In a momentous celebration of two decades of rugby league growth in Jamaica, Rugby League Jamaica (RLJ) has proudly revealed its comprehensive 2024 domestic calendar. With an impressive lineup of over eight competitions, RLJ is set to embark on its most extensive domestic season yet, promising thrills for fans and participants alike.
As part of the commemorative year, RLJ has refreshed its competition logo branding to reflect the vibrant and enduring spirit of its fan base. The iconic Doctor Bird branding, rooted in the organization's early years, serves as a symbol guiding them into a future filled with excitement and possibilities.
The kickoff for the domestic season is set for Saturday, February 10th, with the eagerly awaited Intercollegiate 9s Championship. This inaugural event will see institutions such as the University of The West Indies, University of Technology, Mico University College, Caribbean Maritime University, Excelsior Community College, and Browns Town Community College vying for supremacy at the Mico University campus, starting at 11 am.
Throughout the year, rugby league enthusiasts can look forward to a series of exhilarating events, including four Community Club 9-a-side tournaments. The "New Year's 9s" on February 17th at the UWI Mona Bowl will feature local clubs alongside the Wigan-Leigh College U18s from England. Wigan-Leigh College will also face off against Jamaica Hurricanes U19s on February 24th at the same venue, promising an international flair to the competition.
The action-packed first half of the year includes the launch of the High School U14 and U16 Championships on February 23rd, the Easter 9s on April 7th, the inaugural U23 Club Championship on April 23rd, and the Women’s National Club Championship (WNCC) on April 27th. The Men’s National Club Championship (NCC) and U19 Championships kick off on May 4th and July 20th, respectively.
As the calendar progresses into the latter half of the year, rugby enthusiasts can anticipate the return of the National Knock-Out Cup on September 14th, the commencement of the High School Boys and Girls U19 Championships on October 17th, the start of the Men’s Division 2 Championship on November 23rd, and the grand culmination with the Christmas 9s on December 21st.
Additionally, RLJ's National and Representative teams are gearing up for exciting matches, with specific details about opponents and dates to be unveiled in due course.
Romeo Monteith, Director of Rugby, expressed his anticipation for 2024, stating, "It’s an exciting period; we have never before planned such an array of activities in a single year. This is particularly gratifying as we celebrate our 20th anniversary."
Despite challenges, including the absence of a dedicated rugby league field in the country, RLJ remains steadfast in its commitment to innovation and robust offerings, underscoring the unwavering growth of rugby league in Jamaica. As the organization looks forward to an unparalleled year of rugby festivities, fans can expect 2024 to etch its place in the annals of the sport's history in the Caribbean.
Martin Brassil is relishing the prospect of running Fastorslow in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, confident his star performer will not let him down on the big occasion.
Brassil’s flag-bearer had got the better of reigning Cheltenham champion Galopin Des Champs in both the Punchestown Gold Cup last April and the John Durkan earlier this season, but suffered defeat at the hands of Willie Mullins’ charge in the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown last weekend.
Although beaten four and a half lengths, Fastorslow more than played his part in what was a terrific showpiece to the Dublin Racing Festival – and with the race run to suit the defending champion, Brassil was content with the performance of his charge.
He said: “We were very happy with the run and he hadn’t run since November 26, so you have to be very happy with it.”
There was an argument to suggest Fastorslow may have been able to test Galopin Des Champs on the run-in if he had not been distracted by the front-running mount of Paul Townend at the final obstacle.
However, Brassil believes that is immaterial to the outcome of this particular battle.
“We might have got a flyer (at the last, if Galopin Des Champs had not jinked) but my horse was quick to spot what the other horse did and he just hesitated and got over the fence carefully,” explained Brassil.
“He was on the back foot then and Galopin Des Champs had him all the way to the line. However, I don’t think there would have been any different result I would say, he had the run of the race dictating it, so in that race he always had our measure.”
Fastorslow now heads to Prestbury Park as the general 4-1 second favourite for the Gold Cup, as he prepares to tackle the odds-on favourite for a fifth time, with the score currently 2-2, but Brassil is expecting a much deeper event on March 15 at a venue where his charge has performed well in the past.
“If you headed into a Gold Cup only worrying about one horse, then you wouldn’t be doing too bad, but I’m sure there will be a lot more competition when we get to the race though,” he added.
“He seems to like Cheltenham, which is always a positive. He’s a horse who has never let us down and you can always depend on him to perform at his best. Sometimes that’s good enough and others you come up a bit short. If he continued to do that, there will be no one complaining.
“It’s five weeks today we’re working towards and we’re looking forward to it.”
Fierce rivals England and Wales continue their Guinness Six Nations campaigns with an eagerly-awaited clash at Twickenham.
England kicked off with a narrow victory over Italy in Rome, while Wales almost pulled off the biggest comeback in Six Nations history, scoring 26 unanswered points before going down 27-26 to Scotland.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the talking points heading into Saturday’s encounter.
England’s magnificent seven
England have a strong record against Wales at Twickenham since losing to them in 2012. Centre Scott Williams’ late try clinched a Six Nations Triple Crown that day, but Wales have come unstuck on five subsequent Six Nations visits. The shining light from a Welsh perspective was their 2015 World Cup pool victory over England, but it is seven defeats on the bounce at English rugby headquarters following that 28-25 success, with England winning four Six Nations Tests, two World Cup warm-up games and a summer international. Wales can take heart from five of those reversals being by six points or fewer, but they face a tough ask to turn things around.
Half-century for George North
Wales are boosted by the return after injury of centre George North for their trip to south-west London. North, who wins his 119th cap, is the solitary player in Saturday’s match-day 23 to have been part of a winning Wales team at Twickenham, while he also clocks up 50 Six Nations games. Only four other players have reached a half-century in the competition for Wales – Alun Wyn Jones, Gethin Jenkins, Stephen Jones and Martyn Williams. North, who made his Six Nations bow against France in Paris 13 years ago, remains an integral part of head coach Warren Gatland’s plans.
Pump up the Twickenham volume
England return to headquarters for the first time since they were booed during a shock World Cup warm-up defeat against Fiji. Steve Borthwick’s team went on to finish third in the World Cup, and they host Wales on the back of an opening Six Nations victory over Italy. The Twickenham atmosphere in recent times has undoubtedly been flat, and changes introduced to the match-day experience include an increase in length of the players’ walk through the crowds from their bus to the changing room.
Ioan Lloyd in the spotlight
Former Bristol back Lloyd makes his first Wales start on Saturday, and it will be in the number 10 shirt after taking over from the injured Sam Costelow. The 22-year-old featured twice as a substitute during Wales’ 2020 autumn campaign, but it was more than three years until he reappeared on the international stage, replacing Costelow against Scotland last weekend and helping to orchestrate a spectacular second-half fightback. Lloyd is among several players in Wales’ match-day 23 never to have played Test rugby at Twickenham, but the visitors need him to thrive.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso to make a mark?
The Exeter wing pledged allegiance to England and made his debut off the bench against Italy, despite being born and raised in Cardiff. It prompted Wales boss Warren Gatland to remark last month that his decision had not gone down well across the border, although Gatland also insisted that preparations for England had not involved the 21-year-old being mentioned, stating: “It doesn’t add any extra spice. Good luck to him. I hope things go well for him.”
Jamal Murray shined as the Los Angeles Lakers' three-game winning streak was halted by the Denver Nuggets, who won 114-106 at Crypto.com Arena.
Denver beat Los Angeles for the seventh game in a row, having swept them in the Western Conference finals last season on the way to their NBA championship success.
Anthony Davis scored 32 points and LeBron James added 25 for the Lakers but D’Angelo Russell was out injured after the team opted not to make any moves at the trade deadline.
Russell’s replacement Max Christie also suffered an injury shorty before halftime as the Lakers dropped to 27-26, while the Nuggets (36-16) have now won three straight games, and eight of their last 10.
Nikola Jokic just missed a triple-double with 24 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, while Murray scored 29 points and Michael Porter Jr. added 27.
The Nuggets led by 15 at one stage in the second half but the game was level again at 104-104 entering the final two minutes. A 10-0 Denver run proved decisive, ending the Lakers' best winning streak since they lifted the NBA Cup in Las Vegas.
"They made shots and executed," said LeBron. "The ball always ends up in Jamal Murray's hands.
"We tied the game and twice they hit big 3s, so they made more plays offensively than us and were able to win the game.
"Very good teams have an ability to run plays late in the game that they haven't run all game and have certain packages they can go to where they can get a really good shot.
"But it makes it even more dynamic when you have a point guard and center as great as [Murray and Jokic], it definitely helps the play calls when you have those two!"
For LeBron, who also had nine rebounds and seven assists, he was able to focus on the game despite speculation around the trade deadline and a big day which saw the emotional unveiling of Kobe Bryant’s statue.
"I went through my regular game-day routine and focused on the job at hand," he said.
"I knew coming in coming off a 12-day, six-game road trip is difficult on us, but once you get on the floor you have to lock in on an assignment. That’s all that matters.
"Our whole year so far has been about health. We haven't got to the point yet [where everyone is available]."
A busy schedule continues for Los Angeles as it hosts New Orleans on Friday, while Denver is at Sacramento next.
Davis echoed LeBron in citing health as the Lakers’ key issue, but still felt they could have won the contest.
"This is our team, who we are going to have," he said after the trade deadline passed. "Like I said, until we get guys healthy, we kind of have to get back into our groove.
"But this was a very, very winnable game and down the stretch kind of hurt us."
Nuggets coach Michael Malone was glad to see his team hold their nerve in the final moments.
He said: "What I saw in that stretch was poise on offense and executing.
"Give them [the Lakers] credit, they had all the momentum and they were attacking us, so to outscore that team 10-2 in the last few minutes, that means you’re defending at a high level and you’re rebounding."
Denver has the same record as the Minnesota Timberwolves at the top of the Western Conference, with Los Angeles in the No,9 position.
Stephen Curry urged the Golden State Warriors not to run before they can walk after his 42-point haul inspired them to victory over the Indiana Pacers.
The Warriors won for the fifth time in six games on Thursday, claiming an emphatic 131-109 win over Indiana.
Curry was in scintillating form, with 29 of his points coming in the first half. The four-time NBA champion has now recorded three 40+ point games across his last seven outings.
Golden State are 11th in the Western Conference, with a 24-25 record, but are now looking up as they aim to secure a playoff place.
But they must keep their feet on the ground.
"The challenge is to not get too far ahead of yourself, thinking you can just show up and win games," Curry said.
"We've got a long way to go to get some security."
Coach Steve Kerr believes the Warriors are beginning to show what they are truly made of.
He added: "We had a great start to the season and then things, obviously, went kind of haywire for a while.
"But this feels like the best version of us, with the starting lineup, playing they are, bringing guys off the bench who are giving great energy and effort.
"And then, Steph was just scalding hot there early."
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle offered up few excuses, simply pointing to the quality of Curry's performance.
"Well, he was making shots, but we got beat by their hard play — and our lack of hard play," he said.
"Simple as that. It was ugly. I think we lost every quarter."
The Republic of Ireland and England will kick-off the next edition of the Nations League against each other in their first match competitive meeting since 1991.
The nations were drawn together in Paris on Thursday and UEFA has confirmed the pair will open Group B2 in Dublin on September 7.
The return fixture in England will take place on matchday six on November 17, with the pool completed by Finland and Greece.
These will be the first competitive fixtures between the Republic and England since a Euro 92 qualifier at Wembley. They have met in four friendlies since then, most recently in November 2020 at Wembley.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is not worrying about personal reputations as he prepares for Sunday’s Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Shanahan, the son of two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Shanahan, has been here before, facing the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV four years ago, but came out on the wrong end of that one in a 31-20 defeat.
In each of the previous two seasons, the 44-year-old saw his 49ers lose in the NFC Championship game.
While he boasts a strong overall record in his seven seasons as a head coach, Shanahan faced questions in Las Vegas this week about whether another loss would feed a narrative that he could not win ‘the big one’.
“I’d deal with that the same as if we win,” Shanahan said. “I’d celebrate with my team, my family and then move on with the rest of my life, which is being a father, a son, coaching and working. A narrative, good or bad, is just a narrative.
“When you go into these games, what makes you prepare is you don’t want regrets. You want to do everything that makes sense to myself and to the team.
“When you do that, no matter how hard something is or how good something is, you keep perspective. If you want your perspective to be someone else’s narrative, good luck.”
Shanahan has a 72-54 overall record with the 49ers since they gave him his first head coaching job in 2017. But he acknowledged that now, only a Super Bowl win would represent a good season.
“That’s how it boils down for everybody in the NFL,” he said. “The only time in a season you’re satisfied without a Super Bowl is maybe the first year if you exceed expectations – that’s the only time if you don’t make the play-offs you don’t feel you’ve completely failed.
“Other than that, if you don’t make the play-offs in this league, no-one is happy. If you make the play-offs and lose your last game, no-one’s happy. If you get to the Super Bowl and lose the Super Bowl, you’re not happy.
“Only one team is happy at the end of the year. Whether it comes down to the Super Bowl or a play-off game, it’s the same. When you go for the big one it hurts when you get that close because it’s that hard to get there.
“We’re fortunate our team has been able to get here twice. The last one was a tough one.
“We have every opportunity but they made the plays and we didn’t. I think it will be a real tight game this weekend. We’ll see how it unfolds, but I like our chances.”
Iroko is on course to make the Cheltenham Festival but which race he runs in has still to be decided.
Trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, the six-year-old won the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at the meeting last season in the famous JP McManus colours.
He went on to finish third to Apple Away in Grade One company at Aintree and reappeared over fences at Warwick in early November, putting up a faultless chasing debut over two and a half miles.
Unfortunately he picked up an injury a couple of weeks later that connections initially felt would rule him out for the season, however, he has returned to full training much quicker than anticipated and has been entered in the Arkle and Turners Novices’ Chases next month.
While Greenall favours the Turners, McManus also owns ante-post favourite Fact To File which may have a bearing on his destination.
“I think he’ll get to Cheltenham,” said Greenall.
“He won’t be able to have a run before, there’s not enough time, but he’ll get to Cheltenham.
“Which race he’ll run in there, I’m still not sure. I’d rather go over two and a half miles but JP has obviously got other options in that, so we’ll just have to see.
“The Arkle may have opened up after last weekend but obviously he ran so well in the three-mile Grade One novice hurdle at Aintree.
“It’s great that he’s back anyway, and he’s back in full training.”
Saturday’s meeting at Warwick has been called off due to a waterlogged track.
The fixture was due to feature both the Grade Two Kingmaker Novices’ Chase and the Listed Warwick Mares’ Hurdle, in which Cheltenham candidate You Wear It Well was due to run.
However, a total of 36 millimetres of rain fell at the track on Thursday, leaving the course unfit for action.
Clerk of the course Tom Ryall said: “We had 36mm in total yesterday, it started about 4am and carried on through to midnight.
“When we came in this morning, parts of the back straight where it runs parallel with Gog Brook are waterlogged as that was put on red alert last night, while the owners and trainers car park has flooded and that has spilled on to the track.
“We are basically about 50 per cent under water, so there is really no hope of racing.”
Friday’s meeting at Kempton got the go-ahead after a morning inspection, although an area of the track is riding heavy, while the other scheduled jumps fixture at Bangor was called off on Thursday afternoon.
The Eastern Conference's top team made quick work of the best team from the West.
Brad Marchand and Danton Heinen each scored short-handed goals in the first period, and the Boston Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 on Thursday in a showdown between the NHL's top two teams.
Charlie Coyle set up both short-handed goals and Boston extended the lead to 4-0 in the opening minute of the second period when Morgan Geekie and Pavel Zacha scored 15 seconds apart.
Linus Ullmark only needed to make 17 saves to register his first shutout of the season.
Boston (32-10-9) won for the eighth time in 10 games to move into a tie with Vancouver (34-12-5) for the most points in the NHL with 73.
The Canucks lost for the first time in regulation since January 4, after going 10-0-2 over their previous 12 games.
Thatcher Demko's nine-game winning streak ended with the Vancouver goaltender stopping just 21 of 25 shots.
The Canucks managed just four shots on goal in both the first and third period and were held without a score for the first time since October 17 - just their third game of the season.
Necas' first career hat trick helps Hurricanes beat Avalanche
Martin Necas recorded his first career hat trick in style.
Playing in his 330th career game, Necas registered a natural hat trick in the first 17 minutes of the Carolina Hurricanes' 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
His hat trick marked the second-fastest to begin a game in Carolina franchise history.
The Hurricanes won despite an odd goaltending situation.
Pyotr Kochetkov allowed two goals in the final 30 seconds of the first period and was pulled in favor of Antii Raanta.
Raanta stopped all nine shots he faced but suffered a lower-body injury and lasted just one period.
Kochetkov then re-entered for the final period and turned aside all 10 shots he faced in the third. He finished with 16 saves for the Hurricanes (29-16-5), who improved to 12-3-1 in their last 16 games.
Colorado netminder Alexandar Georgiev permitted the hat trick on just four shots before rebounding. He ended up with 23 saves.
Zach Parise and Samuel Girard scored seven seconds apart for the Avalanche (32-16-4), who lost their third in a row after entering the All-Star break on a 13-3-1 stretch.
Panthers pull away to beat Capitals
Ryan Lomberg scored the go-ahead goal with 6:52 remaining in the third period to lift the Florida Panthers to a 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals.
Lomberg's goal was just his third of the season, and ended a 35-game stretch without one dating to November 14.
Sam Reinhart scored his team-leading 38th goal on a power play, while Matthew Tkachuk added a goal and two assists to give him 12 goals and 18 assists in his last 17 games.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots for Florida (32-15-4), which won for the fifth time in six games.
Washington (22-20-7), meanwhile, has lost six straight games.
Alex Ovechkin opened the scoring with a power-play goal - the 833rd goal of his career.
He has now scored in three straight games after failing to score in his previous eight contests.
Jenny Jones secured Great Britain’s first Winter Olympic medal on snow on this day in 2014 with bronze in the snowboard slopestyle event in Sochi.
Jones, aged 33, was the oldest entrant in the final by more than six years but her experience showed with her best run of the week on her last attempt.
Her score of 87.25 briefly put her top of the standings, but she was overtaken by American Jamie Anderson and Finland’s Enni Rukajarvi and had to settle for third.
Jones said: “I feel absolutely ecstatic, I’m so chuffed to have made it onto that podium.
“It feels ridiculous, I still can’t actually believe it. I just thought, ‘oh my goodness, it’s gone my way today’, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Her success was made all the more remarkable by the fact she was out of action for nearly a month after suffering a concussion in mid-December 2013 following a crash in training in Austria.
“(It) was a bit of a tough time for me,” she said.
“I had to stay at home and not be on the snow, if you ask any athlete it’s just tough sitting and waiting. But I got through it and am genuinely very proud.”
Team GB chef de mission Mike Hay said: “This is a fantastic accomplishment for Jenny and a great moment for our entire delegation.
“Jenny will go down in the record books as the first-ever member of Team GB to win an Olympic medal in a snow sport.
“There is a strong spirit of camaraderie and support across our entire delegation and I know every member of Team GB is proud of Jenny and delighted to see her have this special moment.”
Prior to January, the Cleveland Cavaliers only had one winning streak of eight games in the last five seasons.
They now have two winning streaks of eight games in the last five weeks.
Donovon Mitchell scored 27 points and the Cavaliers beat the Brooklyn Nets 118-95 on Thursday for their eighth straight victory and 16th win in 17 games.
Cleveland led 59-51 when Ben Simmons shoved Jarrett Allen to the floor just 14 seconds into the second half. Allen retaliated by pushing Simmons back, and both players received technical fouls.
The altercation seemed to inspire the Cavs (34-16), as they responded with a 21-0 run to grab an 80-51 lead.
Allen finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Evan Mobley added 14 points and 12 boards.
The Cavs, who also won eight consecutive games last season, haven't had a longer winning streak since winning a franchise record-tying 13 in a row in 2017-18 - LeBron James' last season in Cleveland.
Brooklyn kept it close through two quarters despite being a bit undermanned after sending Spencer Dinwiddie to Toronto and Royce O'Neale to Phoenix before the trade deadline.
Mikal Bridges had a team-high 26 points for the Nets (20-31), who lost their third straight game.
Curry hits 11 3s as Warriors win again
Just 24 hours after one of his lowest-scoring outputs of the season, Stephen Curry dazzled in the Golden State Warriors' 131-109 rout of the Indiana Pacers.
Curry made his first seven 3-point tries and drained a season-high 11 3s on 16 attempts, scoring 42 points to help the Warriors win their third straight game.
His fifth 40-point game of the season came one night after he scored just nine points in a 127-104 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Golden State (24-25) has now won five of six to move within one game of .500 following a 4-10 stretch.
Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton struggled to get going offensively, finishing with just five points in 26 minutes, though he did dish out 11 assists.
Pascal Siakam had team highs of 16 points and eight rebounds for Indiana (29-24), while Myles Turner added 15 points and seven boards.
Timberwolves trounce slumping Bucks
The hot-shooting Minnesota Timberwolves rolled to a 129-105 win at Milwaukee to spoil the home debut of Bucks coach Doc Rivers.
Anthony Edwards had 26 points, and the Timberwolves made 21-of-41 3-pointers, with Mike Conley leading the 3-point barrage by making 6-of-7 shots from beyond the arc.
Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns each made four 3-pointers for Western Conference-leading Minnesota (36-16), which pulled away in the third quarter with a 17-3 run.
The Bucks (33-19) were without both Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton due to sprained ankles and reserve AJ Green paced the team with 27 points while making 7-of-8 3-pointers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 17 - his fewest since December 19 - after averaging 38.3 points in his previous three games as the Bucks lost for the fifth time in six games.
It was the first home game for Rivers after his Milwaukee coaching tenure began with a 1-4 road trip.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner will face a hearing on Friday as he prepares to defend himself against an accusation of “inappropriate behaviour”.
The 50-year-old team principal “completely denies” the claims which the PA news agency understands were made by another member of staff at the British-based team.
Red Bull, the Austrian energy drinks company which owns the team, confirmed on Monday an independent investigation had been launched after it was made aware of the allegations.
It is not clear where the hearing will be held, but PA understands it will not take place at Red Bull’s headquarters in Milton Keynes, while a conclusion is not expected on the day.
A spokesperson for Red Bull said on Monday: “After being made aware of certain recent allegations, the company launched an independent investigation.
“This process, which is already under way, is being carried out by an external specialist barrister.
“The company takes these matters extremely seriously and the investigation will be completed as soon as practically possible. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”
Horner, who is married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, has been in charge at Red Bull since they entered Formula One 19 years ago.
During that time he has overseen seven drivers’ world championships and six constructors’ titles.
The team dominated last season, winning 21 of the 22 races in 2023 as Max Verstappen defended his drivers’ crown.
Regardless of the outcome of Friday’s planned investigation, it has overshadowed the start of the 2024 campaign, with Red Bull set to unveil their new car on February 15 ahead of pre-season testing and the opening race in Bahrain next month.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been named the NFL’s most valuable player for the second time.
Jackson, 27, who missed out on a place in Sunday’s Super Bowl when the Ravens lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game, was the pick of 49 of the 50-strong panel.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was the only other player to receive a first-place vote from the panel of media, ex-players and coaches.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was a clear winner of the offensive player of the year award, having finished third in the MVP vote behind Jackson and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Myles Garrett was voted defensive player of the year, one of four awards for the Cleveland Browns – Joe Flacco winning comeback player of the year with Kevin Stefanski named coach of the year and defensive co-ordinator Jim Schwartz assistant coach of the year.
Houston Texans players collected both rookie of the year titles, quarterback CJ Stroud clearly winning the offensive crown with Will Anderson Jr picking up the defensive award.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson won his second Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award on Thursday.
Jackson, who won his first league MVP in 2019, was a near-unanimous winner, receiving 49 of 50 first-place votes. Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen got the only other first-place vote.
An overwhelming favourite to win the NFL's top award, Jackson led the Ravens to the AFC North title with a 13-4 record and the conference's top seed.
He accounted for 29 offensive touchdowns and led Baltimore in passing yards and rushing yards for the fifth straight season, throwing for 3,678 and running for 821 to become just the second player to pass for 3,500+ yards and rush for 800+ yards in a season, joining Kyler Murray in 2020.
The 27-year-old is now part of an exclusive group, becoming just the fourth player to win two MVPs before turning 28 years old, joining Patrick Mahomes (27) and Hall of Famers Brett Favre (27) and Jim Brown (22).
The MVP was one of eight AP awards handed out at the "NFL Honors" awards show on Thursday in Las Vegas - the site of Sunday's Super Bowl.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey won the AP Offensive Player of the Year.
McCaffrey, whose 49ers are facing the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, led the league with 1,459 rushing yards, 2,023 scrimmage yards and 21 total touchdowns.
The Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett took home the AP Defensive Player of the Year award.
The All-Pro edge rusher had 14 sacks, 30 quarterback hits and 17 tackles for loss, and was the focal point of a Cleveland defence that allowed a league-low 270.2 yards per game.
Garrett was one of four Browns to win an award, as quarterback Joe Flacco won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, narrowly beating out the Bills' Damar Hamlin.
Signed in November after being out of football, Flacco led the Browns to a 4-1 record down the stretch to help the franchise reach the playoffs.
Kevin Stefanski of the Browns won AP Coach of the Year, edging out the Houston Texans' DeMeco Ryans by one first-place vote.
Stefanski's defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, won the AP Assistant Coach of the Year award after directing the NFL's top-ranked defence.
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in a runaway, receiving 48 of 50 first-place votes. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua got the other two.
Stroud, the No. 2 pick in the draft, led the Texans to the AFC South crown one year after the team won just three games. He finished eighth in passing yards with 4,108 - the third-most yards passing by a rookie in NFL history behind Andrew Luck (4,374 in 2012) and Justin Herbert (4,336 in 2020).
His teammate, Will Anderson, won Defensive Rookie of the Year after registering seven sacks, 22 QB hits and 10 tackles for loss.
Ireland’s Shane Lowry is two shots off the lead held by American Sahith Theegala after a weather-hit opening day at the Phoenix Open.
Theegala hit seven birdies and a bogey in a six-under-par 65 and leads by one from compatriot Andrew Novak after the first day at Scottsdale.
Novak had only completed nine holes with around half of the field needing to complete their first rounds on Friday after a rain delay of more than three hours around lunchtime.
Theegala, who had played 14 holes before the break, said: “The weather was, it was not good, those last four holes felt great.
“I played great and that’s all I can do, really.”
Lowry, 36, who is tied third with S H Kim, started with six birdies and a bogey in his first nine holes, adding one bogey on the way home to finish with a 67. He said the weather made conditions “really bad towards the end”.
“We came back out, the wind was not blowing as strong but the ball was going nowhere, and it was cold and kind of tough,” he said.
England’s Matt Fitzpatrick dropped two late shots after the resumption to fall back to two-under- par, alongside Scotland’s Martin Laird and one ahead of European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.
Luke Littler lost in a dramatic showdown to Michael Van Gerwen in the BetMGM Premier League.
The 17-year-old suffered a 6-5 defeat in the final of the second night in Berlin on Thursday.
“It’s good. I hope we can keep it that way as well,” Littler told Sky Sports.
“In this format, in the Premier League, you have to be good week after week. It’s non-stop and I think that was good for me.
“I was always putting energy into my game and that helps me in the long run.
“It is only week two. Everyone was saying ‘last week you lost in the first round’. Don’t worry, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”
Littler moved 2-0 ahead before Van Gerwen hit back to move 3-2 legs in front but the pair could not be separated with the current PDC World Youth Champion close to a 145 checkout before levelling at 4-4.
They went into the final leg locked at 5-5 and both hit 180s but Van Gerwen missed the bull for victory before Littler failed to convert two darts at double 10 to allow his rival to hit double four to win.
Littler had beaten Luke Humphries and Rob Cross on the way to the final with Van Gerwen dispatching Michael Smith and Nathan Aspinall.
Jamie George has urged his England team to put their passion on full display when one of rugby’s great rivalries is renewed at Twickenham on Saturday.
Wales are the opponents in round two of the Guinness Six Nations and new captain George is determined to match their zeal for the jersey when he leads the team out on home soil for the first time.
England are hoping to improve engagement with their supporters through changes to the matchday experience at Twickenham, such as increasing the length of the players’ walk through the crowds from their bus to the changing room.
On their last appearance at the ground in August they were booed off by their own fans having lost to Fiji for the first time in their history in a deflating Rugby World Cup send-off.
George is keen for England to find their own inspiration rather than looking to emulate Celtic fury, but he knows that results will ultimately shape the relationship between team and supporters.
“We don’t want to replicate anything, we want to do things our way. We can build emotion and motivation through different ways,” the Saracens hooker said.
“Something we have talked about a lot as a group is passion and not being afraid to show passion. I’ve certainly been encouraging of that this week.
“If people want to use that passion and emotion, as long as we are controlled and clear about what we are doing rugby-wise, I don’t see why we shouldn’t do that.
“We don’t want to replicate anyone else’s emotion – we are never going to try to do things another team’s way. We want to be authentic.”
England have lost 50 per cent of their Six Nations matches at Twickenham over the last three years as part of a significant period of underachievement in the tournament pre-dating Steve Borthwick’s arrival as head coach.
“First and foremost, we’ve identified that our win rate there hasn’t been good enough. The most intimidating atmospheres come off the back of the most intimidating teams,” George said.
“If we want to be the the type of team we want to be and create an intimidating environment to play in at Twickenham then we have to be the sort of team that we want to be.
“I think there’s going to be a great buy-in and a great atmosphere at Twickenham. Now the responsibility is on us as players to go and back that up.”
Borthwick has named an unchanged matchday 23 to the one announced for the 27-24 victory over Italy after prop Ellis Genge recovered from a foot injury to take his place on the bench.
Wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso made his Test debut in Rome on Saturday and he continues as a replacement against the nation of his birth.
The 21-year-old wing sensation has pledged allegiance to England despite being born and raised in Cardiff, prompting Wales boss Warren Gatland to remark that his decision had not gone down well across the border.
“Manny came on and did really well against Italy. He has been an incredibly calm, composed and mature character,” Borthwick said.
“He’s trained very well and in the little time I’ve known him he doesn’t seem to get fazed. I only have good things to say about him.”
The New York Knicks have made another big move in an attempt to ascend in the Eastern Conference, acquiring scorers Bogdan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons in one of the headline deals commenced prior to Thursday's NBA trade deadline.
New York will send guards Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn and Ryan Arcidiacono along with two second-round draft picks to Detroit in exchange for two players who are both shooting over 40 per cent from 3-point range this season.
Bogdanovic is averaging 20.2 points per game after establishing a career best in that category last season, when the Croatian averaged a team-leading 21.6 points in 59 games.
Burks, who previously spent two seasons with the Knicks from 2020-22, has shot better than 40 per cent on 3-point attempts in four straight seasons and is averaging 12.6 points in 43 games in 2023-24.
New York is presently tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for third in the East and is 16-3 since Jan. 1, two days after it secured defensive standout OG Anunoby in a blockbuster five-player trade with the Toronto Raptors.
The team right behind the Knicks and Bucks in the East race added a sharpshooter of its own on Thursday, as the Philadelphia 76ers landed guard Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers for forward Marcus Morris, guard Furkan Korkmaz and three second-round picks.
Hield, a career 40.1 per cent 3-pointer shooter who is averaging 12 points in 52 games this season, will be asked to help stabilise a reeling 76ers team that has lost seven of its last eight games and will be without Joel Embiid for at least four more weeks after the reigning NBA MVP recently underwent surgery on his left knee.
Indiana, which sits two games back of Philadelphia in sixth place, later traded Morris to the San Antonio Spurs for outside shooting specialist Doug McDermott.
Milwaukee's lone deadline move came via a trade with the 76ers for veteran defensive stopper Patrick Beverley, in which the Bucks sent fellow point guard Cameron Payne to Philadelphia.
The most active team in the Western Conference was the Dallas Mavericks, who swung two deals to bolster their frontcourt by obtaining center Daniel Gafford from the Washington Wizards and forward P.J. Washington from the Charlotte Hornets.
Gafford, whose 2.16 blocks per game ranks seventh among qualified NBA players, heads to Dallas for forward RIchaun Holmes and a 2024 first-round pick the Mavs acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Mavericks also sent a 2027 first-round selection, along with forward Grant Williams and guard Seth Curry, to rebuilding Charlotte for Washington, who's averaged 14.9 points and five rebounds per game over the past two seasons and is under contract for two more years.
Dallas currently sits in eighth in the West but is just two games behind the fifth-place Phoenix Suns, who traded four role players in a three-team deal with Brooklyn and Memphis to add perimeter-shooting forward Royce O'Neale from the Nets and second-year forward David Roddy from the Grizzlies.
Three teams - the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets - entered deadline day tied atop the West. The Thunder were the only one of that group to make a significant move on Thursday, as they acquired former All-Star Gordon Hayward from the Hornets for guards Tre Mann and Vasilije Micic, forward Davis Bertans and a pair of second-round picks.
The 33-year-old Hayward is averaging 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 25 games this season but has been sidelined since late December by a calf strain.
One player who did stay put with the Hornets is Miles Bridges, the team's second-leading scorer at 21.9 points per game and an unrestricted free agent next season. Bridges had the right to veto any trade as part of the one-year contract he signed during the offseason to stay in Charlotte.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
