Archive May 1, 2025

Ruby Tui, a winger from New Zealand, is not included in the 33-woman Pacific Four Series squad for this month’s match.

Renee Holmes and Chelsea Bremner were also among the three high-profile players who were not included in the squad, scoring five tries for the Black Ferns during their Rugby World Cup triumph in 2022.

Allan Bunting, the trio’s coach, claims that the trio are still central to his thinking as they continue to focus on defending their Women’s World Cup title in England later this year.

We know we’ve had to make tough decisions at this point because it’s a competitive race leading up to our World Cup campaign,” Bunting said.

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, who was once the squad’s two-time world player of the year, has since made a full comeback.

The 55, 000 residents of the Norwegian national team’s town could fit inside the Premier League team’s stadium because of the disparity between Bodo/Glimt and Tottenham.

However, the two teams will play side by side on Thursday and attempt to reach the Europa League final.

Bodo/Glimt have swept aside larger teams from Europe to join Spurs, Manchester United, and Athletic Club in the final four because their supporters are known for bringing giant yellow toothbrushes to games.

They have won eight of their last ten two-legged ties, making them the first Norwegian team to reach a men’s semi-final in a European competition.

It is a remarkable accomplishment for a team that was only content to leave the Norwegian second division ten years ago.

Bodo/Glimt are the less well-known and, arguably, the more intriguing of the four remaining teams in the Europa League.

The nearest city is a 10-hour drive away, located in the small fishing village of Bodo, which is located 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. Their remoteness, which is incredibly remote, has arguably contributed to the formation of a community bond between the residents.

The team’s members frequently take their families for walks or dine in nearby restaurants.

Chris Shaul, who has followed the team since moving from England to Bodo around eight years ago, described the team as “like a big family.”

They are close friends, they say. Many of the players have adultered and socialize together here.

A strong relationship between the team and its fans can be very effective on the pitch, as has been the case with underdogs frequently. Bodo/Glimt have done that in recent years.

Jose Mourinho will undoubtedly still have nightmares from the time Bodo/Glimt’s disastrous managerial debut, when his then-Roma side lost 6-1 to Norway in a Europa Conference League game with Bodo/Glimt, with him in the joint-largest defeat of his distinguished managerial career.

In his 1, 008th game as manager of Real Madrid, Mourinho’s side conceded six or more goals in a single game, and it was on par with Barcelona’s 5-0 defeat.

Bodo/Glimt rose to the top of the standings in 1976 despite being denied promotion to Norway’s top division until 1972 due to existing rules.

But their story actually picked up speed when the club was on the verge of bankruptcy.

The Bodo/Glimt supporters group’s Thomas Solberg remarked, “Economically, we were a mess for years before this success.”

The club was saved despite the fact that we went bankrupt in 2010. We were a split-second club at the time, but we changed our minds when we hired our current manager in 2017.

Kjetil Knutsen, a coach from Bergen who had previously had mediocre success with smaller clubs in Norway, was the key player in that role.

He was Aasmund Bjorkan’s assistant at the time, but he took over the position the year after. It initially appeared to be a failure, but it turned out not.

Morten Gamst Pedersen, a former Blackburn Rovers midfielder and Norway international, claimed that they were considering sacking Knutsen but they lacked the funds to do so.

Knutsen’s concepts involved developing a purpose-driven, intense possession-based game.

The 56-year-old previously stated that dominating does not just mean scoring but also having possession of the ball and dictating the game’s rules.

We want to have a cohesive team identity that includes fans, staff, players, and fans. To be able to develop this “Bodo model,” we must confront ourselves.

Bodo’s goal was to change the players’ mindsets as well.

They had become used to playing in the top two divisions without much real success. However, the club also hired Bjorn Mannsverk when Knutsen was in place.

He trained as a performance and mentality coach after working as a fighter pilot. Mannsverk had extensive experience developing mental resilience as a leader of the Royal Norwegian Air Force squadrons in deployments to Afghanistan and Libya.

Former Bodo/Glimt player Ulrik Saltnes used to have stomach issues and considered retiring, while vice-captain Patrick Berg was ready to leave a club that his grandfather, father, and two uncles had played for.

Working with Mannsverk helped both transform their mentality.

Without Bjorn and the mental effort we put forth, Saltnes, who previously called their play “kamikaze,” said: “I don’t think it would be possible to play that way.”

Bodo/Glimt transformed into a team thanks to Mannsverk’s work on mentality and Knutsen’s coaching methods.

After avoiding relegation for the first time in 2018, they would eventually win the domestic league title in 2020, and they would do it once more in three of their subsequent four seasons.

They were also given a spot in Europe thanks to those championship victories, where they hoped to compete instead of just be happy.

They faced a Celtic side led by Postecoglou, the current Spurs manager, in the Europa Conference League in 2022.

Bodo/Glimt not only shocked the Scottish giants in their knockout round play-off tie, but also thumped them 5-1 on aggregate, winning the first leg 3-1 and the second 2 2-0, to advance to the last 16.

Pedersen remarked, “Knutsen plays attacking football.” They play similarly to Tottenham and like high press.

Knutsen is a very nice person, but the group is strong.

They have excellent training and are very fit. They are aware of their role, and Tottenham will face a difficult match.

Postecoglou said Spurs will not take them lightly because they have previously been detested by Bodo/Glimt.

The Australian described the Australians as “a good football team.” It’s irrelevant where you come from. I don’t underestimate anyone because I’m from another country where football is the fourth sport.

It makes no difference if you say the club is small or the club is big. They have the right to play in the semi-finals of a European competition between us and two other clubs.

Bodo/Glimt will be hoping Postecoglou’s defeat in Europe will set a new precedent.

They will want to go back to Norway, where they are tied, knowing how to use the conditions there to their advantage.

Due to their northerly location, opposing teams can encounter snow and wind as well as a determined, talented side.

Jostein Gundersen, a defender for Bodo/Glimt, told BBC World Service, “I don’t think we are the most sexy team to face.”

The artificial grass and cold, windy weather make up the artificial grass, which we don’t have the biggest stadium.

The Scotsman’s hopes of a fifth world title for a year were completely halted by John Higgins’ Crucible exit in the quarter-finals, which also put an end to his country’s representation there.

Higgins, who will turn 50 in a few weeks, will continue to compete at the highest level in his remarkable life.

However, this year’s World Championship featured only Scotland’s “The Wizard of Wishaw.”

For those who enjoy snooker, it is a potentially worrying statistic for a country that has won 12 world titles in the last 35 years.

Jim Donnelly became the first Scot to compete in the World Championship at a location that is now ingrained in the sport more than 40 years ago.

He described the absence of his fellow citizens in the years prior as “players in Scotland were making century breaks, but didn’t believe in themselves.”

“Scottish players immediately assumed that I had already defeated him, and that if he can go professional, I can do it.”

Even though Donnelly lost to eventual champion Ray Reardon in the opening round of the 1982 tournament, it was just the beginning.

He placed 29th in the world’s rankings, but a young player from Edinburgh, who had won the title in 1987, lost it.

With the first of seven victories, Hendry earned the nickname “King of the Crucible,” that young star became the youngest ever world champion at the age of 21 – a title he still holds.

Higgins followed suit, winning four world titles, and he is still leading the field today.

The 2006 title went to Graeme Dott. Additionally, Anthony McGill, Stephen Maguire, and Alan McManus have all advanced to the semi-finals.

When Donnelly coached him in Wishaw at the age of nine or ten, he immediately realized he was “something special” and was able to identify him with Donnelly.

He believes it will be challenging to find someone to take on the role of Scotland’s leading player, despite his optimism.

According to Donnelly, who also coached McManus and McGill, “the problem with snooker in Scotland is that it’s dying.” We lack the resources to accomplish what the rest of us did.

They put the effort in, are good players, and enjoy snooker. However, they don’t leave without getting the best of their lives. They try to stop it by being a little bit more attacking by refusing to play some shots.

“Many people are unaware of the significance of what is happening. How much time and pressure are required to sit down alone at a table.

Without a doubt, snooker as a whole faces challenges differently than it did in the 1980s and 1990s, when it was at its height in the UK.

There are fewer snooker halls in the country, and there are more leisure opportunities for young people to play video games.

These are issues that professionals in the sport are aware of, even if they are not fatalistic about.

It’s definitely not a dying sport, insists Anne Totten of Scottish Snooker, “It’s just different.”

Totten, whose son Chris suffered a defeat in this year’s World Championship qualifiers, volunteers with the organization to advance the sport.

She attributes the change in how things have changed as a result of the Covid pandemic and the loss of cigarette sponsors.

Cost increases and a lack of core funding are also putting a strain on the budget.

She said, “Our academies were doing really well a few years ago,” Our numbers were tremendously up, and it was on the rise before being hit by Covid.

It was actually 18 months lost and where young people found other things because it was one of the worst-hit sports because of licensing and government reopening times following lockdown.

Totten insists that snooker is still popular and more inclusive than ever in Scotland.

There is a new tour for players from “very diverse backgrounds,” including those over 55s, another for women, and others.

Between 10 and 20 young players play on tours from under 14 to under 21 and some compete across all age groups, with 40 or 50 of the children currently attending junior academies in Scotland.

However, Snooker is gaining popularity internationally and China, with its 1.4 billion population, is at the forefront, with six players making it to the last 16 of Sheffield’s World Championship this year.

Totten says there is talent in Scotland, but the competition makes it harder to do so internationally.

With the likes of Dean Young, Liam Graham, Ross Muir, and Scott Donaldson, Totten said, “I think sometimes it’s overlooked that there is a number of young people coming through in what is really, really fierce competition.”

“The conditions for young people are incredibly challenging.” Even though there are opportunities, there are also opportunities available everywhere, and everyone is competing for a small number of spaces.

This weekend’s boxing is similar to what happens when you order food from a restaurant but there are too many options. What’s good here, you ask? and you are told “Everything” by the waiter.

You have a choice with the likes of Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, Teofimo Lopez, Saul ‘Canelo ‘Alvarez, and Naoya Inoue in a 72-hour span. This is the ideal time to stay in and stay up, drink coffee, manage your sleep, and ensure that you are awake for every fight if you are a true boxer.

Then you can watch them all again on Monday if you can’t work.

On Saturday in Saudi Arabia, Alvarez fights William Scull to defend his super-middleweight titles.

Inoue then defends his undisputed super-bantamweight title against Ramon Cardenas in a haphazard appearance in the United States on Sunday.

Strangely, out of those three cards, Canelo would likely be the third. That is not something I ever thought to say. He views Saudi Arabia as unexplored territory.

You can’t really fault Canelo for choosing to take an easy fight, though, with a fight scheduled for September 30th and Terence Crawford in the works.

Fantasy fights are now more prevalent than ever. Boxing is so wonderful there.

No one was arguing with one another a few years ago; instead, everyone was. Boxers wanted more money than they were worth, and they were all competing on various platforms. But I can’t believe where we are right now.

Garcia is fantastic in it and a sensation outside the ring.

He has been boxing since he was a child and has incredible power with both hands, but especially that left hook, which may be greatly underrated given his social media following.

I am aware that that drug test caused him some trouble. The unfortunate thing is that he is not distinctive in this day and age. There are many things and people you can point your finger at, and Canelo has had issues with drug tests.

No walks in the park when Rolly Romero and Jose Carlos Ramirez square off against them. Although there is a risk involved, I don’t believe they will be defeated.

Canelo is engaged in a fight that avoids risk. Scull, a classic Cuban boxer, is a classic Cuban who will make you miss and pay, but some critics point to Canelo, who is overdue for a stoppage, and this is where he might find himself.

Everyone is anticipating Canelo-Crawford, and I’ve heard it is almost certain to be a done deal.

I’m a fan of this fight, which features two of the sport’s biggest names, top 10 pound-for-pound fighters.

Boxers always move up the weight division. To defeat Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran used two weights. Great fighters accomplish great things.

Canelo won his first title at welterweight before rising to dominance and beginning as a light-welterweight.

Watching Inoue at night is always fun. He has incredible power, incredible technical skills, and incredible power.

He has a little slack in the face of strong opposition, but he still manages to stay in shape and form.

However, the power and technique are unmatched, making it difficult to beat. You have a man who consistently maintains his shape, exerts patience, commits to his attack, and has incredible one-touch strength.

If Inoue isn’t in the best form, his opponent Cardenas, who has a whipping left hook, might be a problem. He can sometimes make mistakes, which he does, and he can knock you out if you do that against Inoue.

That’s what I predict will occur, which could be early or later. That power is maintained throughout Inoue.

Where does Inoue then turn? Where he wants to go.

After the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, LeBron James says he is unsure whether he will continue playing for the NBA next season.

The 40-year-old professional was unable to stop the Timberwolves from clinching a 4-1 series lead with a 103-96 win in Game Five at Crypto.com Arena.

James, the NBA’s top scorer all-time, had hoped to capture a fifth championship this year.

James, who signed a two-year deal with the Lakers in 2024, says he will take some time to consider his future during the off-season.

When James was asked how many more years he would play, he replied, “I don’t know.

The highlight of James’ season came after a 74-game campaign, according to James, who was given the chance to play alongside Bronny, making them the first father-son duo in NBA history.

“No. 1,” he declared, “for sure.”

That’s not even close, they say. This year has been one of the most enriching, fulfilling journeys I’ve ever been on because I can play the game I love and be with my son.

The Timberwolves had 27 points and 24 rebounds coming from Rudy Gobert.

He said, “It feels great.” To come here and play the way we did during a season full of ups and downs means a lot.

We just have a lot of guys who want to win and a lot of guys who have endured hardship throughout their careers and lives, and we are so loving each other.

In the Western Conference semifinals, the Timberwolves will face Houston Rockets or Golden State Warriors.

With a 131-116 victory over the Warriors in game five, the Rockets cut their series deficit to 3-2.

At Toyota Center, Fred VanVleet added 26 points for the Rockets, while Dillon Brooks added 24 and Amen Thompson added 25.

Steve Kerr, the Warriors coach, replaced many of his starters in the third quarter to keep them fresh for game six, and the Rockets had a 31-point lead at one point at one point.

We can’t expect to defeat a great team on their home court because of that lack of defensive concentration and energy, Kerr said.

They treated us like a million bucks tonight.