Catalans Dragons became the first club to secure their place in the Betfred Super League play-offs on Saturday after their win over Leigh.

With Wigan, St Helens and Leigh more or less secure in the top four, and Castleford and Wakefield embroiled in their own exclusive battle to beat the drop, the PA news agency takes a look at the increasingly-frantic battle for the final two play-off slots.

Pld 22; Pts 22; GD +21
Remaining fixtures: Aug 26, Hull FC (A); Sep 2, Castleford (H); Sep 8, Salford (A); Sep 15, St Helens (H); Sep 22, Huddersfield (A).
Wire were unlucky to slip to a seventh-straight league loss on Sunday and the momentum is against them heading into the final weeks.
Key man: Matt Dufty
Prediction: 7th

22/22/-3
Remaining fixtures: Aug 25, Wakefield (H); Sep 1, Wigan (A); Sep 8, Warrington (H); Sep 15, Hull KR (A); Sep 22, Catalans (H).
Friday’s big win at Huddersfield raised hopes for Paul Rowley’s side but they face arguably the toughest run-in of the lot and are likely to come up short.
Key man: Marc Sneyd
Prediction: 8th

22/22/-23
Remaining fixtures: Aug 25, Leigh (H); Sep 1, Catalans (H); Sep 8, Huddersfield (A); Sep 15, Salford (H); Sep 22, Wakefield (A).
Willie Peters’ men are tough enough to rouse themselves from their Challenge Cup pain and take advantage of a favourable run-in to secure their top-six slot.
Key man: Elliot Minchella
Prediction: 5th

22/20/+59
Remaining fixtures: Aug 27, Huddersfield (A); Sep 2, Hull FC (A); Sep 8, Wigan (H); Sep 16, Catalans (A); Sep 22, Castleford (H).
Despite a chaotic campaign, few would dare bet against the Rhinos summoning a customary late-season surge and their favourable points advantage could make all the difference.
Key man: Cameron Smith
Prediction: 6th

22/20/-81
Remaining fixtures: Aug 26, Warrington (H); Sep 2, Leeds (H); Sep 8, Castleford (A); Sep 16, Huddersfield (H); Sep 22, St Helens (A).
Tony Smith’s side are another to show signs of emerging from a forgettable campaign but even the best run-in of the lot is likely to leave them agonisingly short.
Key man: Jake Clifford
Prediction: 9th

22/18/-80
Remaining fixtures: Aug 27, Leeds (H); Sep 1, Leigh (A); Sep 8, Hull KR (H); Sep 16, Hull FC (A); Sep 22, Warrington (H).
Ian Watson’s men are another to show signs of improvement but Friday’s loss at Salford effectively ended their hopes of muscling in on the post-season party.
Key man: Chris McQueen
Prediction: 10th

Zharnel Hughes has become the first British man to win an individual 100m sprint medal at the worlds in 20 years after taking bronze following a photo finish in Budapest.

Here, the PA news agency looks at Great Britain’s previous sprint medal winners at the World Championships.

The future Olympic champion claimed 100m bronze at the World Championships in Rome.

He ran 10.14 seconds as Carl Lewis eventually took the gold two years later after winner Ben Johnson of Canada was disqualified for steroid use.

Yet Christie was unable to make the podium four years later, coming fourth in Tokyo.

Christie became world champion a year after his Olympic triumph in Barcelona.

He beat the USA’s Andre Cason into silver in Stuttgart and set a new British record of 9.87 seconds in the process.

It was a record which stood for 30 years until Hughes broke it by running 9.83 seconds in New York in June.

At just 21 Chambers, at the time, became the youngest world championship 100m medallist.

Maurice Greene won in 9.80 seconds as Chambers came through to take bronze in a personal best of 9.97 seconds.

Four years later he received a two-year ban after testing positive for THG, a banned performance-enhancing drug.

Campbell, until recently GB relay coach, had already won 200m Olympic silver the year before arriving in Paris.

Kim Collins took the title in 10.08 seconds with Campbell just 0.01 seconds behind.

Yet there was disappointment for Campbell in the 200m as he finished fourth.

British stars from the world of showbiz and broadcasting have shared messages of appreciation for the Lionesses who lost to Spain in the Women’s World Cup final.

Spain secured a final 1-0 victory in Sydney on Sunday, following Olga Carmona’s first-half goal, however, Sarina Wiegman’s side still achieved a best-ever second-place finish.

Consoling the team, who appeared visibly emotional after the final whistle was blown, former footballer turned pundit Chris Kamara tweeted: “England did us proud, great tournament and getting to the final was amazing.”

The 65-year-old added: “Got that horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. But well done Spain worthy winners on the day.”

Similarly, former England footballer and Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker, 62, tweeted: “Gutted for the @lionesses who gave their all, but congratulations to Spain on winning the World Cup.

“They were the better team and thoroughly deserved their victory.”

The Apprentice star Lord Alan Sugar tweeted: “Unlucky ladies you gave your all. You did so well to get to final of the world cup @Lionesses.”

Meanwhile, former Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis, 76, said the Lionesses “played with guts and did us proud”.

The 63-year-old added: “Not their day in the final result but a great tournament for them regardless.”

TV presenter Rylan Clark, who found fame on The X Factor in 2012, tweeted: “The @Lionesses keeping it going right to the last seconds. We’re all proud of ya!!!!”

British stand-up comedian Mark Steel also joked: “Now, to prove England’s women have achieved equality with men, they should all trash the local tapas bar.”

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 August 18.

Theo Walcott hung up his boots.

Gary Lineker doesn’t want to spend even more time with Micah Richards.

Leah Williamson donned Arsenal’s new kit.

Lionesses team bus ready for the showdown.

Some more doodle action from England defender Lotte Wubben-Moy.

Tyson Fury looked ahead to his next fight.

Whoops!

Stuart Broad was enjoying retirement.

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 August 17.

The celebrations of England reaching the Women’s World Cup final continued.

Man City got their hands on another trophy.

Harry Kane x boot.

Birthdays.

Rolling back the years.

Blackburn remembered.

Tributes were paid to Sir Michael Parkinson.

Stuart Broad was glad to be back at Trent Bridge.

Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope and Sir Alastair Cook made a late bid for a place on Europe’s Ryder Cup team.

A post shared by Ryder Cup Europe (@rydercupeurope)

Another tribute for Parkinson.

Valtteri Bottas was on an adventure.

Dickie Bird has paid tribute to his “dearest friend” Sir Michael Parkinson following the chat show host’s death after a brief illness, aged 88.

The pair became friends when they opened the batting together for Barnsley Cricket Club as youngsters and they spoke on the phone earlier this week, just a few days before Parkinson’s death.

“I am stunned, I am really stunned. I only spoke to him on the other morning,” former Yorkshire batter and umpire Bird, himself 90, told the PA news agency.

“I could tell his voice was very, very weak. We said our goodbyes. His son had rung me a few days ago and he said it was a matter of time.

“We were so, so close. His friendship meant more to me than anything else. It meant so much to me. Our friendship, if I wanted any advice I would ring Parky up. He helped me in so many, many ways. Our friendship was so close.

“We were friends since we were youngsters, his father and my father worked down the mines together in Barnsley and we have been friends all of our lives. We opened the innings for Barnsley Cricket Club together before I went on to play for Yorkshire. Our fathers used to come and watch and argue about who was the best.

“I shall miss him, I’ll tell you that. Not only was he a friend but he was a dear friend and I just don’t know how I will cope, I will miss him so much. There will never be another Parky.”

While Bird enjoyed the limelight through his cricketing exploits, Parkinson become one of the most recognisable faces in the country as a chat show host, interviewing some of the biggest names in the world.

Bird said that Parkinson was the best there will ever be and that fame did not change him.

“There will never be a chat show host like Michael Parkinson. He was the best,” a tearful Bird added. “There will never be anyone better than him in your lifetime, my lifetime or anyone else’s lifetime.

“He was the very best, like Garfield Sobers in cricket. He will go down as a legend, the best chat show there has ever been.

“In my book he never changed. We kept our friendship all of the time, we kept seeing each other. Our friendship will always stand. To me he will always be my closest friend and my dearest friend.”

Former England batter Sir Geoffrey Boycott also played at Barnsley alongside Parkinson and Bird and described Sir Michael as “the soul of Yorkshire”.

He told GB News: “He was the best chat show host because he listened to people. He not only asked questions but he listened to them and he actually liked them.

“In fact, he didn’t want them on his show unless he wanted to have them.

“He never lost his Yorkshire roots. Michael was Yorkshire in every way and he was the soul of Yorkshire. He understood how we think, how we talk and that’s why he was able to write about Yorkshire people like me.”

Sir Geoffrey recalled having dinner with Sir Michael and his wife Mary after a Lords Test match on a Saturday, adding: “Sunday mornings, we’d go cricket coaching in the fields with his kids.

“He was just a lovely man. He loved cricket, he loved laughter – he would laugh about himself with the emu.

“He never lost his humour, his warmth, his Yorkshire in him that made him great.”

In April, Parkinson attended the 90th birthday party of Bird at Headingley, and former England fast bowler Darren Gough paid tribute to the broadcaster he regarded as a close friend.

Gough, Yorkshire managing director of cricket, said: “He was a Barnsley boy, like myself, and it was an absolute pleasure to know him and his family.

“We are all devastated here at Yorkshire and thoughts of everyone at the Club are with Sir Michael’s family and friends at this sad time.”

Barnsley Football Club also paid their respects, saying on Twitter: “Barnsley Football Club is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Sir Michael Parkinson CBE.

“The town has lost one of its favourite sons, and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”

Parkinson interviewed a number of high-profile sportspeople, most notably former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali – widely regarded as the greatest boxer of all-time – with whom he had a couple of tense exchanges in the 1970s.

It was on Parkinson’s show in 2008 where Victoria Beckham – husband of former England captain David – revealed she referred to the ex-midfielder as ‘Golden Balls’, a nickname with which he would become synonymous.

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 August 16.

England’s players celebrated reaching their first Women’s World Cup final.

A post shared by Keira Walsh (@keirawalsh)

A post shared by Niamh Charles (@niamhcharles17)

The country celebrated the Lionesses reaching the World Cup final.

A tennis great was privileged to be there.

Jurrien Timber has a long road to recovery.

Jose Mourinho counted down to the new Serie A season.

A post shared by Jose Mourinho (@josemourinho)

David Beckham reflected on a big night for Inter Miami.

A post shared by David Beckham (@davidbeckham)

Jude Bellingham responded to some teasing.

Ben Stokes came out of retirement.

Justin Rose thanked the Chicago Cubs for a fun evening.

Ridiculous from Carlos Alcaraz.

Chris Evert enjoyed some tennis.

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 August 15.

Harry Kane worked hard in Munich.

Neymar touched down in Saudi Arabia.

New surroundings for Gary Neville and the MNF team.

A post shared by Gary Neville (@gneville2)

Christian Eriksen made a young fan very happy.

Manchester City headed to Greece for the Super Cup.

Bethany England was preparing for the World Cup semi-final.

Shots fired!

George Russell was living his best life in the summer break.

Valtteri Bottas was out enjoying a bike ride.

Frank Bruno wants a happy breakfast show.

Respect from Campbell Hatton.

Jodie Cunningham has marvelled at the significant strides women’s rugby league has taken as St Helens and Leeds continue their rivalry with a historic visit to Wembley.

The famous stadium stages the Women’s Challenge Cup final for the first time on Saturday, where Saints will be bidding for a third successive title and a second win in a row over Leeds in the showpiece.

Both Saints captain Cunningham and her Leeds counterpart Hanna Butcher started their careers in fields that had to be cleared of litter beforehand and where they were cheered on by only their nearest and dearest.

Professional status is yet to materialise – Cunningham juggles her playing duties with being the national women and girls’ development manager for the Rugby Football League while Butcher is a surveyor for Kirklees Council – but this weekend represents another important step for the women’s game.

Cunningham told the PA news agency: “Playing at Wembley Stadium just feels like this weird dream I never thought I’d actually get to experience. I don’t think it was even a pipe dream when I first started.

“To play a final in somewhere that had a stand was something that would have been a dream back then. To have a game where it wasn’t just your family members in the crowd cheering you on, that was a dream.

“Most people didn’t even know that women played. If it came up in conversation and you said you played rugby league, you’d get asked, ‘is it touch?’ They had no concept of what that could even look like.

“Now, to think there are genuinely fans of the game or people who are just aware of it is just a mega step for us. It’s only building our fanbase and I think Wembley will give us an even bigger platform.”

Cunningham, who was part of the Thatto Heath Crusaders side that won four consecutive Challenge Cups from 2013 to 2016, admitted getting more attention brings much greater pressure.

Saints beat Leeds in the 2021 semi-final and then prevailed in a seesaw final last year although the Rhinos gained a measure of revenge 11 months ago en route to Super League Grand Final glory.

Cunningham added: “The stuff that the men have managed to do, the history of this club for winning many, many trophies, there’s a level of expectation that you’re going to bring in trophies.

“That’s what the club wants, thrives off and expects. We expect that of ourselves as well and retaining the Challenge Cup was a big, big target we put on ourselves.

“The first trophy available, the opportunity to retain it, there’s always pressure once you’ve won a trophy to keep hold of it, we’re definitely putting that pressure on ourselves.

“We’re going to be holding on to that trophy really tightly to make sure we don’t give Leeds the opportunity to take it back.”

Butcher – part of the Leeds sides who won the Challenge Cup in 2018 and 2019, beating Castleford in the final on both occasions – is confident Leeds can end Saints’ stranglehold on the competition.

She told PA: “It’s going to be really, really special walking a team out at Wembley, I wouldn’t want to do it with any other group of people. We’re a really close-knit team.

“We’ve just had a weekend away, it’s united us even more. We spoke about why do we dedicate so much time and why do we juggle our work and family life. The answer is we just want to be with each other and we know we can do something special.”

Lingering pain from lost decades will make it all the sweeter for Hull KR and Leigh Leopards when they converge on Wembley on Saturday for one of the most unlikely Betfred Challenge Cup finals in recent memory.

Forty-three years have passed since Rovers beat their city rivals Hull FC to claim their solitary crown and the intervening years have seen relegation heartbreak and three further final appearances – most recently a 50-0 humiliation by Leeds in 2015 – they would rather forget.

Leigh’s long wait for a trip to Wembley ticked over half a century two years ago, and their return sustains an astounding revival for a club who changed their spots last summer, shortly after providing the appetiser for last year’s showpiece when, as the Centurions, they sunk Featherstone to win the 1985 Cup final for second and third-tier sides.

Bank-rolled by leopardskin-clad local businessman Derek Beaumont and welded by a brilliant spine including Edwin Ipape and Lachlan Lam, Leigh have made a mockery of pre-season expectations of struggle by catapulting into the thick of the Super League play-off picture, and the cusp of adding a third Cup win to previous successes in 1921 and 1971.

“The town’s not had much to cheer about in the Challenge Cup and that’s why it’s an incredible story that we’re there,” said Leigh head coach Adrian Lam, the instigator of his side’s stunning campaign, who played for Wigan in their 2004 final loss to St Helens at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

“It’s always important to acknowledge the past successes and we’ve only won it twice. But we’re not there just to make up the numbers.

“There is a real opportunity to have an 80-minute performance and to give the town something else to cheer about.”

Rovers’ recent revival has been considerably more under-stated but under head coach Willie Peters they appear to have re-discovered an identity that harks back to their halcyon days of the mid-1980s – when they won two successive league titles – and promises much for their future prospects.

That fervent desire to re-emerge as one of the sport’s acknowledged powerhouses perhaps made their 2015 final thrashing even harder to bear, and ironically Rovers’ path towards Wembley redemption has involved two of the architects of their demise at the hands of the Rhinos.

Rovers favourite Ryan Hall, who has won his fitness battle ahead of the final, played on the wing for Leeds that day while Danny McGuire, who will stand alongside Peters at Wembley as Rovers’ assistant coach, crossed for the second of the Rhinos’ nine tries.

McGuire is adamant that Rovers have learned the tough lessons from that 2015 loss, pointing out the relatively muted celebrations that accompanied their uproarious golden point semi-final win over Wigan at Headingley last month that sealed their return trip to London.

“Arguably in 2015 Rovers were still living off the emotions of their semi-final win against Warrington ,” McGuire told the PA news agency. “I’ve had instances like that where you celebrate a semi-final win a bit too much, and it’s only through experience that you learn to handle those situations.

“That’s what happened in the dressing room after Wigan. The players know the magnitude of what they could achieve.

“The 1980 final is still revered in Hull and it is a constant reminder of all the great players who achieved things for this club and how they’re still held in high regard.

“It’s important that you learn how to handle your chance to make history. Willie has brought a real passion and no-nonsense approach and there’s a real feeling we’ve come out of the other side.

“It’s time for someone else to write a new chapter and this is their chance.”

If any further incentive was required, Rovers are determined to give 35-year-old captain Shaun Kenny-Dowall a rousing send-off in his last season for the club, with Peters also set to revert Mikey Lewis to full-back in light of the positive news about Hall, who limped out of the warm-up prior to their semi-final win with a calf strain.

For their own part a much-settled Leigh side with a ramming front row led by captain John Asiata will start as narrow favourites, which McGuire acknowledges is testament to the incredible progress made by a club that seemed for so long to remain one of the sport’s bit-part players.

“I’m really please with what Leigh have achieved,” said McGuire, who was joined by current Leigh pair Zak Hardaker and Tom Briscoe in the Rhinos’ 2015 line-up.

“They’ve been great to watch this season and their confidence will be sky-high. Like us they have overcome big odds to reach this final and one of us is going to make history.”

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 August 10.

Manchester City launched their away kit…

…while Roy Keane modelled United’s at the perfect time.

City have certainly come a long way since this moment!

Harry Kane’s potential move had both fans and Fantasy Premier League managers on tenterhooks.

…with differing opinions from former England star.

Southampton paid tribute.

Chasing the World Cup Golden Boot and pulling out a nutmeg – just a reminder that Amanda Ilestedt is a defender.

The quarter-finalists were ready.

Happy birthdays.

Spencer Johnson had quite the debut for Oval Invincibles.

Shabnim Ismail’s hat-trick secured victory for Welsh Fire.

Saturday’s improbable Betfred Challenge Cup final at Wembley pits Willie Peters’ exciting and expansive Hull KR against a Leigh side led by Adrian Lam who have taken this season by storm.

For Rovers it means a chance to erase the memories of their last final appearance in 2015 when they were hammered 50-0 by Leeds – whilst Leigh’s last involvement in the sport’s showpiece event came way back in 1971.

Here, the PA news agency picks out the four key areas which could determine whether Peters’ men or Lam’s in-form Leopards emerge with the trophy.

A revelation in Leigh’s promotion-winning 2022 campaign, Ipape has extended his explosive brand of running and tackling into the top-flight, relishing his role in a settled spine and proceeding to cement his place as one of the best number nines in the business. Litten’s role at Rovers – which he often splits with the more experienced Matt Parcell – may be more understated but is deceptively effective. Litten’s ability to speed up the ruck in the later stages of gruelling games could prove a pivotal factor against Leigh’s bulky pack.

The 22-year-old Schneider has reignited Rovers’ season since his arrival on a short-term deal from Canberra. The Australian kicked two consecutive golden point winners in his first two games, including last month’s semi-final win over Wigan, when his his kicking accuracy and strong running game was plain to see. Alongside Ipape, Lam has effectively orchestrated his side’s surge towards the summit this season, a cool-headed distributor whose 20 assists so far are testament to his status as one of 2023’s stand-out performers.

Out wide most eyes will be on Rovers winger Ryan Hall, who looks set to start for the first time since limping off in the semi-final warm-up. But Rovers’ fate may rest with talismanic skipper Kenny-Dowall, not only for his swashbuckling forward forays but the inspiration he is giving team-mates who wish to send him into retirement on a high. Leigh are a little lighter in the threequarters department but boast a potentially match-winning card in arrow-like winger Charnley, second only in tries scored (22) and metres gained to Catalans’ Tom Johnstone so far this season.

Leigh captain Asiata may be best known for his uncompromising tackle technique but it is his leadership qualities and skills with the ball – he has made more carries than any other forward this season – that might provide the crucial components at Wembley. Rovers’ key forward threat arrives in the shape of their free-ranging 13 Minchella, the Bradford man whose constant driving of his side’s line speed is key.

The use of artificial intelligence in sport will become more powerful and lead to an increased standard of performance, an expert in the field believes.

AI-powered machines have been present in sport for some time in a number of ways, from the collection of human-generated statistics made famous by the ‘Moneyball’ concept to the development of Hawk-Eye and VAR.

But with more powerful machine-learning programmes and an increased pool of data to use, a whole range of techniques that can help athletes will be unlocked.

“Absolutely, it will increase the standard,” Alex Bonnet, a machine-learning solutions engineer at Encord – a company specialising in AI model development, told the PA news agency.

“It is going to become more powerful because these AI techniques rely on a large amount of data and a lot of that hasn’t been structured and labelled for training machine-learning models.

“Through the fact there are more powerful models that can do more interesting things, companies will find new techniques and applications for AI in sport.

“There is going to be a boost in the kind of things that are possible because of the increase of exposure.”

There are a number of ways performance might be enhanced, whether that is an improvement to training techniques and nutrition or a development in tactics and strategies based on intelligence.

“Although it might not be a traditional sport, we have seen that in chess, the use of AI has actually made players find new ways to play,” Bonnet added.

“They train a lot against computers, and computers don’t always play moves in the same way a human will, so now the style of chess is different to what it used to be.

“That is also true for traditional sports, such as football, tennis, rugby, where you can discover new strategies, with new AI tooling you can explore different scenarios and how new techniques will play out in the real world.

“For example in cycling, how would you dose your effort across long races? A lot of athletes use stickers on their bikes to tell them when to eat and drink, but using AI that can be done for you.

“You can start to do things people have never done before.

“AI can also play a part in planning optimal training sessions for athletes.

“That can boost performance but also reduce injury, especially in sports like tennis and football where there are movements that occur that might make the athlete more prone to injury.

“You can analyse those and make training better, which ultimately means less injuries and more player availability and performance.”

The use of AI is not restricted to professional sport as products are available for recreational use, with the emergence of in-play apps that analyse performance in a number of activities such as tennis, badminton and golf.

And Bonnet believes that could make playing sport more fun.

“It will become more democratised and it will make sport more engaging, you can build gamified experiences,” he added.

“You can add an extra layer and it will get people excited about playing sport.”

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 August 8.

Ian Wright watched France at the Women’s World Cup with Arsene Wenger.

Micky van de Ven bid goodbye to Wolfsburg.

A post shared by Micky van de Ven (@mickyvdven)

New threads for Manchester United.

John Terry got philosophical.

Manchester City turned the clock back.

Happy birthdays.

Usain Bolt praised the Reggae Girlz.

Nigeria players reflected on their World Cup exit.

Caroline Wozniacki returned to competitive tennis.

AJ was building towards fight night.

KP was having a tipple.

Sonic was located.

Alex Albon celebrated international cat day.

Fernando Alonso was enjoying the summer break.