The Guardian

Australia’s incoming coach is out to build on the foundations set by Joe Schmidt after having to earn his shot while coming from a rugby league background In 1986, about the time the 21-year-old Les Kiss was announcing himself to the rugby league world by debuting for the North Sydney Bears, the Queensland Origin side and Australia in the space of five months, the Breakfast Creek Gang was carving…

Italy have missed three consecutive World Cups Gattuso: ‘It has been an honour to lead national team’ Italy have parted company with their head coach, Gennaro Gattuso, the country’s football federation (FIGC) said on Friday, after the national team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup. Italy lost Tuesday’s playoff final in Bosnia-Herzegovina on penalties and the four-times champions have now mi…

At 17, Cooper Lutkenhaus is the youngest world champion in track and field history – and potentially USA’s poster boy for LA28 Fire on the boards. Slack jaws off it. Last month I was fortunate enough to be yards away from the 17-year-old American high school student Cooper Lutkenhaus when he powered away from a strong 800m field in Torun to become the youngest world champion in track and field hi…

Japan’s goal wasn’t Palmer’s fault and Mainoo couldn’t track back, but Tuchel will now see the scale of what faces him To see a world in a grain of meaningless friendly. It has become a habit to say you don’t learn anything from these games. This isn’t strictly true. You just don’t learn anything new. But it’s all still there, ready to be decoded like a set of sporting tea leaves. On a strangely …

Pre-game incident has gone viral online and plays directly into broader debate of how the sport wants to be perceived No prizes for guessing the most viewed rugby clip at the weekend. The number of views on X has long since passed three million and – spoiler alert – people were not studying the finer detail of Gloucester’s defensive effort at Villa Park on Saturday. Leicester’s Geoff Parling used…

Centre wonders if he will play another Test but remains positive as his club side meet Saracens in Champions Cup There have been some small but significant changes at Bath’s stately home training base at Farleigh House this week. Black flags, to complement their bespoke Champions Cup kit, flutter in the spring breeze and up in reception is the precise number of days and matches left this season s…

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With alumni in every F1 team, Oxford Brookes University’s Formula Student team is the most prestigious in the country At the Oxford Brookes Headington campus, more than 100 students are busy building the fastest, best designed race car possible for this year’s Formula Student competition. Oxford Brookes Racing (OBR) is the UK’s most prestigious Formula Student team. They’ve won more design awards…

Rosenior: ‘It’s disappointing for Enzo to speak that way’ ‘You have to protect this club and culture’ Chelsea have dropped their vice-captain Enzo Fernández for the next two games after he appeared to flirt with Real Madrid during the international break. The midfielder, who has been linked with a move to Real, offered his thoughts on the Spanish capital while on international duty with Argentina…

An incident at the end of the Duke-UConn game reminded Black people of something we already know: we’re treated differently in America The UConn-Duke game on Sunday night was one for the ages. A last-second game winner from freshman Braylon Mullins took down the top-seeded Blue Devils, who at one point had led by 19 points. It is a moment that will be replayed over and over for years to come. How…

While Jannik Sinner’s duopoly with Carlos Alcaraz looks unbreakable, Aryna Sabalenka is dominating despite a more competitive women’s top 10 “No, I think it’s all an individual sport,” Jannik Sinner says, chuckling quietly, as he reflects on another triumphant fortnight at the Miami Open after his efficient win over Jiri Lehecka. Sinner had been asked whether he was aware that his win meant the m…

F1 has five weeks before the next race in Miami and they will need every minute to fix a hugely complicated problem Oliver Bearman emerging unhurt from a huge accident at the Japanese Grand Prix was considered a lucky escape. Formula One must think it is catching a break given there is a full month to work out how best to reduce the chance of such an incident happening again. F1 is going to need …

From Algeria to Uzbekistan, our writers and contributors from around the world assess the state of the 48 nations to qualify for the tournament “There’s more talent and potential than in 2022,” Kylian Mbappé said ominously this week after France had beaten Brazil 2-1 despite having Dayot Upamecano sent off after 55 minutes. He may well be right. For the second game of this window, against Colombi…

With the NFL’s Chicago Bears weighing a once-unthinkable move to Indiana, a new federal bill aims to give cities the right to keep their teams WWE star CM Punk called it “straight greed”. Illinois governor JB Pritzker called it a “slap in the face”. An overwhelming majority of fans say they will hold a grudge. This cacophony of disgust has been prompted by the real possibility that the Chicago Be…

Mauricio Pochettino faces several tough decisions to name a squad for the 2026 World Cup hosts A full 24 matches into the Mauricio Pochettino era, we have arrived at the moment of truth. The US men’s national team’s 2026 World Cup roster will be named on 26 May, and the team’s two recent friendlies ( a 5-2 loss to Belgium and a 2-0 loss to Portgual ) have given Pochettino plenty to think about as…