Scotland may be smarting from the injustice of their defeat by France but Ben Earl insists England also have a point to prove in their Calcutta Cup clash.
Replays suggested Scotland had scored a legitimate stoppage-time try at Murrayfield on Saturday but as they failed to show clear grounding, protocol dictated it should not stand and Les Bleus escaped with a 20-16 win.
The decision prevented them from entering round three of the Guinness Six Nations with an unbeaten record to match that of Steve Borthwick’s team, who crept past Italy and Wales to stay in Grand Slam contention.
What was previously a comfortable Six Nations fixture for England has since been turned on its head by losing the three most recent meetings – and Earl wants to see that addressed in Edinburgh on February 24.
“Scotland are a very proud rugby nation, they’ve got some great players, some great individuals,” Earl said.
“We’ve never had an easy game against them and last time we played them at Twickenham, the first game of last year, we lost.
“We’ve got to right some wrongs and so we’re really looking forward to going up there.”
England’s underwhelming performances in the opening two rounds have hardly set the tournament alight, but in coming from behind to dispatch Italy and Wales they are continuing to show a knack for digging themselves out of trouble.
After a 31-point lead had been thrown away against Scotland in 2019, Borthwick’s predecessor Eddie Jones compared the team’s response to pressure to “hand grenades in the back of a jeep” that “go off”.
But in the World Cup warm-up game against Wales at Twickenham in August, and at the tournament itself, they have displayed the ability to roll with the punches – and come back firing.
“We feel we’ve got a good game to fall back on when things are tight. We can squeeze games out and find a way to win. We know we can win from almost any position,” Earl said.
“When our backs were against the wall against Wales, we got together and said ‘look, it feels like we’re not getting the rub of the green here from the ref and/or the context of the game, so we need to almost bunker down or come out swinging in a way’.
“Other England teams in previous regimes, we might have gone into our shells and reverted to an individual focus, but we were collected and aligned in our messaging and in our next actions, so we were really pleased.
“The Italy game was a step in the right direction and Wales was another step in the right direction, so who knows where we can take it.”
England’s growing resilience has coincided with Earl’s rise to starting number eight and the marauding Saracen, who broke four tackles to cross against Wales, is revelling in the independence he has been given by attack coach Richard Wigglesworth.
“Richard has been really clear with me in terms of giving me a bit of a free role in terms of where I pop up,” Earl said.
“Against Italy I carried a bit more off nine than I did against Wales. But in terms of where I’m at, I’m loving playing for this team.”
Strong Leader is set to continue plying his trade in the staying hurdle division, having been handed a Liverpool Hurdle objective by trainer Olly Murphy.
The seven-year-old has shown smart form at Aintree in the past, winning a novice hurdle by eight lengths last term before ending the campaign by finishing a close-up second to Inthepocket over an extended two miles in the Grade One Top Novices’ Hurdle.
Since being well beaten over the minimum trip on his return to action, Strong Leader has gone up in distance, first running well in the Ascot Hurdle before excelling in his first try at three miles on Cheltenham Trials day in the Cleeve Hurdle.
On that occasion, only Stayers’ Hurdle-bound Noble Yeats and Paisley Park finished ahead of Strong Leader.
And with Murphy’s charge holding no graded entries for the Cheltenham Festival, he is set to bypass Prestbury Park in favour of another trip to Merseyside for their Grand National day Grade One.
“He’s going straight to Aintree for the three-mile race,” said Murphy.
“I know everyone talked about Paisley Park and Noble Yeats and rightly so, but he was the unlucky loser. He never jumped a hurdle, didn’t come down the hill and yet was only beaten a length and a quarter.
“He relished the step up to three miles. His sectionals were very good over two miles but he’s always worked like a horse who would want a trip.
“He will go straight to Aintree and whether he will be good enough, I’m not sure, but he’s a very good horse on his day – and the one day it all clicks for him, then he could win a big one.”
Harry Paterson admitted he could never have imagined starting a Guinness Six Nations match for Scotland just months after wondering how he was going to get a game in Edinburgh’s high-calibre back three.
The 22-year-old began the season competing with established internationals like Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham, Duhan van der Merwe and Emiliano Boffelli for a place at club level.
The departure of Kinghorn to Toulouse and injuries to others, however, allowed him to make three starts for Edinburgh in December and he was subsequently named in Gregor Townsend’s squad for the Six Nations.
Incredibly, with just eight senior appearances to his name in total, Paterson was summoned to start Saturday’s showdown with France on the morning of the game after Kyle Steyn’s wife went into labour, further reducing the Scots’ back-three options after injuries to key duo Kinghorn and Graham.
Paterson responded by producing what head coach Townsend described as “one of the the best debuts I’ve ever seen” as Scotland went down to a controversial 20-16 defeat by Les Bleus.
“It certainly was beyond my pre-season expectations,” said Paterson. “Especially with the senior boys in the back three at Edinburgh, it’s unbelievable.
“In November, I was thinking ‘I’m not really getting a look with Edinburgh’, but things can change very quickly and a few guys got injured so I was kind of given an opportunity through that.
“I’ll take a lot of confidence from it. I’ve not played a lot of professional rugby so I need to build up that base of games, stay fit and crack on.”
Paterson was not named in the initial 23-man squad for the France match and only learned at 9am – five hours before kick-off – that he would be starting at full-back.
“I got a call from Gregor when I was having my breakfast and I kind of figured what was happening when I saw who was calling,” he said. “There was about 10 minutes of panic and then I stabilised and cooled down. There was a bit of nerves obviously, but I was really excited.
“Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh and Scotland team-mate) told me beforehand ‘it’s just another game of rugby but it’s also your first cap so make sure you enjoy it’.
“I was alright once I was out there. I got minced off the first ball I caught so that got me into the game. I just kind of went for it.
“I’ve been told I overthink a lot, but when it comes to game time I manage to chill out a bit and not stress as much.”
Paterson had mixed feelings at the end of a debut in which Scotland were controversially denied what would have been a match-winning try when the officials were unable to decide beyond all doubt that Sam Skinner had managed to ground the ball.
“I was a confused boy at the end of the game,” he said. “I didn’t really know how to feel at the end. I was just gutted at the result.”
While Steyn is likely to come back into the mix for the next game at home to England a week on Saturday, it remains to be seen if Graham or Kinghorn – both of whom were initially ruled out of the first two matches of the championship – will be fit enough to return.
Asked if he felt he had played his way into contention for the Calcutta Cup showdown, Paterson said: “I’m not sure. I don’t know who is available. There’s a lot of moving parts so I’m not really sure what will happen there.”
Theatre Man has Cheltenham Festival handicaps on his agenda, having picked up a silver medal at Prestbury Park on Trials day.
Richard Bandey’s eight-year-old won two of his four starts over hurdles last term and, although yet to open his account over fences, has not been too far out of the picture in all three novice chase starts.
Despite blundering four from home, he finished less than three lengths adrift of Paul Nicholls’ Turners hope Ginny’s Destiny at Cheltenham on Trials day, a performance that suggests he is more than worth his place at the Festival.
Connections now need to choose between the Trustatrader Plate over the same track and trip as that most recent outing, or step up to three miles for a shot at the Ultima Handicap Chase, with ground conditions nearer the time set to be a crucial determining factor in the decision.
“We were very pleased with the run at Cheltenham,” said Bandey.
“He finished very strongly, but we’ve always felt he is a strong-finishing two-and-a-half-mile horse rather than a definite three-miler.
“I think after his mistake four out (at Cheltenham), he just got swallowed up a bit and didn’t go through the gaps as fast as Harry (Bannister, jockey) would have liked, but he ran on strongly and we were delighted with the run.”
He went on: “All roads will lead back to Cheltenham now, all being well, with both the Plate and the Ultima being his options – and determined by the ground and shape of the races really.
“If the ground was soft, I think we would see a better horse – I think softer ground helps him rather than what we saw on Trials day, when it was good to soft. If it was similar ground or drier than it was on Trials day, then we might consider the three-mile race.
“It’s a lovely problem to have and Mr Syder and Mr Burke (owners), Harry and I will all put our heads together and work out a plan. We’re a small yard and he’s definitely the flagbearer for us this year, so we’re very lucky to have him.”
The 14th season of the Intercollegiate Rugby League kicked off on Saturday with five of the six registered institutions for the 9-a-side Championship participating. Present were the University of the West Indies Pelicans, University of Technology Knights, Mico University College Crocs, Excelsior Community College Eagles, and Caribbean Maritime University Spartans.
Debutants Browns Town Community College were unable to participate due to logistical challenges that arose late. For the second consecutive year, there will not be a 13-a-side Championship as institutions continue to rebuild their sports programs post-COVID.
The competition format involves institutions playing each other once in a round-robin format before the top four teams face off in semi-final matches to determine the finalists. The Eagles are defending champions. Saturday’s matches were hosted by MICO, marking a historic first for the prestigious university. The competition will culminate on Saturday, March 9, at the Mona Bowl.
In the matches played, Eagles and Pelicans secured identical 12-4 wins over Spartans and Knights, respectively. In the third match, Spartans overcame Crocs with a score of 20-4. Following that, Eagles prevailed over Pelicans with a score of 16-4, and Knights claimed a 12-0 victory over Crocs. The day concluded with an 8-all draw between Pelicans and Spartans. The teams will compete in their remaining round-robin games on March 9.
INTERCOL Rugby League Chair Romeo Monteith remarked, “Rugby league continues its strong revival post-COVID. Last year, only UWI, EXED, and CMU participated. Now, we have six teams, with both UTECH and MICO restarting their programs and Browns Town joining the competition. This is great news for the competition and for the national team, as INTERCOL athletes traditionally contributes around half of the team's makeup."
Louis Rees-Zammit says his American Football dream is “alive” after starting out on the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) following his switch from rugby union.
The Gloucester, Wales and British and Irish Lions wing stunned the world of rugby last month by quitting the sport in an attempt to secure a contract with an NFL team in 2024.
Rees-Zammit has joined the NFL’s intensive 10-week IPP programme in Florida, where he has been training as a wide receiver while also doing some running back drills.
“There’s a lot of transferable skills over from rugby,” Rees-Zammit, 23, told BBC Wales’ Scrum V programme.
“I’m absolutely loving training. My pursuit to be in the NFL is alive and I’m excited to see what the next 10 weeks holds.
“It’s tough to get your head around it a little bit at the start but, as with everything, you get used to it.
“The vision out of the sides (of the helmet) kind of effects things. But I’m getting used to it now and I’ll see what happens.”
Rees-Zammit says 10 international players have joined the IPP, with a pro day held at the end of the programme to determine whether individuals are good enough to make the NFL grade.
He said: “You basically come here and work the game of football on and off the field, in the classroom and training six days a week.
“Ten weeks of intense training to see if your dream becomes a reality.
“It was the hardest decision of my life (to leave rugby), but it was always something I wanted to do, since a young age, and I thought it was the right time.
“If it works out, I have 10 years to try to play the sport I have loved growing up watching or I can come back to rugby and play the sport I love playing.”
Wales have lost their opening two Guinness Six Nations games in Rees-Zammit’s absence, narrow 27-26 and 16-14 defeats to Scotland and England respectively.
“I was jealous of the boys playing and it was in my mind that I was pretty gutted I did not play,” Rees-Zammit said of Wales’ defeat at Twickenham on Saturday.
“The boys put a shift in and just managed to lose, which was tough. They gave it their all.
“Gats (Warren Gatland, Wales head coach) was unbelievable with me when I told him of my decision.
“He asked if it (American Football) did not work what I would be doing and I said obviously I would be coming back to rugby.”
Big-money buys Imagine and Mollys Mango could both head to the Cheltenham Festival having been picked up by Harry Derham at the Andy and Gemma Brown dispersal last week.
Over €5million was spent across 29 lots offered by Tattersalls Ireland, with Derham’s former boss Paul Nicholls set to train the top lot Caldwell Potter and Gordon Elliott pulling out all the stops to retain the next four highest-earning offerings at his Cullentra House base.
However, there was a statement of intent by Derham and owner Ian Barratt to bring the hammer down at lofty six-figure fees for Imagine and Mollys Mango, who have both impressed this term.
Imagine – who was sent off favourite for the Martin Pipe at last year’s Cheltenham Festival – created a taking impression in his first two chasing starts for Elliott, including winning the Grade Two Craddockstown Novice Chase in November, before a below-par effort back at Punchestown.
It took €320,000 to bring Imagine back to Berkshire, while Mollys Mango commanded €170,000 having won two of her three starts over hurdles, romping to a 17-length success at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day.
“They are two very nice horses bought for Ian Barratt, who is a very nice man and also a relatively new owner to me,” said Derham.
“If they are both OK, they will both run at Cheltenham – Molly in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and Imagine in the Golden Miller (Turners Novices’ Chase).
“They have to be OK and Ian and his family know it’s quite an interesting time to buy a horse and there isn’t that long to Cheltenham, so if they are OK, then they will run.
“But we know the more we get to know them, and my team get to know them and they get time in a new regime, then they will obviously be better.”
In just his second season with a trainer’s license, the acquisitions add a touch of quality to Derham’s ever-expanding string, with the young handler already closing in on a half-century of winners.
He added: “It’s obviously nice to get two very smart horses like that. It’s never nice in those circumstances, where you are taking them from another trainer, but they were there for sale and are two to look forward to.
“Monday’s sales results show how serious the owner is and they are two nice horses, but as I said to my team, it’s irrelevant and it doesn’t matter how much they cost, once they are in the yard, they will get the same care as everybody else.
“It’s lovely to get horses of that quality into the yard and hopefully we get some luck.”
If both Imagine and Mollys Mango make it to the Cheltenham Festival, they will take their place on a small but select Prestbury Park team Derham is assembling, as he tries to add success in the training ranks to the victory he enjoyed at the Festival aboard Salubrious during his time as a jockey.
The current ace in the trainer’s Cheltenham pack is unbeaten hurdler Queens Gamble, who Derham feels has more in her locker and is as short as 10-1 with Paddy Power for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
“Queens Gamble will run in the Mares’ Novices’ and that has been the plan all season,” said Derham.
“I’m very excited about her and it’s a really good race but I believe there is plenty more to come from her.
“If I think my horses have realistic prospects of running nice races, then I will get involved, but I’m not really into going for a day out.”
The Kansas City Chiefs were crowned back-to-back Super Bowl champions after a 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the best images from the showpiece event.
Ireland fly-half Jack Crowley is taking the challenge of filling Johnny Sexton’s shoes in his stride and “could go far”, according to team-mate James Lowe.
Test rookie Crowley marked his maiden Guinness Six Nations appearance in Dublin with the first senior try of his career to set the defending champions on course for a crushing 36-0 win over Italy.
The 24-year-old, who has never touched down in 45 provincial outings for Munster, was elevated to first-choice number 10 after long-serving talisman Sexton retired following the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Leinster wing Lowe also starred on Sunday afternoon – claiming the fifth of Ireland’s six tries before being named man of the match – and has been impressed with Crowley’s early impact.
“He’s got a lot of pressure on him, there have been some world-class 10s come before him,” he said.
“He’s taken it in his stride, bossing it around week to week.
“He hasn’t quite got that Sexton aura about him. He hasn’t got the stare down yet. He’s awesome, he growing into it.
“He slotted into 15 (after full-back Hugo Keenan was injured) as well, fair play to him, he’s a young man with a good head on his shoulders and he could go far.”
Crowley, who has 11 caps, made his full championship debut in Ireland’s statement 38-17 round-one win in France.
For the second successive week, he shrugged off some nervy kicks to produce an assured performance.
Ulster centre Stuart McCloskey – one of six players brought into Andy Farrell’s starting XV following success in Marseille – echoed Lowe’s praise of Crowley.
“He’s good, isn’t he? He’s went really well the last couple of games,” said McCloskey.
“He’s obviously still learning, he’s a young guy but some of his touches, the way he takes the ball to the line, the way he offloads is something slightly different to what Johnny brought – not that Johnny wasn’t incredible, but it’s a slightly different way of playing.
“Obviously he’s had a couple of mistakes in there and bits and pieces to work on, but you’re going to get that with someone who is 24 years old.
“I thought he was very good and very good last week as well.”
Dan Sheehan’s double and further scores from Jack Conan and Calvin Nash ensured Ireland go into a fallow weekend at the top of the table with maximum points.
Farrell’s side host Wales on February 24 before taking on England and Scotland next month.
“We’d a fair few changes this week and boys who came into the group really put their hands up and showed why they are internationals,” added Lowe.
“We are happy with where we are sitting, it’s a pretty good position to be in.”
Fernando Alonso believes he is an “attractive” candidate to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes – but has denied holding talks with the Silver Arrows.
Hamilton, 39, is entering his final season with the team which carried him to six of his seven world championships after agreeing a shock move to Ferrari in 2025.
Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes will create a vacancy alongside George Russell, while Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team are also due to have a seat available with Sergio Perez’s contract expiring at the end of the season.
Alonso’s two-season deal with Aston Martin is up for renewal in 2025. It is understood the British team are keen to retain the double world champion’s services.
“I am aware of my situation which is very unique,” said Alonso, who won back-to-back world championships with Renault in 2004 and 2005.
“There are only three world champions on the grid and I am the only one available for 2025, so I am in a good position.
“On a move to Mercedes, there has been nothing at all. I know the driver market has started earlier this year, but this will not affect me in terms of preparing for the season.
“If I want to keep racing beyond this year, the first and only talk at the beginning will be Aston Martin. I trust this project and that will be my first priority.
“But if we cannot reach an agreement I know that I am attractive to other teams. I will not stay in Formula One just to have fun. I am not that kind of person and not that kind of driver. Let’s see what the options are.”
Commenting on Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, Alonso, who drove for the Italian team between 2010 and 2014 but fell short of winning the title, added: “It was a surprise, I will not lie, not because the change itself but from the outside it seemed like he was very linked to Mercedes and very loyal to Mercedes.
“Ferrari is a special team but it is more special when you win. Maybe Lewis can bring that extra fight for the championship because the car is there.”
Alonso finished fourth in last year’s drivers’ championship as his Aston Martin transformed from also-rans to frontrunners.
Alonso scored six podiums in the opening eight rounds and might have ended his 10-year wait for victory had his team’s strategy been more on point at the rain-hit Monaco Grand Prix.
The Silverstone-based team’s form fell away in the second half of the year but Alonso continued to out-perform his machinery, taking further podiums in the Netherlands and Brazil.
He ended the year 132 points and six places ahead of team-mate Lance Stroll – son of the team’s fashion billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll – and was voted third, behind Max Verstappen and Hamilton, by his fellow drivers and finished runner-up to Verstappen in a poll of the grid’s team bosses.
Alonso, 43, in July will this season become the first driver to take part in 400 grands prix and the evergreen Spaniard raised the prospect of competing deep into his forties.
He added: “A few years ago I would say 41 or 42 is the limit, but after last year I saw I was motivated, performing well, and I was thinking I could race a few more years.
“Now, this winter, I have exceeded expectations in terms of the physical tests, so if I am motivated and ready to commit, I can race until 48, 49 or maybe even 50.”
Pre-season testing starts in Bahrain a week on Wednesday ahead of the first race, also in the Gulf Kingdom, on March 2.
Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce dedicated their Super Bowl comeback win to head coach Andy Reid after earlier barging into the 65-year-old and shouting in his face.
Kelce, whose high-profile relationship with pop star Taylor Swift meant there was even greater focus on him and the game, was unhappy about not being on the field in the first quarter when Isiah Pacheco fumbled the ball with the Chiefs eight yards out and looking for their first touchdown.
Reid was knocked off balance but made little of the incident and, when Patrick Mahomes threw the match-winning touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman Jr to secure a 25-22 overtime win, all was forgotten.
“Oh you guys saw that?” Kelce told CBS when asked about it immediately after the game.
“I’m going to keep that between us unless my mic’d up tells the world but I was just telling him how much I love him.”
Speaking on ESPN SportsCenter Kelce, who shared a kiss on the pitch with Swift after she flew in from her Eras Tour show in Tokyo the day before, added: “Man, I was fired up — I was fired up that we weren’t hitting on all cylinders.
“I had to give ‘Big Red’ a love tap and let him know that we were all here fighting for him no matter what. I just had to tell him I loved him real quick.
“I put so much trust in him and how he goes about being a head coach, as a leader — he’s one of the best leaders in the game.
“I can’t thank him enough for giving me opportunities year in, year out. This third one, this second one back-to-back, this one’s for him, no doubt.”
Talking to reporters Kelce added: “I’ve got the greatest coach this game has ever seen.
“He’s helped me a lot with channelling that emotion, channelling that passion and I owe my entire career to that guy and being able to control how emotional I get. I just love him.”
The experienced Reid, who won his third Super Bowl title, played down the incident telling ESPN: “He came over and gave me a hug, said ‘Sorry about that”.
He just wants to be on the field and he wants to play. There’s nobody I get better than I get him. He’s a competitive kid, and he loves to play. He makes me feel young.”
In his post-match press conference the head coach added: “He caught me off-balance – he tested that hip out. Normally I get him a little bit but I didn’t have any feet under me.
“As much as he bumps into me, I get after him. We understand that. He just caught me off balance.”
Three-time Olympic champion Adam Peaty qualified fastest for the 100 metres breaststroke final at the World Championships in Doha.
Peaty, who was absent from the championships in 2022 with a foot injury and also missed out last year after stepping away from the sport to prioritise his mental health, clocked a time of 58.60 seconds to reach Monday’s final.
“I feel good,” the 29-year-old said.
“My objective for this meet was to progress through the rounds, progress physically and in results, but also progress mentally and see what strategies are working, what isn’t working.
“It’s more of a test event for us, but obviously we’re going to put our best foot forward and put a good fight on.
“After the heats I was like, ‘OK, I know what I’m working with and I know what I’m capable of’.
“But tonight was just about going out there, showing a little bit of Adam Peaty, getting a little bit angry with myself like I normally do. Tonight I showed that I can still get it down that back end when I really need to.”
Great Britain’s men finished fourth in the final of the 4x100m freestyle relay behind China, Italy and the United States, but the quartet of Jacob Whittle, Tom Dean, Duncan Scott and Matt Richards qualified for an Olympic quota spot with their performance in the heats.
The wind of change swept through Super League last season as St Helens saw their four-year status as domestic top dogs brought to an end by Matt Peet’s resurgent Wigan and “reimagination” became the buzzword on everybody’s lips.
If Saints’ memorable World Club Challenge win over Penrith that kicked off the 2023 campaign did not exactly explode the sport’s established order, it certainly helped tilt its axis slightly more in the direction of the northern hemisphere.
The beginning of the sport’s long-term ‘strategic partnership’ with IMG, along with recent announcements of ground-breaking new broadcast deals with Sky and the BBC, has also fostered a real mood of optimism ahead of the 2024 campaign, which kicks off with the Hull derby at the MKM Stadium on Thursday night.
Yet the more things change, the more they stay the same. Saints and Wigan, the two giants from the west end of the so-called M62 corridor, appear more likely than ever to be wrestling for the top spot at the end of the season, underscoring their dominance of the domestic game.
At the other end of the table, London Broncos face the farcical situation of knowing their fate – relegation – before the first ball has been booted, an unfortunate consequence of the very IMG grading system that has been set up to support aspiring clubs from beyond the traditional heartlands.
They are timely reminders that it will take more than a magic wand to re-think the scope of a sport that even the biggest cynics of its partnership with IMG acknowledge requires radical change if it is to continue to thrive into future generations.
The upcoming season begins with plenty of tantalising talking points on the pitch, led by the strength of Saints’ response to being knocked off their perch as they prepare to start life without the talismanic James Roby.
Peet’s Wigan were clearly the best team in 2023 and they are arguably in even better shape for the defence of their trophy, having landed ex-Leeds Rhinos pair Kruise Leeming and Sam Walters as well as centre Adam Keighran from Catalans Dragons.
Their duel threatens to leave the others trailing, with last year’s Grand Final runners-up Catalans – shorn of their own talisman in Sam Tomkins following retirement – looking a little short of mustering a repeat performance in the south of France.
Leeds Rhinos are certainly heading the right direction, writing the biggest headline in the off-season with the signing of Salford’s former Man of Steel Brodie Croft, and while another play-off failure is unthinkable, Rohan Smith’s men require more time before they can truly be classed as contenders again.
Sam Burgess brings a mountain of unknowns into his first head coach role at Warrington, while plenty of questions can also be asked about the ability of Hull KR to build on their promising 2023 season in light of the unexpected exits of Jordan Abdull and assistant coach Danny McGuire.
Adrian Lam’s Leigh, more or less intact from their stunning first season back in the top flight, stand as good a chance as anyone else of muscling in on an end of season play-off berth, while Hull, Huddersfield and the post-Croft Salford can only realistically eye improvement.
Castleford hope the appointment of Craig Lingard, after so many seasons beating the odds at Championship Batley, can help them exceed pretty low-key expectations that have them simply holding off hapless London for 11th spot.
The Broncos, unfortunately, find themselves reduced to being collateral damage in the quest for change – dumped in a vicious circle that leaves them understandably reluctant to invest to give themselves a shot when they know that shot has already effectively been fired.
At the end of this coming campaign, irrespective of where they finish, and barring only an unlikely announcement of wholesale restructuring for 2025, London will be relegated, and replaced by the second-tier club that ticks the most boxes on the IMG scoresheet.
It is a bitter blow for a club that fought so brilliantly to win back-to-back play-off games against Featherstone and Toulouse, and one from which it begs the question whether rugby league in the capital will ever recover.
The Broncos plight serves as a timely reminder that for all the justifiable optimism and shared excitement in an IMG-driven future, there is an awful long way to go before rugby league can truly be said to have snared an expansive new audience.
Forget the M62 corridor, for all the talk of “reimagination” and expansion, the 2025 Super League season looks set to be played out within a contracted area of its traditional heartland: between the two giants straddling either end of the eight-mile long A571.
Daryl Clark is under no illusions about the size of the boots he has to fill as he prepares to pull on St Helens’ famous number nine shirt for the first time in Betfred Super League action this week.
The 31-year-old hooker ended his decade-long stay with Warrington at the end of last season to step into the role vacated by James Roby, who retired after 19 trophy-laden years, with 551 appearances to his name.
Having assumed a role on the coaching staff, Roby’s presence continues to loom large at the Totally Wicked Stadium, but Clark is convinced his best route to emulating even a fraction of his predecessor’s success lies in making the position his own.
Clark told the PA news agency: “I knew the challenge when I signed up for it.
“I know I’m not going to be at this club as long and I’m not going to achieve as much as Robes has done at this club, but hopefully I’ll be part of some success and write my own little part of history.
“I have already spoken to Robes and I’m sure he will be there to give me some tips and advice going forward. But it is important that I am judged by my own performances and not against his.”
Clark’s ambition was echoed by Saints head coach Paul Wellens, who ear-marked him as the man to replace Roby as soon as the stalwart confirmed the 2023 season would be his last, but insisted he had never envisaged a like-for-like replacement.
“If Daryl goes out there to be the best version of himself, he will improve our team,” insisted Wellens.
“I need to be clear on this – it would be absolutely ridiculous of Daryl to go out there and try to be James Roby.
“In James Roby, he’s got someone there to have a chat or give guidance and that’s absolutely fine.
“But he’s also an experienced player in his own right, who knows what the game looks like at the highest level, so I told him to ‘just go out there and be you’ and that’s what I think the players and certainly I will respect.”
Having come through the ranks with his home-town club Castleford, Clark experienced five straight final losses – three in the Challenge Cup and twice in Grand Finals – before finally striking it sixth time lucky, ironically against Saints, at Wembley in 2019.
A recipient of the prestigious Super League Man of Steel in his final season Wheldon Road, he is relishing the task of helping Saints reclaim the trophy-winning status they lost to Lancashire rivals Wigan at the end of last season.
“The general feeling is that we’d been champions for so long and to get knocked off last year put us back chasing – and I think that could be a good thing,” he added.
“The main reason I came to Saints at this point in my career is because I wanted to be involved in the big games and win some silverware and that is what I have every intention of doing in the future.”
Three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes has labelled Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid the “best of all time” and said he will be back to attempt a Super Bowl three-peat next year.
Mahomes led his team to a 25-22 victory in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, collecting his third ring, after he threw the match-winning touchdown to Mecole Hardman Jr in overtime.
After the game he thanked his coach who he said “knows when to call those plays at the right time”.
Mahomes said: “He’s one of the best coaches of all time, I believe he is the best coach of all time.
“I know he didn’t have the trophies yet, and I have a lot of respect for some of those great coaches, but the way he is able to navigate every single team he has, continue to have success no matter where he is at.
“For me, he brings out the best in me because he lets me be me. He doesn’t try to make me anyone else, I don’t think I would be the quarterback that I am if I didn’t have coach Reid being my head coach.”
Mahomes said he will celebrate and then “do whatever I can to be back in this game next year”.
“I think Tom (Brady) said it best, once you win that championship and you have those parades and you get those rings, you’re not the champ anymore.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said going back-to-back was “surreal”.
“I got asked so many times it is a dynasty? I don’t know what a dynasty is,” he said.
“But it’s a great win because I know hard it is to do, and then how hard the season was, the ups and downs of the season, and how proud I am of the guys for hanging with each other, staying positive with each other.
“They’re passionate players and I love that.”
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said the team is “hurting”.
“If I am going to lose with a group of guys, I’d do it with those guys anytime and we’ll take some time, we’ll get over this and come back next year ready to go.
“That was the toughest defence we have been against this year, we knew it going into the game, that is a good group. We had our chances and needed to score a couple of touchdowns and we didn’t but I was happy with (quarterback) Brock (Purdy).”
Jayson Tatum just missed a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and the Boston Celtics held off a late comeback attempt by the Miami Heat in Sunday's 110-106 victory that extended their winning streak to four games.
Kristaps Porzingis added 25 points and nine rebounds to help Boston defeat Miami for the third time in as many meetings this season. The Heat ousted the Celtics in seven games in last season's Eastern Conference finals.
Miami had a two-game winning streak snapped and was playing without leading scorer Jimmy Butler, who is away from the team due to the death of a family member. The Heat also lost starting guard Terry Rozier to a knee injury in the third quarter.
Porzingis had 16 first-half points as Boston took a 59-50 lead into the break, and the Celtics were up by as many as 15 points in the third quarter and owned a seemingly comfortable 94-82 advantage with 9 1/2 minutes left to play.
The Heat then went on a 10-2 run to get back in it, however, and later cut their deficit to two when Tyler Herro drilled a 3-pointer with 1:49 remaining that trimmed Boston's lead to 106-104.
Miami came up empty on its next two possessions, though, and Porzingis and Tatum combined to go 4 for 4 from the free-throw line in the late stages to put the game away.
Herro scored 22 of his 24 points in the second half to lead the Heat, who also received 22 points and 13 rebounds from Bam Adebayo.
Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams carry Thunder past Kings
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 38 points and Jalen Williams chipped in 32 as the Oklahoma City Thunder got back on track with a 127-113 win over the Sacramento Kings.
Both players had hot shooting performances to help the Thunder bounce back from consecutive road losses to Utah and Dallas and move a half-game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for first place in the Western Conference. Gilgeous-Alexander finished 15 of 26 from the field while adding seven assists, while Williams was 13 of 20 to go along with nine rebounds.
The duo also recorded 19 first-half points each, with Williams producing eight during a 12-0 run that turned a tied game into a 41-29 Oklahoma City lead four minutes into the second quarter.
Oklahoma City took a 67-57 advantage into half-time before pulling away further in the third quarter, building a lead as large as 24 points.
Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis recorded 21 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists for his 17th triple-double of the season, two more than Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić for the NBA lead.
Malik Monk had 26 points off the bench for the Kings, who have now lost three of their last four games. De'Aaron Fox finished with 15 points but was held to 6-of-17 shooting.
The Kansas City Chiefs have become back-to-back Super Bowl winners for the first time in 20 years with a 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas.
Needing a field goal to extend the game or a touchdown to win, Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes orchestrated the match-winning drive to end the game with a touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman Jr.
The 49ers were leading by three in overtime after they opted for a field goal to go ahead 22-19, but were unable to get the decisive stop.
It was the second time in NFL history a Super Bowl went to overtime and the first post-season game decided under the league’s new overtime rules.
Mahomes finished with 333 throwing yards, two touchdowns and 66 running yards, while 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 255 yards with one touchdown.
The only points in the first quarter came through kicker Jake Moody, who made Super Bowl history with the longest made field goal at 55 yards.
Disaster struck 49ers’ linebacker Dre Greenlaw early in the second quarter when he went down with a suspected Achilles injury while running onto the field and was immediately ruled out of the game.
But not long after, a special trick-play led to the first touchdown of the game, with Purdy passing across field to wide-receiver Jauan Jennings before he threw a pass to Christian McCaffrey who ran through to the endzone untouched.
The 49ers restricted Travis Kelce to just one touch for one yard in the first half and sacked Mahomes twice, with the 49ers ahead 10-3 at halftime.
Alicia Keys, Lil John and Ludacris joined Usher during the half-time performance, while Taylor Swift was among celebrities including Blake Lively, Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Jay Z watching from the stands.
As play resumed, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker broke Moody’s Super Bowl record with a 57-yard field goal before a fumble error gave the Chiefs a huge chance for their first touchdown.
Mahomes found wide-receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling with a 16-yard touchdown pass to take the lead for the first time in the game late in the third quarter.
However the 49ers hit back – with Purdy finding Jennings this time to score his own touchdown – however the bonus point was blocked, giving the 49ers a three-point lead with 11 minutes left.
A field goal to Butker tied the game once again, before Moody struck back to give the 49ers the lead again with less than two minutes left.
However, Butker finished regulation time with a field goal with six seconds left to tie the game 19-19.
J.T. Miller scored the deciding goal with 4.8 seconds remaining in overtime as the Vancouver Canucks stopped a two-game losing streak with Sunday's 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the Washington Capitals.
Miller took advantage of a giveaway from Capitals centre Connor McMichael in the Washington zone with time winding down, as the veteran forward fired the resulting loose puck past goaltender Darcy Kuemper to enable the Western Conference leaders to avoid their first three-game skid of the season.
The Canucks twice overcame one-goal deficits to prevail, including a 2-1 hole created when Caps legend Alex Ovechkin's shot deflected off a Vancouver skater and past goaltender Thatcher Demko 7:37 into the second period.
Vancouver answered just over a minute later, however, when Nils Hoglander beat Kuemper on a backhand attempt.
The Canucks also trailed early as Nic Dowd gave Washington a quick 1-0 lead just 1:08 in, though Vancouver's Connor Garland came through with the equaliser with just under nine minutes to go in the first period.
Ovechkin now has a goal in five straight games after recording just eight over his first 40 outings of the season, though the Capitals still lost for the seventh time in eight games as Demko came up with 31 saves.
Kuemper ended with 26 saves for Washington.
Krug's five assists help Blues blow out Canadiens
The St. Louis Blues, meanwhile, continued their strong recent stretch by rolling to a 7-2 rout of the Montreal Canadiens behind Torey Krug's five assists and four points from Robert Thomas.
Thomas finished with a goal and three assists and Jordan Kyrou had two goals to help the Blues to their seventh win in eight games. St. Louis also received goals from Alexey Toropchenko, Colton Parayko, Nathan Walker and Jake Neighbours as well as 30 saves from Jordan Binnington.
The Blues led virtually from start to finish, as Toropchenko opened the scoring just 25 seconds into the game. Parayko's blast from near the blue line that got past Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen extended the lead to 2-0 with just 5:05 elapsed, and Kyrou later scored on a power play after Montreal's Nick Suzuki's goal to send St. Louis into the first intermission ahead by a 3-1 score.
Walker's second-period goal and Thomas' power-play conversion increased the margin to 5-1 just 31 seconds into the third period.
Joel Armia got Montreal a bit closer when he redirected teammate David Savard's shot past Binnington 3:06 into the third, but Neighbours scored on a power play just over four minutes later for a 6-2 St. Louis advantage.
Krug's fifth assist came on Kyrou's goal with 4:27 left to play. The defenseman tied a franchise single-game record most recently achieved by Thomas on April 14, 2022.
Allen recorded 29 saves in Montreal's sixth loss in its last eight games, while Suzuki's goal extended his point streak to seven games.
Nick Taylor rode a late surge to secure his fifth PGA Tour title in the second hole of a playoff against Charley Hoffman at the WM Phoenix Open.
The Canadian birdied three of his final four holes on Sunday to force the playoff against America’s Hoffman, who soared to the top of the leaderboard with a fourth-round score of 64.
After each man birdied the first extra hole, Hoffman left his birdie attempt short, leaving the window open for Taylor to sink a birdie putt from 11 feet and clinch the title.
It closed out what had been a frantic final day with Zach Johnson and Billy Horschel earlier exchanging angry words with spectators.
Johnson was filmed remonstrating with fans at TPC Scottsdale and could be heard telling them “I’m sick of it” before demanding they “just shut up”.
It was not apparent from the clip, which was posted on social media, what prompted the former US Ryder Cup captain to lose his temper.
In a separate incident, Horschel was seen remonstrating with a spectator for calling out while one of his playing partners, qualifier Nicolo Galletti, was about to hit a shot.
“Buddy, when he’s over a shot shut the hell up man,” Horschel shouted.
“He’s trying to hit a damn golf shot here – it’s our f****** job.”
The WM Phoenix Open is easily the best attended tournament in golf, but the behaviour of some fans has again attracted more attention than the golf itself.
One man was arrested after jumping over the ropes and diving into a greenside bunker on the par-three 16th, where he proceeded to perform ‘snow angels’ in the sand.
Tournament officials were forced to shut spectator gates earlier than planned after being overwhelmed by the turnout and sales of alcohol were temporarily halted.
Former BMW PGA Championship winner Byeong Hun An took to social media to brand the event a “shit show” which was “totally out of control on every hole”.
He added: “Played here multiple times over the years and it was fine until today.”
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