Rory Sutherland is hoping his surprise recall to the Scotland starting XV for Sunday’s must-win World Cup showdown with Tonga can help him in his “stressful” search for a new club.
The 31-year-old is in the unusual position of being deemed strong enough to start for the fifth highest-ranked team in the world at the global showpiece event but unable, so far, to land himself a contract for the campaign ahead.
After a short-term deal with Ulster last term was not extended, largely due to the impending arrival of South African looshead Steven Kitshoff at the Belfast club after the World Cup, Sutherland is intent on using his second start for Scotland in 19 months to showcase himself to any potential suitors.
https://x.com/Scotlandteam/status/1705137433686241311?s=20
“It is a massive opportunity for me this week,” he said after being selected in place of Edinburgh’s Pierre Schoeman, who drops to the bench on Sunday.
“It is high stakes for me at the minute, but it’s about coping with that pressure day to day, and making sure I channel it into the right things, which means putting out a good performance this weekend.”
Asked if his uncertainty at club level was stressful, Sutherland said: “Absolutely. There is always a bit of pressure around that but like everything else – other adversities I’ve overcome during my career – you have to learn to park it, put it to the back of your mind, take things day by day, week by week, and focus on what is important in the here and now.
“For me, that’s playing against Tonga this weekend.”
Two years ago Sutherland was part of the British and Irish Lions squad after fighting back from a horrific groin injury that left him in a wheelchair, sidelined for 14 months, and facing the prospect of early retirement in his mid-20s.
His career resurgence veered somewhat off course, however, when he left Edinburgh to join Worcester after the 2021 Lions tour, only for the English Premiership club to suffer financial implosion last autumn. This left him in limbo before he fixed himself up with a temporary move to Ulster that at least allowed him a platform to secure his World Cup place.
Sutherland is still irked by what happened at Worcester as it has caused his family, who had settled well in England, so much upheaval over the past year.
“It’s been tough personally,” he said of the recent turbulence at club level. “It’s been hard on my family, my wife and my kids. What happened at Worcester was a horrible shame and it was very hard for all the players.
“To leave Worcester and go to Ireland, leaving the wife and kids behind, was a very tough decision for me to make but it’s worked out now. Those eight months were tough but I got the opportunity to go out there and play good rugby for a very good side and I really enjoyed it.
“I think that’s helped me maintain my rugby and stay at this level. It’s been a tough few months but we’re through the other side and we’re at the World Cup now so I’ll try and leave that behind and look forward.”
While Sutherland’s CV stands up to scrutiny, he believes the availability of players in the game is currently outweighing demand.
“Going back to Worcester and the likes of Wasps folding, it has flooded the market with players,” he said when asked why he feels no club has signed him yet.
“And me going to Ulster and then not being able to continue there (as the IRFU only allow one overseas player per position at each club) has not really helped.
“It also comes down to the salary cap because if people are not looking for a loose-head then they are not going to bring one in as an extra.
“We’re really hopeful that we’ll find a contract, but we’ll just have to sit tight and wait and hopefully something comes along.
Getting the chance to play at a World Cup is going a long way to offsetting Sutherland’s concerns about where his next pay cheque is coming from.
“It is something I have always wanted to do,” he said. “In 2015, when I first turned professional, (former Scotland head coach) Vern Cotter called me out for the latter stages of the World Cup, and I warmed up as 24th or 25th man but I missed out there, so I’m really happy and grateful to be here.”
Europe’s bid for an unprecedented third straight Solheim Cup victory got off to a nightmare start as they were whitewashed in the opening foursomes at Finca Cortesin.
Charley Hull and Emily Kristine Pedersen were an estimated eight over par for the front nine on their way to a 5&4 thrashing by Ally Ewing and Cheyenne Knight in the bottom match, which was so one-sided it finished first.
The rookie Swedish pairing of Linn Grant and Maja Stark, who had fought back from three down after three, then lost 2&1 to Lexi Thompson and Meghan Khang before Celine Boutier and Georgia Hall surrendered their unbeaten record to Danielle Kang and Andrea Lee.
Leona Maguire and Anna Nordqvist birdied the 16th and 17th to keep their match against Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz alive, but they were unable to birdie the par-five 18th as the visitors won a foursomes session 4-0 for the first time in the event’s history.
United States captain Stacy Lewis had seen her selections questioned after picking an out-of-form Thompson and leaving two-time major winner Lilia Vu and rising star Rose Zhang out, but was totally vindicated by the scoreline.
Lewis told Sky Sports: “You could not ask for much more. We knew those middle two matches were going to be tough and just saw a tonne of fight in our girls and fortunately we were on the right side of it.”
Asked about picking Thompson, Lewis added: “I had a feeling yesterday.
“She wasn’t in my line-up that I’ve had for a couple of weeks. The way the last four days have gone, just the way she seemed mentally I had a good feeling about it and Meghan’s been playing amazing the last month or so.
“I literally went to them with about three holes left in their practice round and said, ‘hey can you figure out some golf balls’ and fortunately they managed it and got the win.”
Former Europe captain Catriona Matthew, who led the side to victories in 2019 and 2021, admitted she was surprised by the outcome of the session.
“I don’t think anyone saw this coming,” Matthew said on Sky Sports. “I think it’s deflating for everyone. The Americans have done what they wanted to do, they’ve quietened the crowd.
“The Europeans just looked edgy this morning, we got off to a very poor start, were down in all the games, barely ever actually saw any blue on the board so I think this afternoon they’re going to have to go out there strong, try and get some blue on the board and get the crowd into this.”
Billy Vunipola quickly came to terms with the dangerous tackle that forced him to miss the start of the World Cup knowing that he was doing his “time for the crime”.
Vunipola received a two-match ban for a high challenge on Ireland’s Andrew Porter on August 19 and as a result sat out the final warm-up Test against Fiji and rout of Argentina that opened the tournament.
A week after delivering a 29-minute cameo on his comeback against Japan, he has been restored to the back row for the showdown with Chile in Lille.
The powerful number eight of Tongan heritage insists that having accepted his red card was warranted, he took comfort from rolling up his sleeves to contribute on the training field.
“There wasn’t much frustration there. I had to do my time for the crime I committed. It was just about getting my head down and helping the team,” Vunipola said.
“So once you get past that and you know you’re contributing to the team in a different way, you make peace with it.
“The worst part of not playing is having to do extra fitness! For me playing is huge. The more I can play, the better I am as a player. That’s a well-known fact for me personally, and from previous coaches.
“Hopefully I can go out there and play really well but until we get there, you don’t know.”
Vunipola’s ban was reduced from three to two matches after he completed World Rugby’s coaching intervention program, otherwise known as ‘tackle school’.
Defence coach Kevin Sinfield oversees rugby’s equivalent of the driving awareness course for England players and Vunipola insists it was a useful exercise.
In a quip at the number of red cards England have received for dangerous tackles – three in four Tests – Vunipola said: “Kev is very well rehearsed in running those tackle schools, which is probably not a good thing for me to say.
“For me it did feel a bit like sucking eggs, but it taught me a lot in terms of my technique.
“Kev is very good at his job so it only took us one time to do because when you do it you have to film it.
“I learned a lot about using my arms and the biggest thing was lowering my height. I’m such a big guy that I’m so used to using my body as a mechanism to stop someone rather than technically getting in the right position.
“It was good for me so hopefully you won’t be seeing any of that any more.”
When Steve Borthwick named his World Cup squad, Vunipola was present as the only specialist number eight but his absence has allowed Ben Earl and Ollie Chessum to shine in the position.
It sets-up a three-way shootout for the jersey against Samoa on October 7 when England will revert to their strongest XV having taking the opportunity to rotate against Chile, the lowest ranked opponents of Pool D.
Earl is currently in pole position after proving to be a revelation so far in the World Cup and its build-up and Vunipola has enjoyed watching his Saracens team-mate finally get the opportunity to shine in a red rose jersey.
“There are six back rows vying for three places, so competition is always going to help push the team forward,” he said.
“The team has been doing really well with Ben Earl at eight. When we beat Argentina I was pumped – probably a little bit too pumped, as you probably all saw on the big screen!
“I was happy for the team. I’m happy as long as we are doing well. Like everyone else I want to play, but if I can contribute in any way I can, I’m happy to do that.”
Wales co-captain and hooker Dewi Lake has missed out on a place in Wales’ matchday 23 for the Rugby World Cup clash against Australia on Sunday.
Head coach Warren Gatland has named the same team that defeated Fiji 12 days ago, with Ryan Elias starting at hooker in a side skippered by flanker Jac Morgan.
Elliot Dee provides cover for Elias on the bench, while lock Adam Beard will win his 50th cap as Wales target a victory that would secure an impressive fourth successive World Cup quarter-final appearance.
There is also a spot among the replacements for former England prop Henry Thomas, who is on course to make his Wales World Cup debut.
Morgan, wing Louis Rees-Zammit and number eight Taulupe Faletau are the only three players named who will have started all of Wales’ Pool C games so far.
Flanker Tommy Reffell, a late withdrawal due to a tight calf muscle before Wales faced Portugal last weekend, also misses out, with Taine Basham providing back-row bench cover.
Gregor Townsend admitted Scotland are effectively playing knockout rugby already as he challenged his side to kick-start their World Cup campaign with a much-needed victory over Tonga on Sunday.
After losing their opening match to world champions South Africa, the Scots know they will almost certainly require three wins from their remaining pool B matches against the Tongans, Romania and Ireland.
Bonus points are also likely to be a factor in deciding which sides progress to the quarter-finals from a section containing three of the world’s five highest-ranked teams.
Two weeks on from their demoralising 18-3 defeat in Marseille, Townsend has called on his team – who touched down in the south of France at the start of September with high hopes – to belatedly signal their arrival at the tournament by turning on the style against Tonga this weekend.
“We need to get our World Cup started,” he said on Friday morning. “You can get your World Cup started with your first game but also your first win. This is obviously a crucial game for us.
“It’s our knockout stage now. If we lose a game, we’re out the tournament, and every game now ahead of us we have to approach it with that mentality.”
Townsend has made four changes to the side that started against South Africa, with forwards Rory Sutherland and Scott Cummings replacing Pierre Schoeman and Grant Gilchrist and backs Kyle Steyn and Chris Harris taking over from Darcy Graham and Huw Jones.
Schoeman, Graham and Jones are on the bench alongside George Horne and Ewan Ashman, both of whom are back in the mix after missing out against South Africa due to concussion. Gilchrist drops out of the 23 altogether.
“We know this is a really important game for us so we’ve put out as strong a team as we can to win it,” said Townsend. “We feel the last 20 minutes are going to be important so to have players like Darcy Graham, Huw Jones and George Horne coming off the bench to give something different for the Tongan defence could be as important as the guys who get to start.”
Gloucester centre Harris – a member of the British and Irish Lions squad in 2021 – is preparing to make only his second start of 2023 after losing the number 13 jersey to the resurgent Jones since the start of the Six Nations.
“Chris has done really well in training and I thought he played really well against Georgia (in the last warm-up match) when he came on,” said Townsend.
“There’s competition in every position and Sione (Tuipulotu) and Huw have been two of our best players in this calendar year.
“Chris will bring his own game, which is based on work-rate and his defence is always at a high level. We will have times where it will be tough for us defensively – especially in the wide channels – so having Chris in there can bring out his strengths.”
Another 2021 Lions squad member coming in from the fringes for Scotland this weekend is Sutherland, who will be making only his second international start in 19 months. The 31-year-old is currently without a club after a turbulent couple of years with Worcester and then Ulster.
“It’s been an interesting and challenging time for Rory with going down south and then the club that he joined going bust,” said Townsend. “He then did very well over in Ulster but I know it was a tough time for his family to make one move and then to come back to Scotland while he was over in Ulster.
“And he’s without a club just now. But I have to say, even with those challenges in the background on and off the field, Rory is the same person and he trains really well.
“He’s had other challenges with injuries and selection. He wasn’t in our 23 for the game against South Africa and he just applies himself so well in training.
“He’s obviously been competing with Pierre the last couple of seasons as well and Pierre has been playing really well for us but he’s now got an opportunity to start and it’s a great opportunity for him to go ‘right, this is what I can do from a starting perspective’.”
France captain Antoine Dupont’s Rugby World Cup campaign is in doubt after he sustained a facial fracture.
Dupont, 26, suffered the injury in France’s record 96-0 win against Namibia on Thursday following a clash of heads with Johan Deysel.
The Namibia centre’s yellow card for the collision in the 45th minute, with France leading 54-0, was upgraded to red following a review by the television match official.
The French Rugby Federation confirmed the extent of Dupont’s injury on Friday, but said it was uncertain how long the scrum-half will be unavailable for.
A tearful Dupont went to hospital in nearby Aix-en-Provence, and the French Rugby Federation said: “Specialised surgical advice was requested to assess how long he will be unavailable for.”
France’s final pool game is against Italy in Lyon on October 6, before a quarter-final – probably against Ireland or South Africa – the following weekend.
If Les Bleus reach the semi-finals, they take place in Paris on October 20 and 21.
Former world player of the year Dupont has been the star performer in a resurgent French team under the direction of head coach Fabien Galthie.
And while it is hoped he can return before the end of the tournament, there must also be doubts about his future participation as France target a first world title.
France attack coach Laurent Labit said on Friday: “We always have a hope that Antoine will continue the adventure with us.
“We will leave the time for two-three days to have the opinion of a specialist. It’s Antoine and the surgeon who will make the decision.
“For us, Antoine hasn’t finished the competition. We have three days in front of us. We hope to have good news after the three days.
“He is in hospital now. He will leave by the end of the morning.
“Antoine certainly imagined the worst before the first examinations. After the initial tests, Fabien (Galthie) went to see him.
“Today, we are just waiting for the appointment with the specialist to see what he can or can’t do, and when he can return to training. That is what Antoine is focusing on at the moment.
“Antoine stays with us. Everyone will be together. We will do as we have always done with short-term injuries in hoping that the opinion of the surgeon is positive for Antoine and us.
“The specialist will give the verdict and Antoine will make the decision. We will respect that.
“The specialist knows who Antoine Dupont is, what competition he is currently playing. It is not an average subject.”
David Haye expects Joe Joyce to come through his latest test with Zhilei Zhang, but has warned the British boxer could be frozen out of the heavyweight division if he loses again.
Joyce had been mandatory for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO heavyweight belt before he lost for the first time in the pro ranks to China’s Zhang in April.
Referee Howard Foster called off the Copper Box Arena bout in the sixth round due to Joyce’s right eye being almost completely swollen over.
Joyce opted to immediately activate his rematch clause with Zhang and will try to win back his WBO interim heavyweight belt at Wembley Arena on Saturday but TNT pundit Haye echoed the sentiments of the Chinese powerhouse when he looked ahead to this contest.
Zhang promised to end Joyce’s career during Thursday press conference in London and ex-world heavyweight champion Haye admits it could be curtains for his compatriot if another L is added to the loss column.
“I believe Joe has enough to find a way to win if he boxes smart. If he doesn’t do that, he probably will get frozen out of the heavyweight division,” Haye told the PA news agency.
“What manager or promoter would want to risk their guy fighting Joe in a minor eliminator or in a 10-rounder. He would be too good for his own good.
“Look at his opponents, Joseph Parker, (Christian) Hammer, Lenroy Thomas, Carlos Takam; he has fought real live fighters who most people try to avoid. His record isn’t padded out with bums.
“He is a very world class fighter so young fighters coming through, he would be too much for them. No manager or promoter in their right mind would chuck their young fighter in with Joe if he loses this fight.
“It would be a long road back and a long road back you can’t afford at the age of 38.”
Haye felt it was “crazy” for Joyce to take the initial fight with Zhang (25-1-1, 20KOs) in the first place owing to the size and power of the 2008 Olympic silver medallist.
With Joyce (15-1, 14KOs) at the time one of the next in line to face Usyk, the gamble backfired with the Briton short of ideas against southpaw Zhang, but Haye is confident a better gameplan will be implemented this time.
“I definitely want to see big improvement in terms of the technical side of things going in against Zhang this time because he would need it moving up against some of the big names of the sports,” Haye admitted.
“Joe is an athletic man, he can do a standing backflip, he can do acrobatics, he is very explosive and dynamic. He does have quite good reflexes but for some reason in that last fight he chose not to use them and he come a cropper.
“On paper that was a crazy fight to take in terms of a fight before the big fight, the one that would give him the big pay check he hasn’t had.
“I respect the bravery of doing so because Zhang is a southpaw so if he fights a 6ft 6inch southpaw, it is good preparation for a 6ft 3inch southpaw in Usyk.
“Maybe if Joe had taken the fight against Usyk, he would have applied the same tactics of I’m the bigger man and I will walk through you, so maybe this has forced him to get a new game plan together.
“Move that head, come off the line, throw some punches from nice angles against a southpaw and work the body. That he could apply against Usyk, so fingers crossed Joe wins and not too much damage has been done.”
:: Watch Zhang v Joyce II live on TNT Sports 2 and discovery+ from 7:30pm on Saturday 23rd September. For more info visit: tntsports.co.uk/boxing
Khris Middleton is not getting caught up in speculation surrounding team-mate Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is uncertain over his Milwaukee Bucks future.
Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA MVP, has recently cast doubt on whether he will be staying with the Bucks.
The 28-year-old has made it clear that he wants to win another championship, having helped the Bucks to glory in 2021.
But Middleton is staying focused on his preparations for the new season, instead of paying too much attention to the talk around the Bucks' star man.
"I think it's kind of business as usual either way," Middleton told ESPN.
"It doesn't affect me personally. I don't think it affects us as a team. I think this is something he said almost every year he's come up in contract extension talks.
"We always want him back for sure. Let's be for sure and let everyone know that. We want this guy to come back because he's one of the best players in the world.
"He's one of the best players in franchise history. So when he says things like that, I think he just wants to challenge the team, the organisation, to keep putting us in a position to win championships."
Middleton believes Antetokounmpo's comments are about keeping the pressure on, for both himself and the team.
"But I think it's just something that he just wants to keep putting pressure on everybody. That's himself also," Middleton added.
"He's not just pointing a finger at everybody else saying, 'You guys have to do this for me'.
"I think he's putting that pressure on himself to be better, to come in and be great every year. So there's no pressure on, there's no added pressure when he says that to us as a team, or me as a person, that I have to be better."
The Bucks won their fifth straight division title last season, yet lost to the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, resulting in the departure of head coach Mike Budenholzer.
France captain Antoine Dupont’s Rugby World Cup campaign is in doubt after he sustained a facial fracture.
Dupont, 26, suffered the injury in France’s record 96-0 win against Namibia on Thursday following a clash of heads with with Johan Deysel.
The Namibia centre’s yellow card for the collision in the 45th minute, with France leading 54-0, was upgraded to red following a review by the television match official.
The FFR confirmed the extent of Dupont’s injury on Friday, but said it was uncertain how long its star scrum-half will be unavailable for.
A statement from the FFR, quoted by Sky Sports News, read: “Antoine Dupont has suffered a maxillo-zygomatic fracture.
“A specialist surgical opinion has been requested to determine the exact length of the player’s unavailability. Antoine Dupont remains with the France squad.”
France, who have beaten New Zealand, Uruguay and Namibia so far, play Italy in their final pool match on October 6.
Les Bleus are set to face world number one side Ireland or defending champions South Africa in the quarter-finals on October 14/15.
Moss Tucker is being readied for a second tilt at the Prix de l’Abbaye following his Group One breakthrough at the Curragh earlier this month.
Having landed the Phoenix Sprint at the track in August, the five-year-old followed up in the Flying Five Stakes to provide trainer Ken Condon with his first top-level success in over two years.
While Moss Tucker was undoubtedly aided by the fact the likes of Highfield Princess, Bradsell and Art Power underperformed in Ireland, he was not beaten far when fifth in last year’s Abbaye and Condon is looking forward to seeing him head back across the Channel on Arc weekend.
“All being well, he goes to Longchamp. He was good at the Curragh obviously, and he seems to have come out of the race well,” said the Kildare-based trainer.
“He did run well in the Abbaye last year. Obviously, the draw is very crucial there and we’ll just have to see how that works out, but we’ve been happy with the horse so far.
“He’s upped his form again this year. He won the Phoenix Sprint prior to the Flying Five, which was a career-best, and he obviously stepped forward again then to win a Group One.
“He’s five years old now and he’s had a good few starts, but he’s obviously on very good terms with himself and seems to be improving.”
While Moss Tucker appears versatile when it comes to underfoot conditions, Condon is keeping his fingers crossed the ground is on the soft side at ParisLongchamp to give him the best possible chance of success.
He added: “We got the rain on the day at the Curragh and maybe that inconvenienced some of the quicker horses, whereas when there’s cut in the ground we know our horse is capable of running very well.
“Nine times out of 10 it’s relatively soft on Arc weekend and that won’t be a problem for this horse. He’s tough and reliable and he tries, so he has all the attributes for soft ground.”
Moss Tucker’s Flying Five win was a first Group One triumph for Condon since Laws Of Indices landed the Prix Jean Prat in the summer of 2021 and he admits it was nice to be back in the big time.
Condon said: “Group One wins are hard to come by and those kind of horses that are competitive in Group Ones are difficult to come by.
“It’s been a couple of years since we won one and the likeable thing about this lad is where he started and where he’s got to. It’s definitely been a good journey, he’s kept improving, he likes training and likes racing and has given his owners fantastic sport.”
Novak Djokovic is just one grand slam away from becoming the most decorated player in history and Feliciano Lopez believes "the numbers don't lie" when it comes to debating tennis' greatest.
Serbia's Djokovic equalled Margaret Court's record of 24 grand slam triumphs after defeating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets at the US Open earlier in September.
That made the world number one, aged 36 years and 111 days at the time, the oldest winner of the men's singles title at the US Open.
It was also Djokovic's third major crown of 2023, winning a trio of grand slams in a calendar year for the fourth time in his career,
Davis Cup tournament director Lopez, who had previously hailed Djokovic for featuring at the "unique" competition, suggested no one in history compares with the 36-year-old.
Asked by Stats Perform if Djokovic was the GOAT – greatest of all time – Lopez said: "According to the numbers, yes. The numbers don't lie.
"If you look at the stats, Novak is the best. So, I mean, what can I say?
"I think the numbers are very clear, not only by the fact that he's won 24 slams, but also there are other numbers and other statistics that clearly show he's the best player who ever played the sport.
"According to the numbers, I cannot say anything different."
Djokovic triumphed at the Australian Open, French Open and US Open, only missing out on a clean sweep of the majors after losing the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz.
As for Djokovic's chances for more major success going forward, Lopez believes the sky is still the limit.
"It's very difficult to predict honestly, but as long as he's feeling physically strong I think it's clear that his will in the last three or four years is to keep winning grand slams," Lopez added.
"If he is able to sustain his physical condition for the next two years, I can fairly say that he can win, I don't know, two, three or four, but it's very difficult to say one number because this year, for example, he could have won all four.
"He won in Australia, he won in Paris, he was very close to winning Wimbledon because of that second-set tie-break, and he just won the US Open.
"You ask me how many grand slams you think he will win in the future when he just won three of them in the same year!
"I don't know, maybe three or four more is fair to say, but it's very difficult to predict."
Fabian Edwards is a calm and composed character at all times but he confessed he could shed “a little tear” if he wins the Bellator middleweight title this weekend.
Edwards takes on the highly rated and undefeated Johnny Eblen at Bellator 299 at Dublin’s 3Arena on Saturday night, bidding to join older brother Leon, the UFC welterweight titlist, as world champion.
The younger Edwards recognises how far he and his sibling have come, from growing up in squalor in Kingston, Jamaica, to taking up mixed martial arts as a means of escaping gang culture in Birmingham.
He told the PA news agency: “I’m not emotional about it at all but on Saturday when I win that belt, I can’t promise you won’t see a little tear. It’s been a long journey.
“It’s really going to mean the world. I keep saying I’d be over the moon and all the usual stuff but I feel you can’t really put it into words.
“Once I go out there and I achieve that goal, I’d need to get a dictionary and look up a word in there that’s going to describe it but I probably won’t be able to find one.”
Despite a tough upbringing, Edwards has never lacked self-belief, even when his career was derailed following back-to-back defeats against Costello van Steenis and Austin Vanderford.
He rebuilt with three successive wins, beating two bona fide titans of the sport in Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi in the process, to earn his shot against Eblen.
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Edwards said: “I thought I’d never lose. I went undefeated for six years. But I still always kept the belief of knowing I was world class and knowing I could get a world title.
“I feel like my tough upbringing could have contributed to my confidence, going from Jamaica to here and even while I’m over here, going through a lot of stuff that’s going to build you to be solid.
“I’m one of those guys who wants to feel f****d in training, I want to mentally push myself to that point where I think ‘f***ing hell’ and then carry on doing it.”
While Eblen has won all 13 of his contests, Edwards suspects his American rival is too full of himself.
Edwards said: “He believes he’s better than what he is in all areas. That’s what going to play right into my hands. When everything starts falling apart in there, it will be too late for him.”
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This is Edwards’ first title opportunity but he was in Salt Lake City 13 months ago when his brother delivered the head kick around the world to win UFC gold, defeating Kamaru Usman in a shock upset.
He added: “If it’s him fighting I’m more nervous and he’s the same when I’m fighting. When you’ve seen someone work so hard, let alone if they’re your family as well, you just want the best for them.
“But my brother always says the same thing, ‘it’s just a fight. Stop trying to build up the moment bigger than what the moment is.’
“I’ll be fighting with all my heart and all of my might to beat this guy, it doesn’t matter what is on the line, when you have that mindset you allow the moment not to get the better of you.”
:: Tune into Bellator 299: Eblen vs Edwards live from the 3Arena, Dublin, on BBC iPlayer from 9pm on Saturday 23rd September
Increasing female participation levels in golf shows the sport is in a positive place – but the drive for sustained growth in membership levels at clubs still has a way to go, according to women and girls manager at England Golf, Lauren Spray.
The number of women taking to golf courses around the UK more than tripled during the Covid-19 pandemic with nearly 1.5 million women playing at least one full round of golf that year.
However, only 13 per cent of club members are female. The average age of a female member is 64 – which is 10 years higher than that of a male member.
As part of the continuing drive to increase participation, particularly at grassroot level, England Golf, the national governing body for amateur golf, has introduced initiatives such as Women on Par and Girls Golf Rocks, which encourages beginner girls aged five to 18 to learn and play golf in a fun and friendly way.
Spray feels the work in breaking down barriers for girls and women to take up golf, as well as overcoming views that it is a male sport, are central to championing female participation.
“Golf was one of the first sports to return back (during the pandemic) and in terms of having that accessibility to the sport, we have had a lot more women join because their lifestyle and habit changes have been impacted,” Spray told the PA news agency.
“We have had a lot more younger women joining the sport and starting to get playing more confidently, getting out onto the golf courses, retaining scores and becoming members of golf clubs as well.
“Even in the last six months we have seen an increase in the number of affiliated members, but also across the sport playing at different levels of participation – whether that is going to a crazy golf facility or a driving range – there are many more women and girls taking part at each level of the game, which is great to see.
“The sport is in quite a healthy position. Obviously we have got a way to go in terms of having more women and girls into membership, but in terms of actually playing the sport it is in a positive place really. We are still continuing to grow and we are going in the right direction.”
English duo Georgia Hall, Women’s British Open champion in 2018, and Charley Hull, ranked number eight in the world, are both part of Europe’s Solheim Cup team taking on the United States in Spain.
Spray hopes the next generation of women golfers can be inspired to make a difference, both on and off the course.
“It’s not necessarily all about just playing the game – there are lots of careers within the sport as well where you can also make a difference and to challenge those misconceptions around the sport,” she said.
“Yes, there are more men that play the sport – but we are trying to make it more and more welcoming for women and girls to play.
“Through our Girls Golf Rocks programme, which targets girls who are beginners to come into the sport and learn in a girls-only coaching programme, they are supported by existing girl golfers as well who act as our peer role models and ambassadors to support them into the sport.
“There are lots of opportunities – it is just about making them aware of them and seeing that this sport is for them too.”
Today’s meeting at Newton Abbot has been given the all-clear following a precautionary morning inspection.
The threat of heavy overnight rain led officials to take an early look at the course but conditions did not deteriorate as much as feared.
Clerk of the course Jason Loosemore said: “We’re fine here, it’s a beautiful morning and we’re looking forward to a good day’s racing.
“We had some heavy showers yesterday that put the fear of god into us. They were pretty persistent and there was 7mm of rain overall.
“But it’s been okay overnight and we’re fine to go ahead, albeit on heavy ground with the second hurdle in the backstraight omitted.”
Today’s fixture features a first runner at the track for champion Irish trainer Willie Mullins, who saddles recent Galway winner Alvaniy in the Devondale Electrical Novices’ Hurdle.
“We’re very excited about that and it’s a first for us,” added Loosemore. “I’ve just seen him being led up and he looks well.
“Emmet Mullins sent Slate Lane over to win at our last meeting and this one is for the same owner, Paul Byrne.”
A “fired-up” Max Verstappen sent a warning to the rest of the grid that Red Bull are back on form as he set a searing pace to top the first two practice sessions at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Verstappen’s record 10-race winning run and Red Bull’s unbeaten season came to a shuddering halt last weekend in Singapore, where the team admitted they did not understand their struggles with the car’s set-up around the street circuit.
The 25-year-old was confident of a return to form around the high-speed corner track at Suzuka, where Lewis Hamilton predicted the Red Bull would be “phenomenal”, but all eyes were on the Dutchman who is closing in on a hat-trick of world titles.
His response to the struggles of Singapore was immediate and emphatic, finishing 0.626 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Singapore-winner Carlos Sainz in P1 before beating Charles Leclerc by 0.320sec in P2.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “He dealt with (Singapore) very maturely.
“It was a difficult weekend but he raced very hard. It was what it was. He knew at some point we were going to get beaten and he dealt with the situation well.
“He has certainly come here pretty fired up as you could see from his outlap in P1 today.
“Max knew it was always going to come to an end at some point. That 10th victory meant a lot to him and certainly to the team so I’m glad Singapore wasn’t the 10th in that succession of races. I think he has just shown great leadership and great maturity.”
The second session was red-flagged with a little over two minutes remaining when Pierre Gasly crashed heavily into the barriers at Degner Two, bringing a premature end to the session.
McLaren had been tipped to be the closest challengers to Red Bull and Verstappen this weekend, with Mercedes’ George Russell even suggesting the British team could be favourites.
Lando Norris showed strong pace to finish the day third, albeit 0.464sec off the pace, while Oscar Piastri, who signed a contract extension earlier this week, claimed eighth in the second McLaren.
Red Bull will almost certainly clinch the Constructors’ Championship this weekend at the home race for their engine supplier Honda.
But Sergio Perez was over a second off the pace of his team-mate, finishing 11th in P1 and ninth in P2.
Fernando Alonso claimed sixth for Aston Martin ahead of the Williams of Alex Albon.
Mercedes pair Russell and Hamilton struggled in the opening session, finishing a lowly 13th and 16th respectively, with chief race engineer Andrew Shovlin admitting the team had work to do on the car setup.
Russell claimed fifth in P2 but Hamilton was only 14th, with the seven-time world champion a huge 1.141sec adrift off the pace.
British and Irish Lions pair Rory Sutherland and Chris Harris have been restored to the Scotland XV for Sunday’s World Cup pool B match against Tonga.
Head coach Gregor Townsend has made four changes in total to his starting line-up for the must-win encounter in Nice, with Scott Cummings and Kyle Steyn also added.
Prop Sutherland will make only his second start for the national team in 19 months after slipping down the pecking order since his involvement with the Lions two years ago. The 31-year-old takes the place of Pierre Schoeman, who drops to the bench.
Similarly, centre Harris, who also toured South Africa with the Lions in 2021, will make only his second international start of 2023 after losing his place to Huw Jones at the start of the year. Jones drops to the bench.
Wing Steyn is back in the team in place of Darcy Graham after declaring he was “absolutely gutted” to be left out of the 23 for the South Africa match.
The other change to the starting line-up sees lock Scott Cummings step in for Grant Gilchrist, who drops out of the matchday squad. Scrum-half George Horne and hooker Ewan Ashman are both on the bench after missing the 18-3 defeat against the Springboks with concussion.
Anthony Joshua defended his WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles with a seventh-round stoppage of Alexander Povetkin at Wembley on this day in 2018.
The then 28-year-old retained his belts after twice knocking Povetkin down to the canvas.
The British fighter earned his 22nd consecutive victory and remained unbeaten despite having his nose broken by the Russian in the first round.
Joshua fought back to win after knocking Povetkin down in the seventh round. The Russian beat the count of 10 before Joshua delivered a combination of punches to finish the bout.
After the fight, Joshua said: “Alexander Povetkin is a very tough challenger, and he proved that. But I’ve come in here to have fun, do what I’ve been working on in the gym and give it my best.
“I realised he was strong to the head, but I know that he was weak to the body, so instead of jabbing to the head, I was switching it up. He threw a good right, but let’s not worry about that, that’s out of the way.”
Nine months after his victory over Povetkin, Joshua suffered his first shock defeat after being knocked down by Andy Ruiz Jr in the seventh round before winning a rematch.
Last month, Joshua, now 33, produced a thunderous seventh-round stoppage against Robert Helenius to stay on track for a future bout with Deontay Wilder.
Manuel Margot singled to cap a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Tampa Bay Rays to a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.
Trailing by one entering the ninth, the Rays rallied against Angels closer Carlos Estevez.
Pinch-hitter Harold Ramirez and Yandy Diaz opened the inning with singles and runners were at the corners after Curtis Mead’s fly ball.
Isaac Paredes singled home the tying run and after Randy Arozarena struck out and Josh Lowe walked to load the bases, Margot flared a single to right to win it.
Tampa Bay already holds the top AL wild card and pulled within 1 ½ games of AL East-leading Baltimore after the Orioles’ 5-2 loss in Cleveland.
The late rally kept the Rays from losing consecutive games to the Angels, who stopped a six-game skid with an 8-3 win on Wednesday.
Tampa Bay starter Zach Eflin failed in his bid to become the AL’s first 16-game winner, allowing two runs and six hits in five innings.
Cole sharp as Yankees cool Blue Jays
Gerrit Cole boosted his Cy Young Award resume with eight stellar innings and the New York Yankees snapped the Toronto Blue Jays’ five-game winning streak, 5-3.
Cole retired the first 16 batters and allowed a run and two hits in his longest start since pitching a two-hit shutout against Minnesota on April 16.
He struck out nine without a walk and lowered his AL-best ERA to 2.75.
Jake Bauers gave Cole all the offense he needed with a three-run homer in the first inning.
Toronto is one-half game ahead of Texas and Seattle for the second of three AL wild-card spots.
Acuna, Olson power Braves
Matt Olson hit his major league-leading 53rd home run and Ozzie Albies homered for one of his four hits as the Atlanta Braves rolled to a 10-3 win over the Washington Nationals.
Atlanta totalled 18 hits with every member of the lineup reaching base at least once.
The Braves need only two wins in their final nine games to reach 100 wins for the second straight season.
Olson’s solo homer in the eighth inning gave him 132 RBIs, matching Gary Sheffield in 2003 for the most by a Braves player since the club moved to Atlanta in 1966.
Ronald Acuna Jr. tripled and scored in the third inning for his 140th run, making him the first player to reach that total since Alex Rodriguez had 143 in 2007.
Christian McCaffrey grabbed a touchdown for the 12th consecutive game as the San Francisco 49ers saw off the New York Giants 30-12 for a 3-0 start to the season.
Brock Purdy threw for two touchdown passes – to Ronnie Bell and Deebo Samuel – as he extended his winning run as a starter in the regular season to eight from as many starts.
But he struggled at times, narrowly avoiding turnovers and relying on his receivers to make the bulk of the yardage.
Although the 49ers offense was not particularly smooth, they were too good for the Giants – without the injured Saquon Barkley – as the defence finished the job.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones struggled to make any headway downfield as he threw for just 137 yards and an interception.
The Giants’ only scores came from an eight-yard Matt Brieda touchdown run and a pair of first-half field goals.
McCaffrey’s four-yard touchdown run, which opened a 17-3 lead in the second quarter, equalled Jerry Rice’s franchise record of touchdowns in successive games and is just three short of the NFL record.
The 49ers have now won 13 consecutive regular season games as they moved to 3-0 for only the second time in 25 seasons.
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