Patrick Mahomes was left stunned after the Kansas City Chiefs fell to a 24-20 home loss against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

With time running out, Bills quarterback Josh Allen led his team on a brilliant 76-yard, 13-play drive, ending in a touchdown pass to tight-end Dawson Knox to give the visitors the lead with 1:04 left in the fourth quarter.

But Bills' hearts were in mouths as they feared a situation similar to January's Divisional-Round game, where Allen's touchdown pass to Gabe Davis with 13 seconds left on the clock looked to have sent Buffalo to the AFC Championship, only for Mahomes to set up a match-tying field goal before the Chiefs won in overtime.

However, Mahomes was not able to conjure up the same magic this time, throwing a crucial interception to cornerback Taron Johnson with 41 seconds remaining to seal victory for the Bills.

Mahomes was frustrated after the loss, telling reporters: "Every time I get the ball, no matter what the situation, is I expect to find a way to win.

"That's what this whole offense [and] this team expects. I always expect to win until there's literally no time so any time you lose definitely hurts. You lose a game, especially at home, it's never a good feeling.

"I thought we played some good football, we just made too many mistakes at the end of the day and when you make mistakes against another great football team you lose football games. It'll be good to learn from, but right now it stinks for sure."

Mahomes' killer pick to Johnson came as he tried to elude pressure from Bills' star edge rusher Von Miller, who signed a six-year $120million deal with Buffalo in March after winning the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams the month prior.

Miller finished Sunday's game with two sacks, and Mahomes acknowledged his impact on the Bills' defense, saying: "Von [Miller] obviously made plays. 

"He's a Hall of Famer for a reason so he's going to make plays here and there. He's a great player so any time you add a great player like that, a Hall-of-Fame player, you have to account for him on every single play."

With the Chiefs and Bills both starting the season impressively, there is a decent chance the teams meet again in this season's AFC playoffs.

But Mahomes was keen to divert his team's focus to next weekend's clash with the San Francisco 49ers, who the Chiefs beat in the 2020 Super Bowl to give Mahomes his first Vince Lombardi trophy.

When asked whether he expects to play the Bills again in the postseason, the 27-year-old replied: "You can definitely see it because they're going to be a team that's going to be in the playoffs or competing for the playoffs.

"But you can't look ahead, and I think that's the biggest thing to me. I think I learned that last year in the AFC Championship game. Sometimes if you start looking ahead that's when you get beat and we don't want to look ahead.

"We have a great football team we're playing [the 49ers] and [then] we're going into the bye [week], and then we're going to have a schedule of a lot of division opponents coming up.

"So we want to make sure we focus on this next week - how can we get better to go out there, to go out there execute and try to find a way to win against a great football team at their home."

The new NBA season is about to get underway, with narrative everywhere across the league.

The defending champions in Golden State are many people's favourites to go again, but the Warriors have not exactly prepared perfectly after two of their stars recently came to blows during the preseason.

The Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving saga seems to have ended with hope that the pair can fire the Brooklyn Nets to glory, especially if the team's third star in the form of Ben Simmons can finally join them on the court.

Will back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic lead the Denver Nuggets to glory? Or can Luka Doncic do the same for the Dallas Mavericks? Might Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks get back to the top again?

Stats Perform's experts give their predictions on who could thrive in the regular season, who might take the MVP crown and who will go all the way and lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June 2023.

Liam Phillips

East first seed: Milwaukee Bucks

West first seed: Denver Nuggets

MVP: Joel Embiid

Champions: Denver Nuggets

Simply put, the Nuggets will have a terrific regular season record as long as Jokic is healthy, and he is one of the most durable superstars of his era.

Jokic has played at least 73 games in six of his seven years, and the other season he played 72 out of 72 in the shortened 2020-21 season.

The Nuggets went 48-34 this past season with their second and third-best scorers being Aaron Gordon (15.0 points per game) and Will Barton (14.7).

With ascending talents Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. returning from long-term injuries to assume those roles and give the Nuggets three elite scoring options, they could ride the best offense in the league all the way through the Finals.

Ben Spratt

East first seed: Milwaukee Bucks

West first seed: Denver Nuggets

MVP: Luka Doncic

Champions: Milwaukee Bucks

There are no shortage of potential contenders in the West, with each of the Nuggets, the Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers looking strong candidates depending on injuries or – in the case of Golden State – off-court (or, rather, practice court) issues.

In the East, however, a fit Bucks team would appear to be clear of the rest, particularly given the Boston Celtics' tumultuous offseason.

The Bucks were a disappointing 13-13 in the regular season and playoffs last year when missing Khris Middleton, who did not play the final 10 games of the postseason as the Bucks narrowly lost to the Celtics.

With his return and the omnipresent threat of Antetokounmpo, it might be difficult to bet against the 2021 champions.

Nicholas McGee

East first seed: Philadelphia 76ers

West first seed: Golden State Warriors

MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Champions: Golden State Warriors

Preseason fights, Klay Thompson being restricted to limited action in the exhibition schedule, key bench players leaving in free agency. Will any of it matter? No.

The Warriors have navigated discord before during title defences and will do so again in 2022-23. Even with the likes of Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. departing, the Warriors have excellent depth with several emerging talents complementing a core that reaffirmed their championship pedigree by beating the Celtics in six games last season.

Golden State will bank on Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody taking the next step in their second seasons, while Jordan Poole has the chance to ascend to stardom once the fallout from him being punched by Draymond Green dies down.

Everything revolves around Stephen Curry, though, and there is no sign of him slowing down or his game-tilting range reducing at 34 years old.

This is a team with an insatiable appetite for proving themselves all over again, and they have all the resources to do so once more. If James Wiseman stays healthy and blossoms into an impactful starting center, it will be difficult to envisage anyone stopping them.

David Segar

East first seed: Milwaukee Bucks

West first seed: Memphis Grizzlies

MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Champions: Milwaukee Bucks

As Ben said, it is difficult to see a stronger contender in the East than Milwaukee, presuming their stars can stay fit.

With Ja Morant getting better all the time and the Phoenix Suns looking like they might fall away slightly, it would not be a huge surprise to see an ever-improving Grizzlies team top the West and perhaps even make it to the NBA Finals this time.

However, it feels like Giannis is ready for another big campaign and, in a team that includes the likes of Middleton, Jrue Holiday and new arrival Joe Ingles, he should have plenty of capable support.

Only Embiid (30.6) and LeBron James (30.3) averaged more points per game than Antetokounmpo's 29.9 last year, a career high for the Greek.

Anything can happen in the NBA, but of all the big teams who could threaten, Milwaukee feel like the one with the fewest issues heading into the season, and they will want to make up for their early playoff elimination at the hands of the Celtics last time out.

Iga Swiatek says she "wanted to go all in" to ensure she won her eighth WTA Tour title of 2022 with a 6-3 3-6 6-0 victory over Donna Vekic in the San Diego Open final on Sunday.

Swiatek became the fifth player since 2000 to win eight or more WTA-level titles in a single season after Martina Hingis, Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin.

She did not have it all her own way against Vekic, with the Croatian world number 47 battling back from losing the opener to take the second set and level the match.

But Swiatek showed her class in the decisive third set, breaking Vekic three times to romp to the title.

The world number one says she had to give it everything to ensure victory over Vekic in a tough match, saying at her on-court presentation: "It was a really tight match and pretty long.

"We felt the intensity for sure. At the end I wanted to be the one who played the last ball in. I wanted to go all in.

"Knowing how well she can serve, I just wanted to be more loosened up on my return games - not think too much, use my intuition and fight for every ball."

With her round-of-16 win over Zheng Qinwen, Swiatek became the first player to win 61 matches in a single season since Caroline Wozniacki in 2017.

Frighteningly for her opponents, the 21-year-old spoke after that win of her belief that she was still a few years away from her prime.

"I wasn't expecting to have this kind of season this year," Swiatek told reporters. 

"I thought, maybe, I'm going to be at my peak when I'm 24, 25, and have that experience, maybe results like that are going to come."

Swiatek's 64 wins in 2022 is the most for any woman since Serena Williams' 78 in 2013, while the Pole has lost just one match in the United States this year.

Swiatek intends to take full advantage of San Diego's sun and sand as she celebrates another title, making it 11 wins and just two defeats in finals.

"I am speechless," the 21-year-old said in a video on Twitter. "I'm so proud of me and the team that we actually won this tournament.

"It wasn't easy so I'm happy that I believe in myself and I fought to the last point.

"I love San Diego, I'm going to enjoy the beach tomorrow!"

Aaron Rodgers believes the Green Bay Packers must find a way to keep matters simple after suffering a second straight defeat, though Matt LaFleur's assessment was blunter.

The Packers slipped to a 10-27 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday, a week on from Green Bay having a three-game winning streak ended by the New York Giants.

Those defeats leave Green Bay 3-3 for the season, with the Packers second in the NFC North, trailing the 5-1 Minnesota Vikings.

Quarterback Rodgers, the NFL's MVP for the last two seasons, believes the solution is to go back to basics.

"Simpler. Simplify some things," Rodgers, who was sacked four times against the Jets, told reporters. "All of it. I don't want to get too specific.

"I'm not attacking anything, I think based on how we've played the last two weeks it's going to be at our best interest to simplify things for everybody... the line, the backs, the receivers, especially with [Randall] Cobb's injury.

"Just need to simplify some things and maybe that will help us get back on track.

"[The offense was] very inconsistent. That's why I think we need to simplify things, because on a couple drives we didn't move the ball because it was very simple things.

"It was very simple plays, no motion. So we need to look at everything and the guys that we got and what we can accomplish with them and let's be smart about moving forward."

Coach LaFleur, however, did not hold back in his criticism of the Packers' offense, which has averaged 17.8 points per game through the opening six weeks of the season.

"That's about as frustrating of a game that I've ever been a part of from an offensive perspective," he said.

"We're in a pretty bad predicament right now."

For his part, Rodgers puts no blame onto the coaching staff.

"Nobody works harder than Matt on the plan each week, and nobody comes with better ideas than Matt and his staff," the 38-year-old added.

"If it's not working it's not because those guys aren't grinding, it's because we are not executing. If you think we have the right players, then we need to simplify things. If you don't, that's a whole other conversation."

Todd Bowles said any players "living off the Super Bowl are living in fantasy land" while Tom Brady told the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to "look in the mirror" after Sunday's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers had lost four straight games and were playing with a rookie quarterback in the form of Kenny Pickett but still earned a 20-18 win at Heinz Field.

For the Bucs it was a case of profligacy, with Tampa Bay scoring only once from four trips to the red zone. That was despite the Steelers lining up without three stop corners (Cam Sutton, Ahkello Witherspoon and Levi Wallace), outside linebacker T.J. Watt, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

The Bucs were Super Bowl victors in the 2020 season before losing in the Divisional Round last year but head coach Bowles said some home truths after defeat in Pittsburgh.

"We didn't take them lightly, number one. Number two, I think guys that are living off the Super Bowl are living in a fantasy land," he said. 

"You've gotta get your hands dirty and go to work like everybody else. We've been working hard and we've gotta work harder. Nobody's gonna give us anything. Nobody's gonna feel sorry. 

"We've gotta go back as coaches, as players - the time for talking is over. You either gotta put up or shut up."

Asked for clarity on if anyone in the playing or coaching staff are living in "fantasy land", Bowles replied: "I didn't say we were. I'm just saying, you get patted on the back so much, you gotta relive -every year and every week, you've gotta go out there and earn your pay and earn your keep. 

"If you don't live like that, it's gonna be a result like today."

The loss saw a 12-game win streak against rookies snapped for Brady, who also failed to convert off a sneak for the first time as a Buccaneer at third-and-1 in the fourth quarter, having done so on 13 previous occasions.

"We didn't earn it," Brady said. "We didn't earn the win. It's a game of earning it and it's a game of playing well and performing well and we're just not doing a good job of that. 

"I don't think we've done it for six weeks. I think we're all playing less than what we're capable of. We've all gotta look at ourselves in the mirror and figure out why."

The Bucs remain top of the NFC South with a 3-3 record through six games.

Carolina Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks says "no one is bigger than the team" after he kicked Robbie Anderson out mid-game in their 24-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

The Panthers wide receiver was seen in a heated argument with position coach Joe Dailey late in the first half, before resuming their verbal exchange midway through the third quarter. Anderson had been benched for the third quarter and had been sitting alone on a cooler, before the second argument.

Wilks, who was taking charge for the first time after Matt Rhule was fired in midweek, intervened and sent Anderson to the locker room.

"No one is bigger than the team," Wilks told reporters. "I'm not going to focus and put a lot of attention on one individual… I'm not putting a lot of energy into one individual."

Anderson has been linked with a trade away from Carolina and Wilks said when asked about the 29-year-old's future: "Right now everybody is being evaluated, as well as myself.

"We've got to figure out what's going to be right chemistry to put out on the field, offensively and defensively."

Anderson proactively spoke to reporters after the game, stating he was "honestly confused" by the situation.

"I wanted to be in the game. I've never had somebody yell to get out of the game," Anderson said.

"I was honestly confused and upset by that. I should be. I don't see nobody that is a true competitor, that knows the value they bring and has true passion for the game, that will be okay with being told not to do something or being taken out of something when they didn't do nothing wrong."

Anderson failed to have a catch in Sunday's game, having entered the game with 13 receptions for 206 yards.

The former New York Jets receiver had signed a two-year $29.5 million extension through 2023 prior to last season, but only had 53 receptions for 519 yards in 2021.

"I wouldn't say I want to be traded," Anderson said. "I'm going to let God follow his plans for my life. I'll let things take his course on his time.

"I've been in trade rumours before. It's part of the game. I don't let it affect me."

The Philadelphia Eagles withstood the Dallas Cowboys' second-half charge to maintain their undefeated run to start the season with 26-17 victory at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.

The Eagles raced away to a 20-0 lead after 20 second-quarter points, before the Cowboys stormed back within three points when Cooper Rush found Jake Ferguson for a fourth-quarter TD.

But Jalen Hurts, who completed 15 of 25 attempts for 255 yards and rushed 27 yards on nine carries, added his second touchdown pass of the game for DeVonta Smith as the Eagles moved to a 6-0 start for the first time since 2004.

Cowboys QB Rush, starting for the injured Dak Prescott for the fifth straight game, threw three picks having previously gone 158 pass attempts without an interception. Rush finished making 18-of-38 for 181 yards with the one TD pass as the Cowboys moved to 4-2.

After a scoreless first quarter, Miles Sanders scored the Eagles' 13th rushing touchdown of the season, the most for a team league-wide through six games since 2005. Sanders finished the game with 18 carries for 71 yards.

From the next play, C.J. Gardner-Johnson intercepted Rush's pass, commencing the Eagles' drive for Hurts to lay off to A.J. Brown who crossed into the endzone after a nice step.

KaVontae Turpin's explosive kickoff run helped kicker Brett Maher get the Cowboys on the board prior to half-time, before Rush found Ferguson, allowing Ezekiel Elliott to score from the next play, capping a nine-play 79-yard drive.

The Cowboys had the momentum when Dante Fowler Jr sacked Hurts, with Rush finding Ferguson for a career-first TD in the last quarter to make it 20-17. But Hurts showed composure to lead a 13-play drive resulting in Smith's TD, before Gardner-Johnson picked another Rush pass intended for Ceedee Lamb.

The New York Yankees held their nerve in the ninth inning this time after Gerrit Cole set up a 4-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians to force an ALDS-deciding Game 5.

Yankees starting pitcher Cole had eight punchouts across seven innings where he allowed only two runs at Progressive Field as the visitors squared up the series at 2-2 on Sunday.

The Guardians had rallied back from a 5-3 deficit to win Game 3 on Saturday, but Wandy Peralta closed it out comfortably this time, needing only seven pitches to claim the outs of Josh Naylor, Oscar Gonzalez and Andres Gimenez.

Facing elimination, the Yankees opted to shake up their lineup with rookie Oswaldo Cabrera replacing Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop and Aaron Hicks shuffling into Cabrera's spot in left field.

Anthony Rizzo, who went two-for-four, drove in Gleyber Torres for the opening run of the game in the first inning, before the Yankees added two more in the second from a Harrison Bader two-run blast over deep left-center field from Cal Quantrill. Bader's blast was his third home run of the ALDS.

The Guardians rallied with runs in each of the third and fourth innings, firstly from Jose Ramirez's RBI bloop single into shallow left field followed by Naylor's solo homer.

Aaron Judge went one-for-four and tagged in the sixth inning from Giancarlo Stanton's sacrifice fly to pad the lead before Cole was retired after the seventh, with the Yankees bullpen finishing the job.

The win means the Yankees will host the series-deciding Game 5 on Monday for a spot in the ALCS against the Houston Astros.

The Yankees boast a 15-15 record in winner-take-all postseason games compared to Cleveland's 1-7.

World number one Iga Swiatek claimed her eighth WTA Tour title of the season, storming home to claim a three-set victory over Donna Vekic in the San Diego Open final on Sunday.

Swiatek improved her record in the United States to 24-1 this season with the victory in one hour and 47 minutes, getting past the Croatian qualifier 6-3 3-6 6-0.

The Pole previously won the US Open, along with the Indian Wells and Miami titles this season.

Top seed Swiatek secured her 64th win of the season, which is the most since Serena Williams won 78 in 2013.

Vekic ensured it was not easy for Swiatek, continuing her excellent week – knocking out Maria Sakkari, Karolina Pliskova, Aryna Sabalenka and Danielle Collins - with a strong second set.

The Croatian actually had to complete her semi-final earlier on Sunday after a rain-interrupted encounter with Collins, winning 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-2) after resuming 4-2 down in the third set, before taking on Swiatek.

Swiatek's dominance was felt, winning 82 per cent of her second-serve points, ruthlessly converting four of six break points as well.

Vekic only generated one break point for the match but she took it, keeping the match alive in the second set where she was more aggressive.

The 2022 US Open and French Open champion responded emphatically in the final frame, capitalising on three of four break points and winning 24 of the 29 points for the set to triumph.

The Buffalo Bills claimed a statement win as John Allen threw three touchdown passes as they improved to 5-1 with a 24-20 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Allen, who completed 27 of 40 attempts for 329 yards with no interceptions, found Dawson Knox for the game-winning touchdown with 1:04 left in the fourth quarter at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Bills sealed the win when Von Miller broke a double team to apply pressure on Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes whose pass for Skyy Moore was picked by cornerback Taron Johnson with 0:41 remaining.

It ended a seesawing contest that had four lead changes, was tied at every change and was within one score throughout, with the AFC East-leading Bills moving ahead of the AFC West-leading Chiefs who fall to 4-2.

Mahomes made 25 of 40 attempts for 338 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, with Bills rookie Kaiir Elam picking off a redzone pass in the first quarter. Chiefs wide receiver Travis Kelce made franchise history by reaching the record for consecutive games with a reception (132), finishing with eight receptions for 108 yards but no TDs.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, who had five receptions for 113 yards, spun past two defenders after receiving a Mahomes pass for the opening TD, before Allen found Gabe Davis to reply before half-time, with Harrison Butker's franchise-record 62-yard field goal tying it up at half-time.

Stefon Diggs, who had 10 receptions for 148 yards, added his sixth receiving touchdown this season when Allen found him for 17-yard score but the Chiefs responded again as Mahomes punched a pass to Mecole Hardman.

Butker put the Chiefs up 20-17 in the fourth quarter, but Allen found Knox in the endzone to flip the script.

Rams respond as Anderson thrown out by Panthers

The Los Angeles Rams ground their way to a 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers to snap their two-game skid and move to 3-3.

Scores were locked at 10-10 with 16 seconds remaining in the third quarter when wide receiver Ben Skowronek swept down the outside and into the endzone for his career-first TD.

Matthew Stafford shook off the Rams' offensive issues to complete 26 of 33 passes for 253 yards and one touchdown for Allen Robinson, while Darrell Henderson rushed a fourth-quarter TD to pad the win.

Amid the Panthers' own offensive struggles, interim coach Steve Wilks threw Robbie Anderson out of the game after a heated argument with position coach Joe Dailey.

Bill Belichick celebrated his 324th career NFL win on Sunday as Bailey Zappe led the New England Patriots to a 38-15 victory at the Cleveland Browns.

This latest success moved Belichick into a tie for second for the most all-time coaching wins across the regular season and postseason.

The Patriots legend is now level with George Halas, trailing only Don Shula's 347.

The dominant defeat of the Browns was Belichick's 293rd regular season win, which has him third behind Halas (318) and Shula (328), while he leads all coaches with 31 playoff victories.

"I've got a ton of respect for coach Halas and the McCaskey family and what he did for professional football," Belichick said.

"The way that he and, since we're here, [first Browns coach] Paul Brown and others like them paved the way for us, as coaches, and paved the way for the National Football League to grow to what it is today. They laid down a lot of the building blocks."

Meanwhile, Zappe was as impressive in his second NFL start as he had been in his first, a 29-0 rout of the Detroit Lions last week.

The rookie fourth-rounder, who against the Lions became the fifth of five Patriot quarterbacks selected by Belichick outside the first round to win his first start, threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns in Cleveland, achieving a 118.4 passer rating.

Zappe is therefore the first rookie to win his first two career starts while recording a rating of at least 100 in both games since Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen in 1957.

Kenny Pickett could not finish his second NFL start after going into concussion protocol, but the Pittsburgh Steelers ensured their quarterback could celebrate an unlikely first win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pickett – the first QB off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft – started for the first time in last week's big defeat to the Buffalo Bills.

But the rookie bounced back in some style against Tom Brady, securing a narrow lead before exiting the game midway through the third quarter. The Steelers protected that advantage to win 20-18.

Pickett had thrown his first career touchdown pass to Najee Harris on Pittsburgh's first drive.

A sloppy end to the first half allowed the Bucs to close the gap, but they headed in at halftime without having scored a TD – a first for a Brady team against the Steelers.

Pittsburgh lifted their game again following the restart, trading field goals before a hit on Pickett saw him leave the game, and was then ruled out.

Mitch Trubisky picked up the baton, though, connecting with Chase Claypool for another TD before Brady and Leonard Fournette belatedly responded.

A successful two-point conversion would have tied the game with time left for the Bucs to win it, but Brady's attempt was batted away, and Trubisky saw out only a second Steelers win of the year.

Another New York defeat for Packers on return to Lambeau

The Green Bay Packers gave up a home game to play in London for the first time in franchise history last week, losing to the New York Giants. And a return to Lambeau Field did little to lift Aaron Rodgers and Co., who fell to 3-3 with a 27-10 home loss to the New York Jets.

In fact, the Packers crowd appeared to turn on their team when a blocked punt gifted the Jets – now 3-0 on the road to start a season for the first time since 2010 – a two-TD lead their opponents could not recover from.

The Giants built on their upset of the Packers by doing the same to the Baltimore Ravens. They had trailed Green Bay 20-10 at halftime in Week 5 and were this time down by the same score in the fourth quarter, recovering for a 24-20 win to move to 5-1.

The Atlanta Falcons lost in Week 5 but also had momentum to carry into a matchup with the San Francisco 49ers after a 15-point fourth quarter against the Bucs. Following five straight games decided by seven points or fewer, the Falcons coasted to a 28-14 success.

Ryan extends Jags' miserable road run in AFC South

The Jacksonville Jaguars have not won a road game against an AFC South rival since 2017, a losing sequence of 13 games heading into Sunday's trip to the Indianapolis Colts.

It appeared as though Trevor Lawrence was to lead the Jags to a long-awaited win when the Colts trailed by a point at the Jacksonville 33 with just 23 seconds to play.

But Matt Ryan, having earlier passed Dan Marino (61,361) to climb to seventh all-time for passing yards, completed a pivotal TD pass to Alec Pierce to prolong the Jags' misery.

New Zealand started their Rugby League World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 34-12 victory against Lebanon on Sunday.

The world's number one side were made to sweat on occasion at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington, and surprisingly fell behind to their Group C opponents inside the first minute when Josh Mansour raced onto a loose ball on the right to score.

The Kiwis were soon level when Kenneth Bromwich went over, before substitute Nelson Asofa-Solomona got his side ahead despite some excellent defensive work from Lebanon, with Peta Hiku adding another shortly after to give New Zealand an 18-6 lead at the break.

The Cedars would not go away, though, and scored their second try to halve the deficit shortly after the restart as Abbas Miski went over down the left side.

After a further scare, the Kiwis took charge as terrific work from Manu ended with Dylan Brown racing through to score, before Manu again showed his quality to get a try of his own before the hour.

Jordan Rapana then added another just after Lebanon's Adam Doueihi was sent off for dissent.