Category Sports News

Leinster v. Scarlets Rugby Championship quarter-final

Date: Saturday, May 31 Kick-off: 15:00 BST

Gareth Davies, the Scrum-half, will miss Leinster’s quarter-final of the United Rugby Championship.

Despite returning to the training ground after suffering a rib injury in the victory over the Lions in South Africa, Davies is unlikely to play in Dublin on Saturday.

Dwayne Peel, the head coach of the Scarlets, called him an outstanding operator this year.

He’ll have to work hard to make it this weekend, though.

If Scarlets made it to the semi-finals, Peel did not rule out a return for Davies.

Peel praised Davies’ replacement Archie Hughes and said he was “comfortable with his other nines.”

He claimed that “Archie has demonstrated his worth over the past two games in South Africa.”

Although it is in a time of off-field turmoil, Peel is preparing his team for their first play-off appearance in seven years.

Scarlets and Ospreys have received notification about their current contract, which expires in 2027, and have not yet signed up for the Welsh Rugby Union’s (WRU) new Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA).

Due to a new two-tier funding structure, they both may receive smaller budgets than Cardiff and Dragons, which are owned by WRU and have signed.

Additionally, the WRU has not yet admitted to cutting a region.

It’s not really overshadowed it within these four walls, according to Peel.

When asked how a smaller budget might affect recruitment, Peel responded, “Those kind of things will play out over the next couple of weeks; all we can do is keep our minds on the here and now.”

He is confident that Johnny Williams, a center for Wales, will leave next year.

“We’re having some positive conversations right now, and I’m hoping there will soon be some positive news,” Peel said.

He continued, “I have faith in our board to do the best for this region.”

French Open 2025

Location: Roland Garros, May 25 – June

As Coco Gauff prepared to enter the French Open, her face caught her attention and realized she had forgotten one crucial thing.

Her racquets

The confused world number two quickly raised the alarm for her team in the stands before continuing to highlight her status as one of the pre-tournament favorites.

Olivia Gadecki, the 2023 US Open champion, defeated her in just 71 minutes, 6-2, 6-2.

To play with a racquet is “the most crucial thing.” The 21-year-old joked later, “I was getting through the first step after finding them.”

“I probably relaxed myself before the match because it was just so funny,” I thought.

Before a ball kid delivered her empty bag to her team, Gauff was able to laugh about the situation and show them where her racquets should have been.

I thought they put the racquets in the bag, to be honest. Gauff told TNT Sports that my side court bag was filled with drinks to the point where I thought I had enough weight.

“Then I entered the court, and I opened the first zipper.” I said, “OK, no racquets,” and I was right. Oh my God, the second zipper. I played on the court without racquets.”

She continued, “I made fun of Frances Tiafoe] for it in Madrid, but I’ll stay quiet.”

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva beat Cristina Bucsa earlier in the day, despite jokingly saying she didn’t like her wake-up call.

The 18-year-old left Court Suzanne Lenglen early on Tuesday morning, leaving at 11:00 local time in Paris.

Andreeva won the first set 6-4, 6-3, coming back from a double break deficit to win her first Grand Slam as a top-10 seed.

Andreeva remarked, “Truly, it was very challenging.”

“I don’t like to wake up early, so I’m not really happy.”

Daniil Medvedev, the men’s world number 11, has also expressed concern about early starts and jokingly “boycott” morning games.

However, he did not perform as well as Andreeva, falling short of Cameron Norrie in a five-set epic.

Andreeva continued, “I had 35 minutes to pack my bags and do everything, and I had to wake up at 6:30.”

Then we had to wait for 30 minutes before arriving at the court for breakfast, and I spent 11 minutes in the locker room before warming up and playing.

It was very well thought out, he said.

The next generation of Scottish players, according to captain Rachel Corsie, “undoubtedly” have the “quality” to compete in women’s major tournaments.

The 35-year-old will retire as the Scots wrap up their Nations League A campaign on Friday against Austria in the Netherlands and on Tuesday against Austria, both of which will be broadcast live on the BBC.

Scotland made their first, and only, World Cup appearance in 2019, two years after reaching Euro 2017, under the direction of the defender, who hasn’t played for the national team since July.

The task of returning the Scots to the top of the table is now in the hands of new head coach Melissa Andreatta, who has failed to qualify for the previous three major competitions.

The opportunity they have to “just refine their skills,” Corsie, who has just left Aston Villa, said, “sets them up for hopefully great things,” Corsie said.

“Undoubtedly, there is talent there.” Do you think our standards are high? Yes.

However, having the mindset that “I want to be the best and I want to be a part of a team that’s the best is what I think is most important.”

The 154-cap defender made her decision on Monday, which she has been considering for a while.

Corsie, who spent the majority of the season with a knee injury, acknowledged that qualifying for this summer’s Euros in Switzerland was “the biggest target.”

Without their captain, the Scots in Finland failed to accomplish that, so the Aberdeen native’s international debut in 2009 came to an end.

She said, “It’s difficult to know how I feel.” “I was genuinely so nervous driving to camp, but yesterday’s announcement was a really emotional day but a really nice day.”

Corsie, whose professional career began with Glasgow City and ended with seven Scottish league titles, stated that she still wants to play football in some capacity beyond that time.

She has conducted interviews for the BBC, including at Euro 24, and co-hosts the Behind the Goals podcast with former teammate Leanne Crichton. She has also tried her hand at coaching.

Although she is aware that a break is necessary first and foremost, there is nothing specific yet about what the future holds.

She smiled and said, “I’m definitely going to take some time off and I don’t know how that’s going to turn out,” adding that it might be the most difficult part.

However, I’m going to take a few weeks off for a vacation, shut off my phone as much as I can these days, and just enjoy it because summer is never quite summer for professional athletes.

“I want to play a certain role in football,” I said. It’s so lovely.

A week after Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League final defeat to Manchester United and three days after the end of a disappointing season, Manchester United take on the ASEAN All Stars in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

The 20-time English champions may find it easier to accept the warm embrace of fans from far away, but their standing in Asia may change.

Old Trafford received its last Premier League trophy in 2013. According to a report released a year earlier, the organization claimed to have 659 million followers worldwide, about half of whom were from the Asia-Pacific region.

The Red Devils were undoubtedly the most well-known English team in Asia and perhaps the most well-known team from anywhere, despite the doubts surrounding such numbers and how a “follower” is defined.

The club’s business performance in Asia is still strong, with reports predicting that the club will make around $ 8 million playing these two games in three days.

However, repeated failures on the pitch, such as the 15th place finish to this Premier League season, have had an impact on fans, according to Malaysian journalist Haresh Deol, the founder of Malaysian news organization TwentyTwo13.

Although the 84, 000 capacity Bukit Jalil Stadium is one of Asia’s biggest, more than 40, 000 tickets were already on sale within hours, there are still seats in the majority of the same price range.

In contrast, United’s last visit to the same stadium was in 2009, when Sir Alex Ferguson’s side won 3-2 over a Malaysia XI with goals from Wayne Rooney, Nani, and Michael Owen.

According to Chinese reports, Friday’s game between a Hong Kong XI and a 40, 000-seater stadium might not sell out.

Not as many fans will likely travel from neighboring Thailand as they did prior to the Malaysia match.

National hero Park Ji-sung, a national hero, won trophy after trophy in South Korea after fifteen years of rule.

According to author Lee Seung-mo, “they were obviously the club with the largest fan base in South Korea back then.” They had no rivals in terms of popularity among any other European football teams at the time, according to them.

They still have a lot of devoted fans today, but things have changed a lot. By their standards, they continue to perform poorly.

Other English clubs have also made progress both on and off the pitch.

“Manchester City received a lot of supporters in South Korea and Liverpool received their glory back,” Lee said especially after Pep Guardiola’s arrival.

Liverpool have enjoyed a significant support in traditional South-East Asian hotspots like Malaysia and Singapore, which have watched English football for more than 50 years. However, their recent resurgence has helped them in markets like India, China, and Japan, which both started to participate in the Premier League sooner.

Rahul Singh, a Mumbai-based United fan, said, “Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool were not just successful again, but they also appeared more cool with the way they played, their stars, and Anfield.”

Erling Haaland is very well-known, and City have just had such a success with Pep. United are not only unproven, but they also lack interest in their sporting events.

Younger fans have turned to other venues as a result, according to Singh.

Why pick a team that suffers a lot to win? “he said.

For those just beginning their sport, there are other options.

Some fans, like those between the ages of 25 and 40 who first followed United in the 1990s and the 2000s, are still there, Bunyavirapan said. However, there are more kids supporting Man City right now.

One of my friends tried to buy his sons’ United jerseys, but they ended up choosing City ones.

Signing an Asian player can help to draw in more fans there quickly.

Son Heung-min, a major star at the club since 2015, has made them the most well-known in South Korea.

Because of Son, “a large number of Korean fans are more interested in Tottenham than United,” Lee said.

Since Kaoru Mitoma arrived, Brighton and Hove Albion have grown to be one of Japan’s best-known European sides.

Ownership of Asians can also influence their decisions. Leicester City has won the Premier League, won the FA Cup, and suffered relegation heartache under the leadership of Thailand’s King Power.

“Many Thai football fans support Leicester as their second club,” Bunyavirapan said. You don’t have to love us like a fan, but it does count as your support for us, according to a campaign called “Leicester’s friend ball.”

United continues to be popular despite their difficulties.

More than Liverpool, Chelsea, or Arsenal, they are still a special club in Korea, according to Lee. Although there are many critics of the results per week, that is actually proof that there is still interest.

And Asian fans still have faith in it.

According to Bunyavirapan, “the downfall started when Ferguson left, and it is now broken, like a building collapsed.”

Gus Atkinson, a fast bowler, has been forced to miss England’s one-day international series against West Indies due to a hamstring injury.

England defeated Zimbabwe by an innings and 45 runs in their series opener, and Atkinson, 27, suffered the injury.

The first Test at Headingley, which will take place on June 20 and runs through June, is expected to bring him to full fitness for the five-match series against India.

For the three-game series against West Indies, which kicks off on Thursday at Edgbaston, England won’t add a replacement for Atkinson.

After Jofra Archer was ruled out of the series due to a thumb problem sustained while participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Atkinson is the second injury player to leave.

The other seam candidates for the position include Brydon Carse, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts, and Luke Wood.

Three T20s follow the ODIs, but Atkinson is not a member of that squad.

Harry Brook’s first white-ball captial role in England’s one-day series against the West Indies.

It might also have an impact on England’s 2027 World Cup qualification.

May

29: First ODI, Edgbaston (d/n) (13: 00 BST)

June

1: Second ODI, Cardiff (11: 00 BST)

3: Third ODI, The Kia Oval (d/n) (13: 00 BST)

6: First T20 international, Seat Unique Riverside, Chester-le-Street (d/n) (18: 30 BST)

Second T20 international, Bristol, 14:30 BST, 8:20

John McGovern has been signed by Irish Premiership side Dungannon Swifts, according to League of Ireland Premier Division leaders Shamrock Rovers.

The 22-year-old striker has an undisclosed transfer fee to Rovers.

McGovern played a key role in Dungannon’s successful 2024-25 season, which saw them finish fourth in the league and win the Irish Cup by beating Cliftonville 4-3 on penalties after the game ended 1-1 after extra-time, ensuring the Stangmore Park outfit won European football.

The former Northern Ireland Under-21 international and Newry City frontman scored the match’s opener and made 14 league starts for Rodney McAree’s team out of 29 starts.

The Dublin club’s statement on Tuesday read, “The club agreed a transfer fee with Dungannon Swifts, which will remain undisclosed.”

“This transfer is subject to international and domestic clearance, which will allow John to be selected from July 1 to July 1st, 2025,” according to the statement.

“John has attracted a lot of interest in recent months, but he has fully embraced his desire to play for Shamrock Rovers.”

Manager Stephen Bradley stated on the Shamrock Rovers club website that McGovern was on his mind for “more than a year.”

We watched John quite a bit, we were up. Over the past year, we have made numerous attempts to get him, but it was in vain.

At the time, Dungannon weren’t ready to sell because John was in college. So, it was just a matter of keeping an eye on John, which we thankfully have in place right away.

We could have moved in on other players in the previous window because we had been keeping tabs on John for a while. We really like what he’s about, and he fits the group. We patiently waited, and the task is now complete.

McGovern stated on the club’s website that making the move was “a no-brainer.”

“I’m utterly delighted. The largest club in the country, it is massive. You examine the success of Shamrock Rovers throughout the club’s history in recent years.

“I want to leave the club’s legacy,” the club president said. “I want to win medals.