Jimmy Butler is confident the Miami Heat will rediscover their form as they aim to clinch a place in the NBA Finals.
Miami lost 110-97 to the Boston Celtics on Thursday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, cutting their lead in the series to 3-2.
Boston head into Game 6 within two wins of making NBA history – no team has ever come from 3-0 down to win a seven-game series.
Butler, though, still has faith the Heat will join the Denver Nuggets in the Finals.
"The last two games are not who we are," he said. "It just happened to be that way.
"We stopped playing defense halfway because we didn't make shots that we want to make. But that's easily correctable.
"You just have to come out and play harder from the jump. Like I always say, it's going to be all smiles, and we are going to keep it very, very, very consistent, knowing that we are going to win next game.
"We've just got to play better. Start the game off better, on the starters, make it more difficult for them.
"They are in a rhythm since the beginning of the game. But we are always going to stay positive, knowing that we can and we will win this series. We'll just have to close it out at home."
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, meanwhile, was in bullish form when he spoke to the media.
"Who cares about mood?" Spoelstra said.
"We have a gnarly group. I think so much of that is overrated. It's a competitive series. You always expect things to be challenging in the conference finals.
"One game doesn't lead to the next game. Based on all the experience that we've had, it doesn't matter in the playoffs. It doesn't matter if you lose by whatever.
"We beat them by whatever in Game 3. It just doesn't matter. It's about collectively preparing and putting together a great game. We'll play much better on Saturday. That's all we just have to focus on right now."
Lewis Hamilton said the racist abuse aimed at Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior evoked painful memories from his own career.
Brazil international Vinicius was subjected to monkey chants in his side’s 1-0 defeat at Valencia in LaLiga last weekend.
Valencia were given a partial stadium ban for five matches plus a fine of 45,000 euros (£39,000) – a punishment the club called “totally disproportionate” – while Real, who said the incident constituted a “hate crime”, filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney
General’s Office.
Hamilton, Formula One’s sole black driver, experienced racist abuse in Spain at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya in 2008.
He also revealed earlier this year he had bananas thrown at him and was repeatedly called the “n-word” at school.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, the 38-year-old said: “It really hits home for me.
“It really brings up emotions about things that I experienced, whether it’s back in the UK or whether it was when I was racing in Italy or in France or in Spain. It can be so hurtful the things that people say.
“It’s devastating to think that in 2023 we’re still seeing these things and hearing these things.
“Firstly, he’s [Vinicius Junior] been incredibly brave. It is amazing what so many of these athletes that are experiencing that on the pitch are doing in terms of standing tall, standing strong and continuing to be humble and not being reactive but being responsible.
“There is no room for discrimination in society today. Sports need to do more, we all need to continue to do more. If we see it, and hear it, we need to do something about it.”
Roger Varian has warned The Platinum Queen will likely improve for the run on her eagerly-anticipated reappearance and stable debut in the Betfred Temple Stakes at Haydock on Saturday.
The Cotai Glory filly’s quality is not in question, following a fantastic juvenile campaign last season for trainer Richard Fahey and owners Middleham Park Racing.
During a busy first year The Platinum Queen won four of eight starts, including a Group One victory against her elders in the Prix de l’Abbaye, while she also finished second in the Nunthorpe at York.
Having since changed hands for 1.2million guineas, the three-year-old will carry the colours of Katsumi Yoshida on her first start for Varian, who while happy with the filly, is expecting the run to “put her right” for a likely appearance at Royal Ascot next month.
“She’s ready to start and looks a picture, (but) she will likely need a run,” he said.
“She’s obviously new to us, but Richard Fahey has been very helpful I have to say.
“She’s quite a highly-strung filly, so we’ve had to feel our way with her through the spring and a lot of the horses are just coming forward from their first outing.
“I think she’ll run a nice race, the track and the speed test should suit her and I think the run will put her right.”
Varian has a second string to his bow in the five-furlong Group Two in the form of Mitbaahy.
The son of Profitable won at Listed and Group Three level last term before finishing down the field behind The Platinum Queen on Arc weekend in Paris.
Varian added: “He’s a really nice horse and he should improve again as a four-year-old. I think he could be a really exciting sprinter for the season.
“Again, he’s likely to come on for the run and he’d probably prefer a bit more give in the ground, but we’re trapping on, it’s nearly June and these horses have got to get their season started.
“He’s a nice horse we like for the months ahead, it’s a good starting point and the run will probably straighten him up.”
Another key runner making her seasonal debut is the Karl Burke-trained Dramatised.
The three-year-old was brilliant in winning the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot and was last seen being beaten just a length into second place in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, a race in which The Platinum Queen failed to fire.
Burke said: “She looks in great shape and she’s ready to run. Obviously it’s a prep run for Royal Ascot, but I expect her to run a nice race.
“I’ve been very happy with her at home. It’s her first time taking on older horses and it won’t be an easy race, but hopefully she can acquit herself well.”
One horse for whom there are no fitness fears is Live In The Dream, who proved he is capable of mixing it at Pattern level when narrowly beaten by Vadream in the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket last month.
Trainer Adam West said: “I’m very pleased with him, he had a nice, easy time after Newmarket, he bounced back last week and is now back to the same sort of level he was going to the Palace House.
“Newmarket wouldn’t have suited him as well with that dip and the stiff finish, but we’re now we’re on an even keel, fast track and hopefully we’re going to be there or thereabouts.
“We weren’t originally going to go to the Palace House, but his confidence was so high after his two wins at Lingfield and Pontefract we thought we’d give it a crack and this has been the plan since.”
Emily Bridges has condemned British Cycling’s new policy barring transgender athletes from competing as women as a “violent act” and called the governing body a “failed organisation”.
Bridges, who came out as a transgender woman in October 2020, has been at the centre of the debate after British Cycling suspended its previous policy amid the controversy sparked when she sought to race as a woman at the national omnium championships last year.
The new policy creates a new ‘open’ category in which transgender women, transgender men, non-binary individuals and those whose sex was assigned male at birth will be eligible to compete, with the ‘female’ category reserved for those assigned female at birth and transgender men yet to begin hormone therapy.
In a lengthy statement posted on social media, Bridges said British Cycling “have no authority to control this conversation anymore”.
“British Cycling is a failed organisation, the racing scene is dying under your watch and all you do is take money from petrochemical companies and engage in culture wars,” she wrote.
“You don’t care about making sport more diverse, you want to make yourself look better and you’re even failing at that. Cycling is still one of the whitest, straightest sports out there, and you couldn’t care less.”
British Cycling said its new policy was based on a consultation with riders and stakeholders, a review of available medical research conducted by chief medical officer Dr Nigel Jones, and legal advice.
Bridges has previously said she has been part of research herself which she said showed she did not retain an advantage after hormone replacement therapy.
Her statement on Friday added: “I agree that there needs to be a nuanced policy discussion and continue to conduct research, but this hasn’t happened.
“Research isn’t being viewed critically, or any discussion about the relevance of the data to specific sports.
“Any discussion is inherently political and driven by bad faith actors, and the whole discussion is framed by the media who are driven through engagement by hate and funding from far-right ultra-capitalists.
“I’ve given my body up to science for the last two years, and this data will be out soon. There is actual, relevant data coming soon and discussions need to be had.”
Bridges, who was previously part of the Great Britain academy with designs on competing at the Paris Olympics, said she was now questioning her future in the sport.
“I don’t even know if I want to race my bike any more, the danger and everything that would come with racing makes it a pretty hard thing to justify to myself,” she wrote.
“But you have no right on telling me when I am done. This is my decision and mine alone.
“Yeah, I might be speaking strongly at the moment, but this is my reality right now. It is literally a fight for survival for me and my family at the moment.”
British Cycling declined to respond to Bridges’ statement.
British Cycling will prevent riders who were born male from racing in elite female events under a new transgender and non-binary participation policy published on Friday.
The governing body’s new rules for competitive events, due to be implemented later this year, will see racing split into “open” and “female” categories, with transgender women, transgender men, non-binary individuals and those whose sex was assigned male at birth eligible to compete in the open category.
The female category will remain for those whose sex was assigned female at birth, and transgender men who are yet to begin hormone therapy.
The current men’s category will be consolidated into the open category, in which those whose sex was assigned as female at birth can also compete if they so wish.
British Cycling suspended its previous policy last April amid controversy after transgender woman Emily Bridges sought to race at the national omnium championships as a female rider.
The governing body’s new chief executive Jon Dutton, who has been in post for one month, said he was “sorry” for the anxiety and upset caused during the 13 months since.
The policy is the result of a nine-month review which included a consultation process with riders and stakeholders, including members of the Great Britain team, as well as a study of available medical research led by British Cycling’s chief medical officer Dr Nigel Jones.
That research was said to show a clear performance advantage for individuals who go through puberty as a male, and one which cannot be fully mitigated by testosterone suppression.
British Cycling’s previous transgender policy allowed riders to compete in the female category if they had testosterone levels below five nanomoles per litre for a 12-month period prior to competition.
The governing body will continue to study new research as it becomes available with the policy being regularly reviewed.
Dutton said the driving force behind the competitive policy was “fairness”, while a non-competitive policy that keeps club rides, coaching programmes and other activities open to all was driven by “inclusivity”.
“It’s an incredibly emotive and at times divisive subject area,” Dutton said.
“We have taken many months to look at three areas: firstly a consultation with the athletes affected and the wider cycling community; secondly looking at the medical research available at this point in time; and thirdly from the legal viewpoint in terms of the association with the Equalities Act.
“We’ve made a decision on the balance of all three to give clarity, to give direction and that clear way forward for any athletes affected.”
British Cycling has sought to contact affected athletes prior to publication of the new policy, with Dutton saying support would be offered to those whose route to competing at an elite level may now be closed.
“We accept that and understand that, and that’s why we need to continue to support those affected,” he added.
“I am sorry it has taken so long to get to this point and for the upset and anxiety some people have had to go through but I accept this is a difficult moment for a number of people directly affected.”
There is still no set date for the new regulations to be implemented, with the governing body saying only that it will be before the end of the year, allowing time for changes to technical regulations and discussions with the UCI regarding implementation.
The new policy diverges from that of the world governing body, which promised to look again at its own regulations after American transgender woman Austin Killips won the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico earlier this month.
The UCI allows transgender women who have gone through male puberty to compete in elite women’s events if they have had reduced testosterone levels of 2.5 nanomoles per litre for the previous two years.
The UCI reopened its consultation with athletes and national federations with the aim of reporting by August when the UCI management committee will meet during the world championships in Glasgow.
Jaylen Brown hailed the Boston Celtics' unity after they beat the Miami Heat 110-97 to force Game 6 in the Eastern Conference finals.
Having staved off elimination with a win in Game 4, the Celtics never trailed in Game 5 on Thursday as they cut Miami's lead to 3-2.
Boston will now aim to level the series in Miami on Saturday. Should they complete a remarkable turnaround, they will be the first team in NBA history to rally from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series, after 150 previous sides failed to do so.
Brown, who contributed 21 points to Celtics' total, explained the team could not have been at a lower ebb after losing the first three games of the series.
"Our back has been against the wall. Obviously, we didn't imagine being in this position, being down 3-0, but when adversity hits, you get to see what a team is really made of," he said.
"It couldn't get worse than being down 3-0, but we didn't look around, we didn't go in separate directions. We stayed together."
Only three teams have managed to take a series to Game 7 after losing the opening three games, the last of which was the Portland Trail Blazers in 2003.
"For some odd reason, even last year, we always seemed to make it a little bit tougher on ourselves," added Jayson Tatum, who had a double-double of 21 points and 11 assists.
"What I do know is that you can see the true character of a person, of a team, when things aren't going well, and our ability to come together, figure things out when it's not necessarily looking good for us.
"It's unlike any team I've been on this year and last year, just the core group of guys being able to respond.
"I think that's just a testament to our togetherness, obviously how bad we want it, and we've got a room full of determined, tough guys that push comes to shove, you look to the left and the right of you, believe that the guy next to you is going to do whatever it takes and go down fighting if it doesn't work out."
Looking ahead to Game 6, Brown is under no illusions of the scale of the task at hand.
"It's going to take everything," he said.
"It's going to be a dogfight. I imagine those guys will play better than they played tonight, and they're going to come out aggressive. We've got to be ready to take their punch at home. We've got to be ready to be resilient and come out and do what we're supposed to do."
Joe Pavelski rifled home a power-play goal at 3:18 of overtime and the Dallas Stars avoided a sweep with a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday in the Western Conference finals.
Jason Robertson notched his first career multigoal playoff game for Dallas and Jake Oettinger rebounded with 37 saves, two nights after he lasted just over seven minutes in a Game 3 loss.
Vegas' Brayden McNabb was called for a high-sticking penalty 2:28 into overtime, and Pavelski needed just 50 seconds to end it. He took a feed from Miro Heiskanen in the left circle and drilled a one-timer inside the far post and past Adin Hill.
The goal was the ninth in 12 games this postseason for Pavelski, whose 73 career playoff goals are the most among active players.
Dallas played without captain Jamie Benn after he was suspended for two games by the NHL for his cross-check near the neck of Vegas skipper Mark Stone early in Tuesday's Game 3.
Benn will also miss Game 5 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
The Golden Knights missed an opportunity to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.
William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault scored for the Knights and Hill had his five-game winning streak snapped despite making 39 saves.
Derrick White led with 24 points and the Boston Celtics never trailed in a 110-97 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday to stave off elimination and force Game 6 in the Eastern Conference finals.
Boston scored 20 of the game's first 25 points and held a comfortable lead the rest of the way to cut the series deficit to 3-2.
The Celtics will try to prolong their season again when the series moves back to Miami for Game 6 on Saturday.
They are two wins away from becoming the first team in NBA history to rally from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series after 150 previous teams failed to do so.
Marcus Smart had 23 points and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown added 21 apiece in Boston's second consecutive strong shooting performance.
The Celtics shot over 50 percent from the field and were 16 of 39 from 3-point range, including White going 6 of 8.
Boston are 34 of 84 from deep the past two games after going 31 for 106 in the first three games of the series.
Duncan Robinson led Miami with 18 points off the bench, while Jimmy Butler was held to 14 - his lowest total of the postseason.
The Heat committed 10 first-half turnovers and trailed 61-44 at the break.
Miami point guard Gabe Vincent sat out with a sprained left ankle and was replaced in the starting lineup by Kyle Lowry, who had five points and four turnovers in 30 minutes.
A career-best round of 62 propelled England’s Harry Hall to the top of the leaderboard after the opening day of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club.
Hall took only 22 putts to card a score of eight under and a decisive three-shot lead in Fort Worth, Texas.
He picked up eight birdies without dropping a shot and managed to save par from 15 and 30 feet.
Harris English is Hall’s closest competitor on five under, after the American split a bogey with six birdies, including two on his final two holes.
Tom Hoge, Adam Schenk, Robby Shelton and Andrew Putnam are all tied for third on four under par.
Elsewhere, it was a mixed day for Scotland’s Russel Knox and English duo Callum Tarren and Justin Rose, who all head into Friday’s second round on one under.
Club professional Michael Block, who dazzled the golfing world with his heroics at the US PGA Championship heroics, had a rough outing as he finished his opening round 11 over par.
Michael van Gerwen created Premier League history by winning his seventh title to move clear of the great Phil Taylor.
The Dutchman, who joined Taylor on six wins 12 months ago, overtook him after a masterful performance to beat Gerwyn Price 11-5 in the final at the O2 Arena.
Van Gerwen, whose participation was in doubt after withdrawing from last week’s final weekly round in Aberdeen with a shoulder injury, has dominated this competition since winning his first title 10 years ago.
No one loves the 02 stage quite like him and after edging a thrilling semi-final against rival Michael Smith, where he won 10-8, he got the better of Price in the final.
He threw three 100-plus checkouts – a 170, 150 and 128 – and averaged 105.43 as he dominated his opponent.
He was averaging over 110 by the time he took out the big fish to break Price’s throw in the sixth leg and then claimed a second break with a 128 checkout to make it four legs in a row.
Price stopped the rot with a 161 checkout of his own and the Welshman then broke Van Gerwen’s throw in a scrappy leg that saw him reduce the deficit to 7-4.
But Van Gerwen put his foot on the pedal again and a 150 checkout put him one leg away, which he had no problems in taking out to lift the trophy for the seventh time.
He said during his on-stage interview: “I have worked really hard lately. Everyone knows I had problems last week.
“I put pressure on myself and I keep doing that and today it motivated me. I played some fantastic darts, what more can you wish for than to win this trophy?
“You always have to pick the right moment, to come back here in the O2 and play the likes of Michael Smith and Gerwyn Price, you have to perform your A-game, I knew I had to do something special today and I am glad I was able to.
“It feels amazing, to beat Gerwyn Price and Michael Smith feels good and to win for a seventh time is a nice little extra thing.”
Price is still searching for his first title and a brilliant campaign, where he won four of the weekly rounds, ends in ultimate disappointment.
‘The Iceman’ had earlier destroyed his compatriot Jonny Clayton in the semi-final, winning 10-2 in double-quick time, but he fell short in the big one against Van Gerwen.
But his performances going around the country will go some way to repairing his fractured relationship with the crowd, which saw him exit the World Championship at Christmas in dismay having being forced to wear ear defenders such was the negative reaction towards him inside the Alexandra Palace.
He was crestfallen after the loss, saying: “I just couldn’t find the trebles, the doubles, I couldn’t find anything, that’s how it goes sometimes.
“I’m gutted. I just felt this one is the one that got away, I was missing by so far, I wasn’t even close, I don’t know what happened.”
International Tennis Federation (ITF) president David Haggerty is disappointed that Rafael Nadal will not be able to feature at Roland Garros, which he called "Rafa's house".
Nadal has not played since suffering a second-round exit at the Australian Open in January, having struggled with a hip injury during his straight-sets defeat to Mackenzie McDonald, and will not play at the French Open.
The Spaniard last week confirmed he will be unable to compete at Roland Garros, where he is a record 14-time champion.
When announcing his withdrawal, Nadal said 2024 would "probably" be his final year on the ATP Tour and outlined his intention of making farewell appearances at "important tournaments".
Haggerty said: "I think it's disappointing for Rafa not to be there because we know Roland Garros as Rafa's house so to speak.
"He's won it so many times and people love to watch him play. [It is] disappointing.
"I was happy to hear that he is talking about the possibility of his return to the Davis Cup finals, which would be fantastic. I wish him a successful recovery and hope to see him on the court again."
While Nadal will not be present in Paris, WTA world number one Iga Swiatek is set to be in action.
Swiatek is the defending champion, and Haggerty says the Pole will be well aware her rivals are gunning for her title.
"She's the number one player in the world and I think that she has been ranked number one for more than a year consecutively," he said.
"So [she is] a very, very good player. She won Roland Garros last year, so I expect to see her performances continued to be good knowing that everybody's after her to try to beat number one."
At 21, Swiatek already has three grand slam titles under her belt. And with 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz conquering all on the ATP Tour, Haggerty thinks tennis' future is in safe hands, even as Nadal and Novak Djokovic reach the twilight of their careers.
"I think we have many good young men and young women that are showing how great tennis is and and putting on good rivalries already," he said.
"So I think the future is bright."
Hukum overcame his own lengthy absence to deny last year’s Derby winner Desert Crown in the Racehorse Lotto Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown.
Trained by Owen Burrows, Hukum is now six and his career looked over after he picked up what looked a career-ending injury in winning the Coronation Cup 12 months ago.
The decision was taken to keep him in training and that now looks inspired, as Jim Crowley – who briefly looked boxed in – got Hukum flying late on to win by half a length in an enthralling battle up the Sandown hill.
Desert Crown had been kept off the track by his own injury – for 355 days to Hukum’s 356 – after his famous Epsom success on what was just his third ever outing.
Following his tried and tested route with his top-class older horses, Sir Michael Stoute was looking for a 12th win in the race and connections were happy going into the Group Three feature.
Settled in fifth by Richard Kingscote as stablemate and pacemaker Solid Stone led at a steady gallop, he was set something of a test but breezed into the lead a furlong out only to be reeled in late on by the 5-1 winner.
While Stoute will no doubt be left scratching his head his former assistant Burrows will be dreaming of a big summer.
Betfair cut Hukum to 14-1 from 25s for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Desert Crown now the same price from 8s.
Roberto Escobarr gained his first success since June 2021 when making all the running to win the Racehorse Lotto Henry II Stakes at Sandown.
Trained by William Haggas, the son of Galileo is now six but in his younger days looked destined to be winning races like this Group Two event when taking a Listed contest at York on just his fifth ever outing.
He only made it to the track once in 2022 and was returning from 399 days off when third at Wolverhampton in March.
Fitter for that, he was sent off the 7-5 favourite and Richard Kingscote sent him into an early lead and was never headed.
Nate The Great pestered him all the way to the line, but the winner was always holding him and prevailed by a neck.
Haggas’ charge was cut to 10-1 from 14s for the Northumberland Plate by Betfair.
The Miami Heat’s mission to reach the NBA Finals has become a bit tougher, as starting guard Gabe Vincent has been ruled out for Thursday’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics because of a sprained left ankle.
Vincent was injured with just over eight minutes left in Miami’s Game 4 loss when he landed awkwardly and rolled his ankle while catching the ball after Jayson Tatum blocked his shot.
He then went to the locker room and got his ankle taped and was able to return with just under five minutes to play.
Thursday morning, Vincent went through a workout but Heat coach Eric Spoelstra said he's not healthy enough to take the court in Boston.
The four-year veteran finished with 17 points in Tuesday’s 116-99 loss after leading the Heat with a playoff career-high 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting in Sunday’s 128-102 victory that gave Miami a 3-0 lead in the conference finals.
Vincent has started each of Miami’s first 15 playoff games and is third on the Heat in postseason scoring at 13.1 points per game behind Jimmy Butler (29.9) and Bam Adebayo (17.6).
His 36 3-pointers this postseason are the most among all Heat players and he’s been solid from the foul line, making 25 of 28 free throws (89.3 per cent).
With Vincent out, 37-year-old Kyle Lowry is expected to move into the starting lineup.
The 17-year-veteran is averaging 9.2 points, 4.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds off the bench for Miami this postseason.
Elite Status turned what looked a competitive renewal of the Racehorse Lotto National Stakes at Sandown into a procession.
Trained by Karl Burke, the son of Havana Grey – who himself won this race in 2017 – cost 325,000 guineas at Tattersalls Book 2 in October and already looks like living up to his purchase price.
A winner at Doncaster on soft ground on debut, he faced quicker conditions on this occasion but that proved no barrier to success.
Blue Storm grabbed the favoured rail early and made sure the field was quickly stretched, with Charlie Appleby’s On Point very slowly away and losing all chance.
Dapper Valley then had the misfortune of malfunctioning tack which cost him any chance and with Son Of Corballis another outpaced the contenders began to thin out.
With well over a furlong to run Clifford Lee moved Elite Status (5-2 favourite) up to join Blue Storm and the response was electric.
Burke’s colt lengthened smartly and just went further clear with every stride, eventually winning by five lengths with stablemate World Of Darcy running on into second and Hackman third.
Paddy Power make the winner their 2-1 favourite for the Norfolk at Royal Ascot.
Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from May 25.
Football
Izzy Christiansen had some big news.
And so did West Ham.
Kammy showed his love for Jeff Stelling.
Ruben Dias and Erling Haaland looked fresh.
Ilkay Gundogan was impressed by Brighton.
Danny Welbeck and Billy Gilmour were celebrating Brighton’s achievement.
Ben Earl is looking to help Saracens regain the Gallagher Premiership title and put down an early World Cup selection marker at Twickenham on Saturday.
Saracens flanker Earl has been among the league’s most consistent performers, highlighted by him winning Premiership player of the season last year.
But while his England career is into double figures in terms of caps, he has made just two Test appearances since March 2021.
Earl’s experience of the Guinness Six Nations this term was restricted to a combined 52 minutes off the bench against Scotland and Italy, with back-row starting berths in Steve Borthwick’s team being fought out by the likes of Ben Curry, Jack Willis and Lewis Ludlam.
A Premiership final puts himself firmly in the spotlight, though, ahead of England’s World Cup countdown towards France later this year gathering pace.
“The moment you start looking for excuses, the moment you start thinking I am just unlucky, my face doesn’t fit, is probably the moment you give somebody the reason to drop you,” Earl said.
“I’ve kind of got to stay with it. Steve was unbelievably positive about my work in the Six Nations.
“Unfortunately, selection didn’t always go my way, but I am trying to stay positive and put my best foot forward in these big games, which are probably the games he is looking at the most.
“I think I have played as consistently as I did last year, which was a big challenge of mine.
“There is no point winning some of the accolades I did last year and not backing it up. Selfishly, the elephant in the room is that I wish I could have played a bit more for England in that Six Nations campaign.
“For whatever reason, I didn’t, and I have learnt a lot from that. I am looking forward to going again, putting my best foot forward in these big games, which has been a big focus of mine.
“The moment that you stop performing, you give someone an easy reason not to pick you. That is a big thing.
“On the flip-side, if I get a chance to play a Test match this summer, it’s got to be good.
“You look at how competitive my position is, it always feels that the person who slips up first is going to be the one that misses out.”
Saracens are back at English rugby headquarters a year after Freddie Burns’ late drop-goal saw Leicester crowned champions, leaving Earl and his team-mates deflated.
But victory over Sale, who have reached a first Premiership final since 2006, would give Saracens a sixth league crown in the past 13 seasons.
“It would mean everything to me,” Earl added. “The amount of times I have carried bags for games like these when I was a bit younger, I have always wanted to celebrate a win.
“Coming a little bit short last year has only made this group hungrier and me hungrier. To win the league after such a long slog with your boyhood club would be everything, really.
“In the 12 months I’ve learnt a huge amount in terms of getting myself right mentally, and what I can give the team if I am right. Hopefully, I can show that on Saturday.”
Callum Smith is set to challenge Artur Beterbiev for the unified light heavyweight world titles in Canada on August 19.
Beterbiev currently possesses the WBC, WBO and IBF belts and will aim to defend them against challenger Smith in Quebec City.
Two-time Olympian Beterbiev enters the bout with a 100 per cent knockout ratio (19-0, 19 KOs), while Liverpool’s Smith (29-1, 21 KOs) is a former WBA super middleweight world champion.
“I’m excited to finally get my opportunity to become a two-weight world champion,” Smith said.
“I’m no stranger to fighting on away soil, having boxed in Saudi Arabia twice, across America, and now heading to Canada on August 19.
“There was no hesitation from me going to Canada to fight Artur Beterbiev, and I will be returning to Liverpool as a world champion once more.”
Beterbiev added: “Quebec is my second home, so I’m very happy to finally defend my titles on home turf.
“When you are world champion, everyone wants the opportunity to take your belt, and that’s especially true in my case, with three titles at stake.
“I’ve already started my training camp, and I’ll be ready to not only defend my belts, but to also put on an impressive show August 19.”
The Randox Grand National is to remain at its current start time of 5.15pm, despite the British Horseracing Authority launching a new ‘premier tier’ of racing between 2-4pm on Saturday afternoons.
The period between 2pm and 4pm will be restricted to three meetings, including up to two ‘premier’ cards, with other Saturday fixtures scheduled to start after the window ends or, on occasions, before it opens.
But racing’s “crown jewels” will take place outside the allotted ‘shop window’, with the Betfred Derby another due to be later than 4pm in 2024.
BHA chief executive Julie Harrington and Richard Wayman, chief operating officer, took questions from the press via Zoom following the announcement of the new strategy.
Wayman said of the National: “There will be certain Saturdays of the year, exceptional Saturdays, when the key race is not in the 2-4pm slot.
“In 48 or 49 Saturdays of the year that will be how it works, but there will be two or three others when we’ll have to be flexible and do something different, like for the Grand National and the Derby. We won’t stick rigidly to 2-4pm if the big race of the day is off at 5.15pm, so there will be some flexibility.”
Harington added: “Around the crown jewel fixtures we need to make sure we use our core fixtures to best advantage. So if we know there are people in betting shops on the morning of the Grand National there could be a live fixture for people to be betting on, so they are some of the innovations we are looking to do with the core fixtures.”
One afternoon in July that has caused much wringing of hands in the past is the so-called ‘Super Saturday’ which sees the July Cup at Newmarket, John Smith’s Cup at York, the Summer Mile at Ascot and a fixture at Chester, the latter now looking a prime candidate to be moved to either an earlier or later slot.
When asked if that day would now be a thing of the past Wayman said: “That would be a typical Group One Saturday when there would be three fixtures in the premier window. What would differ compared with currently is that the fourth fixture would not race between 2-4pm, it would have to move outside that window.
“There are financial incentives for some of those racecourses to stage a premier fixture on a different day, a Sunday for example, and that might be attractive and it might not, but if it isn’t it will still be different to what it is at the moment.”
He went on: “Premierisation will happen every Saturday, but most Saturdays there will just be a two-hour window when there will only be three fixtures, up to two will be premier fixtures. On a smaller number of Saturdays we will allow four fixtures in the two-hour window. Premierisation will exist 52 weeks of the year. Roughly two-thirds of Saturdays will have three fixtures in the protected window, we’ll look to do that on the bigger Saturdays.”
The key question among all this, though, is where is the extra money coming from?
Harrington replied: “Anybody who has been around this process for a lot of years realises the next phase is around funding proposals that are normally approved by September time. Underpinning this is higher minimum values for those premier races, we think it’s going to be around 10 per cent of the fixture list.
“We know that our funding is a blending of executive contribution and central funding and those new higher minimum values, I should anticipate, will be in the same way but we now need to work through with our colleagues at the racecourses and the Levy Board about how that is going to work.”
And will courses who lose Saturday afternoon slots be offered compensation?
“It is too early to say,” said Harrington. “The funding process every year is a really complex jigsaw to put together, but rest assured the discussions have already begun but it is underpinned that the premier tier will have enhanced levels of prize-money.”
The lack of quality on a Sunday has long been cristicised, and Harrington said a key aim of the BHA is to improve it.
“In the past racing has tried to get a quality product going on a Sunday before, but we need the whole sport to take a more strategic view. Potentially there will be incentives put in place to fill those slots,” she said.
Wayman added: “There has been a general reluctance for commercial reasons to move to Sundays, but one of the things we see changing in 2024 is the opportunity to stage premier fixtures and all that comes with that, which could involve different funding which may provide greater incentive to move to a Sunday than they have had in the past.
“It might not be sufficient for all courses to race on a Sunday as their business model is just not going to work. However, there are a number of courses who stage some decent fixtures on a Sunday that with further investment could be even better, Pontefract for example.”
Crucially, can the BHA give any guarantees that premierisation will work?
“Like most industry strategies it is based on a set of assumptions, but they have not been plucked out of the air,” said Harrington.
“It has been helpful having open relationships with media rights companies, racecourses and bookmakers around the hard facts of the revenues coming in at the moment. What is absolutely important is that we don’t take a one-year view of this because if you did you wouldn’t do anything. We’ve got to remember the aim is to produce a more attractive product.
“While we may lose some attendance revenue on a Saturday afternoon it is more than offset by growing off-course revenues because we know that we cannibalise our own revenue within that Saturday afternoon slot. We need a multi-year approach and to be brave.”
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