England flanker Henry Pollock has been nominated for World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year.
The 20-year-old’s sensational rise includes two tries on his England debut against Wales in March, before selection for the British and Irish Lions’ tour of Australia.
Although he did not feature in a Lions Test, he has continued to shine for England, scoring a vital try against Australia at the start of November.
Northampton’s Pollock is known for his high energy, speed and immense work-rate, which has been used to good affect off the bench this autumn.
New Zealand’s Dutch-born lock Fabian Holland, South Africa wing Ethan Hooker and Australia’s cross-code star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii are the other nominees.
France winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who was named the 2025 Six Nations Player of the Tournament, is nominated for World Rugby Player of the Year.
The 22-year-old scored eight tries – a record in a single championship – as France lifted the title for a 19th time.
Last year’s winner Pieter-Steph du Toit, who won the award in 2019 as well, is again nominated after helping South Africa win back-to-back Rugby Championships.
Fellow Springboks Malcolm Marx and Ox Nche are also up for the award, with Rassie Erasmus’ side topping the world rankings after an impressive year.
The winners of both awards, and the men’s international try of the year, will be announced on Saturday.
Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Tuesday, 18 November Kick-off: 19:45 GMT
The burden of history is everywhere you look.
Hampden Park, Glasgow. A footballing mausoleum of memories and moments, both awe-inspiring and harrowing.
The walls of the place carry the spirit of the greats. Sir Kenny Dalglish dancing elegantly through defences. Denis Law with arms raised in trademark fashion. An image of James McFadden with the ball hanging in the Parisian air and a bamboozled Mickael Landreau somewhere in the distance.
Take a walk deeper inside and the broad bowl of the national stadium opens up. Once it was a concrete cathedral that held the hopes of teams and fans setting off with dreams of actually trying to win a World Cup.
Now, lying thick and still under the cover of plastic seats, the cavernous emptiness of the place mirrors the void left since it is modern reincarnation in the late 1990s.
Not since Hampden’s redevelopment have Scotland earned the right to go to a World Cup. The last time it was achieved, a lap of honour took place around a partially built Celtic Park.
History. That’s what Scotland have when it comes to the greatest stage of all.
19 hours ago
22 hours ago
To the uninitiated, signs of stars aligning are there in the crisp Glaswegian sky.
Scotland have tripped, stumbled and stuttered their way through this campaign with all the poise of a sumo wrestler on Strictly Come Dancing, but have managed to carve out positive results.
They survived a first-half onslaught in Copenhagen to earn a valuable point. Battered at home by Greece? Somehow Steve Clarke’s side claimed victory. They made hard work of it, but Belarus were beaten twice, too.
Even in chaotic defeat in Athens on Saturday, Scotland were rescued as Denmark inexplicably were held by Belarus, meaning a home win on Tuesday evening and immortality – a place in the World Cup – is theirs.
Yet, this Scotland team is masters of the dark arts of unpredictability. For most of the time, you’re just not sure what you’re going to get.
For a support who adore their football team, there is no room for sentiment here.
Romance has been eroded away for the Tartan Army. Nothing is written in the stars for Scotland.
Through the history of the nation’s football team, there have been moments where you’d think the footballing gods would say “they’ve suffered enough, let’s give them a break”.
Going out of the 1974 World Cup without losing a game. Exiting Euro ’96 in the most cruel fashion. Losing to Brazil by a hapless own goal and then, after raising hopes by drawing with Norway, being demolished by Morocco. Beating England at Wembley, but not by enough, in a European Championship play-off the following year.
Then there are recent examples of trauma after actually getting to two European Championships. A dispiriting choke in the first game being followed by a credible draw in the second to keep hopes alive, only to then go out with a whimper in the final group match.
Clarke hauls Scotland into the spotlight
SNS
That in itself is a compliment of sorts to Clarke, who has hauled Scotland out of the international wilderness to be within touching distance of going to USA, Canada and Mexico next summer.
Since the late and magnificent Craig Brown trudged off the park in St Etienne in the summer of 1998, six different Scotland managers tried and failed to get the nation to a major tournament.
Play-offs came and went. So too did the international careers of many players who deserved more.
Then came Clarke in 2019. The man who had thrived at Kilmarnock in his native Ayrshire after a successful career on and off the pitch in England took the national team from losing in Kazakhstan to back-to-back Euros.
He did so with a blend of Brown’s hard-to-beat mantra, an emerging crop of talent and a dollop of landmark results.
Spain beaten at Hampden. Norway turned over in their own backyard. Serbia outdone on penalties five years ago. Croatia upstaged in Glasgow.
Scott McTominay, John McGinn, Billy Gilmour, Andy Robertson. Some old and some new, but players with reputations and pedigrees to match, who have helped haul Scotland from the shadows of irrelevance into the spotlight.
That ascension has brought scrutiny. Some of it harsh, some of it deserved.
In the 2022 play-off semi-final against Ukraine, Clarke’s team disintegrated on an occasion, just like this one, that meant so much.
Two Euros have drifted by without a glove being laid on any of their opponents. Just three goals were scored across six games.
These examples stand as warnings from the past, but they should be used as motivators for the here and now. As if any were needed.
The moral of all of this is that Scotland have so often failed to grasp the opportunity that they have clawed out for themselves. The moment has slipped away.
On Tuesday, this group has the chance to reach a World Cup. No strings, no what ifs.
Denmark have been at five of the past seven World Cups but, just like their hosts, vulnerability is lurking.
There is a weakness that was exposed by Belarus and which must be ruthlessly pounced upon. Conversely, signs of an intensity in Scotland’s second-half display in Greece surely must be replicated from the start in Glasgow.
There is an overwhelming sense that Scotland’s fate on Tuesday does not depend on what the handy Danes do, but what Clarke’s team can conjure up and rouse from within themselves.
The quality is there. The incentive is there. The opportunity is there.
Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Tuesday, 18 November Kick-off: 19:45 GMT
The burden of history is everywhere you look.
Hampden Park, Glasgow. A footballing mausoleum of memories and moments, both awe-inspiring and harrowing.
The walls of the place carry the spirit of the greats. Sir Kenny Dalglish dancing elegantly through defences. Denis Law with arms raised in trademark fashion. An image of James McFadden with the ball hanging in the Parisian air and a bamboozled Mickael Landreau somewhere in the distance.
Take a walk deeper inside and the broad bowl of the national stadium opens up. Once it was a concrete cathedral that held the hopes of teams and fans setting off with dreams of actually trying to win a World Cup.
Now, lying thick and still under the cover of plastic seats, the cavernous emptiness of the place mirrors the void left since it is modern reincarnation in the late 1990s.
Not since Hampden’s redevelopment have Scotland earned the right to go to a World Cup. The last time it was achieved, a lap of honour took place around a partially built Celtic Park.
History. That’s what Scotland have when it comes to the greatest stage of all.
19 hours ago
22 hours ago
To the uninitiated, signs of stars aligning are there in the crisp Glaswegian sky.
Scotland have tripped, stumbled and stuttered their way through this campaign with all the poise of a sumo wrestler on Strictly Come Dancing, but have managed to carve out positive results.
They survived a first-half onslaught in Copenhagen to earn a valuable point. Battered at home by Greece? Somehow Steve Clarke’s side claimed victory. They made hard work of it, but Belarus were beaten twice, too.
Even in chaotic defeat in Athens on Saturday, Scotland were rescued as Denmark inexplicably were held by Belarus, meaning a home win on Tuesday evening and immortality – a place in the World Cup – is theirs.
Yet, this Scotland team is masters of the dark arts of unpredictability. For most of the time, you’re just not sure what you’re going to get.
For a support who adore their football team, there is no room for sentiment here.
Romance has been eroded away for the Tartan Army. Nothing is written in the stars for Scotland.
Through the history of the nation’s football team, there have been moments where you’d think the footballing gods would say “they’ve suffered enough, let’s give them a break”.
Going out of the 1974 World Cup without losing a game. Exiting Euro ’96 in the most cruel fashion. Losing to Brazil by a hapless own goal and then, after raising hopes by drawing with Norway, being demolished by Morocco. Beating England at Wembley, but not by enough, in a European Championship play-off the following year.
Then there are recent examples of trauma after actually getting to two European Championships. A dispiriting choke in the first game being followed by a credible draw in the second to keep hopes alive, only to then go out with a whimper in the final group match.
Clarke hauls Scotland into the spotlight
SNS
That in itself is a compliment of sorts to Clarke, who has hauled Scotland out of the international wilderness to be within touching distance of going to USA, Canada and Mexico next summer.
Since the late and magnificent Craig Brown trudged off the park in St Etienne in the summer of 1998, six different Scotland managers tried and failed to get the nation to a major tournament.
Play-offs came and went. So too did the international careers of many players who deserved more.
Then came Clarke in 2019. The man who had thrived at Kilmarnock in his native Ayrshire after a successful career on and off the pitch in England took the national team from losing in Kazakhstan to back-to-back Euros.
He did so with a blend of Brown’s hard-to-beat mantra, an emerging crop of talent and a dollop of landmark results.
Spain beaten at Hampden. Norway turned over in their own backyard. Serbia outdone on penalties five years ago. Croatia upstaged in Glasgow.
Scott McTominay, John McGinn, Billy Gilmour, Andy Robertson. Some old and some new, but players with reputations and pedigrees to match, who have helped haul Scotland from the shadows of irrelevance into the spotlight.
That ascension has brought scrutiny. Some of it harsh, some of it deserved.
In the 2022 play-off semi-final against Ukraine, Clarke’s team disintegrated on an occasion, just like this one, that meant so much.
Two Euros have drifted by without a glove being laid on any of their opponents. Just three goals were scored across six games.
These examples stand as warnings from the past, but they should be used as motivators for the here and now. As if any were needed.
The moral of all of this is that Scotland have so often failed to grasp the opportunity that they have clawed out for themselves. The moment has slipped away.
On Tuesday, this group has the chance to reach a World Cup. No strings, no what ifs.
Denmark have been at five of the past seven World Cups but, just like their hosts, vulnerability is lurking.
There is a weakness that was exposed by Belarus and which must be ruthlessly pounced upon. Conversely, signs of an intensity in Scotland’s second-half display in Greece surely must be replicated from the start in Glasgow.
There is an overwhelming sense that Scotland’s fate on Tuesday does not depend on what the handy Danes do, but what Clarke’s team can conjure up and rouse from within themselves.
The quality is there. The incentive is there. The opportunity is there.
Davide Anica from Married At First Sight UK has been busy since the reality TV star’s appearance in the show’s first season.
Samantha King Content Editor
5 images to be viewed
Davide Anica has opened up about life after MAFS UK(Image: E4)
After surviving the ups and downs of being exposed to the public’s scrutiny, securing a brand partnership is the ultimate reward for numerous reality TV stars.
However, Davide Anica, Married At First Sight UK’s breakout star, has other priorities that are far off his list, and he has made it clear to followers that he has no desire to start a fashion line or do anything similar.
“I wanted to make sure I used my platform above all, in the beginning, for good and for something that was bigger than me,” he shares in an exclusive interview with the Mirror.
“I didn’t want a collection or any of that,” I said in response to the brand deals, clothing brand deals, and other things.
The former cabin crew member captured the nation’s hearts on the E4 reality programme alongside his then-partner Keye Luke, with whom he now sports a matching otter tattoo commemorating one of their initial dates on the series. Whilst the couple have since separated, there’s no animosity between them, reports OK!
“It has been five months. He and I have both left our lives. He continues, “We’ve healed, I’ve healed, and I’m happy and well in my life.”
Davide’s first appearance on a newly-minted reality TV show has been confirmed today (November 18) with confirmation that he serves as a celebrity ambassador for EveryYouth, a youth homelessness charity. Given that Davide was only 19 years old when he first encountered rough sleeping in Paris, this is a topic that is particularly significant to him.
He left Portugal to pursue a career in dance after his father criticized him for being gay. After his wallet was stolen, he was homeless in the city and relying on canned tuna and baguettes. He was able to afford a room in a Starbucks 24-hour branch until he received his first pay packet.
He previously told EveryYouth that “some of me was actually ashamed that I was struggling and that I didn’t want to ask for help from my family because that would make them realize that I was never going to be anyone because I was gay.”
He continued to work as a dancer in musicals, including some of the West End, until a serious injury forced him to retrain as a cabin crew.
He has since said his final farewell to aviation, but he is making a new Despite making it clear that using his newfound fame for good, he is making a new journey after reality TV.
“I wanted to set it up first,” I said. He continues, “It was important for me because I was sharing my story and what I’ve been through.
“That’s exactly why I called my management, who then communicated with EveryYouth. They showed me what they do and what they do, and I wish I had known something like this back then when I was struggling with it.
“My job is done here if I can raise money or funds for this beautiful charity that is incredible and does such amazing work.”
The actor has made mention of several other projects he’s keeping secret for the moment, including hosting a celebrity sleepout to raise money for the charity. Through EveryYouth, he has already met young people in Surrey who are experiencing homelessness.
He reveals that his relationship with his father and his entire family has never been stronger despite their turbulent past.
He beams and says, “He’s so proud of me.” He says, “If it helps any family understand that sometimes it just takes a little while to understand, you’ve done us a lot of proud. ” Even while telling our story, he says. “
Continue reading the article.
I didn’t anticipate how drastically my life changed. He confessed about his newfound fame, “I didn’t realize how much in the public eye I was going to be until I actually started being in the public eye.” For me, these are exciting times. I’m looking forward with anticipation.
Visit EveryYouth’s website to learn more about their efforts and to donate.
Davide Anica from Married At First Sight UK has been busy since the reality TV star’s appearance in the show’s first season.
Samantha King Content Editor
5 images to be viewed
Davide Anica has opened up about life after MAFS UK(Image: E4)
After surviving the ups and downs of being exposed to the public’s scrutiny, securing a brand partnership is the ultimate reward for numerous reality TV stars.
However, Davide Anica, Married At First Sight UK’s breakout star, has other priorities that are far off his list, and he has made it clear to followers that he has no desire to start a fashion line or do anything similar.
“I wanted to make sure I used my platform above all, in the beginning, for good and for something that was bigger than me,” he shares in an exclusive interview with the Mirror.
“I didn’t want a collection or any of that,” I said in response to the brand deals, clothing brand deals, and other things.
The former cabin crew member captured the nation’s hearts on the E4 reality programme alongside his then-partner Keye Luke, with whom he now sports a matching otter tattoo commemorating one of their initial dates on the series. Whilst the couple have since separated, there’s no animosity between them, reports OK!
“It has been five months. He and I have both left our lives. He continues, “We’ve healed, I’ve healed, and I’m happy and well in my life.”
Davide’s first appearance on a newly-minted reality TV show has been confirmed today (November 18) with confirmation that he serves as a celebrity ambassador for EveryYouth, a youth homelessness charity. Given that Davide was only 19 years old when he first encountered rough sleeping in Paris, this is a topic that is particularly significant to him.
He left Portugal to pursue a career in dance after his father criticized him for being gay. After his wallet was stolen, he was homeless in the city and relying on canned tuna and baguettes. He was able to afford a room in a Starbucks 24-hour branch until he received his first pay packet.
He previously told EveryYouth that “some of me was actually ashamed that I was struggling and that I didn’t want to ask for help from my family because that would make them realize that I was never going to be anyone because I was gay.”
He continued to work as a dancer in musicals, including some of the West End, until a serious injury forced him to retrain as a cabin crew.
He has since said his final farewell to aviation, but he is making a new Despite making it clear that using his newfound fame for good, he is making a new journey after reality TV.
“I wanted to set it up first,” I said. He continues, “It was important for me because I was sharing my story and what I’ve been through.
“That’s exactly why I called my management, who then communicated with EveryYouth. They showed me what they do and what they do, and I wish I had known something like this back then when I was struggling with it.
“My job is done here if I can raise money or funds for this beautiful charity that is incredible and does such amazing work.”
The actor has made mention of several other projects he’s keeping secret for the moment, including hosting a celebrity sleepout to raise money for the charity. Through EveryYouth, he has already met young people in Surrey who are experiencing homelessness.
He reveals that his relationship with his father and his entire family has never been stronger despite their turbulent past.
He beams and says, “He’s so proud of me.” He says, “If it helps any family understand that sometimes it just takes a little while to understand, you’ve done us a lot of proud. ” Even while telling our story, he says. “
Continue reading the article.
I didn’t anticipate how drastically my life changed. He confessed about his newfound fame, “I didn’t realize how much in the public eye I was going to be until I actually started being in the public eye.” For me, these are exciting times. I’m looking forward with anticipation.
Visit EveryYouth’s website to learn more about their efforts and to donate.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! is currently starring Ruby Wax in the 2025 series. and she’s already proving to be a strong character.
3 images to be seen
Ruby has spoken about her childhood(Image: Getty Images)
Ruby Wax has admitted that she was “locked in the house” at the time of her difficult childhood. The famous interviewer for television has been open about her personal experiences over the years.
She has openly discussed her experiences with mental illness and how she has struggled with it since she was an adult.
Ruby was the only child of Austrian immigrant parents and was born in Chicago, Illinois. She has previously claimed that she felt depressed because her parents had been physically abusive.
The ITV star said she felt her struggles stemmed back to her childhood. She said: “I was locked in my house as a kid – I had no idea.”
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The actress claimed that Berta Wachs, her mother, was a gorgeous “It girl” who could speak eight languages. Ruby, however, joked that her glamorous mother was not her kind, and that she was placed in “the slow class” due to her undiagnosed dyslexia.
She remarked, “It was a cruel house, you know, and it’s a miracle I survived it… ” I was aware that a sense of humor was the only way to get out of it. My safety indicator was that.
Ruby called her parents “torturers,” calling her parents “torturers,” and claiming that Ruby’s mother was emotionally unstable and would occasionally pursue her in the street. Her father was also alleged to be cruel to her.
The comedian responded, “Well, you know, I mentioned it in my book, I’m Not as Well as I Thought I Was, and other books. They were torturous, both intentionally in my mother and intentionally in my dad, even though this is not all that I talk about. He would play mind games, you know. He would constantly remind me of my wealth.
He would take me to the bank and stow some papers downstairs before asking, “Boy, are you wealthy?” It turned out that I wasn’t at all, but it kept me there until, you might say, in my late 30s.
Every time he commits a cruel act, I would write down a number stating that he owes me this much, he owes me this much, and I thought we were really wealthy. I charged a lot if something happened.
She continued, adding that Ruby could “make the joke that she was” on the ceiling with Q-tips” and that she was “never without a sponge.” Her mother was “hysterical” and Ruby could “make the joke that she was.”
She said her father would call her a “sad sack”, an “idiot” and quizzed who would marry her. The comedian said it “never stopped”, with the comments even occurring when she had done well. When asked if she loved her parents Ruby told Jamie Laing on his podcast: “no, I didn’t.”
Ruby said she didn’t “really know who they were” and wasn’t “really upset” when they died. In 2023 Ruby told Kate Garraway’s Life Stories: “‘They were pretty violent with each other (and me), you’d have the sh** knocked out of you.”
After Ruby left high school she then moved to the UK where she trained as a classical actress and worked on stage and TV productions before becoming a celebrity interviewer for the BBC in 1991.
Wax pursued mindfulness at Oxford University after making the decision to leave show business in the early 2000s. She then went on to publish several self-help books, including Mindfulness Guide for Survival and Sane New World.
She was awarded an OBE in 2015 for her work in mental health. Ruby has discussed how to overcome depression, which she first experienced when she was just a child.
Ruby is taking part in the current series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and she has already made quite the impression on camp.
She and AngryGinge discussed the Divey Bushtucker trial in last night’s episode. The pair had to consume the food that had been given to them, including camel toe, fruit, and bugs.
However, they were able to finish the challenge and receive ten out of ten stars. Ruby wasn’t particularly impressed with the camp’s better meal, but this also meant rice and beans.
Ruby claimed she wouldn’t have cared about the challenge if she had known that the campmates would succeed because they had been given a kangaroo neck to cook.
*If you are struggling with mental health, you can speak to a trained advisor from Mind mental health charity on 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk
