“The whole team needed this result,” he said. “It is part of our job, for any team in Formula One, to deal with rumours and pressure.

“But it is obviously sometimes a bit more difficult to perform under those circumstances.

“I did not expect it. We came into the weekend thinking it would be a great result if we are in front of the Aston Martins and the Mercedes, and we find ourself on pole.

“We know we are behind on race pace but our job is to maximise the points for later in the season if we are then strong enough to go and get the wins.”

Over at Mercedes, Hamilton might have finished second in Melbourne, but the seven-time world champion was off the pace here.

Hamilton snuck through to Q3, finishing just 0.004 sec ahead of the knocked-out Russell, and then never threatened to challenge the Ferraris and Red Bulls.

“We are trying as hard as we can,” said the 38-year-old. “It’s just getting into a rhythm is not easy on this track.

“We can’t make changes to the car overnight. This is the pace we have. It’s not the position we want as a team. We exist to win. But everyone has that winning mindset.

“We haven’t had an upgrade this weekend but we’re working towards one which will hopefully put us a bit closer to the battle.”

Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz will start fourth, two spots ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, with Lando Norris seventh for McLaren.

Q1 was delayed by 28 minutes after Nyck de Vries and Pierre Gasly both crashed out.

De Vries went in too hot on his brakes at the third corner, missing the apex and slamming into the wall. Out came the red flag, and a 17-minute barrier repair job followed as De Vries’ written-off AlphaTauri was winched away.

The running had restarted for less than two minutes before the red flags were deployed for a second time. Turn 3 claimed another victim as Gasly thudded into the wall and came to a halt.

“I couldn’t stop the car,” said the Frenchman, who missed the majority of practice when his Alpine caught fire. The two men will start Sunday’s 51-lap Grand Prix from the back of the pack.

Charles Leclerc saw off Max Verstappen to put his Ferrari on pole position for Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Verstappen and Leclerc set identical times in their opening Q3 laps in Baku before the Monegasque returned for a final run to beat his Red Bull rival by 0.188 seconds.

Sergio Perez qualified third ahead of Leclerc’s Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz with Lewis Hamilton fifth, 0.974 sec off the pace.

Formula One bosses have tinkered with the weekend format here in Baku by introducing two qualifying sessions.

Friday’s result decides the order for Sunday’s Grand Prix, while a second shorter qualifying session on Saturday determines the starting grid for a 17-lap dash – the first of six sprint events this season – later that day.

The sport’s chiefs hope the revamp will enliven the weekend and Leclerc’s pole here is the first non-Red Bull pole of a campaign the world champions have dominated.

Verstappen has opened his championship defence with two victories from three rounds – with team-mate Perez winning the other – but Leclerc’s lap will provide hope of a Ferrari fightback.

“It is good to be back on top,” said a delighted Leclerc over the radio.

“I am surprised,” he added after stepping out of his car. “We came into the weekend thinking it would be great if we are ahead of the Mercedes and Aston Martin cars but we are on pole.”

Mercedes’ turbulent start to the year continued with Hamilton the best part of a second down.

His team-mate George Russell will line up in 11th after he was knocked out in Q2. Hamilton sneaked through to Q3 by virtue of lapping 0.004 sec faster than his Mercedes team-mate.

“Ah, sugar,” said Russell after he was informed of his early bath.

Fernando Alonso qualified sixth for Aston Martin, one spot ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. Lance Stroll finished ninth with rookie Oscar Piastri rounding out the top 10.

Earlier, Q1 was delayed by 28 minutes after Nyck de Vries and Pierre Gasly both crashed out.

De Vries went in too hot on his brakes at the third corner, missing the apex and slamming into the wall. Out came the red flag, and a 17-minute barrier repair job followed as De Vries’ written-off AlphaTauri was winched away.

The running had restarted for less than two minutes before the red flags were deployed again. Turn 3 claimed a second victim as Gasly thudded into the wall and came to a halt.

“I couldn’t stop the car,” said the Frenchman who missed the majority of practice earlier on Friday when his Alpine caught fire.

The two men will start Sunday’s 51-lap Grand Prix from the back of the pack.

Line judges will be entirely phased out of ATP Tour tennis and replaced by technology from 2025 after a "landmark" decision in the sport's history.

ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi recognised it would end years of tradition on the men's main professional tour but said it was a decision supported by stakeholders from across the sport.

The Electronic Line Calling Live system has been a success at the tournaments where it has already been deployed, having been trialled for the first time at the 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals.

In a statement, the ATP said: "The advanced officiating technology covers all court lines for 'out' calls throughout matches, a role traditionally carried out by on-court line judges."

It said the move would "optimise accuracy and consistency across tournaments, match courts and surfaces" and "was supported by extensive research conducted by ATP across tennis stakeholders, including fans".

Gaudenzi said: "This is a landmark moment for our sport, and not one we've reached without careful consideration.

"Tradition is core to tennis and line judges have played an important part in the game over the years. That said, we have a responsibility to embrace innovation and new technologies. Our sport deserves the most accurate form of officiating and we're delighted to be able to deliver this across our whole tour from 2025."

The ATP is not committing to a single provider of the technology, saying it expects "multiple different suppliers will be approved across the various court surfaces".

New England captain Jodie Cunningham believes the women’s game is set for a bright future after a trio of the country’s brightest stars became the first to sign professional deals in Australia’s NRLW this month.

Two of those players, Hollie-Mae Dodd and Georgia Roche, who have landed contracts with Canberra Raiders and Newcastle Knights respectively, are set to feature in England’s mid-season clash with France in Warrington on Saturday.

And Cunningham, who has assumed the England captaincy from her St Helens team-mate Emily Rudge, believes it can only be a good thing as her side look to overhaul the southern hemisphere giants at the 2025 World Cup.

“I think it’s brilliant news. I’m 100 per cent behind the girls and I can’t wait to watch them ripping it up out there,” said Cunningham.

“I think it will only help develop them further and it shows how far the women’s game has come in this country that we are sitting here talking about players and professional contracts in this way.

“What we need is more competitive games on a more regular basis and that is what they are going to get out there. Super League is progressing in the right direction and hopefully this kind of news can only help it continue to improve.”

New head coach Stuart Barrow takes charge for the first time after his predecessor, Craig Richards, admitted in an emotional press conference following England’s World Cup semi-final defeat to New Zealand in November that his contract was not being renewed.

Barrow also believes the deals for Dodd and Roche, plus Fran Goldthorpe, who is absent on rugby union duty, can only be a good thing for the England team.

“Obviously we don’t want Super League to become a feeder club for the NRLW, but from an international point of view it’s a really exciting opportunity for them and it can only improve them as players,” said Barrow.

“One of the biggest positives is that the girls who are now playing at age 14 and above in our community game can have aspirations to become full-time professionals in rugby league.”

Eight Saints players feature in Barrow’s first squad while there is also a return for York Valkyrie captain Sinead Peach, who last featured in the 2019 tour of Papua New Guinea and was controversially overlooked last year.

“When we got started in January it was a case of picking a few players up because there was a little bit of flatness after the World Cup,” said Barrow.

“But there is still a feelgood factor around the women’s game in general. It feels like it is still bouncing on the back of the impression we made at the World Cup, and it is up to us to capitalise and keep the momentum going forward.”