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Great Britain’s Matt Weston kicked off his skeleton World Cup campaign in perfect fashion by winning Friday’s opening race of the season in Cortina.

The 28-year-old finished 0.15 seconds ahead of Austria’s Samuel Maier in Italy after the two runs to earn his 10th World Cup gold medal.

Later on Friday, British pair Tabby Stoecker and Marcus Wyatt triumphed in the team race with a combined time of two minutes 1.23 seconds.

That left them five hundredths of a second clear of Germany’s Jacqueline Pfeifer and Axel Jungk and two tenths ahead of Austria’s Janine Flock and Maier at the venue which will host February’s Olympic Winter Games.

Stoecker, who was fifth in the women’s event just prior to the team competition, was the fastest woman in the race in a time of one minute 1.31 seconds, while Wyatt was just ninth hundredths from the fastest men’s time of the night in 59.92 seconds.

Earlier, Weston’s start times of 4.78 and 4.76 seconds were only 24th and 18th quickest in the pack, leaving him with a struggle to make the podium.

But two-time world champion Weston made up the deficit through the 16-corner track, to win with a time of one minute 53.84 seconds and claim his 21st podium finish in his past 25 races.

A hamstring injury meant Weston missed a pre-season training camp in Norway.

“I’m not able to push at anywhere near my usual pace but I feel like I’ve really clicked with the track and that showed”, said Weston.

“To start 24th and then 18th but still get the win proves that my sliding was on point, even though I’ve missed out on a lot of ice time because of the injury.

” It’s been an incredible two or three weeks here – it’s an amazing venue and a really interesting track – and I’m already looking forward to trying to match today’s result when we come back for the big one, “said Weston.

” I know that this result won’t mean anything come the Olympics but it’s a great way to start the season and it will definitely give me confidence when we come back here in February. “

Briton Anthony Joshua said he will “stomp all over” Jake Paul and “break” the American as the pair came face-to-face to promote next month’s heavyweight fight.

Former two-time unified heavyweight champion Joshua meets YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul – in what is, on paper, a mammoth mismatch – at Miami’s Kaseya Center on 19 December.

“I’m going to break his face and break his body up. I’m here to prove I’m the better fighter,” Joshua, 35, said.

“I’ll stomp all over him. That’s a fighter’s mentality.

“I’m going to really want to hurt him. That’s what I want to do.”

Despite those words, a relaxed Joshua and social media star Paul – usually known for his theatrics – exchanged pleasantries and kept it respectful with each other.

Paul instead targeted Joshua’s former opponent Francis Ngannou and called him “a joke” after the Cameroonian declined a fight offer.

He claimed the December bout had also been offered to Tommy Fury and Ryan Garcia but they were “scared”, while pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford had agreed to fight him next year.

Joshua, meanwhile, took aim at British rival Tyson Fury – Tommy’s brother – and refused a £1m bet ‘The Gypsy King’ says he will place on a Paul win.

“[Paul] is better than Tyson Fury – he’s actually sitting here. I give him credit for that,” Joshua said.

Despite saying he intends to punish Paul, Joshua declined to speak negatively about his opponent’s boxing ability. “Jake is a serious fighter,” he said.

Paul – who first rose to fame on the Disney Channel – has mostly boxed MMA fighters or faded names since turning professional. He lost to Tommy Fury in 2023.

Still, the novice remains one of boxing’s biggest commercial attractions, regularly earning huge paydays.

The 28-year-old predicted a knockout win in round four or five and claimed he would derail the long-awaited Joshua–Fury fight, which is reportedly in the works for 2026.

“It’s going to be me versus Tyson Fury next year,” Paul said.

The surreal nature of the whole affair is heightened by Paul’s previous plan to fight a lightweight boxer in Gervonta Davis this month, a bout scrapped after Davis faced a domestic abuse lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend.

As part of the stipulations, Joshua, who tipped the scales at more than 17st 12lb (113kg) in his past three outings, must come in below 17st 7lbs (111kg) and both fighters will wear regulation 10oz gloves.

Paul suggested he was willing “to die in the ring” – a particularly coarse comment given the safety concerns surrounding the fight amid the gulf in experience and size between the two men.

“This is going to be fun. I want him to cut me up. I want him to break my face,” he said.

Joshua – who said he planned to fight in Saudi Arabia before the end of the year anyway – is reportedly set to earn about £36.9m ($50m) for December’s bout.

The 2012 Olympic gold medallist has been out of the ring since losing to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

He revealed he has been training with former opponent and current unified world champion Oleksandr Usyk’s coaching team for this bout and will not have Ben Davison in his corner.

“I took 12 months out of the game and realigned my vision board,” he said in his usual philosophical way.

After receiving a three-game suspension for his red card against Paris St-Germain, Munich, Bayern will be without Luis Diaz when they face Arsenal in the Champions League next week.

In Bayern’s 2-1 victory over PSG on November 4th, Diaz scored twice, but he was sent off shortly before halftime for a dangerous tackle on Achraf Hakimi.

Hakimi, a player from Morocco, hasn’t played since and has a severely sprained left ankle.

Diaz was given a three-game suspension after Uefa determined his tackle to be “serious rough play.”

He will miss both his home games against Sporting and Union Saint-Gilloise on December 9 and January 21, respectively, as well as the trip to Arsenal on November 26 and January 21, respectively.

Vincent Kompany, the manager of Bayern, earlier on Friday, stated that he anticipated Diaz to receive a one-game suspension.

In terms of goals scored differential, Bayern lead Arsenal and Inter Milan at the top of the Champions League standings with 12 points after four games.

Watch highlights of every Champions League game on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport, and the BBC Sport website and app from 12:00 to eve of the match.

After receiving a three-game suspension for his red card against Paris St-Germain, Munich, Bayern will be without Luis Diaz when they face Arsenal in the Champions League next week.

In Bayern’s 2-1 victory over PSG on November 4th, Diaz scored twice, but he was sent off shortly before halftime for a dangerous tackle on Achraf Hakimi.

Hakimi, a player from Morocco, hasn’t played since and has a severely sprained left ankle.

Diaz was given a three-game suspension after Uefa determined his tackle to be “serious rough play.”

He will miss both his home games against Sporting and Union Saint-Gilloise on December 9 and January 21, respectively, as well as the trip to Arsenal on November 26 and January 21, respectively.

Vincent Kompany, the manager of Bayern, earlier on Friday, stated that he anticipated Diaz to receive a one-game suspension.

In terms of goals scored differential, Bayern lead Arsenal and Inter Milan at the top of the Champions League standings with 12 points after four games.

Watch highlights of every Champions League game on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport, and the BBC Sport website and app from 12:00 to eve of the match.

Autumn Series Test: Scotland v Tonga

Venue: Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh Date: Sunday, 23 November Kick-off: 13:40 GMT

Gregor Townsend walked in the room with a warmth that contrasted with the frostiness in front of him. Outside the walls of the interview room at Oriam in Edinburgh the ice was setting in. Inside, it was a touch chilly too.

“I’m here to address anything,” said the Scotland head coach at one point, which, as it turned out, didn’t include much about Tonga on Sunday, his team’s final opponent of a four-Test autumn that’s been dominated by a massive missed opportunity against the vulnerable New Zealand and a desperate implosion, from 21-0 up, against Argentina. Tonga, frankly, took a back seat.

Townsend has lost two big games this autumn, he has won two games out of five in three of the past four Six Nations and has been emptied from back-to-back World Cups at the pool stage, scoring three points against the Springboks in the 2023 tournament that culminated in a loss to Ireland when their opponents raced into a 36-0 lead.

There was booing at Murrayfield on Sunday, a huge rarity. So, after more than eight years in the job has the time now come to accept that he’s been there for long enough?

“That’s your opinion,” he replied. Townsend was measured and polite, as ever, but the questions were hot and heavy. It was tense in that room.

“I’ve seen the team play the best rugby it’s played in the eight years over the last two or three weeks,” he argued. “Now, we’re very disappointed we didn’t get a win against New Zealand and Argentina.

“We created enough against New Zealand and we were 21-0 up against Argentina. To get in those positions, to be 21-0 up, the team is delivering up to that point.”

‘Up to that point’ being the key caveat. Games don’t last as long as Scotland want them to, sadly. They don’t end after a razor-sharp opening spell against the Pumas or when Scotland have clawed back a horrendous start to make it 17-17 against the All Blacks.

Did he get the message from the home crowd when they booed on full-time?

“Yeah, we sensed the disappointment in the crowd, it was like an exhale of disappointment,” he said.

That’s a new way of putting it. No, it was definitely booing.

Townsend said his determination to drive on in the job is undiminished. “Yes, even more so,” he answered when asked if he had the stomach for the fight despite all the kicks in teeth.

“Maybe you don’t believe me, but this week it was really important. I felt something different in our review about the way the players came together with the coaches. It’s painful. Sunday night was painful.

“Going through that last 20 minutes on Monday is painful, but the failures and how you respond to them make you the team you can be. I’ve been really encouraged on how that’s played out through this week.

“It’s been a big week of meetings, honesty, a real deep dive on how we could be better in that final 20-25 minutes (against the Pumas when they capitulated and lost a game they had done so much early on to win).

It was a revisiting of an earlier theme – Scotland can be outstanding for pockets of games but too often they don’t have the mental strength to see these games through. They have shown psychological weakness many times in recent years and it’s all getting tiresome to at least a section of those watching. Most probably, a large section and growing all the while.

This team routinely has meltdowns, it was put to him. “I would disagree,” he replied. “I wouldn’t say routinely. The last 20 minutes wasn’t good enough, but the performance levels have been at a high level now over the last few weeks.

“In terms of performances, I’m seeing enough out of this team to back up what I said three or four weeks ago.”

Three or four weeks ago, when talking to BBC Scotland, Townsend said his squad was in the best place it has ever been in on his watch. In terms of Test experience, player depth chart, the power game, players winning things with their clubs and the huge number of Scots who saw game time with the British and Irish Lions in Australia in the summer, the future had been not as bright in his eight years, he argued.

And he still believes it, despite defeats and the booing and the clear signs that when the chips are down in games Scotland tighten up and become error-prone and easy meat. Haven’t the fans seen enough?

A spike for Tonga? If that’s true, it’s a curious response to a soul-destroying defeat by Argentina. Scottish rugby fans really must be gluttons for punishment.

“It’s great to know that the atmosphere that was created in the New Zealand game and the atmosphere when Argentina scored and Flower of Scotland was ringing out – the supporters are behind the team,” Townsend explained. “They’re very disappointed that we didn’t win, like we are.

“We have no right to beat every team in the world – but we believe we can. Our supporters and our players can expect, with what we have here, that we can take on the best teams in the world.”

Scotland can take on the best in the world for passages of games for sure, but their win record against teams sitting above them in the rankings has been dismal for an age. They are currently ninth in the world having been fifth just before the start of the last World Cup. They are falling away in terms of winning games (as opposed to Townsend’s mantra of being competitive).

How does he explain the drop-offs, the moments in time that saw New Zealand and Argentina win, the passages in recent seasons that saw Italy roaring back from a big deficit and beating Scotland and that saw Wales, in 2024 and 2025, scare the life out of Townsend’s team despite being miles behind on the scoreboard?

“That’s rugby, that’s sport,” is his response. “Look at New Zealand. During 20-30 minutes against us they didn’t hardly touch the ball. Argentina were 21-0 down.

“So that happens to the best teams. What we need to do is when that momentum does start to go in the favour of the opposition, we have to find ways to get it back.”

How long can he keep banging that drum, though? Yes, New Zealand were outplayed by Scotland for a stretch and, yes again, Argentina were routed early on. Both of them still won, which is really all that matters. That winning mentality still eludes Scotland despite all the years Townsend has had to instil it. There’s still a softness that’s ruinous.

Is he expecting a review of his own performance at the end of the autumn? “I don’t know,” he said. “We review every campaign, but you’d have to ask someone else on that.”

Scotland vs. Tonga Test: Autumn Series

Venue: Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh Date: Sunday, 23 November Kick-off: 13: 40 GMT

Gregor Townsend entered the room with a warmth that outweighed the frostiness in front of him. Outside the walls of the interview room at Oriam in Edinburgh the ice was setting in. It was also a little chilly inside.

The Scotland head coach once said, “I’m here to address anything,” which, as it turned out, didn’t mention much about Tonga on Sunday, his team’s final test of a four-Test campaign that has been marred by a huge missed opportunity against the vulnerable New Zealand and a desperate implosion, from 21-0 up, against Argentina. Tonga, frankly, took a back seat.

Townsend has lost two important matches this autumn, won two of his last four Six Nations games, and has been eliminated from the previous two World Cups through pool. In the 2023 competition, Townsend scored three points against the Springboks, which ended in a 36-0 loss to Ireland when their opponents ran into a 36-0 lead.

On Sunday, Murrayfield was booed, which is a rare sight. Has it now become clear that he has been working for long enough after more than eight years?

“That’s your opinion”, he replied. Townsend was polite and modest as always, but the questions were lengthy and difficult. In that room, things were tense.

“I’ve seen the team play the best rugby it’s played in the eight years over the last two or three weeks”, he argued. We’re very disappointed that we didn’t win against Argentina and New Zealand.

We scored enough goals to defeat New Zealand, which put us up against Argentina. To get in those positions, to be 21-0 up, the team is delivering up to that point. “

The key caveat is “Up until that point.” Unfortunately, Scotland’s desire for games to last as long as they do. They don’t end after a razor-sharp opening spell against the Pumas or when Scotland have clawed back a horrendous start to make it 17-17 against the All Blacks.

When the home crowd booed him on full-time, did he understand?

He said, “Yes, we sensed the disappointment in the crowd; it was like an inhalation of disappointment.”

That’s a new way of putting it. No, it was undoubtedly booing.

Townsend claimed that he is steadfast in his work ethic. Yes, even more so, “he answered when asked if he had the stomach for the fight despite all the kicks in teeth.

“This week was really important, even if you don’t believe me,” I apologize. Our review’s interaction between the players and the coaches gave me a different perspective. It’s painful. It hurt on Sunday night.

“The failures and how you handle them make you the team you can be,” says the statement from the final 20 minutes of Monday. I’ve been really encouraged on how that’s played out through this week.

It’s been a busy week of meetings, sincere meetings, and a real deep analysis of how we could improve in those final 20 to 25 minutes (against the Pumas, who capitulated and lost a game they had already won)

Scotland can be excellent for a lot of games, but too frequently they don’t have the mental strength to carry them out. This was repeated in this article. They have shown psychological weakness numerous times in recent years, and at least some of the viewers are getting bored. Most probably, a large section and growing all the while.

He was told about this team’s frequent meltdowns. He responded, “I would disagree.” “I wouldn’t say routinely. Even though the performance levels have been consistently high over the past few weeks, the last 20 minutes weren’t good enough.

I think this team’s performances are sufficient to support what I said three or four weeks ago.

Three or four weeks ago, when talking to BBC Scotland, Townsend said his squad was in the best place it has ever been in on his watch. The future had not been as promising in his eight years, he claimed, in terms of player depth, player power, power players, players who won things with their clubs, and the large number of Scots who saw summer league action with the British and Irish Lions in Australia.

In spite of defeats, the booing, and the obvious indications that Scotland tightens up and turns into error-prone and easy meat, he still believes it. Haven’t the fans seen enough?

A Tonga’s spike If that’s true, it’s a curious response to a soul-destroying defeat by Argentina. Scottish rugby fans must be resentful of punishment.

The supporters are behind the team, Townsend said, “It’s great to know that the atmosphere that was created in the New Zealand game and the atmosphere when Argentina scored and Flower of Scotland was ringing out.” They’re very disappointed that we didn’t win, like we are.

“We don’t have the right to defeat every team in the world, but we do think we can.” With what we have, our players and supporters can reasonably expect to defeat the best teams in the world.

Scotland can take on the best in the world for passages of games for sure, but their win record against teams sitting above them in the rankings has been dismal for an age. They are currently ninth in the world, having just finished fifth just before the previous World Cup. In contrast to Townsend’s adage of being competitive, they are losing ground on winning games.

How does he explain the drop-offs, the moments in time that saw New Zealand and Argentina win, the passages in recent seasons that saw Italy roaring back from a big deficit and beating Scotland and that saw Wales, in 2024 and 2025, scare the life out of Townsend’s team despite being miles behind on the scoreboard?

His response is, “That’s rugby, that’s sport.” “Look at New Zealand,” During 20-30 minutes against us they didn’t hardly touch the ball. Argentina were down 1 point.

The best teams then, in essence, do that. What we need to do is when that momentum does start to go in the favour of the opposition, we have to find ways to get it back. “

But how long can he keep pounding the drum? Yes, Scotland eventually outlasted New Zealand for a while, and Argentina once more got the better of them early. Both of them still won, which is really all that matters. Despite Townsend’s efforts to instill that winning mindset, Scotland still lacks it. A ruinous softness is still present.

Is he expecting a review of his own performance at the end of the autumn”? He said, “I don’t know,” You’d have to ask someone else about it, but we review every campaign.