They will face fierce competition from their southern hemisphere rivals New Zealand, France and World No.1-ranked side Ireland, who are all among the favourites in the rugby union odds. 

France have hosted Rugby World Cup games several times in the past, as they co-hosted alongside England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in 1991 and 1999. This is just the second time the European country has homed the tournament as sole host, however, with the 2007 Rugby World Cup taking place in France. 

The Springboks will have fond memories of that renewal, as they were crowned champions at the Stade de France. So, as South Africa aim to reign victorious in Paris once again, let’s take a look back at that thrilling tournament. 

Pool stage

Despite France being the host, several pool games were held at Murrayfield in Edinburgh and the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff. Scotland played two of their Pool C fixtures on home soil, beating Romania 42-0 and losing 40-0 to New Zealand, while Wales lost 32-20 to Australia before beating Japan 72-18 in Cardiff.

Pool A saw former World Cup winners South Africa and England go head-to-head, with the Springboks coming out on top thanks to a 36-0 win over the defending champions. Tonga, Samoa and the United States were eliminated. 

There were no surprises in Pool B and Pool C, as southern hemisphere rivals Australia and New Zealand secured the top spots in their respective standings. They were joined in the quarter-finals by Fiji and Scotland.

Argentina caused a huge stir in Pool D, as the South American outfit stunned France 17-12 in the opening game and went on to top the group. Les Bleus were second, with Ireland heading home early in third.

Quarter-finals

The first knockout game saw England take on Australia at the Stade Velodrome and the Webb Ellis Cup holders came out on top with a narrow 12-10 win in Marseille. Finishing second in their pool meant France had to face New Zealand in the last eight, but the hosts also won a slender two points — beating the All Blacks 20-18.

South Africa made light enough work of Fiji in their quarter-final, beating the Pacific nation 37-20 in Marseille, while Argentina’s fine run continued with a 19-13 victory over Scotland at the Stade de France.

Semi-finals

England and France faced off in the first semi-final, with England flying out of the blocks in Paris thanks to an Owen Lewsey try in the second minute. That turned out to be the only try of the game, however, as Jonny Wilkinson converted two penalties and a drop goal while Lionel Beauxis scored three penalties for France in the 14-9 defeat.

In the other semi-final, Argentina’s fairy-tale run was brought to an abrupt halt by South Africa. The Springboks scored three tries and a penalty in the first half and notched another try and a further two penalties in the second 40 minutes to seal a 37-13 win.  

Final

After France were stunned by Argentina once again in the bronze medal match, losing by a hefty 34 points to 10, it was time for the showpiece. England had the chance to become the first team in Rugby World Cup history to defend the Webb Ellis Cup, but they could put no more than six points on the board thanks to two Wilkinson pe nalties. It was a lackluster affair, with South Africa ultimately winning 15-6 as they converted five penalties. 

ALSO READ: Government injects almost $9-million into Rugby World Cup bid

The post From the archives: A look back at when France last hosted the Rugby World Cup appeared first on Australian Times News.

Sports betting and casinos are becoming increasingly popular in Australia. This is hardly surprising considering how exciting and first-class the betting experience has become. After all, the various operators amaze with a variety of great features, such as a Richard Casino no deposit bonus, top-notch service and options for playing from smartphones.

Nevertheless – in the long run, classic betting can get boring. That’s exactly why, in this article, we will present 10 exciting sports you’ve (probably) never heard of. These events, such as cheese rolling, calcio storico or underwater rugby, finally bring a breath of fresh air to betting.

Of course, the same applies to sports fans who don’t bet but want to discover a new sport to follow as a fan or participate in it themselves. In such a case, too, you will find plenty of exciting suggestions in our guide. Have fun discovering!

Cheese rolling

Cheese rolling is certainly one of the most exotic sports on our list. Although there are many offshoots of the event around the world today, cheese rolling originated in Cooper’s Hill, near Gloucester in England. The event is still held there today. In our opinion, none of the offshoots can compete with the original.

Because at Cheese Rolling, a wheel of cheese is rolled down the approximately 180-metre-long Coopers Hill in 4 races on 4 consecutive days. Afterwards, a crowd of athletes tries to grab the cheese. But since it rolls down the slope with some lead, this is almost impossible. In such a case, the man or woman who has made it down the slope the fastest wins.

The winners almost never get away without bruises. Because, as I’ve said, you only become the one if you are the first down the hill. You certainly can’t do that by descending slowly and safely. Instead, in cheese rolling, you can watch the participants usually tumble down the slope completely uncontrollably, rolling, falling and even briefly flying in free fall.

The only prize at this event is the cheese roll caught. Nevertheless, every year not only several hundred participants but also thousands of spectators turn up to enjoy the spectacle. This has been the case for several hundred years. Allegedly, the event has been around since Roman times, and for more than 200 years, the annual Cheese Rolling on Coopers Hill has also been documented.

And once you’ve seen one of the cheese races for yourself, whether on TV or live, you can immediately understand why. The determination with which the participants hurl themselves down the hill and after the cheese is unsurpassed also provides the spectators with endless enthusiasm. A spectacle you really shouldn’t miss!

Crossminton

Crossminton is considered the tuned version of badminton and also incorporates elements of squash and badminton. Unlike traditional badminton, there is no net between the players. Instead, each player plays from a square drawn on the court. The two squares are located at a distance of 12.8 metres from each other.

Crossminton is becoming increasingly popular and is now played in regulated tournaments all over the world. There are several reasons for the popularity of the sport. One of them is certainly that you can play the game on all kinds of surfaces. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a tennis court, grass or concrete in the neighbourhood: a game of crossminton is fun on any surface.

Although crossminton is already an incredibly exciting game, there is an enhanced version of it: blackminton. The same rules are followed as in crossminton, with only one difference: the game takes place in the dark. With fluorescent balls, rackets and court boundaries, you can play in total darkness and enjoy unlimited fun.

Chess boxing

Although it sounds crazy, chess boxing is exactly what the name suggests: this is a combination of chess and boxing. An absolutely exotic combination that promises all the more fun and action, the mix of chess and boxing could not be missing from our list.

In chess boxing, similar to a pure boxing match, there are 11 rounds. The important difference: in this sport, the rounds of chess and boxing alternate. The winner is the participant who first succeeds in defeating the opponent in one of the two disciplines. If there is still no winner after the 11 rounds, the fighter who scored more points in the boxing rounds wins.

Urban golf

This type of golf is created by removing all the traditional elements of a golf game, such as the turf, dress code, caddies and club sets, and replacing them with urban action. Urban golf is all about hitting a set target with the golf ball.

Theoretically, almost any environment can become a golf course: forest and meadow, the Ikea car park on Sunday or, most popular, the abandoned industrial building. But one thing is extremely important. Golf balls can actually become a deadly projectile. So here, it is extremely important to only play where no other people can be endangered.

Racketlon

Similar to crossminton, racketlon reinvents the classic backstroke games. Better said, racketlon combines all these games with each other. A game of racketlon includes one round each of table tennis, badminton, squash and tennis. At the end, the points from the four different disciplines are added up to determine a winner.

Racketlon is, therefore, the ideal choice for all athletes who already enjoy one of the four different disciplines. During our self-experiment, we were surprised at how much fun it is to switch between table tennis, badminton, squash and tennis and how much action the switch between the rackets brings. For racketlon, we can therefore give a real recommendation. You should definitely try it out for yourself!

Quidditch

Quidditch is the famous wizard sport from the popular Harry Potter series. And if you are also a fan of J.K. Rowling’s magical world, we now have excellent news for you: quidditch is becoming more and more popular in the real world, too, and now you can find a team playing the Harry Potter sport almost everywhere in the world.

The basic rules of quidditch, which is now played all over the world, differ only slightly from those of the original version in the Harry Potter books. With one crucial difference: unfortunately, it is not possible for us as Muggles (non-magicians) to fly through the air with our brooms.

Instead, the brooms are guided between the players’ legs as a handicap. Apart from that, everything remains the same: Muggle quidditch is also a mixture of rugby, handball and volleyball and, moreover, a real full-contact sport. As in the Harry Potter series, there are also different roles or positions for the different players in this version, who perform completely different tasks.

Muggle quidditch was first recorded in a real set of rules by two US students in 2005. Since then, an incredibly large community has developed around the sport, with teams all over the world. There are now even national championships every year and European and World Championships at regular intervals! Most teams come from North America and Europe, but quidditch is also played in South America, Australia and even Rwanda!

Unicycle hockey

Hockey is already a very challenging sport. But unicycle hockey takes it to a whole new level. As the name already suggests, it is about mastering a classic hockey game on a unicycle. Such a game demands not only the skills that a hockey player needs. For example, strength, endurance and accuracy.

No, because of the special nature of the game, you also need a great sense of balance and a good deal of courage: to concentrate completely on the next shot at goal while balancing on a unicycle and being attacked by other players at the same time requires a great deal of self-confidence.

A team in unicycle hockey consists of four field players, a goalkeeper and a substitute. A game has two halves and always lasts between 20 and 40 minutes. The break is always 5 minutes. The team that has scored the most goals at the end of the game wins the game.

Calcio Storico

Calcio Storico, the last sport on our list, is also by far the most historically important sport on our list. Calcio Storico has been played since the 15th century! And only in Florence in Italy – all other events of this kind are only offshoots and are not officially allowed to call themselves Calcio Storico.

Calcio Storico can be thought of as a kind of mixture of football, rugby, wrestling and boxing. The aim of the game is simple: the team that manages to get the ball into the opponent’s net scores a point. The ball can be played with any foot and hand technique.

The special thing about it, however, is that any player can attack another player at any time during the game. Almost anything is allowed: wrestling throws and boxing techniques, as well as kicks and strangleholds. Only kicking to the head and attacking from behind are prohibited. In addition, only one player may fight with another at a time – group fights are therefore forbidden.

A match lasts a total of 50 minutes. Each team has 27 players. There are no breaks, only short interruptions when paramedics have to come onto the field to treat one of the players. Despite the rules and the many referees on the field who monitor compliance with the rules, injuries regularly occur among the players simply due to the nature of the game.

What sounds like chaos at first is actually a wonderful sport with, as already mentioned, an incredibly long tradition. On top of that, it is probably the most important annual event in Florence. Being allowed to play as a teammate in the Calcio Storico is considered a real honour, and the participants, who all receive no payment but play voluntarily, receive more admiration in Florence than professional athletes.

These participants or fellow players must come exclusively from Florence. To be more precise, each participant must come from one of the four traditional quarters that provide the 4 participating teams each year: Santa Croce / Azzurri (the Blues), Santa Maria Novella / Rossi (the Reds), Santo Spirito / Bianchi (the Whites) and San Giovanni / Verdi (the Greens).

The Calcio Storico is a truly breathtaking spectacle that you definitely have to see at least once in your life. Not only is the entire city in a state of emergency. No, the traditional procession that starts the game, the game itself and, above all, the commitment of the participants is a sight you will never forget.

Our conclusion

Football, tennis, and basketball – it doesn’t always have to be well-known and popular sports if you want to experience an amazing sporting event as a fan or participant. In fact, the sports presented here are so popular precisely because they finally bring excitement and variety back into the world of sport.

After all, it is often much more fun to watch a round of quidditch or racketlon than to follow the 600th football match in one’s life. Even watching a cheese-rolling competition has never left a spectator cold! The same certainly applies to the breathtaking spectacle of Calcio Storico.

And it’s even more fun to try out these exotic sports yourself! If you too want to experience the thrill and fun of one of the sports presented here, then we have good news for you: the games are now so widespread that you can play them in almost every major city – a few minutes of Google should be enough to find a suitable club. So it’s best not to wait long at all but instead simply plunge into the adventure. You will definitely not regret it!

ALSO READ: 6 Newbie Tactics for Betting on Sports

The post The coolest sports you’ve never heard of appeared first on Australian Times News.

But I think what my runs did was it said to the team: Okay, if this little clown can do it, we’ve been around for a little bit longer than him, that was only his first game, we should also go and do it.

McGrath’s injury at Edgbaston

McGrath going over on a ball. We saw McGrath go down and to say that we weren’t excited is probably a lie.

Obviously with McGrath not being in a Test match, you stand a much better chance. If you want to be positive and you want to really go out and smack Australia like we said we were going to do, to not have McGrath there to go and pitch it on line and length was a massive plus and a massive bonus for us.

Edgbaston finale 

We almost played Bazball back in 2005 in this Test match. Every single Test match was iconic. The Australians that turned up that final morning, they got louder and louder.

Then they started screaming, five runs, three runs, and then Harmy bowled that full toss to Lee and he smacked it out to Simon Jones. As he hit it, I thought ‘game over’. But he fielded it, and then what happened next was, for the series, for what people still talk about, it was just meant to be.

Oval heroics

Oh, crikey. Every time I see this picture I just think ‘put your helmet back on’.

To have been able to bring the team home on that final day was life-changing for me. Most of this was instinctive. Blocking at 96 miles an hour when a guy’s trying to clean you up, it just doesn’t happen. And it couldn’t happen that day. Me and Ashley Giles doing maths, we were probably so way off the mark anyway. No matter how many runs we got, we kept saying: ‘We’ve got to get more, we’ve got to get more’.

Celebrations + Flintoff’s impact

Ah, the celebrations. Freddie’s impact on that series in particular was, for him, utterly spectacular. For the team, he was almost that cog in the wheel that got us home. His hunger and his desire to just keep performing. He got runs with the bat, doesn’t drop a catch, a very intimidating personality. He was the ringleader, Freddie. Cricket became front page news. All of us idiots got MBEs for just this, because of what this meant to the country.

Remembering Shane Warne

This is an incredibly special photo because he was a great, great friend. He had aura, Shane. He was just such a fun guy to be around, and somebody who, if he was in this room now, you’d want to sit next to him. I know what he did to get me into that England team and the stuff that he was saying in the media, probably undeserved, some of how nice he was being about me.  But we also had some unbelievable battles. I’ll never forget the first Test at the Gabba, when he kept throwing the ball at me and we had one of the biggest ding-dongs. It’s almost impossible to believe that Warnie’s still not here. Just a legend.

Michael Clarke dismissal

Ah, this was the Michael Clarke wicket.  I was asked to come on and try and deliver some magic, roll the arm over and see if I could do something. Got one to spin, got one to bounce. Bat, pad, caught by Cook at short leg. I preferred doing the smacking than being smacked. Bowling for me became hard work.

But yeah, went upstairs, referred it and that was it. Michael Clarke was on his way back to the dressing room. It sort of opened up one end and we went on to win the Test match.

Winning in Australia

Yes, look at the smiles, you can see the smiles. Winning in Australia was such a huge thing for English cricket. Maybe it was because we put them under so much pressure, because of how good we were, that we were able to just clean them out and clean them out as quickly as we did.

It was an unbelievable batting line-up, an unbelievable batting line-up. An incredible team actually, in terms of all of those players playing at the same time. To be able to say we beat Australia in Australia is a big thing.

Winning four Ashes

Four of them. Winning four Ashes, winning I think it was four from six. The cap that I’ve got on there is something that has pride of place in my house. Because of all the blood, sweat and tears that goes into playing all those, and there was blood, there was a lot of sweat and there was also a lot of tears. To have four of those little urns is, yeah, it’s pretty cool.

Visit Betway sports for more sporting fun.

ALSO READ: Ryan Campbell: Cricket star fighting for his life after a heart attack

The post Hitting Warne for six appeared first on Australian Times News.

The UK broadcaster has exclusive rights to show the oldest Test rivalry in the game between Australia and England, and this has been reflected in the experienced commentary team that will be working during the series.

On the men’s side, there will be a few familiar faces, including Nasser Hussain, Ricky Ponting, Eoin Morgan, and Kevin Pietersen. Meanwhile, the women’s Ashes also takes place this summer, and former England players Lydia Greenway and Isa Guha will be on commentating duties.

Intriguingly, the commentators will rotate for the five-match Test series which culminates in the final game at London’s The Oval, starting on July 27.

Sky Sports have made it its mission to bring in the big hitters, and they have a dedicated cricket channel where fans can watch every ball bowled and every wicket taken.

The onus is on Australia to press home their advantage as the top Test team on the planet, and while they won the last two Ashes series comfortably — 4-0 respectively on home soil, it will be a different challenge in England, and they haven’t fared so well on their travels.

As always, there will be plenty of fans tuning in when the series gets underway, and it will also captivate betting aficionados who will be readying their wagers. Many of the top sites across the world will be well stocked with a raft of lines, and that includes Unibet Australia, who have installed England as the short-priced favourites at 10/11 to win the Ashes. Unibet is renowned for being an excellent operator, and they have a great bet deposit bonus for those players looking to sign up.

It will be fascinating to see who steps up to the plate and makes their mark in the latest edition of the Ashes. For the visitors, Marcus Labuschagne, who was named in the ICC Test Team of the Year in 2021, was also named in the Test Team of the Year for 2022. 

Indeed, the crafty all-rounder has averaged over 45 in Ashes Test series against England, and he could give the hosts a huge headache as he can pick up short balls and dispatch them with ease.

England will be hoping to make hay at the top of the order, and they have enjoyed a recent resurgence. In many respects, they are a side that is completely transformed from the one that was eviscerated in the previous Ashes series.

And Sky Sports will be the place to watch all the action unfold. We can’t wait to see how things unravel, and as you may expect with any ordinary Ashes series, there will be plenty of twists and turns.

The post Sky Sports to go all out with impressive commentary line-up for the Ashes appeared first on Australian Times News.

In short, the era of the Big 3 has come to an end, even if there may be more Grand Slams on the menu for Djokovic and Nadal. But the fact that dominance has eased leads to an opportunity for players who have missed out on the past. One of the players who should be sensing that opportunity is Nick Kyrgios, the Australian whose reputation seems to be more focused on his temperament than tennis skills. But if you know Kyrgios and know tennis, you’ll be well aware that there is a very good player underneath the fiery temper. He has a Grand Slam or two in him, should he keep his cool. 

Kyrgios among betting chances for Wimbledon

Kyrgios is now 27. Technically, he should be at his peak. He has broken into the world’s top 20 (again), and he played in his first Grand Slam Final last summer at Wimbledon. Djokovic is the clear favourite for that title in terms of the tennis betting odds, but Kyrgios is priced around 12/1. The odds for the Australian show that he is respected. If it were to be considered a shock for him to win Wimbledon 2023, it would only be a minor one. 

There are, of course, other Grand Slams that Kyrgios might win, but Wimbledon seems to be his best opportunity. He has his best win percentage (71%) on the grass courts of Wimbledon, and it was at SW19 in 2014 that Kyrgios first stepped into the limelight. As a wildcard entrant, he reached the quarter-finals. That included the biggest win of his career at the time, defeating then-world number one Nadal in the 4^th Round. 

Injuries have taken a toll on Australian

Still, it’s clear to all that Kyrgios’s Grand Slam record has been patchy overall, certainly not befitting a player with his underlying talents. He has reached the quarter-finals or better in just four of his 31 Grand Slam appearances, which is a fairly miserable record. Injuries, too, have got the better of the Australian on a number of occasions. In fact, it can be frustrating for his fans as injuries tend to come just when he is getting into a run of form. 

A case in point is the current injury to Kyrgios, who has pulled out of upcoming ATP Masters events. He finished 2022 on a roll, almost breaking into the top 10 again. But a forced surgery in January has meant that he is yet to make an appearance in 2023. There will be a race for the Australian to get match fit for the French Open and Wimbledon in the summer. 

Nonetheless, a fit and firing Kyrgios should sense an opportunity in this era where Grand Slams are more open than ever before. Yes, Djokovic and Nadal are still major threats, and players like Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas will rightly consider themselves ahead of the Aussie in tennis’s pecking order. But you should not bet against Kyrgios, a player who was pinpointed for greatness many years ago. The chance is there for him, should he have the will to take it.  

ALSO READ: Who are the Best Aussie Hopes to Win a Tennis Grand Slam Event in 2022?

The post A Grand Slam in 2023 Should Be the Goal for Australia’s Nick Kyrgios appeared first on Australian Times News.

Golf tournaments are some of the most highly anticipated sporting events in the world, attracting both players and spectators alike. In this article, we will take a look at the top 5 golf tournaments worldwide.

The Masters

The Masters is steeped in rich history, having been played annually since 1934. The tournament attracts the world’s best golfers and offers a unique challenge to each of them. The Augusta National Golf Club, with its perfectly manicured fairways and greens, presents a pristine setting for the event.

One of the most iconic traditions of The Masters is the green jacket ceremony, where the previous year’s winner presents the current champion with a green jacket, symbolizing their victory. This ceremony has become one of the most recognized and beloved traditions in sports, adding to the allure of The Masters.

The tournament is also known for its strict rules and regulations, including the strict dress code and the limited number of spectators allowed on the course. This exclusivity has only added to the mystique of The Masters, making it a must-attend event for golf enthusiasts worldwide.

In addition to being a thrilling competition, The Masters also generates significant revenue from various sources, including television broadcasting rights, merchandise sales, and ticket sales. The tournament’s popularity and prestige have made it a major draw for golf betting markets, with millions of dollars being wagered each year.

U.S. Open

The U.S. Open is one of the oldest and most prestigious golf tournaments in the world. First played in 1895, the tournament is one of the  major championships in professional golf, and it takes place annually in June.

The U.S. Open is known for its challenging courses, with the United States Golf Association (USGA) often setting up courses to test the limits of even the best golfers. The tournament’s venues have varied over the years, but the courses are always set up to provide a stern test of a golfer’s skill, with narrow fairways, deep bunkers, and fast greens.

In addition to being a highly competitive event, the U.S. Open is also steeped in tradition. The tournament is known for its strict dress code, with players required to wear traditional golf attire, including a collared shirt and slacks. The tournament also has a unique playoff format, with the top golfers playing an 18-hole playoff if they finish tied after 72 holes.

The Open Championship

The Open Championship, also known as the British Open, is the oldest of the four major championships in golf, dating back to 1860. It takes place annually in July and is known for its unpredictable weather and challenging links-style courses. 

The tournament has produced some of the most memorable moments in golf history, with legendary golfers such as Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Tom Watson all winning multiple titles. The Open Championship continues to attract golf fans from all over the world and is considered one of the most prestigious events in the sport.

PGA Championship

The PGA Championship stands as one of the most prestigious golf tournaments held each year, alongside three other major championships. Taking place in May, the championship draws in the most skilled golfers globally, each competing for the coveted title. With its demanding courses and fierce competition, the championship has earned its reputation as one of the toughest events in the sport. 

Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup is a renowned biennial golf competition that sees the most exceptional golfers from Europe and the United States compete in a thrilling team event. The competition is eagerly anticipated by golf enthusiasts and casual fans alike, with its high-stakes atmosphere and intense competition. One of the most significant draws of the Ryder Cup is its passionate and vocal fan base, with supporters from both sides coming together to create an electrifying atmosphere. 

The competition has a rich history, dating back to 1927, and has since become one of the most celebrated events in golf. The Ryder Cup is not just a sporting event but also a celebration of international camaraderie and competitive spirit, as golfers come together to represent their nations and fight for victory on the course.

Conclusion

In conclusion, golf tournaments offer a unique blend of skill, strategy, and spectacle, making them a golfer’s dream. From the picturesque Augusta National Golf Club to the unpredictable links-style courses of the British Open, these events offer a range of challenges and thrills for both players and spectators. 

Whether you’re a seasoned golf enthusiast or a casual fan, these top 5 golf tournaments worldwide are sure to offer unforgettable experiences and memories that will last a lifetime.

ALSO READ: Watch NBA Games Online In 2023: Top 5 Streaming Services To Consider

The post Top 5 Golf Tournaments Worldwide: A Golfer’s Dream appeared first on Australian Times News.

The 66-year-old is best known for his success at the Cheltenham Festival, the most important week of the season in jumps racing. He is the most successful trainer in the history of the meeting, and he could be set for more success this year.

Galopin Des Champs Represents Mullins in Gold Cup

Mullins has been successful in the feature race of the Cheltenham Festival, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, twice. Al Boum Photo gave him his maiden victory in 2019, while 12 months later, the same horse defended his crown.

If Galopin Des Champs prevails on the final day this year, it may help him land the leading trainer award at the meeting. The Irishman is the odds-on favourite at 1/8 in the Cheltenham Festival top trainer betting odds. Results on Gold Cup Day go a long way towards settling the individual trainer, jockey and owner prizes for the week.

Mullins has every reason to be confident about the prospects of Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup. His horse prevailed in the Irish Gold Cup earlier in the campaign. He proved he has the stamina for three miles chases, while there is doubt about this horse’s speed.

Facile Vega Can Get Mullins Off to A Fast Start

The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is the opening race of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, and this race can often set the pattern for the week ahead. Victory in this 2m hurdles contest gives the winning connections a real confidence boost for the rest of the meeting.

Mullins has won the Festival curtain-raiser a record seven times, including in 2021 with Appreciate It. He has some strong entries this year, with the best of those thought to be Facile Vega. Last season’s impressive Champion Bumper winner has had an impressive opening campaign over hurdles.

The eight-year-old does need to bounce back from defeat at the Dublin Racing Festival on his latest outing, but that’s the only blip in his career, as he has been successful in six of his seven races under Rules.

Gaillard Du Mesnil Looking to Enhance Grand National Claims

One of Mullins’ best chances of a winner at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival comes in the National Hunt Chase where Gaillard Du Mesnil will feature in the 3m6f contest. The Irish horse has an entry in the Grand National at Aintree in April. 

The National Hunt Chase has been used by many Grand National winners as their final prep run before they line up at Aintree. Mullins’ chaser won the Grade One Neville Hotels Novice Chase at Leopardstown earlier in the campaign, so he sets the standard in the race.

With eight appearances over fences, Gaillard Du Mesnil has a lot of experience for a novice chaser. If successful in the day two contest, it will be the fourth time Mullins has been victorious in the longest race of the meeting.

With 88 Cheltenham Festival winners going into the 2023 meeting, Mullins could be much closer to the 100 mark by the time this year’s renewal of the event concludes. 

ALSO READ: Why horse racing is so popular in Australia

The post Willie Mullins Could Be Set to Dominate Cheltenham Festival appeared first on Australian Times News.

There is good news, though. In 2023, watching your favorite sports no longer requires an expensive cable or satellite subscription. The top NBA games are shown live on several streaming providers, including YouTube TV, cable channel apps, and others. However, since streaming quality, availability, geo-restrictions, and costs vary, choosing the perfect service for an enjoyable basketball experience can still be challenging.

It’s worth noting that many sports leagues have granted licenses to streaming services for most of their competitive events, and the NBA is included. In the face of the enormous number of available services, this article will highlight the top streaming options to choose from in 2023 to see your favorite NBA teams play.

YouTube TV

One of the top options on our list of live-streaming services for NBA games is YouTube TV. With a monthly subscription cost of $50-$60, you receive unlimited DVR storage and get access to more than 100 channels. However, if you’re prepared to spend more money, you may sign up for their Sports Plus Add-on or choose specific networks from their selection to add them to your download library.

The ESPN library, NBA TV, Fox Sports 1 & 2, MLB, and NFL Network are all featured on YouTube TV and offer the specific coverage a user needs. For collegiate sports fans, YouTube TV also provides the Big Ten, ACC Network, ESPNU, and SEC Network, all in the different display formats the viewer prefers. To gain access to NBA games on YouTube TV, fans of the game can quickly search out the team names on match days and follow any of the live channels. 

DIRECT TV Stream

With most live TV streaming providers, watching your local team may be challenging due to geo-restrictions. DIRECTV Stream is different in this regard as it allows fans to watch their local NBA teams regardless of location or zip code. Additionally, the service provides a variety of live TV streaming bundles with monthly prices ranging from $74.99 to $154.99 each month. But for sports enthusiasts, the $99.99 per month “CHOICE” package will be the only option. 

For an extra $19.99/month, DIRECTV Stream grants a premium pass of NBA fixtures. You can increase your out-of-market game count to 40 with this add-on, ensuring that you don’t miss Curry’s three-pointers, a single buzzer-beater, or layup during the NBA regular season.

ESPN

ESPN+ doesn’t offer exclusive live TV streaming services like YouTube TV, but it does provide some high-caliber options for its live sports. The NBA has been streaming many of its games on ESPN+ for a while now, and this season, the service will offer more NBA games live. At a modest cost of $10 per month, fans can tune in to their sport of interest during the season and stop whenever, as this service cannot entirely replace the usual cable subscription.

SlingTV

If you’re a basketball lover, you should sign up for Sling TV’s $55 per month Orange and Blue package, which is still $10 less expensive than YouTube. Subscribers of Sling TV’s Orange and Blue subscription will get live access to channels like ESPN, ESPN2, NFL, and the ultimate NBA Network. Also, you won’t miss a second of the 2019 NCAA March Madness Championship thanks to the subscription’s inclusion of TNT, TBS, and truTV.

The Sports Extra plan, which includes the NFL RedZone, MLB Network, and NHL Network, in addition to a good number of collegiate networks, is available to subscribers for just $11 more. Sling remains one of the cheapest services, yet it always succeeds in quality stream deliveries.

FuboTV

For all NBA fanatics who want to stream the games, there is FuboTV. Subscribers can record tons of DVR-programmed content with any FuboTV plan, which is collected and stored safely. The website offers a variety of sports channels, but if a user wants to watch NBA games, they must pay an add-on service fee of $11. The NFL Network, beIN Sports, and Golf Channel are all included in this package, generally known as the Sports Plus bundle.

Conclusion

When sports streaming is concerned, there are several options to consider. Some services, like ESPN+, only cover sports, while others, like Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, and Sling TV, give a cable kind of experience without a subscribed connection box.

As incentives, some platforms even advertise real-time NBA playoff odds for fans who want to wager on NBA playoff games at the business end of the season. The opportunity to become an active follower of your favorite NBA team has never been easier, with so many top providers now offering quality streaming options. So, hop in now. 

ALSO READ: The NBA Power Rankings 2022-2023: How teams are shaping for the upcoming season

The post Watch NBA Games Online In 2023: Top 5 Streaming Services To Consider appeared first on Australian Times News.

While domestic leagues back home are steadily improving, this recent success is largely thanks to Aussie players flying the nest and trying their luck abroad. Many footballers have found their feet in England’s second division, the Championship – here are three of the best.

Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)

Socceroos star Aaron Mooy boasts 57 caps for his country and starred in Qatar this winter, playing the full 90 minutes in all four of Australia’s matches. Despite coming through the ranks at Scottish side St. Mirren before a move home to the A-League in 2012, Mooy eventually secured a move to Manchester City four years later. It was while on loan from the Premier League giants that Mooy featured in the Championship, making 45 appearances for Huddersfield in 2016-17 as they secured promotion to the top flight.

This dream would only last two seasons, though, when the Terriers were demoted back to England’s second tier, with Mooy making one more Championship appearance in 2019-20 before securing a move to Brighton. This campaign, his former club risk facing relegation, with just seven wins from their opening 25 matches giving Huddersfield The Championship odds of 8/13 to go down. Away from the Terriers, Mooy spent two seasons in the Prem before a move to China and his eventual home, Celtic, where he is still playing.

Jackson Irvine (Burton Albion, Hull City)

Mooy’s team-mate in Qatar, Jackson Irvine, amassed four seasons in the Championship across two clubs, Burton Albion and Hull City. The Melbourne-born midfielder first came to the United Kingdom in 2012 with a move to Mooy’s current employers Celtic, before successive loan moves to Kilmarnock and Ross County. After his fourth season in the Scottish Premier League, Burton snapped Irvine up for a fee of £1.9 million.

The 27-year-old – who boasts 53 caps to his name – had an impressive return of 10 goals in 42 appearances for the Brewers. This earned him a move in 2017 to Hull City, where he remained for three seasons. Irvine amassed 107 appearances for the Tigers between 2017 and 2020, but couldn’t match his previous goalscoring heights, with just 10 goals to his name in that three-year period. In total, the Australia international totalled 152 Championship appearances before returning briefly to the SPL with Hibernian before landing in Germany with St. Pauli, where he recently signed a new deal.

Mile Jedinak (Crystal Palace, Aston Villa)

While Irvine may have amassed the most appearances in England’s second tier, Mile Jedinak is not far behind. The former Socceroos captain is just five shy of his fellow countryman’s record with 147 Championship appearances to his name, splayed across five seasons with Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. Jedinak spent lengthy spells in Australia, Croatia and Turkey before a move to Crystal Palace in 2011, where he made 165 appearances across six seasons.

Of these six, two were spent in the Championship, and in 2012-13 Jedinak led the Eagles to England’s top flight via the play-offs with a 1-0 win over Watford after extra time. Decreased playing time under manager Alan Pardew saw him drop back down to the second division with Aston Villa in 2016, where he spent three seasons and reached the playoffs twice before successful promotion in 2018-19 with a 2-1 win over Derby County. The defensive midfielder retired that year has also made a whopping 79 appearances for his national team, which even includes three World Cup goals.

In total, there are seven Socceroos still playing in the Championship, out of a total of 54 to have done so since records began in 2004. The league serves as an important source of experience and growth for many players and has helped Australian football blossom into what it is today.

ALSO READ: Scott Parker bites the bullet as the first managerial sacking of the Premier League season

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The MLS has long been the destination of choice for footballers whose careers are winding down, but the Portuguese legend could persuade other huge names to follow him Down Under instead.

Nani is Persuading Bettors to Stake on Melbourne Victory

Nani joined Melbourne Victory at the start of the 2022 season, hoping to build on the successful second-place finish that Tony Popovic’s side achieved in the 2021-22 campaign. Results have since been hit or miss, but there’s a feeling that Nani will soon start clicking with his teammates. This is reflected in the football betting odds, where Victory are often favoured by bookies against rivals of similar stature. For example, they were odds-on at 4/5 to beat Brisbane Roar in the early January fixture.

Nani failed to find the back of the net in his first nine games in Melbourne, but the pedigree of the 36-year-old can’t be denied. He racked up 24 career goals for his country and was renowned for scoring and assisting at all the clubs he’s played for throughout his glittering career. Notably, Nani featured 112 times for Portugal, making him one of their most important players ever. He was a key figure in the 2016 European Championship-winning side and brings an incredible wealth of experience to the A-League.

Portuguese Star Played in MLS First

A-League officials will be well aware that Nani is probably the most famous face to have ever kicked a ball in the country and will be hoping that he can persuade other stars to move here in the twilight days of their careers. Ever since David Beckham made the switch to LA Galaxy in 2007, a wide range of stars have followed him to the MLS. Nani could potentially have the same effect on the A-League in the future.

Nani played in the MLS with Orlando City between 2019 and 2021 and enjoyed great success there. He bagged 28 goals in 77 appearances for the club, and this may have helped him realise that he still had more in the tank. His move to the A-League after the MLS could set a new trend in players prolonging their careers in this way.

There haven’t been that many players of note in the A-League up to this point, but executives are aware that well-known names are needed to help boost spectator figures. Daniel Sturridge’s arrival at Perth Glory in 2021 was described as the biggest signing in the division’s history, but it didn’t work out for the former Liverpool man who only played six games before he was released.  

Nani’s move to Melbourne Victory could be hugely beneficial for the A-League. Not only will it increase viewing figures who want to see a household star, but it could persuade other major names to follow his path in the future.

ALSO READ: Forget football, Messi & Ronaldo battle it out over Instagram

The post Will Nani’s A-League Move Persuade Other Stars to Finish Their Careers in Australia? appeared first on Australian Times News.

Here is a look at who could end 2022 as Australia’s Cricketer of the Year.

Marnus Labuschagne

In 2021, Marnus Labuschagne was named in the ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year. He is likely to be in that line-up again at the end of 2022, with some individual awards also likely to go his way too.

The 28-year-old, who has had a central contract with Cricket Australia since 2020, was the second-highest scorer in the last Ashes series with 335 runs. He averaged 41.87 in that series, with one century and two half-centuries going his way. His consistency across the five Tests was of the reasons the hosts were able to have success.

Labuschagne is now second in the ICC Test batting rankings behind Joe Root. With a strong end to 2022, he could leapfrog the former England captain in those standings. As you can read in the Reuters match report, one of his best innings this year came in Galle in a Test match against Sri Lanka. He scored 104 runs in what was the seventh Test century of his career.

Pat Cummins

Since taking on the captaincy in Test cricket, Pat Cummins has led by example in red-ball cricket. The 29-year-old was the leading wicket-taker in the Ashes with 21 wickets. He also had an economy of just 3.01 in that series.

Cummins was a key player for Australia in their tour of Pakistan earlier this year. He ended that three-match Test series with the joint-most wickets. The right-arm fast bowler was tied with Nathan Lyon with 12 wickets, which included a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the deciding Test.

The number one bowler in the ICC Test rankings is now also the ODI captain of Australia. The Baggy Greens have overcome scandals in recent years, and now there is a lot of pride in the values the team have under Cummins’ leadership.

As the Daily Mail reported, the all-rounder showed in the IPL in 2022 that he is also capable of scoring fast runs with the bat, as he matched the record for the fastest half-century in the competition’s history, getting to the landmark in just 16 balls. His run-scoring has also improved for his country this year.

Josh Hazlewood

Experienced bowler Josh Hazlewood is highly ranked in all three formats of the sport in international cricket. He has had a busy year for his country and in various franchise leagues around the world where his performances have been consistently good.

Hazlewood has had a lot of success against Sri Lanka in 2022, in the home T20 series and the tour of the country. He was the Man of the March in the second T20I at the SCG. The seamer was asked to bowl the Super Over in that contest and he limited the opposition to just five runs with six impressive deliveries.

The 31-year-old will be hoping to help his country to reach T20 World Cup success on home soil this year. As of the 3rd of November, Australia is 10/1 in the ICC T20 World Cup odds for the trophy. Hazlewood is part of a strong Australian bowling attack on pitches they are very familiar with.

Just like the Cricket World Cup in 2015, this year’s T20 competition will not only be a big boost for the Australian economy, but it will bring the whole country behind the team in their bid for success and some cricket betting for fun will increase the support and hype.

Aaron Finch

As per the BBC report, Aaron Finch retired from ODI cricket back in September following a series against New Zealand. The opening batsman is one of Australia’s greatest-ever white ball players and he has shown that in his final year in the 50 overs game.

Finch is going to continue playing T20 cricket for his country and the form he is in suggests that could be for a long while yet. The Kolkata Knights Riders and Melbourne Renegades player has a wealth of experience in this format of the game, and he continues to score runs at an impressive strike rate.

Australia’s leading T20I run-scorer will be hoping to lead his country to T20 World Cup success for the second straight year. If he can create the same heavy-scoring opening partnership with David Warner, as he often has throughout his international career, they will be in with a great chance of defending their trophy.

The Baggy Greens end 2022 with home Test matches against the West Indies and South Africa. The latter is third in the ICC Test rankings and is expected to be a strong challenger to the home side.

The post Who Has Been Australia’s Cricket Player of the Year In 2022? appeared first on Australian Times News.

Horse racing is popular around the world, although perhaps not as much as it is Down Under. It’s actually the third most-watched sport alongside the big rugby encounters against the All Blacks and the fierce Australian rules football match-ups that garner huge interest. Attending some of Australia’s biggest horse races is a highlight on the sporting calendar. The atmosphere is excellent, there are ardent supporters everywhere, and there are some extremely talented jockeys and their horses that put on regular shows for audiences.

Although there are many events throughout the year, some horse races are bigger than others and come with a certain prestige that other races simply don’t. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the biggest horse races on the calendar in Australia.

Melbourne Cup

A well-known race around the world and not just in Australia, the Melbourne Cup, also known locally as ‘the race that stops the nation’, is a truly iconic contest. It hogs the headlines in the build-up to it and, it’s viewed on television by millions, and it’s one of the sporting highlights of the year. There are some big prizes up for grabs, too, with the winner in 2022 taking home a share of the  $8,000,000 purse for reigning supreme. Taking place at Flemington Racecourse every first Tuesday of November, it’s a sporting occasion that is steeped in history also, with the event first taking place in 1861. For sports fans, particularly in Australia, the Melbourne Cup is an unmissable event.

W.S Cox Plate

Put the date in your calendar – Saturday 22^nd October. One of the most respected races in Australia, the W.S Cox Plate is an event for any thoroughbred horse and features some of the most skilled riders as they aim to tackle a notoriously difficult track in the Moonee Valley Race Course, with one out of 14 horses aiming to come out on top in the 2 040 meters race. Scheduled one month before the Melbourne Cup in October, it’s a race every jockey and trainer wants to win, especially given its history and the fact that is was founded by William Samuel Cox, the racing club’s founder. The W.S Cox Plate’s a big one for bettors, so be sure to check those free Saturday racing tips beforehand to make the most of your punting.

The Everest

The Everest is – by quite a distance – the newest race on this list. But what it lacks in history, it makes up for in star power. The race was inaugurated in 2017, and its five runnnings so far have attracted some of the best talent from Australia and beyond. The key to attracting that talent? Dollars, and lots of them. It is the richest turf race on the planet, and it has an unusual entry system that sees owners buy slots for the participation of their horses. Nature Strip was the winner in 2021, and he is favourite to do it again when the race goes off on 15^th October.

Queen Elizabeth Stakes

A Group One race that takes place in Sydney at the Royal Randwick Racecourse, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes first happened in 1851 and has since gone on to become one of the most respected race days around. It was even said to have been watched by Queen Elizabeth herself on a few occasions before she sadly passed away. It’s actually the third most important WFA race in Australia, too. For racing fans in Sydney, it’s an event that is not to be missed, particularly as it features some of the top horses and riders in the country.

Caulfield Cup

Taking place in mid-October at the Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne, the Caulfield Cup is another unmissable horse racing occasion that is adored by horse racing nuts in the country. With the winning horse bringing home $5 000 000, it’s the world’s richest handicap race and has been wowing audiences since 1879, when the inaugural race took place. The competition originally hosted competitors from New Zealand and Australia, before taking on horses from other nations in more recent times. As such, it’s perhaps more competitive than it ever has been before.

Other big horse races on the calendar include the Golden Slipper Stakes, the Victoria Derby, and The All-Star Mile.

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Bournemouth fans had momentarily forgotten about their summer of frustration in the transfer window when they beat Aston Villa on their return to the Premier League. Parker oversaw a vintage display, redolent of Eddie Howe’s slick possession football when the south coast side were a breath of fresh air upon their initial spell in 2015-16. A 2-0 win at the Vitality Stadium, with goals from Jefferson Lerma and Kieffer Moore, ensured three points were on the board, something so crucial when you’re tipped for a relegation dogfight amongst the Premier League betting odds.

What followed was the brutal, yet inevitable disappointment expected with Bournemouth’s combination of difficult fixtures and lack of investment. Just three players arrived all summer — Joe Rothwell was injured in preseason whilst a combined £23 million on Marcos Sensei and Marcus Tavernier hardly demonstrate the same ambition as fellow new boys Nottingham Forest and Parker’s former side Fulham, who spent heavily in a bid to avoid being in the same position the Cherries now find themselves in.

Given their next few games — Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool — Bournemouth fans could have been forgiven for having such low expectations following the opening day. The 4-0 thrashing at the Etihad and the 3-0 loss to Arsenal were hardly going to change the Premier League predictions, but a 9-0 onslaught at Anfield against Liverpool was to be the final nail in the coffin for Parker.

Not for a want of trying, the players looked absolutely toothless in front of goal against Liverpool and it wasn’t so much a lack of effort, just a genuine lack of ability that will be most concerning for the season ahead.

Throughout the onslaught you could see Parker growing visibly frustrated, exemplified by his lashing of an expensive cardigan on the Anfield ground, greeted with ironic cheers and whistles from the home crowd, goading him in embarrassing fashion as the luxury grey cashmere collected grass stains on the periphery of his technical area. It will serve as a permanent reminder of how challenging it can be to keep a newly promoted side afloat, especially when not backed by the board, who it seems were unhappy with his post-match comments. 

“As a player, and certainly as a coach, this is the toughest and most painful day that I have experienced, for sure,” he said. “It goes without saying it was a real humbling experience and one that was pretty shell-shocking really.

“In the sense of the result, I am probably not too surprised to be honest with you – in the sense of the levels we are playing against here and the quality is just far greater than we have at this present moment in time, at our disposal.

“At this moment we are just a little bit unequipped from where we’ve come from, from what we have. It’s proved a bit difficult.”

The strangest part of this sacking isn’t the results, it’s the timing. You get the sense that things can’t get much worse in terms of a performance for Bournemouth after the visit to Merseyside, but with more winnable fixtures on the horizon, the board perhaps could have shown some restraint. A relegation-threatened side that have hired more than two managers in a season rarely survive, and Parker’s ousting shows signs of Fulham and Hull City in recent years, where the likes of Martin Jol, René Meulensteen and Felix Magath were wheeled in as part of a desperate ploy for survival.

Next up for Bournemouth is Wolverhampton Wanderers and then Forest, where they head into a new phase of the season with a sense of the unknown. That lack of identity may ultimately prove their downfall, and you wonder if whoever gets hired will seek to undo the possession-oriented style that Parker spent the best part of two seasons building. The reality of the situation is Bournemouth need a manager who will be hegemonic and disciplined, yet hit the ground running or risk facing the same fate as his predecessor. 

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What are the Rankings?

NBA Power Rankings are based on a combination of historical statistics, current results, and advanced analytics which do fall part of such events as sports betting.

 Last year’s performance is not the be-all, end-all; instead, it’s a useful tool that can be used to help determine the current strength of each team. The following categories are used to rank each team in the league:

• Offseason moves: How each team improved or weakened its roster through trades, free agency, etc.

• Draft picks: The impact of draft picks on each team’s future outlook.

• Current season performance: A look at how each team has performed so far this season.

• Advanced analytics: An advanced statistical analysis of a team’s performance based on factors such as pace and effective field goal percentage (eFG%).

Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets are seen as a well-balanced team that has the potential for greatness. With big names like Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons, and Kyrie Irving, most people would think that would be enough to make a stellar performance however there have been some issues with this. 

The most notable is the team’s chemistry which has led to inconsistency and disputes. If the Brooklyn Nets do not shape up, they will not improve in the rankings.

Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James and Anthony Davis are two of the top players that come up when anyone thinks of the Los Angeles Lakers with health and conditioning not seeming to be an issue for the players at this time. Coaching for the team is the well-known Darvin Ham who is set to put the team in motion.

Things are gearing up for the lakers and this rings true, especially for the leading men. With a two-year extension, who knows what the future holds for LeBron.

Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard is known for making big shots in the clutch and is a favorite amongst many fans. It’s no surprise that the Portland Trail Blazers have signed him up on a 2-year max extension for his performance. Other notable players that have joined the roster are Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons.

While some fans might have mixed feelings, there is plenty of potential for the team. 

New York Knicks

Improvements have been made for the New York Knicks with Jalen Brunson being added as a solid point guard. The team is known for having great flexibility and with names like RJ Barret already on the roster, it leaves plenty of positives. There is a hint of uncertainty as trading isn’t going as smoothly for the Knicks as planned.

Adding another power player will boost the team’s ranking and performance if all goes well.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers coach Steve Ballmer is pumped for the return of Kawhi Leonard. Both Kawhi and Paul George have been signed to long-term deals and will be seen as a defining point for the team. Injuries have plagued the LA Clippers in the past which many think is part of the reason why so much money was spent to polish the roster.

Names like Amir Coffey have been added to the lineup with other players such as Ivica Zubac seeing a raise as well.

Conclusion

The NBA power rankings are a measure of team performance. Each week, the NBA Power Rankings will set a standard for which team is best. The NBA power rankings are based on several factors including, but not limited to: the team’s record, win/loss against other teams in the league, and their strength of schedule.

The NBA power rankings also take into account in-game performances such as point differential (e.g., lead changes), point differentials at home or away venues, and other advanced statistics that may not be readily available to the general public.

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Alternatively, a promoted team can instantly shown to be out of their depth at the higher grade, and any confidence that lingers from the successful campaign prior quickly evaporates.

However, Sunderland – enjoying a return to the second tier of English football for the first time in four years – have managed to buck both of those trends.

They have settled into mid-table comfort after an inconsistent start to the 2022/23 campaign, but some encouraging performances have restored the confidence of the club’s fans and punters. At the time of writing, only eight teams were priced at shorter odds than Sunderland to finish inside the top six of the Championship, and there will be plenty using their bet 10 get 30 offer from Betfair to get behind the Black Cats.

Australian defender Bailey Wright believes that his teammates have to continue believing in themselves. The 30-year-old, who has 27 caps for the Socceroos to his name, has admitted that the standard of play has ‘definitely gone up a notch’ from League One, but believes that the togetherness and quality in the Sunderland ranks will be enough for them to surprise plenty this term.

“We have a really good squad, and I think we will back ourselves to get stronger and stronger throughout the season.”

Wright’s own progress has been hampered by a shortened pre-season, which came about as a direct consequence of his involvement in Australia’s World Cup qualifying campaign. He has lost his place in the starting eleven accordingly, but hopes to be back in Alex Neil’s thoughts imminently – after all, he was an integral figure in Sunderland’s promotion last term having featured in 37 of their 46 games.

After celebrating the Socceroos’ qualifying for Qatar 2022, Wright is now focused once more on the job at hand. “My aim is to get myself prepared and to push for a shirt in the starting XI,” he said.

Stewart Singing the Right Notes

Standing more than 6ft tall and with jet black hair, Ross Stewart isn’t going to be confused with his near-namesake – diminutive warbler Rod Stewart – any time soon.

But the 26-year-old is hitting all the right notes in front of goal at the moment, and has already notched two strikes in four Championship games this term to go with the 26 he plundered last season.

With two assists already as well, it’s evident that Stewart is maturing as a player and adding new strings to his bow, and keeping the Scot fit and firing will be crucial to Sunderland’s chances of challenging for a top-half berth this term.

And if his teammates kick on then who knows; maybe Ross Stewart, like the title of near-namesake Rod’s biggest hit, will be sailing towards the Premier League.

The post Bailey Wright Backs Black Cats to keep on improving appeared first on Australian Times News.

It has been a breakthrough year for the Australian but the 27-year-old is yet to convert this blistering form into a Grand Slam win. Interestingly, the latest tennis odds suggest that the 2022 US Open could be the first Grand Slam win of Kyrgios’ career.

At least, if you bet on US Open outright markets then you will see Kyrgios at just 6/1 to go all the way at Flushing Meadows. Those odds tell their own revealing story of just how prolific the Aussie has been since Wimbledon 2022 when you take into account that when he flew out of London following his defeat in the final to Novak Djokovic, Kyrgios was at odds of 50/1 to win the US Open.

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Kyrgios Surprises All With His Consistency

In some respects, it could be said that the consensus at the time was that for all of Kyrgios’ promising signs over the course of  Wimbledon 2022, many speculated that the Australian would not be able to keep this level of performance up throughout the rest of the year. 

That theory was quickly put to bed after Kyrgios went to the Citi Open just three weeks after Wimbledon and won the singles event before returning to court to win the doubles final alongside Jack Sock. Needless to say, Kyrgios made history by doing so and proved that his Wimbledon heroics were more than just a flash in the pan. 

As briefly touched on, Kyrgios followed up his Citi Open wins by putting Medvedev to the sword in thrilling fashion in front of a stunned crowd in Montreal. Realistically speaking, this dominant run of form surely means that the Aussie has to be considered the man to beat in New York. 

Naturally, it goes without saying but Kyrgios will, in all likelihood, never arrive at a Grand Slam in better form, and on the back of a disappointing final loss to Djokovic at SW19, Kyrgios will jet into the Big Apple having learned a great deal about himself. 

Indeed, the world’s best players have learned far more from losing than they ever have from winning, and in Kyrgios’ case, you can see that the Australian has taken those tough lessons he picked up on Centre Court, and is now channeling those feelings into propelling his career forward. 

Australia will now hold its collective breath as their once prodigal son attempts to find redemption on the hallowed courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The time is coming, and even if Kyrgios comes up short in New York, he will then have another opportunity in Melbourne in early 2023 during his home Grand Slam. Indeed, it is a case of when and not if with Kyrgios, who is now within touching distance of greatness.

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His fine displays on the red surface so far this year, which also includes clay-court tournament victories in the Barcelona and Rio Opens, resulted in Alcaraz heading to Paris as the second favourite in the tennis odds — behind only the clay-court king himself Nadal. 

But he certainly wasn’t able to fly in under the radar as he did in Paris 12 months ago, reaching the third round of Roland-Garros before being beaten in straight sets by German Jan-Lennard Struff. This time, all eyes were on the Spaniard as he tried to replicate Nadal’s maiden French Open success as a fresh-faced, 19-year-old. 

That level of expectation obviously comes with a lot of pressure, and was already weight on his shoulders to deliver his maiden Grand Slam with so little experience — and at such a young age. Add to that the fact Alcaraz had to play his first-round match on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the biggest stage of all at Roland-Garros, and who would have blamed him for crumbling. 

But the 19-year-old was cool, calm and collected as he dispatched world number 142 Juan Ignacio Londero in straight sets, winning 6-4, 6-2, 6-0 in just one hour and 50 mins. His fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas, ranked 44^th, admittedly posed a bigger threat in round two, and he nearly sent his compatriot packing.  

This time taking centre stage on Court Simonne-Mathieu, the third largest on offer at Roland-Garros, Alcaraz took the first set 6-1. But Ramos-Vinolas fought back to lead two sets to one before the 19-year-old won the nail-biting fourth-set — needing a play-off to stay in the game and level the scores at two sets a piece. 

Ramos-Vinolas stormed to a 3-0 lead in the fifth and final set and the odds were now firmly in his favour to see out the match and gain a shock passage to the third round. But stirring down the barrel of defeat, Alcaraz picked himself up off the dirt and came back to win 6-4 to secure a third-round match-up with 27^th seed Sebastian Korda, who he previously lost to in the second round of the Monte Carlos Masters earlier this year.

“I’m still young, but I would say a pretty experienced player now. I feel comfortable playing in big stadiums, big matches, playing in Grand Slams,” Alcaraz said after defeating his countryman.

“Physically and mentally, I’m strong. I think I’m ready to play these kinds of matches in these situations and these tournaments.”

It is an incredible mentality to have at just 19, and even though Alcaraz couldn’t go on to win the French Open this year, losing to Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals, you can guarantee that he will have plenty more opportunities to win Roland-Garros and the other three Grand Slam titles over the course of the next 15 or 16 years. 

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Tennis player Rafael Nadal played despite his injury

Despite calls from his father to quit the match, Rafael continued to persevere through the match which landed him a place in the Wimbledon finals. That is, if he will play this Friday. 

Thus far, Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios are set to play against one another on Friday night. But, Nadal’s injury might make it impossible to play in the semi-finals tomorrow night. 

Right now, the match between Rafael Nadal and Nick has been a long-awaited one as the two are known rivals. Everyone knows, that Nick Kyrgios rubbed Nadal the wrong way when he won a match against the no. 1 seed back in 2014. 

Nick Kyrgios could get a pass into the Wimbledon finals

According to Fox News, Nick Kyrgios was only 19 years old when he made a name for himself. But, the most infuriating thing for Nadal is most likely the style in which Kyrgios chooses to play against his opponent. 

Previously, Rafael Nadal mentioned that Nick had no respect for the crowd, for himself and his opponent. This is undoubtedly through the underhanded serves Kyrgios gave Nadal during previous matches which were pretty much legal. 

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Right now, the crowd is hoping that they will be seeing Nick Kyrgios and Rafael Nadal go head to head tomorrow night so that the two will be able to ultimately squash their beef. This is doubt one of the biggest matches to take place to date. 

However, if Rafael Nadal does not recover from his injury soon enough, Nick Kyrgios will get a free pass into the Wimbledon finals. The semi-finals being Nick Kyrgios’s first-ever Wimbledon semi-finals.

The post Rafael Nadal might give Nick Kyrgios a pass into Wimbledon finals appeared first on Australian Times News.

The top seed could return to Australia after Covid-19 ruling

Right now, Novak Djokovic has his focus on the Wimbledon competition. But, the top seed might be able to return to Australia in January for the Australian Open. 

Previously, Novak Djokovic had his visa revoked two times as a result of his vaccination status. To date, the tennis player did not believe in getting a vaccine dose to participate in a sport which ultimately cost him this year.  

Thus far, the Serbian native was unable to participate in the Australian Open this year and has been very vocal about his mistreatment in Australia. 

However, the Covid-19 restrictions have been relaxed. This means Novak Djokovic will possibly get the green light to return for the competition next year. Right now, the top seed is hoping to earn his seventh Wimbledon title. 

Novak Djokovic thanks Billie-Jean King on Sunday

Earlier this year, Novak Djokovic was granted access to Australia. After a certificate from Serbia’s health officials stated that the tennis player had recently recovered from Covid-19. Unfortunately, his visa was ultimately revoked. Since he aggravated anti-vaxxers in Australia. 

So far, it seems the tennis player is looking forward to his next match after he defeated Dutch wildcard Tim Van Rijthoven. According to Yahoo! Sport, the top seed has landed himself his 13th quarter-finals in the all-England club. 

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After his match on Sunday, Novak Djokovic excitedly thanked Billie-Jean King for staying as long as she did at his match. The tennis player continued to say that “It’s an honor to play in front of you”

Fans were quick to applaud him for this as they noted it was his second time in doing so. Another added that Djokovic was a “gentleman” for paying tribute to Billie Jean King who was present since Sunday morning. 

The post Novak Djokovic could get the green light for the Australian Open next year appeared first on Australian Times News.

Lewis Hamilton speaks out about racial slurs

On Tuesday night, Lewis Hamilton shared that racial slurs had been used against him back in November 2021. Right now, the F1 driver feels that action needs to be taken. 

So far, this follows an incident of Juri Vips using racial slurs during an online game on Twitch. The junior racer has since been suspended pending an investigation into the current situation. 

To date, Formula 1 condemns the use of any discriminatory language in the Sport. They have since come out in support of Lewis Hamilton during this time. 

Former racer Nelson Piquet uses derogatory terms to refer to Hamilton

Right now, Nelson Piquet has not yet said anything about the racial slurs given this happened a few months ago. But, Lewis Hamilton expressed that it is time for action to be taken as there has been plenty of time for a change. 

“It’s more than language. These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I’ve been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life. There has been plenty of time to learn. The time has come for action,” 

According to News.com, Nelson Piquet commented on the race in which Verstappen and Hamilton were together. During the race, Hamilton sent Verstappen crashing into the barriers. The racer was then taken to the hospital for check-ups. 

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Following this, Nelson Piquet shared his thoughts on the matter while simultaneously using derogatory terms on Lewis Hamilton. The former racer’s daughter Kelly is currently dating Max Verstappen. 

“The n****r put the car in the wrong way on the corner, it’s because you don’t know the curve. It’s a very high curve, there is no way to pass two cars and there’s no way you can put the car aside.

The post Nelson Piquet to face action from Lewis Hamilton for racial slur appeared first on Australian Times News.

Streaming information 

Thus far, Novak Djokovic will be participating in the Wimbledon competition once again. After being banned from the Australian Open due to his vaccination status. 

If Djokovic wins the Wimbledon competition, it will count as his seventh win in the men’s singles and ultimately his 21st Grand Slam win this year. 

To date, the Wimbledon competition will be available to watch on Channel 9 at 7:30 pm (AEST) for the first eight nights as shared by ABC News. Thereafter, live coverage of the event will start at 9:30 pm or 10 pm (AEST). 

Changes in the Wimbledon competition in 2022

Previously, tennis competitors would have needed to adhere to strict attire rules which stated that players should only wear suitable tennis attire that should be almost completely white. 

This year, the rules have changed a bit and include changes in the days the competition is played. This time around, players will be playing on Sundays which would usually be considered a day off. 

In more good news, stadiums will now allow the full capacity of the venue to be filled. This comes in place as most covid restrictions are lifted. Right now, the world is slowly moving to what it once was.

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So far, players from Russia will be banned from the tournament as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These include Aryna Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka, Daniil Mededev, Andrey Rublev, and Karen Kachanov.  

The post Wimbledon tournament: All you need to know about the competition appeared first on Australian Times News.

The bout went the distance and to the judges’ scorecard. Two of the judges marked the contest 116-112 to Haney, while the other judge awarded it 118-110 to Haney, who is more affectionately known as The Dream.

Although the spoils went to Haney, who joined an exclusive club of fighters who have unified a division, which includes legends such as Bernard Hopkins and Terence Crawford, for Kambosos, he will have to lick his wounds and go back to the drawing board.

Kambosos admitted Haney was more direct and potent with his jab after his loss, as he said: “I was sharp [at] points. I landed some very good shots. I hurt him a few times. I feel like every time I landed clean, he was hurt.

“So, he just fought his game off that jab. He just boxed off that jab and he did his holding. He did hold a lot.”

More intriguingly, Kambosos has even talked up the possibility of a rematch with Haney.

He added: “I’m going to change a few things and get him back later this year.

“I took the risk, not many wanted to fight him but I gave him a shot and I’m sure we will do it again.”

Boxing can be a cruel mistress for the loser and sometimes in the biggest fights, the margins can be very tight. Over the past few years, there have been some fabulous contests across all the divisions and from a betting perspective, boxing continues to soar. At many of the best boxing sportsbooks, there will be plenty of lines pre-fight as well as in-play for bettors to engage with, while some even offer odds boosts too which can see you scoop big winnings on a longer price.

Some of the top sites, such as Betway and Unibet will be very flexible when it comes to payment methods for deposits and withdrawals. If you enjoy online betting with PayPal, then Betway and Unibet will be good options for you to explore, as there will be minimal fees passed on, and both sites will normally be quick at processing withdrawal requests.

There will have been some tough lessons for Kambosos, who has been in the game for over 20 years, to take. Of course, it will be fascinating to see how he responds in the coming months and he will be desperate to prove that he’s still a top fighter and can snatch back the titles from Haney’s grasp.

The post George Kambosos Jr hoping for shot at redemption after Devin Haney defeat appeared first on Australian Times News.

Golden State Warriors make a comeback after four years

Thus far, Steph Curry came back with a bang for his team in scoring 34 points in the deciding game six. Winning the NBA title for the 2021-22 season made Curry quite emotional after the game. 

“You hit rock bottom with injuries and the long road ahead… never take this for granted because you never know when you’ll get back here,” 

Steph Curry

Right now, Fox News shares just four years ago the Golden State Warriors won an NBA title. It would then take some time for the Golden State Warriors to be crowned the winners but the franchise ultimately got there. 

Warriors earn their fourth NBA title in the 2021-22 season

To date, having lost Curry and two other pivotal players for the warriors, winning an NBA title would be wishful thinking to the team as they perform their best with Steph Curry among others. 

Presently, Steph Curry earned the MVP title for scoring the most for the Golden State Warriors. Post-game, Curry struggled to hold back tears as he expressed how good it is to be at the top again. 

“To get back here means the world.”

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So far, the Golden State Warriors claimed the NBA title. That is, after winning over the Boston Celtics by 103-90 in the deciding game. Right now, its evident that the Celtics fought hard. But ultimately couldn’t get back up through some slip-ups in the beginning of the game.

The post NBA: Golden State Warriors crowned the champions in the finals appeared first on Australian Times News.

Manchester City were ultimately crowned the victors of the Premier League, claiming their 8th title in the tournament. But whilst the top English league was dominating the headlines, the League One sides were fighting it out in an effort to earn their promotion to the bigger leagues. 

Fulham (champions)

Fulham is no stranger to the Premier League, playing in the Championship for just 1 year before achieving their promotion.

The side has earned its place in the Premier League with an automatic promotion thanks to its first-place finish in the 21/22 season. Despite a string of unconvincing performances at the end of the season, the team managed to score a total of 90 points, beating second-place Bournemouth by just 2 points to be crowned the champions. 

Although they have previously played in the Premier League, Fulham has never earned the first place trophy with an all-time best finish position of 7th in the 2008/2009 season. With their re-entry to the league, fans will be eager to see just how the squad perform against the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea in the 22-23 season. 

Bournemouth (runners-up)

The second team automatically promoted to the Premier League is Bournemouth, finishing just 2 points behind Fulham and a full six ahead of third-place Huddersfield. 

Bournemouth is another team with just a short stint in the Championship and had previously spent 5 years at the top level of English football before being relegated in 2020. This 5 year period was the first time that Bournemouth had ever reached the Premier League and under Scott Parker, the side is looking for a second long stretch at the top level.

Nottingham Forest (playoff winners)

Nottingham Forest may have only finished fourth in the Championship, but a string of playoffs falling in their favour makes them the third team making their way to the Premier League this season. 

The team managed a 1-0 victory against favourites Huddersfield following an own goal from the centre back Levi Colwell, loaned to Huddersfield from Chelsea. Their successful Championship means that Nottingham Forest will head to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years.

Previously, Nottingham Forest had managed to keep their place in the Premier League between 1977/78 and 1998/99. With such a rich history within the top league, fans of the side will be eager for the 22-23 season to form the start of another long stint in the Premier League. 

Where to bet on the 22/23 Premier League

Football betting fans in the UK are spoiled for choice when it comes to the long list of good quality sports betting sites available. 

All of the betting sites in the UK are legally required to be licensed and regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring that all markets are safe and fair. With the commission recognised as one of the strictest in the world, bettors can be certain that they are in safe hands when wagering in the UK. 

To entice new players to place sports bets on the Premier League, betting sites will advertise bonuses for new sign-ups. With top-quality welcome offers from Bet365, SkyBet, Livescore Bet and 888Sport, newbies can get started with a new betting site with a hefty bonus. Read more about the best betting sites in the UK.

The new clubs in the 22-23 Premier League season

The 22-23 Premier League will see Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest play throughout the season with their promotion from the Championship. 

However, fans do have to wave goodbye to the bottom three sides with Burley, Watford and Norwich City making way for the new teams. 

Sports betting fans will be spoiled for choice come the start of the new season and with so many great sports betting sites available, the welcome offers are sure to be competitive. 

The post An overview of the new clubs in the Premier League appeared first on Australian Times News.

Important things to know 

So far, there are some rules that still apply to everyone attending the game tonight. These include wearing masks in public transport for the State of Origin game.

According to NRL, the Sydney Olympic Stadium is expecting a full house. This means you better try and beat the traffic to arrive early for the pre-entertainment show. In this way, you won’t miss out on anything in the first State of Origin game. 

Right now, it is important to note that if you haven’t booked your parking spot at the stadium, chances are that there isn’t any more place for your car. In this instance, you should consider traveling with the public transport provided for the big State of Origin game. 

Come prepared for the State of Origin game 1

Some other things to note is that if you really don’t need to carry a bag, don’t bring one. Upon arriving at the stadium. Security will be checking your bags. If you really need one, make sure it’s a small one. 

Thus far, many have been waiting to see the Blues vs the Maroons at the State of Origin this evening. Chances are that this will be a very suspenseful game.    

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To date, one of the stars of the night will be Jeremiah Nanai who has had an impeccable career thus far. The rugby player has scored at least 10 tries in his 12 appearances with the Maroons which surpasses his other opponents. 

Sadly though, Phil Gould will not be commentating on the game tonight.

The post State of Origin: Everything you need to know about game 1 appeared first on Australian Times News.

Defender banned for a week

Thus far, the Demons have decided to ban Steven May as a way of discipline for the defender. The club shared that Steven should not have been drinking at all as a result of a concussion he suffered on May 28th. 

“The leadership group has recommended imposing a one-match ban on Steven, a decision which has been endorsed by the club’s broader leadership,”

Now, the one-week ban is a big deal for Steven May as this means he will miss an important game against Collingwood at MGM. May also shared that it will be hard for him to watch but accepts the club’s decision. 

“Me not being out on the field is letting them (the fans) down, letting the team down. It’ll be hard to watch the game knowing I’m responsible for not being out there.

Steven May and Jake Melksham to do community service

So far, it is reported that Steve May told Jake Melksham that the Demons would not have won if he were present at the game. As a consequence, May found himself floored after Melksham had punched him for the comment. 

Right now, Jake Melksham will also face some consequences with Steven May. Both of them will be participating in some form of community service. As they play a big role in society as role models. 

Demons football boss Alan Richardson shared that community service will teach them responsibility. And the “impact they have as role models in the community.” 

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According to 7News, Richardson shared that it will be a shame for Steven to not be in the game. But, he made some poor decisions and that comes with consequences. 

“While the impact of not having him available for selection is significant, what is more, significant to us is our culture and the commitment we have to live by our values,”

The post Steven May banned for one week after altercation with Melksham appeared first on Australian Times News.

Fabio Carvalho joins Liverpool in July

Right now, Manchester City has landed the top spot in earning the Premier League this season. As for the Reds, they weren’t too far in landing this spot but unfortunately, City had other plans. 

Thus far, Liverpool confirmed they signed a new player from Fulham for the next season this summer. To date, the manager of Liverpool shared that he is impressed with his accolades and will have no difficulty being part of the team. 

Quite frankly, Liverpool only takes the best as Mohammed Salah earned his player of the year title. He also received his golden boot award after their determining match against Aston Villa. 

Bittersweet wins and losses

The moment was bittersweet, but Liverpool could say they have at least one victory at the end of the season. Regardless of losing, Liverpool was ultimately trialing behind Manchester City as all the teams played simultaneously. 

At the moment, Fabio’s addition to the team comes with the loss of Divock Origi. He will therefore be filling in the forward line that was otherwise lost as reported by 7News.

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So far, the 19-year-old will officially join the team on the 1st of July as his contract end with Fulham. Liverpool made sure that they wouldn’t face any kind of bidding which would put them in a difficult position. 

To have him on the team, the Reds acted rather swiftly for the good of their team. Thus far, the Reds have only won one Premier League title and lost out on their chance to win a second this season.  

The post Liverpool signs Fabio Carvalho for the new season on July 1st appeared first on Australian Times News.

Maybe you are looking for some background noise while playing at an online casino or maybe you are looking to throw a party for friends. There are some sporting events that are better to watch on TV though, and this list will rank some of the top options. 

1. Golf

It’s hard to watch golf in person because you are either limited to just one hole or are stuck following one player around. That’s not the case when watching on television as you will be able to follow along with the entire field.

Golf broadcasts do an unbelievable job of showing the most important shots, and they are able to bounce back and forth quickly. Golf is also a popular sport to play, and it’s amazing watching the professionals make tough shots on hard courses. 

2. Soccer

Soccer is a sport that doesn’t feature many goals, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t exciting to watch. This is the most popular sport worldwide, and there has been a big push in the United States as well. 

Even though there aren’t many goals scored, the action is still back and forth for more than 90 minutes. The goal celebrations in soccer are also worth watching for, and most of the stadiums are packed and provide plenty of energy. 

3. Track and Field

Track and field, especially during the Summer Olympics is one of the best live sporting events to watch. Even if you have no knowledge of anyone in the race, it is still a blast to watch these world-class athletes compete against one another. 

The 100 meter dash and the relays are usually the top viewing option for track and field enthusiasts, but any race has the possibility to end in a photo finish. 

4. Horse Racing

Horse racing used to be one of the most popular sports in the World, but that is no longer the case. It’s hard to follow horse racing unless you are a big fan, but it’s still extremely enjoyable to watch a race. 

The biggest race in the World is the Kentucky Derby, and this is one of the best sporting events to watch at home. It’s over in a couple of minutes, and you will find no shortage of excitement as the race is going on. 

5. Basketball

Basketball is extremely popular at both the college and professional levels, and each game is exciting to watch. March is a huge month for the sport of college basketball, and the NBA Playoffs attract plenty of attention in April-June.

Basketball is tough to watch in the final few minutes of a close game, because there are so many breaks in the action. The overall experience of watching basketball is still terrific and you always have the chance of seeing an incredible play. 

6. Hockey

You might be surprised to find hockey so high on the list, but this has to be viewed as one of the best sports to watch on TV. Watching it in the arena does provide an even better experience, but this is still a great sport to view through a television.

Hockey is not a sport that has a major following, but it’s hard to deny that the games aren’t a blast to watch. There are very limited stops in the action during NHL games, and it’s incredible to watch the players fly up and down the ice. 

7. Football

There really wasn’t even another option when trying to come up with the best sport to watch on TV. Whether it is college football or the NFL doesn’t really matter as both of these options are the most enjoyable. 

Football is a sport that is action-packed, and the NFL games now feature more scoring than ever. College football and the NFL dominate the ratings every weekend in the fall, and both sports do a tremendous job of marketing the top players. 

Most football games take three hours or less, and you will see plenty of action during that time.

The post Best Sports to Watch on TV appeared first on Australian Times News.

Golden State Warriors +275

The Golden State Warriors are currently the new favorites to win the 2022 NBA Championship. It appears as if they are the Golden State of old when they went to five consecutive NBA Finals from 2015-2019 and won three NBA Championships. 

Steph Curry is coming off the bench and he is scoring 30 points in his sleep. The emergence of Jordan Poole has helped this basketball team tremendously. They move the basketball with ease. Draymond Green continues to be the defensive anchor for this basketball team.

They have other role players on this basketball team that understand their assignments. The Golden State Warriors have a great culture in place thanks to head coach Steve Kerr. Golden State should end the series in Game 5 against the Denver Nuggets. However, if the Warriors face the number two seed Memphis Grizzlies in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, Memphis could give Golden State fits however though. 

Boston Celtics +350

The Boston Celtics are now the second-best favorites to win the 2022 NBA Championship. Boston just swept away the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Celtics played very good defense in that series and got easy baskets. Head coach Ime Udoka has done a great job galvanizing the troops. 

They are going to have to earn their stripes in the second round of the NBA Playoffs assuming they play the defending champions the Milwaukee Bucks in the next round. Milwaukee has better defense and they also move the basketball which will be a challenge for the Celtics big time.

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart are the big three for this basketball team. Boston is a good basketball team, but they don’t feel like title contenders though. 

Phoenix Suns +450

The Phoenix Suns have the third-best odds to win the 2022 NBA Championship despite the fact they don’t have Devin Booker for the next three to four weeks with a hamstring injury. The offense looks completely different without him. They miss his scoring big time. As good as Chris Paul is, he doesn’t have that scoring a bucket capability like Devin Booker does.

DeAndre Ayton has played very well for the Suns. He has played very well in this series against the New Orleans Pelicans up to this point. Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Cameron Payne, Jae Crowder, and others will need to hit their shots when called upon.

Their defense is not an issue because of the structure in place thanks to head coach Monty Williams. Assuming they get past the first round, the Phoenix Suns will be challenged big time in the second round of the NBA Playoffs potentially against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.

Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat +650

The Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat are currently the fourth-best favorites to win it all with these odds. Milwaukee is the defending NBA Champions and they are looking to go back-to-back. The Bucks are loaded with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis Jr., and Jrue Holiday. 

Khris Middleton is injured, but Grayson Allen, Wesley Matthews, and Brook Lopez have stepped up big time. Mike Budenholzer is a very good head coach for this basketball team. 

The Miami Heat have catalysts like Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, and Bam Adebayo. Erik Spolestra is one of the best coaches in the NBA. 

The post Updated Odds to Win the 2022 NBA Championship appeared first on Australian Times News.

Total Wide Receivers Taken In the First-Round

The over 6.5 total wide receivers taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft money line is -130 and the under 6.5 total wide receivers taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft money line is -110. 

Bet the over 6.5 total wide receivers taken off the board in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. There will be seven wide receivers taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. When the first one comes off the board, it will start to avalanche after that. 

Here will be the seven wide receivers taken off the board in the first round: 10. New York Jets- Garrett Wilson, Ohio State, 11. Washington Commanders- Drake London, USC, 15. Philadelphia Eagles- Jameson Williams, Alabama, 16. New Orleans Saints- Chris Olave, Ohio State, 24. Dallas Cowboys- Treylon Burks, Arkansas, 28. Green Bay Packers- Jahan Dotson, Penn State, and 29. Kansas City Chiefs- Skyy Moore, Western Michigan.

Total Defensive Players Taken In the First-Round

The odds for over 15.5 defensive players to be taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft is -150 and the odds for under 15.5 defensive players to be taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft is +110. 

Bet the over 15.5 defensive players taken in the first round of this draft. There will be 16 defensive players that will be selected this year in the first round. However, it is very understandable if you bet the under because it would be a quality bet. A lot of teams feel like they have more needs on the offensive side of the football rather than the defensive side of the football.

There will be offensive linemen, wide receivers, and quarterbacks coming off the board on offense. There will be a plethora of edge rushers coming off the board early in the 2022 NFL Draft. Cornerbacks are going to be a major need for some teams as well this year because the NFL is more of a passing league.

Total Cornerbacks Taken In the First-Round

The odds for over 4.5 cornerbacks to be taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft will be +110. The odds for under 4.5 cornerbacks to be taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft will be -150. 

Bet the over 4.5 total cornerbacks taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The money line for that is +110. There will be five cornerbacks taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Those cornerbacks that will be taken off the board in the first round will be 4. New York Jets- Ahmad Gardner, Cincinnati, 13. Houston Texans- Derek Stingley Jr., LSU, 18. Philadelphia Eagles- Trent McDuffie, Washington, 23. Arizona Cardinals- Kaiir Elam, Florida, and 30. Kansas City Chiefs-Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson. 

Total Safeties Taken In the First-Round

The odds for over 1.5 safeties to be taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft will be a -300 money line and the odds for under 1.5 safeties to be taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft will be +200.

Bet the over 1.5 safeties taken in the draft and they will be 12. Minnesota Vikings- Kyle Hamilton, Notre Dame, and 31. Cincinnati Bengals- Daxton Hill, Michigan.

The post NFL Draft Odds appeared first on Australian Times News.

With somebody that has had the type of career that Bellinger had prior to the 2021 season, it’s pretty crazy to think that he was the type of player he was in 2021. Bellinger has been named the National League MVP, a two-time All-Star, all MLB first-team, the Rookie of the Year, and countless other awards.

Obviously, still being just 26 years old, the spotlight could’ve gotten to him and that could be part of the reasons why he did struggle. When he was struggling, the national media made sure to let him know and when things start to go south in Los Angeles, it’s not always easy to just turn around and pick it back up.

How’s Bellinger Doing To Start The Season?

What Cody Bellinger has been able to do at the start of the 2022 season is an incredible sign for the Los Angeles Dodgers. If they can continue getting production out of him, now we are seriously talking about the best lineup that baseball has ever seen. A lineup that is going to feature Bellinger, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Will Smith, Max Muncy, and a few other high level hitters is nearly unstoppable.

Bellinger was recently named the national league player of the week for the week of April 18-24. He hit .304 during the week(7-for-23) with three home runs and an OPS of 1.174. It was the first time since 2019 where he truly looked like himself and it was a beautiful sight to see.

What’s Changed For Bellinger?

When looking at his advanced stats, most of the numbers jump out for him having a potential productive year. He currently has an above average exit velocity, hard hit percentage, xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, barrel percentage, and a few other advanced metrics are looking good to start the year.

His exit velocity is something to look for this season. He hasn’t had a season since 2019 where his average exit velocity was over 90.0 MPH, but this season, his average exit velocity is 90.3. Whenever you can hit the ball over 90 MPH, good things usually happen.

His 2019 stats are considerably better than what he is producing right now, but it’s a step in the right direction for the 26 year-old. In 2019, he hit .305 and belted 47 home runs while driving in 115 RBIs.

Can He Win The MVP?

When thinking about if he can win the MVP, the chances are certainly there. He is one of the best defensive outfielders in all of baseball and that’s only going to help his case. If he can continue playing at the level that he is, it would be tough to say that anybody in the National League is going to play better than him. 

We all know that he’s going to leave the yard at least 30 times if he is on his game and if he can get that batting average to about .275, there is a chance that he walks away with the award.

The season is still young, but if Cody Bellinger can continue playing the way that he has, not only does he have an outside chance of winning the National League MVP award, but the Dodgers are going to be even better than what many people were thinking.

The post Cody Bellinger Named NL Player of the week, is he back to his MVP self? appeared first on Australian Times News.

Arsenal fans are ecstatic about the win over Chelsea

So far, Arsenal fans have been stocked with the team win recently, and with reason, as they ultimately won against the team by 4 – 2. 

One thing that is different this time around is that Chelsea could not allow any more new ticket purchases from their home fans. 

The current government sanctions only allowed about 77% of the capacity of the Stanford Stadium and amounted to a little over 32 000 people at the venue.

Stadium capacity at Standford remained at 77%

Usually, the Stadium’s maximum capacity is around 40 000 but unfortunately, the stadium could only allow so many people in the venue. 

However, those Chelsea fans who were able to enter the venue did have a good first half of the game in which their team was able to get in two goals. 

According to ESPN, Chelsea has lost three previous home games in the league and their recent loss would add to the statistics. 

Right now, despite their loss, Chelsea remains three points above Tottenham and Arsenal. This Saturday, Arsenal will get a chance to move themselves up into the Champions League. 

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On Tuesday, Manchester United could not manage to outsmart Liverpool as they won the team by 4 – 0. Liverpool is now on the top in first place, leaving Chelsea at third.

The post Chelsea and Arsenal match determines Champions League placement appeared first on Australian Times News.

Despite the fact Callan Ward was playing its 250^th match, the Giants were outclassed in a 16.13 (109) to 10.13 (73) loss. The coach Leon Cameron called this outcome “the Richmond Way”.

The Giants Did Not Compete at the Same Level in 2022

After an 11-10 season that was a middle of the road one in 2012, which saw the Giants win a final over the Sydney Swans, before losing to Geelong in the semi-final, many hoped that they will compete again at the same level in the new AFL season.

However, they were outclassed by the Tigers and Swans in two successive games at the beginning of the AFL season. All this made Sam McClure from the Herald Sun question the team’s salary cap.

The 2019 success convinced the Giants to invest in their midfield core. In that line, Lachie Whitfield, Toby Greene, Jake Kelly and Stephen Coniglio sign lucrative long-term contracts.

So, speaking on Footy Classified on Monday, McClure said that the deal Coniglio signed after 2029 was ill-advised and it would prove to be a major obstacle in the club’s ability to recruit good players.

He says that he stands by his claims that the contract was the wrong decision by the club.

McClure says that he has nothing against Coniglio, whom he considers to be a great servant of the club for a long time, but he just had to be let go. In his opinion, there are plenty of midfielders coming through the ranks in the Giants. 

He goes on to claim that the decision to award him a lucrative contract has put the club into a corner for the next few years, saying that it has “destroyed the club financially”.

The Team Just Relies Too Much on the Star-Studded AFL Midfield

Former Port Adelaide player and a great AFL servant Kane Cornes agrees with McClure in this case. He says that the Giants have made massive missteps in creating their list. The long-term deal Kelly signed that is to run until 2029, would also be very problematic in the club’s attempt to win their first Premiership, eveafln though Kelly is considered to be one of the best midfielders around.

Kane Cornes says that clubs must be brave when discussing new deals, and sometimes they need to be ready to make a “tough” decision for long-term benefits.

He says that the club has made a massive mistake with Kelly, and in a few years’ time, the same discussion as Coniglio’s one will emerge.

However, he states that Coniglio would have got the contract in other clubs in the AFL, if not at the Giants. He references Williams who got seven years at Carlton, Polec got five years contract, Hannebery got five, and Shiel got six, so there are plenty of clubs in the AFL falling into this trap.

He calls for more bravery with teams, and he urges them not to be scared of losing their best players.

Coniglio has had an injury-hit 2021 campaign, and it has raised eyebrows about his form even back then. However, now, he has regained fitness and he shares captaincy duties with Kelly and Greene.

He has had a good start in the 2022 AFL season, but that wasn’t enough for McClure. He has remained sceptical about the new contract, but it only remains to be seen if his and Kane Cornes’ predictions will come true.

McClure adds that the list management in the Giants has been misguided and the club has simply ‘picked up too many midfielders year after year’.

All these contract decisions will harm the club in the coming years according to McClure, and he finishes his criticism by saying that if Coniglio had left, the Giants would have been able to recover, it wouldn’t have been so harmful to their aspirations.

The post AFL 2022: How Stephen Coniglio’s $7 Million Deal Could Affect the Giants Financially appeared first on Australian Times News.

Gillon McLachlan announces his leave from the AFL

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Gillon McLachlan had to put aside his wish for leaving the AFL in 2020. Instead, he focussed on leading the AFL to be in a firm shape before he eventually steps down as the boss. 

During his career at the AFL, Gillon McLachlan has done tremendous work in creating a good amount of teams in the league. As the sixth season comes to a close, Gillon has decided that now is the right time to give it up. 

“I’m leaving now because it feels right. Right for the AFL, right for me, right for my family. It is clearly more complicated than that, but actually, in simple terms, it is not.

Gillon won’t take part in the candidate selection

Right now, the AFL has a number of potential successors as a replacement for Gillon McLachlan. However, Gillon does not want to be a part of the decision-making as he feels he is not at liberty to decide who is good enough. 

“That is not a decision for me. I’m not trying to be churlish about it. Richard and the commission, it is their decision to make,”

Presently, Christine Holgate has been flagged as a potential candidate for the role. In the meantime, AFL chair Richard Goyder has expressed what a wonderful job Gillon McLachlan has done for the AFL so far.

As reported by 7News, Gillon does not know what he will do after stepping down as chief executive of the AFL, but he will look forward to being available for his children’s sports games. 

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Thus far, Goyder has revealed that he is not exactly happy about Gillion Mclachlan’s decision to leave but will support it. Gillon has always expressed that he wants to leave at the peak of his career and is doing just that.  

The post Gillon McLachlan to step down as AFL Chief Executive appeared first on Australian Times News.

F1 drivers call for the calendar to be adjusted

While the Grand Prix has already started, drivers have shared that the calendar should be adjusted. This comes as the travel between different countries especially to Australia is pretty far for F1 drivers. 

Generally, F1 drivers would get some time to spend with their families but now it looks like it has to be shortened as they have to consider the time difference. 

To prepare for their races, drivers always travel ahead of time to settle in and prepare. Right now, the gap between their previous race and Australia is pretty large for F1 drivers. 

Preparing for jetlag and racing

As Melbourne will be a standalone race, both F1 drivers and mechanics will have extremely limited time to spare. Mechanics will especially suffer as they would have to travel much more. 

According to Fox News, Melbourne was traditionally the season opener. This helped teams not grow travel-weary and was all-in-all quite agreeable. 

To many other F1 drivers, the Melbourne race could have been done back to back with an Eastern country as it would narrow down the travel time. One such driver includes George Russel. 

“I think having Melbourne in-between races, especially as a standalone, is too tough for the teams and everybody,”

George Russel

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To date, the Grand Prix takes place after nearly two years. It also marks two years since the Grand Prix took place in Melbourne for.  

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Payne Haas lays his hands on Albert Kelley

In the video shared by Fox News, Payne Haas could be seen lifting his fist towards Albert Kelly. Eventually punching him. This cannot be good news for Haas. As he is still on a good behavior bond for two years since February 2021. 

Albert Kelly could be heard saying “Why would I step on your shoes?”

Whereas Payne could be heard calling Albert a “f****ng c**t”

Right now, Payne Haas might be forfeiting any talks of an upgrade. Which would make him the highest paying forward at present. As the incident is now under investigation, things aren’t looking too good Payne. 

Payne is in trouble yet again

This incident is said to have taken place after their match against the Bulldogs as the group had gone out for drinks thereafter. It is at this time that the altercation broke out in the foyer. 

To date, Payne Haas has been having trouble with the integrity unit more than once. He has initially received a $20 000 dollar fine for failing to cooperate with the integrity unit. He was simultaneously suspended from four games by the NRL. 

More: Melbourne vs Essendon: Rookie Tex Wanganeen scores his first goal

Presently, there are talks of whether Payne Haas is happy at the Broncos as well as if he would like to move onto another club. His behavior right now is really combatting any chance of anything. 

In a second incident, Haas was fined an additional $50 000 dollars for intimidating police and using profane language toward them. There is no telling what is next for Payne.

The post Payne Haas is in trouble for another misdeed in the Broncos club appeared first on Australian Times News.

Tex Wanganeen makes his debut in the AFL in Melbourne vs Essendon match

As reported by Herald Sun, Tex Wanganeen made his first debut last week with the Brisbane Lions. During this match, Tex didn’t exactly get to play as he was on the bench as a substitute. 

Right now, many fans, as well as other players, are a bit upset with how much attention Tex Wanganeen is getting. This comes as he hasn’t really played for the season but is being credited with playing AFL after the Melbourne vs Essendon match. 

Gavin Wanganeed steals hearts all over with his reaction to the goal

While this may be the case, Gavin Wanganeen could not contain his excitement when his son scored his first goal in the AFL. It was an incredibly sweet moment for fans all over. 

Just as Tex Wanganeen scored his first goal, his father jumped up from his seat in excitement and quickly turned his head towards the big screen for a replay of his son’s goal in the Melbourne vs Essendon match.

Thus far, Tex Wanganeen has spent absolutely no time on the field following his recent victory in surpassing a player. While this might be impressive, others think that he cannot be credited with playing AFL. 

During the game, many comments flooded as the excitement burst on the field. Now, Luke Hodge also had something to say about the match at hand. 

“As you do for your first goal in AFL football you just turn around and snap on your non-preferred (foot), straight through the middle,”

Luke Hodge

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To date, AFL legend Gavin Wanagneed has played 127 of his games out of 327 for Essendon.

The post Melbourne vs Essendon: Rookie Tex Wanganeen scores his first goal appeared first on Australian Times News.

Lance Franklin in the exclusive club

After Lance made history for himself, the SCG was filled with red and white. As fans swarmed to the field in celebration of his 1000th goal. According to The Guardian, it took Lance over 10 minutes to leave the delirious crowd. 

Before entering the game, Lance Franklin had exactly 996 goals to his name. But came to a lot closer to his extreme goal record within the first quarter. 

Celebrating victory and history

With only six minutes left to the game, fans could not help themselves but express their joy by going onto the field. This moment won’t exactly happen again, that’s for sure.  

Thus far, Lance Franklin will join Tony Lockett, Gordon Coventry, Jason Dunstall, Doug Wade, and Gary Ablet in the exclusive club.

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In 2005, Lance scored exactly 580 goals with Hawthorn before adding another 420 with the Swans since 2014. While the victory was sweet, the former manager for Hawthorn was also at the game. He witnessed the sweet victory and was even spotted wearing a Swans scarf.

The post Lance Franklin scores his 1000th goal in match against Geelong! appeared first on Australian Times News.

Suddenly, Ireland held all the aces, and they quickly engaged top gear as they looked to put England to the sword on their own patch. A Johnny Sexton penalty was quickly added to by James Lowe’s lung-busting run to the try-line, as Ireland established an 8-0 lead. When Caelan Dorris crossed the line moments later, England looked set to take a beating, but the TMO spotted a knock-on in the build-up and that seemed to give the home side hope.  

Indeed, Ireland looked unsure of themselves with the man-advantage. Having put so much preparation into matching England 15 against 15, it no doubt came as something of a shock for the visitors to have the upper hand so early into the game. They were frantic and rushed at the breakdown and scrum, giving away countless penalties and making numerous handling errors. By half-time, Ireland had a 15-9 lead thanks to Hugo Keenan’s try, but England were producing a spirited display against the Six Nations 2022 odds.

After the break, England continued to push Ireland to the limits, and the away side just couldn’t establish the dominance many expected them to after the early red card. A couple more penalties from the boot of Marcus Smith brought the score level with just 15 minutes to go, and suddenly it felt like England had momentum on their side.

However, a penalty moments later saw Ireland edge back into the lead, and something seemed to click for Sexton and co. In the final 10 minutes, they made their advantage count as English legs began to tire, with Jack Conan and Finlay Bealham scoring tries to earn Ireland what looked like a comfortable win from the scoreline, but head coach Andy Farrell and his side will be well aware that it was anything but.

In the end, Ireland got what they came for — a bonus-point victory to set up a grandstand finish next weekend. However, there will need to be some serious looks in the mirror to assess how they let England get so close to causing an upset despite being reduced to 14 men so early in the game. 

Many in the rugby community have mooted the idea of an ‘orange card’, where players can be sent off individually but a replacement brought on after a certain period of playing with 14 men. However, if this uniquely thrilling contest proved anything, it’s that the advantage of having the extra man doesn’t always work in a team’s favour. 

Ireland froze in the headlights at Twickenham, their own game plan uprooted by the brandishing of Raynal’s red card. They managed to secure a convincing win in the end as far as the scoreline was concerned, but there remains a strange feeling that England were the team who went home happier.

The post Ireland’s win over England provided strange and unique excitement appeared first on Australian Times News.

The long-time great has ended her career with the Australian Open by winning a trophy for a singles match. Previously, Ash Barty was ranked number 1 in the world for approximately 122 days in a row. 

Ash Barty retires from Tennis at 25

Right now, her reasoning comes as she seeks to do something more fulfilling with her life. Ash Barty explained that tennis has given her so much so far and that she intends to do much more with her life after this chapter has closed. 

“There was just a little part of me that wasn’t quite satisfied, wasn’t quite fulfilled,”

After many years of investing herself in tennis, Ash has found that she wants to do more with her life and explore other avenues in terms of her career. Thus far, things are looking quite bright for her. 

Tributes pour in for Barty

Thus far, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has taken to social media to congratulate Ash Barty on all her achievements and wished her well with her future endeavors as well as a good run with her fiance. 

“Thank you for inspiring a nation. You are all class. Your achievements will be celebrated for all time,” 

Scott Morrison

At the age of 18, Ash Barty had already paved the way for her career until now. According to ABC News, the phenomenal tennis player shared the news via an interview on her Instagram. 

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While Ash did make the decision to retire, she said it was quite a difficult decision to make but had altogether decided that it was the best decision to make at this time. 

“I’ll never, ever, ever stop loving tennis, it’ll always be a massive part of my life. But now I think it’s important that I get to enjoy the next phase of my life as Ash the person, not Ash Barty the athlete.”

The post Ash Barty announces that she is retiring from Tennis at 25 appeared first on Australian Times News.

Ricciardo Upbeat for a Great Season Ahead

Ricciardo and his manager believe that this season will be better than the last one because the athlete is accustomed to the secrets of his new destination. He failed to appear for the testing sessions during Bahrain Grand Prix, implying that he is yet to drive the car since the previous Barcelona test. Meanwhile, find out why Ricciardo was recently accused of playing dirty in the F1 race.

Although McLaren had options to take over in case Ricciardo would not be fit for the upcoming weekend event, the presence of the veteran will boost the team’s confidence.

The team is aware that losing more than a day in training has a devastating effect on a sportsman. However, Australian formula One lovers believe Ricciardo will use his wealth of experience to compensate for the lost time.

F1 in High Spirits after the Latest Test Results

McLaren had prepared well for the upcoming event and had no control over what would befall Ricciardo. This season is the second year when Ricciardo is working with the McLaren team. The Australian sportsman did not find the first year particularly enjoyable. Fans expect that this is the season for Ricciardo to prove his worth amongst the best.

Moreover, Australians expect Ricciardo will solve his speed and consistency problems and compete well alongside Lando Norris. In particular, Ricciardo welcomed the new Formula 1 rules and the nature of the revolution that the sport has experienced. He believes that the reformation has brought about a level playground for all sportspersons. Ricciardo once confessed that getting into a new team, learning the tricks in a team, and getting the team to understand you is not an easy task. This area is where the Australian driver has excelled. He has taken time to learn how McLaren trains and competes.

Ricciardo’s Wealth of Experience will Play Significance

Moreover, Ricciardo had been involved in all phases of car development, which means that he has been testing it before approval. He understands the car that he is going to operate. He will also use his prior experience with the car to compensate for the lack of time to test while his teammates were doing so.

This season Ricciardo will make news headlines because he will race in a car that has a personal touch. He will compete in an MCL36 that has his input in the design. Ricciardo is different from other drivers who only participate in the competition because he invests his time in developing a car model that suits his skills. When a driver spends time with a car from modelling to the time it is being used for competition, he will understand it more than a person who sees the vehicle on the road.

Notably, Ricciardo’s return brings improvement to his teammate Norris – who struggled with the issues of the braking system during testing. He also brings his expertise in the architecture of the car and a splendid track record to the Bahrain competition. Besides, Ricciardo showed an element of improvement in each race he participated in in 2021. Expect better performance in the weekend race.

The post What season can we expect from Daniel Ricciardo? appeared first on Australian Times News.

Nick Kyrgios loses his concentration

During his first set, Nick found it difficult to concentrate as a loud fan continued to shout during the tennis match. The umpire, who spoke to the individual expressed that there are many tennis watchers in the building but was the only person who made a commotion. 

To Nick’s frustration, he called out the fan and asked, “are you good at tennis?” to which the fan replied no. He then continued to say, “Exactly, so why are you speaking?” 

While Kyrgios may have struggled with his serve in the first set, he managed to win his second by 7-6. It was Rafael Nadal though, that maintained his composure. The fan, however, continued to rattle Nick Kyrgios.

Rafael Nadal ultimately won the game

Rafael Nadal was ultimately crowned the winner having won 19 matches, including the one against Nick Kyrgios of course. Nick expressed to the umpire that he should have had the situation under control and did not handle it appropriately. 

While Nick Kyrgios’ matches are always something to look forward to, no one expected the match to take this unexpected turn. That is, Nick, involved Hollywood actor Ben Stiller.  

“Do I tell him what to do? No.”

Nick Kyrgios

At the end of the match, Nick was not happy about the defeat although he shook hands with the winner Rafael Nadal. Shortly thereafter, Nick sought to smash the second bat of the match. 

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He gained a lot of criticism after a piece of his bat nearly hit a ball boy. It appears that it nearly hit the young ball boy as it fell just a few meters away from him. 

When asked about the incident, Nick Kyrgios answered very irritably and replied, “what do you want me to say” as reported by Fox News. 

The post Nick Kyrgios loses his cool during the third set with Rafael Nadal appeared first on Australian Times News.

AFL kick off starts strong

While many have been extremely resilient during the struggles of the covid pandemic, it has been frustrating for others to get back to work. This does not only apply to sport but the various industries.  

Right now though, some are more preoccupied with the free-kick debacle. This is subject for debate but he got it anyway. Did he touch him or no?

Within the first quarter of the AFL games, the Demons have managed to keep their score consistent while the Bulldogs trail behind them. 

Bulldogs trail behind the Demons

It seems as though the Demons have actually given the Bulldogs a hard time as they actually got a free-kick during the quarter of the game which left the Bulls really struggling. 

All in all, the Demons have really made a mark for themselves in the opening season of the AFL, and impressively so.  As reported by 7News, the Bulldogs have plenty to work on in 2022 given their recent performance.

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Right now, it seems that the Demons have actually started the season in the best possible fashion. Preceding the beginning of the AFL, the Premier gave a heartwarming speech to kick off the matches. 

“I hope this is the first of many (premierships) and we are set up for a period of sustained success,”

Kate Roffey

The post AFL back and running after covid surge among team members appeared first on Australian Times News.

Aussies Cameron Smith scores a $5 million win

One of the most heartwarming moments for Cameron though is being able to see his family again. Having not seen them for almost two years due to Australian border restrictions, his family was certainly in for a treat. 

The cricket star, Cameron Smith saw himself hitting a shot that would have really made or break him. The ball literally landed on a narrow ground or patch of land. This shot was only a little off from going in the hole. 

Now, the PGA Tour is a really make or break in any golfers career and what happens there will really determine what people will remember you for. Cameron Smith surely made this a memorable moment for many reasons.

Cameron sees his family after two years

During the tour, Sam Burn had suffered a huge blow to a potential win after he had landed his ball in the water. This saw a huge markdown in his score. While Cameron started off a rocky start, he was able to get himself together and do what he does best.

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As for Cameron Smith and his family, his mother, as well as his sister, was able to make it to the tournament two weeks prior before it started as reported by The Guardian. Well, this was surely a sweet reunion as the family now has plenty to celebrate. 

Right now, the prize Cameron Smith won is one of the biggest ones won in the PGA Tour history. So, let’s not forget that trophy with his name on it.

The post Cameron Smith is now $5 million dollars richer in a lucky shot appeared first on Australian Times News.

Fantasy Football Do’s

Do Your Research

The first step to having a successful fantasy football season is doing your research. This means studying players’ stats, looking at last year’s performances, and predicting how well they will do this year. You also need to look at each team’s schedule and see their toughest opponents.

Create A Solid Strategy

Once you’ve gathered all of this information, it’s time to create a strategy. Figure out which players you want to draft and in what order. There’s no right or wrong way to do this, but make sure your plan makes sense and that you have backups in case someone gets injured or drops out of the league.

Stay Updated On Changes

Football is constantly evolving, so it’s important to stay up to date with changes in the Premier League. Things like player transfers, injuries, and suspensions can all have a significant impact on your team. Be sure to check in on the latest news and lineup predictions for the Premier League matches to make necessary changes to your squad.

Know the Fantasy Football Rules

This is probably the most underrated aspect of fantasy football. Make sure you know the scoring system, roster requirements, and waiver rules before draft day. This will help you make smart picks and don’t end up with a team that can’t compete.

Balance Your Players

It’s important to have a balanced team in fantasy football, so don’t overload one or two players. You want to have some backups in case someone gets injured or drops out of the league. And remember, it’s better to have a consistently good player than one who has a few big games and lots of bad ones.

Fantasy Football Don’ts

Don’t Overspend on a Player

Just like in real life, you need to be careful with your money when drafting players in fantasy football. Don’t spend all your money on one player and then end up with a team of scrubs. Try to draft players who are consistent and have a good track record.

Choose a player’s value over their popularity when drafting. Do your research and pick players you think will do well, regardless of their popularity.

Don’t Draft Your Favorite Players- If They Can’t Propel Your Team to Victory

It’s always tempting to draft your favorite player, but if they’re not performing well, then it won’t do you any good. Try to be realistic when drafting, and don’t rely on your favorite players to carry your team to victory.

When drafting players, think about the role that each one of them will play on your team. If you have a strong running game, for example, you’ll want to draft players who are good at receiving the ball.

Don’t Draft Players You Don’t Need

While it might seem like a great idea to draft players with great resale potential,  it’s not always the smartest move. If you have your eye on a player who you think will be drafted later on, it’s often better to just wait and see if they’re still available rather than using up a valuable draft pick on them.

Don’t Auto Draft

One of the most common mistakes made by beginner Fantasy Premier League managers is allowing their computer-selected teams to win matches for them. This can be tempting, but don’t do it! Auto

Auto-drafting your team is a surefire way to end up with a sub-par squad.

Conclusion

Fantasy football can be a lot of fun, but it’s important to do your research and know what you’re doing before diving in headfirst. By following the tips above, you’ll be well on your way to putting together a competitive team that has a good chance of winning your league.

The post The Do’s and Don’ts of Fantasy Football: A Guide for New Players appeared first on Australian Times News.

Sam Newman pays emotional tribute to Shane Warne

In a recent interview, Sam Newman has paid tribute to the wonderful person Shane Warne was to him and other friends. He shared that Shane was a very loyal person. As he had supported him when he lost his wife Amanda’s sudden death. She is said to have suffered from cardiac arrest. 

“He really cared about how I was going,”

Sam Newman

According to The Citizen, Shane Warne had died from natural causes. He was found to have suffered from a heart attack. Shane was found unresponsive in the Villa he had been staying in Thailand after failing to show up to dinner. On the other hand, Sam Newman had learned of his death through a news notification.

The aftermath of the tragic news

He was taken to hospital but he, unfortunately, could not be revived. After the autopsy results have been revealed, his family has accepted the cause but is now dealing with the tragic and sudden death. Shane Warne was just 52-year-old.

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Sam Newman and Shane Warne had been friends for nearly 30 years and was very emotional to talk about his dear friend in the past tense. Sam also explained how he had found out about his death via a news notification. He was reportedly in disbelief to hear about this.

“On the day I learned of his death I was in bed and I heard the beep go on my phone, which was beside the bed,”

Shane Warne and Sam Newman were supposed to go car shopping once Shane had come back from Thailand. Shane was also going to go for a check-up as he had been experiencing chest pains in Thailand as relayed by his father. 

The post Sam Newman shares his last memories with Shane Warne appeared first on Australian Times News.

France Look the Team to Beat This Year

Take a look at the 2022 Six Nations betting and you’ll see that it’s the French team who are the firm favourites this year with odds of 4/7. They certainly started off in fine form with victories over Ireland and Italy. Turn to Italy, however, and it’s a very different story. In 16 of the 20 years they have been part of the competition, they have come bottom of the six. The only records they have set have been in points conceded – 239 in 2021, an average of over 47 a match – and in the biggest-ever losing margin of 57 points when England beat them 80–23 in 2001.

This poor run of form has led some in the rugby world to wonder if it wouldn’t be better if a more competitive team altogether could be included in their place – with South Africa being a leading contender. There have also been rumours that Italy could retain their place and a Seven Nations competitition could be held instead.

Could South Africa Actually Join?

The inclusion of the Springboks could be good for them, providing international rugby for the team in their late summer. The fact that the country is in approximately the same time zone as where the current matches are played would be a good fit for broadcasters.

But, although this proposed change to the current order of things would not happen until 2025 at the earliest, it seems likely that it’s not going to happen at all.

That’s because the Six Nations organisers have now stated that it’s certainly not on their agenda for now, or even for the future. The prevailing opinion from the governing bodies of the countries currently included is also that the status quo should be preserved. Add to this the fact that Italy would have to agree to withdraw and it all becomes even more unlikely. For a start, they would need to be heavily financially compensated – and it is a country that is committed to developing the sport so this would be a distinctly retrograde move.

The inclusion of South Africa would possibly also have a knock-on effect for future British Lions tours, including starting a bidding war between the US, Argentina and Japan for the 2033 expedition.

It’s the rugby competition that fans not just in Europe but all over the world look forward to every February. Held when the very worst of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter weather is due to be over, the Six Nations Championship is the chance to see who from England, Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, France and Italy will prevail. Every country is keen to come out on top and the ultimate ambition must be to achieve the Grand Slam by winning all five games.

France Look the Team to Beat This Year

Take a look at the 2022 Six Nations betting and you’ll see that it’s the French team who are the firm favourites this year with odds of 4/7. They certainly started off in fine form with victories over Ireland and Italy. Turn to Italy, however, and it’s a very different story. In 16 of the 20 years they have been part of the competition, they have come bottom of the six. The only records they have set have been in points conceded – 239 in 2021, an average of over 47 a match – and in the biggest-ever losing margin of 57 points when England beat them 80–23 in 2001.

This poor run of form has led some in the rugby world to wonder if it wouldn’t be better if a more competitive team altogether could be included in their place – with South Africa being a leading contender. There have also been rumours that Italy could retain their place and a Seven Nations competitition could be held instead.

Could South Africa Actually Join?

The inclusion of the Springboks could be good for them, providing international rugby for the team in their late summer. The fact that the country is in approximately the same time zone as where the current matches are played would be a good fit for broadcasters.

But, although this proposed change to the current order of things would not happen until 2025 at the earliest, it seems likely that it’s not going to happen at all.

That’s because the Six Nations organisers have now stated that it’s certainly not on their agenda for now, or even for the future. The prevailing opinion from the governing bodies of the countries currently included is also that the status quo should be preserved. Add to this the fact that Italy would have to agree to withdraw and it all becomes even more unlikely. For a start, they would need to be heavily financially compensated – and it is a country that is committed to developing the sport so this would be a distinctly retrograde move.

The inclusion of South Africa would possibly also have a knock-on effect for future British Lions tours, including starting a bidding war between the US, Argentina and Japan for the 2033 expedition.

So, while it may look like an appealing idea on paper, it’s never going to work out in practice for a number of reasons, but predominantly for financial ones. And, in any sport, these are often the most powerful of all.

So, while it may look like an appealing idea on paper, it’s never going to work out in practice for a number of reasons, but predominantly for financial ones. And, in any sport, these are often the most powerful of all.

The post Don’t Put Your Money on South Africa Joining the Six Nations in 2025 appeared first on Australian Times News.

Barcelona facing fierce competition

In each competition, Barcelona has made it to the final four, four times but lost in each game by one goal. If the team steps it up this time, they might have a chance at playing in the Champion’s League. 

Now, perhaps management is the real problem as the results under Xavi have been proven to be promising and a little different from what we have seen before. Would Barcelona be able to score fourth place in Laliga? 

Playing for fourth place

If the team makes it to fourth place, a spot in the Champions League will be promising. According to Sporting News, this would be Barcelona’s first time not playing in the Champions League knockout stages since 2003-2004.  

Barcelona has never made the second-tier in both the UEFA and Champion’s League competitions. They were, however, UEFA semi-finalists on four occasions. Right now, predictions on who will win the Europa League is a bit difficult as the teams either haven’t been consistent or have been stagnant, but it shouldn’t stop you from trying your luck at one of the UK’s best betting sites.

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Right now, predictions on who will win the Europa League is a bit difficult as the teams either haven’t been consistent or have been stagnant. 

The post Barcelona: Why the team is in a tough spot presently appeared first on Australian Times News.

A man in form

Robertson also won the English Open back in November and will be hoping to carry his form into the showpiece event in Sheffield, which gets underway on 16 April. His latest victory included four century breaks and five more of 50 plus to earn him a cheque for £125,000.

Few players have had a season like Robertson who shows no sign of losing his form at 40 years of age. He will be one of the players to watch at the Crucible and one of the top picks for the big prize in the snooker betting online, where he is priced at odds of 5/1 to come out on top. However, England’s Judd Trump remains the favourite for now. Robertson’s form will make him a hot pick in the snooker betting tips alongside the likes of Mark Selby, Judd Trump, and John Higgins.

Snooker’s most successful Australian

Robertson remains one of only two Australians to have claimed the sport’s most prestigious prize having beaten Scotland’s Graeme Dott 18-13 in 2010. The other Aussie winner was Horace Lindrum who picked up the crown in 1952 after beating New Zealander Clark McConachy 94-49 in a match that lasted nearly two weeks. They were the only two entrants after the other professionals boycotted the event following a dispute over pay. Lindrum was also a world runner-up on three occasions, losing to the legendary Joe Davis each time.

Robertson has also reached two world semi-finals and six further quarterfinals. He remains the only Australian to have won an official modern ranking event and is also the only competitor from outside the United Kingdom to have won all of snooker’s Triple Crown events having won the World Championship plus the Masters (2012 and 2022) and the UK Championship (2013, 2015 and 2020). He has won close to £10 million in prize money in his 24 years as a professional. As well as being Australia’s most successful snooker player, he is also one of the country’s most successful sportsmen of all time.

More work to be done

Before he begins his world championship quest, Robertson has one more ranking event to tackle – the inaugural Turkish Masters, which gets underway on 7 March in Antalya. His opening game is a mandatory qualifier against the Ukrainian, Iulian Boiko. That match will take place at the Nirvana hotel on the opening day. All the top seeds will be present except for Ronnie O’Sullivan who has opted out following a financial dispute.

Robertson is currently tied with Judd Trump on 22 ranking titles with only five players (Mark Williams, Steve Davis, John Higgins, Stephen Hendry, and Ronnie O’Sullivan) having won more. If he continues with his current form, he could overtake a few more names on that list in the next couple of years.

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His fellow Australian player, Mills is happy that the trade has finally been finalized. He expressed that Ben Simmons will do exceptionally well with the Brooklyn Nets. 

Ben Simmons traded to the Brooklyn Nets

While all the drama surrounding Ben Simmons might be over, it is clear that Ben has been experiencing some mental health issues. He has also faced some difficulties in the management side of things. 

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Ben faced some trouble regarding the Atlanta Hawks. He refused to shoot the ball. As previously reported, something that the Net’s lacks is defense, and this is what Ben Simmons can bring to the table. 

Ben has been fined almost 20 million for not providing his services

Currently, Ben Simmons has been fined over 20 million dollars for not giving his service to his team. However, Mills feels as though the new culture might just be something that Ben needs in order to excel in his career. 

More: Simon Goodwin: Melbourne Demons clears up rumors

With Ben’s new transition he might be able to perform much better and help his mental health improves. According to Mills, he has been speaking to Ben a lot more than before and his mental health should only get better from here. 

As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, Simmons is an All-NBA and All-Defensive player with elite playmaking abilities. Just last season, Ben was the runner in the leagues best defensive player of the year. 

The post Ben Simmons is headed to Brooklyn after a successful trade appeared first on Australian Times News.

Tyrese Haliburton is traded 

Quite frankly, many other clubs would have been more than happy to take Tyrese Haliburton had they known he was available. Currently, the sports community is extremely shocked at the decision in trading. 

Now, the Sacramento Kings as well as the fans might want to take a look away from this at the moment as it might be stirring up some criticism for this decision. 

The Sacramento Kings exchanged three players

According to ESPN, The Kings paid a steep price, parting with Haliburton. He is the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. He had been believed to be a cornerstone player for the franchise’s future. 

While the disappointment surrounds Tyrese Haliburton, some other players have also been traded. These players include Tristan Thompson and Buddy Hield. This, of course, was in exchange for Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday.

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The 21-year-old has a lot in store for his career in the years to come. Unfortunately, he won’t be doing this growth the Kings. He was believed to be a cornerstone player for the team.   

Right now, there isn’t an exact reason for this decision but the league is stunned and the backlash will follow soon.

The post Tyrese Haliburton is no longer with the Sacramento Kings appeared first on Australian Times News.

Burnley vs Manchester match takes an unexpected turn

While the match did end in a disappointing draw, the teams have given their all in the Premier League thus far. Manchester United currently lies in fifth place in the league. 

In other news, Pogba had finally scored his first goal for the Premier League in a year. He resiliently withstood the chaos in what was a whirlwind of 10 minutes and managed to take one for the team. 

Manchester had 12 goal attempts in the first half

With Manchester United missing a team member they still performed exceptionally well. Rangnick seems to be happy about the way the team performed but is overall disappointed by the draw. 

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“I think we played a fantastic first half, couldn’t have played any better,”

However well Manchester United played, some think that they really got unlucky when Burnley got the ball. In the first half, Manchester would have 12 attempts at scoring a goal. 

So, Burnley vs Manchester United was quite a match but do you think this has something to do with Ronaldo being dropped for the match? Well, whatever your response, fans are criticizing the team as they feel there might be something missing.

One of the biggest questions a fan might have right now is, will Mason Greenwood be back anytime soon? Right now, Greenwood will be under the radar regarding some charges against him. As of late, no new news has been given on him yet so let’s hope for the best!

The post Burnley vs Manchester United: Teams finish in a disappointing draw appeared first on Australian Times News.

With this news made public, many thought that this decision would soon be the end of Simon Goodwin as a coach. Right now, the president of the Demons has come forward to back Simon. 

Simon Goodwin is improving as a coach

Thus far, Kate Roffey has relayed that everything regarding the team has been reviewed. This includes changes that should be made for improvement. This situation is no different than any other. 

As the team continues to seek improvement, so does Simon and this is what Kate Roffey has emphasized.

Previously, it was alleged that Simon Goodwin was being relieved of his duties due to behavioral issues. Another instance was bullying. This has been publicly denied recently.

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“On behalf of the current board, I would like to make it incredibly clear that Simon, as the current reigning premiership coach and AFL coach of the year, is an exceptional leader of our football club,” Roffey said.

According to Roffey, Goodwin’s position as a coach has been reaffirmed. The re-evaluation of the team did not necessarily mean that Simon was being let go. But rather the program has been touched up. 

The post Simon Goodwin: Melbourne Demons clears up rumors appeared first on Australian Times News.

Novak Djokovic to talk speak publicly in the next 7 – 10 days

According to Novak Djokovic, there is much more to the scandal. He plans on giving his side of the story in the coming days. In support of Novak, Serbia’s president urged Novak Djokovic to come home after hearing about the difficulties in Australia. 

Now, the public has since criticized the Serbian president for using this event to make himself become more popular ahead of the upcoming elections. 

Earlier this week, the prosecution office said it received a request for criminal proceedings against unnamed individuals. The individuals are accused of forging PCR certificates. It is also alleged that Novak used it thereafter.

Officials deny Djokovics Covid-19 test was fake

It is alleged that Djokovic used this positive PCR test to get an exemption from the Covid-19 vaccine. Djokovic underwent 11 days in detention regarding the latter. 

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According to ABC, Novak was subsequently deported from Australia. This comes as he did not meet the Covid-19 requirements. He was therefore unable to participate in the Australian Open. 

“The prosecution acted according to the regulations, checks were performed, and it was determined that Novak Djokovic was tested several times and that the certificates on the test results from December 16, 2021, and December 22, 2021, are valid,” 

The 34-year-old Novak is not vaccinated and as a result, Novak’s visa was canceled. 

The post Novak Djokovic to address his treatment in Australia to the media appeared first on Australian Times News.

Celtic ball boys aggravate Rangers manager

It is alleged that at times, the ball boys would delay in throwing the ball to his side and also kick the ball away from the team. While it is not clear what the ball boy was saying to Mcgregor, it is evident that the ball boy seemed pleased with the fact that the Celtics were taking the lead. 

Giovanni Brockhorst was visibly annoyed at the conduct of the ball boys. According to the Daily Mail, the referee quickly had to speak to Celtics management. The ball boys needed to be checked. 

When a goal was scored from the opposing team, the boys could be seen taunting Mcgregor at the knowledge the team was in the lead. The ball boy was fired within five minutes of the event. 

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Bigger problems for the Rangers

However, the Rangers do have bigger problems. The team, according to Brockhorst was not very focused and gave away all their goals to their opponent. Within the second half of the game, the team did pick up their slack but ultimately lost to the Celtics. 

The final score was left at 3 – 0.

‘We were much better, much more aggressive and we played well but the first half we gave the game away.’

The post Celtic takes the lead in the recent game against Rangers appeared first on Australian Times News.

Tom Brady retires from NFL

The NFL player decided that many other things require his attention at this moment and that he would like to give many other players the opportunity to reach their prime. 

In a lengthy Instagram post, Tom Brady thanked everyone for all their support. He did not, however, mention the New England Patriots but did thank them in a post on Twitter. Tom Brady was with the Patriots for 20 seasons. 

Six Super Bowl wins later

So far, rumors of his retirement first made their way to the media on Saturday but Brady had officially made his decision on Wednesday. 

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“I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.”

In his career thus far, Tom Brady has won the Tampa Bay Buccanneers into the Super bowl. This would be his sixth Super Bowl win. 

According to News.com.au, Brady leaves as the career leader in yards passing (84,520) and touchdowns (624). He is the only player to win more than five Super Bowls and was MVP of the game five times.

In 2020, Tom Brady joined the Buccanneers and instantly changed the position the team was in. The Tampa Bay Buccanneers hadn’t won a playoff game in 18 years before he arrived. Additionally, the Buccanneers have earned themselves a first-time place in the Super Bowl.

The post Tom Brady retires from the NFL after a successful 22-year career appeared first on Australian Times News.

Now, it seems Andrew Wiggins is not the only thing wrong with the All-Star selection. Kevin Durant was selected as Eastern Conference Captain despite the uncertainty to play due to an injury. Thus far, Andrew Wiggins has sent many into a fury. Despite this, Andrew is embracing the best time in his career. 

The basketball community was confused about Andrew Wiggins selection

While the public is confused about this decision, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. So,50% of the votes have come from the public with 25 percent coming from social media and a 25 percent player vote. 

“It means a lot, I’ve been working hard in different situations and I found a home here, something that works.” 

More: Rafael Nadal moves to Australian Open finals winning Matteo Berrettini

Wiggins felt like he was dreaming after hearing the news

According to Sporting News, Andrew has averaged 18.1 points on career-high shooting efficiencies of 48.3 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from the 3-point, where he’s making a career-high 2.2 3-pointers per game.

Now, Andrew Wiggins has had a successful career thus far. But, some believe that he is not on the level of his fellow All-Star group. This sparked a lot of debate on how he could have been selected as one of the All-Star players but is there anything that can be done? Well, thus far, nothing can be done to this selection as it was fairly considered. Furthermore, while other players have been overlooked in this case, maybe it’s time to give it a chance? 

In a pre-game interview, Wiggins relayed that he thought he was dreaming when he heard the news. He said that his peers have been very supportive and showed him a lot of love during this time. 

The post Andrew Wiggins selected as All-Star starter raises eyebrows appeared first on Australian Times News.

How Many Australian Jockeys Have Managed to Win Top Jockey at the Cheltenham?

Every year, the jockey with the highest number of wins under his/her belt is awarded the prestigious tile of Top Jockey at the end of the Cheltenham Festival. In recorded history, no Australian jockey has ever managed to win even a single Top Jockey title at the Cheltenham Festival yet.

Irish Dominance at the Cheltenham?

Aside from occasional English names like Nico de Boinville (2019) and Robert Thorton (2007), Irish jockeys have absolutely dominated the Cheltenham Racecourse almost every year. Consider the fact that the legendary Ruby Walsh has won the Cheltenham Top Jockey Title 11 times in total!

Walsh was the Top Jockey for four years in a row from 2008-2011, creating a new all-time record. His record was broken by Walsh himself when the master Irish jockey won the Top Jockey title five times in a row from 2013-2017.

Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to have ever won the Grand National and the Cheltenham Top Jockey award in 2021. In short, the answer is yes, Irish jockeys absolutely dominate the Cheltenham.

How Many Australian Trainers Have Become Leading Trainer at the Cheltenham?

Just like the jockey with the highest number of wins to their name is awarded Top Jockey every year at the end of the Cheltenham Festival, Leading Trainer is a similar title for horse trainers participating in the festival. Although it’s not a requirement, each trainer usually puts multiple horses in the race, all coming in from their training camp or branded stable. Unfortunately, no Australian trainers have ever won the title of leading trainer yet. No Aussie trainer has even managed to score single win at the prestigious Cheltenham Racecourse so far either.

Ciaron Maher’s Dream

In 2016, Ciaron Maher expressed his hopes and plans of becoming the first Australian trainer to beat the British and the Irish at their own game. Unfortunately, that did not happen, and his dreams were trampled as none of his horses managed to win even a single race. In case you do not care as much about Aussies beating the Brits and the Irish at the Cheltenham festival 2022 as you do about winning your own bets, pick your horses carefully and make the best out of your Cheltenham free bet offers.

Do Irish Trainers Also Dominate the Cheltenham Festival?

In the past, Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls asserted their dominance by winning Lead Trainer several times. They kept the British trainers in competition at the Cheltenham until 2012. That seems to have changed for the foreseeable future though, as no British trainer has managed to become the Leading Trainer at Cheltenham form over nine years now. The legendary Irish trainer Willie Mullins has almost monopolised the Cheltenham Leading Trainer Title for himself by winning seven times already. The only other trainer to win it twice (2017 and 2018) in these nine years is Gordon Elliott and he too is an Irish trainer.

Why Do Aussies Never Win at the Cheltenham Festival?

In their defence, it should be mentioned that there is a good reason why Aussies don’t win races at Cheltenham. Australia has mostly abandoned jump racing to prevent horses from getting injured, or worse. Given that the Cheltenham is a National Hunt event exclusively dedicated to fence and hurdle races, major Australian jockeys, trainers, and owners do not participate at Cheltenham to begin with.

As none of the favourite thoroughbreds, jockeys, or trainers to win any race last year were Australian, sadly, it doesn’t look like things are going to change in 2022 either. If anything, the Brits might just try to make a comeback by winning at least one of the two prestigious titles that have eluded them for quite some time now.

The post Cheltenham Festival: Can the Aussies ever beat the British and Irish at their own game? appeared first on Australian Times News.

Rafael Nadal may be onto his second Grand Slam title

Since the first serve, Nadal has made a point of showing that he is in to win it. He took on that serve as though it will not get him out of bounce. That is just what he did. While Matteo wasn’t an easy opponent, Nadal made sure he kept his eye on the ball and is now much closer to winning another Grand Slam title in thirteen years. 

So, Rafael Nadal did get off onto a good start but it seemed as though this ruffled Matteo’s feathers a little bit as he soon picked the tempo of the game and went on to win the third set after Nadal had won two.  

At some points, Rafael Nadal didn’t think he would even make it through to the Australian Open finals. During this time he is completely in awe and ecstatic about going to the finals. Now, things are starting to get a bit more serious as all the winners thus far are immensely competitive and with reason. 

Berrettini and Nadal battle it out

For some, it will be their first-ever Australian Open finals so this alone would be something to keep in mind when the players finally compete against one another. 

Now, in the intense game between Rafael and Nadal, it looked pretty promising for Nadal from the beginning as he took on Matteo’s serves as if it were nothing. When watching we can see that Matteo has somewhat struggled to keep up with his opponent as hits the ball into the net right before Nadal gets his last point. 

It was, I’ll admit, something of a touch-and-go situation and Rafael Nadal dominated the court regardless. Matteo had regained his zest a little too late while Rafael won two sets.

By the end of the match, Rafael Nadal had won four sets in his match with Matteo. As a result, he lands his spot in the Australian Open finals.

Watch the little snippet below in case you missed it!

It’s a sixth #AusOpen final for @RafaelNadal

He outlasts Matteo Berrettini in a 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 thriller #AusOpen · #AO2022
: @wwos · @espn · @eurosport · @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/UIbtfGbKvq

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2022

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Just a week before the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic lost his case involving his VISA. Novak was not vaccinated and was previously exempted from the vaccine. In favor of the public, Novak Djokovic’s visa was canceled and as a result, was deported from Australia. The president of Serbia welcomed him back home and added that he should stay where he is welcome.  He was therefore unable to participate in the Australian Open.

Jack Darling disobeyed mask mandate

Up until Friday, all team members of the club needed to get their first vaccine and obtain their second vaccine by February. Jack Darling has unfortunately not abided by this rule and has since been banned to train with the team. 

According to Mark Mcgowan, to refuse the vaccine and have his career suffer for it is not a wise decision. He hopes that Jack Darling will reconsider his choice to refuse the vaccine as he has had an outstanding career thus far.  

Football or not?

Darling is the first Western Australian to refuse the vaccine. 

Now, the AFL football club mandate required all of the players to get their first vaccine by today. The second vaccine should be administered by the 18th of February. However, the government requires everyone to have the second dose by January 31st. This is to enable everyone to get back to gyms.

According to abc.net.au, Darling joins Liam Jones and Deni Varnhagen as players who have refused the vaccine. Neither Jack nor the club will be commenting on the matter further. 

The post Jack Darling was banned from training after refusing the Covid-19 vaccine appeared first on Australian Times News.

“Congrats to Simona because I know she struggled a lot and I admire this player so much. She’s such a fighter and an example to me. To beat her today to go to my first quarterfinal is a dream come true.”

A trying match for Alize Cornet

After winning, Cornet burst into tears while holding a towel to her face.  

While the heat did prove to be gruesome, the pair made it through a 2 hour and 30-minute game. In the meantime, Halep does feel that the weather put her off and if it hadn’t been the case, she could have won the game. Halep continued to say that she wasn’t injured but felt sick which gave Alize Cornet the upper hand. 

So, it is a bittersweet moment for both of them as they both worked very hard in order to win the game. Halep however, has competed in the Grand Slam finals before but the disappointment lies in making it far but not quite. 

Competition in the next match

In moving on to her next match, Cornet will go against American tennis player Danielle Collins. In getting to the quarter-finals, Danielle Collins spent almost 3 hours getting past Elise Mertens in her previous match. The weather at that point also had a huge impact on the player’s end game as they were quite exhausted from the heat. 

More: Djokovic Disappointed After His Visa Got Canceled On Sunday

Now, the victory shouldn’t be celebrated just yet as the Grand Slam continues to get harder and harder. All the tennis players that made it to the Grand Slam will be in it to win it. As I’m sure, they didn’t get this far just to get this far right? The trophy is the ultimate victory. 

Thus far, some of the greatest tennis players have lost in the Australian Open with some of the underdogs making it to the top this time around. It might be too early to tell who will rise to the top but some of the focus and drive on the court can make one wonder who has the determination to win in the end. We might be very surprised. 

Nevertheless, all the finalists thus far have gotten there deservedly. For some, it will be a very first and for others, it will be another chance to win the title.  

The post Alize Cornet makes quarterfinals for the first time in Grand Slam appeared first on Australian Times News.

Well, since Rafael Nadal has earned himself a fourth spot in the Australian Open so far, this might be in the cards for him if he remains consistent. With the nine-time champion, Noval Djokovic absent from the Australian Open this time around, Rafael might just have a shot at earning the title this time. But, time will tell.  

Rafael Nadal taking the trophy home this time?

Presently, Rafael Nadal would be playing at a tournament level for the first time in a while since his foot injury in August. During his match with Karen Khachanov, any sign of this injury was not visible as Rafael sought to make the best out of his match. 

“I have gone through some very tough times over the past year, But nights like tonight mean everything. I keep fighting and going every day. I put a lot of effort in to be back with where I am today, so I am happy.”  

Now, Nadal had almost lost his stance when he lost two serves in his match. However, he made a comeback by fiercely fighting back. Now, just an interesting fact. Rafael Nadal might be the second player behind Novak Djokovic to win all four majors at least twice. 

According to 7News, Nadal’s last title at Melbourne Park came in 2009. He made the final four times since but left empty-handed each time.

The post Rafael Nadal continues to own his spot at the Australian Open appeared first on Australian Times News.

Djokovic Unvaccinated Status Forced Him To Be Deported

According to previous reports Novak Djokovic faced plenty of backlash after he made public appearances while knowing the outcome of his positive coronavirus test. The tennis player posted images with children without wearing a mask.

In a press conference a few weeks ago, his family thanked Djokovic’s supporters throughout his court process. He was previously exempted from taking the vaccine. At the time, Djokovic could potentially play in the Australian Open. Right now Djokovic’s court case was not successful but he “respects” the decision.

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“I am extremely disappointed with the Court ruling to dismiss my application for judicial review of the Minister’s decision to cancel my visa, which means I cannot stay in Australia and participate in the Australian Open,”

Novak Djokovic

Novak Uncomfortable With All The Attention

So, Australia’s number one tennis player will not be able to participate in the Australian Open this time. This is no doubt disappointing news to him and his fans alike. Whether his fans will protest on this one is a slight possibility.

According to ESPN, Novak was very uncomfortable with all the attention on him preceding the Australian Open. Novak could potentially appeal to the high court but not in time for him to participate in the Australian Open.

The post Djokovic Disappointed After His Visa Got Canceled On Sunday appeared first on Australian Times News.

At this time, Serie A rules stipulate that if a team fails to show up the other team will be awarded a 3-0 victory. While this may be so, the team is able to appeal this decision. 

During this time, Bologna team members have been impacted by some members being infected with the virus. As a result, team members are currently in quarantine. Regardless of this news, Serie A has refused to cancel any matches. 

Serie A required Teams To Show Up Despite the Absence of Other Teams

The team is currently facing quarantine for at least 10- 15 days. Bologna was thus unable to play their match against Inter Milan on Thursday. Inter Milan trained as per normal.

Read More: Tsitsipas Responds To Premature Comment From The Big Three

According to abc.net, Juventus faced a similar situation in where they were awarded a 3-0 against Napoli. That is before Napoli successfully appealed the situation. 

“Bologna were ready to play and they suffered the situation from ASL which have taken this decision to protect everyone’s health, but clarity is missing. I would limit the ASL’s power, otherwise, we’ll always face similar situations in the future.”

Bologna Returns to the field despite Unpreparedness

Since the quarantine process, Bologna is now back and ready to perform against its opponent. But, are they ready?

The post Serie A: Bologna Plays In Serie A Despite Barely Training For It appeared first on Australian Times News.

Tsitsipas and The Big Three

While Djokovic, Medvedev, and Zverev have rightly earned their spot in the top 3, Tsitsipas is saying that it is unrealistic or rather presumptuous to say that they would continue to dominate the tennis sport in 2022. 

According to Bega District News, Djokovic won three of the four grand slam crowns in 2021, Medvedev captured his first at the US Open while Zverev snared the Olympic gold medal and a second season-ending championship in three years.

According to Tsitsipas, all of the players should play their best tennis and see how that goes instead of being comfortable with their previous results. This is precisely what should happen as Stephans point doesn’t prove to be far-fetched.

“Look, we have a long year ahead of us. Let us all play our best tennis, and let’s see who is the one that deserves it at the end of the year.”

A wounded Tsitsipas also opened up about the Australian Open Tournament taking place this month. After undergoing elbow surgery in November, Stephan is unsure of what his next performance will look like. 

“That was one of the biggest concerns – if I’m going to play this match today – how is the recovery going to be tomorrow?”

The post Tsitsipas Responds To Premature Comment From The Big Three appeared first on Australian Times News.

Before the game commenced Scott has admittedly been feeling a little foggy during lunch on boxing day. Luckily, his former coach was in the midst and encouraged him to run up his speed. 

“He picked up that I was a bit tentative in my first two spells, He just wanted me to up my run-up speed, which is key for me when I’m playing well.”

Scott Boland

It is amazing to know that Scott Boland was only told he would be playing in the third test on Christmas Eve and has taken the game to new heights. 

Scott Boland Becomes Australia’s First Indigenous Cricket Role Model

Surely no one expected the game to take such a turn but it has and everyone cannot be happier with the outcome. 

At this time, Australia has finally earned itself a role model with the fourth indigenous Australian player to play in the ashes. 

It is significant to know that Scott Boland didn’t know about his indigenous roots until five years ago. 

According to Scott, it has been his wish to be a role model for indigenous youngsters in Australia. On the same day, Cricket Australia’s Indigenous advisory chair Justin Mohamed said that young Indigenous Australians did not have enough cricketing heroes to look up to. That is, up until now.   

Scott Receives The Johnny Mullagh Medal

When Scott received his Johnny Mullagh medal as the player of the match, he received a standing ovation as the medal surely carried immense weight in the cricket community. 

Well, if you didn’t know, Johnny Mullagh was one of the standout stars in 1868 in Australia’s first cricket touring team to England. 

This is surely one of the best times in Scott Boland’s career through performing in pure excellence on his debut. 

The post Scott Boland makes history in third Ashes Test against England appeared first on Australian Times News.

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McElroy has joined from Ealing Trailfinders, after previous spells with Premiership duo Bristol Bears and Saracens, amongst others.

London Irish Director of Rugby, Declan Kidney, said: “After Reece’s unfortunate injury last weekend, which will rule him out for a couple of weeks, we are pleased to welcome Tadgh for the rest of the season, to improve competition at hooker.”

READ | FRANCOIS PIENAAR VOTED GREATEST NO 6 IN TEST HISTORY!

The post London Irish complete loan signing of Tadgh McElroy appeared first on Australian Times News.

REMINDER: THE 2021 DREAM TEAM SELECTED BY WORLD RUGBY

The match is available to watch via the European Rugby website by clicking here.

Facundo Gigena and Ollie Hoskins are the starting prop duo and are joined in the front row by Reece Marshall, who is set to make his debut for the Club after joining on loan earlier this week.

George Nott and Rob Simmons combine in the second row, with the latter captaining the side.

Tom Pearson and Juan Martin Gonzalez are confirmed as the flankers and Olly Cracknell continues in the eight jersey.

Ben White and Rory Jennings are the half back duo as Terrence Hepetema links up with Matt Williams in the centres.

Lucio Cinti is set to make his debut for the Exiles on the wing, with James Stokes and Tom Parton completing the back three.

“Heading into European action is an exciting prospect because we get to test ourselves against different styles of rugby,” said Declan Kidney, Director of Rugby.

“We know that Pau are a tough side having played them in last season’s European campaign.

“An evening kick-off in front of the passionate French supporters is a unique experience and one that we are looking forward to.”

London Irish:

15 Tom Parton, 14 James Stokes, 13 Matt Williams, 12 Terrence Hepetema, 11 Lucio Cinti, 10 Rory Jennings, 9 Ben White, 1 Facundo Gigena, 2 Reece Marshall, 3 Ollie Hoskins, 4 George Nott, 5 Rob Simmons (c), 6 Tom Pearson, 7 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 8 Olly Cracknell.

Replacements:
16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Will Goodrick-Clarke, 18 Ciaran Parker, 19 Steve Mafi, 20 Jack Cooke, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Paddy Jackson, 23 Ollie Hassell-Collins.

Please click here to purchase tickets to home matches.

The post London Irish unveil squad for Pau trip appeared first on Australian Times News.

As the ashes approach once again, Australia and England gear up to compete against one another. The ashes are the only game that is referred to us such – describing the match between England and Australia.

To date, they are one of the most celebrated rivalries that date back to 1882. During this time, the teams are literally tested through their endurance as a team which usually lasts a few days.

So, what makes the teams flourish on the field? That is, what helps them prove their endurance and ability at the ashes.

Winning at the ashes simply requires a few steps to make the event memorable, not only to the fans but memorable to you and your career as people remember these things and get to talking about them all the time.

Embracing the moment at the ashes

While the goal is to win, the best part of the game is getting the fans and the public involved. The media also tends to get involved in this so it is essential to capture the essence of the game right at the beginning.

Being able to say you’ve won another team on their own home ground is something historic that will mean a lot to your career as you’re almost entirely judged by it at the end of your career.

Silencing the crowd early

Getting the crowd really focused on what’s going on in the game is a good start to having a good game. When you’ve grabbed their attention, this is the time when the other team gets questioned.

Starting off on a good note can help a lot in the game and can set the tone for the rest of the games.

Scoring a lot of runs at the ashes

Having the bowlers working overtime is one thing you should keep in mind. Just as it is important to keep the momentum going, it is important that you score a lot of runs too. This is the key to your success.

Back your bowlers

Teamwork makes the dream work and makes sure your bowlers can take wickets and that your spinners can take wickets. In this way, the team is able to bring their a game.

Keeping your determination and grit is really the key to making a success of the game. This is what takes the team to new heights.

The post The Ashes – What Is The Key To Winning The Game? appeared first on Australian Times News.

Around one-third of the way through the campaign, there have been a handful of surprise packages this term, but few have caught the eye quite like Real Sociedad.

Home to Socceroo keeper Mat Ryan, the White and Blues find themselves top of the Spanish La Liga table, with a full eleven-point cushion over Barcelona and a five-point gap to reigning champions Atletico Madrid

Brighton – Real Sociedad

Mat Ryan has completed his move away from the Premier League.#bbcfootball— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 12, 2021

And Ryan and Co have seen their Europa League odds from Paddy Power slashed to 20/1 after an unbeaten start to their continental campaign – they sit in second place in Group B behind leaders Monaco.

It is, perhaps, a bit premature to recommend that the San Sebastian outfit is going to go on and complete a legendary double of successes. Both Madrid sides will come on strong later in the campaign, while most Europa League tips columns will remind us that some big guns from the Champions League will move into the competition during the knockout phase.

But you suspect that Sociedad will continue to do their thing, and with five wins in their last seven games last term perhaps we should have seen this supreme form coming. And with a smart summer transfer window, in which they brought in Ryan and defenders Robin Le Normand and Aritz Elustondo, bearing fruit, maybe now is their time to end a 30-year wait for major silverware.

Keeping It Tight

Having played the entirety of his career as a right-back, it’s perhaps no major surprise that Imanol Alguacil has carved something of a reputation as a defense-minded coach too.

But it’s Sociedad that are reaping the rewards of such a philosophy, and at the time of writing, they have conceded just ten La Liga goals in 13 outings, with eight clean sheets.

New boys Le Normand and Elustondo have been fantastic so far, and together they are forming one of the most formidable defensive partnerships in Spain – and in the Europa League too, for that matter.

Perhaps luck has slightly been on their side. The Expected Goals stats suggest that Sociedad might have conceded as many as 15 La Liga goals by now based upon the chances yielded, and so it is essential that Alguacil and his staff continue to find ways to improve their side’s shape.

Victory at El Sadar! We’re at the top of the table! AUPA REAL!!! #OsasunaRealSociedad | #AurreraReala pic.twitter.com/r0sbDLOF3v— Real Sociedad (@RealSociedadEN) November 7, 2021

But if you are keeping clean sheets, then you only need to score once to win a football match – something Sociedad has proven very adept at thus far.

They’ve only failed to find the net once while on league duty, and the chief architect of their attacking prowess has undoubtedly been Mikel Oyarzabal, who the Blue and Whites have done extremely well to hang on to with some major clubs lurking to sign him.

The 24-year-old has already been amongst the goals, and his partnership with Alexander Isak will be crucial to Sociedad maintaining their strong start to the season.

If they can, and if the defense remains as stout as it has been all term, who knows what Real Sociedad can go on to achieve this term.

The post Mat Ryan’s Real Sociedad Aiming for Double Glory in 2022 appeared first on Australian Times News.

Fans from across the world have been disappointed by not seeing the Aussie race for the last two years, but the nail-biting end to the end of the 2021 season has more than made up for it. With just a couple of more races to go, the gap between Hamilton and Verstappen is tight.

With such an exciting battle, many fans are using online bookmakers to make their predictions on who will win, placing bets on the driver they think will come out on top. The savvy betters are also taking advantage of the myriad of free bet offer to get even more value.

Off the track though, there has been a lot of talk about the future of the Australian Grand Prix, with a Sydney tv station reporting that the New South of Wales government was considering a bid to host the race.

Moving Home

Originally run in Adelaide, the race saw many spectacular events including Schumacher hitting Hill in 1994, and Senna running into the back of Mansell a couple of years earlier. However, since 1996, F1 cars have been turning their wheels in anger around the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne.

While some locals are still disappointed by the move, most fans are happy with the current Melbourne track.

Not the first time

This isn’t the first time that Sydney has attempted to steal the Grand Prix. In 2005, Mark Webber did demo runs in Williams FW27 across the Sydney Harbor Bridge as part of a promotional campaign. Rumors began to fly then that the race might be moving.

Not Likely

Melbourne has a contract to host the Australian Grand Prix until 2025, so the earliest the race could move would be 2026.

Given that the NSW’s rationale for wanting the race to boost short-term tourism, this seems unworkable given that 2026 wouldn’t achieve what they’re looking for.

On top of that, the boss of the Australian Grand Prix, Andrew Westacott, has dismissed these rumors. He said the news report had been a surprise to him and that the contract means it won’t be moving for at least four more years.

After that, he still wants the race to remain in Melbourne, and that he hopes the strong relationship he and his team have with F1 can help to ensure that happens.

The post Could Sydney Become The New Host Of The Australian Grand Prix? appeared first on Australian Times News.

READ | SHARKS ANNOUNCE FIXTURE AGAINST SARACENS

While we’ve become accustomed to seeing Steven Kitshoff, Malcolm Marx and Duane Vermeulen in the equally famous green & gold colours of the world champion Springboks, this weekend’s match makes for a nice end-of-year change.

READ | ENGLAND-QUALIFIED RUAN ACKERMANN EXTENDS GLOUCESTER STAY

The trio proudly wore their new-look kit at a team fitting session this week.

The match for the Killik Cup will kick off at 14:30 local time (16:30 SA time).

READ | ULSTER GIVE UP ON HOPE OF SIGNING STAR SPRINGBOK PROP

It will be the first in a double-header on Saturday at the home of England rugby.

READ | LIMITED BULLS V MUNSTER TICKETS SELL OUT IN 10 MINUTES!

Following the Barbarians v Samoa clash, the Barbarian Women will take on a Springbok Women’s XV side at 17:15 local time (19:15 SA time).

PICTURES | SIYA KOLISI AND ROGER FEDERER POSE FOR ICONIC SELFIES!

To be part of the action be sure to secure your seat now!

The ticket price includes both matches and start from *£35 for adults and kids *£15. 

READ | JOHN SMIT TRIES TO EXPLAIN WORLD RUGBY PLAYER OF THE YEAR NOMINATION PROCESS

Visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk to book.

IN CLOSING | STORMERS LOCK’S BAN FOR BITING OVERTURNED

Top to bottom: Duane Vermeulen, Malcolm Marx and Steven Kitshoff. Photo: Twitter @Barbarian_FC

The post PICTURES | The Springboks’ 3 Barbarians – like you’ve NEVER seen them before! appeared first on Australian Times News.

The match will kick off at 14:30 local time (16:30 SA time).

READ | FRANS STEYN BOOTS HIS WAY TO SPRINGBOK POINTS MILESTONE

Marx is one of three Springboks in the Barbarian squad along with prop Steven Kitshoff and No 8 Duane Vermeulen.

The match will be the first in a double-header on Saturday at the home of England rugby.

READ | RASSUE ERASMUS TAKES SUBTLE DIG AT WORLD RUGBY IN LATEST TWEET!

Following the Barbarians v Samoa clash, the Barbarians Women will take on a Springbok Women’s XV side at 17:15 local time (19:15 SA time).

READ | RASSIE ERASMUS HAS TWO WORDS FOR ENGLAND AFTER SPRINGBOK DEFEAT

To be part of the action be sure to secure your seat now!

The ticket price includes both matches and start from *£35 for adults and kids *£15. 

Visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk to book.

READ | SPRINGBOKS FINISH THE YEAR AS THE NO 1-RANKED TEAM

The post PICTURE: Malcolm Marx swaps Springbok jersey for Barbarian kit appeared first on Australian Times News.

READ | SPRINGBOKS FINISH THE YEAR AS THE NO 1-RANKED TEAM

Springbok Women’s coach Stanley Raubenheimer decided to give playing time to most of the players in the squad who didn’t get game time in the Tests against France and Wales, and they didn’t disappoint.

Playing with a strong wind in the first half, the Springbok Women made the most of their opportunities, using their pack as a platform to launch a number of very good attacks, with No 8 Sizophila Solontsi leading the charge.

READ | RASSIE ERASMUS HAS TWO WORDS FOR ENGLAND AFTER SPRINGBOK DEFEAT

Flyhalf Janse van Rensburg scored twice in the first half – in the seventh minute from a strong scrum and again 20 minutes later after a magnificent run that started in her own 22 – while fleet-footed fullback Donelle Snyders also crossed the English tryline.

Tested the Springbok Women’s defence

Outside centre Jakkie Cilliers succeeded with two difficult conversions to hand the South Africans a 19-0 lead at the break as they managed to vary their play well, attacking through the middle or sending the ball wide, and defending very well.

READ | RASSUE ERASMUS TAKES SUBTLE DIG AT WORLD RUGBY IN LATEST TWEET!

The first 20 minutes of the second half was scoreless as England had more possession, which tested the South Africans’ defence.

Defensive pressure finally resulted in Malinga’s first try, after 62 minutes, from turnover ball, while the speedy left wing crossed again after a strong 60m run six minutes later to all but put the result beyond any doubt.

PLAYER RATINGS | WHO STOOD OUT – AND WHO FLOPPED – FOR THE SPRINGBOKS

Inside centre Ella Lovibond got England’s try in the 72nd minute, but moments later Nadine Roos (replacement flyhalf) added her name to the scoresheet with a well-taken try after a quick tap penalty.

Cilliers converted the last two tries to double the Springbok Women’s score in the second half.

READ | FRANS STEYN BOOTS HIS WAY TO SPRINGBOK POINTS MILESTONE

The Springbok Women’s side will now turn their attention to Saturday, 27 November’s clash against the Barbarians Women’s side at Twickenham as part of the Killik Cup double-header.

Earlier in the day the Barbarians men’s side will face Samoa.

To be part of the action be sure to secure your seat now!

The ticket price includes both matches and start from *£35 for adults and kids *£15. 

Visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk to book.

SCORERS:

Springbok Women

Tries: Libbie Janse van Rensburg (2), Donelle Snyders, Ayanda Malinga (2), Nadine Roos

Conversions: Jakkie Cilliers (4).

England Under-20

Try: Ella Lovibond

The post Springbok Women warm-up for Barbarians clash by beating England U20 appeared first on Australian Times News.

READ | FRANS STEYN BOOTS HIS WAY TO SPRINGBOK POINTS MILESTONE

The trio – who were all part of the losing Springbok side against England at the same ground last weekend – will be looking for a better result in five days’ time.

PLAYER RATINGS | WHO STOOD OUT – AND WHO FLOPPED – FOR THE SPRINGBOKS

In a social media post on Monday, the Barbarians confirmed their updated squad for the match which will kick off at 14:30 local time (16:30 SA time).

READ | RASSUE ERASMUS TAKES SUBTLE DIG AT WORLD RUGBY IN LATEST TWEET!

The three South Africans are hooker Malcolm Marx, prop Steven Kitshoff and No 8 Duane Vermeulen.

The match for the Killik Cup will be the first in a double-header on Saturday at the home of England rugby.

Following the Barbarians v Samoa clash, the Barbarians Women will take on a Springbok Women’s XV side.

READ | RASSIE ERASMUS HAS TWO WORDS FOR ENGLAND AFTER SPRINGBOK DEFEAT

To be part of the action be sure to secure your seat now!

The ticket price includes both matches and start from *£35 for adults and kids *£15. 

Visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk to book.

READ | SPRINGBOKS FINISH THE YEAR AS THE NO 1-RANKED TEAM

The post THREE Springboks confirmed in Barbarians squad to face Samoa appeared first on Australian Times News.

READ | FRANS STEYN BOOTS HIS WAY TO SPRINGBOK POINTS MILESTONE

In a social media post on Monday, the Barbarians confirmed their updated squad for the match which will kick off at 17:15 local time (19:15 SA time).

PLAYER RATINGS | WHO STOOD OUT – AND WHO FLOPPED – FOR THE SPRINGBOKS

Among the 23-strong squad are a trio of England stars – Rochelle Clark, Katy Daley-Mclean and Natasha Hunt – who have 308 caps between them.

The Barbarian Women’s side will be coached by experienced duo Jo Yapp and Rachel Taylor.

READ | RASSUE ERASMUS TAKES SUBTLE DIG AT WORLD RUGBY IN LATEST TWEET!

The match will be the second in a double-header for the Killik Cup on Saturday at the home of England rugby.

Prior to the match, the Barbarians men’s side will take on Samoa at 14:30 (16:30 SA time).

READ | RASSIE ERASMUS HAS TWO WORDS FOR ENGLAND AFTER SPRINGBOK DEFEAT

To be part of the action be sure to secure your seat now!

The ticket price includes both matches and start from *£35 for adults and kids *£15. 

Visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk to book.

READ | SPRINGBOKS FINISH THE YEAR AS THE NO 1-RANKED TEAM

The post Barbarians Women’s squad confirmed for Springbok Women’s clash appeared first on Australian Times News.

READ | RASSUE ERASMUS TAKES SUBTLE DIG AT WORLD RUGBY IN LATEST TWEET!

Kick-off is scheduled for 14:30 local time (16:30 SA time).

That match will be followed by a clash between a Barbarian Women’s side and a Springbok Women’s XV at 17:15 local time (19:15 SA time).

In a social media post on Monday, the Barbarians confirmed their updated squad for the match.

READ | BARBARIAN WOMEN’S SQUAD CONFIRMED FOR SPRINGBOK WOMEN’S CLASH

Included in the 24-man squad are three Springboks: hooker Malcolm Marx, prop Steven Kitshoff and No 8 Duane Vermeulen.

Other house-hold names who will feature on the day for the Barbarians include James O’Connor, Pete Samu, Len Ikitau and Rob Kearney, while Wallaby coach Dave Rennie and Ireland’s Jonathan Humphreys will manage the team.

READ | RASSIE ERASMUS HAS TWO WORDS FOR ENGLAND AFTER SPRINGBOK DEFEAT

The day promises world class attacking rugby at an outstanding venue, delivering phenomenal sporting entertainment.

To be part of the action be sure to secure your seat now!

The ticket price includes both matches and start from *£35 for adults and kids *£15. 

Visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk to book.

READ | SPRINGBOKS FINISH THE YEAR AS THE NO 1-RANKED TEAM

The post Barbarians v Samoa: FIVE days to go – get your tickets NOW! appeared first on Australian Times News.

READ | BARBARIAN WOMEN’S SQUAD CONFIRMED FOR SPRINGBOK WOMEN’S CLASH

Samoa head coach Vaovasamanaia Seilala Mapusua has assembled a well-balanced team from players based in the northern hemisphere in what should be a thrilling match.

The Barbarians’ fixture is the only match Samoa will play on their cancelled end-of-year tour of Europe due to Covid-19 restrictions.

READ | BARBARIANS V SAMOA: FIVE DAYS TO GO – GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Mapusua and his permanent staff were unable to travel, prompting the selection of the coaching and management staff from Europe to lead the team.

The team features a balanced mix of young and experienced players to face a world-class Barbarians team.

READ | THREE SPRINGBOKS CONFIRMED IN BARBARIANS SQUAD TO FACE SAMOA

“Congratulations to everyone on their selection,” Mapusua said.

“We are under no illusions at the enormity of the task ahead in our match against the Barbarians. I do believe we have selected a well-balanced, exciting group of players who have a great opportunity to add to the rich history of Barbarians matches.

“I am excited for the management group and players for the opportunity to play at HQ and also for our supporters and fans that Manu Samoa gets to take the field for the last international match of 2021.”

Kick-off is scheduled for 14:30 local time (16:30 SA time).

That match will be followed by a clash between a Barbarian Women’s side and a Springbok Women’s XV at 17:15 local time (19:15 SA time).

READ | RASSIE ERASMUS HAS TWO WORDS FOR ENGLAND AFTER SPRINGBOK DEFEAT

The day promises world class attacking rugby at an outstanding venue, delivering phenomenal sporting entertainment.

To be part of the action be sure to secure your seat now!

The ticket price includes both matches and start from *£35 for adults and kids *£15. 

Visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk to book.

READ | SPRINGBOKS FINISH THE YEAR AS THE NO 1-RANKED TEAM

SAMOA SQUAD:

Hookers: John Ulugia
Props: Aki Seiuli, Michael Alaalatoa, Paul Alo-Emile (captain), Sakaria Taulafo, Viliamu Afatia
Locks: Benjamin Nee-Nee, Joe Tekori, Mikaele Tapili, Salo Tutaia, Senio Toleafoa
Loose forwards: Afaesetiti Amosa, Mathew Luamanu, Tala Gray
Scrumhalves: Reece Anapu
Flyhalves: AJ Alatimu
Centres: Alexander Luatua, Aviata Silago, Nigel Hunt, Opetera Peleseuma, Taiso Silafai Leaana
Outside backs: Elijah Niko, JJ Taulagi, Sinoti Sinoti

SAMOA MANAGEMENT:

Lemalu Tusi Pisi (co-coach), Census Johnston (co-coach), Terry Fanolua, Kane Thompson, Niuafolau Faautu Talapusi (Team Manager)

The post Samoa name squad for Barbarians clash at Twickenham appeared first on Australian Times News.

After the Socceroos had a disappointing draw with China in their last game, the team is now in third place which will as a result lead to much more difficulty in getting the top spot.

In the Socceroos match with China, the team would have found themselves in second place had they won in their previous game. This comes as the fate of the team depended on a penalty kick from China.

So, what does this mean for the Socceroos world cup playoffs?

Well, at the moment the Socceroos have lost their advantage in qualifying for the upcoming World Cup finals. The team now sits with 11 points while Japan has 12 and Saudi Arabia has sixteen.

As a result, the team will have to work harder in order to make their World Cup playoffs a reality.

According to abc.net, the Socceroos can get results against Vietnam and Oman — no certainty after last night’s scoreline — then they will likely need to at least beat Japan and draw with Saudi Arabia to get second place and a trip to the finals.

The post World Cup Qualification: The Socceroos Drops Below Japan appeared first on Australian Times News.

After a match that led to a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia, the team is looking good amongst its competitors.

At this time, the team is fighting hard in order to be a part of the world cup. One wrong move and they’ll be back at the bottom.

Socceroos draw against Saudi Arabia

Even after the team drew against Saudi Arabia, Graham Arnold said the team is in a great position still.

Currently, Australia has 10 points from its five games in this third phase of qualifying so far – three points behind Saudi Arabia and one ahead of Japan.

“It’s all about one game at a time and making sure we’re ready for the next game”

However, with Harry Soutar being injured, one can only hope it is not as serious as we fear it is as this would be a major blow to Australia.

Now, some of the Socceroos’ mistakes lie in the frustration of not performing at their best ability which has evidently taken a toll on where the team is currently at.

The only thing the team needs to do at this point is to maintain their focus as any slip-ups could cost them a shot at making the fifth-straight world cup finals.

The post Socceroos Are In Great Position If They Beat China appeared first on Australian Times News.

Kick-off is at 15:00 local time (17:00 SA time).

READ | SPRINGBOKS V WALES PREVIEW: THREE THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN CARDIFF

Will Goodrick-Clarke, Agustin Creevy and Marcel van der Merwe combine in the front row, with Adam Coleman and Rob Simmons forming the second row duo.

George Nott wears the No 6 jersey and Tom Pearson is confirmed as the openside flanker. Matt Rogerson captains London Irish from No 8.

Nick Phipps and Paddy Jackson continue as the halfback duo, with Benhard van Rensburg and Terrence Hepetema linking up in the centres.

Ollie Hassell-Collins, Kyle Rowe and Tom Parton are the back three.

HEAD TO HEAD: KEY BOKS V WALES PLAYER MATCH-UPS

“Saracens are an in-form team, as you can see by their recent results,” said Kidney.

“They play a different style of rugby from our opposition last weekend, so we have adapted our training and how we will approach this match.

“It’s been another good week of preparation and we are looking forward to what I’m sure will be another great challenge.”

London Irish are currently eighth in the 13-team standings with 14 points after seven matches.

Saracens are as high as second place with 24 points after just six matches.

MUST READ | THREE SPRINGBOKS WHO WILL BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT AGAINST WALES

London Irish:

15 Tom Parton, 14 Kyle Rowe, 13 Terrence Hepetema, 12 Benhard van Rensburg, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Nick Phipps, 1 Will Goodrick-Clarke, 2 Agustin Creevy, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 4 Adam Coleman, 5 Rob Simmons, 6 George Nott, 7 Tom Pearson, 8 Matt Rogerson (captain)

Substitutes: 16 Mike Willemse, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Ollie Hoskins, 19 Steve Mafi, 20 Isaac Curtis-Harris, 21 Ben White, 22 Rory Jennings, 23 Matt Williams

The post London Irish latest news: Squad named for trip to Saracens appeared first on Australian Times News.

Kick-off is at 15:00 local time (16:00 SA time).

READ | REMINDER: RASSIE ERASMUS’ MISCONDUCT HEARING SET FOR THIS WEEKEND

Will Goodrick-Clarke and Ollie Hoskins are the starting props either side of hooker Mike Willemse, who makes his first competitive start for the club.

Steve Mafi and Rob Simmons continue in the second row and captain Matt Rogerson leads the side in the six jersey. Isaac Curtis-Harris is the openside flanker and Albert Tuisue completes the pack from No 8.

Nick Phipps and Paddy Jackson are the halfback duo, with Benhard van Rensburg and Curtis Rona combining in the centres.

Ollie Hassell-Collins, James Stokes and Tom Parton form the back three.

READ | LOST TO SA: LIONS PROP PACKS HIS BAGS AND HEADS TO SCOTLAND

“Bristol are a team that are very well-drilled in all that they do, so we will have to stay alert for the whole 80 minutes” said London Irish’s Director of Rugby, Declan Kidney.

“We are looking to push on from last weekend, but we know that we are up against a Bristol team that finished top of the league after last season’s regular season.”

PICTURES | RACHEL KOLISI WELCOMES SIYA HOME – AND SHOWS OFF HER NEW MERCEDES!

LONDON IRISH TEAM

15 Tom Parton, 14 James Stokes, 13 Curtis Rona, 12 Benhard van Rensburg, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Nick Phipps, 1 Will Goodrick-Clarke, 2 Mike Willemse, 3 Ollie Hoskins, 4 Steve Mafi, 5 Rob Simmons, 6 Matt Rogerson (captain), 7 Isaac Curtis-Harris, 8 Albert Tuisue

Substitutes: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Marcel van der Merwe, 19 George Nott, 20 Jack Cooke, 21 Ben White, 22 Terrence Hepetema, 23 Kyle Rowe

The post London Irish latest news: Exiles name squad for Bristol Bears visit appeared first on Australian Times News.

While things have ended strongly for Ricciardo, other racers are not too pleased with his recent performance.

At some point in the race, Saintz and Ricciardo made contact which led Ricciardo to make what Saintz called ‘a dirty defense’. According to Saintz, Ricciardo did not leave enough room for him to regain the position he lost on the outside.

Ricciardo’s defence scores him 10 points

Saintz seemed to have enough room to move but the Spaniard was angered by the Australians defense. He later admitted that he would have done the same thing if he were in Ricciardo’s position.

“My take is obviously that he — the guy on the inside does this kind of thing on purpose always to try and squeeze the guy on the outside. I would have done it the same.

“I would have done the same thing”

Although Saintz agreed with the defense Ricciardo made, he felt that his competitor could have done it a bit cleaner as he “nearly spun”.

Fortunately, no damage was suffered in the incident, which the race stewards ticked off without awarding any penalties to either driver.

No hard feelings between the guys

Meanwhile, Saintz finished off in seventh place after missing his gap.

Currently, the racers seem to be at a good place. Both racers believe that there are areas of improvement regardless of how good the race went. “

So, the excitement is not over yet. The next race will be taking place on 5th November 2021.

The post Ricciardo accused of playing dirty in a recent Formula 1 race appeared first on Australian Times News.

Kick-off is at 15:00 local time (16:00 SA time) on Saturday, 23 October.

READ | WHO IS MORNE STEYN? 10 FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FORMER SPRINGBOK FLYHALF

Will Goodrick-Clarke, Agustin Creevy and Ollie Hoskins are the front row, with Steve Mafi and Rob Simmons in the second row.

Matt Rogerson captains the side from blindside flanker and there is a competitive debut for Tom Pearson, who is set to start from openside flanker. Albert Tuisue completes the pack from No 8.

READ | CHESLIN KOLBE BURSTS INTO TOP 10 OF SA-DOMINATED HIGHEST PAID RUGBY LIST

Nick Phipps and Paddy Jackson continue their partnership in the halfbacks, and Terrence Hepetema links up with Curtis Rona in the centres.

An unchanged London Irish back three of Ollie Hassell-Collins, Ben Loader and Tom Parton continue from last weekend.

READ | REFEREES NAMED FOR SPRINGBOKS’ 3 END-OF-YEAR TESTS

“Playing teams who have won Premiership titles and European cups is how you want to test yourself,” said Kidney.

“They present a big challenge for us, especially at Sandy Park in front of their own supporters.

“We have trained well this week and are looking forward to the battle that awaits us come 15:00 tomorrow.”

READ | FAF DE KLERK HAS HIP SURGERY, OUT FOR 4 MONTHS

London Irish are currently 10th in the 13-team log with eight points after five matches.

Exeter Chiefs find themselves in fourth spot with 15 points after as many matches.

London Irish:

15 Tom Parton, 14 Ben Loader, 13 Curtis Rona. 12 Terrence Hepetema, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Nick Phipps, 1 Will Goodrick-Clarke, 2 Agustin Creevy, 3 Ollie Hoskins, 4 Steve Mafi, 5 Rob Simmons, 6 Matt Rogerson (captain), 7 Tom Pearson, 8 Albert Tuisue

Substitutes: 16 Mike Willemse, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Marcel van der Merwe, 19 George Nott, 20 Jack Cooke, 21 Ben White, 22 Rory Jennings, 23 Benhard van Rensburg

The post London Irish latest news: Squad confirmed for trip to Exeter Chiefs appeared first on Australian Times News.

READ | SHARKS, STORMERS PLAYERS DOMINATE SPRINGBOKS’ END-OF-YEAR SQUAD

The 20-year-old back rower, formerly of the Jaguares, made his international debut for Argentina earlier this year – coming off the bench to score a try against Romania – and has since gone on to feature in four Rugby Championship fixtures for his country, including outings against Australia and New Zealand.

In signing for Irish, Gonzalez Samso joins fellow Argentineans Agustin Creevy and Facundo Gigena at Hazelwood – and he’s excited about linking up with his new team-mates next month.

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“It’s an exciting opportunity for me,” he said, “I’m looking forward to linking up with the squad.

“I’ve always wanted to play club rugby in Europe – the English league has always fascinated me.

“It’s an exciting time to be joining London Irish.”

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Ahead of his arrival in mid-November, Exiles’ Director of Rugby, Declan Kidney, welcomed Gonzalez Samso, commenting: “Juan is a young player with great quality.

“He’s already a full international and will certainly strengthen our back-row options.

“He’s excited to come and play here, he was really keen on the move – so we can’t wait for him to join us next month.”

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Icons capture the imagination. The young fan staring at an old, grainy photo from the turn of the 20th century, stories of legendary matches of the past. Or watching a play on YouTube that people wouldn’t believe was real, except you watched it happen live. Better than anything Hollywood can come up with. 

Rugby has been around in Australia and New Zealand since the 19th century (the first club was formed all the way back in 1864!). And even from the start, rugby icons have been a huge part of why we watch the sport. The reason why we’re willing to pay extortionate prices for television packages. Why do we set alarms for online queuing systems to get tickets to that all-important final game? It’s to watch those players rise above the rest, creating historic moments you’ll never forget. 

It’s why ever since the start of the sport, people have loved putting money on rugby to support their players and feel like they’re part of the action. And today is no different, fans still love betting on the sport, and they can redeem codes for bonuses and really have some fun – enter this Mobilebet promo code, for example, and you can get wind at your back when you’re betting. 

To cut a long story short – these 3 players perhaps capture the word ‘icon’ better than most. Put them on the pitch, and the odds of their team winning suddenly go very short indeed. They perform, yes, but they also have that additional x-factor, that something that makes us put posters up on the wall. 

Jonah Lomu (New Zealand) 

Lomu deserves a spot on this list not only for his undoubted rugby talent, but also for having a legitimate claim to being the first bona fide superstar of the sport. His popularity went beyond the pitch, rugby’s biggest drawing card, a physical specimen, oozing talent, a likeable personality. 

Jonah Lomu had it all. He earned a total of 63 caps for his country, scoring an impressive 185 points for the All Blacks from 1994 to 2002. He also shares the record as the all-time try scorer in Rugby World Cups with Bryan Habana. He played a memorable 1995 World Cup, arguably being the world’s best player at the time, but unfortunately he came up just short of winning it all.

His life, full of success on the rugby pitch, also had a tragic side. His career was ended prematurely by a kidney condition, and his life was ultimately taken from a heart attack linked to the disease. Nevertheless, fans will always remember him as that mercurial talent, that affable smile, a legend.  

David Campese (Australia) 

For those who had the pleasure of watching him play, there is absolutely no debate that David Campese is the greatest fullback and winger in the history of the sport. His famous goose-step, allowing him to bypass opponents with frightening ease, is still legendary today. 

Campese achieved 101 caps for Australia, scoring 315 points during his glittering international career. In the 1991 World Cup, where he scored six tries during the tournament, he was voted the best player. He made players of the highest calibre look like amateurs, his performances in the most high-pressured environments seem like a practice session. 

Perhaps what adds to the romanticism around Campese is that he was part of the last decade of amateur rugby, harking back to an era that didn’t have the endorsements, the television deals, the slick professionalism. He had outspoken views, which often landed him in hot water, but it also won him a lot of admiration. 

Jonny Wilkinson (England) 

Our last entry is the Cristiano Ronaldo of the rugby world. Talented, there’s no doubt, but not with that unstoppable rawness of Jonah Lomu. What really set Wilkinson apart was his approach to the game. In the era before ice baths, when we were still transitioning to modern-day professionalism, where pints continued to be had the day before the match, Jonny Wilkinson understood that preparation was key to success. 

His focus on getting every last ounce out of his talent was second to none. Other players, seasoned pros, were dragged along and raised their standards. His routine was close to obsessive, practising long hours, eating the right foods, avoiding the temptations of nights out and beer. 

The results were worth it. He smashed the record for most World Cup points, recording 277. He also had the most Lions Test points (67) by the time he retired. And who can forget ‘that’ moment? Just 26 seconds from the end of the World Cup final, Jonny Wilkinson would score the drop-goal that would define his career. 

All this being said, we can confidently say – these are the everlasting Rugby stars. Of course, there will be prodigies and prominent names like Anoine Dupont, Aaron Smith or Pablo Matera, but these names will always be remembered like the pillars of Rugby.

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The Exiles kick things off with a trip to Sixways Stadium to take on Worcester Warriors before hosting Sale Sharks in Round 2 for their first home match.

Eight new faces have linked up with the senior squad during the off-season, with preparations complete ahead of Round 1 in the Gallagher Premiership.

London Irish squad

Forwards: Adam Coleman, Agustin Creevy, Albert Tuisue, Allan Dell, Ben Atkins, Ben Donnell, Chunya Munga, Facundo Gigena, George Nott, Isaac Curtis-Harris, Izaiha Moore-Aiono, Jack Cooke, Jamie Dever, Lovejoy Chawatama, Matt Cornish, Matt Rogerson, Marcel van der Merwe, Mike Willemse, Ollie Hoskins, Rob Simmons, Ryan Bower, Sean O’Brien, Steve Mafi, Will Goodrick-Clarke

Backs: Benhard Janse van Rensberg, Ben Loader, Ben White, Caolan Englefield, Curtis Rona, Hugh O’Sullivan, Jacob Atkins, James Stokes, Kyle Rowe, Matt Williams, Nick Phipps, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Paddy Jackson, Phil Cokanasiga, Rory Brand, Rory Jennings, Terrence Hepetema, Tom Parton

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Kick-off is at 14:30.

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The two will be reunited in a coaching capacity after their successful time together at Glasgow Warriors from 2017-2020.

Three experienced world class players have also been confirmed to put on the Black and White shirt again; the 74 capped back-rower and Argentine former captain, Pablo Matera, who led the Pumas to a landmark first victory against the All Blacks in the 2020 Rugby Championship; the 54-time capped Springbok number eight, Duane Vermeulen, who missed out on the victorious series against the British & Irish Lions due to injury; and finally, his fellow Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx who boasts 38 Test caps.

All three have represented the Barbarians once before in matches at Twickenham.

Vermeulen in 2013 against Fiji, Matera against England in 2015 and Marx more recently against Argentina in the 2018 nail-biting match that saw a last-minute drop goal seal victory for the Baa-Baas.

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Rennie remarked “It’s a huge honour to be invited to coach the Barbarians later this year and it should be a great occasion at Twickenham. The Barbarians are renowned for bringing together leading players from around the world, and the challenge for coaches is moulding them quickly into a team that can play expansive entertaining rugby for the fans to enjoy.”

He continued, “Humphs is an excellent coach and I look forward to working with him again.  We are in the process of assembling a great squad and delighted Duane, Pablo and Malcolm have all accepted to play. Further player announcements will be made in the coming weeks.”

Humphreys also commented: “The Barbarians is steeped with so much history, especially in Wales with the 73 game and the Easter Tours. It is special to represent the club as a player, but to now coach them is an even greater responsibility.” 

He continued, “I look forward to joining up with Dave and hopefully get the team to put in a special performance on the day and finish off the Autumn Internationals in style.”

A day of high-octane international rugby is expected at Twickenham in this historic double header event, with stars from around the globe representing both the men and women’s teams. 

Barbarian Women will take on a Springboks Women’s XV following the men’s match at 17:15.

The ticket price includes both matches and are selling fast, with a big crowd expected. Secure your seats early and be part of the action from *£35 for adults and kids *£15.

Visit: www.ticketmaster.co.uk/barbarians

Hospitality packages are available to purchase from £119 per person via www.twickenhamstadium.com

(*Booking fees apply). 

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Rogerson – who has made 71 appearances for the Exiles – will be supported in the role by Nick Phipps and Paddy Jackson, who complete the leadership group.

The halfback duo, who have made 40 appearances each for London Irish, continue in their roles from last season.

Rogerson expressed his delight at being given the captain’s armband for the new campaign, commenting: “It’s a huge honour to be named captain of this fantastic Club.

“I was fortunate enough to be part of the leadership group last season and those experiences will I’m sure stand me in really good stead for the campaign ahead.

“We’re lucky that we’ve got a great group of men here, and myself, Nick and Paddy know we’ll have the full backing of the group throughout the season, which can only serve us well as we look to keep on improving as a squad.”

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London Irish Director of Rugby, Declan Kidney, added: “We believe that in Matt, Nick and Paddy we’ve got a very strong and experienced leadership group for the upcoming season.

“Matt showed his leadership qualities in abundance last year when he skippered the side, so we’re delighted he has agreed to lead us once again this season.

“Needless to say, it’s a collective when it comes to leadership, and everyone plays their part – from the players to the coaches and the rest of the staff – but each of the three players brings different strengths that will help us continue to progress over the course of the campaign.”

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READ | SPRINGBOKS V ALL BLACKS: REFEREE FOR 100TH TEST CONFIRMED!

Dever joins on a short-term deal after a stint in Major League Rugby.

The 28-year-old Irish prop featured for Houston Sabercats, San Diego Legion and Old Glory DC in the MLR.

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Bower, 30, joins following spells with Leicester Tigers and Worcester Warriors, the latter for whom he made just over 100 appearances between 2014-2020.

Exiles’ Director of Rugby, Declan Kidney said: “We’re pleased to welcome both Jamie and Ryan to London Irish.

“With Facundo (Gigena) called into the Argentina squad and Luke (Green) and Tarek (Haffar) only just returning to pre-season training after their exploits with England Under-20’s, we’re a little bit light numbers-wise at prop, so to be able to add both players to the squad for the next few months will strengthen our options, both on match days and on a daily basis at Hazelwood.”

WIN | WOOLWORTHS VOUCHERS TO THE VALUE OF R1 500!

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READ | FROM TEST FAMINE TO FEAST FOR SPRINGBOKS IN 2021

Earlier this week, Cowan, 35, asked the club to consider an early release from his contract to explore a playing opportunity in Japan.

After careful consideration – and in view of Blair’s status and his level of service to London Irish over the years – the club, reluctantly, agreed to his request.

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A true warrior on the pitch during his eight years with the Exiles, Cowan departs having clocked up 153 appearances, scoring 26 tries.

Director of Rugby, Declan Kidney, said: “Blair has made an invaluable contribution to London Irish during his time with the club.

“We’re disappointed he is moving on, but we felt it was only right that we allowed him to pursue this opportunity at this stage of his career.

“We wish Blair and his family well – there will always be a seat for them at Brentford in the future.”

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Blair Cowan said: “This is the hardest decision of my career to date. It’s very rare for opportunities like this to come to someone at this stage in their career. When my wife and I had to write a leave and stay list, the list to stay at this Club was too long for the paper.

“There was one point on the leave column, and that was family. At the end of the day, family trumps all.

“I always envisaged hanging my boots up at the end of a London Irish match, preferably lifting the Premiership trophy, so to leave on this note is extremely hard, especially as I won’t get to share one last moment with the supporters and the people within the Club, that I regard as family.

“There are so many people to thank, and hopefully I get the opportunity to do so before I leave, but I just want to express my gratitude to Mick Crossan as he has given me this opportunity to be a part of this Club for so long. I would also like to thank all coaches, management, and background staff for continuing to have faith in me and putting up with me for so long. But most of all, I just want to thank all the boys through all the years for giving me amazing memories and sharing the trenches when our backs were against the wall and helping to fight our way to some amazing wins.

“From myself, my wife, and my son Eli, we would like to express our gratitude to everyone involved with the Club and the London Irish family for making this period of our lives so special. Our bond with this Club will never be broken. You never know, our paths might cross again in the future.

“With lots of love, the Cowans.”

The club will be making no further comment.

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Sleep-deprived athletes risk poor performances, with almost three-quarters falling short of desired slumber targets by at least an hour, a new Australian study has found.

The research by the Australian Catholic University, which examined the sleep routines of 175 elite Australian athletes from 12 sports – including the Olympic disciplines of swimming, cycling, triathlon and professional team sport – has weighty recovery implications for coaches.

Results showed athletes were routinely shortcutting their sleep by as much as 96 minutes per night, with only three percent satisfying their self-assessed needs. And the shortfall can often be out of their control due to demanding competition schedules, stress and travel.

Insufficient sleep could result in reduced performance

Participants typically slept for 6.7 hours each night, significantly less than their self-assessed sleep need of 8.3 hours and well short of the US National Sleep Foundation, which recommends between seven and nine hours for young adults (18–25) and seven to eight hours for other adults (26–64).

Professor Shona Halson from the university’s Sports Performance, Recovery, Injury and New Technologies Research Centre said insufficient sleep could result in reduced performance and increased mood disturbance, as well as a reduction in immunity, reaction time and cognitive function.

“Sleep is the ultimate performance enhancer. The less sleep obtained, the poorer the performance,” she said. “Generally, athletes cope with one or two nights of poor sleep.

“However, insufficiently rested athletes risk foregoing the enhanced adaption to training and increased general wellbeing that comes with optimal sleep.”

Female athletes get more sleep than male counterparts

Participating athletes were from national teams and were excluded from the sample if they were training or sleeping at high altitude, injured, if they reported a sleep disorder, or if they had undertaken trans-meridian (east–west or west–east) travel in the fortnight prior to data collection.

Athletes who reported the most shut-eye fell asleep between 10pm and 10.30pm, or woke between 9am and 9.30am. Teams (6.9 hours) fared better than individual sports (6.4 hours) and female athletes went to bed earlier than males.

The findings are illuminating for coaches and athletes preparing for major competition where perceived pressure, distractions and unfamiliar surroundings and routines can affect sleep quality and quantity.

Professor Halson said coaches could consider delaying morning training start times and providing athletes with targets for sleep timing to help maximise sleep duration.

The post Some solid Tokyo shut-eye will stand our athletes in good stead appeared first on Australian Times News.

READ | London Irish news: 2021/22 Gallagher Premiership fixtures released

It was the first day at Hazelwood for new signings Ben White, Hugh O’Sullivan, Benhard van Rensberg, Rory Jennings, Mike Willemse and Kyle Rowe.

Click here to secure your season ticket at the Brentford Community Stadium!

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Declan Kidney’s side will make the journey to Sixways Stadium – the home of the Warriors – in Round 1 on Saturday, 18 September, in a carbon copy of the opening fixture from the 2020/21 season.

London Irish’s first home fixture of the new campaign will see last season’s losing playoff semi-finalists Sale Sharks travel to the Brentford Community Stadium.

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The fixture will be played on Sunday, 26 September – with the BT Sport cameras in attendance for a 15:00 kick-off in the capital.

October starts with a trip to Northampton Saints, before back-to-back home matches versus Leicester Tigers and Gloucester Rugby. Last season’s top-two come next, with an away game at Exeter Chiefs – selected as another BT Sport live game – followed by a home clash against Bristol Bears. An away tie at Saracens completes the first block of fixtures.

Later in the campaign, the festive schedule starts with an away trip to Wasps, before Bath Rugby are the visitors to West London for what might be the first fixture of 2022.

Northampton Saints are the opponents for the annual St Patrick’s Party fixture in March, for what promises to be a stand-out clash in the calendar.

Owing to the 13-team set-up of the league this season, London Irish have two free weekends, one in Round 13 and another on the final weekend, Round 26, meaning our final regular season game is on the road at Bath Rugby in Round 25, on the weekend of 21 May.

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The 23-year-old, who left Leicester Tigers at the end of the 2020/21 season, has put pen to paper on a deal with the Exiles and will link up with his new team-mates in pre-season next month.

White made history when he became the youngest player in Leicester Tigers’ Premiership history when he came off the bench against Harlequins in September 2016, aged just 17 years and 151 days.

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He made nine appearances in all competitions for the Tigers last term, having clocked up over 50 in the previous two campaigns.

White expressed his delight at agreeing a deal with London Irish, commenting: “I’m really excited to be here.

“I feel this is just the kind of fresh challenge I need at this stage of my career.

“There’s a really talented group here and I can’t wait to get going with the boys in pre-season.”

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London Irish’s Director of Rugby, Declan Kidney, added: “We are delighted to welcome Ben to the club.

“He’s a really promising scrumhalf, with great experience despite his age.

“We want to develop a group of young scrumhalves under the mentorship of Nick Phipps to bring the club forward.

“Ben knows a good few of the boys already from their time together with England U20’s. We’re excited about getting to work with him in pre-season.”

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The 23 year-old back-rower, who joined the club’s senior Academy during the 2016/17 campaign, has put pen to paper to extend his stay with the Exiles.

To date, Isaac Curtis-Harris has made 20 appearances in all competitions for Irish.

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Speaking in the wake of signing his new deal, Isaac Curtis-Harris expressed his delight at committing his future to the club, commenting: “I’m really pleased to have agreed an extension.

“There’s huge competition for places in my position, but I’m excited about continuing to learn from the experienced guys we have in the pack, which will in turn I’m sure help my game to continue to develop.”

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Director of Rugby, Declan Kidney, added: “Isaac has continued to develop over the last 12 months and this is his just-rewards.

“We’re excited about seeing him evolve over the coming year, as he progresses as a player with us.”

Click here to grab your 2021/22 season ticket!

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Cooke came through the London Irish Academy system and has gone on to make 26 appearances for the Exiles so far.

The back-rower, who once ran out at the Madejski Stadium as a mascot holding the then captain Bob Casey’s hand, skippered the Exiles for the first time in the 2019/20 season.

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“I’m delighted to be staying at London Irish,” explained Cooke.

“I have played for Irish for my entire career, so it was a no brainer to continue on the journey here. It’s an exciting time at the club, and I want to be a part of it.”

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“Jack is a great ambassador for the club,” said Declan Kidney, Director of Rugby.

“He has a great understanding of the game matched by a determination to improve. We look forward to seeing his progression continue with us.”

Please click here to secure your London Irish season ticket for the 2021/22 campaign!

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Theo Brophy Clews, Harry Elrington, Nic Groom, Tom Homer, Charlton Kerr, Andrei Mahu, Motu Matu’u, Waisake Naholo and Vladimir Podrezov will all be packing their bags.

“On behalf of everyone at London Irish, I would like to thank the departing players for all their hard work and efforts for the club,” said Declan Kidney, Director of Rugby.

“I also want to thank their families, because without them, the players wouldn’t have been able to give their all for the club.

“Tom retires after making more than 100 appearances for the club, with Theo and Harry both reaching the 50-game milestone. All three of them have been fantastic servants for the club, on and off the field.

“Motu, Nic and Andrei have all worked tremendously hard to get London Irish get to where we are at present.

“Waisake, although not able to play as much as he wanted, has been a brilliant influence on our back three players and so is leaving with a long-term positive affect on the club.

“Charlton and Vladimir will not be as well known by our supporters, as unfortunately injuries and opportunities did not fall their way. But both are great people, and we thank them for their work rate and energy that they both brought to the squad.

“It’s been a pleasure to work with them all and they are always welcome back at Hazelwood.”

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Departing London Irish players:

Theo Brophy Clews (retiring)
Harry Elrington
Nic Groom
Tom Homer (retiring)
Charlton Kerr
Andrei Mahu
Motu Matu’u
Waisake Naholo
Vladimir Podrezov

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Tom Homer, who made 126 appearances and scored 785 points for the Exiles across two stints with the Club, has decided that it’s the right time for him to hang up his boots.

Homer had agreed a move to French side US Montalbanaise, but has since decided his future is away from the rugby field.

“I suppose my love for life is now beyond the rugby field,” explained Tom Homer.

“I’ve played rugby for 13 years now and have some brilliant memories, but it just feels like the right time to retire.

“There is something poetic about finishing at the club where it all started. I’m looking forward to the next adventure.”

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Looking back at his career, Homer chose not to reflect a particular match, try or conversion, but more so on those fellow players he has shared the pitch with.

“My first year at London Irish and getting to play in the Premiership final was a massive highlight, but more than anything, I will remember the people that I got to share those types of experiences with,” he said.

“Thank you to all the people that have supported me during my career, you stuck with me through thick and thin. I really appreciate it.”

London Irish Director of Rugby Declan Kidney, when commenting on Homer’s decision, said: “We wish nothing but the best to Tom and his family in the future.

“He has had a fantastic career and should be very proud of everything that he has achieved. I know he will be successful in whatever path he chooses to do next, and I would like to thank him for his generosity, work ethic and friendship during his time at London Irish.”

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London Irish returned positive Covid-19 tests this week and a significant number of their playing squad were ruled out of the match through the contact tracing process.

This meant London Irish were unable to fulfil the fixture at Ashton Gate, something that was only confirmed on Saturday morning.

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A Premiership Rugby spokesperson said: “Our priority is the health and safety of everyone involved with London Irish and Bristol Bears and we will give the clubs any support they need. We wish everyone affected a full and speedy recovery.

“Neither Premiership Rugby nor the club will be naming any of the players or staff involved and we’d ask everyone to respect their privacy.”

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Under the Premiership Rugby regulations, the match between London Irish and Bristol Bears will be cancelled.

A Premiership Rugby panel will now be convened to determine the allocation of points and a further announcement will be made in due course.

Click here to read the clauses about Covid in the Premiership Rugby regulations.

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