Warren Gatland has made seven changes for Wales’ Six Nations appointment with England after a first-half display against Scotland he admitted was “nowhere near the standards we expect”.
Wales head coach Gatland named the team 24 hours earlier than originally planned, with his line-up including a new front-row and centre George North’s return from injury.
It will be North’s 50th Six Nations appearance, while fly-half Sam Costelow, who went off injured during the first half of Wales’ 27-26 loss to Scotland last weekend, is replaced by Ioan Lloyd, with Tomos Williams at scrum-half.
Gareth Thomas, Elliot Dee and Keiron Assiratti forge the front-row unit at Twickenham on Saturday, while Cardiff flanker Alex Mann is handed a first Wales start following his try-scoring appearance off the bench against Scotland.
Wales went 27 points down to Scotland before staging a stunning second-half recovery, scoring 26 unanswered points, although it could not mask how poor they were prior to that.
Gatland said: “We have been critical and tough on ourselves this week.
“That first half was nowhere near the standards we expect. We simply cannot start the same way this Saturday.
“We showed in the second half against Scotland what we are capable of. Now it is about building on that performance and playing with some tempo from the off.
“We’ve made a few changes to the starting line-up this weekend, which gives opportunities to the players coming in. We need to be accurate and keep our discipline.
“This is a massive game, not only because of the history and what it means to everyone in Wales, but it is an opportunity to get things on track a bit more.
“England are in a rebuilding phase. We will go there with a lot of confidence we can build on that second half.”
Uncapped Bath prop Archie Griffin has been named on the bench, where is joined by Racing 92 lock Will Rowlands.
Rowlands linked up with the Wales squad earlier this week after his partner recently gave birth, while there are also chances among the replacements for Dragons pair Taine Basham and Cai Evans, who is the son of former Wales captain Ieuan Evans.
North has recovered from a shoulder problem to face England, with Lloyd now starting following an outstanding contribution after taking over from Costelow against Scotland.
Mann’s promotion to the starting line-up was expected following James Botham’s withdrawal from the squad because of a knee injury.
Williams, Dee and Assiratti, meanwhile, all made major contributions after being introduced for the second 40 minutes last Saturday.
Wales have not beaten England at Twickenham in the Six Nations since 2012, when centre Scott Williams’ late try confirmed a Triple Crown triumph.
After defeating England away from home during the 2015 World Cup, Wales have lost to their fierce rivals seven times in succession at English rugby headquarters.
Jamie Snowden will give The Queen’s Reach For The Moon a thorough overhaul after the one-time Derby favourite returned lame having finished fourth on his hurdling debut at Sedgefield.
Owned by the late Queen Elizabeth II in his days on the Flat, he won the Group Three Solario Stakes at Sandown for John and Thady Gosden and was twice the runner-up at Royal Ascot.
Having lost his way in that sphere, he was sent to Jamie Snowden and prepared for a hurdling campaign and he reappeared in the colours of the Queen in a partnership with Sir Chips Keswick, the former Arsenal chairman.
Everything seemed to be going well in the first half of the race as Gavin Sheehan tracked the hot favourite Schmilsson (11-10) but a slight mistake three out stopped him in his tracks and he was immediately on the back foot.
As Schmilsson powered clear in the second division of the Betting.Bet New Betting Sites Maiden Hurdle, Reach For The Moon eventually lost two places on the run-in, although a reason quickly appeared for his lacklustre finish.
“He’s lame behind, unfortunately, but nothing obvious has come to light as to why,” said Snowden.
“We’ll reassess him when we get back home and hope it’s nothing serious.”
He went on: “One thing he did enjoy was the jumping, which I was almost certain he would, as he had done in all his schooling at home.
“As an ex-Flat horse maybe that ground was just too taxing for him so one thing we will look for next time out is better ground.
“Without knowing where he went lame… (but) obviously the ground won’t have helped his cause on that front today.
“So, we’ll hope it’s nothing serious, look for better ground and take it from there.”
The Queen, whose husband the King was diagnosed with cancer on Monday, and Keswick had another Snowden-trained runner at Ludlow, but Schematic also finished unplaced.
Velvet Elvis took full advantage of a fall at the third-last fence from odds-on favourite Corbetts Cross to win a drama-filled Fairyhouse Easter Festival 30th March To 1st April Rated Chase for the second year in a row.
The eight-year-old was trained by Thomas Gibney when successful in the staying contest 12 months ago, but was making his first start for Gavin Cromwell as he was sent off at 7-1 in the hands of Keith Donoghue.
Always at the head of the proceedings, Velvet Elvis escaped being caught up in the incident at the third-last fence where Corbetts Cross (1-4) came to ground just as he was beginning to edge his way into the four-runner contest.
Derek O’Connor’s mount collided with Gordon Elliott’s Run Wild Fred in mid-air, with both succumbing on the landing side of the obstacle.
It left Velvet Elvis to battle out the finish Eklat De Rire and Henry de Bromhead’s charge ultimately proved no match, trailing home three and a quarter lengths adrift.
Cromwell said: “We’ll take it! We’ll never know what would have happened, but he jumped well.
“He won this race last year and a small field is probably ideal for him and he loves that ground.
“Hopefully, that will be a confidence booster for him.”
Victory in this race 12 months teed-up a shot at the Grand National for Velvet Elvis, but without an entry for Aintree this year, his new handler suggested they may target a return to Fairyhouse for the Irish equivalent.
Cromwell added: “I suppose we’ll look at the Irish National. He’s also in the National Trial at Haydock, but that will probably come too soon for him as it’s Saturday week. We’ll see how he comes out of this, but he’s very unlikely to go there.
“He’s probably not terribly well handicapped, but at the same time you’d have to consider an Irish National.”
There may have been no joy for owner JP McManus with top novice chasing prospect Corbetts Cross, but he gained compensation when Miss Pronunciation carried the green and gold silks to success in the Book Your Advanced Tickets Now Rated Novice Hurdle.
Padraig Roche’s seven-year-old coasted to a facile six-length triumph under Mark Walsh with the talented mare recording her third-straight victory this season.
Roche said: “That was great, she did it well. She’s starting to settle a lot better than she was and I’d say that’s bringing out the improvement in her.
“She loves that ground. We had the mother, she was a Topanoora mare and she loved that heavy ground. When it’s like that we’ll keep going and see what there is.
“The mother stayed but this one’s not slow, I’d say two miles on that ground is her trip. She’s improving the whole time.”
Huddersfield have signed England international and former NRL winner Tom Burgess on a three-year deal from the start of the 2025 campaign.
The 31-year-old forward has made more than 200 appearances for South Sydney Rabbitohs since 2013, winning the title and featuring in his side’s World Club Challenge triumph over St Helens in 2015.
Burgess has also made 33 appearances for England, and played in their 2017 World Cup final defeat against Australia.
Burgess, who started his career with Bradford, told Huddersfield’s official website: “There is no mistake in what I want to do over in England, I want to come over there and win silverware.
“I’m not coming back to make up numbers or finish my career. I never got there with Bradford, we had a good side back in those early days, but we never pushed through into the play-offs and made a go of it.
“So that’s one thing I look for in a club, I want to get there, I want to get to those finals and bring silverware back to where it should be, the birthplace of rugby league”.
Burgess follows his brother Sam, whose role as assistant coach at South Sydney was terminated last year and subsequently took on his first head coach role at Super League rivals Warrington.
Huddersfield struggled in last season’s Super League, finishing ninth, and Burgess’ impending arrival will be seen as a significant and long-term statement of intent.
The Giants have already made seven new signings for the 2024 season, which begins later this month, including three players – Adam Clune, Jack Murchie and Thomas Deakin – from Australia.
Huddersfield head coach Ian Watson said: “This is a huge transfer, not just for the Giants, but for Super League and the game in general.
“With the stature of Thomas and what he’s achieved in his career to be consistently one of the best front-rowers within the game, we’re absolutely delighted for him to become a Giant in 2025.”
England rookie Chandler Cunningham-South was being mentored for weeks by Richard Hill without knowing he was talking to a World Cup winner.
Cunningham-South made a strong debut off the bench in Saturday’s 27-24 victory over Italy, becoming one of two flankers to win their first cap in the Guinness Six Nations opener alongside Ethan Roots.
As England team manger with the additional role of talent identification for the pathway, Hill has influenced the rise of both players as well as the likes of Sam Underhill and Tom Curry.
Hill’s keen eye for future Test stars is valued highly by head coach Steve Borthwick, who revealed when naming his Six Nations squad last month that “if Richard tells me to track a back-row forward, I’m listening”.
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Cunningham-South had Hill’s approval when on England Under-20 duty but presumed he was speaking to a random enthusiast rather than one of the country’s greatest flankers and a veteran of 71 Tests, including the triumphant 2003 World Cup final.
“There was no doubt that, as an 18-year-old, Chandler’s physicality of carry was not quite the norm for his age compared to others that I was watching,” said Hill, who was initially alerted to him by his first club London Irish.
“He was doing fantastically well so I made sure that I connected with him at the Under-20s training sessions.
“I carried on chatting to him and then after a number of meetings that I’d had with him, Jonathan Fisher, Irish’s academy coach, decided to ring me after a chance meeting.
“John said that Chandler has just told him how he turns out to Under-20s training and ‘a couple of times this guy’s come up to me and you know, he’s had a chat about my game’.
“’He seems to understand how to play and he’s got some reasonable ideas. You know, he sounds like he knows what he’s talking about’. So yeah, that was me!
“He found out probably three months ago that I played in the World Cup. Chandler’s not that fussed about what’s gone on in the past.
“He wanted to know why I didn’t tell him. I said it had no bearing on what we’re trying to achieve, which was him, not me.”
While Cunningham-South’s 14-minute cameo against Italy was rich with promise, Roots was close to the finished article in being named man of the match following a superb display at blindside flanker.
Borthwick first became aware of Roots when he was coaching Leicester against the Ospreys but it was when Hill showed him footage of the 26-year-old cage fighter playing for Exeter during last autumn’s World Cup that he really took notice.
Fast forward five months and the Chiefs forward is part of Borthwick’s England rebuild, providing vital carrying muscle to a side that is short on defence-busting power.
“If there is someone of interest for the future then I’d make Steve aware – and Ethan was one of those players,” Hill said.
“I knew he had a skill set that would interest us – he can carry the ball, carrying into contact, heavy contact, and defensively physical at the breakdown.
“He has been physical and consistent in terms of the performances he put in since joining Exeter this season.”
Roots is expected to continue in the number six jersey for Saturday’s visit of Wales to Twickenham, with Borthwick naming his team on Thursday afternoon.
Nicky Henderson has admitted it is “guesswork” as to whether Shishkin will stay the Cheltenham Gold Cup trip – but that will be where he heads if successfully navigating his Betfair Denman Chase assignment at Newbury on Saturday.
The 10-year-old proved he has the capacity to stay three miles when winning the Aintree Bowl last spring, while he was in the process of running a huge race in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day before unseating Nico de Boinville two from home.
However, the extra quarter-mile the cream of the staying division have to master in the blue riband has caught many a top chaser out down the years. And the Seven Barrows handler concedes it is a question that will only be answered on the day itself, despite feeling confident it will be within Shishkin’s compass.
Henderson said: “It’s going to be guesswork because he’s not been that far. He’s not even in the Ryanair, so I assume we think he must stay something otherwise he won’t be going anywhere.
“I would be pretty confident about that and I know it is difficult to say. I know if you get three miles round Kempton it doesn’t mean anything, but what do you do. There’s a good race at Aintree yes, but if he gets home at Newbury and he does well then you have to go (to the Gold Cup), don’t you.”
The dual Cheltenham Festival winner has spent the majority of his career campaigning over two miles, winning both the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Arkle at that distance in the Cotswolds.
Connections explored stepping up in trip following a lacklustre display in the 2022 Tingle Creek and after roaring back to his very best in the Ascot Chase, he finished second in the Ryanair at the Festival before proving successful at Aintree when downing Ahoy Senor.
It is a move that has somewhat caught Henderson by surprise and he said: “No you didn’t really dream (of Shishkin being a Gold Cup horse), because not surprisingly, after Supremes and Arkles you think he is a two-miler.
“Then we went two and a half and two-mile-five when he won at Ascot which was his first time over a trip and it became very obvious he is a stayer.
“He ran in the Ryanair which wasn’t very good, but he came back and ran in the three-miler at Aintree which was very good and I think he proved he stayed there.
“Since then we have continued down that road and the beginning of this season was always going to be all about the King George.”
He went on: “Where things went a bit wrong was the Ascot fiasco when he didn’t want to jump off, so consequently he had to go into the King George without having his prep race, which always frightened me.
“To be fair it didn’t make a great difference and he ran a great race no matter what the result might have been.
“It was just one of those incidents, it’s not as if he did anything wrong and he jumped beautifully all the way.”
Shishkin has been partnered in all 19 starts under rules by De Boinville who he unceremoniously unshipped with the King George at his mercy on Boxing Day.
A further spill at Doncaster over the Christmas period saw the 34-year-old sidelined with a broken collarbone and after a return to the injury list following a premature comeback, Henderson hopes to have his number one back to full fitness to be aboard Shishkin once again.
He said: “We had a little comeback about 10 days ago and he wasn’t quite ready, but he has been riding out since Saturday – he came in and work on Shishkin then – and has been in every day and schooled a few times.
“He’s in good form, I just want him to have a couple of rides to be ready for Saturday, I hope.”
The Queen’s Reach For The Moon was reported to have finished lame after coming home unplaced on his jumping bow at Sedgefield.
Owned by the Queen in partnership with Sir Chips Keswick, Reach For The Moon was a Group Three winner and one-time Classic hope for Queen Elizabeth II before he lost his way on the Flat.
Switched to the care of Jamie Snowden, Reach For The Moon embarked on a National Hunt career in the second division of the Betting.Bet New Betting Sites Maiden Hurdle, but after racing in second through the early exchanges, he was beaten at the turn for home.
Schmilsson was was sent off the 11-10 favourite and successfully made all the running as Reach For The Moon dropped away, with Snowden eager to check on the gelding straight after the race.
He said: “He showed he’s got the aptitude for jumping but he’s returned lame, so we need to check that he’s OK.”
The Queen, whose husband the King was diagnosed with cancer on Monday, and Keswick had another Snowden-trained runner at Ludlow, but Schematic also finished unplaced for connections.
Ireland are hopeful centre Garry Ringrose will be available for Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations match against Italy in Dublin.
Leinster co-captain Ringrose is “progressing nicely” in his recovery from the shoulder injury which caused him to miss his country’s 38-17 round-one win over France.
The 29-year-old was again absent from training on Wednesday but Ireland’s coaching staff expect to have a fully-fit squad in contention for the Azzurri’s visit to the Aviva Stadium.
“We are pretty confident that everyone will be fit to train fully tomorrow,” assistant coach Mike Catt told reporters, according to RTE.
“There are a few guys obviously with a few bumps and bruises from Friday night. There are a couple that are still rumbling around.
“Calvin (Nash), Hugo (Keenan), Ringer is coming through nicely. He obviously didn’t train today, but he is progressing nicely.
“We will see how they pull up over the next couple of days.”
With Ringrose sidelined, Robbie Henshaw partnered Bundee Aki in midfield for Friday evening’s impressive bonus-point triumph in Marseille.
The statement success over the pre-tournament favourites fuelled talk of Andy Farrell’s Ireland becoming the first team to win back-to-back Grand Slams in the Six Nations era.
Attack coach Catt urged players to ignore the “external noise” and focus on immediate challenges.
“There’s no need to (get ahead of ourselves), is there,” he said.
“Andy has always spoken about the next performance, that’s been the key thing.
“From the players’ point of view, too, the Grand Slam will take care of itself if we perform to a level we are capable of performing.
“It’s making sure we put our focus on that and don’t worry about the external noise.”
Head coach Farrell is contemplating changes for the clash with Gonzalo Quesada’s side.
Italy have only once beaten Ireland in the Six Nations – 22-15 in Rome in 2013 – but pushed England close in a 27-24 defeat on the opening weekend.
“What I liked about the Italy performance (against England) was, they didn’t have a great World Cup,” said Catt, who was part of the Azzurri’s coaching staff between 2016 and 2019.
“I think they put their hands up to that as a group of players.
“And for them to turn around and put in a performance like that against a good England side was very impressive.
“They are obviously trying to impress the new coach as well and I just thought the way they played, they didn’t go away from their DNA in terms of (how) they’ve played over the last couple of years.
“I think with Quesada, they’ll tighten things up a little bit but when they get going, they caused some serious problems by scoring some very, very good tries.”
Nicky Henderson believes Sir Gino’s position as arguably the leading juvenile hurdler seen so far this season is undiminished after absorbing all the action from last weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival.
The master of Seven Barrows was an avid viewer of what he termed “the Willie Mullins racing festival”, with the Closutton trainer hoovering up all eight Grade One prizes on offer over Leopardstown’s two-day fixture, including the Irish Gold Cup with Galopin Des Champs.
While Ballyburn’s victory stroll in Sunday’s two-mile Grade One set alarm balls ringing for Henderson’s Supreme hope Jeriko Du Reponet, he was not so troubled by the result in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle, which saw Kargese lead home a one-two-three-four for Mullins.
Sir Gino is a general 4-5 favourite for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival after supplementing a British debut win with a 10-length triumph over Burdett Road on Trials day at Prestbury Park and Henderson is confident of his claims, although he is not ruling out a late surprise contender.
He said: “Galopin looked very good on Saturday – they all looked very good over at the weekend at Leopardstown. I enjoyed watching the Willie Mullins racing festival!
“Watching the opposition over the weekend, of all the novices they had that came out, there were some very impressive performances, none more so than (owner) Ronnie Bartlett’s two-miler (Ballyburn). He looked very good and I’m trying to persuade him to go two and a half (miles).
“The juveniles didn’t possibly look as strong as they might do, I was thinking ‘Willie’s going to come out with some rocket’, it doesn’t looks as if he did. The opinion seemed to be nothing happened to cause Sir Gino a great loss of sleep.
“There’s sure to be something crop up somewhere, in the Adonis or in Ireland, but at the moment, his performance did look quite smart at Cheltenham and I think he is a very smart horse, but there’s a long way to go.”
Galopin Des Champs reversed recent form with Fastorslow in defending his Irish Gold Cup title, having found that rival too sharp on the last two of their three meetings.
A Cheltenham Gold Cup defence is now the next port of call for Mullins’ stable star, with Henderson hoping Shishkin can book his Festival ticket with victory in Saturday’s Betfair Denman Chase.
However, even if all should go to plan at Newbury, Henderson is anticipating the sternest of challenges from Galopin Des Champs in the Cotswolds next month.
Of Mullins’ charge, he said: “I think he’s very good, he’s a proven Gold Cup winner so he has to be very good. I think he is a very clinical, professional horse, he just gets out there and gets the job done.
“He doesn’t strike me as a very flashy horse in his race or anything, but he’s always there isn’t he. He’s a tough horse, too.
“I thought he was very, very good and you could find little fault in what he has done. He’s the horse we all have to beat and I’m just thinking and hoping he’s not unbeatable.”
Tyson Fury has scotched speculation of an impending retirement from boxing as he mapped out a five-fight plan, including a couple of showdowns against British rival Anthony Joshua.
Unfounded scrutiny about the legitimacy of an eye injury that caused his fight against Oleksandr Usyk to be put back to May 18 led to suggestions Fury may have been contemplating hanging up his gloves.
But Fury, who has flirted with retiring several times during his professional career, reaffirmed his commitment to fighting Usyk in Riyadh, where all four major world titles are set to be on the line.
Fury anticipates a rematch with the Ukrainian in another undisputed world heavyweight title fight before one or possibly two fights against Joshua and then a return bout versus Francis Ngannou.
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“I keep hearing talk of people saying I should retire or I’m going to retire soon or whatever,” Fury said on his Instagram, showing stitches above his eye.
“I ain’t retiring – I’ve got two fights with Usyk for the undisputed, twice.
“Then I’m going to fight AJ at least once, maybe twice, if there’s a rematch – if he wants one after the first battering I give him. Then I’m going to fight Ngannou again.
“That’s just the start. There’s five fights for you to whet your appetite. I ain’t going nowhere; I’m 35-years-old and in the prime of my life.”
In his most recent bout in October, Fury (34-0-1, 24KOs) was knocked down but eked out a controversial split points win over Ngannou, who was boxing professionally for the first time.
Just over a fortnight before a much-anticipated bout against Usyk, Fury had to pull the plug because of a cut above his right eye which he sustained in sparring and required “significant stitching”.
But organisers have worked efficiently to rearrange the contest between WBC champion Fury and WBA, IBF and WBO titlist Usyk which will crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
Hamzah Sheeraz says his fight against Liam Williams is a “must win” for both as he looks to avoid a slip-up on Saturday.
The 18-0-0 Sheeraz, who celebrated a second-round stoppage over Ukrainian Dmytro Mytrofanov in August, continues his impressive run against experienced 31-year-old Williams.
The Slough fighter insists he must get the job done at the Copper Box Arena if he is to continue his world title bid.
“It’s a must win for both of us,” Sheeraz told the PA news agency.
“I can’t afford to slip up. The sacrifices I’ve made are more than an average fighter would make. It would be disrespectful to my team if I slip up.
“My aspirations and plans are too big to be losing. It all comes down to how I can display my work in camp on fight night.
“I’ve done that for 18 fights and hopefully 19 will be on the way.
“This can give me endless opportunities. I can fight for a world title, I can fight for a British title, face the likes of Chris Eubank Jr.
“Once you get through a fight like this in flying colours then the doors are open.”
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Williams was accused of being a “dirty fighter” by Eubank Jr in the build-up to his unanimous decision defeat to the Brighton boxer in 2022.
The Welshman has since bounced back, picking up two victories over the relatively unknown Nizar Trimech and Florin Cardos.
Sheeraz talked up his upcoming opponent’s attributes and believes he needs to stay disciplined.
“He’s experienced and he’s fought for world titles,” Sheeraz added.
“He’s tough, he’s rugged, he’s someone who has almost won world titles and he’s proven. He’s going to be confident for sure.
“I need to stay disciplined and not get involved emotionally. Once you get involved emotionally then you’re playing into your opponent’s hands.”
Sheeraz has eyed a potential bout in Saudi Arabia in 2024, insisting now is the best time to be a boxer.
He said: “I want a good performance on February 10 and then I want a fight out in Saudi and to become well known out there.
“It’s probably the best time to be involved in boxing. Especially with the money in it, the promoters working together, the platform, it’s all at its peak.”
Cameron Winnett and Alex Mann were junior school pupils when Wales last beat England in a Six Nations game at Twickenham.
But 12 years on from that Triple Crown-clinching victory, both Cardiff prospects will feature in one of rugby union’s most fierce rivalries after being selected to start against England on Saturday.
Their sporting careers have a symmetrical appearance, as both were promising footballers – Mann a centre-back in Cardiff’s academy – and they made debuts together for club and country.
They first played for Cardiff across the A316 from Twickenham against Harlequins as teenagers, while Winnett started the 27-26 Six Nations home loss to Scotland last weekend and Mann went on during Wales’ remarkable fightback from 27 points adrift, scoring his team’s fourth try.
Full-back Winnett, 21, was born on January 7, 2003 – flanker Mann on January 6 the previous year – and they look likely to be part of Wales squads heading towards World Cup 2027 in Australia and beyond.
Winnett describes Mann as being “like a big brother” and there is a noticeable chemistry between them, partly forged by their time together for Wales Under-20s, a team that Mann captained.
Reflecting on his Wales debut, Winnett said: “It was amazing, and everything I had worked for since I was a little kid with a dream.
“I was thinking about all the sacrifices my parents made, taking me to sessions, and all the coaches who had helped me get to that point.”
Mann added: “That is what we work for, really. All those days that are dark days or good days.
“Standing there was a bit surreal, I was just soaking it all in, really. It was probably the best day in the world.”
Mann’s football connection extended to events last Saturday, with his friend Isaak Davies scoring the winning goal for Belgian Pro League club Kortrijk against Charleroi at roughly the same time Mann appeared off the bench for his Wales debut.
Davies moved on loan from Cardiff to Kortrijk last summer, and Mann added: “He was the first I FaceTimed afterwards because he was in Belgium playing and he scored, funnily enough the time I came on, so it was a proud day for us both.”
“I started with Cwmbach, got scouted, and then went straight into the (Cardiff City) academy. The professional set-up, I think that has helped me a lot from a young age.
“Then I started playing rugby again in school, and I knew straightaway that was for me. It just came naturally, the way I am.”
Winnett played soccer as a junior at Rhondda club Cambrian and Clydach Vale, where Terry Venables was chairman and president. Venables’ mother Myrtle hailed from Clydach Vale.
“It had always been rugby and football,” Winnett said. “I played for my local team Porth growing up, and then Cambrian, where I had two seasons.
“After those two seasons, I thought I couldn’t keep on playing two games of soccer and rugby on the same day, so I decided to play rugby.”
Attention now turns to Twickenham as Wales target ending a run of seven successive defeats since toppling England there during the 2015 World Cup.
Mann said: “The senior boys in the group have helped us loads, settling us in. Anything I want to ask, they are more than happy to help.
“I am trying to be like a sponge, really, trying to listen to it all and take it all in.”
Reach For The Moon was reported to have finished lame after coming home unplaced on his jumping bow at Sedgefield.
Owned by the Queen in partnership with Sir Chips Keswick, Reach For The Moon was a Group Three winner and one-time Classic hope for Queen Elizabeth II before he lost his way on the Flat.
Switched to the care of Jamie Snowden, Reach For The Moon embarked on a National Hunt career in the second division of the Betting.Bet New Betting Sites Maiden Hurdle, but after racing in second through the early exchanges, he was beaten at the turn for home.
Schmilsson was was sent off the 11-10 favourite and successfully made all the running as Reach For The Moon dropped away, with Snowden eager to check on the gelding’s health straight after the race.
He said: “He showed he’s got the aptitude for jumping but he’s returned lame, so we need to check that he’s OK.”
Ireland are hopeful centre Garry Ringrose will be available for Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations match against Italy in Dublin.
Leinster co-captain Ringrose is “progressing nicely” in his recovery from the shoulder injury which caused him to miss his country’s 38-17 round-one win over France.
The 29-year-old was again absent from training on Wednesday but Ireland’s coaching staff expect to have a fully-fit squad in contention for the Azzurri’s visit to the Aviva Stadium.
“We are pretty confident that everyone will be fit to train fully tomorrow,” assistant coach Mike Catt told reporters, according to RTE.
“Ringer (Ringrose) is coming through nicely, he didn’t train today, but progressing nicely.
“(There are) a few guys with bumps and bruises, a couple that are still rumbling around.”
An intriguing field of four will go to post for the M1 Agency Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle at Huntingdon on Thursday.
Some good horses have won this Listed affair over the years – including the Nicky Henderson-trained Shishkin in 2020.
Representing Seven Barrows this year, and heading the market, is Jango Baie, winner the Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day.
That win in what was the Tolworth Hurdle took his record to two from two over timber, and he will once again be partnered by James Bowen.
“We’re going two-mile-three with him this time and it’s a slight step up (in trip), he was around Aintree over two last time,” said Henderson.
“I thought he was finishing that race very strongly, so I wanted to have a look at him around two and a half just to see. He’s in both the Supreme and the Baring Bingham (at the Cheltenham Festival) come March.
“The owner has both Jango Baie and Jingko Blue – and I’ll put the wrong horse in a race someday soon – and the other horse won very nicely at Sandown on Saturday.”
Two others in the field are unbeaten so far in their hurdling careers – Bugise Seagull for Charlie Longsdon and the Ben Pauling-trained Handstands.
Like Jango Baie, both are two from two and the latter was most recently seen scoring in a novice event at Newcastle.
“He’s a lovely horse who does everything you ask of him at home but no more,” said Pauling.
“I hope his jumping is sharp enough, but he’s certainly a horse that we’ve got no idea where the bottom is and we like him a lot really.
“He’ll be a fabulous chaser next year, but I think he can be a good hurdler this year as well.
“This is a lovely race, it’s cut up in numbers but the quality is there I suppose and it’ll be interesting to see where we fit amongst these and give us a steer towards where we go in the spring.”
The other contender is the Joe Tizzard-trained Diamond Ri, who confirmed the promise of his debut second when winning at Warwick last month.
Live Super League games will be shown on the BBC for the first time as part of a three-year deal struck between the broadcaster and Rugby League Commercial.
The BBC will show a total of 15 live games during the 2024 campaign – starting with Wigan’s trip to Castleford on February 17 – and the World Club Challenge between Wigan and Penrith the following week, both of which will be on BBC Two.
RL Commercial’s managing director Rhodri Jones said: “This is a landmark agreement for Rugby League. Securing live free-to-air coverage on the BBC for the Super League competition as part of this reimagined partnership, means there will be more visibility than ever before.”
The BBC will also continue to broadcast at least one Challenge Cup match from each round, culminating in the Wembley final on June 8, along with games in the women’s and wheelchair competitions.
The deal effectively replaces the previous two-year deal with Channel 4, which expired at the end of last season.
Sky Sports extended and expanded its own deal with Super League in October, which will see every match covered live via a combination of Sky Sports channels and the company’s new streaming platform, Super League Plus.
Wales boss Warren Gatland has made seven changes to the starting line-up for Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash against England at Twickenham.
Centre George North returns from injury for his 50th Six Nations appearances, lining up alongside Nick Tompkins in midfield.
Fly-half Sam Costelow, who went off injured during the first-half of Wales’ 27-26 loss to Scotland last weekend, is replaced by Ioan Lloyd, with Tomos Williams at scrum-half.
Gatland has also selected a new front-row of Gareth Thomas, Elliot Dee and Keiron Assiratti, with Cardiff flanker Alex Mann handed a first Wales start following his try-scoring appearance off the bench against Scotland.
Sean Bowen is looking to make up for lost time when he makes his return from a lengthy absence at Huntingdon on Thursday.
Bowen held a significant advantage over Harry Cobden before he suffered a nasty fall from Gordon Elliott’s Farren Glory in the Grade One Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day.
A problem with a knee has kept him on the sidelines since, and Cobden has whittled away at his advantage to such an extent that before racing on Wednesday the gap had been reduced to just four.
Bowen returns on Olly Murphy’s Roccovango in the Mulberry Developments Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.
“It’s been a long six weeks out of the saddle, and I really can’t wait to get back riding on Thursday,” said Coral ambassador Bowen.
“I don’t tend to watch much racing when I’m out of action, but I do watch James (brother) and support him, and I’ll always check the results to see how Olly’s horses have got on. It is always tough seeing the horses you’d have been on go out there and win, because even though you’re happy they’ve won, you always want to be the jockey to win on them.
“Harry has been riding right at the top of his game recently, and Paul’s (Nicholls) horses are also in great form, so I really need to get back riding winners if I want to be champion jockey, which make no mistake, I do!
“I’d much rather still have a comfortable lead, but the fact Harry is now breathing down my neck at the top of the championship has given me that extra bit of fire in my belly to want to get back out there and ride as many winners as I possibly can.
“It’s very much going to be a numbers game for me for the rest of the season, so wherever I think I have the best chance of riding a few winners is where I’ll be heading, regardless of the high-profile action that might be taking place elsewhere.”
He added of Roccovango: “He’s not a horse we know much about as he’ll be having his first start for Olly on Thursday, but he’d look potentially well-handicapped on some of his form in Ireland, so he goes there with a chance.
“I’d say we’ll have to go some to beat Harry Derham’s horse Nordic Tiger though, as he looks particularly well-in at the weights.”
Rugby League Jamaica successfully concluded its ninth National Division II competition on at the UWI Mona Bowl. Once more, the eight-team competition saw cross-town rivals Duhaney Park Firestorm and Washington Boulevard Bulls battle for supremacy after previously getting past Liguanea Dragons and Mona Pelicans, respectively, in the semi-finals the week before.
The Firestorm emerged champions with a narrow 16-10 win. The final was a defensive battle throughout as both teams found it difficult to score. With a minute to go and the score locked at 10-all, it took a massive defensive stop by the Firestorm to secure victory.
Bulls was in possession and threatening to score. However, Oshane Edie was bundled into touch. At the restart, Javian Bryan broke free for the Firestorm and sprinted 80 metres to score under the posts to seal the win for the champs.
Other try scorers for the Firestorm were Akel Johnson and Akeem Murray, while Kemoy Whyte kicked two goals. For the Bulls, tries came from Racheed Pencle and Shawayne Collins, while Shamoy Stewart kicked a goal.
Commenting on the competition Director of Rugby Romeo Monteith said, “It was a great competition, one of the most competitive to date with very close scores in most of the games. The Firestorm have proven their resilience one more and congrats to them. One of the highlights for us is the high number of players aged between 18-23 that participated. This is really our target audience for this Division, and we see some fantastic athletes coming through.”
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