Kyle Sinckler insists missing out on Lions selection was like being dumped by a girlfriend in an experience that has left him uncertain of his place in England’s World Cup squad.
Sinckler is set to be picked in Steve Borthwick’s 33-man group that is announced on Monday morning with little doubt over his inclusion given he is first choice tighthead prop.
But the 30-year-old refuses to assume he will take part in his second World Cup after he was excluded from Warren Gatland’s British and Irish Lions squad in 2021 despite being considered a certainty to tour South Africa.
Andrew Porter was picked by Gatland, only for the Ireland front row to be ruled out by a toe injury, offering Sinckler a reprieve.
“The Lions experience taught me never to… I can’t really find another word for ‘granted’ because I don’t want to say I took it for granted… but I was like, ‘I’ve got a pretty good shot here’. And I ended up missing out on the squad,” Sinckler said.
“I was absolutely devastated and I was like, ‘I’m never going to have that little voice in my head ever saying ‘You’ll be all right’.
View this post on Instagram“That experience in itself was just crazy. Because obviously I initially didn’t make the squad and then you come to terms with that, you wish the boys the best of luck and you are focused on what you need to do.
“Then unfortunately for Andrew, he picked up an injury and that means I’m in – just as I was getting over it.
“It was like an ex dumping you and just as you’re getting over it all of a sudden she wants you back. You’re messing with my head! So it was a strange one.
“It’s about having that humility and respect for the game because rugby can humble you very quickly.”
Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls gifted their country a bronze on Independence Day on Sunday when they defeated New Zealand 52-45 in the play-off for third place at the Netball World Cup in South Africa.
It was the first time that Jamaica was defeating New Zealand twice in the same global tournament relegating the Silver Ferns to their worst ever World Cup result.
Needing to rebound from the disappointment of losing 57-54 to Australia in the semi-finals, which denied them the chance to play for the gold medal, Jamaica took control of the match against the injury-riddled Ferns, who were among the favourites to win the tournament.
The defending champions had lost star shooter Grace Nweke to injury during the pool games and then were hit with an injury to Gina Crampton who was forced to leave the game with an ankle injury.
Jhaniele Fowler scored 43 goals at 98 per cent accuracy to help lead the Sunshine Girls while Shamera Sterling and Jodi-Ann Ward defended stoutly to ensure that the Sunshine Girls would have some consolation from the competition.
Ward said she is proud of the way her team rebounded from the loss to Australia on Saturday.
“We were very disappointed because obviously we wanted to be in the gold-medal match but we had to shake it off and came out here and we’re proud of the girls how they came out here and performed,” she said.
Ward added that the team simply wanted to play well to end the tournament on a high following Saturday’s let-down.
“We, as a unit, just wanted to execute because we didn’t do that very well yesterday (Saturday) so we just wanted to come out and execute as best as we could. Kudos to New Zealand they really put on a performance; they forced us to change a lot of things that we would normally do but I am extremely proud we came out with the win.”
Maia Wilson was the leading scorer for New Zealand with 19 goals.
Saint Sam starred in final day double for Willie Mullins as the champion trainer ended another excellent week at the Galway Festival with 10 winners.
The Closutton handler has once again proved the dominant force at Ballybrit, with Zarak The Brave’s success in Thursday’s Galway Hurdle the obvious highlight of his double-figure haul.
Saint Sam was the 4-7 favourite to notch a fourth win from seven starts over fences in the the Eileen Kelly Memorial Chase and the result was never really in any doubt – quickly opening up a big lead under Paul Townend and coming home with 13 lengths in hand over Born By The Sea.
“That was a huge performance from him over that trip the way he did it. Paul never got a chance to settle him, he just galloped and jumped the two-mile-and-six,” said Mullins.
“I thought that was way better than anything he has shown. He’s given himself a very hard race, but it’s the way he likes to race.
“I think we’ll be looking at conditions races for him, but the Kerry National is worth a lot of money. We’ll think about it and he may be entered for it.”
Mullins teamed up with son Patrick to complete his brace as 4-9 favourite You Oughta Know followed up his debut bumper success at Kilbeggan with a straightforward win in the Fr. Breen Memorial (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race.
Mullins said: “It was a good performance giving the second horse a stone (including rider’s claim).
“Patrick felt the ground was fast enough for him so we might put him by now before going jumping.
“It’s been a great week and the ground here is fantastic.”
The tough-as-teak Teed Up won the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Hurdle for the second year in succession on what was his third appearance at this year’s festival.
The Emmet Mullins-trained course favourite won the Connacht Hotel (Q.R.) Handicap on Monday night and was only narrowly denied a major double on the Flat by Brazil in Friday’s Guinness Handicap.
Reverting to obstacles, Teed Up was the 4-6 favourite in the hands of Conor Clarke and got the job done with a three-and-a-half-length success.
Mullins said: “He has a serious appetite for racing and is an unbelievable horse to have in the yard.
“He loves it here. It might not have seemed that likely in the dip, but as soon as he meets the rising ground, he grows another leg.
“He’s had a tough week and he could tell you what the traffic has been like coming up here this week! I’d imagine he’s earned a little break now and we can start planning for next year.”
My Design struck of odds of 14-1 in the Kenny Galway Handicap Hurdle for trainer Declan Queally and amateur rider Ray Barron, while Philip Dempsey’s Fighting Fit was a shock 33-1 winner of the Lord Hemphill Memorial Handicap Chase.
“Last year just didn’t go right, he had niggly problems the whole time. He never got a proper run at it last year and it’s great to get him back today,” said Dempsey.
“He could go to Listowel and it looks like he’ll probably get further judged on that. He didn’t travel early and lost his position a bit, but his jumping was very good and kept him in it.”
The Pittsburgh Penguins bolstered their blue line on Sunday by acquiring three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks in a trade that also involved the Montreal Canadiens.
The 33-year-old Karlsson heads to Pittsburgh along with forward Rem Pitlick, forward Dillon Hamaliuk and San Jose's 2026 third-round draft pick.
The Sharks acquired forward Mikael Granlund, defenseman Jan Rutta, forward Mike Hoffman and Pittsburgh's 2024 first-round draft pick (top-10 protected).
Montreal landed defenseman Jeff Petry, goaltender Casey DeSmith, forward Nathan Legare and Pittsburgh's 2025 second-round draft pick.
Karlsson was the 15th overall pick in 2008 by Ottawa and spent his first nine seasons with the Senators after making his NHL debut in 2009-10.
He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman in 2011-12 and 2014-15.
The Senators traded Karlsson to San Jose prior to the 2018-19 campaign, and the seven-time All-Star had a career season in 2022-23.
Karlsson set personal bests with 25 goals and 76 assists to become the first NHL defenseman to record 100 points since Brian Leetch accomplished the feat for the New York Rangers in 1991-92.
In 920 career games, Karlsson has recorded 178 goals and 583 assists. His 761 points rank 21st in the history of the NHL among defensemen.
Dunum delighted favourite-backers with a clear-cut victory in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF “Ahonoora” Handicap on the final day of the Galway Festival.
A winner at the track last season, Natalia Lupini’s five-year-old was making his second appearance of this year’s meeting after finishing a close-up third in the Colm Quinn BMW Mile on Tuesday.
With Billy Lee in the saddle, Dunum was the 100-30 market leader to go a couple of places better in this €110,000 feature and came home with two lengths in hand over Snapraeterea.
Lee said: “I thought it was going to be a big ask from stall 17 in a competitive handicap, but I got across nicely and he got me into a good position. I never really had any worries from there on.
“I was in front long enough and he was just doing enough in front. For a big handicap like that it was fairly straightforward.
“He gets a mile well and I just thought they didn’t go quick enough for him the other day and he was a bit keen. He’s an uncomplicated horse and just wants a nice gallop in front of him.”
Stromberg landed prohibitive odds in the Kinlay Hostel Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden.
Joseph O’Brien’s colt was a 1-5 shot to build on a promising debut when second at Leopardstown and did so in some style, pulling 10 lengths clear of his rivals under Dylan Browne McMonagle, who was confirmed as the week’s leading Flat rider with five winners.
He said: “It was a very messy race. I jumped a tad slow and the pace was low. Coming down the hill I didn’t know whether to switch in or come around them but I knew my lad would pick up good and I didn’t want to get into any trouble.
“When I did get him out he picked up really good. He’s sharpened up well from his first run and gets through that ground really well. I loved the way he galloped through the line.
“Five winners on a big week like this means a lot.”
Vauban is the star attraction at Naas on Monday, as the top-class hurdler bids to follow up Royal Ascot success in the Ballyroan Stakes and seal his ticket to the Melbourne Cup.
The 2022 Triumph Hurdle hero spent the last season plying his trade in top-class two-mile races over obstacles, chasing home stablemate State Man in three Grade One events as well as finishing fourth behind the mighty Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.
The Rich Ricci-owned five-year-old successfully reverted to the Flat at the Royal meeting in June, making much of the running and powering seven and a half lengths clear in the hands of Ryan Moore.
Vauban steps up to Group Three level for this latest assignment, in what is an important next step for the ante-post favourite on the road to the ‘race that stops a nation’ in Flemington on November 7.
Mullins said: “He’s in good form after his race at Ascot. Naas is only up the road rather than having to travel him to England and hopefully he’ll run well enough to qualify for the Melbourne Cup (needs to be placed in a Group race).
“It’s a shorter trip and probably different ground to Ascot. It also gives us time if things don’t go right to run again.
“All being well, Melbourne is the plan.”
Vauban’s rivals include Noel Meade’s Group Three and Group Two winner Lafayette and the Joseph O’Brien-trained Valiant King, who was beaten just a head by the King and Queen’s subsequent Gordon Stakes winner Desert Hero in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The most valuable race on the card is the Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes, with a total prize fund of €300,000 unsurprisingly attracting a strong challenge from Britain.
Among the raiding party is Innvincible Friend, who has only won one of his six starts to date but has finished second on three occasions. Trainer Tom Dascombe is hoping the application of cheek pieces will enable him raise his game.
“Innvincible Friend is a very experienced and very genuine horse and I’m sure he will run to his best,” said the Lambourn handler.
“We’ve just put cheekpieces on him for Monday as he can be a little bit lazy and I suppose that is why we’ve been able to run him so often.
“The ground doesn’t bother him at all – you could run him down the M4 motorway or in a bog and it would be all the same to him.
“It is a wonderful race and the owners are keen to go. Owning racehorses is about having fun and if you can pay for it along the way it’s a bonus. I don’t think this horse will be out of the prize-money.”
King Gold lunged late to deny British raiders Spycatcher and Saint Lawrence top-level success in a thrilling renewal of the Arc Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville.
A field of 10 sprinters went to post for the Group One contest and the market was dominated by the raiding party, with the Karl Burke-trained Spycatcher the narrow favourite to supplement his course victory of four weeks ago.
Burke had a major second string to his bow in Cold Case, Tim Easterby also sent Art Power from Yorkshire following his latest win at the Curragh a fortnight ago and the Archie Watson-trained Saint Lawrence was out to supplement Royal Ascot success in the Wokingham Stakes.
In the end, though, the prize stayed at home.
Art Power soon adopted his customary pacesetting role in the hands of David Allan, but was a spent force entering the final furlong, at which stage Spycatcher looked likely to oblige in the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing colours after taking over the lead.
But having settled his mount out the back for much of the six-and-a-half-furlong journey, Stephane Pasquier produced Nicolas Caullery-trained grey King Gold with a late challenge and he held on to deny Spycatcher in the shadow of the post by a short head.
Saint Lawrence was just a neck further behind in third and may well have been even closer had he enjoyed a clearer passage.
Highclere’s managing director, Harry Herbert, said of Spycatcher: “Maxime (Guyon) said he was in front just before the line and after the line.
“He’s run an absolutely fantastic race. It’s extraordinary what Karl and his team have done. The vet said last year we should retire him and he’s not only come back but he’s come back to within a fraction of winning a Group One.
“It’s disappointing not to win, but at the same time we’re so thankful he’s doing what he’s doing, and on the right ground and the right conditions he’s pretty special.”
Bookmaker reaction to Spycatcher’s run was positive with the Sprint Cup at Haydock in mind, Coral cutting him to 10-1 from 16-1.
Herbert added: “We’re all pretty competitive so getting beaten in a Group One by a short head is agony right now – but he’s absolutely lethal when ground conditions are as easy as they are here and hopefully next time the nod goes our way.”
Caullery, saddling his first Group One winner, told Sky Sports Racing: “It’s a beautiful moment – it’s unbelievable. The owner is also the breeder and it’s a magic day.
“He started (the year) in Dubai and ran well in Dubai. When he came back to France he won a handicap and a Group Three and now a Group One, it’s fabulous.
“He can do a lot of things, six or seven furlongs. He’s a strong horse with a great mind.
“Life is too short, you have to enjoy every day and we do.”
Stand-in Scotland captain Finn Russell expects France to restore their big-hitters for next weekend’s rematch in Saint-Etienne.
A second-string Les Bleus side were ripped apart by the rampant hosts in the second half of Saturday’s World Cup warm-up match at Murrayfield.
French head coach Fabian Galthie started debutant trio Paul Boudehent, Emilien Gailleton and Louis Bielle-Biarrey in Edinburgh, while Antoine Dupont, Gael Fickou and Romain Ntamack were among a raft of established players given the day off.
The experimental nature of the team did not hinder the visitors in the first half as they raced into a 21-3 lead at the interval.
But Scotland, despite having prop Zander Fagerson sent off in the 50th minute, roared back to win the second half 22-0 and claim a morale-boosting 25-21 victory five weeks ahead of their World Cup opener.
“It was not their strongest team, a lot of their players will come back next week,” said Russell. “It will be a different team we face.
“It was tough to prepare as a lot of the (French) boys have not played before, especially against us in the Six Nations, so we focused mainly on ourselves this week.
“Next week against them we can look at their players that come back and look back to the game from the Six Nations (in February) and analyse how they play and we will go from there. Next week will be a very different French team we face.”
Despite the fact it was not against France’s strongest side, Russell feels Scotland’s relentless second-half performance – in which Darcy Graham, Pierre Schoeman and replacement Dave Cherry got the game-changing tries – will stand them in good stead ahead of the World Cup.
The Scots will spend this week at their tournament training base near Nice before travelling to Saint-Etienne on Thursday for their next warm-up match against the hosts.
“The first half we did some good things but gave away some soft penalties and turnovers and the skills weren’t there,” said Russell. “In the second half we got a try early on that got us back into the game and got the momentum for us.
“It was great to have had that second half and play the way we wanted to. It showed the rugby we can play.
“From last week it was a step forward and we go to France next week. It will be a very different French team we face but it will be a very good challenge for us heading towards the World Cup.”
Russell was captain in the absence of injured skipper Jamie Ritchie, who hopes to return in Saint-Etienne following a calf issue. The 30-year-old stand-off enjoyed leading his country for the first time.
“It was good fun,” he said. “As a 10 on the pitch you tend to talk a lot and chat with other leaders.
“In terms of speaking on the pitch and having leadership, it was similar to previous occasions.
“It was more the relationship with the referee and having those key decisions at certain times such as ‘do we go for the posts, or the corner?’ That was the main difference.
“At half time it was maybe not the most enjoyable but the second half it was good.”
Shark Hanlon is in no rush to firm up the next plan of attack with Hewick after he finished down the field under a big weight in the Tote Galway Plate on Wednesday.
The eight-year-old was bidding for back-to-back wins in the Ballybrit feature, but after racing prominently he weakened to finish 14th of 20 finishers.
Hanlon believes the rain-softened ground was to blame for his stable star’s below-par performance and he will now give him a short break before returning him to competitive action later in the year.
“He’s come out of it perfect, the ground was just softer than he wants it and that’s it,” said the Bagenalstown handler.
“He obviously had a lot of weight and you can give away weight on good ground, but you can’t give away weight on soft ground.
“He ran a cracker until they came down the hill when the ground got soft.”
Following his Galway Plate success 12 months ago Hewick looked set to land another major handicap in the Kerry National at Listowel until unseating his rider at the final fence.
He famously sparked scenes of wild celebration by winning the American Grand National before being saved for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in which he was still going well when falling two from home.
And while Hanlon is unsure on the route, he is keen to head back to Prestbury Park in March for another crack at National Hunt racing’s blue riband prize.
He added: “I don’t think we’ll go to Listowel this year as he’d have to give a lot of weight away again, maybe we’ll go back to America but we’ll see.
“We’re going to plan back from the Gold Cup, that’s what we’re doing. America might be in the plan and a run at Leopardstown over Christmas might be in it.
“I want to give him a bit of a break now. He’s gone back to the owner for a couple of weeks and we’ll see where we are after that.”
Warren Gatland will send out a team “desperate to perform” at Twickenham next weekend as competition for World Cup places intensifies.
Wales boss Gatland is relishing the battle to make a 33-strong World Cup squad that will be announced later this month.
The final phase of preparation for the tournament could hardly have started in more promising fashion, with Wales’ 20-9 victory over England being underpinned by a dominant second-half display.
It was Wales’ third-biggest win of the professional era against their fierce rivals, and Gatland will now run the rule over other World Cup selection candidates in south-west London.
“There is a lot of competition in the squad,” Gatland said.
“In 2019 when we won the (Six Nations) Grand Slam, we had a settled side and we knew what a large number of our World Cup squad was going to be.
“I can tell you now there is a lot of competition in this team. It’s a good start, and the pleasing thing is there’s a group of players who will get an opportunity next week who are desperate to perform.
“I think the boys showed the work we’ve done over the past eight weeks or so that we are in a pretty good place, physically.”
Wales kept an England side that conceded 22 turnovers scoreless in the second period, turning around a 9-6 interval deficit to triumph through tries from scrum-half Gareth Davies and centre George North.
Full-back Leigh Halfpenny converted both scores and kicked two penalties on his 100th Wales appearance, leaving him just five points short of 800 in Test rugby.
Wales paraded five new caps, with the second-half introductions of former England prop Henry Thomas and back-row forward Taine Plumtree proving key to Gatland’s men posting a first home victory since November last year.
Gatland, meanwhile, said that hooker Ryan Elias and lock Dafydd Jenkins will undergo scans on Monday after being forced off with hamstring and knee injuries, respectively.
Among several eye-catching performances was that of fly-half Sam Costelow, who took his chance to shine in front of a 65,000 Principality Stadium crowd.
“I will take a lot of learnings from it. It showed me where I want to be and where I can get,” Costelow said.
“I have been doing a lot of work with (Wales assistant coach) Neil Jenkins in the training week, helping me with kicking and the game-management side of things. It is about keeping improving.
“You have just got to work hard every day. That is the biggest mindset, really, turning up every day and trying to improve.
“In the second-half we managed to find a way and we started putting some phases together, and I thought we had some decent outcomes.
“We played in the right areas, getting opportunities higher up the field and creating chances, which we probably didn’t do in the first-half.”
Lewis Ludlam admits it is “hard to not think about it” as the selection waiting game for England’s World Cup hopefuls nears its conclusion.
England head coach Steve Borthwick will name his 33-strong World Cup squad on Monday morning.
It follows an opening tournament warm-up performance against Wales that badly misfired, with some World Cup prospects undoubtedly falling by the wayside as Warren Gatland’s team triumphed 20-9 in Cardiff.
Northampton captain Ludlam’s performance was among the few highlights, delivering a trademark display that bristled with intent and purpose, while an ability to cover all three back-row positions makes him a priceless asset for Borthwick.
“I tried my hardest and that is all you can ask for,” said Ludlam, who made England’s final World Cup cut for Japan four years ago.
“It has been brilliant, the amount of competition we’ve had in the back-row over the past six weeks.
“We have learnt a lot from each other and there has been some healthy competition as well.
“It’s a tough decision to make. Like I say, the competition is so good and that has been a real positive this campaign.
“It has really pushed us all on and you can’t be too comfortable in this environment with so many good back-rowers coming through.
“It (World Cup selection) might be at the back of a lot of people’s minds, it is hard to not think about it.”
The squad will be unveiled with three World Cup warm-up Tests left as England host Wales next week, then travel to Ireland before entertaining Fiji.
Borthwick’s decision to go early at least guarantees an end to selection speculation that would have accompanied his players throughout the August schedule.
“I guess knowing early is good with the security and then you know what you are doing,” Ludlam added.
“But then again, on the other hand, pressure is a good thing and brings the best out of some people as well. So I expect it will be different for different people.
“Pulling on the jersey any time, whatever the occasion, is special. Not many people have the honour of playing for their country.
“The World Cup is just that extra bit special. It would be a dream for a lot of lads. Those who do go will be looking forward to it and relishing that challenge.”
Courage Mon Ami has the Prix du Cadran on his long-range radar after connections admitted they failed to learn anything new from the Ascot Gold Cup winner when he suffered his first defeat at Goodwood on Tuesday.
Run on unseasonably good to soft ground, Quickthorn turned the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup into something of a procession, with Hughie Morrison’s charge routing his 10 opponents by six lengths and upwards.
The John and Thady Gosden-trained Courage Mon Ami, having just his fifth lifetime start, was sent off the 2-1 favourite to back up his Royal Ascot victory, but having taken a keen hold, did not get a clear run. His jockey, Frankie Dettori, realised he had no chance once the winner quickened clear.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani owns the gelding under his Wathnan Racing operation and Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock buys the horses on his behalf.
He was responsible for the purchase of Courage Mon Ami from Anthony Oppenheimer after the son of Frankel had won twice on the all-weather as a three-year-old, before opening his four-year-old campaign with a Goodwood handicap success.
Brown was left non-plussed by his latest display, however, and said: “He has come out of the race well, but it was a bit of a non-event, to be honest. It was a frustrating race to watch. We have just got to put a line through it.
“Frankie was very easy on him early when he knew his chance had gone.”
Courage Mon Ami is likely to take on Quickthorn again in the Prix du Cadran over an extended two miles at ParisLongchamp in October.
Connections hope to find out a little more about the inexperienced gelding in the meantime.
“He’s come out of it fine and the obvious end-of-season target would be the Cadran,” said Brown.
“We’ve got to decide what we do before then, but it was frustrating to be part of. We saw at Ascot what he is capable of.
“The problem is we didn’t learn anything. We didn’t learn anything about ground. Frankie said he went fine on it.
“Obviously, he has only run four times before then, including twice on the all-weather, and we are still learning about the horse.
“He is probably going to be better on top of the ground, and I’m hoping he’s going to be ground versatile.
“He already owes us nothing, but I very much hope there is a lot more to come from him.”
The unbeaten Gregory is on course for the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes at York later this month, after looking like he would represent the Wathnan team in the Goodwood Cup, only for the ground to change running plans.
The Golden Horn colt has won all three starts for the Gosdens this year, culminating in an emphatic Queen’s Vase win at the Royal meeting.
“All roads lead to the St Leger,” Brown added. “Although we are not committing to anything, John is quite keen to run him again before Doncaster, so the Voltigeur is quite an obvious race that we might take in along the way.”
The Ralph Beckett-trained Remarquee, who finished runner-up in both the top-class Coronation Stakes and the Falmouth, will be given a break after her latest fourth-placed effort in the Prix Rothschild at Deauville.
Winner of the Fred Darling at Newbury on her seasonal bow, she has proved herself as one of the leading milers without yet winning over that distance.
She will likely have another opportunity to do that at Newmarket on October 7, bypassing an engagement in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown next month.
Brown said: “Remarquee came out of her race in good shape. She has had three quick runs, so we have put a line through the Matron and are going to give her a little bit of a rest.
“She might have one more run, which is likely to be the Sun Chariot.”
Simone Biles says she always knew she would return to gymnastics after her experience at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 26-year-old – the most decorated gymnast in history – ended her two-year hiatus on Saturday as she won the US Classic in Chicago.
It was her first competition since the Olympics in 2021, when she suffered “the twisties” – a phenomenon which temporarily affects an athlete’s spatial awareness – and withdrew from five of her six finals to focus on her mental health.
And the seven-time Olympic medallist and 19-time world champion, who is still doing weekly therapy, said her successful return “means the world”.
She told CNBC: “It felt really good, especially after everything that’s happened over the past year.
“I always kind of knew (I’d be back) as soon as everything that happened in Tokyo.
“So, this time I’m doing it for me. I worked a lot on myself and I believe in myself a little bit more, just coming back out here and starting the first steps again.
“It means the world because after everything that kind of transpired in Tokyo and it took a lot.
“I worked on myself a lot, I still do therapy weekly and it’s just been so exciting to come out here and have the confidence I had before.”
Biles recorded the meet’s best mark in three of the four disciplines as she scored a total of 59.100 to finish five points in front of second-placed Leanne Wong.
And Biles was happy with the fan support she received.
She added: “Everyone that was cheering, made posters and all that in the crowd, it just made my heart melt that they still believe in me.”
Biles has not confirmed whether she plans to compete at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris but her efforts on Saturday earned her qualification for the US Championships later this month.
Andy Farrell expects rookie fly-half Jack Crowley to take “massive confidence” from the experience of running the show for Ireland in their 33-17 World Cup warm-up win over Italy.
Johnny Sexton’s three-match ban opened the door for his understudies to stake claims during the lead up to the tournament, with Crowley the first to be given an opportunity.
The 23-year-old, who is also competing with Ross Byrne and Ciaran Frawley for a place on the plane to France, produced an assured performance against the Azzurri on the occasion of his second Test start to strengthen his case for further action.
Unlike his full Ireland debut, when he was elevated from the bench at the 11th hour for the autumn victory over Australia due to Sexton’s late withdrawal, Crowley was given a full week to prepare.
Head coach Farrell is planning a midweek debrief with the Munster man but was encouraged by his showing on Saturday evening in Dublin.
“He did well,” said the Englishman. “Certainly in the first half, he controlled the game very well.
“I didn’t think he overplayed too much. He looked composed enough.
“There are a few things we’ll chat about during the week that will help his performance but he will be glad to get that one done.
“Another experience where he’s started at 10 and this time he’s been able to run the week, so he’ll gain massive confidence from that.”
Crowley’s mature display at the Aviva Stadium included slotting three of four conversions as two Caelan Doris tries, plus scores from Dave Kilcoyne, Stuart McCloskey and Cian Healy, secured a victory which Farrell termed “a bit clunky”.
He filled in at full-back for the second period due to Jimmy O’Brien’s shoulder injury, with debutant Frawley taking over at 10 and adding the extras on Doris’ second effort.
Farrell, whose side have further fixtures against England and Samoa this month, was less convinced following that reshuffle.
“We’ll have a look at the performances of the two of them playing together,” he said of Crowley and Frawley.
“We try and get two ball players playing together, whether that came to fruition or not, I’m not too sure at this moment in time.
“We started the second half pretty poorly really and didn’t really get going for a while there so we’ll have to look at that.”
Leinster player Frawley was one of three international newcomers from the bench alongside Ulster hooker Tom Stewart and Munster wing Calvin Nash.
The 25-year-old has been involved in Ireland training camps since November 2021 but had to be patient for his Test bow, partly due to an untimely injury.
“I’m delighted I got it and hopefully there will be more to come,” said Frawley, who is bidding to make the cut when Farrell chops his current 42-man squad down to a final 33 on August 28.
“It’s very competitive in there, it’s hard to believe they’re going to drop nine players.
“At the moment, you’re just trying to put your best foot forward and get selected for the games that are coming around the corner, focus on what’s coming.
“You obviously have the big picture in the back of your mind but, if you get ahead of yourself, you might not perform on the day.”
Nash, 25, added: “Naturally after getting our first caps, we want to push on and try to get to the World Cup for sure and get a few more caps. That’s the aim.”
Dan Evans progressed to the final of the Citi Open with a straight-sets victory over Grigor Dimitrov in Washington.
The British number two eclipsed his Bulgarian opponent 6-3 7-6 (4) in just under two hours to set up a meeting with Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands.
Despite being overmatched in the power department, Evans put together a clean and composed performance as a sloppy Dimitrov was left to rue his own mistakes.
The world number 20 fired 24 winners to just nine from Evans, but came unstuck with 30 unforced errors.
Evans, who beat both Alexander Shevchenko and second seed Frances Tiafoe on Friday to reach the last four, is the first British player to make the final in Washington since Andy Murray in 2006.
He told the ATP’s website: “It was so hard after yesterday putting in such a big effort.
“Coming back today it was really important to not roll over and have a bad performance.
“The last few months that has happened a little bit. I’m really proud I could do that today. One more to go.”
Victory on Sunday would give Evans the second ATP title of his career following his victory in Melbourne in 2021.
Meanwhile, Griekspoor shocked American top seed Taylor Fritz in three sets in their semi-final clash as the world number 37 seeks his third title of the season.
England’s experimental side tumbled to a 20-9 defeat by Wales at the Principality Stadium in the opening match of their warm-up schedule for the World Cup.
The only Test to take place before head coach Steve Borthwick names his 33-man squad for the tournament on Monday, it was seen as the stage to influence the handful of remaining selection calls.
Few emerged with credit from the contest, but here the PA news agency looks at three players who gave Borthwick a timely nudge.
Lewis Ludlam
England’s most effective forward in Cardiff by a significant margin, carrying with intent and disruptive at the breakdown. Started at blindside flanker against Wales but covers all three back-row positions, including number eight where Alex Dombrandt once again proved unable to stamp his authority on a Test. Factor in his leadership and defensive steel and the Northampton captain could be a valuable asset at the World Cup, having travelled to Japan four years ago as a bolter.
Joe Marchant
Of all England’s players on display at the Principality Stadium, it was Marchant who seized the opportunity to show Borthwick why he should be included in the squad announced on Monday. The dynamic 27-year-old provided pace and sharp running lines to an attack that showed signs of life in the first half before crumbling amid a host of handling errors. Marchant’s 16 caps have largely been hit and miss, but he offers something different and covers wing as well as centre.
Joe Cokanasiga
Although hardly a stellar display, there was enough on show from Cokanasiga to suggest he could make an impact at the World Cup. The Bath wing of Fijian heritage hunted for the ball and punched holes in the home defence and while his rugby instincts may fail to match his athleticism, his power would be an X-factor asset to England’s backline. Vulnerable defensively at times and can be targeted with a clever kicking game, but his key tackle on Louis Rees-Zammit was an important moment.
Dan Evans progressed to the final of the Citi Open with a straight-sets victory over Grigor Dimitrov in Washington.
The British number two eclipsed his Bulgarian opponent 6-3 7-6 (4) in just under two hours to set up a meeting with Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands.
Despite being overmatched in the power department, Evans put together a clean and composed performance as a sloppy Dimitrov was left to rue his own mistakes.
The world number 20 fired 24 winners to just nine from Evans, but came unstuck with 30 unforced errors.
Evans is the first British player to reach the final in Washington since Andy Murray in 2006.
Meanwhile, Griekspoor rallied from a set down in his semi-final clash with American Taylor Fritz as the world number 37 seeks his third title of the season.
Tim Anderson and Jose Ramirez exchanged punches to trigger a benches-clearing brawl in the sixth inning of the Chicago White Sox’s 7-4 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday.
The fight began when Ramirez slid headfirst into second with an RBI double and Anderson stood over him, straddling Ramirez. When Ramirez got up, he pointed his finger in Anderson’s face and yelled, prompting the two to square off like a boxing match.
Anderson dropped his glove and threw the first punch, setting off a melee that saw both dugouts empty onto the infield. Ramirez appeared to connect with a right hand to the face of Anderson, who fell backward to the ground.
Anderson got back up incensed and tried unsuccessfully to get at Ramirez while being restrained by several teammates.
Tempers temporarily calmed before Guardians manger Terry Francona and Chicago manager Pedro Grifol had words, leading to pushing and shoving by players and coaches on both teams.
Anderson, Ramirez, Francona, third base coach Mike Sarbaugh, Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase and Grifol were all ejected. It took 15 minutes before order was restored after multiple flare-ups ensued.
Elvis Andrus hit a two-run homer, while Andrew Vaughn, Luis Robert Jr. and Oscar Colas had solo shots for the White Sox.
Chicago starter Michael Kopech carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Verlander loses to begin second stint with Astros
Justin Verlander pitched seven innings but took a loss in his first start since being re-acquired by his old team, as the Houston Astros fell to the New York Yankees 3-1.
Verlander, who was traded by the New York Mets on Tuesday, began his second stint in Houston by allowing seven hits and two runs over seven innings while striking out four.
Jose Altuve hit his 200th career home run in the third inning, but the Astros managed just one other hit the rest of the game.
Nestor Cortes started his first game for the Yankees in over two months after recovering from a rotator cuff injury in his throwing shoulder.
Cortes allowed one run and one hit in four innings and fanned eight.
Jake Bauers provided the go-ahead RBI with a solo shot off Verlander in the fifth inning, and Gleyber Torres’ solo homer added an insurance run in the eighth.
Streaking Rangers rally past Marlins
Josh Jung hit the third of three multi-run homers for Texas in the middle innings and the Rangers erased a five-run deficit to beat the Miami Marlins 9-8 for their fifth straight victory.
Texas entered the bottom of the fourth down 5-0, but Adolis Garcia led off with a single and Jung singled before Robbie Grossman belted a three-run homer to right.
The Rangers took the lead for good with a four-run fifth, as Corey Seager’s homer scored Marcus Semien before Jung’s two-run blast made it 7-5.
Texas extended its lead in the AL West to 2 ½ games over the Astros, who lost to the Yankees.
Andy Farrell played down the severity of injuries suffered by Jack Conan, Jimmy O’Brien and Craig Casey during Ireland’s “clunky” World Cup warm-up win over Italy.
Number eight Conan was pictured in a protective boot following his first-half withdrawal in Dublin, while full-back O’Brien and scrum-half Casey were taken off with shoulder and back issues respectively.
Caelan Doris shone for the Guinness Six Nations champions with two tries in a 33-17 victory in which Dave Kilcoyne, Stuart McCloskey and replacement Cian Healy were also on the scoresheet.
Speaking of the injury concerns, head coach Farrell said: “They seem not too bad.
“Jimmy’s shoulder has shut down a little bit, it’s something he’s had in the past. Jack lost power in his foot, he seems OK.
“Craig had a tight back which was making his hamstring cramp. They were taken off as precautions more than anything.”
An experimental Ireland side recovered from a sluggish start at a subdued Aviva Stadium to take control of the contest but did not fully convince, despite the comfortable scoreline.
“To get up and running with a victory is nice, but I think we all know really that it was a bit clunky, to say the least, at times,” said Farrell.
“There was some really good stuff as far as possession is concerned and opportunities to convert were there in spades.
“But we weren’t patient enough to be able to convert that, so I think that’s the morale of the story really.”
Back-rower Doris, selected in an unfamiliar role at openside flanker, was the standout performer, while Ciaran Frawley, Calvin Nash and Tom Stewart came off the bench to make Test debuts.
“I’m sick of him getting man of the match,” joked Farrell.
“He just keeps getting better and better. We all know he’s good at jackalling and good over the ball and I don’t know whether he took that through the roof because he had a number seven on his back.
“He epitomises what we’re trying to do as far as the player being in control of his own mind.
“It doesn’t really matter whether he makes a mistake or two, he just gets on with the next job the whole time.
“He’s playing extremely well but he’s certainly growing as far as his leadership role is concerned as well. He’s coming on leaps and bounds.”
Ireland move on to a training camp in Portugal before taking on England and Samoa later this month.
Italy head coach Kieran Crowley said: “In the first half, we were dominated all over the place.
“Ireland were too good for us in that first half. Second half, we came back but we’ve still got a lot of work to do in our breakdown work and just in general with our management.
“I saw an improvement in that second half – we won the second half, I think, but that’s not winning the game.”
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