Giannis Antetokounmpo lauded Doc Rivers for bringing "high standards" to the Milwaukee Bucks after Monday's big win over the Denver Nuggets.

The Bucks ran out 112-95 winners over the reigning NBA champions, with Giannis finishing with a double-double of 36 points and 18 rebounds.

Milwaukee have won their last two games, after a three-game losing spin, and sit third in the Eastern Conference with a 35-19 record ahead of Tuesday's meeting with the Miami Heat.

While Rivers has not had the easiest of starts in charge since he replaced Adrian Griffin, the Bucks have now held successive opponents to under 100 points for the first time since 2021.

And Giannis credited the former Philadelphia 76ers coach for setting the standards high since his arrival.

"Guys are just being on the same page," Giannis said.

"Coach Doc is holding us to a high standard. He wants us to defend.

"He doesn't take lack of effort as an excuse. If you're on the floor, you've got to do your best."

The defensive organisation was particularly pleasing for Rivers.

"Just steady progress," he said. "Believing in your defense, trusting it, clarifying it, what we want to do.

"The more we can get our guys to know exactly what we're doing, they can play at full speed. That's what we're trying to do. Simplify, so we can play with fire."

Damian Lillard added: "I just think it's the accountability. When we're watching film, we're in our meetings, in practice, I think Doc and our entire staff, they're doing a great job of just calling everything out.

"They're challenging us in a lot of different ways. Our communication, how physical we are, how we carry ourselves as a group.

"Trying to find our identity. Who do we want to be? Who are we going to step like when we get on the floor? And I think we're just having a lot of carryover because there's so much conversation around it."

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Denver sit fourth in the West.

Kieran Cotter’s star filly Matilda Picotte will kick off her season in the Turf Sprint at the Saudi Cup meeting on February 24.

A promising juvenile, she made a taking start to her three-year-old season when second in a Guineas Trial at Leopardstown and was then third in the 1000 Guineas itself at Epsom in May.

She rounded off the year with back-to-back successes in the Sceptre Stakes at Doncaster and the Challenge Stakes at Newmarket, both over seven furlongs.

The ultimate aim this year is to pick up a Group One prize, but first she will start out her campaign in the Middle East as she is among the entries for the 1351 Saudi Turf Sprint, a seven-furlong Group Two run for a prize fund of over £1.5 million.

“She doing fantastic, she had a break for six or seven weeks out at grass and then prior to Christmas we got an invitation to run in the Sprint,” Cotter said.

“She’s back in and being prepared for that, we’re delighted with her and she leaves for Saudi on Saturday morning to run the following Saturday.

“She flies from Shannon to Stansted and then it’s direct to Riyadh, door to door it’s a 20-hour journey which is no more than from here to Newmarket and she’s a very good traveller.”

Matilda Picotte is owned by the Matilda and Kilmichael Racing Partnership, some of whom will make the journey to Saudi Arabia to see her start what they hope will be a fruitful season at the top level.

“We’re looking forward to seeing her give her best. Her last run was exceptional but she’ll need to bring her whole A-game to the table in two weeks time,” Cotter said,

“It’s a good international field and I think the first, second and third from last time are going to turn up again.

“It’s serious money and we had to take the opportunity, our main target this year is to try to win a Group One with her and it’s a Group Two but if she’s a Group One horse she’ll have to go close.

“A few of the owners are going, there’ll be enough there to make a bit of noise anyway! She’s never run a bad race so it’s all to play for.”

The City of York Stakes will again be contested as a Group Two in 2024 after an attempt to have it upgraded to the highest level was unsuccessful.

Much work has been been put into trying to achieve Group One status for the seven-furlong contest in recent years, with the race achieving the requisite rating in 2023, when it was won for a second successive campaign by Kinross.

However, the European Pattern Committee failed to agree to an upgrading of the race, which would have been the only top-level contest at that distance in Britain, as well as opting not to reclassify the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day at Ascot as a Group One.

Ruth Quinn, the British Horseracing Authority’s director of international racing and development, said: “After more than a decade of building towards Britain’s first seven-furlong Group One in the City of York Stakes, with the open encouragement of the EPC, the race achieved the required rating parameter in 2023.

“Sadly, however, it seemed the committee could not support this upgrade unanimously at this time.

“We remain hopeful of working with the committee to demonstrate why our ambition would be of collective benefit to the European Pattern, in the same way as we will for the Long Distance Cup on Qipco’s British Champions Day in order for that too to become a long-awaited and much-deserved Group One race.”

The Group Three Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury plus two Listed races, the Ganton Stakes at York and the Scarbrough Stakes at Doncaster, have been voluntarily removed from the black type programme while three high-profile British races are theoretically “at potential risk of downgrade depending on their performance in 2024”.

The Group One Commonwealth Cup – the six-furlong three-year-old sprint at Royal Ascot introduced in 2015 – is one of those in possible danger, along with the five-furlong Temple Stakes at Haydock and the Chester Vase, a Derby trial that has produced subsequent Epsom winners such as Henbit, Shergar and Ruler Of The World.

A notable downgrade in France is the Prix Saint Alary which drops to Group Two level, with the overall number of Pattern and Listed races declining from 852 in 2022 to 826 in 2024, a change that concerns EPC chair Jason Morris.

He said: “The European Pattern Committee continues to enforce the most stringent international quality control measures so that the racing and breeding industries can have the utmost confidence in the quality of European black type.

“However, this also reflects a worrying overall decline in the ratings of European black type races, with an increasing number of races coming under review and many three-year-old races in particular struggling to achieve their required parameters.

“The reported increasing exports of quality horses overseas is of concern to the EPC, and the major European racing nations are committed to working together to ensure the continued production and retention of sufficient high-class horses to sustain our domestic and international programmes, with a particular focus on the middle distance and staying race areas.”

England flanker Tom Curry is refusing to set a date for his return after undergoing major hip surgery that is expected to rule him out until next season.

Curry’s last match was the bronze final victory over Argentina at last autumn’s World Cup and upon returning home, he learned that he needed a six-hour operation to address arthritic change and tears to the labrum and cartilage.

The 25-year-old back row describes the extent of the damage as “a car crash”, but with the surgery deemed a success he is now progressing through his rehabilitation programme.

“In terms of coming back to play, I still don’t really know. It’s day by day,” Curry told Sale Sharks TV.

“The next month is just taking it day by day. Every week it gets better and better. The tough thing is thinking too far ahead and that’s why I need to take each day as it comes.

“Every day I’ll give it 100 per cent and be really grateful that I can do this and then we’ll see.

“If you take a step and your hip feels bad, your mood goes down. If you do that and your hip feels good, your mood goes up. So it is about trying to get rid of all that stuff and keeping it as simple as possible.”

England are expected to add Manu Tuilagi, Ollie Lawrence, George Martin and Luke Cowan-Dickie to their squad when they gather in south west London for their fallow week training camp.

All four have been prevented from taking part in the opening two rounds of the Guinness Six Nations because of injury but they will come into contention for the Calcutta Cup showdown with Scotland on February 24.

Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said teams must learn how to get to grips with Victor Wembanyama after the number one draft pick excelled in a win for the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs ran out 122-99 winners over the Raptors on Monday.

Wembanyama starred with a triple-double, entering the NBA record books in the process.

With a triple-double of 27 points, 14 rebounds, 10 blocks and five assists.

The 20-year-old became just the fifth player to record a triple-double that includes 25 points, 10 rebounds, 10 blocks and five assists since 1973-74, when blocks became an official statistic.

Wembanyama joined Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, David Robinson and Ralph Sampson on that exclusive list, and Raptors boss Rajakovic believes teams will have to adapt to the rookie's stature in skill in the years to come.

"Wembanyama is the player who's going to play in this league for the next 15 years. We need to figure out how to attack and how to play against him," Rajakovic said.

"Definitely a player who's unique with his size and shot-blocking ability. We've got to do a much better job of figuring out how to play against that."

"I felt great today," Wembanyama said after becoming the fourth San Antonio player to record 10 blocks in a game. 

"Great rhythm, started the game strong. I guess it's just the NBA, you know. We've got ups and downs in terms of shape, and today was an up day."

"He did a little bit of everything," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Wembanyama, who leads the league in blocked shots, and is now the first rookie with 150 blocks, 150 assists and 50 steals in a season since Tim Duncan in 1997-98.

"Obviously he's an all-around, talented player. He's got a great feel for the game and it shows in a variety of ways, whether it's passing or making decisions, blocking shots."

Henry de Bromhead will rely on a mixture of some familiar faces and fresh talent at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

The Knockeen handler has enjoyed exceptional Festival results in recent years, securing back-to-back Cheltenham Gold Cup wins with Minella Indo and A Plus Tard in 2021 and 2022 respectively and successive Champion Hurdles with Honeysuckle.

Put The Kettle On, the 2021 Champion Chase victor, Triumph Hurdle hero Quilixios, Ryanair Chase winner Envoi Allen and dual Festival scorer Bob Olinger are others to have taken starring roles for De Bromhead in the last few years, with the trainer having 21 Festival winners on his record.

Honeysuckle bowed out in a blaze of glory in last year’s Mares’ Hurdle while A Plus Tard was retired last month, leaving De Bromhead to look to other quarters this time.

He said: “We’re probably not as strong as previous years but I probably feel that every year to be fair!

“Obviously our galacticos that we had are either a bit older now or have retired, but we have got a lot of nice young horses coming through and we’ll see how we get on.

“I’m not sure (how many we will send) yet, I’d say in and around 20, we try to keep it tight. Hopefully there’s plenty of nice ones there, so we will see how we go.”

Minella Indo is one of those who is back for more, making his sixth Festival appearance as he moves to the cross country sphere in the Glenfarclas Chase.

The 11-year-old has switched disciplines as De Bromhead and owner Barry Maloney look to extend his career, with an initial fourth over the banks course in December raising hopes of a bold Festival showing and a possible subsequent Randox Grand National bid.

The trainer said: “He loved it. We felt we had to go and just give him a taste of it – it’s going to be tough to go there on your first go otherwise. Rachael said he really enjoyed it and obviously he had top weight, but we couldn’t have asked for a better run.

“He’s in good form, we kind of backed off him as he’d been busy enough for one of ours up until then, so we kind of backed off through Christmas, freshened him up and he’s in mighty form now.

“It’s lovely for a horse like him to sort of prolong his career a bit, it’s good fun and not too hard a race I don’t believe and it’s a different way of training. I think it’s great for him, he’s probably not going to compete in Grade Ones so it’s nice.”

Of an Aintree bid, De Bromhead added: “We will see what your handicapper thinks next week (when weights are announced), if we feel he’s giving him a chance, why not? It seems to be a really good route to the National, as Gordon (Elliott) has proved and others.”

Envoi Allen will defend the Ryanair Chase title he won last year and although he has not run since being caught on the line by Gerri Colombe in the Champion Chase at Down Royal back in November, De Bromhead does not see that as a negative.

He said: “I hope (it will be an advantage). That was our plan. He’s had the same number of runs as last year I think but it was just a bit earlier this year, his last run was in November and last year it was the King George, but he’s really well now and that was our plan. He runs well fresh.”

Captain Guinness finished second in last year’s Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase and he will be back for more in the two-mile heat after finishing third to hot favourite El Fabiolo last time on what was something of a fact-finding mission following a previous issue over Christmas.

De Bromhead explained: “He had this atrial fibrillation at Christmas which was really disappointing and he had as a novice. All the tests were done on him, the IHRB did all the tests and he seemed fine, everyone was happy.

“I’d say we rode him the last day just to see where we were and I’d say he lacked a little bit of confidence as well, so it was lovely to see him finish out his race well.

“It’s always in the back of your mind, the fact that it’s happened again, but his run last year was savage so he could be there at a big price hopefully and pick up the pieces from the big guys if anything goes wrong.”

The My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase picture became a little more murky following Marine Nationale’s Leopardstown defeat earlier this month and De Bromhead is happy to roll the dice with Quilixios after he bounced back to form dropped to two miles last time.

He said: “We stepped him up to three (miles) and he never showed up at all.

“He was really good in Naas and I was delighted with him. He jumps really quick and I would say the faster they go, the better for him.”

Telemesomethinggirl was brought down when still travelling well in the 2022 Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle and she will tackle that test again, with Slade Steel and Monty’s Star the leading youngsters for the team.

Grade Two winner Slade Steel came home a seven-length second to Ballyburn at the Dublin Racing Festival, with the six-year-old shorter in the betting for the two-mile-five-furlong Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle than the two-mile Sky Bet Supreme, although Ballyburn’s destination may inform connections’ thinking.

De Bromhead said: “We had two sort of slogs, certainly the one in Navan looked a bit of a slog, so I didn’t want to go again over two and a half (miles) on heavy ground, so it was nice to run him over two and I thought he acquitted himself well.

“The winner looked good but we will improve for better ground ourselves. I think our options are open, we probably don’t particularly want to take on the winner again so we’ll see.”

Monty’s Star, who sports the Minella Indo colours, has won one of his two starts over fences as he heads into the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.

De Bromhead said: “I’m delighted with him and always hoped this would be what he was doing. He’s a big horse and never showed up last year.

“He had a lovely run first time, I thought he was very good the second day and we said we’d go fresh. I don’t think he will mind nicer ground.”

Craig Chalmers has told Scotland they must ensure the sense of injustice at not winning Saturday’s controversial Guinness Six Nations match against France does not derail the remainder of their championship.

The 55-year-old former fly-half was as exasperated as anyone while watching from the Murrayfield stands as referee Nic Berry and TMO Brian MacNeice decided they were unable to award the Scots a match-winning try when the ball appeared to have been grounded on the line by substitute Sam Skinner in the last action of the game.

It meant Les Bleus clung on to win 20-16, ending any hopes of a Scottish Grand Slam and ensuring bitterness and frustration in the home camp over recent days.

“I just don’t understand how the referee didn’t see it,” Chalmers – speaking to promote Prostate Cancer UK’s Big Golf Race – told the PA news agency.

“The big mistake he made was saying on-field ‘no try’. Inside the stadium, it 95 per cent looked like a try to me. He should have got in closer to it and put his hands in and had a better look.”

Chalmers knows from experience how such moments can sting, but he feels the Scots – with one win from two matches – must park their anger and focus on getting back up and running at home to England a week on Saturday.

He also believes they must look inwardly at some things they could have done better, such as kicking for the posts when they were on top instead of playing for tries.

“It’s frustrating because Saturday was a game we should have won but the players and coaches have to get over it now,” said Chalmers.

“There’s nothing they can do about it, it’s done. We’ve all been there before when things have gone against us but you can’t change it.

“Some of these things you never get over, look at the 1991 World Cup. We all still wish Gavin Hastings kicked that (penalty in the 9-6 semi-final defeat by England).

“You probably remember these kind of things more than some of the good things that happen.

“When you get beat like that, you want to get back playing but it’s probably a good thing that they get a break this weekend, and also a chance to look at the decisions they could have made better.

“I think we should have taken our points at times, especially at the end of the first half, just get the three points over the bar and keep the scoreboard ticking.

“Scotland were testing the French all the time but we just didn’t take our chances.

“You’ve got to do that at this level, especially when France are missing their two talisman players at half-back, (Antoine) Dupont and (Romain) Ntamack.

“France were poor and the Scottish coaches and players know that’s one that got away, especially considering we were all talking about potential championships and what we could do this year.”

England have won only one of their last six meetings with Scotland and Chalmers feels the Calcutta Cup match a week on Saturday gives Townsend’s team a good chance to banish their disappointment.

“We’ve just got to try and focus on England and winning that one because we can still win a Triple Crown and the championship,” he said.

“England have become a team we like beating over the last five or six years, and I don’t think this year should be any different.

“I think Scotland know what they’re trying to do, they’ve got a way of playing that they all buy into, whereas I don’t think England have really worked that out yet.

“They’ve got a lot of new guys in and they’re in a bit of a transition but they have won eight of their last nine games so they will have a little bit of confidence on the back of that.”

Craig Chalmers was speaking to promote Prostate Cancer UK’s Big Golf Race, which launches on 28 February.

Carlos Sainz admitted Lewis Hamilton’s shock transfer to Ferrari came out of the blue.

Hamilton, 39, will leave Mercedes at the end of the year to replace the Spaniard in 2025.

Speaking for the first time about the biggest transfer in Formula One history, Sainz said: “I was a bit surprised, like everyone in the Formula One world.

“From my side you can understand I got to know the news a bit earlier than anyone else and I had some weeks to reflect and prepare and some weeks to also get ready for the car launch and the first race of the season.

“That gave me a bit of time to digest it and to draw my own conclusions and to focus on the 2024 season.

“I have had lot of messages of support which I would like to thank the F1 world for and friends back at home, who have been very supportive and very encouraging.”

Sainz, 29, was speaking at Ferrari’s launch as they unveiled the challenger they hope will be able to challenge Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

However, Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari leaves two-time race winner Sainz looking for a seat.

Sainz, the only driver outside of Red Bull to claim a victory last year, said: “My next team, I don’t know yet and I have time to decide when that happens next. There are plenty of options out there.

“I am approaching the most important three or four years of my career and I want to make sure that I am in the right place.

“I am going to listen to all the options so when I take the decision I have give myself enough time with enough information.

“It is completely possible to separate one from the other. I have a good management team that will take care of that so my full focus will be on the first race in Bahrain and I am going to start the season as strongly as I can. The other thing will sort itself out as time goes by.

“The fact that I am not going to be a Ferrari driver in 2025 does not mean we don’t want to become champions together this year or win races.”

Champion Hurdle third Zanahiyr opened his account over fences at the second attempt when coming out on top in a thrilling duel with Aspire Tower in the Horse & Jockey Beginners Chase at Thurles.

It looked a competitive event on paper with Willie Mullins fielding Feu Du Bresil and Figaroc, Noel Meade sending Pinkerton and Cian Collins’ Mighty Tom lining up, but only two were ever involved.

Rachael Blackmore bounced out on Aspire Tower but Jack Kennedy was keen not to let her get too far ahead of Zanahiyr.

Gordon Elliott’s seven-year-old came up just short of the very best over hurdles and had the misfortune of bumping into the highly-regarded Fact To File on his chasing debut.

He was not as fluent as he could have been on that occasion but he jumped with much more finesse here, although Aspire Tower did appear to be travelling better approaching the last.

Zanahiyr (7-4 favourite) had got within three and a half lengths of Constitution Hill over two and a half miles at Aintree, though, and his stamina came to the fore as he won by half a length.

“It was a good performance and I suppose he was really only getting going (at the finish). He is a good age now and gets further than two miles, so I’m delighted that he got his head in front,” said Kennedy.

“I was keen to be forward and wasn’t concerned about the distance, although in the race I thought Rachael was quickening away from me. He knuckled down though and dug in.

“He can step up in distance but is also OK over a strongly-run two miles so there are plenty of options.”

Gavin Cromwell will make a late decision over whether Flooring Porter bids for a third Stayers’ Hurdle crown or lines up in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham.

He took to fences well in October when beating the smart Broadway Boy but connections’ fears about going right-handed were realised next time out in the Florida Pearl at Punchestown, although he was also hampered by a loose horse as he came home third.

Most recently at Leopardstown over Christmas, he finished third behind the currently sidelined Grangeclare West, prompting Cromwell to consider running him over further at Cheltenham in March, but he has not ruled out trying to regain the Stayers’ crown he won in 2021 and 2022.

“Flooring Porter is in the Stayers’ and the National Hunt Chase. Nothing is definite and we’ll just see how both races are unfolding nearer the time, I definitely wouldn’t rule the Stayers’ out,” said Cromwell.

“I suppose if you take Gordon’s (Elliott’s, Irish Point and Teahupoo) out, the Stayers’ looks open enough which is why he’s still in.

“He got off to a good start over fences, you can rule the Punchestown run out going the wrong way, we may have got away with it if not for the loose horse, but he ran a good race all things considered.

“At Christmas he ran a good race but we were probably disappointed he could only finish third. He jumps well but the one thing is he knows how to win there and spring ground will be no harm.

“It wasn’t always the plan to go chasing but he hadn’t won a race since his second Stayers’, so we thought we’d give it a go.”

Cromwell has been a frequent visitor to the UK this season and is operating at a near 20 per cent strike-rate having had seven winners at Cheltenham already.

“We started off in October, I saw a couple of races and I thought they looked good opportunities that worked out. We had three winners at the first meeting and then went back in November and kept the ball rolling,” he said.

“We’ve concentrated more on finding the right race, the best example is Stumptown on New Year’s Day, a 50 grand five-runner handicap. If that was in Ireland it would probably be a full field.

“It’s a special place, there’s nothing like a winner at the Festival, any winner there is fantastic. It’s a unique place.

“We’re mostly heading for handicaps this year. The horses are running well so hopefully we get them there in one piece.”

Regarding his likely team he said: “We thought My Mate Mozzie was an Arkle horse, he’s a good Flat horse and a good hurdler without being that top level, so it was always up for debate if he would be good enough.

“He has a mark so the Grand Annual could come into it but the Arkle is open this year. Saying that, he’d have to run well above his mark to win any Arkle but there is only one Arkle.

“Limerick Lace and Brides Hill are both likely to run in the Mares’ Chase.

“Only By Night is in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle but I’d say she might stay at home, she was very disappointing at Lingfield and when she got home she was quiet for a week after, so we just put a line through it.”

Cromwell won the Champion Hurdle back in 2019 with the five-year-old Espoir D’Allen who sadly never ran again. While the trainer is not one for looking back, he admits the win is something to be proud of.

“The Champion Hurdle was a great race to win, it was just unfortunate it was his last race. I’m not one to dwell on the past, I have a massive picture of him and it’s the first thing I see every morning, I’m just not one for dwelling on the past, I’m always looking forwards,” said Cromwell.

“Having won it, it’s a vote of confidence for the owners and it helps them think their horse in good hands.”

Middleham Park Racing’s well-travelled Brave Emperor will try to break new ground as he bids for further Group success in Qatar on Saturday.

The gelding is one of racing’s most prolific globetrotters and has brought home significant prize money from Italy, Germany, France and Sweden in the last year alone – as well as winning on home turf.

He won the Listed Prix de la Californie at Cagnes-Sur-Mer last term before travelling around Europe to pick up three Group Three events and the Group Two Premio Vittorio Di Capua at San Siro in November.

Now Archie Watson’s charge will return to action at the same level in the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup at the Amir Sword meeting in Qatar this weekend.

The bay is currently settling in ahead of his first run in the Middle East and will compete for a total prize fund of nearly £400,000, with the winning connections taking home over £225,000.

“He’s the second top-rated for the race, he definitely deserves his chance and it’s fantastic prize money,” said Tim Palin of Middleham Park.

“It’s going to be the experience of a lifetime for the half a dozen owners going over.

“It’s going to be once in a lifetime, for all they’ve tasted success in Milan and Sweden, twice in Germany and in France as well.

“He’s a real globetrotting horse, he’s the perfect horse. He’s a Group Two winner and three times a Group Three winner.

“He was originally purchased as a yearling by Robson Aguiar and we bought him privately as a two-year-old just before the breeze-ups.

“He’s been an absolute revelation for us and everybody has experienced a fantastic journey with him. Hopefully he’ll continue to acquit himself well on Saturday.”

Fa’amanu Brown has fought through the kind of adversity that makes the prospect of a long-awaited Super League debut amid the red-hot atmosphere of a Hull derby on Thursday night the easy bit.

One of nine siblings, Brown endured childhood poverty in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he shared a bedroom in a state housing complex with four brothers.

Packed off alone to chase his rugby league dream in Australia at the age of 17, Brown struggled with mental health and homesickness, then in 2019 sustained a foot injury and was told by surgeons he would never run again.

“I went through a lot of trauma in my life,” Hull FC star Brown told the PA news agency.

“I remember lining up to go to the Salvation Army because we didn’t have any clothes on our back. I know what it’s like to live in a car and come from nothing.

“All that stuff growing up, it made me and my siblings understand and appreciate life. Our parents worked in factories and we were determined to break the cycle. A lot of people take this game for granted, but for me, I’m just trying to make the most of it.”

Having successfully landed NFL deals with first Cronulla Sharks then Canterbury Bulldogs, Brown sustained a foot injury playing for the latter in 2019 that required three operations and led to his devastating diagnosis.

“I’d had a big build-up about the kind of player I was going to be in the future, and those injuries just knocked me down,” added Brown.

“I broke a bone in my foot and had limited blood supply, and the surgeon said I would never run again. I was 24 years old and I hadn’t even reached my peak.

“When I was told the news I just broke down and cried but I knew in myself that with my journey and where I’d come from, it wasn’t going to stop me doing what I love.”

Released by Canterbury that same year, Brown’s road to redemption began in the unlikely surroundings of Featherstone, with whom he spent an impressive 2021 campaign, culminating in a play-off defeat to Toulouse.

Brown spent the next two years back in Australia but did not have to be asked twice to pack his bags again when Hull FC head coach Tony Smith identified him as the player he wanted to form part of his crucial half-back pairing this season.

Despite snow slapping the windows of the Aviva Studios in Manchester during last week’s Super League season launch, Brown is thrilled to get the chance to finally feature in the English top-flight.

“I’ve always wanted to play Super League and here I am now,” Brown continued.

“My season at Featherstone obviously made me appreciate the weather more in Australia, but it made me more mentally tough and resilient being away from my family.

“I can’t wait to start with a Hull derby. A lot of people are talking about it and putting on a lot of pressure, but it’s nothing new. I’ve played in big games before and I’ll treat this game the same way.

“Now that I’ve finally made it to Super League, I’m just trying to make the most of it.”

Jack Conan acknowledges history-chasing Ireland could “fall flat on our face” if they become sidetracked by talk of successive Grand Slam titles.

Andy Farrell’s men are seeking to become the first side in the Guinness Six Nations era to complete consecutive championship clean sweeps.

Bonus-point victories over pre-tournament favourites France and perennial wooden spoon winners Italy have propelled the defending champions into pole position for more glory.

Winless Wales travel to Dublin in round three on February 24 before Ireland face further Triple Crown fixtures against England and Scotland next month.

Leinster back-rower Conan, who claimed the third of six tries in Sunday’s 36-0 demolition of the Azzurri, said: “I don’t think there’s a cautious excitement; there are just expectations within the group of what we do with the moment in front of your face.

“Before this week, there was no chat of Wales, Scotland, England, anything like that; it was Italy, Italy, Italy.

“That was all that mattered to us and that will be the case next week. It will all be about Wales.

“It’s great people outside of the environment (are excited about a potential Grand Slam), they can have that buzz all they want, but if we don’t go out and get the job done against Wales then we kind of fall flat on our face.

“We’re not looking at all past that, we’re not looking past the moment in front of our faces and just being present.

“It doesn’t always happen and there were loads of mistakes (against Italy) but I think it’s a pretty good starting point where we’re at at the moment.”

Head coach Farrell has received regular praise for creating an enjoyable environment in the Ireland camp.

Conan believes a selflessness among the group has been key to recent successes, including the 2022 tour victory in New Zealand and last year’s Grand Slam.

“The needs of the many are greater than the needs of the few so it’s important to fit in and do the role you’ve been asked to do,” said Conan, who has often been a replacement during that period.

“We’re very lucky that there are such good men in the group and good quality that no matter what is asked of people they do it and there’s no complaints.

“It’s an incredibly selfless group and you do what your team-mates and coaching staff ask of you.

“I think it’s one of the reasons why we’ve been so successful over the last few years because everyone wants to add to the value of the group.”

Number eight Conan on Sunday made his first Test start since suffering a foot injury against Italy last August, which limited his World Cup participation.

The 31-year-old British and Irish Lion, who made his international debut in 2015 but has been restricted to 43 caps, partly due to fitness setbacks, is determined to savour the remainder of his career.

“For all the things I’ve ever done, whether it’s Leinster or playing for the Lions, it is the greatest honour to play for your country and it’s definitely something that’s not lost on me,” Conan said.

“I try to relish every moment I’m out there, no matter how blowing you are or how tough it is, it’s something that comes and goes so quickly and I’ve had a lot of gaps in my career where I haven’t played.

“I’ve been in and out of teams. I have, by my own admission, under performed at times and you’ve just got to savour it when you get the opportunity and make the most of it.”