Fraser McConnell's ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team clinched its maiden win of the year in Saudi Arabia’s Desert X Prix, where Laia Sanz and Fraser McConnell put together a perfect performance that confirmed that the team is a real contender for the rest of the Extreme E calendar.
After coming first and third in the qualifying heats, the Grand Final commenced with an optimum start by Fraser, who jumped up to first. He remained in the lead from then on. Laia got behind the wheel for the final laps and defended herself from the attacks of their rivals, ultimately crossing the finish line in the first place to secure the first victory of the year for the team.
After narrowly missing the 2023 title, this triumph is made even more special by the fact that it confirms the team’s potential for the remainder of the 2024 season.
Fraser is happy with the team's performance,
"Happy for the team, happy for Laia and everybody back in Jamaica. This is a big, big win. Stepping into this team was such a huge step for me. So many other people could have had the opportunity, but I was chosen by Carlos and the team to be here. They saw something in me, they believed in me, and this gave me so much confidence to dig as deep as I could."
"I am living this opportunity as if it is my last, making sure I can make a name for myself and the team. Carlos has been a hero of mine growing up, so racing for him is such a feeling. It has been a very good first weekend."
ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team is now second in the Championship standings with 39 points, trailing the leader by 2 points. Beyond the 25 points from the race victory, today the team scored an additional point for winning Qualifying 2.
The Extreme E Championship leaves Saudi Arabia and heads to Europe, where the competition will resume on July 13 and 14.
Formula One has called for Christian Horner’s Red Bull future to be “clarified at the earliest opportunity”.
Horner’s role as Red Bull team principal remains in the balance following a claim of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female colleague.
Speaking at Red Bull Racing’s car launch in Milton Keynes last Thursday, the 50-year old continued to emphatically deny the allegations made against him, and insisted he would be in Bahrain for the opening race of the season on March 2.
An F1 spokesperson said on Sunday evening: “We have noted that Red Bull has instigated an independent investigation into internal allegations at Red Bull Racing.
“We hope that the matter will be clarified at the earliest opportunity, after a fair and thorough process, and we will not comment further at this time.”
Horner said he was unable to provide a timeline as to when the investigation by the racing team’s parent company, Red Bull GmBH, will be completed.
Testing for the new campaign gets under way in Bahrain on Wednesday.
Last season, Red Bull won all but one of the 22 races, with Max Verstappen taking his third world championship in as many years.
England’s prospects of reclaiming the Calcutta Cup from Scotland have been dealt a blow after scrum-half Alex Mitchell was ruled out of the Murrayfield showdown with a knee problem.
The Rugby Football Union confirmed that Mitchell will miss the pivotal Guinness Six Nations round three game because of an injury that requires further investigation before a date for his return can be set.
Harry Randall has been named as the replacement in Steve Borthwick’s 36-man training squad with Danny Care and Ben Spencer competing to fill the void in the number nine jersey in Edinburgh.
Craig Kieswetter is excited for one last crack at the Cheltenham Festival with Echoes In Rain, who will head to Prestbury Park for her racecourse swansong next month bidding to bring the curtain down on her career with a fairytale success.
Former England cricket star Kieswetter is a key figure in his family’s Barnane Stud alongside brother Ross and stud manager Patrick Wynn-Jones, with Echoes In Rain proving to be the star performer of their jumps string over the years.
Trained by Willie Mullins, she has won nine of her 30 career starts across both codes, with her finest hours coming at the Punchestown Festival where she won Grade Ones both as a novice in 2021 and then two years later against her fellow mares.
However, she has found success at the Cheltenham Festival harder to come by and will be given one final chance to conquer the Cotswolds before moving on to be a part of Barnane’s broodmare band.
“She’s going to head to Cheltenham and it will probably be her final hurrah before we take her back to Barnane Stud to start her career as a broodmare,” said Kieswetter.
“She’s a real fighter and every time we ask a question of her, she goes for it. For a mare who tries her hardest every single time, she’s had to come up against the likes of Honeysuckle and State Man all the way through her career.
“We’ve had some fantastic fun with her. I was there when she got pipped on the line in the Irish Cesarewitch, Rachael (Blackmore) jumped off and was devastated, but she has given us some fantastic times.
“We are looking forward to one final outing with her and then she can start her new career.”
Last year Echoes In Rain had to settle for a minor role as regular adversary Honeysuckle bowed out in style in the Mares’ Hurdle and Kieswetter feels that race is the most likely for Echoes In Rain’s final appearance, rather than stepping up to face the might of Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle.
He continued: “We’ll have a discussion with Willie and his team and see which direction they want to go. I’m suspecting it will probably be the Mares’ Hurdle, but you never know.
“Willie won all the Grade Ones at Leopardstown and is operating at a ridiculous strike-rate and is the best, we are more than happy to just follow the advice of where he wants to go.”
Owner Kenny Alexander is set to unleash a two-pronged assault on the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle, with both Gala Marceau and Telmesomethinggirl attempting to add to Honeysuckle’s two famous victories in the Cheltenham Festival contest.
Trained by Willie Mullins, Gala Marceau has just stablemates Lossiemouth and Ashroe Diamond ahead of her in the ante-post betting for the Grade One event and was runner-up in the Triumph Hurdle at Prestbury Park 12 months ago.
She finished third when making her seasonal return at Doncaster recently, but tasted top level success over two and a half miles in Auteuil’s Prix Alain du Breil last May and connections feel a return to further can see her improve on her Town Moor reappearance.
“We were very happy with her and Danny (Mullins, jockey) said she took a bit of a blow after the last,” said Alexander’s racing manager Peter Molony.
“He thought he would definitely have been second and closer to the winner without that and he wasn’t overly hard on her to try to get second as the big day is in a few weeks time.
“The step up in trip is going to help her, she stayed the extra distance well last year in Auteuil and we really think that will play to her strengths.”
Telmesomethinggirl may be as big as 25-1 in the betting, but Molony has been encouraged by reports from trainer Henry de Bromhead since she finished second at Naas last month.
The nine-year-old is already a Cheltenham Festival winner having been part of De Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore’s respective six-timers at the showpiece meeting in 2021, winning the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
She was also in the process of running a huge race the following year in the Mares’ Hurdle before being brought down two out and having spent a year struggling over the larger obstacles, is back at the discipline in which she is most proficient.
“We were over the moon with her performance at Naas. The first day she ran (at Leopardstown) she was still rather gross and I think as she has got older, Henry has found it harder to get her fit,” added Molony.
“Last year was a complete waste of a year and she just didn’t take to the fences, that is a year that can be scratched.
“Henry and his team are very happy with her and I think if she is back to her best, she is going to give all the other ladies something to think about. She’s a very high-class mare in her own right at her best.
“Rachael came in and said it was a case of how far, not if (when she ran in the race previously) and if she gets back to that level she could take a lot of beating – she is certainly a wonderful each-way price.”
Laura Muir will snub home comforts to ensure she is in the right frame of mind to win gold at the World Indoor Championships.
The 30-year-old claimed the 3000m title at the UKA Indoor Championships on Sunday after running eight minutes 58.80 seconds to seal victory in Birmingham.
Muir is planning her assault on the 3000m at the World Indoors in Glasgow next month, with the British squad announced on Monday.
The Scot, who is based in Glasgow, will race at her home track but intends to remain with the team rather than stay at home during the Championships.
Muir, who won 1500m and 3000m gold at the European Indoors in Glasgow in 2019, said: “I’m going to stay in the team hotel. I think it’d be hard to get myself in the mindset that I’m going to compete at a World Championships final.
“It’s better when it’s a straight final to not be coming from my sofa. So I’m going to go into the team hotel.
“I never really took it in because I didn’t know if I was definitely going quite yet. I don’t want to do anything until I’m definitely going but it’s really nice.
“I’ve got a lot of fond memories from that track from competing there before. So I’m just going to go there and I’m going to enjoy it and that’s the most important thing for me.”
Katarina Johnson-Thompson threw 13.29m to come ninth in the shot put, won by Amelia Campbell, as she continues her Olympic preparations.
The world heptathlon champion is focusing on this summer’s Paris Games and will not be at the World Indoors.
She said: “I am gutted because I did European indoors in Glasgow in 2018 and I’ve got really good memories of it. The whole family came to watch me. It’s just a decision to throw everything into Paris.
“I’m feeling good. I’ve had a great time since Budapest, everything’s been going really well. So I feel good. I’m feeling in a strong position but I’m just taking it week by week.
“The plan was just some competition practice. Training has been going really well so I wanted to come out and see where I am under competition conditions.
“Of course these specialist athletes throw much further and it is tough not to have a reference to where you’re throwing – with the first line set at 16m – which is way further than I am throwing. But on the other hand I can gain some knowledge and learn from the specialists so it is always beneficial.
“I am confident now I have found a good training set-up so I am very happy with my training so far and I am enjoying my preparations going towards Paris this year. ”
Jemma Reekie won in the 800m as she looks for a maiden senior title in Glasgow next month.
Tullyhill could be bound for Cheltenham after making light work of the Madigan Group Irish EBF Sheila Bourke Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.
The six-year-old finished second in the Champion Bumper at the Festival last season, a result that followed a prior bumper success and a point to point win.
He was beaten by a significant margin on his hurdling debut in November but his jumping was much improved on his next start when he took a Naas maiden by seven lengths in January.
He started as the 6-5 favourite under Paul Townend at Listed level at Punchestown and made all the of the running, cruising to a nine-length victory having barely seen another rival.
Following the run, Tullyhill is as low as 5-1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle with Paddy Power, but Mullins will consult with owners Cheveley Park Stud before deciding on a Cheltenham bid.
He said: “He has a fair engine and we just needed to give him confidence jumping. David Casey was deputised with that job and has done a right job.
“He’s entitled to go anywhere after a performance like that.
“I thought he’d be an out-an-out stayer but he has plenty of speed, a great cruising speed, and now his jumping is starting to match his cruising speed.
“He’s in the Supreme and I’ll have a word with connections and see what they would like to do.”
Where It All Began got off the mark over fences in the QuinnBet Grand National Trial Handicap Chase at Punchestown.
Gordon Elliott’s eight-year-old had performed with credit in seven previous starts over fences but was yet to taste success in the discipline and was last seen winning in a maiden hurdle in January 2022.
Under Jack Kennedy, he stepped up to a staying trip of three miles and three furlongs for the first time at Punchestown and started as a 10-1 chance in a field of 15.
The gelding always looked comfortable but it was on the turn for home that the race became a test of stamina and it looked as though favourite We’llhavewan had the upper hand.
However, Where It All Began started to pick off his rivals, clearly relishing the extra distance as galloped home to take the Listed contest by an easy 16 lengths.
“He jumped great and never missed a beat the whole way,” Kennedy said.
“It probably looked turning in that I was going to finish third but stamina really kicked in when we straightened up. I’m delighted with him.
“He’s not reliant on heavy ground, just a test of stamina is what he wants.
“He’d been running well and threatened to do something like that.
As a result of the performance Paddy Power and Betfair slashed his price for the Grand National from 200-1 to 50-1, with weights for the Aintree contest revealed on Tuesday.
Mister Policeman looked to get his career back on track with victory in the Concept Colours Rated Novice Chase at Punchestown.
The Willie Mullins-trained chestnut was purchased by Rich Ricci after hurdles success in France as a four-year-old and got off the mark for new connections at the first time of asking.
His first Irish run was in a two-mile Cork hurdle last April, a race he won comfortably before graduating to fences at the start of this term.
His first attempt at Fairyhouse in November was a success and the gelding then headed to Naas in January and started as the favourite in a two-mile novice.
He was comprehensively beaten on that occasion as Quilixios came home in front with Sa Fureur behind him and Mister Policeman over eight lengths away from the winner in third.
At Punchestown the five-year-old looked to make amends for a sticky round of jumping last time and under Paul Townend he was much improved, travelling well as the 1-2 favourite in a field of five.
Rounding the final bend he was galloping along comfortably and was able to produce a neat jump at the last to pull away to a six-length victory.
Mullins said of the success: “He’s still learning to jump and he’ll probably be better going out in trip at some stage, but this race fitted nicely into his schedule. It will leave him nicely set up for the spring.
“I’d imagine he’ll stay at home and there are plenty of good races to be won. He could go for a novice handicap.”
Rachael Blackmore coaxed home Senior Chief to take the QuinnBet Beginners Chase over two miles and seven furlongs.
The 2-9 favourite had placed in two runs over fences so far and seemed to require a little persuasion throughout the race but scraped home to prevail by three-quarters of a length.
“Rachael said once she turned in she knew it was OK but I’m not so sure,” winning trainer Henry De Bromhead said.
“He’s done little wrong in fairness to him, and the handicapper might reassess him from a mark of 142.
“He looked laboured and Rachael said it’s tough old ground. We’ll look for a handicap now and see where we go from there.
“I’m delighted for the lads (Lucky In Life Syndicate) who are great supporters and a lot of them work at Regeneron in Limerick.”
Adam Silver will not "anoint" any player to be the next LeBron James when he eventually retires.
Four-time MVP James is set to play in his 20th All-Star game on Sunday at the age of 39, averaging 24.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists so far this season for the 30-26 Los Angeles Lakers.
Though James is still performing well, he is in the latter stages of his career and the talk over who could potentially fill his place as the league's most recognisable player has been growing.
NBA commissioner Silver, though, compared James' potential retirement to that of Michael Jordan, saying players must earn the mantle of James' replacement.
"I would never anoint another player to be the next LeBron James just in the same way when Michael [Jordan] retired," Silver told reporters.
"I remember at the time David Stern [former NBA commissioner] was saying whoever demonstrates on the court that they should be.
"These new players aren't anointed. They demonstrate to the world, they demonstrate to the league that they deserve to be viewed in that same rare position as players like Michael and Kobe [Bryant] and LeBron and others."
Silver pointed to the rise of international talent in the NBA as potentially being able to somewhat fill the boots of James, stating the league is in "fantastic hands".
"Just look at the All-Stars that we're going to be seeing competing [Sunday] night," Silver added.
"Look at the magnitude of the pool of international players coming into this league. Look at the amount of basketball that's being played on a global basis."
Bam Adebayo will start in Sunday's All-Star game for the first time having replaced the injured Joel Embiid.
Reigning MVP Embiid was originally slated to start at center for the Eastern Conference All-Star team, but the Philadelphia 76ers man will miss the game because of a knee injury.
Adebayo initially made the reserve team having averaged 20.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game for the Miami Heat so far this season, but has now been chosen as Embiid's deputee by Eastern Conference coach Doc Rivers.
Adebayo was also selected as a reserve team member in 2020, winning the skills competition that year, but this will be the first time he has made the starting line-up.
The former Kentucky Wildcat will become the seventh Heat player to be an All-Star starter and the first since Dwyane Wade eight years ago.
Adebayo's Heat currently sit at 30-25, in the play-in spots at seventh in the East having reached the NBA finals from the play-in positions last season.
Three-time Olympic medallist Shane Rose has been stood down from competition after wearing a mankini during a showjumping event.
The 50-year-old Australian, who hopes to represent his country at the Paris Games later this year, has apologised for any offence caused by his outfit choice at Wallaby Hill near Sydney last weekend.
Equestrian Australia is reviewing the matter after concerns were raised about Rose’s attire, but insisted he has not been suspended.
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Riders were encouraged to wear fancy dress for the event.
Rose sported three outfits – a gorilla suit, a Duffman outfit from the Simpsons and the mankini, a skimpy swimwear item popularised by Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedy character Borat.
“I took part in this fancy dress competition with the aim of providing light-hearted entertainment for those in attendance,” Rose wrote in a Facebook post, which was later deleted.
“If my costume/s offended anyone I am truly sorry as this was never my intention. I would like to apologise to anyone that I offended.”
Rose won team eventing silver at the 2008 and 2020 Olympics and bronze in 2016.
He said he hoped the incident would not affect his Olympic preparation, while expressing a desire for the situation to be resolved quickly.
“With a bit of luck this will all be a bit of a laugh in a few days and we can all move on,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“I wore a costume which you could see at a theme park or a beach. Potentially no-one has done it on (a) horse, but there you go.
“I think I am a good person and I do a lot for the sport, and for people in different situations. I don’t feel like I have done anything particularly bad.
“In hindsight, I should have re-thought what I did but, at the time, I thought it was just a bit of fun.”
Equestrian Australia chief executive Darren Gocher said a complaint was made about how Rose was dressed and that there were children at the event.
“Whether it is one (complaint) or 1,000, we have an obligation to review it,” he said.
“He hasn’t been sanctioned, he hasn’t been suspended. He has been stood down from competition while we review and we have committed to getting the review done this week.”
Many members of the equestrian community were not impressed with Rose being stood down, with some changing their Facebook profile pictures to Borat in a show of solidarity.
Stuart Crawford will be keeping a close eye on the bet365 Morebattle Hurdle, as connections plot their next move with Leopardstown scorer Brucio.
Owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, the six-year-old has begun to get her act together over obstacles and following a successful Catterick raid in January, secured Listed honours with an impressive display in the Paddy Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival.
Brucio was subsequently handed an entry for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, but with Crawford unsure if she will make the trip to Prestbury Park, it is of note that she also holds a ticket for Kelso’s feature handicap on March 2.
“It was a nice surprise winning at Fairyhouse, we certainly weren’t going there bullish we had a good chance, but she was at the right end of the handicap and she was open to plenty of improvement,” said Crawford.
“Hopefully she will keep on progressing, but I don’t know if we will head to Cheltenham with her. I’ll have to sit down and have that discussion and the beauty is there are plenty of options for her and first things first, we would try to pick something where she has the chance to pick up some good prize-money or get her head in front again.”
Irish raiders have enjoyed success in the Morebattle since its reincarnation as a handicap in 2021, with The Shunter winning in the Borders before going on to strike at the Cheltenham Festival.
Crawford himself went close to landing a blow in the race the following year with Saint D’oroux and he admits it could be the ideal place to enhance Brucio’s CV while others have their sights on the Cotswolds.
“There will be plenty of focus obviously on Cheltenham (in the next few weeks), but I will have no problem at all collecting a bit of prize-money at Kelso, that would suit me all right,” he said.
“I think we will definitely be keeping an eye on Kelso and it will probably be a more valuable race than what she would be going in at Cheltenham.
“How well is she going to be treated by the handicapper? That is hard to say and she will take a hefty rise for what she did at Leopardstown. But hopefully she can still be competitive in a big handicap like that.”
He went on: “She made a very promising debut at Punchestown last spring in the mares’ bumper there and showed a bit of ability, but afterwards she probably underwhelmed a little bit and underperformed in her next two starts in bumpers.
“Ultimately she has just probably been more suited to going jumping and even though she has taken a run or two to find her feet, there is hopefully plenty of progress still to come with her.”
Doddiethegreat will step back up in trip for a shot at the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival having delighted his team when flying home for fourth in Newbury’s Betfair Hurdle.
Named after former Scotland rugby star Doddie Weir – who died of motor neurone disease in 2022 – prize-money from the eight-year-old’s on-track exploits is donated by his great friend, owner Kenny Alexander, to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation set up in Weir’s name to aid research into MND.
The foundation reaped the rewards of that generous gesture at the beginning of the gelding’s career and although injury threatened to curtail Doddiethegreat’s progress, keeping him sidelined for over two years, he has continued tracking an upwards curve since his racecourse return earlier this season.
Trainer Nicky Henderson may have saddled the winner of Saturday’s Betfair Hurdle, Iberico Lord, but the Seven Barrows handler was just as thrilled with Doddiethegreat who kept on strongly to claim fourth.
Connections now feel the time is right to move up to two miles and five furlongs at the Cheltenham Festival – a distance Doddiethegreat won over on his hurdles bow in 2021.
“We were delighted with his run and Nicky and everyone thinks ideally he needs another half a mile,” said Alexander’s racing manager Peter Molony.
“Given the circumstances, we were really happy with the run and we were perhaps unlucky not to be third and pick up even more money for the cause.
“I think we’ve got the Coral Cup in mind for him and that’s the plan at the moment.
“He’s a lovely horse and of course we have to be a bit careful after his injury, but we’ve been delighted with him and touch wood, the leg seems to be holding up well. Hopefully we can get plenty more runs into him and win plenty more prize-money for the foundation.”
Derek Chisora lost his WBC heavyweight title fight against Vitali Klitschko on a unanimous points decision in Munich on this day in 2012.
Chisora took Klitschko the distance over 12 rounds, but the bout was littered with controversy before and after.
The then-28-year-old Chisora slapped Klitschko the day before their meeting at the weigh-in and the ill-feeling continued up until the first bell with a row over the Londoner’s hand wraps.
Chisora was booed into the ring and immediately aimed to get into his opponent’s face as soon as Klitschko entered after spitting water in his brother’s direction when the introductions were made.
More unsavoury scenes followed after the fight as the evening took another ugly turn when Chisora clashed with fellow British heavyweight David Haye, sparking a brawl which left Haye’s manager Adam Booth with a facial cut.
Chisora showed aggression and punch resistance in the ring, but Klitschko remained in control throughout and dominated in the opening rounds.
The Briton landed a couple of good shots in the seventh, but the Ukrainian responded with a blow near the ear which was the first time Chisora looked hurt and he landed another powerful punch the following round to exercise his authority.
Chisora kept battling until the final bell, where a unanimous verdict was announced in Klitschko’s favour with scores of 118-110 twice and 119-111.
“First of all I’m very happy to defend my title. It was not an easy fight,” Klitschko said post-fight.
“It was a good performance from Chisora, he was very motivated, putting me under pressure throughout the 12 rounds.”
Regarding the incidents in the build-up to the fight, he added: “I have respect for Chisora as a fighter but I don’t have respect for him as a human.
“He showed a bad example for all boxing, for all fighters. He came from Great Britain but he’s not a gentleman.”
Gary Wilson reeled off a brilliant 147 against an outmatched John Higgins as he set up a Welsh Open final with Martin O’Donnell.
O’Donnell booked his first appearance in a ranking final when he held his nerve to see off Elliot Slessor 6-5 in Llandudno, but Wilson will head into Sunday’s showpiece on the crest of a wave after a 6-4 win took him past four-time world champion Higgins.
Wilson had been on the hunt for a maximum break in the first frame but had to settle for 104 as he missed the 14th red at the middle pocket.
He put that right in some style at the very next attempt, clearing the table with expert placement and clinical potting to bring up the fifth 147 of his own career and the 199th overall.
The Scottish Open champion received a huge ovation from the crowd at the Venue Cymru and proceeded to bank the next two frames for a 4-0 lead.
At that stage the 38-year-old looked to be cruising, but a break of 93 in the fifth finally gave the Scot a foothold.
Wilson soon re-established control to go 5-1 ahead but his golden touch deserted him as Higgins put together a run of three in a row to tease an unlikely comeback.
Higgins ran out steam in the 10th frame, with Wilson sealing a 97-4 win on the back of a 73 break.
O’Donnell had earlier survived a nervy finish of his own, going from 5-3 in front to a winner-takes-all decider.
Having previously seen off reigning world champion Luca Brecel in the quarter-final, O’Donnell dug deep to pull off a break of 126 and give himself a shot at a first title.
Dan Cole was given the green light to continue his England career by wife Isobel having decided he did not want to join the contingent of players retiring after the World Cup.
Cole took stock of his Test future after helping England finish third at last autumn’s global showpiece knowing that Courtney Lawes, Jonny May and Ben Youngs had already played their final international games.
The 36-year-old prop has re-established himself in the front row under Steve Borthwick after spending three years in Red Rose exile and is eager to make the most of his time at the top.
“My wife is very understanding that I haven’t got many games left. It was a joint decision,” Cole said.
“She understands that with Steve and the coaches that she knows from Leicester, it is a very good team environment and place to be. I won’t be doing it forever, so enjoy it.”
When asked if the current Six Nations would be his last campaign with England, Cole replied: “I haven’t made up my mind. I haven’t thought about it so far, we’ll see how it goes.
“After the World Cup I thought about everything really. I had a conversation with Steve and he said to me after Courtney had announced his retirement at a press conference ‘are you planning any press conferences or announcements?’.
“I said that ‘I’ve got to speak to my wife and to you Steve because if you’re not going to pick me then I will’. He said that I’d like you to have the option (to play on). I was like fair enough because I owe Steve a lot. And here I am!
“It’s one of those things where you never want to give up, but at the same time you can understand why boys with families do because international rugby is a tough environment to be in. It’s intense.”
Cole will be involved in next Saturday’s visit to Murrayfield where England will be aiming to register a third win of this year’s Six Nations, keeping them on course for the Grand Slam.
The Leicester tighthead’s scrummaging expertise has led to his Test resurgence and he believes the set-piece is more vital than it has ever been.
“Tournament by tournament in international rugby, there are less scrums but they are of higher importance, which is why teams don’t want to give an inch there,” Cole said.
“You have seen in the first couple of weeks of the Six Nations they can sometimes be a bit messy and slow.
“I know the reaction to that over the first couple of weeks of the Six Nations hasn’t been great, but obviously it can be a massive turning point in the game.
“It’s tough because it’s so important and every scrum is heightened. You are playing international rugby and so you are not going to be playing against any mugs, everyone knows what they’re doing and everyone is good.”
Wales prop Keiron Assiratti is set to face Guinness Six Nations opponents Ireland a year after his professional rugby career hung in the balance.
He considered signing for Welsh Premiership club Merthyr as the regional game in Wales grappled with major financial issues that stalled contract offers to players.
Assiratti had nothing on the table from Cardiff, and he seriously considered dropping down a level, while also potentially finding work outside of rugby.
But the subsequent turnaround in fortunes surpassed all expectations, with a one-year deal eventually being signed last summer before an extended contract was agreed midway through this season.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland also came calling, handing the 26-year-old a Test debut against World Cup warm-up opponents England.
Although Assiratti missed out on World Cup squad selection, he has made a strong impression in the Six Nations with his displays in defeat to Scotland and England.
Runaway title favourites Ireland now await in Dublin next weekend, with Assiratti top of the props on the tighthead side of Wales’ scrum.
“It is a big change, to be fair,” he said.
“This time 12 months ago I didn’t know what I was doing with my rugby. Now, I can say I am doing quite well, so it has been a big turnaround.
“I had to think about getting a job for my family to try and secure everything.
“I was thinking of signing for Merthyr. That is what I was going to do. I didn’t think I was going to get anything at Cardiff at that time.
“I was speaking to one of the Merthyr coaches, but I also let things play out at Cardiff, then I had a run of games and now here I am.
“I wasn’t playing at all in the first half of last season, and it was really frustrating. I had to stick at it because I have got a family.
“Now, when I think about what could have been and what is happening, I am glad I stuck at it.”
When Assiratti featured against England in August 2023, he fulfilled a promise he made to his late grandfather almost two years earlier.
Assiratti and his Cardiff team-mates were stuck in isolation at a Cape Town hotel during the coronavirus pandemic, having travelled to play two United Rugby Championship games, when he had a final telephone conversation with his grandfather before he died.
He told him during the call that he would play for Wales, and Assiratti now heads to Dublin as first-choice tighthead.
“I would love him to still be here, but I am doing it for my family now. Hopefully, he is up there feeling proud,” Assiratti added.
“I am enjoying playing and having the exposure of my first Six Nations.
“It was good to go up against Joe Marler at the weekend, a really experienced loosehead, and it was a good battle between us.
“It is going to be a test for us going out there (to Dublin) with a young squad, but as (captain) Daf Jenkins has said, we can’t keep going on about having a young squad. We just have to go there and meet fire with fire.
“I feel like it’s going to come, so people just have to be a little patient with us.”
The Cheltenham Gold Cup dream is still alive for Andy Edwards, despite L’Homme Presse having to settle for second behind an on-song Pic D’Orhy in the Betfair Ascot Chase.
Edwards, who co-owns the horse with Peter and Patricia Pink, described taking on the likes of Pic D’Orhy and Ahoy Senor in the Ascot Grade One as a privilege prior to the race and although his pride and joy may have tasted defeat in this particular battle, he was taking plenty of positives from the outing in Berkshire.
Connections missed out on their chance to compete in the blue riband last season when injury struck Venetia Williams’ stable star.
However, despite being eased in the Gold Cup betting following his Ascot reverse, L’Homme Presse’s sights are firmly locked on a return to Prestbury Park and a course that has been the scene of some of the nine-year-old’s best performances.
“He’s got the same chance that he had yesterday as he has now, he’s the horse that he is,” said Edwards.
“It was a bit short for him that race, the ground has dried out, but no excuses, the winner has won well and we’re very happy.
“He’s ran through the line and was doing his best work at the end. The extra five furlongs (in the Gold Cup) is his ideal trip and it was always going to be tough when there was no rain last night.”
L’Homme Presse had made a scintillating return from injury at Lingfield last month, but found himself behind the eight ball from an early stage as Pic D’Orhy took full advantage of a home fixture at a track he knows well, bouncing out and making all.
It was a race ultimately contested on drying good to soft ground and despite a momentary consideration about pulling stumps and heading straight to the Cheltenham Festival, connections took the sporting option to compete and complete their Gold Cup prep as planned.
Edwards added: “We did half-think about pulling him out, but he needed the run before the Gold Cup, so we have to be happy. He needed the run to sharpen him up and things today were in Pic D’Orhy’s favour.
“If there were any nerves it was that something could go wrong today. That was great though, he has run through the line and if it was good to soft, soft in places it could have been a different result.”
Edwards has never hesitated in saying last year’s injury setback, which saw L’Homme Presse off the track for 391 days, has taught him to appreciate every opportunity to compete on the big stage and despite heading home with only a silver medal around his neck, there was an unmovable smile from his face.
“It’s a privilege to be in a Grade One and that’s what it is all about and we will enjoy the moment. We’re happy, Ahoy Senor’s team are happy and now we can go to Cheltenham smiling.
“We got away with it at Lingfield, we didn’t today, but at the end of the day we have come second in a Grade One at Ascot and I’m happy.”
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