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Fullback has been in good form ahead of Nations ChampionshipJames Slipper out of retirement as replacement loosehead propJock Campbell will start at fullback in his first Test since late ⁠2022 when Australia take on Ireland in their first Nations Championship Test on Saturday.Campbell ⁠played the last ⁠of his ​four Tests in Australia’s first ever loss to Italy in Florence in 2022, but had an ⁠impressive season in Super Rugby. Continue reading...

Germany’s third early World Cup exit in a row is not down to a lack of talent or the name of the coach, but not knowing how they want to play I am stunned. Germany have been eliminated early from a World Cup for the third time in a row. I need time to recover from this. The key word that needs to be discussed is continuity – something the national team have lacked for a decade. German football hasn’t decided how it wants to play. There are constantly new ideas, and time and again new players in new positions. Julian Nagelsmann has experimented too much, and not just during this tournament. Yet developing a team takes years.Germany have always been successful when player roles were clearly defined, the hierarchy was established and the team had a clear concept of how to attack and defend. That conviction was completely missing. At this World Cup, the team didn’t look as if they had gone through the process that every team must undergo. Continue reading...

The US had their hands on their heads. Weston McKennie’s face betrayed a look of total disbelief. Mauricio Pochettino waved his hands towards the sky, incredulous.Folarin Balogun had been sent off after a seemingly innocent collision with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemović that saw the US striker land a foot on his opponent’s ankle. Just like that, the US’s high-flying World Cup journey had the feel of impending doom. The temperature had soared on a previously cool, sunny evening at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. And it wouldn’t fall until Malik Tillman had his say. Continue reading...

Celtics to get Paul George and draft picks in dealBrown had been unhappy with treatment by CelticsThe Boston Celtics are trading 2024 NBA finals MVP Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George and a slew of draft capital in yet another blockbuster offseason move in the league.Boston will also receive two first-round picks and two second-rounders as part of the deal. Continue reading...

This time Senegal’s players did not depart the field prematurely owing to a burning sense of injustice, as they did in the Africa Cup of Nations final in January, but they did exit another knockout match aggrieved after Belgium advanced to the last 16 deep in extra time. The winning goal, a nerveless Youri Tielemans penalty which capped an extraordinary comeback from 2-0 down, came with 124 minutes and 44 seconds on the clock, cementing its place as the latest goal in World Cup history.A penalty shootout appeared all but a formality until the referee, Saíd Martínez, wandered towards the video review monitor, an audience of players awaiting the verdict on Lamine Kamara swiping Tielemans’s left ankle in the seconds before Dodi Lukebakio skimmed the crossbar. Romelu Lukaku bounced the ball on the edge of the box as Senegal’s players swamped the penalty spot; Pathe Ciss curled in a heap in an attempt to delay the spot-kick for as long as possible. Rudi Garcia could not watch, turning his back on the sidelines before Tielemans seized on Belgium’s get out of jail card to tee up a last-16 meeting with the USAhere on Monday (Tuesday 1am BST). A tearful Kamara was inconsolable at the final whistle, his green shirt still covering his face as he headed down the tunnel. Continue reading...

No 7 seed wins 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to reach third roundDjokovic faces 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech nextThere was once a time, not so long ago, when matches between Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas occurred on the most significant occasions this sport has to offer. Djokovic was Tsitsipas’s opponent in both of the Greek player’s grand slam finals at the 2021 French Open and then the 2023 Australian Open. In Paris, Tsitsipas led Djokovic by two sets.Back then, even if he never managed to beat Djokovic in a big final, Tsitsipas was surely convinced that he would at least be around long enough to soar when age finally caught up with the Serb. Instead, it is Tsitsipas who has tumbled down the rankings in recent years and who entered their second-round match as great an underdog against a 39-year-old Djokovic as he has ever been. He was eaten alive by the veteran, who produced an incredible performance to reach the third round with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory. Continue reading...

Head coach urges parents to ‘write an excuse for school’ so kids can see his team’s World Cup last-16 game against MexicoHarry Kane came to England’s rescue as they avoided a seismic World Cup upset against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to set up a last-16 tie against co-hosts Mexico next week.The Bayern Munich striker scored twice in the last 15 minutes to save manager Thomas Tuchel’s blushes after Brian Cipenga had given the African side a shock early lead. It was the first time that England have won a game at the World Cup after conceding the first goal since beating West Germany in the 1966 final at Wembley. Continue reading...

Francesca Carr says move to full-time status felt ‘rushed’Cusack was found dead at her home in September 2023Sheffield United did not have sufficient resources in place during the summer of 2023 to look after their women’s team players, their former physio has told an inquest into the death of Maddy Cusack.Cusack was found dead at her family’s home in Derbyshire on 20 September 2023, at the age of 27, just weeks into United’s first season since switching to training on a full-time basis. Francesca Carr, who worked as the women’s team physio between 2021 and 2024, told the court that the club’s transition from part-time to full-time status felt “rushed” and staff were carrying out multiple roles beyond their remit, such as making lunch for the team.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Captain played in deep horror of Iceland defeat and he rescued an England team who were sliding towards disasterWell maybe, you’re gonna be the one that saves me. On a wild, boisterous, often agonising afternoon under the giant Victorian railway dome of the Atlanta Stadium, the Democratic Republic of Harry Kane progressed to the last 16 of the World Cup.With England playing like a team terrified of their own feet and 1-0 down to an excellent DR Congo, Kane decided something else was going to happen, scoring two goals in 11 minutes towards the end to turn disastrous defeat into joyful relief. In the process he also saved Thomas Tuchel’s job and perhaps the jobs of his bosses at the Football Association. Because England really had gone at points in this game. Continue reading...

The 2024 women’s singles champion won 4-6, 7-5, 6-4Teenager says loss will ‘take some time’ to get overFour women in the post-1968 Open era have won singles titles on the slow red clay of Roland Garros and ­Wimbledon’s lightning-fast grass before their 20th birthdays. As Mirra Andreeva, the 19-year-old winner of last month’s French Open, walked on to Centre Court here on Wednesday to face Barbora Krejcikova – already a winner of both European grand slams – she had fair hopes of joining Maureen Connolly, Evonne Goolagong, Chris Evert and Steffi Graf on that list.Andreeva left with those hopes extinguished after a hard-fought three-set success for Krejcikova – the 2024 champion here – 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, but with her reputation as a scrapper and shot-maker much enhanced. She showed many of the attributes she will need to succeed here in the years to come. Continue reading...