Legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is through to the Sweet 16 at his last March Madness before he retires.
'Coach K' is in his 42nd season in charge at the school, and is searching for his sixth national championship.
His Blue Devils took on Michigan State and fellow Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo in the second round on Sunday, pulling away late to win 85-76.
Duke boasts three likely first round picks in this year's NBA Draft, and they showed exactly why, headlined by potential number one overall Paolo Banchero.
Banchero, who stands at six-foot-10, showed his all-round game, hitting tough pull-up jump shots, flashing an advanced interior passing game and defensive mobility to finish with a team-high 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-5 from long range, and an equal team-high four assists.
Two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry is optimistic he can return from his left foot injury prior to the playoffs.
Curry sprained a ligament in his left foot on March 16 against the Boston Celtics, with the Golden State Warriors stating on Friday that he would be re-evaluated in two weeks.
The Warriors, who held a 47-23 record prior to Sunday's game against the San Antonio Spurs and sit third in the west, will have five regular-season games remaining when Curry is due to be re-evaluated.
The NBA playoffs are due to commence on April 16 and Curry was optimistic about getting in some games prior to that when he spoke to the media on Sunday wearing a boot on his injured foot.
"I think I'll get enough time for that but I'm an optimist," Curry told reporters.
"It was definitely painful at first. But it's getting better by the day. Trying to assess the recovery in real-time, just knowing how much we can push it on a day to day.
"I'm just trying to stay patient and know that it will continue to get better."
Three-time NBA champion Curry has been a key part of the Warriors' success this season, after the side missed the playoffs in 2020 and 2021.
Curry, who broke Ray Allen's all-time NBA record for three-pointers made this season, has scored 25.5 points per game, with 5.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists this season.
Sunday's game against the Spurs will be Golden State's first without Curry since the injury, with the side hoping to hold on to the third seed in the west with the Memphis Grizzlies (49-23) ahead of them, while the Utah Jazz (44-26) and Dallas Mavericks (43-28) are a few games back.
Curry, however, said diligence in recovery was the key with a view to fully recovering from the injury ahead of the playoffs.
"You want to not rush the beginning phases of healing," Curry said. "That's where you can get the most progress so when you put the shoe back on, get back out on the court, you're not dealing with crazy soreness.
"You give yourself a better shot because this is one that if you push it too soon, it can linger and be a real nuisance."
Curry also had no hard feelings towards Celtics guard Marcus Smart who was involved in the incident that led to the injury after head coach Steve Kerr had criticized him for "dangerous play".
"He made the play that he did, but I don't think it was malicious or dirty," Curry said.
Taylor Fritz had never experienced "worse pain in my life before a match" before overcoming an ankle injury to end Rafael Nadal's winning start to the season and win the Indian Wells Masters on Sunday.
The American 20th seed, who has never been further than the fourth round at a major, claimed a breakthrough maiden ATP Masters 1000 title with a 6-3 7-6 (7-5) victory over Nadal in two hours and six minutes.
Fritz, 24, was not sure if he would be able to take his place in Sunday's decider after tweaking his ankle in Saturday's semi-final win over Andrey Rublev which he battled in the lead-up.
The injury was far from ideal preparation coming up against the Spanish fourth seed, who was on a 20-0 run to start 2022 having won January's Australian Open for a record-breaking 21st career major.
"I can't even begin to describe how ridiculous it is that I was able to play how I could play today," Fritz said during his post-match on-court interview. "I've never ever experienced worse pain in my life before a match.
"If I knew it was going to be that bad, I wouldn’t have come out here [beforehand] because I think people saw it. I took a couple of change-of-direction steps and screamed.
"I was trying to act tough as I had cameras on me. It probably looked like I was over-exaggerating the pain with how loud I screamed when I felt it.
"We did a lot of work leading up to the match. I went through a roller-coaster of emotions before the match, from thinking there's no way I could possibly play then to doing so much work on the ankle and going out again hitting on one of the backcourts and being really happy, thinking I can play.
"Really it didn’t affect me out on the court. Unbelievable."
California native Fritz, who reached last year's Indian Wells semi-finals, admitted winning the event was a "childhood dream" and that it did not feel real.
"I'm going to have to hold back tears for every single interview I do and every on-court speech," he said. "This is going to be tough. I'm such a happy crier.
"This is one of those childhood dreams, winning this tournament especially, you never thought would come true. I keep saying 'no way this is real'."
The title is the biggest of Fritz's career to date, triumphing in his first Masters 1000 final, and becoming the first American men's champion at Indian Wells since Andre Agassi in 2001.
Fritz is also the youngest male champion at the event since Novak Djokovic in 2011 and achieved that by ending Nadal's career-best 20-match win streak, denying him a record-tying 37th ATP Masters 1000 title too.
"I've lost these matches against the big guys my whole life," Fritz said. "It's always felt like they're unbeatable. To do it on the biggest stage, there's no other way. To win a big title, I feel like you've got to beat the best."
Taylor Fritz spectacularly claimed his first ATP 1000 trophy on Sunday, defeating Rafael Nadal 6-3 7-6 (7-5) to win the Indian Wells Masters.
Having only won once in his previous five finals, against Sam Querrey at Eastbourne in 2019, the 24-year-old displayed distinct maturity under pressure despite carrying an ankle injury.
The Spanish world number four's undefeated streak coming into Sunday's final ended at 20 with the loss.
For Fritz however, his first Masters title coming in as many finals was difficult to process, especially against an opponent in Nadal in front of his home crowd.
"I've lost these matches against the big guys my whole life," Fritz said in his on-court interview. "It's always felt like they're just unbeatable, so to do it on this stage, you have to beat the best."
"This is just one of those childhood dreams, winning this tournament especially at Indian Wells. This is one of those childhood dreams that you just never think will come true. I just keep saying 'no way this is real'."
Both faced pressure under their respective serves, but Nadal ultimately failed to capitalise on opportunies, converting only twice out of a possible 10 break points.
His 34 unforced errors in comparison to Fritz's 22, in such a closely contested match, contributed to the eventual result.
Fritz overcame his ankle concerns to race to a 4-0 lead in the first set before Nadal, facing his own physical challenges, took a medical time-out after losing the first set.
Nadal saved a championship point to force a tiebreak in the second set. Reflecting the pressure he was under after going down a mini-break, though, the Spaniard's ground strokes teetered dangerously close to the baseline.
The 35-year-old even made rare approaches to the net to turn defence into attack, amid some thrilling exchanges from the baseline, but a scuffed volley from mid-court to set up another Fritz championship point was the last straw despite displaying his trademark doggedness.
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve was surprised about long-time teammate Carlos Correa's move to the Minnesota Twins.
The pair, who won the 2017 World Series together and were part of the Astros' side that lost last year's edition 4-2 to the Atlanta Braves, will be split up after Correa inked a bumper deal with the Twins.
Correa was declared a free agent for the first time in his career in November and rejected a qualifying offer from the Astros, before the Twins won the race to land him amid interest from several top teams.
Despite that interest and two-time All-Star Correa arguably being the most coveted free agent left on the market, the 27-year-old ended up with the Twins, who finished last in the American League (AL) Central last season with a 73-89 record.
"I was surprised. I wasn't expecting that," Altuve said. "Obviously we're going to miss him. He's a great player and a great guy inside the clubhouse. He was one of our leaders."
Altuve, who played alongside Correa since 2015, added: "Now that he's on another team, I'm happy for him. He got a great deal. Happy for him. I know he's going to play good. He's going to make the Twins better."
Shortstop Correa has reportedly signed with the Twins on a three-year, $105.3million deal, making him the MLB's highest paid infielder on average annual salary.
Correa is a career .277 hitter with 133 home runs, batting at .279 with 26 home runs and 92 RBIs last season, along with claiming his first Gold Glove. Puerto Rico-born Correa finished fifth in AL MVP voting last season.
Sam Burns secured his third PGA Tour victory in 22 starts, defeating Davis Riley in a playoff at the Valspar Championship on Sunday.
Burns defended his crown against his friend and Junior Ryder Cup teammate, birdieing the second playoff hole with a tough putt from the edge of the green on the notoriously difficult par-four 16th at Copperhead.
"It was crazy. Davis played really well, especially the way he finished," Burns said afterwards. "We didn't make a lot of mistakes, and I think a lot of times on Sundays, if you can plot your way around, make a bunch of pars, throw in a few birdies here and there, a lot of times it works well.
"My coach actually came down on Monday. I struggled in the final round of The Players and I needed some help."
On going up against Riley in the playoff, Burns admittedly won with a tinge of lament.
"It [the playoff] was a blast," Burns said. "Unfortunately, I got the better end of it today but throughout our careers we're going to have a lot of battles. He's a heck of player and I'm happy for how well he's been playing."
Burns and Riley were tied at 17-under-par after 72 holes, after the former bogeyed the penultimate hole, his first for the day.
The world number eight, who made five bogies and a double bogey playing in the last group at The Players Championship at Sawgrass the weekend prior, almost went without a blemish at Copperhead. With the finish line in sight, he hit the bunker on the par-three 17th and couldn't recover.
Riley then had a chance to putt for the tournament on the closing hole, after he birdied the 17th to tie with Burns, and set up a makeable birdie on the par-four 18th.
His putt drifted agonisingly wide of the cup, forcing a playoff. Riley's tee shot on the opening playoff hole faded into the rough before finding the bunker, while Burns made the green in regulation, but both made par.
The defending champion managed to birdie the notorious par-four 16th despite hitting the rough from the tee.
Iga Swiatek claimed back-to-back WTA 1000 titles as she captured the Indian Wells Open crown after defeating Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-1.
Winning her 11th successive match, the Pole added to her triumph in Doha last month after prevailing in one hour and 20 minutes.
Swiatek subsequently climbed to a career-high second in the WTA rankings; making her the first Polish player to do so since Agnieszka Radwanska in July 2012.
The 20-year-old also claimed her fifth career title; becoming only the fifth woman to reach that tally before her 21st birthday after Kim Clijsters, Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
"After playing so well in previous tournaments, I didn’t know it was possible for me to play that well for that long," said the former French Open champion, who claimed her second successive win over Sakkari having also prevailed in the Qatar Open semi-finals.
"I want to congratulate Maria. Every match against her is a great battle. I know that we've already started a cool rivalry.
"I think it's going to last for 10 more years, so it's going to be exciting, and I’m sure we're going to play many more finals.
"I want to thank my team; they're doing an amazing job calming me down and getting me to the place where I'm more confident and developing my tennis."
The two finalists struggled to settle during the opening set; both hitting five double-faults as six of the first seven games went against the serve.
But 12 unforced errors to her opponent's seven proved crucial for Sakkari, who had only been broken seven times in her five previous matches, as third seed Swiatek drew first blood after 45 minutes.
Losing only her second set of the week, sixth seed Sakkari had been beaten on all three occasions in 2022 when losing the opener.
Meanwhile, Swiatek had not dropped a set since her fourth-round victory over Angelique Kerber, and built on that momentum as she dominated the second.
The former Roland Garros champion broke her opponent twice more, as she only required an additional 35 minutes to wrap up victory; a sweeping forehand sealing the deal.
Carlos Sainz declared Ferrari "properly back" after finishing second in a Scuderia one-two that gave Mattia Binotto sweet relief following two barren years.
Ferrari had not celebrated a race win in Formula One since Sebastian Vettel led a one-two at the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc was the junior driver on that occasion, but in Bahrain on Sunday he moved to the top of the drivers' standings for the first time in his career.
Leclerc was a deserving winner, while Sainz profited from a double Red Bull retirement to claim second.
"Ferrari is back and properly back with a one-two, where the team should be and should have been the last few years," Sainz said afterwards. "The hard work is paying off and we are there."
Team principal Binotto had expected Red Bull to be "stronger" and expects both they and Mercedes will "come back very soon", but for now he enjoyed being able to revel in a precious victory.
"It's a relief, it's fantastic. A one-two was unexpected," he told Sky Sports. "It has been a great race and Charles defended the position.
"It was nice to see him battling and fighting for the position, for the win.
"In the end, it was a bit lucky, certainly. It was a heart attack for me on the pit wall, when you're consolidating the position and you've got the safety car 10 laps from the end [before Verstappen retired]."
There is always expectation on Ferrari, so this result should go some way to easing the pressure very slightly.
"The pressure is high, very, very high," Binotto said, "but what we need to do is try to focus on what we are doing and forget about it; otherwise, I think it would be too much stress.
"We came here focused on the performance, trying to have a clean race. The drivers have done the job."
Christina East and Renee Rickhi shattered another glass ceiling earlier this month when East was elected the first female president and Rickhi, the first female club captain respectively, of the 16-year-old Driftwood Hunting Club.
Both women are also the first females to be named to lead any gun or hunting club in Jamaica.
"The shooting world is a man's world and when I started learning to shoot over 20 years ago, it was a male-dominated sport with few women, whether it was sporting clays or rifle or pistol and when the influx of women came into the sport it drew a lot of attention. And when women started to do better than men in the different classes whether it was JRA (Jamaica Rifle Association) or the Skeet Club, it made the sport more competitive,” said East.
“Women made it more fun and more entertaining and women brought more flair to the shooting fraternity. Being a founding member of the Driftwood Gun Club, for the last 15 years we have managed a lot of charity and donations events across St. Elizabeth.
“The aim is to continue to assist those in need from the early childhood institutions in Treasure Beach that we do support and the bird boys to help them personally develop themselves and to continue to grow the club's membership.”
She believes the time was right for the club to have a female president.
"As the first female president of the gun club in Jamaica, I think that It’s the right time for a woman to ‘start leading and to start to make an impression on the shooting fraternity. Driftwood is a young club but has made a big impression on all the gun clubs. We are considered trendsetters among the shooting clubs and I have been among the group that has brought new ideas, events and vibes to the shooting arena. We host great shoots and other events and we intend to grow the members and to continue to personally and professionally teach them safety and to sharpen their skills.
"I also think it’s important that women be encouraged to be responsible firearm users and to be able to defend themselves, especially in a high-crime area. Under my leadership, we will specifically target women and encourage women to participate and learn to defend themselves and to take up competitive shooting and to really be great at it.
“It’s great that the club, which is predominantly male, has chosen two women to hold the two most prominent positions in the club. With Renee as the club captain, it demonstrates that women are highly regarded and respected in this sport.”
Rickhi said she was happy that the club has demonstrated its confidence in her abilities.
"I am honoured to be the first woman club captain of a hunting club in Jamaica. I am grateful to the members of Driftwood for having the confidence in me to give me this task,” she said.
“ A club captain of a hunting club has a lot of responsibility; land acquisition, field preparation and shoot management. We have to make sure that our birds are there, we are getting enough rise, they are coming to the field, watching the flight to determine the best position for the members. The good thing about my club is that we have a lot of fun but you still want them to have a great shoot no matter what. It’s a lot of work, especially closer to the season, but it's also a great time as well, especially the road trips and I want to commend Driftwood for choosing me as their club captain, as a woman and for choosing Christina East as their president."
Christian Horner and Max Verstappen reflected on a "brutal" Bahrain Grand Prix – but one in which they saw cause for optimism.
Red Bull failed to earn a single point in the first race of the 2022 Formula One season after both defending champion Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez were forced to retire in the closing stages.
Verstappen had been on course for P2, while Perez was battling with Carlos Sainz to make the podium, with Ferrari instead claiming a one-two as Charles Leclerc triumphed.
Team principal Horner was still waiting to identify the exact nature of the mechanical failure that cost Red Bull, although he clarified it was unrelated to either a handling issue for Verstappen or a fire onboard Pierre Gasly's AlphaTauri.
"It was a brutal finish to that race for us," Horner told Sky Sports. "What looked like a decent haul of points suddenly evaporated in the last couple of laps.
"It looks like a similar issue on both cars. We don't know exactly what it is yet, whether it's a lift pump, whether it's a collector or something along those lines. We've got to get into it and find out exactly what's caused it."
That Red Bull were competing with pre-season pace-setters Ferrari until that point was a clear positive for Horner, however.
"Zero points for us is tough," he said. "The positives we can take is we've had a competitive car.
"We were fighting for the race win at different points of that race, and we've got to get on top of these issues quickly.
"It's a long season, 23 races, so we've got to get this behind us and get stuck into the next event."
Verstappen had been frustrated for much of his drive and was not happy with Red Bull's performance, even if he agreed there were signs they could still compete.
"It was not great today. We didn't really show what we could do, for whatever reason," he said. "There is potential, for sure, otherwise you are not up there.
"We've lost a lot of points again in one race weekend, so that's really not good. I know one retirement means it's not over, but I would prefer to have at least 18 points."
Charles Leclerc says Ferrari could not have hoped for a better start to the season after he led a one-two in the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Leclerc claimed maximum points as the Scuderia secured their first victory since the 2019 season.
The Monegasque driver took the chequered flag ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz at the Bahrain International Circuit on Sunday, with Lewis Hamilton finishing third in a miserable start to the campaign for Red Bull.
Defending champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez retired late in the race in Sakhir on a dream day for Leclerc.
"[I am] so happy," he said. "The last two years have been incredibly difficult for the team. We knew it would be a big opportunity for us and the guys have done such an incredible job in building this amazing car.
"Starting in the best way possible; pole position, victory, the fastest lap, one-two with Carlos - we couldn't have hoped for any better.
"I was trying to be as clever as possible, brake early in Turn One and twice, it worked out. I took back my first position, and I am incredibly happy to make it work."
Sainz was also elated to see Ferrari back in business.
"First, congrats Charles and Ferrari," he added. "Ferrari are properly back with a one-two, where the team should be. The hard work is paying off, and we are there.
"For me, it's been a very tricky weekend - I'm not going to lie. I didn’t have the pace today, but I managed to hold it and bring the one-two for the team.
"I have some homework to do over the next few days, and I'm sure I'll come back stronger."
Lewis Hamilton made the podium at the Bahrain Grand Prix only due to a double Red Bull retirement but accepted it was the best result he could have hoped for.
As Mercedes' struggles with their new W13 car continued, Hamilton was never in contention on Sunday, running in fifth for much of the race.
But issues for Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in the Red Bulls allowed the seven-time champion to profit behind a Ferrari one-two in third.
Hamilton congratulated victor Charles Leclerc and the Scuderia – "they're such a historic, epic team, so it's great to see them up there," he said – but was also content with his own finish.
"It was such a difficult race," he explained. "We struggled throughout practice. This was really the best result we could have got.
"Obviously it was unfortunate for the other two drivers, but we did the best we could and we're grateful for these points."
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff agreed, telling Sky Sports: "You can see how we've managed expectations.
"If we'd come in last year third and fourth, it would have been very frustrating, but this year I think we are punching above our weight class with the Red Bulls DNFing. Third and fourth is a fantastic result."
Mercedes must now turn attention to making their car competitive for the rest of the season, yet Hamilton is staying patient.
"I'm hoping [for upgrades]," Hamilton said. "I know the guys are working really hard back at the factory, but it's not going to be a quick turnaround.
"We all know as a team, we've been the best unified team for so long, we all know to keep our head down, keep working. There's a long, long way to go."
Kevin Stefanski is confident the Cleveland Browns have done their homework on Deshaun Watson after the quarterback's trade was confirmed on Sunday.
Watson agreed to waive his no-trade clause to allow the Houston Texans to deal him to the Browns.
The 26-year-old seemed to have narrowed down his options to join either the Atlanta Falcons or the New Orleans Saints, but is instead bound for Cleveland. Houston will receive a first-round pick for this year, 2023 and 2024, along with a third-round pick for 2023 and a fourth-round selection for 2024.
A bidding war for Watson materialised when he was not charged by a grand jury earlier this month, after it considered evidence of sexual assault and misconduct allegations against him.
Watson faces 22 civil lawsuits, but the grand jury did not find enough evidence for criminal proceedings. He has strenuously denied the accusations since they emerged last year, overshadowing his previous request to be traded away from the Texans.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Browns have agreed to give Watson a fully guaranteed five-year, $230million contract. That figure is $80m more than the previous record for fully guaranteed money at signing.
Browns head coach Stefanski believes Watson will be a shrewd acquisition.
Stefanski said: "Our organisation did a tremendous amount of background on DeShaun.
"We understand the concerns and questions that exist but are confident in the extensive work Andrew [Berry, executive vice-president of football operations and general manager] and his staff have done to feel confident about him joining our organisation.
"It was important for us to meet with Deshaun in person as part of our team's evaluation process, we had a candid conversation regarding his approach to coming into our organisation and community.
"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to coach Deshaun, he is ready to put in the hard work needed to help our team improve and make a positive impact in our community."
The 26-year-old Watson did not play a single game in 2021, having led the NFL in passing yards in 2020.
The Browns also confirmed on Sunday that Case Keenum has been traded to the Buffalo Bills for a 2022 seventh-round pick.
Watson's arrival will clear the way for the Browns to move former first-round pick Baker Mayfield, who has requested a trade.
Charles Leclerc protected his pole position to lead a Ferrari one-two at the Bahrain Grand Prix as late Red Bull woe allowed an uncompetitive Lewis Hamilton to make the podium in the 2022 Formula One season opener.
For Leclerc, besides a three-lap battle with Max Verstappen, this was a relatively straightforward victory after making good use of Ferrari's pace again.
But there was chaos behind him in the closing stages, when Verstappen reported an issue with his handling after pitting a third time.
A late safety car had appeared to give the defending champion the chance to challenge Leclerc, but it vitally also attached the rest of the field to his tail, meaning Carlos Sainz was able to capitalise on a mechanical failure.
Sergio Perez could not cling on to third as his Red Bull also ground to a halt on the final lap, remarkably clearing a path for Hamilton.
Shaun Norris overcame fellow South African Dean Burmester to clinch the Steyn City Championship title.
Norris ultimately won his first DP World Tour (or European Tour) title by three shots, though he had to come from behind to do so.
Having seen the four-shot lead he held overnight reduced by a poor start, which included two bogeys on the front nine, Norris dropped two strokes back as Burmester rallied with two birdies and an eagle.
Yet Norris was in no mood to let the opportunity of winning the first title of the new event slip from his grasp and he birdied three of the next six holes to haul himself level at the top of the leaderboard.
That pressure told as Burmester hit a double bogey on the 17th, after Norris had birdied, and a composed par on the final hole sealed a closing round of 70 for the champion, who finished the week on 25 under par.
"I don't think words can describe how I feel right now," said Norris, who shared his victory with his family on the 18th green.
"It's been a tough journey and having my brother on the bag, my wife here, my little girl. Splendid. It's absolutely beautiful doing this in front of my home crowd and in front of my family."
Norris' nine previous professional wins had come on the Japan Tour, Sunshine Tour and the Asian Tour.
Burmester was three clear of compatriot Oliver Bekker and Germany's Matti Schmid, who were tied for third on 19 under.
Eddie Jones has been assured his job as England head coach is safe for now.
A disappointing Six Nations performance does not appear to have substantially altered the Rugby Football Union's stance on the former Australia and Japan coach.
It means Jones is set to lead England on their tour when they face the Wallabies three times in July, and increases the likelihood he will remain in charge heading into a World Cup year. Jones has a contract that runs to the end of the 2023 World Cup in France, and the 62-year-old intends to step away from the job after that tournament.
England's fortunes have nosedived since winning the 2020 Six Nations, and the Triple Crown in that championship. They have finished with two wins from five Six Nations games in each of the last two campaigns, which in 2021 saw them finish fifth but this time around was good enough for third place.
That was a distant third to second-placed Ireland, however, and England could not prevent France clinching a Grand Slam when the teams met on Saturday evening in Paris.
An RFU spokesperson said: "Eddie Jones is building a new England team and against a clear strategy we are encouraged by the solid progress the team has made during this Six Nations campaign."
England were narrowly beaten by Scotland, before defeating Italy and Wales, raising hopes of a strong finish to the championship.
Yet a 32-15 Twickenham loss to lreland, after Charlie Ewels was sent off in the second minute, ended hopes of a championship challenge, and was followed by England going down 25-13 at the Stade de France.
The spokesperson added: "Eddie and his team of coaches and players will conduct a full review as is normal after each tournament.
"The RFU advisory panel which consists of board and executive members, former players and coaches along with Eddie will also undertake a de-brief to discuss the strong positive steps forward during this campaign and the areas we need to address.
"The advisory group has been in place since 2019, and it meets regularly both during and after each tournament to evaluate clear targets and progression.
"The RFU continues to fully support Eddie, the coaching team and players and we are excited about the summer tour and the progress to rebuild a winning England team."
England head coach Eddie Jones has called upon fans to maintain faith in the team's development after a disappointing Six Nations campaign ended with a 25-13 loss to France.
Saturday's defeat to the Grand Slam champions ensured England finished third in the 2022 standings, after Wales suffered a shock loss to Italy and Ireland beat Scotland in the final round of fixtures.
England have now lost three games in three separate editions of the Six Nations under the Australian, having done so just twice in 16 campaigns prior to his 2015 appointment.
But Jones has called upon supporters to maintain faith in the team, which he says is going through a "rebuilding" process ahead of next year's World Cup in France.
"They [England fans] have got to have some faith," Jones said on Sunday. "I think I have done a reasonable job for England over the past seven years.
"We are going through a period now where we are rebuilding the team and it takes time. Look at the French team, it took them three years to win the [Six Nations] Championship [after appointing head coach Fabien Galthie in 2019].
"We have rebuilt the side from the last Six Nations [after finishing fifth in 2021]. I think the progress is very positive, [but] the results aren't the results we would like.
"We would all like to be winning tournaments and be top of the table, but we are not quite good enough to do that now.
"But within the next 12 to 14 months when we prepare for the World Cup, we will be."
Conor McGregor could make his comeback to the Octagon later this year, UFC president Dana White has said.
McGregor has not competed since his TKO loss to Dustin Poirier last July, when he broke the tibia and fibula bones in his left leg.
The 33-year-old Irish fighter has an MMA record of 22-6-0, losing three of his past four bouts in UFC including two in a row to Poirier.
White was speaking after the UFC Fight Night event at London's O2 Arena on Saturday, saying: "Conor's not cleared by the doctor yet.
"When he's cleared, some of these fights are going to happen this summer, we'll see what the landscape looks like, and we'll see where his head's at, at that time, and we'll pick a fight for him."
British heavyweight Tom Aspinall secured victory in the main event in London with a dominant showing against Alexander Volkov, while featherweight Arnold Allen knocked out Dan Hooker.
Liverpool pair and long-time friends Molly McCann and Paddy Pimblett both earned wins against Luana Carolina and Rodrigo Vargas respectively.
Frank Vogel was keen to take the time to acknowledge LeBron James' achievement in passing Karl Malone despite the Los Angeles Lakers' 127-119 defeat to the Washington Wizards.
With 38 points against the Wizards, James moved ahead of Malone (36,928) onto 36,947 for his career, now trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) all-time.
For James, who has played 197 games fewer than Abdul-Jabbar, this was a 31st 30-point game of the season – behind only Joel Embiid (33).
Lakers team-mate Russell Westbrook described this latest accomplishment as "an amazing feat to witness", while Carmelo Anthony said he was "still in awe" of James.
James insisted he could not "separate" his own performance from the defeat – "all I care about is wins and losses," he explained – but that was not a stance Vogel agreed with.
"It's bittersweet, but I think it's important to separate it," the coach said.
"This is a moment of time that we can't get caught up in the pain of this loss and [must] recognise what an incredible feat this is for LeBron, doing it in the fashion that he did it.
"He just attacked the game tonight. He came in and was aggressive on both sides of the ball, the second night of a back-to-back, really playing with incredible energy after playing 45 minutes last night.
"It was just a signature performance in a game where he passes one of the greats and becomes the second all-time leading scorer in the history of the game.
"It's really impressive, and I'm super happy for him. It's awesome."
For a player so focused on results, this has been a tough season for James, with the loss leaving the Lakers just half a game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans in ninth in the West at 30-41.
This is despite James' 29.8 points per game – the third-highest mark of his career and highest since 2007-08.
"It's just an incredible game, an incredible season, and I don't know where we'd be without him," Vogel said.
Happily for the Lakers, as they look set for the play-in game, Vogel believes James is still getting better.
"This year's no different. The fact that it's later in his career and he's still doing it at this level is different," he added.
"Obviously, the way he's continuing to evolve his game with the deep shooting, with the turnaround, fadeaway jump shot that Kobe [Bryant] and Michael [Jordan] had later in his career... He's growing as a receiver. That part is special."
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