Author: Sports News UK
Connacht are boosted by the return of forwards Dylan Tierney-Martin and Darragh Murray for Friday’s United Rugby Championship [URC] quarter-final away to Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun [19:45 BST].The pair represent two of five changes made by coach Stuart Lancaster for the last eight clash with Tierney-Martin replacing Eoin de Buitléar at hooker, while Sam Illo sin place of Finlay Bealham at tight-head prop.In the second row, Joe Joyce drops out to accommodate Murray’s return, while Paul Boyle comes in for the injured Sean Jansen at number eight in a back row that also contains team captain Cian Prendergast and Shamus…
Having rejoined Tigers a year ago, Parling – who previously spent several years as forwards coach with Australia’s national team – is now settled back in the East Midlands with his family, at a club where he won two Premiership titles as a player.”It’s been interesting for my family, settling back in, we’re getting there now I feel,” he added. “There’s a really good pressure at the club, people expect a lot, and that’s a great pressure to be involved in.”The tradition and the history is a great thing, you’ve got to recognise it. We’re building our own story now,…
A win for Verhoeven would have arguably surpassed James ‘Buster’ Douglas’ shock victory over Mike Tyson in 1990 as the greatest upset in boxing history.Both corners were given the scores under the open scoring system after round eight, with the contest level. Verhoeven – who felt he should be ahead on the cards – says it took a significant mental toll as the fight moved into the championship rounds.Coached by Peter Fury for more than a decade, Verhoeven is no stranger to elite-level sparring and preparation.Fury has since said he was on the same flight back as referee Mark Lyson…
Holly Holm spoke about the idea of fighting Ronda Rousey again. For the first time since 2016, Ronda Rousey returned to the octagon. She fought for Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions in a headlining bout against Gina Carano. Rousey submitted Carano in 17 seconds. Holly Holm, who gave Rousey her first loss in MMA, spoke to MMA Fighting about Rousey’s return and victory. She stated that what Ronda did to Carano is what she was doing when she was in the prime of her MMA career. “(She did that) a lot to women who were ranked at the top. Ronda…
With the PREM set to return this weekend following the European break, the race for the play-offs is fully back underway. It seems only weeks ago that the top four was a foregone conclusion, but as always, the PREM has thrown up some pretty ridiculous results to once again create an intriguing fight for league places. Even with three of the four spots already booked, Northampton Saints, Bath and Leicester Tigers are fighting it out for a home tie in the semi-finals, while Exeter Chiefs, Saracens and Bristol are all set to scrap it out for the final place. But,…
Jean de Villiers is wary that the Stormers are signing too many Springboks ahead of next season, while taking a dig at another rumoured addition to the squad. The Cape-based franchise confirmed the return of double Rugby World Cup winner Cheslin Kolbe earlier this week, with the speedster’s signature coming after the additions of fellow Springboks Wilco Louw and Siya Kolisi. Three Springboks sign for Stormers De Villiers has likened the new additions to the squad to what the Sharks did a few seasons ago when they brought the likes of Eben Etzebeth, Kolisi, Andre Esterhuizen, Vincent Koch, Bongi Mbonambi,…
Teenager Gracie Smith has been included in England’s Roses programme for 2026-27 after her breakout performances in the Netball Super League.The 17-year old, who is yet to play for the senior England side, has become a rising star of the NSL since making her debut and winning the title as a 16-year-old in 2025.She has played a further 12 matches for London Pulse this season.She has been rewarded with a first inclusion on the Roses programme, which provides training and support to players, and is essentially the group of players which will form the basis of England squads throughout the…
This week we will mostly be concerning ourselves with France’s hegemony in Europe and a couple of takes on it… Two games of first halves paint a picture One perhaps slightly tighter than the other at the break, but the weekend’s European Finals were marked by one thing: a clear and obvious winner already by the break. If Ulster were within a stiff arm’s length of Montpellier at half-time on Friday, by minute 50 they had been unceremoniously handed off. Bordeaux’s 35-7 interval lead over Leinster was even more emphatic. The total of the two matches at the weekend read:…
Officiating a Rugby World Cup final is the highest honour for a referee, but Ben O’Keeffe is willing to pass on that opportunity for the betterment of the All Blacks. O’Keeffe ranks as one of the best international referees in the game right now, with his CV boasting two British and Irish Lions Test matches, while the New Zealander also took charge of the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter and semi-finals involving the Springboks. He was precluded from the showpiece event in 2023 due to the All Blacks reaching the final against South Africa, as officials cannot officiate matches involving…
A 70ft statue of Lionel Messi in India is set to be taken down after it was spotted “swaying in the wind”.The giant monument in Kolkata, West Bengal, was erected in December during Messi’s ‘GOAT’ tour of the country – GOAT meaning ‘greatest of all time’.According to local media, engineers from the Public Works Department (PWD) carried out an inspection of the statue following complaints from local residents on Monday.Its immediate removal and relocation were ordered after the inspection found the statue’s structural integrity to be severely compromised.”The statue of the Argentine football legend was found [to be] unsafe,” said…