Blues cruise: How Potter’s serene start could prove pivotal for Chelsea October 21, 2022 It has been six weeks since two 47-year-olds took on the biggest jobs of their careers and it’s fair to say that it has gone better for Graham Potter than Liz Truss. While Truss was forced out of Downing Street after 44 catastrophic days as Prime Minster, new Chelsea manager Potter has enjoyed a serene [...]
Ollie Phillips: Premiership turmoil, Bangkok and Russell finished? October 20, 2022 I have steered clear of talking about Premiership clubs Wasps and Worcester Warriors thus far given the uncertainty surrounding the futures of the players, but I feel like I should offer some thoughts. Look at the talent across the two clubs: Ollie Lawrence, Jack and Tom Willis, Alfie Barbeary and the rest. The players are [...]
Ed Warner: Don’t criticise British Cycling for accepting sponsorship from Shell October 20, 2022 Disclaimer No1: I don’t think I’ve written anything in support of British Cycling down the years. Quite the opposite in fact. But I can’t bring myself to add my name to the lengthening petition that splutters in indignation about the governing body’s sponsorship deal with Shell. So, here’s a first for me. British Cycling’s eight-year [...]
Six Nations set for Netflix show as rugby union seeks Drive to Survive effect October 19, 2022 Six Nations chiefs are hoping to develop their fanbase through a new series set to be shown on streaming site Netflix. Rugby bosses have held talks with programme makers and a deal is thought to be close, paving the way to start at next year’s edition of the international tournament. The programme is expected to [...]
London legend: City grandee and former Tottenham Hotspur chairman Tony Berry dies October 19, 2022 London’s business community remembers the life of Tony Berry who has passed away aged 81 after a long illness. Generally considered a leading London businessmen of his generation, Berry’s drive and deal-making took him to the chairmanship of a £1bn-valued company. After qualifying as a management accountant with Guinness he joined Bovril then took a [...]
Jamie George: Premiership turmoil ‘darkest week in rugby history’ October 18, 2022 England hooker Jamie George has described recent days in the Premiership as the “darkest week in rugby history” after Wasps joined Worcester Warriors in administration. The Saracens front rower is out of England’s Autumn Nations Series with metatarsal damage but says watching domestic rugby’s financial crisis worsen is concerning. Wasps plunged into administration on Monday [...]
Rugby chief suggests French-style governance can save game in England October 16, 2022 England rugby chief Bill Sweeney has insisted the Premiership and Championship should look across the Channel to France for inspiration as the domestic game faces a crisis unlike anything it has seen in the professional era. Two clubs – Worcester Warriors and Wasps – have been suspended from the league after going into administration, with [...]
Claressa Shields v Savannah Marshall and the rise and rise of women’s boxing October 13, 2022 The last time Savannah Marshall and Claressa Shields met in a boxing ring, they were both amateurs with no realistic prospect of making a good living from the sport. A decade on, the bitter rivals are due to renew hostilities at the top of the professional ranks on a historic occasion that promises to earn [...]
Once, twice, goald: Maradona ‘Hand of God’ ball to go under hammer October 13, 2022 The ball which became the infamous victim of Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ fist in the 1986 World Cup is set to go under the hammer next month. The ball, used for the entirety of the match between Argentina and England in Mexico, is being sold by the man who refereed the match – Ali [...]
Ed Warner: Boxing’s parallel existence, Benn-Eubank, and a Trussian shambles October 13, 2022 The Sweet Science. The Noble Art. Boxing has a lore of its own and is a law unto itself. It occupies a parallel existence in which its rules, first published under the sponsorship of the ninth Marquess of Queensbury in 1867, and a love of litigation – real and threatened – are deemed sufficient to [...]