Tom Cannon is optimistic the step up in trip will help Edwardstone return to winning ways in Saturday’s Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton.
In two outings this season over two miles, Alan King’s charge has been no match for Jonbon but he did get appreciably closer to him in the Tingle Creek than on his seasonal reappearance in the Shloer Chase.
Saturday will be the 10-year-old’s first run over two and a half miles since a hurdles effort back in April 2021, but Cannon feels it is the right move.
“I think it is a logical move, as Edwardstone is not getting younger and now is as good a time as ever to step him up in trip,” he said.
“Although he has not run over this distance over fences, he ran well over two and a half miles over hurdles when he was third at Aintree (in 2021).
“We are going back to slightly calmer waters having run in the Tingle Creek last time, but there are still some good horses in this race.
“It is still a competitive race, so he will have to be at his best to win.
“All his best runs have been around Sandown and he definitely improved for the run at Cheltenham in the Tingle Creek.
“I was more than happy with his run. It was as good a run as he had put in for a long time.”
Cannon went on: “He felt back to his best and, fingers crossed, he can continue that form going forwards.
“He has not been over-raced and he has been well managed throughout his career, which has been a big help.
“He had a jump last Thursday at home and he jumped very well, so there is no problem in that department. He seemed fresh and very well, so I couldn’t be happier with him.”
Lucinda Russell’s Giovinco has Sandown and Cheltenham options after pulling up in the Kauto Star at Kempton on Boxing Day.
The seven-year-old claimed his first win over fences at Aintree in November and then chased home Paul Nicholls’ useful Stay Away Fay in the Grade Two Esher Novices’ Chase at Sandown next time out.
He was subsequently entered in the Kauto Star, a Grade One run over the same trip of three miles, but under Stephen Mulqueen he never seemed to hit his stride and was eventually pulled up as Il Est Francais went on to win impressively.
There was less than three weeks between the gelding’s last two runs, a time-span Russell suspects may have been too short with hindsight.
The Scilly Isles at Sandown and the Festival Trials Day card at Cheltenham could now appear on Giovinco’s agenda, both of which would involve a step down to the near two-and-a-half-mile trip he was successful over twice as a hurdler.
“He might go to Sandown, we’ve got a couple of options with him,” said Russell.
“We might even go to Cheltenham and go over two miles four (furlongs) there.
“He was quite tired after Kempton and we felt, in hindsight, we’d gone to the well just a bit too quickly with him.
“He seems well now, he had a quiet time over the New Year and he’s back to being his usual self again.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo insisted the Milwaukee Bucks must take criticism from fans on the chin after they lost for a fourth time in the space of five games.
The Bucks went down 132-116 to the Utah Jazz on Monday, as their January slump continued.
Milwaukee fans were far from happy with their team's display, as boos and jeers rang out following the defeat.
Despite finishing with a triple-double of 25 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, Antetokounmpo was unimpressed with his performance.
"I think we have great fans, but around the league, if you don't play hard and don't give everything for the team, there are times where you might get booed," he said.
"S***, I'd boo myself tonight too."
The only way forward for the Bucks now is to be unified, Antetokounmpo added.
He said: "You've got to stay together, that's it.
"If you try to go your way or do it yourself, it's not going to work.
"We've been in this position before. It's OK to be in this position, but then again, at the end of the day, we have to get better.
"We have to realise that we have to keep on doing the little things."
The Jazz ran away at the start of the fourth quarter, opening up a 15-point lead that the Bucks were unable to overturn despite a late rally.
"We flipped it a little bit as far as our energy and effort, and we made it a ballgame, but in the NBA you just can't dig yourself in a hole like that," Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said.
"And then you've got to play extremely hard and exert a lot of energy just to try to get back into the game."
Emma Raducanu’s exhibition match ahead of her return to grand slam action at the Australian Open has been cancelled.
The 21-year-old Briton had initially been due to play her fellow former US Open champion Naomi Osaka in a charity match inside Rod Laver Arena as part of her preparations for the first major of the year.
Japan’s Osaka, who herself recently returned to action for the first time since giving birth to daughter Shai last summer, then withdrew from the match and was replaced by world number 25 Donna Vekic.
Australian Open officials later announced the match was off, with Raducanu reported to have pulled out due to feeling “sore” following practice on Monday.
The former British number one is due to make her comeback at a major tournament in Melbourne after being sidelined for eight months following wrist and ankle operations.
Raducanu, who won at Flushing Meadows in 2021, reached the second round of the ASB Classic in Auckland last week before losing to Elina Svitolina.
Adam Silver's intervention prevented Draymond Green stepping away from basketball for good, the Golden State Warriors star has revealed.
Green is about to return from a suspension that has been in place since December 12, after he hit the Phoenix Suns' Jusuf Nurkic in the face.
That was the second suspension Green has had this season, following an altercation with Rudy Gobert in November.
And on an episode of The Draymond Green Show, the 33-year-old revealed that only a conversation with NBA commissioner Silver stopped him from retiring following his latest ban.
"I told him, 'Adam this is too much for me. This is too much. It's all becoming too much for me, and I'm going to retire'," Green said.
"And Adam said, 'You're making a very rash decision and I won't let you do that.'
"We had a long, great conversation; very helpful to me. Very thankful to play in a league with a commissioner like Adam who's more about helping you than hurting you; helping you than punishing you. He's more about the players."
Suns star Kevin Durant said at the time Green was handed the ban that the power forward needed to "get the help he needs".
On Monday, Durant explained he meant no ill will with his comments.
"You got to look at it from my perspective like before I had made those comments, [people were] saying Draymond's going to therapy and s***," Durant said.
"Like what am I supposed to think? They say somebody going to therapy, I'm hoping he gets better from that, and hope he learned from whatever he feels like he needs to learn from going to therapy.
"I'm glad he's back. I'm glad he can move past that. Draymond is an incredible teammate. He's got his times where he loses his temper, but everybody has those times and I'm sure they all [are] happy to have him back.
"But I didn't mean no ill will by what I said. I know some people look at me as this malicious snake. I know how people feel about me sometimes, so when I say s***, I don't mean no harm by nobody. I don't mean to disrespect him or his family if he felt that way. I'm just glad he's back on the court."
The Indiana Pacers overcame a double-digit deficit and an injury to star point guard Tyrese Haliburton to rally for a thrilling 133-131 win over the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics on Monday.
Indiana earned its seventh win in eight games despite trailing by 11 points in the third quarter and playing the entire second half without Haliburton, the team's top scorer who had to be carried off the court after slipping and straining his left hamstring late in the second quarter.
Bennedict Mathurin helped offset Haliburton's absence with 26 points off the bench, while Buddy Hield scored 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter to help the Pacers also withstand a season-high 40 points from Boston's Jaylen Brown.
Brown finished 17 of 26 from the field on a night the Celtics played without leading scorer Jayson Tatum due to a sore left ankle. Boston lost for only the second time in its last 10 games and was coming off a 118-101 home win over the Pacers on Saturday.
The Celtics did hold a 74-63 lead early in the third quarter before Indiana put forth a 17-6 run to tie the game and later take a slim 103-101 edge into the fourth.
The game remained tight up until the very end, when Mathurin was fouled by Kristaps Porzingis on a 3-point try with 0.6 seconds on the clock. He made the first two free throws before deliberately missing the third and leaving the Celtics with not enough time to get a good shot off.
Fast start helps Jazz extend Bucks' slump
The Pacers closed the gap on first-place Milwaukee in the Central Division after the struggling Bucks were handed a 132-116 defeat by the visiting Utah Jazz.
Five Jazz players had at least 19 points and Utah led from nearly start-to-finish to deal Milwaukee a fourth loss in five games. The Bucks' lead over Indiana and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Central is now down to 3 1/2 games.
Utah hit 11 3-pointers in the first quarter to take a 41-23 lead after 12 minutes, then shot 54.2 per cent in the second to build a commanding 77-46 half-time advantage. John Collins and Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz with 12 first-half points.
Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen each finished with 21 points for Utah, which had its lead reduced to seven points midway through the fourth quarter before pulling away again late.
Collins, Collin Sexton and Keyonte George all had 19 points in the Jazz's eighth win in 10 games, while Kris Dunn dished out 13 assists.
Milwaukee did get a 25-point, 10-rebound, 11-assist triple-double from Giannis Antetokounmpo on a night in which it played without fellow star Damian Lillard, who was away from the team due to a personal matter.
Elias Petersson and Nils Hoglander each had two goals to support 39 saves from Thatcher Demko as the Vancouver Canucks rolled to a 6-3 win over the New York Rangers in a clash of division leaders on Monday.
Petersson added assists on two of three Vancouver first-period goals as the NHL's highest scoring team put on another strong offensive display.
Brock Boeser contributed a goal and two assists in the Pacific Division-leading Canucks' third win in four games. Vancouver has put up six goals in each of those victories.
After Vincent Trocheck scored the first of his two goals to give the Rangers a quick lead just 3:38 in, J.T. Miller, Hoglander and Boeser all beat New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin before the end of the first period to stake Vancouver to a 3-1 lead.
Artemi Panarin got the Rangers closer 8:19 into the second with his 26th goal of the season, but Petersson and Hogland scored 1:14 apart late in the period to extend the Canucks' advantage to 5-2.
Trocheck got a rising shot past Demko 3:36 into the third period, but the Canucks later killed off a New York power play before Pettersson sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with 1:31 remaining.
Shesterkin stopped just 20 of 25 shots as the Metropolitan-leading Rangers lost consecutive games for just the second time this season.
Avalanche stay hot with shootout win over Bruins
Valeri Nichushkin scored the lone goal of the shootout to give the Colorado Avalanche a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins for their fifth win in six games.
Alexandar Georgiev made 23 saves before stopping all three Boston skaters he faced in the shootout to help Colorado bounce back from Saturday's 8-4 home loss to the Florida Panthers.
Colorado got back on track despite two goals from Boston's Brad Marchand, the last of which tied the game at 3-3 in the third period.
Sam Malinski had given the Avs a 3-2 lead when he fired a shot past Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman with 2:04 left in the second period.
After Marchand and Colorado's Mikko Rantanen traded power-play goals in the first period, Logan O'Connor put the Avalanche ahead 2:23 into the second before Boston's John Beecher tied it midway through the period.
Swayman finished with 33 saves for the Bruins, who had won five of six coming in.
Stars blank Wild to keep Fleury at 551 wins
Matt Murray made 23 saves to record his first career shutout and outshine Marc-Andre Fleury as the Dallas Stars got back on track with a 4-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild.
Fleury entered the contest tied with Hall of Famer Patrick Roy for second place in NHL history with 551 wins as a goaltender, but made just 16 saves as Murray outperformed the 39-year-old in only his fourth career NHL start.
Roope Hintz and Tyler Seguin supported the rookie with a goal and an assist each as Dallas ended a season-high three-game losing streak.
The Stars scored twice while short-handed, with the first coming midway through the first period when Seguin forced a turnover and an uncovered Hintz beat Fleury on the resulting pass.
Fleury kept it a 1-0 game until Seguin's wrist shot trickled past the veteran 1:28 into the third period. Radek Faksa later added another short-handed goal before Jason Robertson scored on a power play to give Dallas a commanding 4-0 lead.
The WIld lost for the fifth time in six games and were shut out for the second time this season.
Ja Morant’s season is over after just nine games.
The Memphis Grizzlies announced Monday that their star point guard will require surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
Morant injured his shoulder during a training session on Saturday, and an MRI was ordered Monday due to “ongoing soreness and instability,” the team said in a statement.
Morant was suspended for the first 25 games of this season after flashing a gun in an online video. After serving his suspension, Morant averaged 25.1 points and 8.1 assists.
The Grizzlies were 6-3 this season with Morant in the lineup and are 7-20 without him.
Morant was ruled out for Sunday’s win over the Phoenix Suns, but he sat on the bench with his right arm in a sling. After the game, Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said Morant was a game-time decision before that game.
A former second overall draft pick, Morant was the 2020 Rookie of the Year and has been selected as an All-Star in each of the last two seasons.
John Peter Rhys Williams – known simply as JPR and who has died at the age of 74 – was one of Wales’ most celebrated players during his country’s 1970s golden era.
The tough-as-teak full-back gained a worldwide reputation for his fearless defensive play, rock-solid safety under a high ball and attacking prowess that saw him excel alongside fellow household names like Gareth Edwards, Barry John, Phil Bennett and Gerald Davies.
The JPR moniker took effect in 1973 to distinguish him from Wales team-mate John JJ Williams, and it was a rugby career highlighted by him winning 55 Test caps across 12 seasons, being an integral part of successful 1971 and 1974 British and Irish Lions Test teams and taking his place among a small group of Welshmen to win three Grand Slams.
Socks always around his ankles and long sideburns resplendent, he was as popular among rugby supporters as any of his illustrious peers, while away from rugby circles, he became an orthopaedic surgeon and was a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.
It could, though, have been a different sporting story altogether, given Williams’ prowess as a junior tennis player.
Born near the mid-Glamorgan town of Bridgend on March 2, 1949, Williams attended Bridgend Boys Grammar School and then Millfield School in Somerset, underlining his tennis potential by playing in and winning a British junior competition at the All England Club, Wimbledon, beating former Great Britain Davis Cup captain David Lloyd.
But rugby union was to be his calling, which he dovetailed with a career in medicine, qualifying as a physician in 1973 after studying at St Mary’s Hospital Medical School, London, by which time he was firmly established as a trailblazing full-back.
“I used to say that I spent half my life breaking bones on the rugby field, then the other half putting them back together in the operating theatre,” he said in his 2007 book JPR Given The Breaks – My Life In Rugby.
In terms of his club career, JPR was part of a great London Welsh team across the late 1960s and early 1970s, as they beat all-comers with a thrilling brand of rugby that gained its ultimate reward when seven players from the Exiles – JPR included – were selected for the Lions’ 1971 New Zealand tour, led by Welsh coaching mastermind Carwyn James.
Williams went on to play a major role in the four-match Test series, including landing a decisive drop-goal in the final All Blacks clash, which underpinned a 14-14 draw and ensured a 2-1 Test series triumph, a feat that has not been matched since by any touring Lions team to New Zealand.
He had been capped by Wales as a 19-year-old two years earlier, and by the time his decorated international career ended when he retired in 1981, he had carved himself a permanent place in Welsh rugby folklore.
His ability to turn defence into attack through a fearless physical approach won him countless admirers, and Wales knew they could rely on a rock-like player whose bravery under a high ball often showed little thought for his own safety.
Self-preservation was never high on his agenda, as illustrated to full wincing effect when he prevented a certain and likely game-changing try for France wing Jean-Francois Gourdon during a Five Nations match in 1976 by fearlessly barging him into touch at the corner as Gourdon sprinted flat out.
In rugby’s current era, the shoulder-led challenge might well have seen Williams concede a penalty, but it was a moment of raw-boned physicality that inevitably took its place in Welsh rugby’s history books.
Williams’ high pain threshold was graphically underlined during Bridgend’s game against the 1978 touring All Blacks. Having joined the Welsh club two years earlier, he was a key player to their hopes of upsetting New Zealand at the Brewery Field.
But during the game he was stamped on the face by New Zealand prop John Ashworth, leaving Williams requiring 30 stitches – his father Peter, who was a doctor, applied the touchline needlework – before rejoining the action.
That single episode, as ugly as it was, epitomised a player who appeared not to show pain, whether of the physical or mental variety.
Williams captained Wales five times by the time he stepped down from Test rugby – he also went on a second Lions tour, another successful one, to South Africa in 1974 – and boasted a remarkable record of never being on a losing Wales team against England in 10 Tests.
He gained an MBE for his contribution to the sport, and such was his superb natural fitness that he continued playing into his early 50s for village club Tondu, often in the back row, before finally hanging up his boots in 2003.
Like many of his international rugby peers, Williams has done much for charity, highlighted by him climbing Mount Kilimanjaro that saw a six-figure sum raised for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
Williams, who worked as a consultant at the Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend, leaves his wife Scilla and children Peter, Lauren and Annie.
Former Wales and British and Irish Lions full-back JPR Williams has died at the age of 74.
Williams, a fearless player known for his aggressive and attacking style, won 55 Wales caps and started all eight Tests on victorious Lions tours to New Zealand in 1971 and South Africa three years later.
He was revered among fellow Wales greats like Sir Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennett and Gerald Davies, and regarded as one of rugby union’s finest players.
His death was announced by Bridgend Ravens, a club that Williams served as a player and club president.
“Bridgend Ravens are devastated to announce the passing of JPR Williams,” the club said in a statement on their website.
“An icon of the world game, John Peter Rhys Williams served Bridgend Ravens as a player and most recently as club president.
“He was capped 55 times for Wales and made eight Test appearances for the British and Irish Lions.
“Highlights of his illustrious career included winning two Schweppes Cup titles with Bridgend in 1979 and 1980, and three (Five Nations) Grand Slams in 1971, 1976 and 1978 for Wales.
“Following his retirement from the game, JPR became a key figure of the club’s administrative team, serving as Bridgend Ravens club president – a role he held until his passing.
“JPR’s passing leaves a huge void at the club, and our thoughts are with his friends and family at this sad time.”
Gloucester have confirmed the signing of Cardiff and Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams from the start of next season.
Gloucester’s director of rugby George Skivington said he was thrilled to seal a deal with Williams, who has won 53 caps for his country and played in two World Cups.
“Everyone at the club is thrilled to welcome a player of Tomos’ calibre,” said Skivington.
“Anybody that has watched him play before, whether that be for Cardiff or for Wales, knows how much of an attacking threat he can be, and we’re excited to see what he can bring to Gloucester Rugby.”
Williams progressed through Cardiff’s junior and academy systems and has amassed over 100 appearances for the United Rugby Championship side.
He admitted it was a big decision to leave but believes it is the “right time” to test himself in the Guinness Premiership.
“I’m really grateful to Cardiff for everything they have given me in my career,” Williams said on Cardiff’s official website.
“This club is all I have known and after 11 years with the first-team squad, I feel the time is right to make a change.
“I am excited for a new chapter with Gloucester but remain 100 per cent committed to Cardiff and will always look back on my time here with great fondness.”
LeBron James urged the Los Angeles Lakers to use their victory over the Los Angeles Clippers as a "catapult" towards an upturn in underwhelming NBA form.
The Lakers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 106-103 triumph over their Los Angeles neighbours on Sunday.
LeBron's Los Angeles were just 3-10 since winning the in-season tournament, with Sunday's win a much-needed victory to somewhat ease a 13-game struggle.
"Try to use this to try to catapult a little bit better play from us," LeBron said after leading the game with 25 points against the Clippers.
"But it still doesn't take away from the fact of how we've been playing like the last 11, 12 games.
"Tonight was a good start. Hopefully we can start from here and continue to build."
Lakers coach Darvin Ham benefitted from having an increasing number of rotation options, with the fit-again D'Angelo Russell managing 13 points and six assists, while Jarred Vanderbilt impressed in defense.
Christian Wood also added nine points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, along with Max Christie's seven points, three rebounds and two blocks, as the Lakers' bench outshone the Clippers.
"All those guys helped us win, made some big shots, timely plays, and that's what we need," said Anthony Davis, who had 22 points and 10 rebounds.
"It takes 'the others' to win championships and win basketball games. And these guys played phenomenal tonight. When these guys are playing well, it just makes me and Bron's job a lot easier."
Ham labelled the performance as a benchmark for the remainder of the season.
"Everybody contributed, competed at a very high level," Ham added. "And I'm proud of them.
"Now the cat's out the bag for this one, in terms of how we need to approach each and every game and everybody do it as a committee."
The British Horseracing Authority has announced the Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase will be rescheduled for Warwick on Saturday.
The valuable handicap was originally lost to the weather following the abandonment of Sandown last weekend.
All existing entries will be cancelled, with new entries to be made by midday on Tuesday. Final declarations will be made with the rest of the card on Thursday. The weights of the race will be republished following the new entries.
The BHA said it was grateful to the Jockey Club for agreeing to host the rescheduled race, to the Horserace Betting Levy Board for their prize-money contribution and to Unibet for its sponsorship of the race, as well as continued support of veterans’ races.
Tiger Woods appears to have confirmed that his long and lucrative partnership with sportswear manufacturer Nike has come to an end.
The 15-time major winner has worn or used the company’s products throughout his professional career.
It is reported the partnership has been worth more than £500million to player, who turned professional in 1996.
Woods, 48, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Over 27 years ago, I was fortunate to start a partnership with one of the most iconic brands in the world. The days since have been filled with so many amazing moments and memories, if I started naming them, I could go on forever.
“Phil Knight’s passion and vision brought this Nike and Nike Golf partnership together and I want to personally thank him, along with the Nike employees and incredible athletes I have had the pleasure of working with along the way.
“People will ask if there is another chapter. Yes, there will certainly be another chapter. See you in LA!”
Woods is a tournament host at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles next month.
The Stayers’ Hurdle has emerged as an unorthodox potential stepping-stone to a third tilt at the Randox Grand National for Noble Yeats.
The eight-year-old won the world’s most famous steeplechase at Aintree in 2022 and finished fourth in both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and when defending his Grand National crown last season.
Making his first appearance since the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris in May, Noble Yeats reverted to the smaller obstacles at Limerick over the festive period – and while beaten by Sa Majeste as the 10-11 favourite, his owner Robert Waley-Cohen was satisfied with the performance.
“It was a very good first run of the season,” he said.
“I don’t think he really likes that very heavy going as it was at Limerick, but we had to start somewhere and hopefully we’ll get some better ground later in the year.”
Connections decided against entering Noble Yeats for the Gold Cup this time around, but Waley-Cohen has raised the intriguing possibility of him turning up in another major event at the Cheltenham Festival.
He added: “We’re going to enter for the Stayers’ Hurdle – if you don’t enter you can’t decide whether to go for it when the time comes.
“His main target for the year is still the Grand National. The Gold Cup is a tough race and the Grand National is a tough race and I think winning both in the same year is nigh on impossible.
“He was fourth in both last year, which was a fantastic performance, but I’d be more excited about winning one than being fourth in two!
“I don’t think he’s going to win a Gold Cup. He’s a 166-rated horse, the average Gold Cup winner is probably 175 and the very good ones might be closer to 180.”
Whether Noble Yeats runs over hurdles or fences on his next start remains to be seen, with Waley-Cohen keen to keep all options open.
He said: “We might put him in the Cleeve Hurdle, or if you want a chase where you require a lot of stamina you could look at the Cotswold Chase, in which he finished third last season.
“Let’s wait and see, but everything is being geared towards getting to the Grand National in first-class order to give ourselves the best possible chance.”
Conditions are much improved at Huntingdon after severe flooding caused by the overflowing of the Alconbury Brook.
The track is due to host a meeting on Friday, its first since November as the Peterborough Chase fixture was lost last month, as was a further fixture last week.
The Cambridgeshire circuit was virtually underwater just days ago due to the deluge brought in by Storm Henk, but most of that water has now cleared and officials are optimistic about racing going ahead on Friday.
Clerk of the course Roderick Duncan said: “The river is down to pre-flood levels, all the drainage systems are now working and the floodwater has cleared.
“There is just a small area that often accumulates at the two-mile-four (furlong) chute, but not on the racing line.
“There’s a bit of standing water that remains, but we believe we’ve an opportunity of getting this meeting on with the forecast as it is.
“We’ve had a big team in, all the ground staff at Newmarket have given us a hand because there was a lot of debris about, but we’ve found nothing of concern.
“We were lucky that racing-critical buildings like the stable yard have all been flood-defended so that water couldn’t enter them.
“We wouldn’t want a lot of frost, but our forecast indicates that we shouldn’t get it and for that reason we’d be quite optimistic.”
Exeter abandoned Tuesday’s meeting due to frost, losing a seven-race card with temperatures dropping to minus 3C overnight.
Owen Farrell’s service to English rugby has given him the right to leave Saracens on his own terms, according to Jamie George.
Farrell has held talks with Racing 92 over a move to the Top 14 leaders at the end of the season in a shock development that has come in the wake of his decision to miss the Six Nations in order to prioritise his mental wellbeing.
By departing for Paris, the nation’s record point scorer, talisman and veteran of 112 caps would become ineligible for selection by Steve Borthwick.
George is a leading candidate to replace the 32-year-old as England captain and, while he hopes his long-term team-mate stays at Saracens, he insists any move would come with the Gallagher Premiership champions’ blessing.
“The news was as much a shock to us as it was to everyone. It’s all speculation at the minute so I don’t know any more,” Funding Circle ambassador George said.
“Like when he decided to take a step back from international rugby, for me what Owen is doing is prioritising himself and his family.
“He’s a very intense guy and I don’t blame him for stepping back from the international game and out of the spotlight for a little bit.
“If he believes that going abroad is the best thing for him and his family, I would be very supportive of that.
“Obviously he would be a very big loss to everyone at Saracens because of the player and character he is, but there’s no guarantee that he is going.
“He’s given so much to the club, so much to the game and so must to English rugby as a whole.
“He deserves to make his own decision and whatever he decides to do he has the full support of everyone at the club.”
Unless Borthwick opts for a leftfield pick, either George, George Ford or Ellis Genge will lead England in their Six Nations opener against Italy on February 3.
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George, the nation’s undisputed first choice hooker who is set to be offered a ‘hybrid contract’ by the Rugby Football Union, has previously captained Saracens and the Lions.
“I’m hugely flattered to be in the conversation,” said George, who is poised to recover from a neck injury in time to face Bordeaux on Sunday.
“Obviously I’ve played with Owen my entire life so captaincy is something that has always fallen to him, and rightly so because he’s incredible.
“I have led teams before so it is something that I would really embrace and really enjoy.
“But regardless of who it’s given to, they will have my full support. I don’t see it changing who I am or how I am in and around camp, regardless.”
George has been involved in the creation of Team England Rugby Ltd, a new company that will replace the Rugby Players’ Association to negotiate with governing bodies on contracts and commercial matters.
“We’ll definitely still be working with the RPA in terms of welfare and we’ll be encouraging all the England players to still be members of the RPA because they do brilliant things,” George said.
“It isn’t anything to do with money. Team England is a non-profit organisation. We are not saying we are badly paid, we are fully aware that we’re well paid for what we do.
“But ultimately we want the players to be at the forefront of Team England day in, day out.”
– Jamie George is an ambassador for Funding Circle. For more information on Funding Circle and its range of financial products, see: https://www.fundingcircle.com/uk/
Ding Junhui made a magnificent Masters maximum but it was Ronnie O’Sullivan who roared into the quarter-finals with a 6-3 victory at Alexandra Palace.
Ding registered a seventh career 147 in the seventh frame of their first-round clash.
The 36-year-old overcame a tricky yellow and a pink with the rest, which wobbled in the pocket before it dropped, to record only the fourth maximum at the prestigious tournament – and his second after achieving the feat as a teenager in 2007.
Kirk Stevens, in 1984, and Marco Fu nine years ago are the only other players to manage Masters 147s.
Ding trailed O’Sullivan 4-0 at the mid-session interval but the seven-time world champion missed a simple red to finally let him in.
The Chinese star immediately pulled two frames back before his magic moment left him trailing by one at 4-3.
However O’Sullivan, bidding for an eighth Masters title, hit straight back with a break of 121, and two visits to the table later he had wrapped up victory.
“Unbelievable 147 from Ding, I knew he’d make it from about the second or third red. What a magnificent player,” O’Sullivan told the BBC.
On his rapid response to the maximum, he added in typical O’Sullivan style: “Listen, I just tried. My cueing is not great.
“I was just trying to manufacture stuff out there. But I tried, there’s nothing else you can do really, is there?”
Ding was not at the races before the interval and surprised himself with his milestone break.
“I had a lot of chances at the start but just messed up,” he said. “I didn’t think I would play that well when we came back so to make a maximum was amazing.
“I saw the balls open and thought I could try a maximum because Ronnie was playing so well.”
In what had been an expected move, the Washington Commanders fired coach Ron Rivera on Monday.
The decision came one day after the Commanders finished a 4-13 season with a 38-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Washington lost its final eight games of the season, and was outscored by more than 27 points in three of those defeats.
Rivera's firing wasn't a huge surprise as he failed to post a winning record in any of his four seasons as the Commanders coach, and Josh Harris will work on finding a new coach heading into his second season as the team's controlling owner.
"As we look ahead, we recognize the results this season were not good enough and a strategic shift in leadership and approach is necessary," Harris said in a statement.
Washington hasn't won a play-off game since 2005, though the team did make the post-season in Rivera's first season with the franchise, going 7-9 to win the subpar NFC East in 2020. The Commanders went 26-40-1 in Rivera's four seasons as coach.
"To deliver upon our ultimate goal of becoming an elite franchise and consistently competing for the Super Bowl, there is a lot to do, and first we must establish a strong organizational infrastructure led by the industry's best and most talented individuals," Harris said.
Hired by the franchise on New Year's Day 2020, Rivera arrived in Washington after winning two NFL Coach of the Year Awards during his nine seasons in charge of the Carolina Panthers. He led the Panthers to four play-off appearances and a berth in the Super Bowl in the 2015 season.
"Ron helped navigate this organization through some challenging times," Harris said. "He is a good man and a thoughtful leader who has positively contributed to this organization and the NFL."
Harris will be working with co-owners Mitch Rales, Magic Johnson and David Blitzer as well as former NBA executive Bob Myers and ex-Minnesota GM Rick Spielman in the coaching search.
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