Wales centre George North has been ruled out of Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash against Scotland because of a shoulder injury.
North, who has won 118 caps and is comfortably the most experienced player in Wales’ Six Nations squad, was hurt during Ospreys’ recent European Challenge Cup victory over South Africa side the Lions.
Owen Watkin and Nick Tompkins will forge Wales’ midfield partnership, with Cardiff full-back Cameron Winnett handed a Test debut after just 15 games of professional rugby.
The 21-year-old features in a position vacated by Liam Williams’ move to Japan, while full-back option Louis Rees-Zammit recently quit rugby union to pursue a possible American football career.
Elsewhere, Winnett’s Cardiff colleague James Botham – grandson of England cricket great Sir Ian Botham – is recalled for a first Wales appearance since July 2021, packing down alongside back-row colleagues Tommy Reffell and Aaron Wainwright.
Dragons prop Leon Brown also starts, with uncapped Cardiff flanker Alex Mann among the replacements, where former Bristol back Ioan Lloyd provides fly-half cover for Sam Costelow.
Racing 92 lock Will Rowlands, whose partner recently gave birth, is not included in the match-day 23, with captain Dafydd Jenkins and Adam Beard forging Wales’ second-row combination.
At 21, Exeter forward Jenkins is Wales’ youngest skipper since a 20-year-old Gareth Edwards led Wales against Scotland in 1968.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland said: “George got quite a big stinger in terms of his shoulder and didn’t take part in full training last week, so Owen Watkin comes into the midfield.
“Will hasn’t come into the squad yet. His wife had a baby a couple of weeks ago in France.
“So the message to him has been ‘you stay home and be with your family’. We always talk about how important that is, and he will turn up when he is ready.”
Wales have beaten Scotland 11 times on the bounce in Cardiff, winning nine Six Nations games, a World Cup warm-up fixture and an autumn Test since the Scots triumphed in April 2002.
But Wales are now without the likes of Rees-Zammit, Williams and long-term injured trio Jac Morgan, Taulupe Faletau and Dewi Lake, while Dan Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny retired from international rugby after the World Cup in France.
Gatland added: “Cameron Winnett is just a lovely footballer, and I think he is going to develop into a quality international player in the future.
“He is young and there will be no pressure on him. It is also great that Alex Mann is on the bench, and will hopefully get his debut as well.
“Scotland haven’t won here in a long, long time, and it is an opportunity for us to continue with that record.
“The (stadium) roof is going to be open.
“Scotland want the roof open, which I think is a little bit disappointing from an atmosphere point of view because when that roof is shut it does tend to create a lot more atmosphere and noise in the stadium. But that is the decision that they made.”
Six Nations regulations state that both teams have to agree in order for the roof to be closed.
Wales team versus Scotland: C Winnett (Cardiff); J Adams (Cardiff), O Watkin (Ospreys), N Tompkins (Saracens), R Dyer (Dragons); S Costelow (Scarlets), G Davies (Scarlets); C Domachowski (Cardiff), R Elias (Scarlets), L Brown (Dragons), D Jenkins (Exeter, capt), A Beard (Ospreys), J Botham (Cardiff), T Reffell (Leicester), A Wainwright (Dragons).
Replacements: E Dee (Dragons), K Mathias (Scarlets), K Assiratti (Cardiff), Teddy Williams (Cardiff), A Mann (Cardiff), Tomos Williams (Cardiff), I Lloyd (Scarlets), M Grady (Cardiff).
Willie Mullins has decided to skip a clash against Marine Nationale with Gaelic Warrior in Saturday’s Goffs Irish Arkle Novice Chase at Leopardstown.
Positive noises had been made that the exciting Gaelic Warrior would drop down to two miles to take on Barry Connell’s unbeaten Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner.
However, Mullins will instead field Facile Vega, Il Etait Temps and Sharjah in opposition.
Two others will go to post, Gordon Elliott’s promising Found A Fifty and Vincent Halley’s Senecia.
Mullins’ Galopin Des Champs will only face three in his attempt to win the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup for a second successive year.
He bounced back to form to win at Christmas and will meet his Punchestown Festival and John Durkan conqueror Fastorslow.
The only two other runners are Conflated and I Am Maximus.
Also appearing on day one of the Dublin Racing Festival is A Dream To Share, one of the feelgood stories of last season as he went through his campaign unbeaten, culminating with champion bumper wins at Cheltenham and Punchestown.
He had been favourite for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle for months but a setback delayed his hurdling career and he will remain in the bumper sphere for now.
A Dream To Share will be attempting to win the Donohue Marquees Future Stars Flat Race for a second successive year.
Mullins runs My Great Mate, You Oughta Know, Hens Tooth, Joystick and Redemption Day against him.
The champion trainer has four of the six in the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle over two miles and six furlongs.
Dancing City, I Will Be Baie, Loughglynn and Predators Gold will face Elliott’s Stellar Story and Jessica Harrington’s Jetara.
Mullins also fields six of the 11 in the McCann FitzGerald Spring Juvenile Hurdle.
Bunting, Ethical Diamond, Highwind, Majborough, Storm Heart and Kargese will face the most competition from Elliott’s Kala Conti.
The Closutton maestro is a big fan of the Dublin Racing Festival, stating: “It’s one of the best initiatives to come from HRI in the past few years – it’s two days of pure, hardcore racing.
“Grade Ones – bang, bang, bang, one after the other. I don’t think there’s any other festival in the British Isles or France that has high calibre horses in so few races, where you can see them all and it gives you an idea what’s best and what’s looking good for the other spring festivals.
“This is one of the best two days in Irish jump racing and probably English jump racing or French jump racing – it’s a fantastic festival.
“When you have a good horse, you have to run in good races and I’m a believer in that, you put them in and they have to take their chance.
“Some of them seem obvious that they’re going to win but then we get surprises every day of the week, that’s why bookmakers are so successful!
“Our opinions aren’t always right, we all have opinions; from the punter, to the trainer, to the owner. You’ve got to get out there on the track and prove which is the best horse.”
Lewis Hamilton is on the brink of a blockbuster move to Ferrari in 2025, the PA news agency understands.
Hamilton, 39, is entering the first of a new two-year deal with Mercedes worth £100million.
But it is understood the seven-time Formula One world champion is eligible to leave Mercedes at the end of the year.
PA has been told that confirmation of Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari could be announced as early as February 1.
Both Mercedes and Ferrari declined to comment when contacted by PA.
Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has been linked with a surprise move to Ferrari for the 2025 season.
Reports in the Italian media have suggested the British driver could leave Mercedes at the end of the upcoming campaign.
Hamilton, 39, has raced for Mercedes since 2013 and signed a contract extension with the team last year.
Kevin Durant likes where the Phoenix Suns are trending after pouring in 33 points to seal a victorious return to Brooklyn.
The Suns won 136-120 over the Nets, as Durant shot 10 of 16 from the field and added eight assists in his first game in Brooklyn since being traded to Phoenix nearly a year ago.
Jusuf Nurkic had 28 with 11 rebounds, Devin Booker scored 22 points and Eric Gordon added 17 for the surging Suns.
The win at Barclays Center was the Suns' ninth win in 11 NBA games before they play the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night and the Washington Wizards on Sunday.
"We were just floating from two to three games under .500 and .500 for most of the year," Durant said after the game, per ESPN.
"Now we look up, we're 28-20 with a good opportunity to be 10 games over .500 with our next two games on the road.
"So, we're going home at the 50-game mark, hopefully we can be 30-20, and I like where we are.
"It's a grind throughout the whole season, especially with the new group, new coaching staff, new team, guys in and out the lineup. You got to build some continuity, and we are on our way to that."
There was huge hype around Durant’s return to his former team, but Suns coach Frank Vogel was impressed by how he focused on the job at hand.
"Hell of a performance," said Vogel. "He put the team first.
"He went out and competed, played team-first basketball, had eight assists and several other plays where made the extra pass and allowed his teammates to play through his double-teams.
"He played a team-first type of game and ended up with 33 and eight."
Durant spent almost four years at Brooklyn, playing alongside James Harden and Kyrie Irving. But the stars only played 16 games together and the Nets won just one playoff series.
The two-time NBA champion gave his reflections on that time but said he did not ponder what might have been, instead focusing on the facts of his time in a Nets jersey.
Durant said: "No, I don’t think about what could have been, that's just a pointless exercise, in my opinion. What happened. That's what I thought about: what actually happened, the reality of it.
"We didn't have enough time together. That's just it. Guys wanted to go their separate ways.
"We tried our hardest to salvage everything together. We had three or four different teams [from] when I signed here until when I left.
"But at the end of the day, I enjoyed coming to work, playing for, being a part of this community and playing, representing Brooklyn; regardless of what went on, what was said or how I felt, I still came to work.
"I was an All-Star every year. I was the leading vote-getter every year in All-Star games. Sold a lot of jerseys. [Averaged] 50-40-90, averaged 30, [made] All-NBA.
"I mean, was that successful? You know what I mean? But team success is a different thing.
"You'd like to put the team, how the team does, you'd like to put that on one of the best players and call it a failure, but if you want to talk about me individually, you can just look at the work that I put in here.
"I think I've grown as a player. I'm on my way to mastering the game. I think coming here helped me, pushed me far closer to that. So that's what I try to take from my time here."
The Nets played a tribute video for Durant before the game and he had a mixture of cheers and boos from the home crowd over the course of the night.
"That wasn't going to stop me from just doing my job regardless," Durant said about the video.
"But there's class people here. They appreciate everybody who donned the jersey and that shows a great organization. I respect that."
Cam Thomas scored 25 points and Mikal Bridges, who came to Brooklyn in the Durant trade, had 21 but the Nets (19-28) failed in their bid to win three straight for the first time since early December.
They next play at Philadelphia on Friday.
Reigning Grand Slam champions Ireland launch their Guinness Six Nations title defence against pre-tournament favourites France in Marseille.
Antoine Dupont and Johnny Sexton will be notable absentees as the two sides go into a new era on the back of agonising Rugby World Cup exits.
Here, the PA news agency picks out some of the main talking points ahead of Friday’s tantalising championship curtain-raiser.
World Cup hangovers? Grand Slam decider?
France versus Ireland was widely touted as a potential World Cup final. The two nations were Test rugby’s top-ranked teams in the build-up to the tournament before their campaigns ended in the space of 24 hours with enthralling quarter-final defeats. Ireland’s 17-match winning run was halted by a 28-24 loss to New Zealand in Paris, before the hosts were beaten 29-28 in the same city by eventual champions South Africa. Both will be eager to respond to those disappointments in a mouth-watering fixture which has ultimately proved to be a Grand Slam decider in the past two years.
Absent stars
Dupont’s decision to focus on France’s sevens squad for this year’s Paris Olympics has deprived the championship of its leading star. The scrum-half has been crowned player of the tournament in the three of the past four years. He will be replaced in the number nine jersey by Maxime Lucu, with Gregory Alldritt taking on the captaincy. Ireland, meanwhile, must move on following the retirement of talismanic former captain Sexton. The 38-year-old – the Six Nations’ record points scorer with 566 – has left a void on and off the field. Flanker Peter O’Mahony is Ireland’s new skipper, while Jack Crowley, Ciaran Frawley and Harry Byrne will compete for the fly-half role.
Sexton’s long-term successor
To coin an Andy Farrell phrase, Crowley is the “next cab off the rank” in the contest to become Sexton’s long-term successor. The Munster player served as understudy at the World Cup and has been selected for his full Six Nations debut. Crowley’s only previous championship appearance was a three-minute cameo away to Italy last February, while just three of his nine caps have come as a starter. Yet the 24-year-old is the most experienced out-half in his country’s 34-man squad. Frawley, who has been named on the bench, has only 40 minutes of Test action to his name, while his Leinster team-mate Byrne has not featured at international level since playing 56 minutes across substitute outings against the USA and Argentina in 2021.
Unfamiliar surroundings
Stade de France in Paris became a second home for Ireland during last autumn’s World Cup. Farrell’s men had hoped to play five successive matches there but had to settle for three following defeat to the All Blacks. There will be no swift return to Saint-Denis – the scene of memorable wins over South Africa and Scotland – for the Irish as France are this year playing their tournament matches away from the capital due to the upcoming Olympics. Stade Velodrome will be unfamiliar surroundings for many of Farrell’s squad, albeit the Leinster contingent suffered a heart-breaking, last-gasp loss to La Rochelle there in the 2022 Champions Cup final.
Opportunity knocks for McCarthy and Nash
In addition to the selection of Crowley, Farrell has handed Six Nations debuts to Test rookies Joe McCarthy and Calvin Nash. The head coach has shown plenty of faith in 22-year-old Leinster lock McCarthy by picking him ahead of experienced duo James Ryan and Iain Henderson. Meanwhile, Munster wing Nash has an opportunity to capitalise on the misfortune of injured star Mack Hansen. The 26-year-old won his only previous cap as a replacement in a World Cup warm-up win over Italy but has been in fine form for his province. “All you need in life is an opportunity, and it’s a big one for Calvin,” said Farrell.
Faugheen was no stranger to dazzling on the big occasion, but as the curtains began to close on his decorated career, he saved one more moment of magic for his adoring home supporters, lighting up the Dublin Racing Festival with a heroic display that sent Leopardstown into a frenzy.
One of the best Champion Hurdle winners of modern times, injury setbacks saw him reinvented first as a staying hurdler and then a novice chaser, as his trainer Willie Mullins eked out Grade One-winning performances with the twilight of his career approaching.
Although a dual Cheltenham Festival scorer, it was Leopardstown that played host to some of his finest displays and he arguably saved his best until last at the Dublin track when his final outing in the Irish capital saw him bring the house down with a brilliant swansong success.
Sent novice chasing at the ripe old age of 11, Faugheen had made the perfect start to fencing and arrived at Leopardstown having dispatched Samcro to taste Grade One glory at Limerick over Christmas.
Eyeing more success at the highest level, Faugheen was sent off the 13-8 joint-favourite for the Flogas Novice Chase and showed all of the qualities and class that had made him such a mainstay of the National Hunt racing scene as he held off stablemate Easy Game for a fairytale victory that would go down in Irish racing folklore.
“Going into Leopardstown, we knew he had been in good form, but for him it was a big day,” said Joe Chambers, racing manager for Faugheen’s owners Rich and Susannah Ricci.
“You were kind of harking back to the Danoli days and days of yesteryear where people were just leaping over tables trying to take advantage of every vantage point. There are a few wonderful pictures of the crowd and they were however many deep around the ring, and every balcony and vantage point was filled.
“Paul (Townend) nearly came off him at the back of the last and it wasn’t without drama, but it was a wonderful day and a pretty emotional day as well. It was a day where I saw Willie get emotional and you don’t often see that.”
It was also a huge occasion for Townend, who in the early stages of his tenure as Closutton number one, finally got his highlight-reel moment aboard Faugheen, having watched on as Ruby Walsh and many of his weighing room colleagues enjoyed great days alongside the popular gelding.
“It was great for Paul as well, because he hadn’t actually ridden Faugheen that many times,” continued Chambers.
“Faugheen was very much a part of Ruby’s career and David (Mullins) had won a Grade One on him and Emmet (Mullins) had won a Grade Three on him and Patrick had won a Grade One as well on him.
“Paul and Danny (Mullins) were somewhat the odd ones out and ultimately, when the music stopped, Danny was the only one left standing.”
The noise reverberating around Leopardstown as Faugheen made a triumphant return to the winner’s enclosure that day could be heard for miles around and although their great warrior will always be associated with the track, Chambers points out Faugheen often received a hero’s reception wherever he went.
He said: “I think you could be anywhere (in the world) with a crowd like that and a horse like that to celebrate and it was just one of those days where everything came together.
“He reincarnated himself as a novice chaser and he had two great days really – you can’t forget the Grade One he won under Patrick (Mullins) at Limerick when he beat Samcro.
“At some tracks in Ireland, the more rural you get, the greater the affinity can be with horses – especially ones who have been there, climbed to the mountain top, fallen back and then come back and managed to achieve again.”
So, having reached the summit of the sport once again at Leopardstown, there was one final peak left to conquer, with his Flogas triumph signalling one last return to the Cheltenham Festival in a quest to add a third Prestbury Park victory to his CV.
Sent off the 3-1 favourite for the March Novices’ Chase in what would be the final start of his career, Faugheen would go down on his shield to finish third, as Samcro gained Limerick revenge and conjured up his own resurgence story in a race where Closutton stalwart Melon also made the podium.
Chambers added: “I think at Cheltenham in the novice chase, but for a mistake at the second-last, where he just didn’t meet the fence quite right and Samcro winged it, he could have gone out in another blaze of glory as well.
“He got a wonderful reception that day. There might have been a few thoughts privately amongst people (about retiring after Leopardstown), but I don’t recall anything specific being discussed about it.
“Part of me thinks it would be the natural thing to do, but then again why would you do that having won a Grade One with Cheltenham round the corner.”
A winner of 17 of his 26 career starts, he was given the title ‘The Machine’ after mercilessly destroying the opposition as he racked up a 10-race unbeaten sequence at the beginning of his time under rules.
He won 12 of his first 13 outings before injury agonisingly kept him sidelined for almost two years when arguably at his pomp.
However, such was his resilience and brilliance, Faugheen was still able to win Grade Ones at two miles, three miles and over fences upon his return, thanks to the sublime handling by Mullins and those at Closutton.
Having captured the hearts of the racing public due to his on-track exploits, he now welcomes them into his own home, residing at the Irish National Stud in retirement alongside fellow Closutton icon Hurricane Fly and the likes of Beef Or Salmon and Hardy Eustace.
Chambers added: “The fact he had been so successful and had been unbeaten and had this ‘machine’ moniker and a fan base, combined with his trials and tribulations and still having the resolution to come back and do it, is a testament to the horse and also a testament to Willie’s training of him.
“He was a wonderful animal and he is enjoying a great retirement at the Irish National Stud.
“He’s there with Hurricane Fly and a couple of others and they take really good care of him – and the people who were associated with him, and also people who were fans of him, are able to go and see him as much as they see fit.
“He was absolutely brilliant on his day and the way he won the Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown beating Arctic Fire and Nichols Canyon – that was ultimately the day he hurt himself – but on the figures and ratings, it was a great performance.
“He gave us great days at Kempton when winning two Christmas Hurdles and also some wonderful days at Cheltenham – even the runs in defeat were great.”
Chris Dobey insists there is “no pressure” on him as he begins his Masters title defence on Friday.
The 33-year-old beat former World Champion Rob Cross 11-7 in last year’s final to claim his first major PDC crown in Milton Keynes.
Dobey remains “confident” going into the tournament, where he will face UK Open winner Andrew Gilding in the first round with a second-round tie against Michael van Gerwen at stake.
“I feel great, practice has gone well. I’m confident, so I’m hoping for another good tournament,” Dobey told the PA news agency.
“Everybody’s there for a reason, everybody knows how good everybody is in the competition, so there’s no pressure on me.
“I’ve got to go there, do what I do best and hopefully continue the form from the World Championships.”
Dobey comes into the Masters having endured a disappointing end to his World Championship hopes at the start of January where he was beaten 5-4 by Cross in the quarter-finals.
He had looked set to reach the semi-finals after taking a 4-0 lead, but Cross staged a memorable comeback to snatch victory.
“It’s still a hard one to take. Obviously I keep saying I should never have lost that, but I didn’t really do much different from 4-0 up to losing 5-4, I stayed at that same level,” Dobey said.
“Rob just went out there, given he had nothing to lose being 4-0 down, and he came back and played absolutely fantastic. You’ve got to take your hat off to him for that.
“I’ve put that in the past now, it’s all about this year and moving forward and hopefully I can get off to a good start from that defeat.”
Victory in that match would have set up a semi-final meeting between Dobey’s stable mate and teenage sensation Luke Littler.
Littler, who turned 17 this month, made headlines after reaching the World Championship final on debut and has since earned his first piece of silverware at the Bahrain Masters.
His incredible rise comes as no surprise to Dobey, who believes Littler has put “eyes back on the darts”.
“I knew he had the ability to go far,” Dobey said.
“Obviously with me, Nathan (Aspinall) and Luke being in the same stable you look at their draws, we’ve got a group chat to see what we think. I looked at Luke’s side of the draw (at Alexandra Palace) and thought it was a more favourable side of the draw.
“Then a couple of the big names went out on his side, which he’s got to take advantage of, and he did that for sure.
“He played a great tournament, fantastic. I think he was unlucky not to go 5-2 up in the final, he was millimetres away from the double two.
“It’s fine margins like that changes lives, changes the game, and that’s what happened.
“I was disappointed not to play him in the semi-final because we said a couple of days prior to our quarter-finals, ‘keep doing what we’re doing and we’ll play each other in the semi-final and hopefully it guarantees one of us in the final’.
“It just wasn’t to be, but the lad went on to do well and he’s made a name for himself. He’s changed the world of darts again and all eyes are back on the darts.”
Alex Turcotte scored his first NHL goal and assist and the Los Angeles Kings snapped a four-game skid with a 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Wednesday.
Turcotte – the fifth overall pick in 2019 – extended the Kings’ lead to 2-0 in the second period and assisted on Trevor Lewis’ goal with 6:40 remaining. He was playing in his second NHL game of the season and 14th overall.
Carl Grundstrom and Kevin Fiala also scored for the Kings, who head into the All-Star break on a 3-8-6 stretch.
David Rittich made 38 saves and is 5-1-3 as a starter this season.
Filip Forsberg and Philip Tomasino tallied for Nashville, which has one win in six games (1-4-1).
Senators edge Red Wings in overtime
Shane Pinto scored on a lunging tip-in at 2:05 of overtime to lift the Ottawa Senators to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
Brady Tkachuk and Mark Kastelic also scored and Joonas Korpisalo made 22 saves as Ottawa improved to 5-1-2 in its last eight games.
Daniel Sprong and Dylan Larkin had goals for the Red Wings, who finished January with a 9-2-2 record.
Larkin’s team-best 23rd goal extended his point streak to 12 games. He has 10 goals and six assists during that span.
Vatrano propels Ducks in overtime
Frank Vatrano scored with 53 seconds left in overtime and the Anaheim Ducks defeated the San Jose Sharks, 3-2.
Isaac Lundestrom scored in the first period and Troy Terry netted the equaliser with 61 seconds to play in regulation as Anaheim improved to 3-0-1 in its last four games.
San Jose got goals from Anthony Duclair and Marc-Edouard Vlasic and notched at least a point for the sixth time in seven games (4-1-2).
Anfernee Simons spoiled Damian Lillard’s return to Portland with a go-ahead floater with 17.1 seconds remaining to lift the Trail Blazers to a 119-116 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.
Lillard had 25 points on 9-of-23 shooting – 3 of 13 from 3-point range – with seven assists, six rebounds and four turnovers in his first game back in Portland since he was traded to Milwaukee in September.
He was the face of the Blazers’ franchise for his first 11 seasons in the NBA and was treated to a lengthy ovation before the game and tributes played on the video scoreboard during timeouts.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points and eight rebounds and Khris Middleton added 21 and eight assists as the Bucks lost their second straight under new coach Doc Rivers.
Simons finished with 24 points and Deandre Ayton had 20 and 11 rebounds for the Blazers, who won their second straight to close a three-game homestand.
Durant leads Suns past Nets in return
Kevin Durant poured in 33 points in his return to Brooklyn and Jusuf Nurkic had 28 with 11 rebounds to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 136-120 win over the Nets.
Durant shot 10 of 16 from the field and added eight assists in his first game in Brooklyn since being traded to Phoenix nearly a year ago.
Devin Booker scored 22 points and Eric Gordon added 17 for the Suns, who won for the ninth time in 11 games.
Cam Thomas scored 25 points and Mikal Bridges, who came to Brooklyn in the Durant trade, had 21 as the Nets failed to win three straight for the first time since early December.
Mitchell’s big night keeps Cavaliers hot
Donovan Mitchell scored 20 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter and Darius Garland had 19 in his return from a broken jaw as the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the lowly Detroit Pistons, 128-121.
Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 11 rebounds for his franchise-record 16th straight double-double to help the Cavaliers win for the 11th time in 12 games and improve to an NBA-best 16-4 since Dec. 16.
Danilo Galliari scored 20 points and Cade Cunningham added 19 and seven assists for Detroit, which was seeking consecutive wins for the first time since Oct. 27-28.
Garland was 7 of 12 from the field in 20 ½ minutes in his first action after missing 19 games. He sustained the injury in a collision with Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis on Dec. 14.
On this day in 2020, Sofia Kenin won the Australian Open women’s singles title with a 4-6 6-2 6-2 victory against Garbine Muguruza.
The then-21-year-old American had never previously played beyond the fourth round of a grand slam and became the youngest winner of the title since Maria Sharapova in 2008.
She also followed in the footsteps of Naomi Osaka, Ashleigh Barty and Bianca Andreescu, who all won their first slam finals in brilliant fashion in the previous 18 months.
Kenin’s emotions showed at various points during the deciding set and she dropped her racket and covered her face with her hands in disbelief when Muguruza’s second serve landed long on match point.
“These past two weeks, there have been a lot of emotions,” she said post-match.
“You guys could see after the match how much it all meant to me.
“This is such an honour. I’m so proud of myself, my dad, my team, everyone that has been around me. We’ve all worked hard. We’ve been through tough times. We did it. We fought. I’m just on cloud nine.”
Kenin followed up her Australian Open victory by reaching the final of the French Open later that year in October, but was beaten by Iga Swiatek.
The Seattle Seahawks have appointed Mike Macdonald as the youngest head coach in the NFL.
The 36-year-old, who has been defensive co-ordinator at the Baltimore Ravens for the past two seasons, replaces Pete Carroll who steered the Seahawks to their only Super Bowl victory during his 14 years in charge.
“We’re going to have a lot of fun, we’re going to work our tails off, and it’s going to be an incredible ride,” Macdonald told the team’s website, describing his appointment as “an honour”.
“We’re going to be here for a long time and we’re going to win a lot of football games.”
He said he was drawn to Seattle by the people and “to bring a championship back to Seattle”.
Macdonald started coaching at the University of Georgia while still a student, starting as an intern at the Ravens and working his way up before spending a season as defensive co-ordinator at the University of Michigan in 2021.
He returned in the same role for the Ravens, shaping the dominant defence which took them to the top seed in the AFC and within one game of the Super Bowl.
Carroll, who was moved to an advisory role with the Seahawks at the end of the season, was the oldest active coach in the NFL at 72.
Jrue Holiday is happy to do things the hard way occasionally after helping the Boston Celtics survive a fightback from the Indiana Pacers.
The Eastern Conference-leading Celtics battled to a 129-124 victory at TD Garden on Tuesday to go 37-11 for the season.
Indiana rallied from 20 points down late in the first half to make it 127-124, but big back-to-back stops kept the Celtics' lead intact.
Holiday saw out the victory for his side with two free throws and has no complaints about being made to sweat for the win.
"We've got to be able to fight through everything," he said. "Fight through expectations, fight through being up 20.
"Fight through somebody having a great third quarter and finishing games. If it was easy the whole time, what's the fun in that?"
Jayson Tatum scored 30 points and came up with two blocks in the final 30 seconds as the Celtics made it five wins in six games.
Jaylen Brown also impressed with 25 points, while Derrick White added 24 for Boston, who claimed the season series with Indiana 3-2.
"You have to be able to win games with your defense," coach Joe Mazzulla said.
"It's a tough balance for us because we always talk about how the game's connected. You can't have one without the other.
"But there's moments when they both have to be elite. We had really good defense down the stretch and made some winning plays."
Aaron Nesmith had 26 points and 12 rebounds and Pascal Siakam added 23 as Indiana, who had won three in a row, fell short of a comeback.
"We got outplayed in the second half, for sure," Brown said.
"But when it came down to it in the wire, fourth quarter, we were able to nudge out and win just by matching the physicality.
"We rebounded better in the fourth quarter, a lot better than we did all game, and then that just helped us win."
The Celtics, boasting the best record in NBA, face the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. The 27-21 Pacers meet the New York Knicks the same day.
Danny Cipriani has retired from professional rugby and declared it a “sobering but also freeing moment”.
The 16-times capped England outside-half had not played since 2022 and was “semi-retired”.
But the 36-year-old has now officially called time on a colourful career that included two spells at Wasps as well as stints at Melbourne Rebels, Sale, Gloucester and Bath.
“Even though I’ve been semi-retired. This is my official announcement,” Cipriani wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“I haven’t played for a while, but in my mind I left it open.
“Messaging my agent as I sit outside Costa, I realised I don’t want to play again. Sobering but also freeing moment.”
Cipriani made his England debut in 2008 with his last appearance coming against South Africa in 2018.
There was no disputing Cipriani’s natural talent but off-pitch problems were a common theme of his career.
“Thank you to all the coaches I’ve had, taken lots away from each one of you,” Cipriani wrote.
“All the staff at every club who are always the greatest mix of personalities, thank you for often being the heartbeat of the club.
“To the supporters who turned up and wore their heart on their sleeves, thank you for showing love throughout my career, special memories from all the fans of each team I played at.
“To all my team mates I played with, man I loved it, I know sometimes I could be relentless, we did have some fun out there though.
“Learnt so much throughout my career and when I reflect, I’m grateful for every moment.
“Anyway, from a semi-retired now officially retired ex rugby player. I couldn’t be more excited for right now, and what’s in store in the future!”
LeBron James is unable to explain the Los Angeles Lakers' inconsistent form after his side went down 138-122 to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Lakers have followed up wins over the Chicago Bulls and the Golden State Warriors with losses to the Houston Rockets and now the Hawks.
With a record of 24-25, the Lakers find themselves ninth in the Western Conference ahead of facing the Boston Celtics on Thursday.
LeBron posted an underwhelming 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists at State Farm Arena on Tuesday as his side fell to a fourth defeat in seven.
"We could, on any given night, beat any team in the NBA," he told reporters. "Then on any given night, we can get our a** kicked by any team.
"That's just the [facts]. What's our record? Under .500? What, 24-25? That's where we are."
The Lakers now have to lift themselves for their trip to the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics, before then facing the New York Knicks.
James is hoping to hit back in those games and regain some momentum after quickfire double-digit defeats.
"When I'm healthy enough to play, I just try to perform at a high level," he said. "I want to help my team-mates do great things out there.
"Win, lose or draw, I want to be satisfied with the way I approach the game."
Trae Young starred for the Hawks with 26 points, which included knocking down his first six attempts from the 3-point range.
De'Andre Hunter added six points in his 16 minutes on the court as he made his comeback after six weeks out, missing 19 games in total.
Atlanta are now 20-27 for the season and face the Phoenix Suns next up as they search for a third-straight win.
"Any team can do it one night or two nights in row," Young said. "We've just got be consistent with it.
"Hopefully we can string together some wins that propel us forward to where we want to go and need to be."
World Rugby has revealed legal action is being taken after match officials and players suffered online abuse during the 2023 World Cup.
One individual in Australia has been charged for online abuse, cases in other jurisdictions are pending – including France, New Zealand the UK – and 1,600 social media accounts have been reported to platforms for breach of their community guidelines.
England’s Wayne Barnes announced his retirement five days after refereeing the Rugby World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand, with his wife Polly revealing that he had received death threats while at the tournament in France and had suffered such abuse many times.
Referee Tom Foley announced in December he would take a break from international rugby because of the “torrent of criticism and abuse” he received after the final, where he was the television match official.
World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin said: “The rise of online hate in society and sport is worrying and totally unacceptable and we will continue to do everything possible to protect and support our international match officials and their families by bringing abusers to justice.
“As a result of our partnership with Signify Group we have been able to unmask and identify abusers and take action through law enforcement agencies in multiple countries.
“We hope that prosecutions will send a clear message that such behaviour is not tolerated and even if a person hides behind an alias on a social media network, they will be identified and can be charged.
“It is important to note that this programme is not about suppressing debate, legitimate criticism or free speech, it is about maintaining respect, compassion and decent human and rugby values.
“We will use the recommendations of the report to better understand online trends and help address the areas that lead to abuse at source. Some of these aspects will play into our Shape of the Game conversations in February.”
More than 900 social media accounts, including those belonging to all match officials with public-facing social accounts, were monitored by Signify Group during the seven weeks of the World Cup last September and October.
The accounts monitored also included the families of match officials and World Rugby’s bona fide channels.
The impact of the work comes on the eve of ‘Whistleblowers’, an access-all-areas film following the match officials’ journey to and through the 2023 tournament, which also highlights the scale of online abuse they faced, being broadcast.
World Rugby said that in the case of more extreme abusive accounts flagged to platforms, takedown rates are running at approximately 90 per cent.
Barnes said: “Those who abuse or threaten players, match officials or their families must realise there will be consequences for their actions.
“It is great to see World Rugby leading the way and seeing the first charges being made against those individuals who send such appalling messages.
“There is simply no place for that behaviour in rugby, in sport or in society.”
Match officials, including TMOs, received 49 per cent of the total abuse during the tournament.
Three match officials were in the top 10 most targeted individuals and Barnes was the most targeted person, receiving one third of all abuse.
The England team received the largest volume of abuse, followed by South Africa and France.
Caribbean representatives Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica had to settle for eighth and 16th positions respectively after both produced credible efforts at the FIH Hockey 5s World Cup in Muscat, Oman, on Wednesday.
Trinidad and Tobago suffered a narrow 5-7 loss to Kenya in the seventh and eighth-place playoff, while Jamaica, making an historic appearance at the tournament, also went down by two goals in their 2-4 loss to Fiji in the 15th-16th-place encounter.
Netherlands were crowned champions following their 5-2 beating of Malaysia in the final.
Earlier in the tournament, Trinidad and Tobago registered a 5-5 stalemate with Australia, defeated Kenya 7-2 and then thumped New Zealand 11-4.
However, the twin island republic lost their quarter-final tie 4-5 against Malaysia, and then lost 5-8 to Egypt in the fifth to eighth-place playoff.
Meanwhile, the Jamaicans lost all six games played, but would have benefitted immensely from their debut outing on the world stage.
The Duvaughn Henlon-coached team first suffered a 2-10 loss to Egypt, but produced a more respectable showing in their 4-6 loss to Switzerland in their second encounter. They were also beaten 13-0 and 15-2 and 8-1 by India, Pakistan and United States respectively.
Fabian Stewart, Jamaica Hockey Federation (JHF) president, took heart from the team’s performance and, by extension, top 16 ranking, which he believes is a solid platform to build on going forward.
“The positive of participating in this tournament is that Jamaica is in the top 16 of countries that are playing hockey5s. We earned our spot to come to this tournament and it is clear that we are in the top 16. So we are in the top tier, globally,” said Stewart.
“The players have learnt a lot. The game is played in a particular manner and all the players can actually see the sort of speed they play with.
“We played against top-tier countries that we never got an opportunity to see or play against, but we understand that how we played in parts, we can actually handle them, but we have to be more consistent. But our coaches and staff have seen what is required to operate at this level,” he added.
The Seattle Seahawks have reached an agreement with Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to become the team's next head coach, NFL.com reported Wednesday.
Macdonald, who helped the Ravens to an NFL-best 13-4 record during the regular season and an appearance in the AFC championship game, will reportedly receive a six-year contract to take over a Seattle team that went 9-8 in 2023 but just missed the playoffs over long-time predecessor Pete Carroll.
The Seahawks parted ways with Carroll earlier this month, which marked the end of an outstanding 14-year run that included 10 post-season appearances and the franchise's only Super Bowl title during the 2013 season.
Macdonald, 36, becomes the youngest current active head coach and will be replacing the oldest one in Carroll, who turned 72 in September.
The Seahawks' decision culminates a meteoric rise through the coaching ranks for Macdonald, who spent two seasons as the Ravens' defensive coordinator under John Harbaugh after serving one year in the same role at the University of Michigan for Harbaugh's brother, Jim.
Macdonald quickly assembled one of the league's fiercest defences in Baltimore, where he previously spent six seasons as an assistant from 2014-20 before joining the recently named Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh at Michigan.
The Ravens allowed the third-fewest points in the NFL in 2022 and were even better this past season, as Macdonald's unit yielded a league-low 16.5 points per game and topped the NFL with 60 sacks.
Defence was a problem for the 2023 Seahawks, who ranked 30th of the NFL's 32 teams in total yards allowed and 25th in points allowed. Seattle was 8-2 when surrendering 27 points or fewer but went 1-6 when permitting 28 or more.
The Seahawks were one of two teams - along with the Washington Commanders - that had not filled a head coaching vacancy when conference championship games were taking place this past weekend.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was considered a top candidate for the jobs in Seattle and Washington, which has yet to complete its search, before informing both teams on Tuesday that he will remain in his current position.
Resilience and evolution will underpin Leeds’ bid to reassert their once-customary status as Betfred Super League title contenders when the 2024 season kicks off in a fortnight’s time.
Rohan Smith’s fairytale start to the head-coach role at Headingley, when he lifted them from 11th place to fifth and ultimately a place in the 2022 Grand Final, proved a distant memory during a turbulent 2023 campaign.
But a productive pre-season, which saw the headline arrival of Salford’s former Man of Steel Brodie Croft among six others, has helped convince Smith that the tough times could soon be a thing of the past.
“What we went through last season has made a lot of players and staff resilient,” Smith, whose side’s play-off hopes were ended by injuries and the unscripted departures of key players like Blake Austin and Sam Walters, told the PA news agency.
“There were some tough times in among some really performances, but the resilience of having to fight through the tough bits is something you can only get by going through them.
“It’s been a really productive pre-season. The Croft and (Andy) Ackers situations don’t pop up very often, so it was a chance for us to make a statement. I think we will start as a work in progress and get better.”
Just as he shut out criticism during the more difficult moments of the 2023 season, not least the crushing September defeats by Wigan and Catalans Dragons, Smith is also intent on blocking out the increasing external expectations.
“When we went to the Grand Final I wasn’t reading the paper, and I wasn’t reading the paper when we didn’t make the play-offs,” added Smith.
“I live in my own little bubble and I have to get informed on most things that happen in the real world. I keep my focus on the things I can have an influence on.
“This time last year things were looking OK and that’s probably how we played. This year the characters who have come in have been picked on their personality as well as their playing ability, and there is a real cohesion and consistency in the group.”
Australian full-back Lachie Miller is another high-profile arrival but for Smith the club’s academy remains front and centre to a prospective revival, so the emergence of the likes of homegrown prop Tom Holroyd – who will wear the famous number 10 shirt this season – is of equal importance.
“Tom had a terrific season last year and he’s a player who’s got a lot ahead of him, but he’s also a sign for the rest of the group that there’s an opportunity out there for them.
“It’s up to them to decide what happens with recruitment and retention going forward. The opportunity is there for the young players to emerge and take that jersey.
“That’s the plan moving forward, that we evolve and emerge from within, rather than looking outside for anything more than the necessary components.”
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
