The Guardian

CEO Andrew Abdo: ‘There are clear pros and cons for it’ London Broncos key to multimillion takeover vision Super League could move back to a winter competition to allow year-round global broadcasting of rugby league if the NRL agrees a deal to take control of the British game. Andrew Abdo, the CEO of the NRL, told the Guardian the Australian governing body would consider the calendar switch as a …

Kieran McKenna’s team face a crunch clash with Middlesbrough but charging Southampton loom large At the end of July, Ipswich and Middlesbrough reached an agreement. If the Boro midfielder Hayden Hackney agreed personal terms he could join the Suffolk club, freshly relegated and awash with ready funds, for a Championship record fee of around £20m. Kieran McKenna knew he would be getting the best s…

Saudi’s PIF undergoing ‘value realization’ of plan ‘The [Iran] war would add more pressure to priorities’ Saudi Arabia has abandoned its aspirations to host the 2035 Rugby World Cup as a result of the Public Investment Fund’s new financial strategy. The sports minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal, confirmed Saudi Arabia’s interest in bidding for the tournament last year, but the Guardia…

Saturday’s Women’s Six Nations hosts hope to end 28-game losing streak against the Red Roses in front of record crowd Murrayfield usually looms over Scotland women’s home games. Its fortress walls arch over the team’s regular home at the Hive like a villain in a children’s cartoon. The two rugby stadiums are direct neighbours in Edinburgh but on Saturday Scotland are swapping one for the other an…

Rumors about the reporter and New England head coach Mike Vrabel flew all week. The conclusion to the saga was all too predictable Dianna Russini, one of the NFL’s most high-profile reporters, is photographed holding hands with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at a fancy resort in Sedona, Arizona. Rumors fly. Vrabel and Russini, who are both married to other people, issue statements de…

The crowd were getting anxious and players are either missing or off form but they have still reached the Champions League semi-finals And so I am become a meme. Towards the end of this game, already booked for standing on the edge of the pitch whirling his arms in a balletic, immaculately groomed pose of horror, like an oversized wedding cake figurine at the world’s most distressing wedding, Mik…

Longsuffering hooker, who warmed bench for 21 Tests and lost part of a thumb, is getting RFU recognition at last Initially, Andy Simpson thought it was a Saturday morning wind-up. Someone from the Rugby Football Union museum was phoning to tell him that, at the age of 71, he was finally a capped England player. Given he had retired without featuring in an officially recognised Test – “the first t…

What began as a fan-friendly revolution has splintered into a confusing, expensive web of subscriptions, blackouts and ads There was a moment, perhaps a decade ago, when it felt as if sports broadcasting nirvana was near. A world where ordinary fans could access any game on any device, any time, anywhere. Or near enough, as cord-cutting devastated traditional cable subscription models and viewers…

The venerated trainer could not find a guru in the world to cure one of the greatest hurdlers in history but a surprise switch to the Flat promises a career swansong Nicky Henderson is 75 years old and, after almost half a century of training horses, he has seen everything in the strange and compelling world of racing. But the extraordinary and still evolving story of his great old horse Constitu…

The semi-finals are set after a dazzling meeting between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. But there was plenty more to talk about in the last eight Bayern Munich ’s thrilling 4-3 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday, which gave them a 6-4 victory on aggregate and set up a semi-final meeting with PSG, was a stone-cold classic. If either of the semis is as good as Real and Bayern’s quarter-final, this s…

Manchester City gained ground last weekend but the league leaders have plenty of reasons to remain positive By Opta Analyst Last weekend was nightmarish for Arsenal. They lost at home to Bournemouth on Saturday with a flat, disjointed performance, and matters deteriorated further the following day when Manchester City beat Chelsea convincingly at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal’s lead at the Premier Lea…

Scott O’Neil rejects claims LIV is close to collapse ‘Structural changes’ afoot, chief executive says LIV Golf chief executive Scott O’Neil admitted the nascent golf league’s finances are “managed very tightly” and said structural changes are on the way that would probably mean they need to raise money, but he remained adamant the league will not fold. He was interviewed by LIV employees during t…

As West Country club join rugby’s modern-day gold rush, their chair looks forward to some US razzmatazz and a possible Prem expansion into Wales Tony Rowe has not yet had time to ensure Exeter’s proposed new American owners feel fully at home in the west. On a damp morning at Sandy Park no one is wearing a Stetson hat and there is not even a horse tied up outside reception. Maybe that will be par…

Will an Oklahoma City repeat end an NBA-record run of seven different champions in seven years? Our writers make their picks ahead of Saturday’s postseason tip-off Wemby will no doubt be the answer to this question at some point in the (perhaps not-too-distant) future. But for now, I defer to those with at least some playoff experience. For my money, Jokić still reigns supreme as the best player …

Updates from the first day’s play in the latest round Sign up for The Spin | Mail Tanya or comment BTL Gary Naylor’s talking points. DIVISION ONE Continue reading...