Ollie Phillips: It’s all a bit French to me but it’s amazing to watch December 17, 2021 Sure, Leicester’s win in Bordeaux was impressive and Exeter looked comfortable against Montpellier, but I still don’t see an English team challenging for the Champions Cup. Toulouse put out a strong XV against a makeshift Cardiff and proved they weren’t there to play along with the Welsh region’s fairytale game. Racing 92, meanwhile, absolutely dominated [...]
London Irish hoping Challenge Cup run can keep confidence flowing December 17, 2021 In recent years the Challenge Cup has been more of a burden than an opportunity for Premiership clubs. This season, however, the removal of relegation allows teams like London Irish to commit more fully to a chance of European silverware – even if they might play it down. “Honestly, I don’t think relegation has anything to [...]
Ashes 2021: Talking points from Test two, day one December 16, 2021 England didn’t bowl badly at the Adelaide Oval but the tourists were were unable to break through a robust Australian batting order, managing just two wickets on the opening day of the second Ashes Test. Australia, who lead the series 1-0, reached 221-2 at stumps in the day-night match. Here are the talking points. Jossing [...]
Australian Open: Pliskova joins Williams and Andreescu as absentees December 16, 2021 Two-time Grand Slam finalist Karolina Pliskova will miss the opening major of the season, the Australian Open, after injuring her hand in a training session yesterday. The Czech tennis player joins Serena Williams and Bianca Andreescu as absentees from the draw. The world No4 was a semi-finalist in 2019 and will also miss the warm [...]
F1 governing body say controversy damaging image of sport December 16, 2021 F1’s governing body, the FIA, will conduct an “analysis and clarification exercise” as they admit the fallout following Sunday’s race is “tarnishing the image of the championship”. The body said on Wednesday that outgoing president Jean Todt had proposed further discussions so drivers and teams can have better clarification next season. In the season-ending finale [...]
Gallagher CMO: ‘Let’s get a Premiership Rugby game in Singapore’ December 16, 2021 Premiership Rugby’s main sponsor, the US-headquartered insurer Gallagher, has called for the league to stage matches overseas in locations such as Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. English club rugby’s top competition has played two regular season games in the US, in 2016 and 2017, but the experiment has not been repeated. “Let’s get a game in [...]
Ed Warner: Cricket should follow Ryder Cup to save Test matches December 16, 2021 The matter-of-fact delivery of his bleak assessment was like a punch to the gut. Here was someone woven into the fabric of international cricket who believed Test matches would become extinct in his lifetime. The individual in question, who shall remain nameless, might hope to have a good four or five decades ahead of him, [...]
Can developing tech change the broadcasting landscape? December 15, 2021 If the Covid-19 pandemic provided one significant challenge to broadcasters, it was the logistics of commentating on games without actually being in attendance. Television networks had to rely on local workers to set up match feeds in order for their commentators to call the matches from home or a local studio. That solution, however, raised [...]
Get into the festive spirit at El Palace, Barcelona December 15, 2021 THE WEEKEND: Escape December drudgery and head off for a festive city break to kickstart that long-neglected Christmas spirit. Skip the traditional packed Christmas markets of Northern Europe and look south to Spain instead, where Barcelona piles on dazzling decorations, twinkling city-wide lights and chocolate-box markets to tick off the present shopping. It’s also much [...]
Former Premier League winner Sergio Aguero announces health related retirement December 15, 2021 Former Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has retired from football in a bid to protect his health. The 22-year-old announced the news earlier today and said: “The decision I have made, I have taken it for my health.” The striker signed for Barcelona in the summer but was taken to hospital in late October after [...]