Steve Borthwick claims the England team he inherited from Eddie Jones "weren’t good at anything" but says he has seen progress despite defeat to Scotland.
The former Leicester Tigers boss saw his side lose the first game of his tenure in their Six Nations opener, as they were beaten 29-23 at Twickenham.
In a World Cup year, it marked another damning result for England's prospects, with their dismal run during 2022 contributing to the exit of long-term boss Jones.
But now Borthwick, who worked as the Australian's assistant before leaving for Leicester, has given a withering appraisal of the squad left behind by him amid the Scotland post-mortem.
"I've been frank from day one in saying there's a lot of work to do," he told the Guardian. "When I looked at the team in the autumn, when I measured the team and got all the data for the team, we weren't good at anything.
"It was as frank as that. My job is to make sure we get some improvements next week. I have asked the players to play a new way.
"One thing I have got to do here is get the players to believe in themselves, and get the players to bring their strengths to the pitch.
"[I have to] get them to play to the best of themselves, which I don't think we have seen them do for a while. I think you saw an improvement in that regard."
England held a 20-12 lead at one point in London, before a collapse allowed Scotland to sweep to a historic victory against their rivals.
Having brought respected assistant Kevin Sinfield from Leicester to oversee defence, the soft nature of his side's concessions is a sticking point for Borthwick.
With that in mind, however, he felt the team showed spirit to their concessions, adding: "I'd seen a habit with the team of conceding points early and not being able to respond to it.
"We conceded points [against Scotland] and the biggest thing I was looking at was the response. I thought the response was magnificent."
Aaron Rodgers was jubilant after claiming victory at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, as speculation over the quarterback's Green Bay Packers future heats up.
The 39-year-old, alongside partner Ben Silverman, clung on for a one-shot victory in the pro-am portion of the PGA Tour event on Sunday, finishing 26-under for the weekend.
After a difficult season that saw the Packers miss the playoffs for just the fourth time during his tenure as their starter, Rodgers was happy to have his name on the Wall of Champions.
"It's really significant," Rodgers said of his victory in California. "It's always been on my bucket list."
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen came in four-under par behind Rodgers, and joked inclement weather had helped his rival to victory amid a truncated tournament.
However, Rodgers laughed off such suggestions, adding: "Josh Allen was telling me there's going to be an asterisk by this win because there were only three rounds.
"But I think our names are going to be up there for a long time."
Rodgers' victory comes amid turmoil over his future, with the 18-season veteran seemingly poised to bring his Packers career to a close.
With the recent retirement of Tom Brady, talk continues to swirl over a potential trade for the quarterback, with multiple teams likely to be interested in a move.
Rodgers sought to shut down speculation last month, suggesting all talk over any exit was merely conjecture.
The Packers came third in the NFC North division this season, with an 8-9 losing record.
The Carolina Panthers are hiring Ejiro Evero as their new defensive coordinator following his exit from the Denver Broncos.
Earlier on Sunday, Evero was released from his post with the Broncos following Sean Payton's arrival as the franchise's head coach.
The 42-year-old has swiftly found his feet elsewhere, with Carolina confirming his appointment – where he previously interviewed for the head coaching job.
A Super Bowl winner as secondary and passing game coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams last year, Evero has impressed despite the Broncos' disappointing campaign in 2022.
The Broncos ranked seventh in the league for total defense and 14th in points allowed, an impressive feat for a franchise that finished the year with a 5-12 record.
Evero was heavily linked with a move to the Minnesota Vikings, who are also on the hunt for a defensive coordinator ahead of the 2023 season.
Leading 2-0 from Day 1 of their Davis Cup Group II tie, Jamaica went on to win contest 3-2 at the Eric Bell National Tennis Centre in Kingston on Sunday.
After Rowland Phillips won his match over Krisjtian Tamm 6-1, 6-1 and Blaise Bicknell defeated Kenneth Raisma 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 on Saturday, the Estonian doubles team of Raisma and Jurgen Zopp pulled one back on Sunday when they defeated John Chin and Daniel Azar in straight sets 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday.
However, things took a turn for the worst for the visitors in match four when Blaise Bicknell defeated Tamm by default to hand Jamaica an unassailable lead.
Blaise Bicknell won his tie-breaker against Tamm, who hit the centre-line judge out of frustration and picking up a default as a result effectively handing the Jamaicans the match.
The visiting team won some consolation when Johannes Seaman defeated Jacob Bicknell 6-1, 6-0 to end the tie 3-2 in favour of the Jamaicans.
Stephen Curry looks set for a potentially lengthy spell on the sidelines after it was confirmed the Golden State Warriors star had suffered multiple tears in his left leg.
The two-time NBA MVP was forced off in the third quarter of Saturday's 119-113 win against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr acknowledged he was concerned over the outcome of a subsequent MRI for the point guard after the game.
Now, the team's fears have been realised with the confirmation Curry has suffered a significant leg injury and his ruled out for the foreseeable future.
"An MRI last night confirmed that Stephen Curry suffered partial tears to his superior tibiofibular ligaments and interosseous membrane as well as a contusion to his lower leg," read a statement.
"He will not play in tomorrow’s game and additional clarity on a potential timeline will be established in the coming days."
Curry had posted 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds before his exit on Saturday, just two days after hurting his left knee against the Denver Nuggets.
The four-time NBA champion missed 11 games through a shoulder injury earlier this season, and his absence will be a blow to the Warriors once again.
With an average of 29.4 points per game this season, Curry is ninth in the NBA and leads the way for his team, ahead of Klay Thompson (20.8) and Jordan Poole (20.5)
The Warriors sit seventh in the Western Conference with a 27-26 winning record to date, and next face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
Stephen Curry looks set for a potentially lengthy spell on the sidelines after it was confirmed the Golden State Warriors star had suffered multiple tears in his left leg.
The two-time NBA MVP was forced off in the third quarter of Saturday's 119-113 win against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr acknowledged he was concerned over the outcome of a subsequent MRI for the point guard after the game.
Now, the team's fears have been realised with the confirmation Curry has suffered a significant leg injury and his ruled out for the foreseeable future.
"An MRI last night confirmed that Stephen Curry suffered partial tears to his superior tibiofibular ligaments and interosseous membrane as well as a contusion to his lower leg," read a statement.
"He will not play in tomorrow’s game and additional clarity on a potential timeline will be established in the coming days."
Curry had posted 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds before his exit on Saturday, just two days after hurting his left knee against the Denver Nuggets.
The four-time NBA champion missed 11 games through a shoulder injury earlier this season, and his absence will be a blow to the Warriors once again.
With an average of 29.4 points per game this season, Curry is ninth in the NBA and leads the way for his team, ahead of Klay Thompson (20.8) and Jordan Poole (20.5)
The Warriors sit seventh in the Western Conference with a 27-26 winning record to date, and next face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
Kyrie Irving got his wish to leave the Brooklyn Nets and will be a member of the Dallas Mavericks, reports said on Sunday.
The Nets agreed to trade Irving to the Mavericks in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith a first-round draft pick and multiple second-round picks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The trade comes two days after Irving reportedly told the Nets he wanted to leave before Thursday’s trade deadline, otherwise he would depart as a free agent in July.
The 30-year-old is averaging 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 40 games this season for a Nets team that entered play Sunday with a 32-20 record and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
He joins a Mavericks team in sixth place in the West with a 28-26 record and will pair with Luka Doncic in the backcourt.
Irving is considered one of the league’s top point guards, having recently been selected to start in his eighth All-Star Game coming up in two weeks, but he also has a history of controversy.
Vocally against the COVID-19 vaccine and vaccination mandates, Irving was also sidelined for eight games in November after posting a link on social media to an antisemitic film.
Dallas will be the fourth franchise Irving plays for after he was drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011.
He spent his first six seasons in Cleveland and won an NBA title in 2016 before being traded prior to the 2017-18 season to the Boston Celtics.
After two seasons in Boston, he signed a four-year contract with Brooklyn in July 2019.
Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero has been released as Sean Payton arrives as head coach, according to reports.
Evero, a Super Bowl winner as secondary coach and passing game coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams last year, is wanted by rival teams.
And with the arrival of former New Orleans Saints coach Payton as the successor to Nathaniel Hackett, ESPN says Evero has come to an agreement to leave the Broncos.
The 42-year-old, who previously interviewed for head coaching jobs with the Arizona Cardinals and the Indianapolis Colts, is said to be a candidate for the Minnesota Vikings' DC position.
Shaun Edwards warned France will be in for a "hiding" against Ireland in the Six Nations next weekend if they fail to raise their game after clinging on to beat Italy 29-24.
The defending champions needed a Matthieu Jalibert try with 14 minutes to play at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday to start the defence of their title with a bonus-point win.
First-half tries from Thibaud Flament, Thomas Ramos and debutant Ethan Dumortier put the holders well on course for victory, but an Ange Capuozzo score and three Tommaso Allan penalties meant they only led 19-14 at the break.
A penalty try that also resulted in Charles Ollivon being sent to the sin-bin and another three points for Allan sensationally put the resurgent Azzurri in front with just under 20 minutes to play.
France were able to extend their winning run to 14 matches courtesy of Jalibert's finish, but they had to withstand late pressure and Allan missed a kick at goal as Italy fell just short of claiming a famous victory.
Les Bleus face Ireland, the world's top-ranked side, at the Aviva Stadium next Saturday and defence coach Edwards says their winning streak will come to a juddering halt if they fail to improve on their display in Rome.
He told ITV Sport: "First half, we were quite dominant. They came on leaps and bounds in the second half and obviously at the end it was a very tight affair, but we are in a good habit of winning tight games at the moment.
"It happened against Australia, against South Africa, it's happened in a few games.
"Hopefully we can continue that habit, but I think we all know if we don't put up a better performance next week we'll be on the end of a 15-30 point hiding."
Indisciplined France conceded 18 penalties, although Edwards suggested the count should not have been so high.
"Certainly against the defence it's something I will be looking at this week and I'll be honest, I've been in the game for 20 years and that's the most penalties I've ever had against the defence.
"It's something we pride ourselves on with the French team in particular and all the way through with Wales, Wasps, etc. We'll have to go through it in detail with the referees, because it's the first time my defence has been penalised so much."
Italy gifted too many easy points to France in their Six Nations opener, but Tommaso Allan believes his side can rally from their 29-24 loss.
The Azzurri fell short of a famous victory in Rome against the reigning champions after Matthieu Jalibert's late try saw Les Bleus scrape the win.
Having been the competition's regular whipping boys for many years, Italy showed further signs of progress under coach Kieran Crowley in the narrow loss.
Allan acknowledged it was a difficult result to take after leading late in proceedings, but stressed there will be more improvement to come.
"It's quite tough to swallow this defeat," he told ITV. "We had our chances. In the first half, we [made] too many errors.
"We gave 19 points to the French off our mistakes. We have to find our balance of execution. We will be more diligent the more we do.
"There are a lot of positives to take from this. We are very confident for next week's game. It's small margins."
Allan missed a penalty with six minutes to go which would have trimmed the gap to just two points in the closing stages.
The fly-half acknowledged a successful effort there would have changed the complexion of the game and tasked himself to deliver going forward.
"I need to make those kicks," he added. "Next time, we can kick to win as well. We're improving every week.
"We have to start winning as well now. We know we can win. We showed some good rugby."
Fast-rising American Alycia Parks pulled off a stunning victory over world number five and home favourite Caroline Garcia in the Lyon Open final on Sunday.
Playing her first final on the main WTA tour, Parks earned a 7-6 (9-7) 7-5 win against last season's WTA Finals champion.
The Atlanta-born world number 79 won two titles at lower-tier WTA 125 events in December, triumphing in Andorra and the French city of Angers while many players were enjoying an off-season.
Yet this week has been a step up from that level, and 22-year-old Parks capped her run to the final by taking down the top seed and darling of the crowd.
"This title means a lot to me," Parks said. "France has a special part in my heart right now."
A to-and-fro tie-break in the opening set eventually went Parks' way after a stray forehand from Garcia.
A painful fall when running to her right on the baseline meant Parks needed medical attention early in the second set, but she was able to carry on.
Garcia tried to rouse the crowd after clinging to her serve in the eighth game to stay on level terms, and there were unsporting cheers for a double fault from Parks at the start of the ninth.
Yet Parks was not knocked out of her stride, with the player who stood 199th on the rankings at this time last year completing the biggest win of her career when Garcia sent down a double fault on match point.
Matthieu Jalibert came to the rescue as France started the defence of their Six Nations title with a 29-24 bonus-point win over resurgent Italy in a thriller at Stadio Olimpico.
Les Bleus extending their winning run to 14 Tests, but the Azzurri came agonisingly close to producing a famous upset in Rome on Sunday.
Thibaud Flament, Thomas Ramos and Ethan Dumortier crossed in the first half for the holders, but they only led 19-14 at the break following an Ange Capuozzo try and three Tommaso Allan penalties.
A penalty try that also saw Charles Ollivon depart to the sin-bin left Italy only 22-21 down and Allen's penalty put them in front with just under 20 minutes to play.
Jalibert came off the bench to score the decisive try 14 minutes from time, though, with indisciplined France withstanding late pressure to cling on after Allen missed a penalty.
France were gifted an early lead by a Stephen Varney box kick that Flament charged down and coasted in for a simple finish, but Allan reduced the deficit to 7-3 with a penalty.
Ollivon had a try ruled out for a knock-on following another Italy error, but Ramos was on hand to dot down a loose ball after neither Capuozzo nor Damian Penaud were able to gather Romain Ntamack's cross-field kick.
Allen was on target with a second penalty before another pinpoint Ntamack kick to the left flank put a first Test score on a plate for Dumortier, Ramos adding the extras.
The Azzurri continued to pose a threat of their own and the livewire Capuozzo finished superbly in the left corner, with Allen missing the conversion but slotting over a penalty on the stroke of half-time.
Ramos made no mistake from the tee early in the second half, but Italy were only a point down when referee Matthew Carley awarded them a penalty try and showed Ollivon a yellow card for bringing down a driving maul after 52 minutes.
Allen sensationally booted Kieran Crowley's side in front just before Ollivon returned, only for Jalibert to crash over after taking a sublime offload from fellow replacement Romain Taofifenua to put France back into the lead.
Italy were not finished yet, but Allen was unable to send another kick between the posts and Les Bleus dug in under big pressure in the closing stages to avoid an upset.
Capuozzo sparkles again as Italy show they are on the up
Italy ended a seven-year wait for a Six Nations win by stunning Wales 22-21 in Cardiff last year and also beat Australia in November.
They were denied a stunning victory over Les Bleus, but showed they must be taken seriously and France-born full-back Capuozzo gave another demonstration of his class with a great finish in another eye-catching display.
Wake-up call for France in World Cup year
France did not do themselves any favours as they conceded 18 penalties, just about holding on to extend their long winning run.
This should serve us a wake-up call as they strive to follow up their Grand Slam triumph last year, with a Rugby World Cup starting on home soil starting in only seven months' time.
What's next?
France head to Dublin for a huge battle with Ireland next Saturday, with Italy travelling to Twickenham to face England on Sunday.
Daniel Gavins recovered after twice finding the water on the 18th hole to clinch a dramatic one-shot victory at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship on Sunday.
Gavins began the final round two shots behind leader Zander Lombard, but the Englishman moved ahead with a run of five successive birdies immediately after bogeying the first.
Two strokes separated Gavins from the pursuing Alexander Bjork ahead of the final hole, where the leader initially appeared to have thrown the title away in remarkable circumstances.
Gavins drove into the water and did likewise with his approach, before pulling a 26-foot putt out of the bag to finish with a double bogey and leave him waiting anxiously on his competitors.
Bjork put himself out of the running with a bogey before Lombard missed an eagle putt to tie things up, handing Gavins his second DP World Tour victory 18 months after his first – which came at the ISPS Handa World Invitational in August 2021.
Speaking after the dramatic finish, Gavins said: "I am pretty speechless. I thought I had [thrown it away]. I put two in the water and thought 'that's one way to end the tournament'.
"I've been struggling off the tee the last two weeks and it's not a very nice tee shot to have on 18, even with a lead.
"It was a difficult hole to get through and to be fair I thought I was holing that putt for a play-off. I didn't realise Bjork had made bogey.
"I sunk the putt and went to the back of the green and saw that I was actually winning still. It was kind of a big shock."
Bjork and Lombard were tied for second on 16-under-par, while Adrian Meronk and Thorbjorn Olesen finished one shot behind the duo in a share of fourth.
Twin brothers Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard began the day in contention, but the former finished 14-under and the latter dropped off to finish three shots further back.
Amanda Serrano's rematch with Katie Taylor has been confirmed following a unanimous points win over Erika Cruz in New York on Saturday.
The Puerto Rican became undisputed featherweight champion with her triumph, paving the way for a second bout against Taylor in Dublin on May 20.
Taylor joined Serrano in the ring following the victory over Cruz to confirm the showdown, having beaten Serrano on points last April.
"This is more than a dream come true. My debut in Ireland against Amanda Serrano, 'The Real Deal' Amanda Serrano. This is incredible," Taylor said.
"The last fight was epic, and I expect nothing less for the next one."
The pair set history in their initial fight, which was the first women's clash to headline a boxing card at Madison Square Garden.
The rematch will take place at Dublin's 3Arena after negotiations to hold a bout at Croke Park broke down due to security costs.
Fraser McConnell continues to enhance his reputation as an elite RallyCross driver when he won his second qualifying event at Stampede Park in Calgary on Saturday.
Cam Thomas was surprised by Kyrie Irving's trade demand, but it has not changed how he feels about his Brooklyn Nets teammate.
Irving's request for a trade was lodged on Friday and has led to a flurry of interest ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.
The Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns are among the franchises attributed with an interest in Irving, with the Nets mulling over their options as they seek to remain competitive ahead of the imminent return from injury of Kevin Durant.
While Irving's demand caught his teammates off guard, Thomas insisted the 30-year-old was still his "brother".
"Yeah, of course, everybody was surprised, but it's not my business, that's still my brother at the end of the day," he told reporters.
"He's one of the few guys who I really consider a brother in basketball. Just a big brother who I can look up to and ask anything to.
"So, whatever happens, happens, but he's still my brother no matter what at the end of the day."
Asked whether he has spoken directly to Irving, Thomas added: "For what? That's his business. I'm trying to get ready for a game.
"At the end of the day, he's made the best decision for himself. Whatever he does, I'm going to be supporting him, be happy for him, still call him and everything, but right now, they've got their own business going on."
Irving was absent from the Nets' 125-123 victory against the Washington Wizards on Saturday due to right calf soreness. Thomas was the standout figure in that game, with the 21-year-old stepping off the bench to score 44 points.
Dominic Thiem insists Novak Djokovic must be regarded as the greatest tennis player of all time, ruling Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal out of contention.
Despite a hamstring issue, Djokovic became the joint-most successful male player in grand slam history last week as he moved level with Nadal on 22 titles following his record-extending 10th Australian Open triumph.
Along with retired 20-time major winner Federer, Djokovic and Nadal find themselves in the long-running debate to determine the greatest player in history.
But 2020 US Open champion Thiem, who believes the number of major wins must be the decisive factor in the conversation, is confident Djokovic will soon leave his two great rivals firmly behind.
"In my opinion, the grand slam titles should be the defining criteria when determining the best of all time, they are the four most important tournaments in tennis," the Austrian said.
"Everything else is fine, but it's not the same. The slams are what counts, so the GOAT will probably be the one with the most grand slams.
"I am not very surprised [by Djokovic's Melbourne triumph]. Djokovic still looks young – physically and mentally, because of the way he moves on the court. It's like he was 25 years old.
"We have to be honest, he is the best, so his victory was not very surprising."
Zhu Lin captured her first singles title on the WTA Tour with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Lesia Tsurenko in Sunday's Thailand Open final in Hua Hin.
Zhu, playing in her first Tour-level final at the age of 29, produced a polished display against the Ukrainian, who had toppled top seed Bianca Andreescu in the last four.
Tsurenko got off to a miserable start as Zhu broke in the first game, but she soon responded with a break of her own in a topsy-turvy opening set.
Six of the last seven games played in the opener resulted in breaks of serve, with Zhu coming out on top before taking charge in the second.
Zhu was in the ascendency after three successive breaks when she forced her first championship point with a big forehand winner to end an epic rally, though Tsurenko recovered to force yet another break as the momentum shifted again.
However, Zhu, who will move into the top 50 of the world rankings as a result of her successful campaign in Thailand, hit back once more before converting her third championship point with an emphatic forehand to seal her maiden title.
The NBA has handed out bans to Austin Rivers, Mo Bamba and Jalen Suggs for their roles in an on-court brawl during the Orlando Magic's 127-120 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
Rivers and Bamba became involved in an altercation late in the third quarter, with both men throwing punches before Magic guard Suggs pulled Rivers to the ground.
All three players were ejected in the aftermath of the incident, with Timberwolves duo Jaden McDaniels and Taurean Prince joining them after getting too involved in the melee.
Bamba will face the most severe punishment after the league said he continued to "engage with Rivers in a hostile manner" outside the locker rooms following the brawl.
The Orlando center will serve a four-game suspension without pay, while Rivers has been given a similar three-game ban.
Bamba's team-mate Suggs will miss one game for escalating the confrontation by grabbing Rivers around the neck, the league said, with that ban to be served when the Magic face the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
McDaniels, meanwhile, has been fined $20,000 for his actions, which included running into the melee to push Bamba from behind.
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