Mutasarref came home best to provide trainer Ger Lyons with a fourth win in the last five runnings of the Bahrain Turf Club Knockaire Stakes at Leopardstown.
The County Meath handler landed the Listed prize with Psychedelic Funk in 2019, Masen in 2021 and Power Under Me 12 months ago.
With Power Under Me declared a non-runner this time around, 8-1 shot Mutasarref was the stable’s representative and the five-year-old picked up well when the gap came to defeat Honey Girl by a neck in the hands of Colin Keane.
The front-running 7-4 favourite Cairo, making his first appearance since filling the runner-up spot behind esteemed stablemate Paddington in the Irish 2,000 Guineas in May, finished third.
“I genuinely thought I was only running him because Eleanora (Kennedy, owner) was over for a do at the weekend,” Lyons said of the winner.
“He’s been on the wane all year. Colin said he’s just a class horse and the ease in the ground helps him as he’s had injuries and it helps his old bones.
“He’s been a very lucky horse for us since we got him. I thought we were on the road to dropping him down the handicap, but that’s undone all that. You don’t mind when they win.
“They went no gallop and it fell into his hands. On his day he’s a good horse.”
Aidan O’Brien and Seamie Heffernan teamed up to land the Thomas’s Of Foxrock “Jim And Kathleen Murphy” Memorial Trigo Stakes with 9-2 chance Boogie Woogie.
The Naas maiden winner had failed to trouble the judge in her last three starts in Group-race company and made the most of having her sights lowered in this Listed event.
The daughter of Dubawi quickened up smartly to take a couple of lengths out of the field halfway up the home straight and had enough in the tank at the finish to repel Sunchart by three-quarters of a length.
Stable representative Chris Armstrong, said: “She’s a filly that has promised a lot all year but things just haven’t gone right for her at times. She’s run some good races in Group races and it’s great to get the Listed win now.
“She’s a filly with a lot of ability. Seamie said she didn’t handle the ground but her class got her through.
“There might be a Group Three or something left for her, but we’ll see how we go.”
Sussex-based handler David Menuisier enjoyed a happy homecoming as Sunway upset highly-regarded French juvenile Alcantor in the Group One Criterium International at Saint-Cloud.
Oisin Murphy made good use of Sunway throughout the mile contest and forged ahead of Aidan O’Brien’s front-runner Navy Seal two furlongs out.
Andre Fabre’s odds-on favourite Alcantor and Mickael Barzalona threw down a strong challenge in the latter stages, but Murphy had left a bit up his sleeve and the 43-10 chance galloped on strongly up the favoured stands side.
French-born Menuisier, who began his career as assistant to Criquette Head-Maarek in Chantilly, tasted success at the top level with Wonderful Tonight at ParisLongchamp and on British Champions Day at Ascot three years ago and was delighted to enjoy another big win.
“Everything went according to plan,” said the trainer. “We wanted him to be up there in second or third, Oisin was able to give him a breather turning for home and then when he asked him to go, he really kicked on.”
Sunway impressed when making a winning debut at Sandown and bounced back from a below-par effort in a hot race at Ascot to split Iberian and subsequent Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere scorer Rosallion in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster.
“He’s a very good horse, he ran well in the Champagne and Oisin really struggled to pull him up after the line that day, so we knew he would stay on well.
“It’s fantastic to have another Group One win and I’m also grateful and so happy for his breeder Guy Pariente, who has supported us and given us a real boost.
“One thing at a time, so we’ll enjoy this victory, but we can now go into the winter dreaming about what might happen next season.”
The son of Galiway, who is co-owned by Pariente, Thomas Lines and Qatar Racing, was cut to as short as 14-1 from 40-1 with Paddy Power for next year’s Qipco 2000 Guineas and introduced into their Derby betting at 33-1.
Winning jockey Murphy told Sky Sports Racing: “He was very relaxed and he’s trained really well into this.
“He won on debut at Sandown, disappointed at Ascot, I don’t know what went wrong, nothing came to light, then he freshened up and ran very well at Doncaster over a trip short of his best.
“Today, he was perfect. I was quietly confident and it’s great because Guy Pariente bred him, he owned the mare and the stallion, Sheikh Fahad and Qatar Racing bought into the horse and Thomas Lines is also involved.
“And it’s also great for David Menuisier, who thought he was very good from early on and today he was brilliant.
“I had a high opinion of him and obviously recommended him plenty and was glad he was able to do that. They have to have the mind to do that and he most certainly does.
“He has a bright future. The rail helped but I’ve no doubt I was on the best horse and the runner-up is a good horse as well.
“He’ll stay further, he’s a brother of (Champion Stakes winner) Sealiway, whose distance was probably 10 furlongs, and I’ve no doubt this fellow will go a furlong or two more.”
Danny Care hopes a heartbreaking defeat by South Africa in Saturday’s World Cup semi-final has won over any England fans who had grown disillusioned with the team.
England went out on their shields after the Springboks needed a last-gasp penalty from Handre Pollard to snatch victory having trailed for 75 minute of a thunderous showdown at the Stade de France.
As Owen Farrell orchestrated a wet weather masterclass that rattled the world champions, the discontent generated by poor recent Six Nations campaigns, the Eddie Jones era limping on for too long and August’s alarming collapse in form faded away.
And although the distant outsiders were unable to complete their unlikely mission of securing a place in next Saturday’s final against New Zealand, head coach Steve Borthwick should begin rebuilding his side amid a groundswell of support.
Booing is a sound heard frequently at England games in recent times, particularly at Twickenham, but Care views the progress made in France under Borthwick’s guidance as a cause to rally around.
“There was a lot of stuff said about us before and hopefully we’ve changed some perceptions, maybe got people believing in us again,” the Harlequins scrum-half said.
“Before the tournament, we understand that because of our performances people were doubting us a little bit. But then things clicked into gear a bit when we got over to France.
“We’ve shown stuff that fans can hopefully get behind and be proud of. The support we’ve had over here and back home has been amazing. This team will go on to bigger and better things, I’m sure of it.”
England led by nine points until RG Snyman went over in the 70th minute, but the tide had already begun turning as South Africa’s ‘Bomb Squad’ forced four scrum penalties.
“It was tough in that changing room. Unfortunately great effort doesn’t get you over the line sometimes,” said the 36-year-old Care, who revealed he will remain available for Test selection after the World Cup.
“I was sat in the bath with Maro Itoje and we were saying how sport can be cruel. It’s why we love it so much, it’s on a knife edge so often. There’s one happy changing room, one sad one.
“For me personally, when time is running out on your international career it’s tough to take, but I’m incredibly proud to be part of this team.”
England have one final assignment before departing France in the shape of Friday’s bronze final, customarily an unloved fixture in the World Cup schedule. But Care insists third place is a prize worth winning.
“We’d love to have been in the big dance but we’re not. The next best thing you can do is to finish third and try to make more people back home proud of this England team,” Care said.
“We’ll dust ourselves off pretty quick. Losing to South Africa is going to be harsh and tough to take for a couple of days but that’s sport – you’ve got to bounce back.”
Connections will take a watching brief before deciding whether King Of Steel will bid to follow up his Qipco Champion Stakes success with Breeders’ Cup glory.
The Roger Varian-trained three-year-old, owned by Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing, is among the leading fancies for the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on November 4, but must first show he has recovered well enough from his Ascot exertions.
“I think we need to take stock and see how the horse is – I know that’s the obvious thing to say,” said Varian.
“He appears to have come out of the race physically in good shape, but he would have had a hard race yesterday and we can’t ignore that. We just have to see how he is over the next week.
“I know Kia is very keen on the Breeders’ Cup anyway, in general, and if he could get a good horse there, then of course he’d want to be there.
“But in fairness to Kia, he’s been very good all year and he’s always said to me only run the horse when you’re 100 per cent happy, and if you’re not, we don’t go.
“I’m sure that will be the same regarding California in a couple of weeks’ time. We need to give it a few days to see what messages the horse is giving us, so I’m not going to take it off the table and we’ll just see how he is.”
One thing Varian will have no fears about after the thrilling Champions Stakes success under Frankie Dettori is King Of Steel’s ability to handle to Breeders’ Cup razzamatazz.
Speaking on Racing TV’s Luck on Sunday programme, Varian said: “He’s really a delight to train, not just because he’s very good but because he’s got a great temperament – and I thought that was on show yesterday.
“There was a lot of buzz and noise as the horse left the paddock and he had to keep himself together.
“And after the race, with all that was going on, he was really just behaving like a very good horse with a very calm personality.
“He’s like that; when he gets to the races, he doesn’t waste any excess energy, no nervous energy escapes from him and he’s really the ultimate professional as a racehorse.”
Varian was also full of praise for Dettori, who produced another memorable ride on his farewell to British racing.
“I actually haven’t had a proper debrief with Frankie yet; I had a few hugs but not a debrief,” added Varian.
“I thought we were in trouble for the first half of the race, nothing was really making up ground or coming off the pace.
“Of course, we left everything to Frankie, but I don’t think he thought he’d be last going into Swinley Bottom.
“He gave him a beautiful ride, kept him balanced, gave him a chance to find his feet and he came home very strong where it mattered.”
Irish raiders filled the first three places in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud, but not in the order the betting market predicted as Aidan O’Brien’s Los Angeles kept on best.
Christophe Soumillon’s mount benefitted from coming up the stands side rail to see off the Joseph O’Brien-trained Islandsinthestream and claim Group One glory over 10 furlongs at odds of 67-10.
The winner’s stablemate Illinois was a close-up third under Ryan Moore after being sent off the 19-10 joint-favourite alongside Islandsinthestream.
“He’s a very big horse and you would imagine he’s going to be a better horse next year,” said O’Brien of the Camelot colt on Sky Sports Racing.
“We felt the experience would do him good here and Christophe said he picked up very well.
“He said he wasn’t changing his legs throughout the race, so that’s why he was a little bit worried, so obviously he’s very babyish. But he said when he did get him to change his legs, he really picked up for him.
“I’d say Joseph’s horse is a good colt and Ryan’s horse has run a stormer as well, so they are obviously good colts.
“I asked Christophe how good could he be and he said he could be a Classic horse, so it’s something to look forward to.
“He said he could get a mile and a half, so that’s good. He’d only had one run before this, so it’s all very promising and good experience.”
Los Angeles was cut from 33-1 to 20-1 for next year’s Derby by Coral and is the same price with Paddy Power for Epsom glory.
“With Ryan Moore opting to ride Illinois, Los Angeles was perhaps not the Ballydoyle winner the market expected to see make the Group One breakthrough, but his neck success was enough to see his Derby odds tumble,” said Coral’s David Stevens.
Village Voice showed plenty of spirit when rallying late on to edge out Manisha in the Group Three Prix De Flore for Jessica Harrington.
The three-year-old was headed at the furlong pole but Cristian Demuro conjured up a renewed effort from his mount, with the stands rail again proving an assistance.
“It was important (having the rail) because the ground is very heavy,” said the jockey of the 13-10 favourite.
“I was supposed to stay behind the lead but the pace was very slow, so I went forward with her. The horse next to me put me under a bit of pressure but she’s a good filly and did it easily. It’s a pleasure to ride this kind of filly.”
South Africa have begun investigating an alleged racist slur directed at England flanker Tom Curry by their hooker Mbongeni Mbonambi.
England have until Monday morning to lodge a complaint with the citing officer after Curry claimed he had been the victim of a discriminatory remark in Saturday’s 16-15 World Cup semi-final defeat by the Springboks.
Curry drew the incident to the attention of referee Ben O’Keeffe in the second quarter of the match at the Stade de France.
Although the alleged slur is not audible on the ref mic, Curry’s subsequent conversation with O’Keeffe is.
“Sir, if their hooker calls me a white c*** what do I do?” the Sale flanker said.
O’Keeffe replied: “Nothing, please. I’ll be on it.”
South Africa on Sunday responded by confirming they are looking into the incident.
“We are aware of the allegation, which we take very seriously, and are reviewing the available evidence. We will engage with Bongi if anything is found to substantiate the claim,” an SA Rugby statement read.
When asked after the match if Mbonambi had said something he should not have done, Curry replied “yeah”, although he declined to reveal the content of the remark.
Mbonambi, who took over as captain once Siya Kolisi had been replaced, refused to shake Curry’s hand at the end of a dramatic clash in Paris that was won by Handre Pollard’s penalty after 78 minutes.
World Rugby confirmed there is a 36-hour window from when the game ends for England to lodge a complaint to the citing officer, giving them until 10am BST on Monday to act.
The sport’s global governing body can also choose to pursue the matter, with any case likely to be brought under the ‘bringing the game into disrepute’ banner.
Also, if the citing officer finds any evidence of the alleged racist remark, disciplinary proceedings can be triggered against Mbonambi, with an offence such as this likely to contravene law 9.12 – a player must not verbally abuse anyone.
England led for all but five minutes of the semi-final and were nine points ahead until RG Snyman went over in the 70th minute at a time when the Springboks’ scrum was taking control through the introduction of the ‘Bomb Squad’.
Jonny May said England’s heroic effort against the world champions was fuelled by the belief that they had been dismissed as a serious threat by South Africa.
“I’ll be honest, I don’t think necessarily the South Africans respect us,” May said.
“Some of the things their coach has openly said about us in their documentaries and stuff probably just adds fuel to the fire.
“We touched on their documentary and we’ve got staff who were with them and they gave us insight of how they feel about us.”
Mostahdaf looks set to round off his career in the Breeders’ Cup Turf next month, after connections opted to sidestep Saturday’s Qipco Champion Stakes due to unsuitable ground.
Having proved his top-level capabilities by winning the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Juddmonte International at York, John and Thady Gosden’s five-year-old was well fancied to complete his Group One hat-trick on Champions Day – but his team had warned his participation was ground dependent.
And while Gosden and owners Shadwell initially gave the go-ahead after walking the track before racing, the attritional nature of the curtain-raising Long Distance Cup prompted a rethink.
“John and I walked the track, as everyone knows, and I thought it walked surprisingly well considering the rain they’ve had. I thought it walked good to soft and a bit softer down in Swinley Bottom,” said Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold.
“At that stage we were both thinking it was going to be OK to run on, albeit it wasn’t going to be in his favour, and then after the first race the first two jockeys I spoke to were the reigning champion jockey (William Buick), who described it as horrible and heavy, and Rab Havlin, who was third, said it was heavy.
“John and I had another look at it and spoke to Sheikha Hissa and said, ‘look, it’s your decision, but the ground isn’t going to be in his favour’, and John just felt it wasn’t fair on the horse ending his career in ground we know he doesn’t like – he couldn’t hobble on it in the Arc last year.
“With the option of the Breeders’ Cup still to come, there didn’t seem any point in bowing out on a low note when we can go to California with a chance of running him on fast ground in a couple of weeks’ time if he’s still well.”
Mostahdaf will be returning to a mile and a half for the first time since finishing fourth to Japanese ace Equinox in the Dubai Sheema Classic in March if he does contest the Breeders’ Cup Turf – but Gold does not see the extra distance being a major issue.
He added: “His best form here recently has been over a mile and a quarter, but over an American mile and a half, going down that hill for the first four furlongs or whatever it is, I think he’ll stay it. Whether he’ll win over it I can’t tell you, but I don’t think it will be that (stamina) that beats him.
“He’s a five-year-old now who has done brilliantly this year and I think if he does go to America that will be his last run.”
Plans are being drawn up for Jack Catterall to face Josh Taylor again, with Manchester or Glasgow primed to host the grudge match in 2024.
British super-lightweight Catterall claimed a unanimous decision victory over former three-weight champion Jorge Linares in Liverpool on Saturday night.
Two of the judges scored the fight 116-112 with another 117-111 in favour of Catterall, who is in line to face the winner of the December clash between WBC-belt holder Regis Prograis and Devin Haney, but is set to sidestep the world title shot to settle his score with long-standing foe Taylor.
Catterall lost in controversial circumstances to Taylor in February 2022, when the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO super-lightweight belts were on the line with the Scottish boxer earning a split decision victory despite being put down in the eighth round and largely struggling against his English opponent.
“Taylor, where are ya? Let’s have it,” Catterall (28-1, 13KOs) said during his ringside interview.
Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn, who promoters Catterall, confirmed talks with Taylor’s Top Rank representatives will begin soon.
Hearn told Matchroom Boxing: “They are two guys who cannot stand each other.
“Josh Taylor is spiteful in and out of the ring, he is fantastic in the build-up and that would bring the best out of Jack Catterall, who is quite quiet and relaxed in general.
“The first fight was extremely controversial, we could do that in Manchester or Glasgow and we’ll be speaking to Top Rank to try and make it happen.”
Taylor had been expected to move up to the welterweight category following his defeat to Teofimo Lopez in June, but he was active on X, formerly known as Twitter, during Catterall’s bout with Linares and insisted his rival “couldn’t finish a roast dinner” after going the distance.
“I think you’ve seen with the success of Wood-Warrington, Smith-Eubank, potentially Benn-Eubank as well, the British fights work,” Hearn explained.
“There is so much bad blood between Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall the build-up is going to be electric, it’s going to be spiteful and going to get people involved because of the narrative.
“They know from the first fight it could sell-out in Manchester or Glasgow and I think it’s the right fight for both fighters.
“Every fighter wants to win a world title, Jack arguably should have all of them but he hasn’t. Outside of a world championship fight, the rematch is one that definitely makes sense.”
England have until Monday morning to lodge a complaint after Tom Curry alleged he was the victim of a racist slur in Saturday’s 16-15 World Cup semi-final defeat by South Africa.
Curry drew the incident involving hooker Mbongeni Mbonambi to the attention of referee Ben O’Keeffe around the half-hour mark of the match at the Stade de France.
Although the alleged slur is not audible on the ref link, Curry’s subsequent conversation with O’Keeffe is.
“Sir, if their hooker calls me a white c***, what do I do?” the Sale flanker said.
O’Keeffe replied: “Nothing, please. I’ll be on it.”
When asked after the match if Mbonambi had said something he shouldn’t have done, Curry replied “yeah”, although he declined to reveal what was said.
Mbonambi refused to shake Curry’s hand at the end of a dramatic clash in Paris that was won by Handre Pollard’s penalty after 78 minutes.
The PA news agency has contacted World Rugby and the South Africa Rugby Union for comment.
Collin Morikawa claimed his first PGA Tour win for two years with a storming victory at the Zozo Championship in Japan.
The 26-year-old American began the final day two off the lead but a seven-under-par round of 63 at Chiba carried him to victory by six shots ahead of Eric Cole and Beau Hossler.
Morikawa, who is of Japanese heritage, carded seven birdies and no bogeys in a near perfect final round, finishing off in style with a birdie on the 18th for a 14 under par total.
It brought him a first win since he claimed the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in November 2021, which followed on from his victory at the Open the same year.
Morikawa won his first major title at the PGA Championship in 2020 in only his second appearance at one of golf’s four biggest events, a year after his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Barracuda Championship.
He was the first-round leader at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club but seemed to have dropped out of contention after a disappointing second-round 73 and then a poor start to his third round but he finished it with five birdies from the final six holes to put himself in a good position going into Sunday.
The Philadelphia Phillies are one win away from returning to the World Series.
Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto each hit home runs, Zack Wheeler pitched seven strong innings and the Phillies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 Saturday to take a 3-2 NLCS lead.
Philadelphia bounced back from losses in Games 3 and 4 with their sixth multi-homer game of this postseason, and Wheeler won a battle of aces against Arizona’s Zac Gallen.
The Phillies jumped on Gallen for two runs in the first, courtesy of a Bryson Stott RBI single and Harper swiping home on a double-steal call.
Harper and Schwarber stayed red hot with solo shots off Gallen in the sixth to expand the lead to 4-0.
Schwarber’s home run was his fifth of the series and was the 20th of his postseason career, pulling him into a tie for fourth all-time with Derek Jeter.
Harper reached base three times and scored three runs, and last year’s NLCS MVP is batting .343 with a 1.282 OPS this postseason.
Arizona cut the lead to 4-1 in the seventh when Game 4 hero Alek Thomas took Wheeler deep, but Realmuto added insurance with his two-run blast off Luis Frias in the eighth.
Wheeler allowed one run and six hits in seven innings while striking out eight and lowering his career postseason ERA to 2.48.
With a healthy cushion late, the Phillies were able to rest key relievers Jose Alvarado and Craig Kimbrel.
After a travel day Sunday, Aaron Nola is slated to start Monday at home as the Phillies look to repeat as National League champions. Merrill Kelly will take the bump for Arizona, hoping to extend the Diamondbacks’ season.
Canadian-bred American Tap, under steady guidance from jockey Tevin Foster, earned her first victory on Jamaican soil with powerful debut performance that left rivals struggling in the $1.25 million Nigel B Nunes Memorial Cup feature at Caymanas Park on Saturday.
Much like she did at exercise, the six-year-old bay mare, who is one of six overseas horses expected to line up in the lucrative Mouttet Mile in December, displayed pace and class in a comfortable 4-3/4 lengths win, in the three-year-olds and upward Non-Restricted Overnight Allowance contest for over five furlongs (1,000m) straight.
Conditioned by Howard Jaghai, American Tap, running from the wide number 13 draw in the 15-horse field, and quickly match strides with Ultimate Machine (Dane Dawkins), True Bravado (Phillip Parchment), and Press Conference (Richard Henry), in the early exchanges.
By the time the sort themselves out and came across the dummy rails, the Tapiture -American Castle mare, American Tap proved the superior speed, and with very little reminders from Foster, she briskly pulled away and powered home to justify the 1-2 favouritism.
American Tap stopped the clock in an eye-catching 58.2 seconds, after splits of 23.1 and 46.0 seconds, and the fact that she literally cantered the latter stages of the contest, all but indicates her credentials for what could be a fruitful outing in Jamaica.
Press Conference, Ring Charmer (Roger Hewitt) and Duke (Allan Maragh) completed the frame.
American Tap completed a double for Foster, who earlier piloted the Anthony Nunes-trained Captain Calico to victory in the seventh event.
Another in-form rider, Raddesh Roman, also had a double with Ricardo Brown’s KP Choice in the second event and From Sheer To Ben conditioned by Alford Brown in the ninth and final contest.
Steve Borthwick vowed to use England’s heartbreaking World Cup semi-final exit at the hands of South Africa to sow a seed for future success.
Borthwick’s unfancied side led by nine points in the final quarter and were on the cusp of a famous win until Handre Pollard’s late penalty condemned them to an agonising 16-15 defeat.
Many of England’s players collapsed to their knees following a colossal, but ultimately unsuccessful, effort against the reigning champions on a sodden evening in Paris.
While head coach Borthwick was similarly crestfallen by the dramatic late twist at Stade de France, he was proud of the efforts of his team and upbeat about what lies ahead.
“We came here with a plan to win the game and we fell a little bit short, not far short but a little bit short, so we’re desperately disappointed,” he said.
“I think we all truly believed we could do it, we were going to do it, and we came very close to doing so.
“In adversity, in these tough times, there’s usually some seed of it there that will grow and be something brilliant in the future.
“Right now it’s too early for me to find that seed but we’ll make sure we find it.
“We’ll make sure that we take some of what we find tonight, some of what we’ve gone through tonight, we’ll make sure we grab that and we’ll make sure it makes us stronger in the future.”
Captain Owen Farrell produced an outstanding performance, kicking all of his side’s points, including a superb drop goal.
His efforts looked to be sufficient for victory but RG Snyman barged over for the only try of the match in the 70th minute to set up a grandstand finish.
Man-of-the-match Pollard, who booted the Springboks to victory over England in the 2019 final, nailed the tricky conversion and then landed a monster penalty two minutes from time to inflict more anguish on the opposition.
“The players should be incredibly proud of what they’ve done and continue to do as they represent England rugby,” continued Borthwick.
“I know I’ll have at home a couple of young boys who are going to be bitterly disappointed and I’m sure there are lots of people that are proud but also gutted back in England, I’m sure there are millions of people like that.
“I care about these players, I care about these supporters, and I care about English rugby.
“What I see is a group of guys who are doing as much as they possibly can to set an example, to build a team, to have supporters proud of them.
“They’re led by this man next to me (Farrell), who I think has been and continues to be a phenomenal player and an incredible leader of this team.”
New Zealand await South Africa in next weekend’s final.
Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber praised his team’s fighting spirit.
“I pay a lot of credit to England,” he said. “They were outstanding on the night.
“They had a very good tactical plan and they put us under pressure. We will have to improve because it took us some time to get to grips with it.
“But the strength of this team is that even if we’re not playing well we find a way to get the result.
“It took 80 minutes to get a foothold in the game. The team refused to give up and fought until the end.”
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi was convinced fly-half Pollard, who came on for Manie Libbok with only half an hour gone, would land the decisive penalty from just inside England’s half.
“I had no doubt at all,” he said. “He’s done it for us before.
“England are a world-class team and completely different to a year ago. They had an amazing game plan which we took too long to adapt to.
“These things happen but we dug deep to get the victory. Other teams wouldn’t be able to get the win from this. I’m not going to say it was ugly, we did what was needed.”
Max Verstappen saw off Lewis Hamilton’s early challenge to claim victory in Saturday’s sprint race at the United States Grand Prix.
For the first time since their 2021 championship duel for the ages, Verstappen and Hamilton ran line astern in the 19-lap dash at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.
But Hamilton was unable to prevent Verstappen from taking the spoils, and accumulating yet another win of this most one-sided of Formula One campaigns.
Hamilton took the chequered flag a distant 9.4 seconds adrift of Verstappen with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third.
Verstappen, crowned champion of the world for a third time in Qatar a fortnight ago, took pole position earlier on Saturday and then put his elbows out at the start to ensure Leclerc did not sneak up his inside on the uphill drag to the opening bend.
Verstappen moved over to his left to squeeze the Ferrari man allowing Hamilton a clean shot at Leclerc on the exit of the first corner.
Hamilton ran over the kerbs and past the Monegasque, and then set his sights on Verstappen.
Hamilton has not won a race for nearly two years, the longest losing streak of his career. Indeed, 685 days have passed since he claimed victory at the penultimate round of the 2021 campaign in Saudi Arabia.
But for half-a-dozen laps here, Hamilton will have dared to dream that a victory could be on the cards.
Hamilton has triumphed six times in America – with five of those victories in the Lone Star State – and his early pace certainly provided Verstappen with food for thought.
The seven-time world champion stayed within one second of Verstappen to provide him with a possible DRS slingshot past his Red Bull rival.
“Driveability is not there,” moaned Verstappen on the radio. “I lost the rear completely.”
Hamilton then hinted his nemesis was gaining an advantage by using more of the track than is allowed.
“Max has gone off quite a few times,” said the Mercedes driver.
Hamilton has lauded the improvements from his updated machine, but the superiority of Verstappen’s Red Bull came to the fore.
Six laps had passed and Verstappen was suddenly out of DRS range. A slim hope of victory for Hamilton was dashed.
Yet the 38-year-old, who starts third for tomorrow’s 56-lap main event, will expect to be a contender again.
And his chances of a possible win will be aided by Verstappen starting only in sixth after his pole lap in Friday’s qualifying was deleted for exceeding track limits.
Lando Norris took fourth spot ahead of Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, with Carlos Sainz sixth.
George Russell finished seventh but was demoted to eighth after he served a five-second penalty for an illegal move on McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Netballers from the Caribbean continue to face uncertainty over their immediate future, as the pay dispute in the Super Netball League shows no signs of a quick resolution.
Jamaica’s Jhaniele Fowler and Romelda Aiken-George, as well as Samantha Wallace of the Trinidad and Tobago, are among players in the League who have not been paid since their current collective bargaining agreement between Netball Australia and the Australian Netball Players' Association (ANPA) ran out on September 30. To make matters worse, they cannot be paid until a new deal is put in place.
According to reports, the dispute is headed to mediation with Netball Australia and ANPA unable to arrive at an amicable settlement over a revenue share model, and several players have had to turn to family and friends for financial support.
"I've heard of players who've had to move home because they can't sign rental agreements or are struggling to pay their mortgages because there is a big stand-off between what Netball Australia want to put forward and what the players and players' association want," former Australia netballer Bianca Chatfield said in a TV interview.
The feud erupted after the ANPA rejected the latest offer from Netball Australia and the eight SNL clubs, which put forward a "profit share partnership", while the players are demanding a "revenue share partnership model".
Netball Australia said it offered a base wage increase of nine per cent over three years and a maximum salary cap increase of three per cent over the same term, as well as a share in the profits generated by the League for the first time.
Officials from Netball Australia and the clubs expressed disappointment at the rejection of the offer, which they have described as "a ground-breaking collective player agreement".
Netball Australia said any further increases to player wages beyond the current offer would be irresponsible because they would negatively impact funding for community and grass roots netball.
ANPA said the players believe they have bent over backwards in a bid to reach an agreement, and they are now appealing for mediation to achieve "meaningful and fair progress".
Australia international defender Maddy Turner said it was a "super stressful" time for all players left in limbo ahead of next season, and she also showed some compassion for non-Australian players.
"When you are relying on that money to pay for rent, groceries, everything… imagine your next pay cheque doesn't come in. You're looking for other ways to earn money. I think it's really disappointing. There's no pay coming in," she said in a TV interview.
Turner said she had turned to the "bank of Mum and Dad" to pay her mortgage, while picking up extra work where she can — but not every player was that fortunate.
"There are a lot of internationals in our league and without that money coming in, it's hard for them to come over here where they can't work a second job," she said. "I think it's probably the most frustrating for them."
ANPA Chief Executive Officer Kathryn Harby-Williams argued the players were not making extraordinary demands.
"Players will never take what the game can't afford," she said in a radio interview. "It's new money we are asking for and simply 20 per cent of sponsorship, and that is all. It ensures players receive a fair share of sponsorship revenue — it's a real partnership model."
The netballers have found support from the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) after their recent fight with Cricket Australia — with the organisation creating a "fighting fund for netballers to draw on during their period of unemployment".
ACA Chief Executive Officer Todd Greenberg said the netballers' requests were "modest and affordable for the sport", and the players must be given the same partnership opportunities that has seen women's cricket in Australia thrive.
"The ACA stands with the netballers and will do so until this campaign is successful," he said.
Shamera Sterling, Latanya Wilson, Jodi-Ann Ward, Shimona Nelson, and Kadian Dehaney are the other Caribbean players that played in the SNL last season.
England collapsed to an agonising 16-15 defeat against South Africa at the Stade de France as they allowed a place in Saturday’s World Cup final against New Zealand to slip from their grasp.
Steve Borthwick’s men led by nine points in the final quarter but their wet-weather masterclass began to fade as the ‘Bomb Squad’ made their presence felt for the Springboks, especially in the scrum.
It was on the back of their set-piece ascendancy and the generalship of replacement fly-half Handre Pollard that the tables turned in a sodden Paris.
RG Snyman barged over for the only try of the match in the 70th minute and Pollard nailed a tricky conversion, setting up heart-stopping finish to a Test that was enthralling throughout.
The world champions were still two points behind but up stepped man-of-the-match Pollard to land the killer blow with two minutes left, nailing a penalty from just inside England’s half.
England’s players sank to their knees at the final whistle, their hearts broken having given their all in a rematch of the 2019 final despite being distant outsiders, and it was an especially cruel moment for Owen Farrell given his outstanding night.
Farrell was at the heart of many of his side’s best moments and although the captain drew the now customary boos when his name was read out on the PA system pre-match, he replied by drawing first blood with a penalty.
Breakdown and line-out success, as well as Ben Earl blasting off the base of the scrum, were further early wins until a promising drive downfield ended with Farrell kicking his second penalty.
Three times in a row England turned over South African line-out drives, winning a penalty on the third of them to relieve the pressure that was building on their line.
Every aspect of an arm wrestle of a contest was being won by England, but they were also their own worst enemies as they gave away three needless penalties, one of them for a moment of petulance from Farrell that allowed Manie Libbok to land three points.
His eyes bulging, Farrell was playing on the edge and had to be escorted away from referee Ben O’Keeffe, but he regained his composure to re-establish the six-point lead.
Libbok became the fall guy for South Africa’s woes when he was replaced in the 32nd minute by Pollard in the hope the 2019 World Cup winner would bring greater control.
Pollard’s first involvement was to boot a penalty and growing tension was evident as errors crept into both sides, but when Farrell found the target for the fourth time, England entered the break with a deserved 12-6 lead.
Rookie Leicester lock George Martin had been at the forefront of red rose resistance through his savage tackling and as the rain continued to fall there was no prospect of the game opening up.
Scrum-half Cobus Reinach and full-back Damian Willemse were the next to be pulled by South Africa, who now had Faf de Klerk and Willie le Roux on the field, and then Eben Etzebeth followed them into the dugout.
The changes were a reflection of England’s control and just as the Springboks appeared to be clawing their way into contention, Farrell rifled over a sensational drop-goal.
England’s captain was striking gold with every touch as a wicked crossfield grubber caused Kurt-Lee Arendse to fumble, but South Africa were beginning to harvest penalties at the scrum.
Suddenly the Springboks went up a gear, their pack pouring forwards from a line-out for Snyman to score.
It was now all South Africa, who had discovered a new lease of life, and when the moment for glory came, Pollard stepped up to deliver his monster penalty.
Rory McIlroy said he is open to the prospect of investing in Manchester United and welcomed Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s proposed involvement with his boyhood club.
The 34-year-old Northern Irishman, who helped Europe win the Ryder Cup in Rome a few weeks ago, was speaking at the Circuit of Americas in Texas after acquiring a stake in Formula One team Alpine.
McIlroy, former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua, Liverpool and England star Trent Alexander-Arnold and World Cup winner Juan Mata have been announced as part of a £173million strategic investment led by consortium Otro Capital in Alpine.
Ratcliffe, 71, is reportedly looking to purchase a 25 per cent stake in United that could see him take over football operations at Old Trafford.
And McIlroy said: “Sports team ownership used to be limited to private equity, and people who had a ton of money. But now sports stars are becoming more savvy and using their money in the right way.
“I would love to be able to own a tiny percentage of the club I grew up cheering on as a boy.
“I would have loved to have taken 0.00001 per cent of Manchester United when Jim Ratcliffe took 25 per cent. And if another opportunity comes my way I will look at it. But it is not something that has come across our table as of yet.
“There is Tom Brady at Birmingham and there are a few golfers – Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas – who invested with the 49ers Group, and they own a tiny slice of Leeds. They asked me if I wanted to come on board, and I said as a Man United fan I cannot go anywhere near that.
“Sir Jim has got a great track record and everybody that does support United should be excited by the possibilities if they give him full sporting authority and decisions for the club. As a fan I am excited.”
McIlroy finished as Europe’s top points-scorer at Marco Simone after a convincing 3&1 singles win against Sam Burns.
He had been embroiled in angry scenes the previous evening following the actions of Patrick Cantlay’s bagman Joe LaCava on the 18th green, furiously gesticulating in the direction of Justin Thomas’ caddie Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay in the car park.
Three weeks on, McIlroy was asked if he had any regrets over the incident.
“Jeez, no, not at all,” he said. “I felt like what happened in the car park galvanised the team and it benefited us.
“Things happen in the heat of the moment. Tensions were high but Joe came into the European team room on Sunday night and had a drink and a chat. I have had a great relationship with Joe over the years and that wasn’t going to change.
“The incident happened. I didn’t want to meet anyone on the Sunday morning because I wanted what happened to fuel me and my focus was on making sure Europe won the Ryder Cup, and then we will sort all the other stuff out after. And it is all fine. We are all friends.”
Max Verstappen bounced back from his mistake in qualifying for the United States Grand Prix to put his Red Bull on pole position for today’s sprint race.
Verstappen will line up from only sixth place for Sunday’s main event at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas after his quickest lap was chalked off for exceeding track limits here on Friday night.
But less than 24 hours later, the triple world champion atoned for his error to seal top spot ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.055 seconds for the 19-lap dash to the chequered flag later today.
“The last lap was not great but we are still on pole so it shows the car is working well,” said Verstappen, with less than a tenth separating the top-three drivers.
“It will be an exciting afternoon with cars close to each other so we don’t know what will happen in the sprint race. Normally in the race we are okay, but this track is demanding.”
Lewis Hamilton finished third, seven hundredths behind Verstappen, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri fourth and fifth respectively for McLaren. George Russell qualified eighth.
It was not all plain-sailing for Verstappen after he spun on the exit of Turn 9 in Q2.
Verstappen took too much kerb on the entry to the left hander which sent him onto the grass and into a pirouette.
But after he completed a 360-degree spin, Verstappen was able to make it back to his garage and into Q3.
Hamilton also survived a hairy moment in the opening phase of qualifying when he nudged the back of Yuki Tsunoda’s AlphaTauri.
“Check my front wing,” said Hamilton on the radio. “One of the drivers blocked me and we touched.”
Hamilton was able to continue and although the stewards noted the incident, no further action was taken.
Daniel Ricciardo, absent from the last five races with a broken hand, out-qualified Tsunoda to progress to Q2 and finish 11th.
Tsunoda starts 19th, one place ahead of Logan Sargeant who propped up the order for the second day in a row at his home event.
The sprint gets under way at 5pm local time (11pm BST).
The Philadelphia 76ers' wantaway guard James Harden is just "looking to find happiness" after requesting a trade and engaging in a bitter war of words with Sixers president Daryl Morey.
That is the view of Chicago Bulls center and former Sixer Andre Drummond, who hopes Harden joins a team where he feels wanted.
Former MVP Harden requested a trade after exercising his player option for the 2023-24 season in June, the third time he has asked for a move since leaving the Houston Rockets in January 2021.
Having grown frustrated with Morey's handling of his contract situation during the offseason, Harden labelled the Sixers president a "liar" in August, declaring: "I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of".
Harden reportedly expected to be offered a long-term deal after Philadelphia were beaten by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.
He has since skipped practice on two occasions as the Sixers work towards their NBA season opener, which comes on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.
While some have criticised Harden's conduct, Drummond, who joined the Brooklyn Nets as part of the trade which took Harden to Philadelphia last year, has sympathy for his position.
"I don't really get into the whole gossip aspect of the NBA," Drummond told Stats Perform. "I mean, with James, it's not his first time doing this.
"I think he's just going to try to find a way to make sure that he's happy and he goes into the best situation. I don't really have much else I can say on that.
"He's just looking to find happiness, so hopefully he gets to go where he wants to."
The Sixers' hopes for 2023-24 will be carried by reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who recently announced his intention to represent the United States at next year's Olympic Games in France.
Embiid averaged a career-high 33.1 points to lead the NBA last season, but the 29-year-old is yet to win a championship.
Drummond, who played alongside Embiid while with the Sixers in 2021-22, believes Philadelphia need to give the center a championship-winning team sooner rather than later.
Asked about Philadelphia's title hopes, Drummond said: "I think for Joel, they have to do it now. Now's the time.
"They've waited a long time, a lot of pieces have been added to their team that maybe aren't working out.
"I hope he does it. I hope he doesn't win against us, but I hope for the best for him. I really want him to win. I've got to play alongside him for a year and he deserves it. He works really hard."
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