Category Sports News

Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the Masters for medical reasons.

The 50-year-old world number eight, who won a record-extending eighth title in 2024, also pulled out of last year’s event on medical grounds.

He was due to face Australian Neil Robertson in the opening round on Wednesday but has now been replaced in the draw by Scottish Open champion Chris Wakelin.

O’Sullivan, who claimed his first Masters crown in 1995 at the age of 19, said he made the “nightmare decision” not to take part in the Triple Crown event in 2025 because he was under a lot of pressure and “lost the plot”.

O’Sullivan has cited medical reasons or the need to prioritise his mental health for his withdrawals from serveral tournaments in recent years, including the British Open, Wuhan Open and World Grand Prix.

‘The Rocket’, who now lives in Dubai with his family, last competed at the UK Championship in December when he was beaten 6-4 in the first round by China’s Zhou Yuelong at York Barbican.

After his elimination, the Englishman said he was still unsure whether he would play at the Masters and would wait to see how he felt in January.

Tottenham Hotspur‘s main supporters’ group has accused the club of a “dramatic fall in ambition” after meeting with senior club figures.

Spurs have won just one of their last six Premier League games and find themselves 14th in the table with 27 points, just three more than at this stage last season.

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) says members of its board met with “representatives of the Club at a senior level” on Friday to discuss supporter concerns.

Several players were pulled away from angry fans following their 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth on Wednesday.

Sections of the travelling support booed under-fire manager Thomas Frank, who also drew criticism for drinking out of a coffee cup emblazoned with the logo of rivals Arsenal before kick-off.

A THST statement cited the club’s lack of transfer activity this month as evidence of reduced ambition, as well as recent comments made by Frank.

“[He reminded] supporters that the club finished 17th in the Premier League last season, that the club is only participating in the Champions League through winning the Europa League, and that Bournemouth (a side without a win in 11 games) are ‘always a difficult team’ and that he is ‘not enjoying the job’,” read the statement.

THST accused players of “directly confronting” fans who were “exercising their right to express themselves”, and referred to the “embarrassment” of club captain Cristian Romero’s social media activity.

After the Bournemouth loss, Argentine Romero stated on Instagram “other people” should be coming out to speak and adding they “only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies”.

The post was deleted and reposted with an altered caption.

“While these incidents may have explanations that we could understand and even sympathise with, they demonstrate a lack of understanding and a lack of care about the perception of the football club,” said THST.

“We reiterated to the club that we believe the club leadership should address these issues publicly and through direct communication with fans.

“We stressed that fans need to hear directly from the club leadership [of] the ambition for the football club for this season, for next season, and for the foreseeable future.

“That begins, but is certainly not restricted to, the coming transfer window, in which all the stops need to be pulled out in order to demonstrate that Tottenham Hotspur are a serious football club and that we really do want to ‘win more, more often’.”

During his media conference on Thursday, Frank said: “I think it’s very important to stress that even though there’s noise, the club is very aligned.

Liam Rosenior wants to emulate “brave” Sir Alex Ferguson with a young Chelsea squad he believes has the potential to grow like Manchester United‘s famous Class of ’92.

The 41-year-old replaced Enzo Maresca as head coach of the Blues after the Italian left his role on New Year’s Day.

Maresca had complained of pressure to select certain players – senior figures insist he was only asked to limit minutes for those carrying injuries – and highlighted the challenge of sustained success with the Premier League’s youngest squad, whose starting XIs have averaged 24 years and 198 days this season.

But Rosenior will relish the opportunity to shape successful futures for an exciting crop of talent – just like Ferguson did during his trophy-laden reign at Old Trafford.

“I was a Manchester United fan and I am now massively a Chelsea fan,” said Rosenior.

“I remember Sir Alex Ferguson was brave enough to put six or seven players aged between 19 and 21 into a title-winning team because he believed in them.

“They grew and won trophy after trophy. It was an amazing period in that club’s history. Without that bravery, it doesn’t happen. There is potential for that here.”

United legends, such as Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Phil and Gary Neville, famously became known as the Class of ’92 as they came through the youth ranks to win multiple major honours with the club under Ferguson.

“Speak about Moises Caicedo or Enzo Fernandez or Cole Palmer or Reece James – world-class players and still very, very young,” added Rosenior.

“That is the ultimate ambition for this club – to create that again.”

Chelsea appointed Rosenior after 18 months at Strasbourg, who are part of the same Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital multi-club ownership group.

The French side fielded the youngest squad in Europe’s big five leagues last season, averaging 21 years and 171 days, and finished seventh – just three points off the Champions League places, but qualified for Europe for the first time in eight years.

“If you watched the Strasbourg team I coached, everyone enjoyed watching them because they played with intensity,” said Rosenior. “Why? Because they were young, fit, less prone to injury. I’m going to work really hard to create that here.

Rosenior watched from the stands as Chelsea suffered a 2-1 defeat at Fulham on Wednesday, leaving the Blues eighth in the table with just one win in nine Premier League matches.

There were chants against the ownership during the game and a banner reading ‘BlueCo out’. Hours after Rosenior’s appointment the previous day, the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust published a critical survey – aimed at the club’s leadership rather than the new head coach.

More than half of those who responded said they doubted Chelsea could achieve success in the next three to five years under the current regime, while a similar proportion lacked confidence in the ownership’s decision-making.

Chelsea’s model, built around young players on long contracts and overseen by five sporting directors – Paul Winstanley, Laurence Stewart, Sam Jewell, Dave Fallows and Joe Shields – alongside influential owner Behdad Eghbali, has come under scrutiny.

Maresca’s willingness to leave mid-season forced a managerial change the club had not planned to make until an end-of-season review.

Rosenior, however, believes in the club’s approach, having worked under the same structure at Strasbourg.

“I have a very good professional relationship with the guys,” he said. “I understand what they want, where they want to get to and how they want to get there. That helps me deliver what they want. That’s why I’m here. I believe we can be successful. It’s not just about me – and we’ll see in time if that’s proven right.

“The project is about winning. It’s about winning games and delivering trophies for Chelsea.”

Asked whether he will have a say in transfers, Rosenior added: “I did not get one player brought in who I did not want at Strasbourg – not one. These guys have been magnificent for me. The process is how it should be at every club.”

Born in west London, the former Fulham full-back wants to create a positive environment despite recent friction.

“Being a head coach, you talk about systems and tactics – that’s 10% of the job,'”he said. “The job is to create spirit, energy and a culture.”

Rosenior is still inexperienced, having managed Derby County and Hull City before joining Strasbourg in July 2024, and is yet to win a major trophy.

Chelsea’s previous managers – Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte – all arrived with multiple honours.

Asked if he was an underwhelming appointment compared to those big names, Rosenior replied: “Everybody starts somewhere. There’s a great quote from Mourinho – one of my heroes.

“He said it took him 20 years to become an overnight success. It’s the same for anyone. You’re not a name until you become a name.”

His message to supporters was clear as he added: “Judge what you see, not what you hear. Judge what you see on the pitch. Don’t judge my press conferences – I don’t win any games here. Give me, my staff and my players the chance to prove we are worthy. Judge us and be fair.

Investec Champions Cup

Edinburgh (5) 26

Tries: Vellacott, Ashman, McConnell, Penalty Cons: Thompson 2

Gloucester (18) 24

Edinburgh rallied from 13 points down at half-time to deliver a bonus-point win over Gloucester and keep their Investec Champions Cup hopes alive.

Tries from Josh Hathaway and Charlie Atkinson, either side of Ben Vellacott’s score for the hosts, helped Gloucester to a 18-5 half-time lead.

But scores from Ewan Ashman, Liam McConnell and a penalty try after the break secured maximum points for Sean Everitt’s side and ensured they are still alive in the competition before their visit to Bath in a week’s time.

Gloucester came roaring out the blocks in chilly conditions as Seb Atkinson burst through a couple of weak tackles and fed Hathaway to speed over in the corner for the opening try with less than 90 seconds on the clock.

Duhan van der Merwe thought he had responded with a well-taken finish in the corner, but the score was ruled out for a forward pass and George Barton struck from the tee to extend the visitors’ lead to eight.

The home side got up and running when Vellacott made a searing break, exchanged passes with James Lang and ran in for the try against his former club.

Barton banged over another penalty and when Gloucester’s second try came it was a beauty.

Some slick handling in the backline took them into Edinburgh’s 22. Scrum-half Mikey Austin spotted space in behind and judged his chip over the defence to perfection for Atkinson to touch down.

Trailing by 13 points at the break, Edinburgh needed the next score and they got it when Ashman, a first-half substitute in place of Harri Morris, burrowed over from close range.

Barton responded with another penalty but when McConnell blasted over the line for the home side, we had a two-point game heading into the final quarter.

Edinburgh tails were up and when a rolling maul was halted illegally as it hurtled towards the Gloucester line, a penalty try was awarded, Atkinson was sent to the bin and the home side led for the first time.

Edinburgh: Goosen, Graham, Currie, Lang, Van der Merwe, Thompson, Vellacott; Whitcombe, Morris, Blyth-Lafferty, Hunter-Hill, Young, McConnell, Douglas, Bradbury (capt).

Replacements: Ashman, Schoeman, Hill, McVie, Dodd, Muncaster, Shiel, O’Conor.

Gloucester: Barton, Cotgreave, Butler, S. Atkinson, Hathaway, C. Atkinson, Austin; Rapava-Ruskin, Crane, Laulala, Thomas, Alemanno, Gwynne, Ludlow, Clement.

Replacements: Knowles, Knight, Fasogbon, Jordan, Venter, Price, Byrne, Morris.

Investec Champions Cup Pool 2

Castres (17) 20

Tries: Durand, Hulleu Cons: Fernandez 2 Pen: Fernandez 2

Bath (21) 43

Bath closed in on winning Pool 2 and securing a home last-16 game with a convincing away victory at Castres in the Investec Champions Cup.

A bonus-point win over Edinburgh next Friday will secure top spot for Johann van Graan’s side and home advantage until at least the quarter-finals.

Castres, who reached the quarter-finals last season, managed the wet and windy conditions well in the early stages and grabbed the opening score through hooker Teddy Durand.

Centre Cameron Redpath then crossed for Bath before the home side sent Nathanael Hulleu free down the wing to regain their seven-point advantage.

But the English champions, who played half of the first period with 14 players, took control of the game with Ted Hill, Tom Dunn and Beno Obano crossing.

Tries late on in the second half from Will Muir and Tom Carr-Smith to cap off an impressive win in France, which saw Alfie Barbeary star and be named player of the match.

One victory for every side in Pool 2 after the opening two rounds left little room for error for the Prem side, who bounced back from their away defeat by Toulon in round two.

With three trophies collected last season, the next challenge for Van Graan’s star-studded side was to go deep in the Champions Cup.

Despite coming up short against Toulon in round two, Bath picked up a vital try bonus point that backed up their hammering of Munster.

Bath’s ill-discipline ensured a close first half as Obano was shown a yellow card for an illegal clearout, with Muir getting an aerial challenge wrong to head to the sin-bin just as Obano served his time.

Ben Spencer and Finn Russell took control of the game, especially during that period, through their tactical kicking in wet and windy conditions.

Obano’s try off a clever tap move was the fourth Bath try from close range as their brutal power – with number eight Barbeary at the forefront – key in changing the game.

The final two tries came via slick handling, but it was Barbeary’s aggressive carrying that summed up Bath’s relentless display.

The 25-year-old has always been highly rated and was called up to England camp by Eddie Jones in 2020 as a 20-year-old.

However, he is yet to be capped or used by Steve Borthwick, who despite saying he rates him “very highly” added he had areas of his game he needed to work on.

Bath’s Barbeary speaking to Premier Sports: “We knew they would come out firing at home because they are a great side, but we trusted our squad. We’ve got great depth off the bench and Guy Pepper, Josh Bayliss, Will Butt – they were unreal and helped us over the line at the end there.

Castres: Chabouni; Ambadiang, Karawalevu, Goodhue, Hulleu; Popelin, Fernandez; Walcker, Durand-Pradere, Collier, Ducat, Vanverberghe, Delaporte (capt), Cope, Ardron.

Replacements: Zarantonello, Sokobale, Corato, Staniforth, Meka, Doubrere, Herve, Palis.

Sin-bin: Durand (37 mins), Ducat (76 mins)

Bath: Carreras; Arundell, Ojomoh, Redpath, Muir; Russell, Spencer (capt); Obano, Dunn, Sela, Roux, Molony, Hill, Reid, Barbeary.

Replacements: Tuipulotu, Van Wyk, Du Toit, Bayliss, Pepper, Carr-Smith, Butt, Cokanasiga.

Referee: Eoghan Cross (Ire)

Assistant referees: Andrew Cole (Ire) and Daniel Carson (Ire)