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If Australia wins the third Test of the year in a draw, the British and Irish Lions board will consider adding sudden death to the score.

Phil Waugh, the head of Rugby Australia, revealed that he had suggested playing “golden point” extra time, which would allow the first team to win, during meetings in London.

After the Lions and New Zealand won the series, which ended 15-15, captain Sam Warburton argued that it was “a bit of an anticlimax for the players.”

No-one wants to kiss your sister, according to former New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen, who compared the draw to “a bit like kissing your sister.”

“We’ve had some really fruitful discussions,” she said. Whether it’s a drawn series or whether it’s decided by golden point or extra time, that’s up to the Lions board, Waugh told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Our preference is to put the fans at the center of everything we’re doing,” according to our spokesperson. “I think that everyone’s familiarity with “golden point” and interest in that in our market is a good indicator.

“We will be making sure both parties’ minds are at ease,” he says. But I believe that’s certainly very appealing if you’re thinking about some fan engagement.

This year, Super Rugby Pacific introduced the “golden point,” where a draw is made after 10 minutes of extra time is played if the teams are level at full-time and there is no winning score.

Western Force and New Zealand’s Hurricanes drew 17-17 in extra time, with no extra points in extra time.

Two 10-minute periods of standard extra time are played during Super Rugby Pacific knockout games.

Waugh confirmed that both teams had agreed to use the 20-minute red card throughout the series.

The offending team can replace the red-carded player after 20 minutes, when the rule reduces the number to 14.

Following a trial at the Autumn Nations Cup in November, the Six Nations team for the first time this year used 20-minute red cards.

Garry Ringrose, an Ireland international who will travel with the Lions this summer, was sent a 20-minute red card in the first half for Wales.

Bundee Aki assumed the role of Ringrose in the 20th minute, and she immediately assumed her place.

We’ve been very vocal about our support for the 20-minute red card, Walsh continued.

His best PGA Tour appearance so far, Matti Schmid, from Germany, addressed his ball in a crucial tap-in on Sunday in second place at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

The television cameras captured the club’s upper reaches in one word. The thumb was resting on top of the grip on a clenched left hand. His thumb’s knuckle creased around his blue-patterned shirt.

Was his chest also in contact with his knuckle, as the image suggested? Was it firmly pressed against his sternum if so? A fixed anchor point had he been discovered? He broke the law, right? Or was everything okay?

A player must not “do it ‘directly’, by holding the club or by holding my hand against any part of the body,” according to Rule 10.1 of the Golf Rules.

Schmid acknowledged that the image was a “bad look” when I showed a screengrab of it to a leading referee who was unaware of the daylight between his left thumb and his shirt.

There is no violation of this rule if the player’s club, gripping hand, or forearm is only merely touching their body or clothing during the stroke, without being held against the body, he added.

It actually seems to be getting more and more relevant.

With a second-place finish behind Ben Griffin, Schmid led the putting charts at Colonial. The two-time former European Amateur champion moved up to 55th in the FedEx Cup standings after gaining more than eight strokes with his prowess on the greens with his prowess.

All of this is not to say that the 27-year-old’s actions violated any laws. His stroke may have a sufficient amount of lateral movement to suggest that he is not stabilizing to a fixed point.

However, the topic of interest in professional locker rooms continues to be.

The referee I spoke to continued, “He’s probably OK.” He’s probably just touching the shirt material, but what he’s trying to achieve is to be as close to his chest as possible, which in turn results in player integrity.

Under the condition of anonymity, another official who refers to the DP World Tour said, “It is incredibly difficult to enforce.”

We spoke with a few players who we thought were breaking the rule, and they are all pleased to report that they have since resumed their shorter putters.

Following a string of major victories won by golfers using extended putter shafts, the rule was made effective in 2016.

Ernie Els and Keegan Bradley both won the 2011 US Open with their midriffs, and Keegan Bradley did the same for his subsequent Open success. Adam Scott won a year later at the Masters and Webb Simpson won a broom-handle major at the 2012 US Open. The Aussie uses the long putter even though there is still daylight between his body and his stroke.

Nine years ago, anchoring was prohibited due to the “fundamental characteristics of the putting stroke.”

Because it moves the hit, an extended shaft can be clamped against a forearm (as does US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau does).

However, some players believe even this method makes putting “too easy” to do.

Additionally, there are many more opponents who opt for longer implements and avoid convention. The likes of Akshay Bhatia, Si Woo Kim, and Lucas Glover make the most of these potentially contentious clubs, along with Schmid.

Bernhard Langer and Scott McCarron have long endured having their techniques questioned on the Seniors tour, and Eugenio Chacarra’s victory in the Indian Open on the DP World Tour in March attracted attention.

The rules have been vehemently refrained by Langer and McCarron.

According to Langer, “I personally don’t understand it because I’m a man of integrity, and breaking rules and being known as cheating is the last thing I want to do.”

Because I have control over my hand, I can tell when I’m anchoring and when I’m not. You can see it going sideways.

I’m not anchoring or touching any part of my body when my knuckle is away from the body, and I know I’m in compliance with the rules.

The issue is that it frequently is impossible to enforce and is not even apparent to the eye.

It means that a problem as fundamental as the putting stroke is obscured by more grey areas than a flotilla of battleships, which is highly unsatisfying and unfair on Schmid given how brilliantly dominant they are on the greens are they.

Eddie Pepperell, winner of the DP World Tour, says it’s “quite simple” to find a solution.

He remarked on the podcast Chipping Forecast that “insist on the putter being the shortest club in the bag.”

Some referees concur.

One official said, “The simple solution is to limit the putter’s maximum length and then finish with it.”

French Open 2025

Location: Roland Garros, May 25 – June

Victoria Azarenka defeated Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer in the final round of the French Open, moving into the second round with a 48-minute “double bagel” victory.

The Belarusian won a Grand Slam main-draw match with a score of 6-0 6-0, making him the 35th player in the Open era.

She also becomes the first woman to win a Grand Slam double bagel in three different eras without losing a game.

Wickmayer, who is currently ranked outside the top 1,000 in the world and has declared she will retire this summer, only managed one game point in the contest.

Wickmayer was undone by 26 errors that were unforced, while Azarenka, a two-time major winner, won 15 of the 66 points on offer.

Since 2000, only Maria Sharapova and Kim Clijsters have won more Grand Slam matches than Azarenka’s five with a score of 6-0 6-0.

Since the 2016 Australian Open, she has won one double bagel at a major.

Based on data collected throughout the campaign, statisticians Opta have created a Premier League team of the year.

Nottingham Forest’s defense’s performance was a significant factor in their debut European football since the 1995-96 campaign.

Goalkeeper Sels only kept one clean sheet in 16 games in 23-24 but this season he’s been had 13, the joint most by a Forest goalkeeper in a Premier League season, level with Mark Crossley in 94-95.

The only other goalkeeper to have kept 13 clean sheets was David Raya of Arsenal, who also received the trophy of the Premier League’s Golden Glove.

His outstanding passing ability was once more evident throughout the season. He placed in the top three among defenders in each of the following:

Another second-place finish for Arsenal was achieved by the French international, his third consecutive appearance since Saliba’s debut in August 2022.

The Gunners conceded one goal for every 113 minutes he was on the pitch, which is the best ratio of any central defender in the Premier League, while only three central defenders, Saliba (12), did so.

Saliba was also second across all players for successful passes with 2, 409 and he completed an incredible 94.6% of his pass attempts, the third best ratio on record by a player to attempt at least 2, 000 in a season since 03-04 and the best by an Arsenal player in a single season in that time.

Van Dijk was so close to becoming the first player in Premier League history to play every single minute of two different title-winning seasons until he was given a rest for the 3-2 defeat to Brighton on 19 May.

The Dutchman led all Liverpool players in the Premier League in completion for the fourth consecutive season, with 2, 680 passes completed this year.

The performances of Gvardiol were one of the best in Manchester City, despite the trophyless season.

Gvardiol finished the season with five goals, surpassing Steve Howey, who had five goals in the Premier League against City in the previous six years.

Operating in a deeper lying role under manager Arne Slot, Gravenberch enjoyed a superb season and was an integral part of Liverpool’s 24-25 title win, starting 37 of 38 games and featuring in all 25 victories.

The Dutchman finished with a total of 60 interceptions, which was better than Emre Can’s record of 16-16 (62).

His 59 chances created and 16 big chances created for Arsenal this season are his best personal totals in a league season, surpassing Rice and Martin Odegaard, who both had more Premier League assists this year (seven).

Rice’s role in setting up 26 chances from set plays and Rice’s skill at it are both unavoidable; he also contributed 3,2, and his expected assists total from set plays was the best among all players (3. 2).

With 20 goals and seven assists, Mbeumo enjoyed a superb individual campaign, breaking the record for goals and assists combined by a Brentford player in a Premier League season. He only once made three consecutive appearances without scoring or assisting.

Only four players improved in 24-25, and the Cameroon forward’s expected assists total of 9.3 was the joint best of any player, which is also a record for a Bees player in one season.

Mbeumo was also deadly in front of goal, finding the net with 23.5% of his shots (20/85), the best figure of any player to attempt at least 70 shots. His expected goal (xG) total was over seven goals (22 goals, 12.3 xG), which is the division’s best overperformance total.

Despite Wolves not once entering the top half all season, the Brazilian contributed to 15 goals and six assists which helped them move clear of relegation. Only Raul Jimenez has ever scored more goals for Wolves in a Premier League campaign, scoring 17 goals and adding six assists.

Cunha is the first player to score 20 or more goals and assists in a season where they have never played a minute in the top half of the table since Charlie Austin for Queen’s Park Rangers in 14-15.

Among players to play 2, 500 minutes in the Premier League this season, Cunha ranked top – per 90 minutes – for shots attempted (3.8), third for shots on target (1.5) and second for fouls won (2.5).

The records have tumbled for Isak in 24-25. Isak had 31 goals in the first half of the season, but he had 54 when he won the title of leading Swedish Premier League scorer, overtaking Freddie Ljungberg with 48 in the second-half of Nottingham Forest’s double.

Isak’s two goals in the same game set Alan Shearer’s record of 87 goals, breaking any other Newcastle player’s record of 87 goals in just 76 appearances.

The Sweden forward also achieved something else Shearer never managed – scoring in eight consecutive Premier League appearances, doing so between 4 December and 15 January.

After Ruud van Nistelrooy, Daniel Sturridge, and Jamie Vardy, Isak was the only other player to surpass them. Isak won the Player of the Month award in December, scoring eight goals for more than seven clubs in that month.

Isak ended the season on 23 Premier League goals, the most by a Magpies player since Shearer’s 23 in 01-02, and only Mohamed Salah scored more in 24-25.

Possibly the easiest choice of all time for a player’s inclusion in a statistical team of the season, Salah enjoyed one of the finest individual seasons in Premier League history. Many of his astonishing 24 to 25 records may not be overmatched for many years.

The Egyptian recorded a record-setting 47 Premier League goals (29 goals, 18 assists) during his 38-game campaign, surpassing the 44 goals and assists that Thierry Henry had in 2002-03 and Erling Haaland had in 2022-23.

Including 42-game seasons, Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer had 34 goals and 13 assists in 93-94 and 94-95 respectively, which Salah matched with his equaliser against Crystal Palace on the final day.

With these goals and assists totals, it shouldn’t surprise Salah, who was the only player to achieve that feat before Cole, Cole, Cole, and Harry Kane, who both had goals and assists totals of 24-25. That was only their third consecutive top-scoring performance.

This season, Salah scored and assisted in 11 different Premier League games, four more than any other player. Across Europe’s big five leagues, it was the most since Lionel Messi did so 11 times in 14-15 for Barcelona.

Salah added 11 away assists, another all-time record, and 16 of his 29 Premier League goals came from away, a joint total.

Salah has the most goals and assists scored away from home in a single season with 27.

Although Salah did not beat topple the all-time assist record in a season of 20, all 18 of his assists came from open play – that’s the second most behind Thierry Henry in 02-03 (20).

The underdog and, in some cases, the underachiever have been at odds with each other this year.

Three of the four English men’s teams that have won significant medals this year, with Chelsea still a way away from the Uefa Conference League final, put an end to long waits for silverware.

Arsenal shocked Barcelona to win the women’s champions league title, while Aberdeen defeated Celtic in the Scottish Cup final in Scotland.

And there have also been unexpected winners throughout Europe.

Prior to the match, Barcelona, who had won three of their previous four European titles, were viewed as a shrewd underdogs.

Both Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, who have won the Ballon d’Or twice, made up Barca’s lineup, who have dominated club football in recent years.

Newcastle, who will play Champions League football for the second time in three years starting next year, could not exactly be called an underdog, but they have undoubtedly been an underdog.

A 56-year wait for a trophy was finally over with their deserved 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Wembley on March 16.

The Magpies won the 1955 FA Cup title, but those who don’t consider the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup to be significant silverware claim that the trophy drought has lasted for 70 years.

This time around, Dan Burn and Alexander Isak were the Magpies’ heroes.

When Crystal Palace defeated Manchester City 1-0 to win the FA Cup final on May 17, Crystal Palace won one more game than Newcastle.

Dean Henderson saved an Omar Marmoush penalty while Eberechi Eze had the only goal.

The first significant award Palace has ever received came from that accomplishment.

The 1991 Zenith Data Systems Cup, which was introduced when English teams were barred from Europe and lasted for seven seasons, is no longer required for Palace fans to try to count them.

For the first time in their history, it also guarantees them a place in the Europa League.

Tottenham is yet another underachieving team that has attempted major victories before failing to quite cross the finish line.

However, when Spurs defeated Manchester United 1-0 to win the Europa League in Bilbao, the team with the ninth-highest turnover in the world, put an end to their 17-year search for a trophy. Brennan Johnson’s goal was undoubtedly remembered in folklore.

Additionally, it meant that Ange Postecoglou made admirable progress in his long-awaited promise to always win a trophy in his final season at a club.

Spurs won their first trophy in Europe since the Uefa Cup of 1984, and it was only their second since the Millennium’s turn.

Aberdeen defeated Celtic on penalties to win the first Scottish Cup title in 35 years, which was a sensational first for Aberdeen.

Celtic’s hopes of a domestic treble were ended by the shock victory, as well as Aberdeen’s run of four straight defeats thus far this season. In their final 30 meetings, they also lost to Celtic.

In a one-sided first half, Chris Wilder’s Blades outperformed the Black Cats by 14 points in the regular season.

Bologna won the Coppa Italia with a 1-0 win over AC Milan, their first win in 51 years.

In a team led by Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson, Dan Ndoye scored the only goal in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.

Stuttgart’s victory in the German Cup, which ended an 18-year trophy drought, may have been a big deal to them.

Third-tier Arminia Bielefeld was their opponent in Saturday’s final.

The Dungannon Swifts’ seven-year wait for a trophy was only the second trophy in their 76-year history, despite their penalty win victory over Cliftonville.

Between trophies, the Go Ahead Eagles had a remarkable 92-year wait.

The Dutch title was their final silverware in 1933, before there was a legitimate national league for amateur football. The regional champions went through a play-off system that Go Ahead, who had their full name at the time, won.