Mack Hansen has been included in an unchanged Ireland starting XV for Saturday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand in Paris.
Connacht wing Hansen sat out training this week but has seemingly overcome the calf issue suffered in last weekend’s 36-14 victory over Scotland.
Lock James Ryan, who sustained a hand injury against the Scots following his introduction as a replacement, and centre Stuart McCloskey drop out of Andy Farrell’s matchday 23.
Second-row Joe McCarthy – the youngest member of Ireland’s 33-man squad at 22 – and versatile back Jimmy O’Brien, the only player yet to feature in France, have been added to the bench.
Wing James Lowe has been selected to face the country of his birth after overcoming the eye problem he sustained in Ireland’s final Pool B fixture.
Fellow native Kiwis Jamison Gibson-Park and Bundee Aki will also take on the All Blacks at Stade de France.
But centre Robbie Henshaw and wing Keith Earls, who have been troubled by hamstring issues, will once again be absent.
Ireland are seeking to secure a maiden World Cup semi-final by stretching their winning run to 18 Tests, which would equal the tier one record shared by New Zealand and England.
Captain Johnny Sexton will once again partner scrum-half Gibson-Park, who shifted to the left wing following Lowe’s departure last weekend, while Aki continues alongside Garry Ringrose in midfield.
Hansen and Lowe are joined in a familiar backline by full-back Hugo Keenan.
Leinster trio Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong continue in the front row, ahead of locks Tadhg Beirne and Iain Henderson.
Flankers Peter O’Mahony and Josh Van Der Flier line up either side of number eight Caelan Doris.
Test rookies McCarthy and O’Brien are joined on the bench by hooker Ronan Kelleher, props Dave Kilcoyne and Finlay Bealham, back-rower Jack Conan, scrum-half Conor Murray and fly-half Jack Crowley.
Ireland team: H Keenan (Leinster); M Hansen (Connacht), G Ringrose (Leinster), B Aki (Connacht), J Lowe (Leinster); J Sexton (Leinster, capt), J Gibson-Park (Leinster); A Porter (Leinster), D Sheehan (Leinster), T Furlong (Leinster), T Beirne (Munster), I Henderson (Ulster), P O’Mahony (Munster), J Van Der Flier (Leinster), C Doris (Leinster).
Replacements: R Kelleher (Leinster), D Kilcoyne (Munster), F Bealham (Connacht), J McCarthy (Leinster), J Conan (Leinster), C Murray (Munster), J Crowley (Munster), J O’Brien (Leinster).
Eight-year-old Brad O’Neill perched behind the posts at Old Trafford among over 70,000 others and roared on his hero Sam Tomkins as Wigan beat St Helens to win the 2010 Super League Grand Final.
Thirteen years later, having swapped his junior replica shirt for a dream place in the Warriors first team, O’Neill is preparing to head back to the same stadium tasked with denying Tomkins a fairy-tale ending to his playing career.
Former Wigan great Tomkins will take to the field for the last time on Saturday as he looks to inspire a first French Grand Final win – but lifelong Wigan fan O’Neill has long since shed any loyalty to the Catalans Dragons man.
“I went to all those finals and Sam was one of my favourite players,” said O’Neill, a product of Wigan’s scholarship and academy programmes who has edged long-established number nine Sam Powell off the starting teamsheet in a breakthrough 2023 campaign.
“I remember my first Grand Final in 2010, sitting behind the posts with my dad, a sell-out, and how it was bouncing in the Wigan end after we won.
“Sam and Sean O’Loughlin were the two players I most admired and I always hoped that one day I’d be part of the big games like them. Sam was always scoring tries and at the centre of things. It will be a bit surreal facing him in the Grand Final now.”
Born in Leigh, O’Neill started playing rugby at the age of five, rising steadily through the Wigan ranks to make his first-team debut against Wakefield in June 2021.
He starred in last season’s Challenge Cup final win over Huddersfield at Wembley and seized another opportunity earlier this season following an injury to Powell, going on to make the hooker position his own.
In June, he was rewarded with a new four-year contract, an indication of the potential seen in him by Wigan head coach Matt Peet, especially given the club’s capture of fellow number nine Kruise Leeming for the 2024 campaign.
O’Neill credits much of his emergence to the influence of Peet, who was head of youth when he first signed scholarship terms in 2017, and current assistant coach Sean O’Loughlin, another club great who was integral to those final wins that O’Neill cheered on from the sidelines.
“Matty has always been a part of my journey at Wigan and he’s always steered me down the right path,” added O’Neill. “Being able to pick the brains of someone like Sean, who has so much knowledge and played in so many Grand Finals, also helps.
“Culture is always a big thing at Wigan and it goes right down to the bottom, to academy and scholarship. You learn it straight away and it becomes natural to carry it through to the first team. It’s a massive part of the success of the club.”
Having won this season’s League Leaders’ Shield, Wigan will start as narrow favourites to beat the French side and win their first Grand Final since 2018 – which marked Tomkins’ swansong in a cherry and white shirt.
But there will be no room for sentiment for O’Neill, who is looking to take the opportunity to inspire a new generation of young Wigan fans who will be sitting behind the posts with his name emblazoned on their backs.
“I meet young fans all the time and it always reminds me that I was there at one time, so it’s all about doing everything you can to give something back,” added O’Neill. “My own story is proof that their own dreams are reachable.”
Dragon Leader thrilled connections when winning his second big prize of the season at Redcar on Saturday – but future plans are somewhat up in the air.
The bargain buy took his earnings to over £300,000 for the season in winning the Two Year Old Trophy at the seaside track, adding to his victory at York’s Ebor meeting.
Connections have touched base with the Breeders’ Cup committee to see if he would qualify for a run there, but if not, he is likely to be finished for this season.
With potential buyers showing interest in the Clive Cox-trained colt, there could be a decision to be made by his owners, Kennet Valley Syndicates.
“It was decent ground at Redcar and that was perfect for him. At halfway, he didn’t look like an odds-on shot, but he won going away in the end – he probably wants seven furlongs now,” said syndicate manager Sam Hoskins.
“Obviously, he was getting lots of weight off the others, but he did race on the near side of the track and you usually want to be far side at Redcar, so I do think you can mark him up.
“We were just over the moon, he’s won over £300,000 this year for the syndicate, which is incredible, and for a syndicate like ours it really makes a difference. People don’t go into it to make money but obviously winning a pot like that is great fun. We’re very lucky to have him.
“We have nominated him for the Breeders’ Cup but we’ve heard nothing back and I’m not sure he’ll get in the Juvenile Turf – there’s nothing else domestically, so that will probably be it.”
Regarding next season, Hoskins said: “I don’t know what next season holds, Clive does think he’ll get seven furlongs – but at least we can look at the fixture list now!
“The race which would really have suited him was the old Free Handicap but unfortunately that doesn’t exist anymore. Selfishly, we’ll really miss it next year.
“We have had offers for him, we’ve turned down some big ones. He’s a horse that likes decent ground and has lots of scope, so we’ll just see. No one is immune, but at the same time we’re a syndicate who like our sport and we’ve raced on a lot of older horses like Sir Busker, Magical Memory and Tulius.
“We’ve been digging for oil with Kennet Valley and we haven’t found much recently, we’re not immune but it would take a big offer to sell.
“He might be an interesting one to take to Dubai as a four-year-old, but we haven’t really discussed the future yet and we’ll just enjoy it for now.”
Ante-post favourite Shuwari is one of eight runners declared for the Group One bet365 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket on Friday.
Ollie Sangster’s juvenile impressed when making a winning debut at Newbury before getting the better of subsequent Moyglare Stud Stakes heroine Fallen Angel in the Listed Star Stakes at Sandown.
On the strength of that form, Shuwari was a hot favourite for the Rockfel Stakes a fortnight ago – and while she was no match for the dominant winner Carla’s Way, she was comfortably best of the rest.
She is reopposed by the third from that race, Ylang Ylang, who is one of two runners for Aidan O’Brien alongside rank outsider Brilliant.
Irish hopes are also carried by the Noel Meade-trained Caught U Looking, who supplemented a striking maiden win at Leopardstown with victory in the Group Three Weld Park Stakes at the Curragh last month.
Ralph Beckett steps Sandown scorer Classical Song up in class and also saddles Ascot victor Seaward, while Frankie Dettori is booked to partner Michael Bell’s dual Lingfield winner Ambiente Amigo.
The small but select field is completed by Andrew Balding’s See The Fire, last seen chasing home Darnation in the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster.
Kevin Philippart de Foy’s Inquisitively, Balding’s Flora Of Bermuda and Midnight Affair from Richard Fahey’s yard are among 15 juveniles in contention for the Group Three Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project Cornwallis Stakes.
Group Three honours are also up for grabs in an intriguing renewal of the Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes, which sees Beckett’s Skellet lock horns with Charlie Appleby’s Dance Sequence and the George Boughey-trained Chic Colombine, who bids for a fifth successive win.
The Group Two Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Challenge Stakes has attracted a six-strong field, with John and Thady Gosden’s Audience taken on by Richard Hannon’s high-class pair of Chindit and Shouldvebeenaring, Kieran Cotter’s Matilda Picotte, the Charlie Hills-trained Pogo and Joe Murphy’s Lord Massusus.
Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham wants to see six three-point attempts per game from Anthony Davis this season.
The Lakers reached the Western Conference finals last season, only to be swept 4-0 by the Denver Nuggets.
Davis averaged 1.3 three-point attempts per game last season, with his career-high (3.5) coming in his first year with the Lakers in 2019-20.
And Ham now wants to see Davis – who has gone three-for-six on three-pointers in preseason – stack up numbers that compare to the likes of Devin Booker and Darius Garland, who averaged 6.0 attempts per game in 2022-23.
"I want him to. I know he won't do it, but maybe he'll shock me, but I've requested to see six three-point attempts a game," Ham said.
"Three per half, at least. I wouldn't put that on him if I didn't think he was capable."
Ham has no plans to discourage Davis from shooting from beyond the arc.
"That's something that he's worked on, being a more consistent shooter and not just more consistent in his [normal] areas but consistent from deep range," he added.
"And not hesitating. Not overthinking it. So if he's got a good look, we've all encouraged him to put it up."
The Lakers, who face the Sacramento Kings in their third preseason game on Wednesday, tip off the new season on the road against the Nuggets on October 24.
Connections of Inspiral have confirmed the brilliant filly is not only set to line up in either the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot or head for the Breeders’ Cup before the year is out, but there is also every chance she could return for another season in 2024.
Having been given a break since successfully defending her title in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville in August, John and Thady Gosden’s charge secured the fifth Group One victory of her career so far with a dominant display in the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.
Cheveley Park Stud director Richard Thompson is expecting to see Inspiral once more this season, but whether that will be on Qipco British Champions Day or in California remains to be seen.
Thompson said: “We were thrilled with her on Saturday. If you look at her last two performances, in the Jacques le Marois and in the Sun Chariot, they were two very authoritative performances.
“The way she won the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot last year was probably the performance of the meeting and she’s not done too badly since, beating the colts twice in the Jacques le Marois, and I think her latest performance at Deauville was pretty impressive.
“We’re looking at the QEII or the Breeders’ Cup this season. It will be one of the two, we just don’t know which one yet. It depends on how she comes out of Saturday, it depends on the ground at Ascot – there’s a few factors.”
While hesitant to make plans beyond Inspiral’s next run, Thompson is open to the idea of sending her back into training as a five-year-old.
He added: “She could potentially stay in training next season, but that depends on how she comes out of her final race this year, whichever race that is going to be.
“The trainer will give us his steer and if he feels she’s ready to go next season, we’ll go with it and give her another go next season, absolutely, subject to him (John Gosden) giving us that confirmation.”
A charity that helps disabled people play tennis is celebrating its 10th anniversary by pushing to expand its programme further.
Bright Ideas for Tennis was founded in 2013 by former Great Britain Davis Cup player Danny Sapsford with the aim of increasing grass-roots participation.
Sapsford works with tennis clubs to raise money to improve facilities and expand programmes, with more than £1million invested into the sport, but it is the charity’s I Play 30 scheme that has become its driving force.
Bright Ideas for Tennis pairs clubs across the country with local special educational needs and disability (SEND) schools and organisations to put on free sessions.
Sapsford told the PA news agency: “We’ve been growing steadily and the last couple of years we’ve been opening 30-35 venues every year and we’re hoping to do that for the next few years.
“My personality is someone who likes to please people and likes to be helpful so it’s quite heartwarming to see all the people we’ve given the opportunity to play tennis.
“I love going to the site visits to watch them. Quite often I’m driving three or four hours for a 45-minute session and in the car I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God, what am I doing this for’? But it’s worth it just to see the smiles on their faces, it’s lovely.
“The sessions that we run, as much as we’re teaching tennis, I think more than anything we’re teaching life skills.
“Last year we did a survey, we had a couple of doctors from Cambridge University who helped us, and they were so excited with the results.
“It was proving that tennis was not just good for your physical health but it was good for your mental well-being and the parents were saying their kids are now becoming more accepted in schools and are making more friends, they’re more confident and less anxious, so all the attributes we were hoping to achieve, which was brilliant.”
Ariadne Katsoulis and Paul Valentine run coaching programmes at clubs in Banbury, Bicester and Brackley and work with two SEND schools through Bright Ideas for Tennis.
Katsoulis told PA: “At the beginning when the children arrived, no one had had the opportunity to play tennis before, they didn’t feel comfortable, but after two or three weeks, they were so happy.
“That change in the children, it was incredible. They were excited to come, they wanted to play, and the improvement that they’ve made, I don’t have words.
“We give our time for free when we could have been earning money in other sessions but, seeing these children that have never had the possibility to do the sport – I was working with a blind child, and him achieving hitting the ball, and how he excited was, that’s the biggest reward that a tennis coach can wish for.”
They are hoping soon to add a third school and Valentine does not believe they would have been able to put on the sessions without Sapsford, saying: “It’s quite hard for us to take the lead on it.
“What Danny’s doing is creating a link between the coaches and the schools and that’s the big thing, then supporting us as we go through the programme. It’s a great organisation.”
Previously a one-man band, Sapsford now has a small team, while ambassadors include Tim Henman and Joe Salisbury, and he is hoping to increase the charity’s profile and budget to help introduce the sport to even more people.
It has been a decade of hard work, and the 54-year-old, who reached the third round of Wimbledon in 1999, said: “As with everything, it has its ups and downs and you have good days and bad days.
“I have weeks where every phone call I’m making I’m hitting a dead end and no one wants to help you but then you have other days where everything seems to fall in place.
“We’re at the stage now where we’ve got a really good infrastructure, we’ve built a really good reputation, lots of people want to work with us, so, if we did have a tiny little bit more money, we’d be able to do a lot more good.”
Rafael Nadal is set to return to grand slam tennis at the 2024 Australian Open, tournament director Craig Tiley has announced.
The 37-year-old has not been in action since suffering a hip flexor injury during his second-round defeat to Mackenzie McDonald during the 2023 edition in Melbourne.
Earlier this year, Nadal announced he would miss the French Open, where he has claimed 14 of his 22 major titles, as he was undergoing surgery on the issue.
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His inactivity has seen the Spaniard slide down to 240th in the world, but Nadal will be able to rely on a protected ranking for the first grand slam of the 2024 calendar.
Speaking in an interview on Australian breakfast TV programme The Today Show, Tennis Australia chief executive Tiley said: “We can reveal exclusively here that Rafa will be back.
“He’s been off for most of the year and in talking to him over the last few days he confirmed he will be back, which we’re really excited about, the champion of 2022. That’s awesome.”
Tiley also revealed “some of the greats” will be making their way Down Under, with former women’s singles champions Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber all lined up for returns.
“We’ll welcome them – and their families – back to Melbourne with open arms and can’t wait to see what their next chapter brings,” he added.
Home favourite Nick Kyrgios, who has played only one ATP Tour match in 2023 due to injuries, has returned to training and is hopeful of being fit for Melbourne, with Tiley adding that he was “doing his utmost to get back to his best”.
Connor Bedard notched a point in his NHL debut and the Chicago Blackhawks scored three times in the third period to rally for a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.
The 18-year-old Bedard – the top pick in the 2023 draft - assisted on Ryan Donato’s goal late in the second period to cut Chicago’s deficit to 2-1.
Bedard registered five of the Blackhawks’ 35 shots and dazzled occasionally with his skating.
His arrival in the NHL has been anticipated for years, much like Sidney Crosby’s when the Penguins made him the first overall selection in 2005, all of 13 days after Bedard was born.
Cole Guttman netted the tying goal midway through the third period and Jason Dickinson snapped the tie with 4:33 remaining.
Petr Mrazek gave up goals to Bryan Rust and Crosby but finished with 38 saves against the Penguins, the league’s oldest team.
Golden Knights raise banner, beat Kraken
Chandler Stephenson and Jonathan Marchessault scored in the first period and Adin Hill made 27 saves as the Vegas Golden Knights began defense of their Stanley Cup title with a 4-1 win over the Seattle Kraken.
Ivan Barbashev and Jack Eichel also tallied for Vegas, which raised its championship banner in a lavish pregame ceremony.
Jared McCann provided Seattle’s lone goal in the second period.
Paul leads Lightning past Predators
Nicholas Paul scored a pair of third-period power-play goals and Jonas Johansson stopped 28 shots to win his Lightning debut as Tampa Bay opened the season with a 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators.
Brandon Hagel scored on a penalty shot, Nikita Kucherov added a pair of goals and Brayden Point had three assists for the Lightning.
With five-time All-Star Andrei Vasilevskiy expected to miss another six weeks after back surgery, Johansson has been thrust into a starting role.
He gave up Tommy Novak’s tying goal 8:48 into the third period, but Paul scored just over two minutes later and Kucherov’s empty-net goal closed the scoring.
Ryan O’Reilly and Juuso Parssinen also scored as Nashville lost in Andrew Brunette’s debut as coach.
Zion Williamson made his first appearance in an NBA game since January with 12 points in 16 minutes in the New Orleans’ Pelicans’ 122-105 loss to the Orlando Magic.
Williamson sat out the final four months of the season after he injured his right hamstring in Philadelphia last Jan. 2.
The Pelicans star missed his first two shots before throwing down a crowd-pleasing, two-handed dunk. He later added a 13-foot running floater, a short turnaround, and a layup to go with four free throws.
Williamson added five rebounds and five assists in the preseason opener for both teams.
Wendell Carter Jr. had 18 points in 19 minutes for Orlando and Paolo Banchero scored 12 points, highlighted by his driving, one-handed dunk between Williamson and New Orleans center Jonas Valanciunas.
Adolis Garcia capped a five-run second with a three-run homer and the Texas Rangers rolled to a 7-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles to complete an AL Division Series sweep on Tuesday.
Corey Seager got Texas started with a first-inning home run against Dean Kremer and the Rangers knocked the Baltimore starter out in the second.
Nathaniel Lowe also went deep for the Rangers, who are perfect in five games this postseason and will face either Houston or Minnesota in the ALCS.
Nathan Eovaldi allowed one run and five hits over seven innings, striking out seven while throwing 76 of his 98 pitches for strikes.
Jose Leclerc got the final four outs, the first one with the bases loaded in the eighth when he induced an inning-ending groundout by Aaron Hicks.
The Orioles won an AL-best 101 games and were never swept during the regular season, but gave up 18 runs in losing the final two games.
Lowe battled Kremer in a 15-pitch at-bat to lead off the second before lining out.
Singles by Josh Jung and Marcus Semien put runners on the corners with two outs. After Seager was intentionally walked to load the bases, Mitch Garver stroked a two-run double before Garcia’s homer to left made it 6-0.
Astros rout Twins, take 2-1 ALDS lead
Jose Abreu’s three-run homer keyed a four-run first inning, he added a two-run blast in the ninth and the Houston Astros routed the Minnesota Twins 9-1 to take a 2-1 series lead.
Yordan Alvarez continued his red-hot start by going 3 for 5 with a solo home run – his fourth of the series – and two doubles. He became the 11th player in history to homer in each of his first three games of a single postseason.
Alex Bregman had a pair of hits, including a solo home run, and two RBIs.
The Astros pounced early on Minnesota starter Sonny Gray, who gave up five runs and eight hits in four innings.
Cristian Javier pitched five shutout innings for Houston, allowing just one hit but walking five batters.
The Astros can clinch the series Wednesday with a win, sending them to the ALCS for the seventh straight year.
LIV Golf has been denied world ranking points after having a request turned down by the Official World Golf Ranking body.
The Saudi-backed breakaway’s request was denied in a letter addressed to chief executive Greg Norman and chief operating officer Gary Davidson, where concerns were expressed about the circuit’s format.
The decision was made after the OWGR could not find a “fair and equitable way” to assess those competing in LIV golf events, meaning it will not be recognised as an Eligible Golf Tour according to the OWGR.
A statement from OWGR chairman Peter Dawson read: “It is unfortunate that no way to include LIV Golf in the ranking could be found which would be fair and equitable to the 24 currently eligible tours and their thousands of playing members.
“Keeping this matter under review, OWGR will continue to monitor developments in men’s professional golf as a whole and at LIV in particular.”
LIV responded to the decision, insisting professional golf is “now without a true or global scoring and ranking system”.
“OWGR’s sole objective is to rank the best players across the globe. Today’s communication makes clear that it can no longer deliver on that objective,” a LIV statement read.
“Players have historically remained subject to a single world ranking to qualify for major championships, the biggest events, and for corporate sponsor contract value.
“A ranking which fails to fairly represent all participants, irrespective of where in the world they play golf, robs fans, players and all of golf’s stakeholders of the objective basis underpinning any accurate recognition of the world’s best player performances. It also robs some traditional tournaments of the best fields possible.
“Professional golf is now without a true or global scoring and ranking system. There is no benefit for fans or players from the lack of trust or clarity as long as the best player performances are not recognised.
“LIV will continue to strive to level the market so fans, broadcasters, and sponsors have the assurance of an independent and objective ranking system and the pure enjoyment of watching the best golf in the world.”
Tommy Fury admits he “could not live with himself” if he did not fight for a world title at some point in his career – but acknowledges Saturday’s bout with YouTuber KSI is a long way from that.
Fury said he could “be down the pub all day” and still beat the social media star-turned fighter in their X Series encounter in Manchester.
But he has loftier aspirations to follow in the footsteps of his famous brother Tyson.
“The plan is to get though these YouTube fights, do what I need to do in this sort of scene and I believe I am good enough to win a world title belt,” he told the PA news agency.
“I don’t know when or what weight division but when the time is right I’ll go out and I will challenge for a world title because I could not live with myself if I didn’t box for one.
“I believe I can do it, I have the right set-up around me so why not give myself a best shot?”
While Fury, who sprung to huge fame in 2019 reality show Love Island, comes from a fighting family KSI made his name on YouTube and, as part of the showbiz nature of the event, will wear a £40,000 gumshield.
The Manchester-born Fury has dismissed his opponent’s credentials.
“These guys don’t really call for me to step up to world title ability. I’m levels above these guys,” added the 24-year-old.
“I could beat KSI after 15 pints of beer. I could literally go down the pub all day, fight him at night-time and still beat him. If we fight 100 times I beat him 100 times.”
On KSI’s expensive mouthguard, he added: “He’s going to need £200 grand around his mouth by the time I have finished with him.
“It will be a lucky night for someone when they catch it in the crowd.”
American MMA fighter Dillon Danis, making his boxing debut, has refused to back down in his online vendetta against opponent Logan Paul’s fiancee, which has resulted in Nina Agdal lodging a lawsuit against him.
“It is years of me and the Pauls going back and forth. I don’t take anything personal, it’s just business. I don’t care about the guy or his w***e fiancee,” said Danis, who has sparred with one of MMA’s biggest names Conor McGregor and did not rule out the Irishman being ringside at the weekend.
The British Horseracing Authority is working to substantiate warnings that the government’s proposed affordability checks will drive bettors to an unlicensed black market.
The review to the Gambling Act has focused on problem gamblers and thus the concept of financial checks for those regularly betting, whether to a damaging extent or not, has been under discussion during the white paper stage.
As racing is inherently linked to the gambling industry these limitations are likely to have damaging consequences for the sport, and grave concerns have been aired by a number of leading figures over the potential fallout.
One projected consequence is that the horse racing bettor will turn to unlicensed and unregulated gambling firms if betting via established operators becomes unavailable to them. A number of owners have already spoken out over what they say are obtrusive checks, saying they will walk away or dramatically cut their interests.
The BHA is highlighting this to the government and the Gambling Commission as the nature of the reviewed Gambling Act takes shape, with a significant survey undertaken to illustrate the risk.
Julie Harrington, chief executive of the BHA, addressed the matter on a press call about the 2024 fixture list, saying: “There’s is a huge amount of uncertainty created by the the review of the Gambling Act and the white paper. If the financial risked-based checks are frictionless, as we we hope they will be but everybody is rightly concerned, I think being in control of our destiny and in control of what we can is important in this environment.
“There is a huge amount of work that has gone on globally and a lot of work already published in the public domain by the Asian Racing Foundation about the factual existence of a black market and the sort of volumes that are going through. It’s well-funded academic research and of course we’ve shared that with colleagues at the Gambling Commission.
“We do believe that there are punters going to the black market, there is research that shows it. We’ve done our own surveys with punters, it’s really good to gather evidence to show both the government and the Gambling Commission about our own customers, our regular, engaged racing fans who read racing publications, what are they telling us? How many of them are telling us they have been approached by operators? How many of them are saying they’ve followed up on that approach?
“What we’ve been doing is work behind the scenes to make sure that can be substantiated. Anecdotally, we have worked with a lot of owners and they have allowed us to share their case studies of being approached by operators – whether that’s grey market, they’re not UK-licensed operators, or black market – offering them terms to get a bet on.
“For us to give named major owners to the Gambling Commission as evidence to say ‘don’t just take our word for it, here are people who are being directly approached and enticed to get a bet on’.”
Harrington also stressed the importance of making sure the government acknowledged a distinction between skill-based betting, such as on sport, and on games of chance in casinos or the virtual equivalent.
In addition to that, Harrington spoke of the need for an understanding of the reality of the affordability checks – which the government insists will be “frictionless” and “unobtrusive” for the vast majority – as bookmakers may currently be overzealous in their restrictions out of undue caution.
“Within the white paper the government does acknowledge the difference between a horse racing bettor and a casino bettor. This is absolutely different in that it’s a game of skill versus chance, speed of play, all of those measures,” she said.
“We just tell them, tell them and tell them again, the difference, the potential impact. We know they’re listening, we know in every speech that is made, the Select Committee hearings, all the right things are said in terms of ‘we don’t want to damage horse racing, this is an important cultural asset’.
“What we need is interventions and as the Gambling Commission brings the consultation to a close, we need the frictionless financial risk-based checks to be out there and being tested.
“Rather than at the moment, there is the suspicion that operators are acting in a more draconian fashion ahead of those measures, because until they’ve got visibility of them and they’re being tested they are going to do that because they are scared of a heavy fine.”
Gordon Elliott was delighted to see his high-class hurdler Zanahiyr enjoy a confidence-boosting victory on his seasonal debut at Punchestown.
It is coming up to two years since the chestnut gelding last got his head in front in the WKD Hurdle at Down Royal, although he has since been placed in a string of Grade One events – last season finishing third behind the mighty Constitution Hill in both the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Aintree Hurdle.
Faced with just two rivals, the Paddy Power Hurdle represented a sizeable drop in class for the six-year-old – but with the Charles Byrnes-trained Run For Oscar reverting to the jumping game just 10 days after finishing a a fine third in the Prix du Cadran, his task was not straightforward.
There was nothing to chose between the pair for much of two-and-a-quarter-mile journey and while jockey Philip Byrnes did his best to make race-fitness count by kicking for home rounding the final bend, 10-11 favourite Zanahiyr eventually mastered him under Jack Kennedy and pulled two and a half lengths clear.
Zanahiyr’s stablemate Andy Dufresne was just a neck behind Run For Oscar in third.
Of the winner, Elliott said: “I thought we were very beatable first run back and to be honest I wasn’t going to run him only there was a very small entry. Jack said he had a couple of blows and was delighted with him – he jumped well.
“He was entitled to do it on ratings, but it’s not always that easy. We thought we might get a soft lead but it was an honest gallop and Philip put the gun to our head the whole way.
“I’ll talk to Noel and Valerie (Moran, owners) to see what they think (about plans). There is a lot of prize-money to be picked up in conditions hurdles and he has no Grade One penalty, so he can step back into Grade Twos and Threes.
“I’d say you could see him in anything from two-mile-five back to two miles. You know he’s going to wear his heart on his sleeve and try his best for you.
“The way he jumps a hurdle you would say he would jump a fence, so I wouldn’t rule it out.”
Elliott and Kennedy had earlier successfully combined with Wodhooh (11-10 favourite) in the Paddy Power 3-Y-O Hurdle.
Formerly trained on the Flat by Sir Michael Stoute, the Le Havre filly got the race in the stewards’ room on her hurdling debut at Listowel last month but there was no doubt about it this time as she stretched 24 lengths clear to double her tally.
“She’s a nice mare. We like her, she’ll be better on softer ground and the further she goes,” said Elliott.
“We knew she’d come on from the run in Listowel but I think on softer ground there is another half-stone in her. She’s a very honest filly.
“We’d like to get a bit of black type over hurdles with her now. There is a race in Newbury in the first week in December that she could go for.”
The high-powered Miami Dolphins will be without one of their top playmakers for the foreseeable future.
Rookie running back De'Von Achane will reportedly miss multiple weeks with a knee injury sustained in the Dolphins' 31-16 win over the New York Giants on Sunday.
Miami coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Monday that the team was evaluating the severity of Achane's injury and on Tuesday, NFL Network Insiders Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported he will miss several games and may end up being placed on injured reserve.
The injury, however, is not expected to be season-ending.
It's still not certain when Achane was injured, though he didn't play in Miami's final two series against the Giants. The outcome, however, was also not in doubt with the Dolphins holding a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter, so it was initially believed he was being rested after rushing for 151 yards and Miami on its way to a victory.
The injury puts a damper on what has been a sensational three-game stretch for Achane, who has gone from relatively unknown to offensive sensation.
After being a healthy scratch in the season opener and recording only one carry for five yards the next week, Achane had a breakout game in Miami's historic 70-20 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 3, leading the team with 203 rushing yards while scoring four touchdowns.
He followed that performance with 120 scrimmage yards and two more TDs the following week in a 48-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
With another touchdown against the Giants, Achane became the first player in the Super Bowl era with seven TDs in his first four NFL games.
The 21-year-old leads the NFL with an incredible 12.1 yards per carry and is second in rushing yards with 460. He is 50 yards behind rushing leader Christian McCaffrey despite having 61 fewer rushing attempts.
His injury means Raheem Mostert will handle the bulk of the running back duties for the Dolphins, while Jeff Wilson Jr. could also be activated from injured reserve to add backfield depth.
Mostert has rushed for 314 yards with seven touchdowns and has another 128 receiving yards and a receiving score.
The Dolphins are atop the AFC East, and play the winless Carolina Panthers this Sunday followed by a highly anticipated showdown with the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7.
Billy Vunipola insists England are comfortable being cast as the pantomime villains of Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final against Fiji in Marseille.
England face the darlings of the tournament with their opponents at Stade Velodrome adopting the role of everyone’s second favourite team due to their all-action style of play and underdog status.
There is also a desire to see a Pacific Islands nation progress deep into the World Cup given they produce some of the game’s finest players who contribute significantly to overseas leagues.
Every neutral will be cheering them on but Vunipola insisted England were ready to spoil the party and in the process challenge the perception that only France, New Zealand, Ireland or South Africa were capable of lifting the Webb Ellis Trophy.
“I would not say Fiji is their second favourite, I would say England is their first least-favourite team,” the Saracens number eight said.
“In terms of being public enemy number one, we are happy to take that mantle.
“We are seeing a lot of teams being talked up. Apparently there’s a top four in international rugby. I didn’t know that there was a table. We are quietly going about our work and confidently going about our work.
“Our plan is to play well firstly against Fiji and deal with whatever happens after that, after Fiji.”
England are wary of the breakdown threat posed by Simon Raiwalui’s team and are seeking clarification from Sunday’s referee Mathieu Raynal over how the contest on the floor will be officiated.
Steve Borthwick has noted the number of breakdown penalties won by Fiji so far at the World Cup – they were awarded 11 in their group victory over Australia alone – and their sheer volume of jackal attempts.
At the heart of their threat in this area is openside Levani Botia, who Vunipola knows must be nullified at all costs.
“The best thing about him is his technique. He’s got a very low centre of gravity. As a former 12 who has been repositioned to seven, he’s very fast around making the decision whether to go for the ball or not,” Vunipola said.
“Again, it’s his height. If you give him an opportunity it becomes tough, but it’s not just him. They’ve got other threats in terms of jackallers.”
England name their starting XV and bench on Friday and the greatest area of intrigue is the fly-half duel between George Ford and Owen Farrell.
Ford was man of the match against Argentina and Japan and is the form 10, but Farrell is the squad’s captain and talisman.
The two were paired together against Samoa on Saturday, but they faded as a creative axis amid a poor team performance and the experiment of reviving their partnership could be over.
“Owen’s a winner. That term gets thrown around quite a bit but that’s Owen. Under the harshest of pressures and biggest of moments, he tends to get better,” attack coach Richard Wigglesworth said.
“That is a sign of a winner. He doesn’t just get better but has more of an impact on the people around him as well. We know what gets said about Owen.
“He’s the highest ever points-scorer for England, delivers time and time again and those players tend to catch the most flak for some reason.
“We’re lucky to have him. He will no doubt have a massive impact on this week and this game.”
The British Horseracing Authority has released the 2024 fixture list and in doing so implemented several strategies designed to boost the popularity of the sport and the revenue it generates.
Here, we look at the key changes and their intended impact on the industry:
What are Premier Racedays?
A significant change is the introduction of Premier Racedays, 170 days of racing during which the best quality contests will be scheduled in order to better allow the sport to promote its headline events. An additional £3.8million of Horserace Betting Levy Board funding for Premier Racedays will be invested, with no race run for less than £20,000 on the Flat and £15,000 over jumps at these meetings. There will also be a ‘protected window’ between 2pm and 4pm when the number of races run is limited, pushing a small number of meetings to an earlier start and others later into the afternoon.
Richard Wayman, chief operating officer for the BHA, said of the concept: “What we’ve tried to do here is recognise that for the uninitiated, the person that isn’t already following our sport, we just publish every year a list of 1,500 fixtures and we leave it to them to try and figure out what the headline stuff is.
“We’ve set criteria for those fixtures now, there’s a bar that racecourses have to jump to be a Premier fixture. We wanted to be inclusive so it wasn’t out of the reach of the smaller tracks to, on one or two days through the year, really target their resources so they can be part of the Premier party. We’ve set the bar, the criteria and 170 fixtures have managed to jump over it.”
Why is there more racing on a Sunday?
Higher quality meetings will be scheduled for Sundays, including 29 Premier days, and there will also be a trial of Sunday evening racing in the first quarter of 2024 with £145,000 in prize-money required for each fixture.
Wayman said: “We’ve made it a real focus to try and improve the quality of Sunday racing. In addition, we are looking to trial Sunday evening fixtures in the first quarter of next year. That’s on the backdrop of information from the betting industry and our betting partners, who have identified to us that punter behaviour changes and those Sunday evening are an increasingly popular time of the week for people to bet.
“At the moment British racing is missing out on that, the money is being bet on other sports or indeed racing overseas. We’d like to run a trial of six meetings in the first quarter of next year to help us understand what demand there is for our customers.
“That does place a greater pressure on our workforce and that’s something we are very, very sensitive to. There are additional payments for those that will be servicing those meetings.”
Will there be less fixtures altogether?
To address dwindling field sizes there will be less meetings in 2024 and a rescheduling of some races to more suitable times. Wayman explained: “There will be 300 fewer National Hunt races next year, which includes removing 20 fixtures, and on the Flat moving 200 races out of the summer and into the autumn, when we know field sizes will be stronger.
“In addition to those volume changes there are other interventions we are making, there are 100 races that we are taking out of the programme and we will put in at the 10-day stage so we can make use of the latest horse population data to understand where the gap in the programme is. We’re going to start removing races, low-grade handicaps, with fewer than four runners in at the declarations stage.”
Are the changes permanent?
No. The proposed changes are subject to a two-year trial, during which the outcomes will be monitored and the relevant parties will be consulted.
Wayman said: “In reality, lots of bits of it will work but some bits of it won’t work, when we get two years down the line I think it is unlikely that we will be completely reversing everything, we will learn as we go.”
Julie Harrington, chief executive of the BHA, said: “Is the BHA going to be happy fronting up to those things that didn’t work? Absolutely. The sport as a whole needs to not be scared to try things and openly admit when they don’t work.”
Why is change required?
The main reasoning behind the changes to the fixture list stems from challenges the sport faces and the BHA hopes to go some way to remedying.
“We want to increase the number of fans and followers in British racing to support our long-term future,” said Wayman.
“The backdrop to that is some very concerning numbers that we’re all aware of, the declining attendances in British racing, the declining betting turnover – we’ve had lower field sizes in 2022 than we had for a very long time. Horse numbers are under pressure, owners numbers are under pressure, and of course we have an increasing number of higher-rated horses being exported overseas.”
What does the BHA hope to achieve?
Modelling developed in a back-and-forth with bookmakers has estimated a £90m improvement to British racing’s finances over a five-year period from 2024 to 2028. Harrington said: “The £90m is the difference between a ‘do nothing’ scenario in the timescale versus what we realistically think these innovations can collectively deliver.
“One of the reasons for growing the engagement with our fans and viewers is about having a more sustainable sport that has strong revenues that can then be reinvested.”
The Minnesota Vikings said on Monday they weren't going to rush Justin Jefferson back from a hamstring injury he sustained in Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The team is staying true to its word, as it plans to place him on injured reserve, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network on Tuesday.
A trip to IR means Jefferson must sit out at least four games, leaving the Vikings without the NFL's reigning Offensive Player of the Year for upcoming contests against the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons.
The earliest he could return is in Week 10, when Minnesota hosts the New Orleans Saints on November 12.
How long Jefferson will be sidelined depends on how he responds to treatment, according to Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell.
However, it's also possible if Minnesota's season continues to slip away - Sunday's defeat dropped the team to 1-4 - the 2022 NFC North champions could decide to leave Jefferson on IR longer as they jockey for draft positioning.
The 24-year-old Jefferson, who is in the fourth year of his rookie contract and will be seeking a long-term deal this offseason, was injured while slipping on the turf at Minnesota's U.S. Bank Stadium while trying to make a cut.
He limped to the sideline and wanted to return to the game, but O'Connell said the team wanted him to be 100 per cent before they let him back on the field.
Through five games this season, Jefferson has 36 receptions for 571 yards - third most in the NFL - with three touchdown receptions.
He has accounted for 38.1 per cent of Minnesota's receiving yards - the eighth-highest percentage by any receiver for his team in the league.
In 2022, he put together one of the best seasons by a receiver in NFL history, finishing with league highs of 128 catches and 1,809 receiving yards, along with eight TD receptions.
A first-round draft pick in 2020, Jefferson is a three-time Pro Bowler and has never missed a game in his career.
With Jefferson sidelined, rookie receiver Jordan Addison and two-time Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson will be expected to step up in the passing game.
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