Champions Cup: Round of 16 draw confirmed after last series of games January 24, 2022 Rugby’s most prestigious club competition has completed its pool phase. Through to the round of 16 are teams from three countries, each with a shot at the Champions Cup in May’s finals weekend in Marseille. Here’s what we have learned from the group stage. English challenge Although Harlequins romped to a surprising domestic title last [...]
Liverpool and Chelsea breathe new life into Premier League title race January 23, 2022 Call off the trophy engravers; hold that order of sky blue ticker tape; put Pep Guardiola’s dancing shoes away for now: we may have a Premier League title race after all. Leaders Manchester City’s slip-up at Southampton on Saturday dropped blood into the water and 24 hours later Liverpool and Chelsea showed they still have [...]
County cricket fixture changes not enough to save England’s Test team January 23, 2022 When the County Championship fixture list was announced last week, many hoped it would include a healthy amount of August four-day games as England’s international Test side look to rebuild from a humiliating Ashes campaign. Alas, the domestic game is in for another season without the long-form game taking place across the height of the [...]
Formula E and Channel 4 enter multi-year broadcast deal January 21, 2022 Formula E and terrestrial broadcaster Channel 4 today announced a multi-year free-to-air partnership. The broadcaster will show more races of the Season 8 edition of Formula E than fans have seen in previous seasons. Channel 4 will also offer race highlights on its platform as well as the new 22-driver qualifying format on its YouTube [...]
EP: 108 Ascot, Haydock, Lingfield & Hong Kong January 21, 2022 The City A.M. Punter Podcast A terrific weekend of racing awaits, starting with the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase at Ascot on Saturday where the current top rated chasers in the UK & Ireland take on last year’s winner First Flow over 2 miles and a furlong Kim Bailey, First Flow’s trainer joins us as [...]
Djokovic: Tennis star’s visa fallout assessed by lawyer January 21, 2022 Many commentators have said the whole Novak Djokovic situation could have and should have been dealt with before he ever arrived in Australia. The fact it did not owes much to the disconnect between the organisers of the tournament, the government, Djokovic’s advisors and the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Clearly there is now time and [...]
Virat Kohli’s succession options show the depth in Indian cricket January 21, 2022 “Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me, as Test captain of India, it’s now.” With those words earlier this month, Virat Kohli announced that he was stepping down, leaving the world’s No3 Test side without a skipper. It means there will be a new man at the helm when India [...]
Ollie Phillips: The squad is exciting but it’s still classic Eddie Jones January 21, 2022 When I saw the England squad Eddie Jones had named for the Six Nations on Tuesday evening, I was actually pleasantly surprised. It is good to see head coach Eddie Jones picking in-form players this year, though I must say the squad seems rather predictable. The return of Owen Farrell is no surprise. Jones is [...]
Fifa rules to be introduced which will curb international loanees January 20, 2022 Fifa have announced new rules that will limit the number of international loans going in and out of clubs which come into effect from July. The new rules will see clubs limited to eight international loan signings in and eight loaned out in an attempt to stop teams from stockpiling talent. The international governing body [...]
How Derby County slipped to edge of disappearance January 20, 2022 They are former English champions and in top form under the management of Wayne Rooney, yet day by day Derby County are inching towards liquidation and disappearing from football forever. Their story is one of financial mismanagement in a desperate bid to achieve promotion to the Premier League; administrators scrambling to find a buyer – [...]