The Guardian

The tournament was treated with skepticism when it was introduced in 2018, but it shows that sometimes administrators get things right Sign up for our free newsletter here England’s first game after the 2022 World Cup was a 2-1 win away over Italy. Their first game after the 2018 World Cup was a 2-1 defeat to Spain. Their first game after the 2014 World Cup was a 1-0 friendly win over Norway – an…

No one at Parc y Scarlets understands why they and the Ospreys are on the chopping block for the union’s proposal to cut a club by 2028 Eight o’clock, Saturday night and at Parc y Scarlets the fans are starting to sing. Their scrum-half, Dane Blacker, has just come skipping through half a gap in the Cardiff line. Blacker has slipped the ball on to their loping lock, Sam Lousi, who has flicked it …

Olympic gold medallist, 33, had glittering 13-year career ‘I’m proud of where I’ve got to and what I’ve done’ The Olympic gold medallist Katy Marchant has announced her retirement from elite cycling. The 33-year-old took gold alongside Emma Finucane and Sophie Capewell in the women’s team sprint at the 2024 Paris Games, the same year she also won world and European titles. “I’ve achieved more tha…

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Barney Ronay, John Brewin and Kieran Maguire as Manchester City are found guilty of the vast majority of the disciplinary charges brought against them by the Premier League. Continue reading...

Traditional woods have had a good innings but rising temperatures mean the need to find alternatives is pressing What happens if you run out of trees? It is a situation cricket must face in the perfect storm of an expanding game and more precarious growing conditions due to accelerated climate change. Cricket and willow are the sun and moon of sport. The handcrafted bat, the beautiful, insect-ric…

The Gunners lacked cutting edge at Stamford Bridge while the former Barcelona star dominated against Brighton How to solve the problem of an inability to take your chances? That is the question that will haunt the Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers over the coming days. In their 1-0 defeat by Chelsea, Arsenal applied more than enough pressure to make a difference but in registering only two of thei…

Coach alleged to have been paid for advisory work Mancini says City ‘not guilty’ after Premier League ruling Roberto Mancini appeared to acknowledge he had “a double contract” when he managed Manchester City after the club were found guilty of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules. But Mancini, who in 2011-12 coached City to their first Premier League title in a half century and is now i…

Thomas Tuchel’s side had 36 touches in the Spain penalty area at Wembley but were given a lesson in taking chances England dominated Spain to an extent very few teams have in recent years. Sadly for them, not in terms of goals . Nor possession. But ownership of the ball is less important than where on the pitch it occurs. Thomas Tuchel’s side had 36 touches in the visitors’ penalty area, a ridicu…

The New England quarterback was a revelation in the 2025 regular season. But Sunday’s loss was just the latest in a series of crushing lows After the Patriots pulled out a win in Week 2 over the Steelers, despite another uninspiring performance from Drake Maye, Mike Vrabel avoided answering questions about his quarterback. Vrabel joked with a reporter not to “ruin my Sunday” when asked about Maye…

The Knights’ incredible preliminary final win over the Penrith Panthers showcased everything Justin Holbrook has done to turn the club around Few teams have been mired in mediocrity longer than the Newcastle Knights, a club from a region that few dispute is the heartland of rugby league in Australia. They are built on the legend of Joey and Chief and so many others but have, for the better part o…

Phillies were at risk of blowing comfortable wildcard lead Victory over Rays deprives Diamondbacks of comeback Bryce Harper and Edmundo Sosa homered, and Zack Wheeler delivered like a Game 7 ace to bring the Philadelphia Phillies back from the brink of collapse and send them into the playoffs. Their 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday clinched the final National League wildcard berth. The P…

As Warwickshire celebrated the title, Tom Abell gave fans of the repeat runners-up something to cheer at Taunton Caught at long on, aiming for the rope, and finishes one run short of Joe Clark e in the highest run-scorers of the year league. Handshakes from Pope and Worrall as he walks off with no fuss. Somerset, 731 all out, have a first-innings lead of 301. Do Surrey have one last collapse in t…

The Uzbeks, including world championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov, won their first seven matches before a surprise loss to Germany After eight of the 11 rounds in the 400-team Olympiad in Samarkand, the host team Uzbekistan share the lead in the race for the gold medals, despite a round eight loss to co-leaders Germany and scope for more upsets in the remaining three rounds. England have lost…

Americans dominate final day singles contests US president gives speech before final day The United States made a stunning rally to capture an 11th consecutive Presidents Cup title on Sunday, completing a 17-13 victory over the Internationals with Donald Trump in attendance. Jacob Bridgeman secured the clinching point at Medinah by sinking a four-foot par putt at the 18th hole to defeat Australia…

Leicester 38-40 Saracens Visitors hold on despite Isiekwe’s 20-minute red card At the full-time whistle, Brendan Venter let out a roar of delight. Until then the South African had been on his best behaviour, but after beginning his return to the Saracens hotseat with a nail-biting victory against Leicester, Venter could no longer hold it in. It no doubt felt all the sweeter at Welford Road, havin…