Sidney Crosby scored a tie-breaking goal on the power play to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 6-5 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.
Crosby had a pair of assists in the first period before his goal at 11:19 in the third period snapped a 5-all tie.
It was the second straight multi-point game for the 36-year-old Crosby, who is tied for seventh in the league with 22 goals and earlier in the day was named an NHL All-Star for the 10th time.
Drew O’Connor, Ryan Graves, Jake Guentzel, Lars Eller and Jeff Carter also scored for the Penguins (19-14-4), who have now earned at least one point in seven of their last eight games, going 6-1-1 since December 18.
The Atlantic Division-leading Bruins (23-8-6) rallied from three goals down to tie the score on Brad Marchand's second goal of the game early in the third period, but ended up losing for the first time in five games.
David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie each finished with a goal and two assists, while Jeremy Swayman finished with 29 saves for Boston.
The Golden State Warriors were on the verge of beating the Denver Nuggets for the first time in nearly two years.
Nikola Jokic had other ideas.
Jokic hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Nuggets to a 130-127 win over the Warriors on Thursday to cap an 18-point, fourth-quarter comeback.
Jokic's improbable 3 came from just inside of half-court and over the outstretched arms of Warriors centre Kevon Looney.
Jokic, who had just tied the game with 26 second left on a short jumper, finished with 34 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Aaron Gordon sparked Denver's furious rally, scoring 15 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, as the defending champions won for the eighth time in nine games.
The Nuggets (25-11) also extended their winning streak over the Warriors to six games dating to a loss in the 2022 play-offs.
Stephen Curry led Golden State with 30 points but also committed a costly turnover late, with Jamal Murray stealing the ball from him with four seconds remaining to set up Jokic's winner.
The Warriors (16-18) lost for the third time in four games following a five-game winning streak.
Antetokounmpo powers Bucks past Wembanyama, Spurs
Victor Wembanyama sent the San Antonio Spurs fans into a frenzy with a huge 3-pointer.
Giannis Antetokounmpo promptly silenced the crowd with a 3-point play of his own.
Antetokounmpo scored 44 points and the Milwaukee Bucks pulled out a 125-121 win at San Antonio to snap a two-game losing streak.
The first NBA meeting between Antetokounmpo and Wembanyama was a back-and-forth affair in which neither team led by more five points in the final quarter.
Wembanyama tied the game at 121 on a 3-pointer with 1:09 remaining, but the Bucks responded on their next trip down the court, as Antetokounmpo put Milwaukee ahead on a driving dunk and added a free throw after being fouled.
Antetokounmpo also had 14 rebounds and seven assists for the Bucks (25-10), who got back in the win column after being swept in a home-and-home series with the Indiana Pacers.
Damian Lillard scored 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and chipped in 10 assists.
Wembanyama blocked Lillard's layup attempt right before his 3-pointer, and later blocked an attempted dunk by Antetokounmpo with less than 30 seconds remaining. But on the Spurs next possession, Tre Jones missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer.
Wembanyama finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots, while Devin Vassell led San Antonio with 34 points.
The Spurs (5-29) lost their fourth in a row and for the ninth time in the last 10 games.
Serena Williams withdrew from the Australian Open on January 5, 2018 and announced she would not defend the title she won while pregnant.
The American had kept secret the fact she was expecting her first child as she swept to a 23rd grand slam title in 2017, defeating sister Venus 6-4 6-4 in the final.
Williams gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia in September of the same year and ultimately decided to delay her return to the big stage.
Williams had played an exhibition match on December 30 in Abu Dhabi against Jelena Ostapenko, testing out her fitness in a 6-2 3-6 10-5 defeat, and that prompted her decision to sit out the new year’s first grand slam.
She said: “After competing in Abu Dhabi I realised that, although I am super close, I’m not where I personally want to be.
“My coach and team always said only go to tournaments when you are prepared to go all the way.
“I can compete, but I don’t want to just compete, I want to do far better than that and, to do so, I will need a little more time.”
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said: “The true champion Serena is has been demonstrated in the Herculean efforts she has made over the past few months in her desire to play the Australian Open.
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“Serena transcends the sport in the way she approaches all aspects of her life and consistently gives her all in everything she does.
“It was never going to be good enough for her to just compete, she wants to give herself the best chance to win.
“I’ve been in constant contact with Serena and her team and know this is why she has pushed it and pushed it until the eleventh hour to make her final decision.
“We all wish her the very best and I look forward to seeing her back on court this year, and can’t wait to welcome her back to the Australian Open in 2019.”
Williams went on to reach four more grand slam finals but did not win another title before retiring in 2022.
Sahith Theegala birdied seven of his final nine holes to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the PGA Tour season in Hawaii.
The American’s nine-under-par 64 in The Sentry event leads a group of five players, including major champions Collin Morikawa and Jason Day, plus FedEx champion Viktor Hovland.
Colombia’s Camillo Villegas and South Korean Sungjae Im are also on eight under, with world number one Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth among those a shot further adrift.
On a day of low scoring, Theegala reached the turn at three-under-par before six consecutive birdies catapulted him into the last – another at the last, giving him the top spot on his own after a bogey at the 16th.
Morikawa made six birdies and an eagle in his 65, while Hovland birdied seven of his last 10 holes.
Matt Wallace was the top English performer in the 59-strong field – made up of last year’s PGA Tour winners and top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings – with a 68, one better than Tyrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Tommy Fleetwood opened with a 70, while Justin Rose came home in 31 after going out in 40 to be two under.
Away from the Cleveland Cavaliers this season to work on his mental health, veteran point guard Ricky Rubio has announced that he will no longer play in the NBA.
The 33-year-old Spaniard went into detail Thursday with a post on X about his decision to end his NBA career.
“July 30th was one of the toughest nights of my life,” said Rubio, who didn’t report to Cleveland’s training camp this season.
"My mind went to a dark place. I kind of knew I was going on that direction, but I never thought I wasn’t under control of the situation. The next day, I decided to stop my professional career.
“One day, when the time is right, I would love to share my full experience with you all so I can help support others going through similar situations.
"Until then, I would like to keep it private out of respect for my family and myself, as I’m still working on my mental health. But I’m proud to say I’m doing much better and getting better everyday.
“I wanted to post this message for you today because my NBA career has come to an end.”
The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Rubio with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, and he began his career in the 2011-12 season en route to earning First-Team All-Rookie honors.
Rubio also played for the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Cleveland, averaging 10.8 points, 7.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 698 career games.
“It all started in June 2009, draft night in New York. What a dream,” he said. “After playing 12 years in the league, with all its up and downs, I have collected lots of good memories and great relationships.
“Minnesota, Utah, Phoenix and Cleveland. Wow. Thank you!”
Owen Farrell’s future with England remains uncertain after Steve Borthwick revealed he has been given no indication by his captain that he plans to return.
Farrell will miss at least the Six Nations in order to prioritise his and his family’s mental wellbeing following last autumn’s World Cup in France, during which the Saracens fly-half was repeatedly booed by supporters at games.
With Farrell also likely to be unavailable for the summer tour to Japan and New Zealand, there is the possibility that the bronze final victory over Argentina in November was the 32-year-old’s final Test for England.
When asked if Farrell will play for England again, Borthwick replied: “I’m really hopeful he does.
“We are all hopeful Owen will return to the England team at some point soon, but that’s going to be a decision Owen makes.
“Owen and I spoke right at the end of the World Cup. We were actually in Paris. We took a walk and he shared some of his thoughts and what he was thinking at that point in time.
“Then he took a period of reflecting and we met a couple of weeks later and he told me of his decision to step away. He expressed some of his feelings, which is clearly a confidential conversation.
“The first thing I’ll say there is I’m full of admiration for this guy – as a man, a player and a leader. It takes a lot of courage to do what he’s done.
“I made it really clear there’s no pressure on him, that it’s his decision to be made at the time that’s right for him.”
Borthwick is dismayed by the number and viciousness of online trolls at the World Cup, insisting the vitriol Farrell faced mirrors the growing mistreatment of some high profile figures in the game.
Farrell was caught in the eye of the storm following his red card for a dangerous tackle against Wales in August, a decision that was overturned and then reinstated in reaction to a public outcry.
Meanwhile, referees Wayne Barnes and Tom Foley have spoken of the influence online abuse had on their recent decisions to retire after the World Cup.
“In England alone we’ve seen a player – a captain – and two match officials step away at the top of their game because of certain issues,” Borthwick said.
“There are societal issues that are going on here. The online hate that is spread is not OK, it’s not right.
“For people to have to endure that, their families to have to endure that, to drive people out of the game, is just appalling.
“I don’t have the answers to it but I do know it’s wrong and they’re not true rugby fans that are saying this stuff.
“None of us expected what happened at that World Cup in that area, or for it to be at that level of vitriol against certain people and certain teams.”
A new England captain will be appointed later this month with Jamie George, George Ford and Ellis Genge leading candidates, but Borthwick ruled out an approach to Courtney Lawes.
Lawes announced his international retirement at the end of the World Cup but has been in superb form for Northampton so far this season.
“Courtney’s been playing really well but he was pretty clear to me about his step,” Borthwick said.
New world champion Luke Humphries is anticipating an enduring rivalry with Luke Littler in years to come.
Humphries ended Littler’s teenage dream by winning the World Championship at Alexandra Palace on Wednesday night as he celebrated becoming world number one by lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time.
Littler, 16, was the star of the tournament, though, his time will surely come after showing he can already mix it with the very best in the sport.
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But it is Humphries who is the current king, having won four of the last five major titles, and he expects the two Lukes to be at the top of the pile.
“It is a final I would be very shocked not to see again,” he said. “Not just in world finals, in major finals, we will see that final many, many times over the next 20 years.
“Darts can throw up anything, who knows what talent can come through and all of a sudden be better than us.
“I don’t think we will see a talent as good as Luke at 16 ever again in any sport. Him winning the title would have been the equivalent of a 16-year-old winning the Balon D’Or or a tennis player winning Wimbledon.
“I would be very shocked if you see someone with a cool, calm head like him at such a young age dominate like he can.”
Although he was the villain for ending Littler’s dream becoming the youngest world champion, few will begrudge the success of Humphries, who is one of the sport’s nice guys.
But that has often led him to be called ‘boring’ as he is more reserved than the showman Peter Wright, fist-pumping Michael van Gerwen or combative Gerwyn Price, but he has let his darts do the talking.
“I am not a boring person, I know a load of people say it on social media, but what you see on stage is not the person you see in real life,” he said. “The comments do not affect me, people can say whatever they want to say.
“It is up to me whether I let them affect me and I never will. I am the one that is doing all the hard work and if I was to create a fake personality and do different things then I probably wouldn’t be winning the things I do.
“That is the great thing about darts, there are so many different personalities, a lot of them come out on stage, mine comes out behind the stage.
“Once I won the Grand Prix. a couple of people said it and everyone just jumped on that bandwagon.
“It is not boring, if you’re a proper darts fan you are going to enjoy watching that game. It happened to me, I celebrated winning one of the sets and look what happened next, I was rubbish, that is why I like to keep laser-focused and worry about winning the game.”
Named Luke by his father as homage to his beloved Leeds (Leeds United Kings of Europe), plans are in the pipeline to parade his trophy around Elland Road.
He added: “It would make me feel as good as I just felt because I have watched and supported my beloved Leeds for many years, since I was about three or four years old which is as long as I can remember.
“To go around and see all those Leeds fans cheering my name and shouting it would just a very emotional moment, it really will.”
Luke Littler’s World Darts Championship run ended with defeat in the final to Luke Humphries but the 16-year-old produced a stunning performance along the way.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the youngster’s achievements.
Century average
Littler’s displays at Alexandra Palace were hugely impressive even without considering his age.
He compiled a three-dart average of 101.64 on his run through the tournament, with his 106.12 against Christian Kist a record for a player’s debut PDC World Championship match and 0.07 higher than his hammering of Rob Cross in the semi-final. He also topped 100 against Raymond van Barneveld, Brendan Dolan and in the final against Humphries.
His 42.63 per cent record on checkouts helped him breeze almost unchallenged into the final, where he dipped to 36.51 per cent, but did hit successive finishes of 142 and 120 to win the second set before later taking out the ‘big fish’ 170.
He hit 63 180s, including 16 against Cross, and 398 centuries in all, and it took a performance from new world number one Humphries featuring 23 maximums and a 103.67 average to get the better of him.
Eighth seed Cross was the highest-ranked scalp on a run which saw Littler also take out three players ranked in the 20s in Gilding, Dolan and Van Barneveld.
Littler’s own ranking is up to 31 and he is in this year’s Premier League as a result of his exploits, which also brought Sky Sports’ highest non-football audience since records began as the final peaked at 3.71million viewers.
A star is born
The famously raucous Ally Pally crowd chanted “you’ve got school in the morning” during Littler’s opening win over Christian Kist as he became the youngest player to win a match at the event.
His youth was highlighted most of all in beating Van Barneveld, the man he describes as “one of my idols” and fully 40 years Littler’s senior, to reach the quarter-finals.
The Dutchman won the 2007 World Championship 20 days before Littler was born and has been playing competitively for more than twice Littler’s lifetime, since 1984 when he himself was just 17.
Michael van Gerwen is the youngest ever PDC world champion, winning in 2014 at the age of 24 – and indeed the youngest major winner, aged 23 at the 2012 World Grand Prix – so time is still on Littler’s side to rewrite the record books.
Jelle Klaasen won a BDO world title aged 21, while Eric Bristow won his first at 22 – Littler is still 11 years younger than Bristow when he was immortalised in Sid Waddell’s famous commentary line: “When Alexander of Macedonia was 33, he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer … Bristow’s only 27.”
Cross, in 2018, remains the most recent debutant winner of the trophy bearing Waddell’s name, but Littler had the significant consolation of seeing his bank balance swell by £200,000 at such a young age for his efforts at Ally Pally.
Teenager Luke Littler’s reward for his remarkable run to the World Championship final is a place in the Premier League.
The 16-year-old finished runner-up to world number one Luke Humphries at Alexandra Palace and his extraordinary run ensured record viewing figures for broadcasters Sky.
That put pressure on the Professional Darts Corporation to include Littler, who turns 17 later this month, even though he has not won a major title and as a result the Warrington youngster is set to become the youngest player in Premier League history.
“It’s unbelievable. No more development tour. This is it. Playing in the Premier League and comfortably in the (world’s top) 32,” Littler told Sky Sports News.
Stumptown will be trained for a return to the Cheltenham Festival in March after bouncing back to winning ways at the track on New Year’s Day.
The seven-year-old was narrowly beaten by Angels Dawn at the showpiece meeting last season but has been largely disappointing since, including when pulled up as a leading fancy for the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury in early December.
However, with headgear fitted for the first time, Stumptown showed his true colours back in the Cotswolds, providing his trainer Gavin Cromwell with a seventh winner from 17 runners at the home of National Hunt racing this season.
“I was delighted with him,” said Cromwell. “Going back to a small field, a bit of ease in the ground compared to Newbury, I suppose lowering our sights a bit and the blinkers applied, it was nice to get his head in front again.
“He’d lost his way since his good run there at the Festival. He ran in the Irish Grand National after having a hard race at Cheltenham and I’d say it took its toll and it just took him a while to get back this year.
“He ran well enough in the Kerry National, but made a couple of mistakes, which you just can’t get away with in those competitive handicaps.”
While a Festival win is top of Stumptown’s agenda, a tilt at the Grand National is also on the radar.
Cromwell added: “He’ll probably go to the Festival as I’m sure the owners would love to go back. I suppose the obvious races are the Kim Muir again or the Ultima and we’ll just wait and see which we go.
“The Grand National is a possibility and the Irish National is a possibility as well.”
Luke Littler admitted it “would have changed everything” if he had hit double two and gone 5-2 up during his World Championship final defeat by Luke Humphries.
Sixteen-year-old debutant Littler lost 7-4 to world number one Humphries to round off an incredible journey on darts’ biggest stage at Alexandra Palace.
The unranked Warrington player squandered the chance to take a three-set lead going into the break, which allowed Humphries to take the next five sets and win his first major title.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Littler said: “I missed double two to go 5-2 up and that would have changed everything.
“Then I would have gone into the break and I would have been two sets away, just six legs, but it wasn’t to be and then Luke (Humphries) got the job done.
“It is what it is. I didn’t know what to go for so I asked Russ (Bray, the referee) what to go for and I didn’t hit it and I will have to come back stronger.
“It was a bit gutting standing there on my own watching Luke lift the trophy but he deserved it and was the better man on the night.”
Littler, who left school in the summer to focus on darts, won £200,000 and has amassed a wave of social media followers since the tournament kicked off on December 15.
The teenager has even gained the support of players from his favourite football club Manchester United, saying he finds getting attention from their players “unbelievable”.
He added: “It’s crazy to think so many people follow me, especially the footballers of my club. Luke Shaw, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones have sent me messages so it’s unbelievable.
“It’s been crazy. I was watching them on the TV and now they watch me on the TV as well so it’s crazy that they’re watching me.
“My girlfriend got us a stadium tour for two people so I’ll be doing that when we can.
“It’s unbelievable to think the runner-up is bigger than the winner. Obviously Luke is now world number one and the champion so respect to him.
“The social media followers have changed me and my family.”
St Helens Darts Academy opened their doors to support Littler on Wednesday evening.
He said: “I didn’t even know they were at the academy – it’s usually only open on a Monday.
“Thank you to them for putting the effort in by putting the boards up and the TVs, it was good to see and it cheered me up a bit.”
Connections of Caldwell Potter have plenty to get excited about following his thoroughly impressive Leopardstown success over the Christmas period.
Gordon Elliott’s charge was sent off at odds of 6-1 for a competitive running of the Grade One Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle, but proved a decisive winner when pulling clear on the run to two out and galloping on to a cosy six-and-a-half-length success in the hands of Jack Kennedy.
It was a performance that justified his big-race jockey’s confidence and Joey Logan, racing manager to Andy and Gemma Brown’s Caldwell Construction Ltd string, believes connections are only getting a glimpse of what the talented six-year-old could be capable of.
He said: “He was very impressive and to be honest Jack was very confident going out, he had said it was one of the horses he was most looking forward to riding all week at Leopardstown.
“His form is good and he’s improving all the time and he is a lot stronger than he was last year. Hopefully that will continue going forward and he has a lovely way about him throughout his race.”
Having joined his ill-fated brother, Mighty Potter, on the race’s roll of honour, Caldwell Potter could have paved the way for a return to the Irish capital for the Dublin Racing Festival next month where the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle could be the ideal place to complete his Cheltenham Festival preparations.
Logan added: “More than likely we will (go back to Leopardstown), but I have to speak to Andy, Gemma and Gordon. You couldn’t seen much reason why not to and it would be the logical step towards Cheltenham.
“He could be a Supreme horse or a Ballymore horse and with the way he did it, he was only going through the motions. I don’t think either trip will be a bother.”
If Caldwell Potter proved the perfect way to end 2023 for the Caldwell Construction team, they then got the new year off to a flying start at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day as Mollys Mango spearheaded a brilliant double on the card.
The six-year-old, who was placed at Listed level in a bumper, ran out an imperious 17-length scorer to book a possible return to Fairyhouse for Grade Three duties later this month in the Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle.
“Mollys Mango is a very, very nice mare and we’ve always loved her,” said Logan.
“She wasn’t right the last time, but she won her bumper by nearly six lengths before getting black type and Jack said she gave him some feel the other day.
“She didn’t beat a whole lot and Jack said she would do more on the gallops at home than she did in the race.
“We’ll speak again but the Solerina would be probably what we would be thinking there.”
Staffordshire Knot then got off the mark at the second attempt in the concluding bumper and with the gelding already six, attentions could turn to jumping sooner rather than later.
Logan said: “His work was very good and the family are related to Many Clouds, so there is plenty of stamina in the pedigree. The Tullow Tank who won a couple of Grade Ones is in there as well.
“It was a lovely performance and we could go up to two and a half miles and start jumping hurdles with him, or he could stay in bumpers. I would be more inclined to go jumping with him and he looks a really nice prospect.”
Sandown’s feature meeting on Saturday must survive an 8am precautionary inspection on Friday.
With the going at the Esher venue raceable but already very testing, a new band of rain is due to arrive on Thursday evening which has seen the Met Office to issue a yellow weather warning.
Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper, speaking at 2.30pm on Thursday, said: “I think it’s a sensible approach to call the inspection given the uncertainty of the volume of rain that we may see through the rest of the day here.
“It looks like it’s about to start here looking at all the radars, so it is on its way and there is talk of 20 millimetres plus potentially.
“You’d race here today, you would have done every day this week, but there are parts on both courses that are approaching the limits of their capacity to take any more rain which can’t be avoided – we have to be able to race through them, we can’t doll them off and these areas are primarily in the home straight.
“The rain should have finished in the early hours of Friday so we can have a look first thing and see where we have got to – if necessary we can have a further look later in the day or whatever, all possible outcomes you wouldn’t rule out.
“Once that has gone through it does look a dry picture up to and including Saturday and beyond, it just depends on the scale of rain we see.”
Wincanton’s Saturday fixture is also in doubt with their clerk of the course Daniel Cooper calling an inspection called for 8am on Saturday, also due to a yellow warning for rain.
Fugitif has two options before a likely crack at the Ryanair Trophy in March.
Trainer Richard Hobson is weighing up whether to send him to Cheltenham on January 27 for Trials Day, or run a week earlier in Lingfield’s Fleur de Lys Chase.
Fourth in the Paddy Power Gold Cup in November, he finally broke Hobson’s duck at the track in the December Gold Cup.
It was perhaps fitting Fugitif was the one to give Hobson his first winner at Cheltenham given he has run so many good races there, including when second to Seddon in the Plate at last year’s Festival.
“He did his first couple of swinging canters the other day since winning at Cheltenham. He had a week off after that win but he is extremely well,” said Hobson.
“He will aim for either the extended two-and-a-half-mile Premier Handicap at Cheltenham on Trials Day (Paddy Power Cheltenham Countdown Podcast Handicap Chase) or the Fleur de Lys Chase at Lingfield.
“I had no intention of running him at the Christmas meeting at Cheltenham as we always felt he needed time between his races, but he came out of the Paddy Power Gold Cup so well and he was showing all the right signs that we decided to give the December Gold Cup a go.
“When I got my trainer’s licence, there were three things I said to my wife that I wanted to do. I wanted to train a big winner at Auteuil’s festival, train a big winner at Aintree, which we did with Dame Rose, and to train a winner at Cheltenham and that one took a bit longer than we liked, what with all the seconds we had before Fugitif won.
“We had so many hard luck stories at Cheltenham, it was nice to finally see one get their head in front.
“He is in the Ryanair and that is likely to be his main target for the season. He will be put in the Plate as well, but carrying big weights in those handicaps is a hard thing to do. If he was to place in the Ryanair, it would be a great result.”
Kevin Sinfield will step down as Steve Borthwick’s England number two after the summer tour to Japan and New Zealand.
Sinfield has overseen the defence since his appointment by Borthwick in December 2022, but in the wake of the recent World Cup in France the former Leeds rugby league great has decided to move on.
The 43-year-old will remain in place for the Six Nations and the three Tests arranged for June and July, but in a new role overseeing skills and kicking with the incoming Felix Jones taking charge of the defence.
Borthwick declined to disclose any details over Sinfield’s future plans in the first backroom reshuffle of his year-long reign.
“Kev made the decision over what he wanted to do,” Borthwick said. “At the end of the World Cup, there was space for every member of the management to reflect as we look ahead to the next World Cup cycle.
“After a big tournament like the World Cup, every member of the management team needed the opportunity to relax, decompress, reflect and spend some time with friends and family.
“A couple of weeks later, Kev and I met and he gave me his decision. Kev’s decided that longer-term he’s going to head in a different direction away from the England rugby team.
“Ahead of the autumn series, Kev will not work with the team then, he will move away from the team and in a different direction.”
England endured a challenging Six Nations with the lowest ebb being a record defeat at Twickenham in March, with France breaching Sinfield’s defence seven times in a 53-10 rout.
There were highs and lows during the World Cup warm-up matches and the tournament itself, and England’s defence was its best during the agonising 16-15 World Cup semi-final defeat by South Africa, leaking only one try to the eventual champions.
“I’m just grateful that’s he added so much value over these 12 months and that he’s going to stay with the team for the Six Nations and the summer tour,” said Borthwick, who had also appointed Sinfield to his Leicester managed team.
“Kev’s role and what he’s added as we’ve reset the team, you can’t overstate the value he’s brought, what he’s done and the relationships he’s built.
“I’ve changed his role to skills and he will be working specifically on catch-pass skills with the kickers and goalkickers, which he does so very well.”
Former Ireland international Jones takes responsibility for the defence after being recruited from South Africa, having contributed to their triumphant back-to-back World Cup campaigns.
Andrew Strawbridge, New Zealand’s skills coach at France 2023, has been appointed as a consultant for the opening four weeks of the Six Nations.
“If you look at our coaching team now, you’ve got a lot of knowledge of the Premiership, people who coached in the Premiership less than 12 months ago,” Borthwick said.
“Richard Wigglesworth was playing in the Premiership just over a year ago. We’ve got a lot of knowledge of the Premiership and of European rugby.
“Felix has knowledge of the Irish system and the South African system. Andrew joining is brings us the knowledge he has of New Zealand and Super Rugby.
“That’s an exciting blend of coaches and knowledge that we’ve brought together.”
Rafael Nadal continued his impressive return from injury with a dominant win over Jason Kubler at the Brisbane International.
The 22-time grand slam champion played his first match for nearly a year following a hip injury in the opening round against Dominic Thiem and built on that performance by seeing off Australian Kubler 6-1 6-2.
Nadal, who shrugged off a time violation in the second set for taking too long to change his clothes, told reporters in Brisbane: “It has been a positive match, without a doubt.
View this post on Instagram“I think the first five games of the match have been at a very positive level of tennis, doing almost everything the right way. Most of the time I have been playing well, doing the things that I need to do. I’m happy for the victory. Of course, it’s important for me.”
The Spaniard will next face another Australian in Jordan Thompson.
Second seed Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated Andy Murray in round one, also eased into the quarter-finals with a 6-1 6-2 win over Daniel Altmaier.
In the women’s event, top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina were both in fine form, losing just a game apiece.
Sabalenka, who defeated Rybakina to win her maiden grand slam title at the Australian Open 12 months ago, saw off Zhu Lin 6-1 6-0 while Rybakina beat 13th seed Elise Mertens by the same scoreline.
Russian 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva, meanwhile, is also through to the last eight after an almost-as-convincing 6-1 6-1 victory over Arina Rodionova and will next face another teenager in Czech Linda Noskova.
Ben Pauling retains plenty of faith in Tellherthename as he attempts to get to the bottom of what caused his disappointing showing in Aintree’s Formby Novices’ Hurdle.
The five-year-old fetched £200,000 at the sales having got the better of recent Exeter bumper scorer and Envoi Allen’s brother Joyau Allen in the pointing field and backed up that promise in his opening outings under rules, pushing eventual Formby winner Jango Baie all the way at Ascot before bolting up at Huntingdon.
Tellherthename was sent off at odds of 5-1 when making the move to Grade One company on Boxing Day and was up with the pace before stopping quickly approaching three out, eventually being pulled up by jockey Kielan Woods.
Pauling has given the gelding a full MOT following that effort and if nothing comes to light from the extensive bout of testing, the Naunton Downs handler will be content to point towards the testing conditions at Aintree as a plausible reason for Tellherthename’s Formby no-show.
He said: “We’ve explored and turned most stones we can now because we were a bit perplexed at the time as we think he is a bit special. He was just beaten a long way out really for it to be right.
“At the moment we are still investigating but I would pretty much hang my hat on the fact he doesn’t handle that very testing ground.
“Everything so far, all his bloods and stuff, has been good, but we’ve got a few more little bits and bobs to check out.
“He seems very well in himself and if nothing comes to light, I will put it down to the fact he just can’t go on that very soft ground.”
Pauling went on: “I trotted off down the track to try to meet him to make sure he was OK and it was just very hard work.
“It was about as bad a ground I think I’ve seen in a long time and interestingly I shared a lift home with Felix De Giles who rode the French horse, July Flower, in the race and he said it was worse ground than Auteuil by a margin. His horse didn’t even handle the ground and travel to the second hurdle and she is proven on that very soft ground at Auteuil.”
Providing Tellherthename gets the all clear to continue his campaign, Pauling is keen to attempt to restore the talented novice’s confidence at the earliest opportunity.
He will be searching for an opening in calmer waters over the coming weeks where it is hoped the Megson Family-owned gelding can bounce back to his best and reignite spring festival dreams for all connected.
“If nothing comes to light, we will look to get him out in the next 10 days to two weeks in an ordinary novice somewhere, just to get his season back on track,” continued Pauling.
“We can then make plans from there whether we go straight to the Festival or look elsewhere, but as long as the horse is OK.
“From what he did at Huntingdon and before that at Ascot, the form is in the book. He just got touched off by Jango Baie at Ascot and I’m not overly worried about it all – if there is something to find we will find it, if not we will draw a line and go again.
“I think he is a very good horse and as good as we have had for a long time.”
Kevin Sinfield is to step down as England defence coach after the summer tour to Japan and New Zealand.
Sinfield has been Steve Borthwick’s number two since the start of his reign in December 2022 but his time at Twickenham will come to an end after 18 months.
Before he moves on, the Leeds rugby league great will take charge of individual skills and work with the kickers having previously overseen the defence.
“Kevin after the World Cup had a period of reflection, like every member of the management team did,” Borthwick said.
“Kev’s decided that longer-term he’s going to head in a different direction away from the England rugby team.
“He’s going to work with the team through the Six Nations and through the summer tour.
“Ahead of the autumn series Kev will not work with the team then, he will move away from the team and in a different direction.”
When asked to expand on Sinfield’s future plans, Borthwick replied: “Not right now and Kev hasn’t told us. That’s a question you can discuss with Kev in due course.
“I’m just grateful that’s he added so much value over these 12 months and that he’s going to stay with the team for the Six Nations and the summer tour.
“Through this first 12 months, Kev’s role and what he’s added as we’ve reset the team, you can’t overstate the value he’s brought, what he’s done and the relationships he’s built.
“I’ve changed his role to skills and he will be working specifically on catch-pass skills with the kickers and goalkickers, which he does so very well.”
Challow Hurdle runner-up Lookaway has a return to Newbury for the Betfair Hurdle or the M1 Agency Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle at Huntingdon as possible options en route to the Cheltenham Festival.
Neil King’s seven-year-old has become a real unsung hero of the novice hurdling division this term and although his winning streak has come to an end of late, Lookaway has still turned in high-calibre performances.
Stepping up in trip for a first taste of Grade One action on the back of his Greatwood Hurdle second, the Grade Two scorer pushed Paul Nicholls’ Captain Teague all the way in a thrilling event to end 2023.
King was thrilled with the performance and having only been put up 1lb by the assessor, he admits the Betfair Hurdle will be tempting, despite the Listed Sidney Banks – over a similar trip to the Challow – seeming a more obvious route to Prestbury Park.
“I thought it was a massive run from him, just with the wrong result,” said King.
“I was thrilled with him and it was just the wrong result. He’s come back home in really good form, I’ve ridden him out this morning and he’s in lovely form.
“He’s only gone up 1lb which has to be a bonus, so we could think about an entry in the Betfair, but maybe the Sidney Banks would be a more obvious target on the way to Cheltenham.”
Once at the Cheltenham Festival, King will need to decide whether to run in the opening Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle over a course and distance Lookaway has already tasted success this term, or tackle the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle over an intermediate trip.
“I’m sure for the Festival the Ballymore is probably going to be better than the Supreme,” said King.
“But as everyone is saying, if the ground comes up the state it is now, then maybe the Supreme is not such a daft idea.
“If it was typical Festival ground, then two-miles-five is going to be better for us.”
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