Category Sports News

Vic Burgess, head coach of the Loughborough Lightning, claims that her team has had a “target on their backs” all season and is aiming for a record-equal third consecutive Netball Super League title.

In a major play-off semi-finale on Friday (20:00 BST), the Lightning will take on London Pulse at Copper Box Arena in an effort to earn their seventh Grand Final spot in eight years.

The only team at this year’s Copper Box to defeat Pulse is the defending, three-time champion, and Burgess predicts Loughborough will treat the game like our final.

According to Burgess, “We want to bank our space in that Grand Final as soon as possible,” so we must give it everything.”

The winner of their “major” semi-final made it to the Grand Final on July 6 after placing first and second, respectively, in the Super League table.

If they reach the final and prevail, Burgess’ side would become the first team to win the Netball Super League.

However, on the final day of the regular season, the Lightning advance to the semi-final after falling to Birmingham Panthers, a team in their inaugural season.

“It has been a rollercoaster at times all season, there have been games where we haven’t been happy,” Burgess continued.

“Teams have fought against us,” he said. We haven’t been able to let go of our guard as a result. That goal is on our back, which we have had the entire season.

Finn Russell, the skipper of Scotland and the British and Irish Lions, has agreed to a new three-year contract at Bath.

As Bath defeated Leicester at Twickenham to win their first Premiership title for 29 years on Saturday, the 32-year-old scored 13 points and scored Max Ojomoh’s try.

Since joining the club in 2023 from French side Racing 92, Russell has scored 420 points, including four tries.

In a historic season, he was a key member of the team that won the European Challenge Cup and the Premiership Rugby Cup earlier this year.

“I enjoyed spending time in Bath. Russell described the Bath website as “a fantastic team and a fantastic club”.

“Over the past few years, we’ve come a long way, and I’m really looking forward to staying here and seeing what the club can accomplish.”

One of the premiership’s most well-known names, Russell, will continue to contribute to the organization.

The likes of Marcus Smith and George Ford, who were also in the league despite the lure of wealth in France and Japan, are both set to stay in the league following Saracens’ earlier this week’s re-signing Owen Farrell from Russell’s former club Racing 92.

The club is progressing, and with the new players entering, Russell said, and the confidence and faith we have growing week-to-week.

I’m eager to begin the season next year with some excellent new signings who will make great additions to the club.

As Bath’s non-salary cap player, Russell is regarded as one of the league’s highest-paid players, making reportedly £1 million per year.

Johann van Graan, the club’s head of rugby, claims that one of the best international players has been chosen.

It’s fantastic news, Van Graan said. Finn is a top 10 player in the world, a force for good in the big games, and most importantly, a great team player and family man.

He is a talented lad, his training is top-notch, and his contribution to our group is incredible.

It’s fantastic that he’ll stay with Bath Rugby and continue his journey with the Blue, Black, and White.

Matt Beard, a former Liverpool manager, will take over as head coach for the third-tier of Burnley women.

Since being fired by Liverpool in February, Beard hasn’t played football for the club. Instead, he will oversee Burnley’s transition to full professional football next year.

The former Chelsea manager has won back-to-back Women’s Super League titles for Liverpool in 2013 and 2014 with the help of his successful coaching career.

The 47-year-old won the Women’s Championship title in 2022 after making a second appearance at the Merseyside club.

Prior to taking over as manager of Bristol City, he had previous stints with Boston Breakers and West Ham, as well as at the national women’s soccer league.

Scotland captain and British and Irish Lions fly-half Finn Russell has signed a new contract to stay at Bath until June 2028.

Six players have been chosen for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, including Chelsea’s Liam Delap and Myles Lewis-Skelly, respectively.

The shortlist includes Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers, former Cherries defender Dean Huijsen, Arsenal winger Ethan Nwaneri, and Bournemouth full-back Milos Kerkez.

Delap, who moved to Chelsea from Ipswich for a sum of money earlier this month, scored 12 goals in the Premier League last season before being relegated to the Championship.

Lewis-Skelly made his England debut against Albania earlier this year with a decisive goal in a breakthrough campaign for Arsenal.

In their final season, Nwaneri, 17, scored nine goals in 37 appearances for the Gunners.

Hungarian full-back Kerkez is attracting interest from Premier League champions Liverpool after his outstanding performances for the Cherries, while Spain international defender Huijsen earned a move to Real Madrid.

As Aston Villa almost failed to earn Champions League qualification, Rogers scored 14 goals and added 15 assists.

Sophie Ingle has been included in Wales’ 23-player squad for the 2025 Women’s European Championship despite not having played a competitive game this season.

The 33-year-old midfielder, who has been released by Chelsea, tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a pre-season friendly against Feyenoord last September.

But the 141-cap former Wales skipper has shown enough in training to persuade head coach Rhian Wilkinson that she merits a place in Switzerland.

“We needed to make sure that Sophie Ingle was in a good place, she’s still on her path to full fitness but she’s in a position now where she can contribute which is important for us,” said Wilkinson, who would not be drawn on what role Ingle will be able to play.

“I don’t want to get into that specifically,” she added, “because Sophie’s pushing, she’s looking really good in training.”

Angharad James will captain a Wales squad that includes Seattle Reign midfield team-mate Jess Fishlock, Wales’ record cap-holder and goalscorer.

“Jess [Fishlock] is going to be the face, the name of Wales, she knows that,” said Wilkinson.

“But equally there is a group of senior players who have come through the whole thing, they have seen it all, been through it all and fought the fights.

“To get the team over the line at what may be the end of their careers… it’s one of those things as a coach you are really proud of, to help deliver that.”

In a squad that Wilkinson revealed from the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), Poppy Soper gets the nod as the third goalkeeper behind established pair Olivia Clark and Safia Middleton-Patel.

In attack, 37-year-old Kayleigh Barton is selected despite ending her playing career at Charlton Athletic earlier in June to take on a head coach role at Saltdean United Women.

Leicester City’s Hannah Cain, Elise Hughes of Crystal Palace, Carrie Jones – who plays in Sweden for IFK Norrköping – and Bristol City’s pacey Ffion Morgan are the other forward options.

Defender Lily Woodham is the third Seattle player in the squad, while Charlie Estcourt also plies her trade across the Atlantic for DC Power in the USL Super League (USLS).

Midfielder Alice Griffiths, who spent the second half of the season on loan from Southampton at fellow Championship side Durham, and Newcastle United defender Lois Joel also get the nod.

“It’s a really great mix in this squad which is exciting for me,” said Wilkinson.

“The older players have been really, really good with our young players.

“We said from the beginning that if our young ones didn’t feel equally as a part of this journey, we wouldn’t qualify.

Knee injuries have deprived Wilkinson of three players, with Mayzee Davies ruled out of Euro 2025 after the 18-year-old Manchester City defender ruptured her ACL in the Nations League defeat by Denmark at the end of May – a result that saw Wales relegated from League A.

Wales are also without forward Megan Wynne, who suffered an ACL injury in Perth Glory’s final game of the season in April.

Wales, who have qualified for a women’s major tournament for the first time, will face holders England in Switzerland as well as 2022 Euro semi-finalists France and 2017 champions the Netherlands in the group stage.

After a week-long training camp in Portugal, Wales will arrive in Switzerland on 29 June where the team will be based Lipperswil and Weinfelden in the canton of Thurgau.

Wilkinson’s side will kick-off their campaign against the Netherlands in Lucerne on 5 July, before two games in St Gallen – on 9 July against France before rounding off their Group D fixtures against domestic rivals England on 13 July.

The two top-placed sides in the group will then progress to the quarter-final stage and Wilkinson dismissed suggestions Wales will be also-rans.

“Outside Wales people can think whatever they want,” she said.

“Our goal is to show up and deliver to the best of our ability.

“We have seen in the Nations League that when we deliver to our standards, we can compete with the best teams.”

Saturday 5 July

Wales v Netherlands (17:00 BST, Lucerne)

Wednesday 9 July

France v Wales (20:00 BST, St Gallen)

Sunday 13 July