Category Sports News

The BBC will broadcast two of the Challenge Cup quarter-finals live.

The Hull derby between Hull FC and Hull KR will be broadcast on BBC One on April 5 at 14:30 BST, marking their first encounter since 39 years.

Warrington Wolves take on St. Helens on BBC Two the following day, a replay of a match from the same period last year at 14:30.

The Wolves won that tie before falling to the Wigan Warriors in the Challenge Cup final.

Friday, April 4:

Red Devils of Salford vs. Dragons and Catalans (1900 BST):

Wakefield Trinity vs. Leigh Leopards (20:00)

Friday, April 5:

Live on BBC One and iPlayer, Hull FC v Hull KR on 14:30.

Sunday, April 6:

Even though the midfielder was upset when the new head coach initially left him on the sidelines, Morgan Gibbs-White claims that Thomas Tuchel has been “incredible” with England’s players.

Tuchel informed Nottingham Forest’s Gibbs-White that he would not play in England’s opening 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

However, Tuchel contacted Gibbs-White after Chelsea’s Cole Palmer was injured on Sunday, and he was given a call-up for the games against Albania and Latvia.

He called me up and said, “Do you still want to join us, and fancy training with us tomorrow?” According to Gibbs-White, BBC Radio 5 Live.

“There was no doubt there,” the statement read. From ear to ear, I was smiling. I’m delighted.

That contrasts sharply with Gibbs-White’s feelings when the 25-year-old initially lacked enthusiasm.

He believed he had done enough to earn England recognition by leading Forest to third place in the Premier League.

You always have to look at the quality of players England have, Gibbs-White said, despite my feelings of shock and disappointment.

“I respected his decision, but I took that into account when he told me.”

Before the games at Wembley on March 21 and 24, Tuchel made contact with a number of England players.

In addition to them, Gibbs-White, who won his first two caps under interim boss Lee Carsley in September and November, hoped to be called back.

“To be fair, [Tuchel] has been incredible,” Gibbs-White said. I believe he has done that in concert with the majority of the players.

“I believe he had a relationship with the majority of the players right away when he started his job.” He’s a really pleasant person to talk to and is very casual.

I thought it was excellent from him, and it was a great way to begin our relationship before we even met.

The former Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Paris St. Germain manager spelled out what he wants from his players during his first training session on Monday at Chelsea.

He is very intense, Gibbs-White said, “The first thing I took away from it is how I felt it.”

When you are aware that someone knows what they want, you also believe that.

That placed them in the relegation zone, but they finished 17th overall, one place and six points above the bottom three.

They are currently four points clear of second-placed Arsenal, and they are on the verge of Champions League qualification.

It’s a remarkable year, Gibbs-White said, “when you put it that way.” It’s incredible to see where we have come from, starting this year.

The Forest fans deserve it the most, in my opinion. One thing was returning to the Premier League.

“It’s obvious that the two years we spent in the Premier League strewn in relegation wasn’t nice. Although it wasn’t enjoyable, we have now added something to give the fans a cheer.”

Gibbs-White, who has led for Forest most of the season, has recorded five league goals and seven assists and describes his performance as “the best I have ever been in.”

“Coming here with England] with that confidence and that level of football right now, I feel like I’m in a really good place,” he said.

“]I’m] really proud. I occasionally experience goosebumps while leaving the City Ground each week.

It would have been difficult to believe 12 months ago to explain the possibility of Forest flying so high.

“Your hand would have been snapped off,” I said. You must have seemed to be talking rubbish, Gibbs-White said.

“Funny thing is, we had the impression that we could do something this season,” the pre-season joke. Did we have this much thought? We were probably not, but we believed we could do better this season.

“Nuno Espirito Santo,” the manager, really got to know each player individually because he really put his ideas, his man management, and his belief in them into practice during the pre-season, helped us a lot, in my opinion.

You can tell that everyone is in good shape at the moment because we work so hard, day after day, to achieve these kinds of objectives.

It has been confirmed that Jamie Donley will be playing for Northern Ireland against Switzerland and Sweden.

However, Dion Charles and Eoin Toal, both of whom have hamstring injuries, will miss the games while Kofi Balmer will take the starting lineup.

Donley, a 20-year-old Tottenham player, has impressed in his first season of loan at League One Leyton Orient. He previously played for Northern Ireland as a youth before changing allegiance to England.

The Antrim-born player has now received his first senior call-up for Friday’s home match against the Swiss and Tuesday’s match against Sweden.

Fifa confirmed on Tuesday night that Donley is eligible to represent Northern Ireland immediately, and all necessary paperwork has already been completed.

Michael O’Neill, manager of Northern Ireland, expressed his satisfaction with Jamie’s inclusion in the squad.

O’Neill continued, “He is a young player that we have been looking for a while.”

After kicking out of international football this week, Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois says he hopes “fans can accept me.”

The 32-year-old Real Madrid player has returned to his country’s squad for the first time since splitting with former Belgium manager Domenico Tedesco in June 2023, which led him to leave a training camp for the Euro 2024 qualifying.

Belgium lost to France in the final 16 of the European Championship last summer, and Al-Qadsiah goalkeeper Koen Casteels started each of their four games there.

Courtois looks likely to play in the upcoming Nations League play-off against Ukraine now that Rudi Garcia is in charge of the national team.

Courtois took the time to explain the situation to his fellow Belgium players and admitted on Tuesday that he could have handled it better.

He claimed that I was able to explain what happened because there were many miscommunications and half-truths. The team-mates were able to ask questions, according to the statement.

I’m relieved that everything worked out, I think. Now that everything is crystal clear, we can look forward. I am aware of my errors. I wasn’t mentally prepared to play at the time.

You occasionally react impulsively after a long season, which was inappropriate of me and the team and the supporters.

I still believe the Belgian Football Association could have handled it better afterward, despite the fact that I also suffered a serious knee injury. I was still unsure whether I would compete in the European Championship. And it’s challenging when a relationship with a coach ends.

Courtois left the training camp in 2023, according to reports at the time, after being omitted from his 100th cap and being drafted for captain.

He continued, “I left because I didn’t get the captain’s armband, but that’s not true. A lot had been written about this. The biggest source of disinformation is that.

“I am aware that the fans must have had a difficult time at the time. I’m hoping they will reconsider their decision.

“I hope they will support the team, even though I understand it’s not easy.”

It was important, according to Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans, who also plays for Aston Villa.

Peato Mauvaka, a France hooker, was charged with foul play after his off-the-field challenge on Ben White on Saturday in Paris.

The hosts won their first Six Nations championship since 2022 at Stade de France, winning 35-16.

After 20 minutes of a close first half, Mauvaka allegedly headbutted the grounded Scottish scrum-half, leaving many confused.

After the game, Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend said, “The decision was made to not refer to it as a red card.” That’s not really the definition of a non-tackle incident, I’m not sure.

It was obviously a non-tackle incident that occurred after the whistle. Therefore, the force involved shouldn’t have anything to do with head contact if it was intentional and made.

Ben White did nothing, so I feel sorry for him. I don’t know how it wasn’t raised to a red card because he was first pushed to the ground, which is not a rugby move, and then he collided with someone else.

On Thursday, Mauvaka will participate in a video conference-based independent disciplinary hearing.

A three-person panel will examine the case involving Rule 9.12 (A player is required not to… strike with any part of the arm, shoulder, head, or knee(s)).