Category Sports News

The Prem.

Exeter (24) 38

Feyi-Waboso, Slade 2, Skinner, and Fisilau Cons: Slade 5 Pens: Slade 5

Exeter continued their resurgence with a thumping Prem win over Harlequins, led by England centre Henry Slade, who scored two tries and kicked 13 points.

In a 10-minute first-half spell, the Chiefs stunned Quins with three tries, with Slade being at the forefront when he set up Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s opener before being blocked by Australian debutant Len Ikitau.

Four minutes after half-time, Greg Fisilau went over in the corner for a bonus-point try, while Harvey Skinner made it 24-0 at the break by capitalizing on a Harlequins error.

Before Slade scored his second try in the final seconds, the hosts, who had almost two thirds of the country’s possession and territory, did not concede a point for the first time in almost two years thanks to a stifling defense.

Before kick-off, Exeter were dealt a blow by veteran winger Olly Woodburn, who had recovered from a knee ligament injury, when he failed a late fitness test.

In a wet and windy first quarter, both teams made errors as a result of Slade’s early penalty.

When Australia’s centre Ikitau joined Exeter’s highly regarded backline, Slade was their longest-serving player who showed his class when his 26th-minute kick-pass to the right was collected by England team-mate Feyi-Waboso for his sixth try in four games.

As a result, Slade switched from providing to scoring as a result of Quins’ failure to handle a high ball, and Ikitau reacted as quickly as he popped the ball to the England man who went in under the posts.

With the wind at their backs, Quins’ failure to deal with the high ball cost them once more, as Skinner pounced on the error and kicked past Tyrone Green before scoring the home side’s third try.

After the break, Exeter’s forwards immediately started working, opening the door for number eight Fisilau to go over in the left corner with Ikitau’s Wallabies team-mate Tom Hooper also making his debut.

After the break, Bachuki Tchumbadze, the team’s replacement quarterback, was sin-binned for a high tackle.

However, with the weather improving, Exeter’s defense made sure Quins didn’t get close to their line before the Londoners’ skipper Caden Murley went to the bin for a deliberate knock-on with 12 minutes left to sum up his side’s day.

As their disappointing start to the season wore on, Harry Browne’s replacement was sin-binned for a high hit on Tchumbadze, who further diminished them.

Ross McMillan, the forward’s coach at Exeter, told BBC Sport:

“I believed we had reacted to the frustrations of the previous week.

The guys showed that today, but I don’t believe anyone who visited Sandy Park this week anticipated receiving the full amount of annoyance.

We discussed Bristol and what we wanted from each other, and we both left feeling resentful.

So I was really pleased, and I can tell you that the group really enjoyed the response.

Jason Gilmore, the senior Harlequins coach, told BBC Sport: “

If you compare two performances in eight days, this is the consistency piece I’m talking about with our football club, and it was a reality check for us, which is probably where we’re at right now.

“Our good is very good, but we also have a bad day,” he said. That’s a challenge that everyone of us must overcome, and how we manage to iron it out is where this team keeps competing better each week. It’s definitely more about mindset than anything else, in my opinion.

We were hungry around the collision point, and we showed really good fight, according to the game last week.

“We weren’t as active in the aerial battle today,” he asks. Exeter did a fantastic job and won the game, but we hardly won any ball in the air today.

Yeandle, Burger, Tchubadze, Zambonin, Pearson, James, Chapman, and Hammersley are the replacements.

Yellow card: Tchubadze (56).

Green, Isgro, Northmore, Benson, Murley (capt), Smith, Porter, Baxter, Walker, Williams, Petti Pagadizabal, Lewies, Kenningham, Evans, Cunningham-South, and others.

Replacements: Anderson, Carr, Townsend, Delgado, Treadwell, Browne, Wenger, and Turner.

Yellow card: Murley (68), Browne (77).

A five-point gap, fan protests, Honda Civics, and bouncer balls.

As Celtic’s stuttering season wore on, Celtic suffered their first defeat at Dens Park since 1988, which was a chaotic and potentially ominous afternoon from beginning to end.

Before half-time, the hosts were 2-0 up thanks to a towering header from Clark Robertson and a Cameron Carter-Vickers own goal, which together managed to hold off the defending champions throughout.

Following Derek McInnes’ side’s 3-0 victory at Rugby Park on Saturday, Brendan Rodgers’ side are five points clear of Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts. They have now lost six games already this season.

Since being eliminated from the Champions League by Bayern Munich in February, Celtic haven’t won 13 of their 29 games, with a 55% win rate.

Before a ball was kicked in anger, Celtic’s miserable afternoon was already predetermined when sections of their sizable traveling support immediately halted play by dumping bouncer balls and tennis balls onto the field.

The club’s board was reportedly being replaced, and banners were unfurled with red circles and red lines across the faces of Peter Lawwell, the club’s chairman, and Christopher McKay, the club’s chairman.

Former Motherwell captain Stephen Craigan told Sportsound, “The players on the pitch are affected by the negative vibes.”

“I believe there is a cloud over the club that is causing some concern for the players.”

They are not at their best, according to the statement, “There is obviously some sort of confidence problem, or it’s just the noise outside.”

After the 2-0 defeat, Rodgers, however, refused to use the protest as an justification.

He said, “We had 90-odd minutes to be better after that.” The protest does not involve defending a corner, disqualifying the player, or losing the ball on the counter.

Rodgers’ criticism of the club’s transfer business and perceived lack of quality has been a central theme throughout the Celtic campaign.

Along with Jota’s long-term injury absence, he has frequently been questioned and pointed out the goals that have been taken out of his squad as a result of the sales of Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn in January.

After Kazakh champions Kairat Almaty had already dumped Rodgers’ attacking options, Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha made the switch, and Kelechi Iheanacho joined on a free after the window was closed.

Rodgers appeared to criticize the quality of his squad after failing to fire once more in the attack.

“The summer has already brought us a lot of firepower and goals out of the team,” he continued.

There’s no way you’ll enter a race and say, “I want you to drive it like a Ferrari,” when given the keys to a Honda Civic. It won’t occur, of course.

He asserts that finding “solutions” to their goalscoring issues, whether through personnel or formation changes, is up to him.

I must find the solutions until something changes, Rodgers said.

Because, as I previously stated, the team needs to find a way to improve, goals, speed, and everything.

Due to Rodgers’ preference to play on the left flank, both Tounekti and Balikwisha prefer to play, forcing Daizen Maeda to play an unfamiliar role while he recovers from a broken leg.

Former Scotland striker Steven Thompson reported to Sportsound that “they have somehow managed to regress and have a weaker squad than they did last year.”

There isn’t time for Celtic to heal from their wounds as their six matches in the next three weeks, which include a Premier League semi-final defeat to Rangers.

Celtic travel to Parkhead on Thursday for their first Europa League game, before returning to action on Sunday with a mouthwatering clash with Hearts at Tynecastle.

A win for the hosts would put them eight points clear of the top flight in Scotland, a notion that would have been absurd just a few months ago. It would be difficult to find two clubs with more contrasting moods right now.

Celtic must start producing wins and performances if they are to lift the depressing atmosphere surrounding the club. There is still a lot of football left this season.

Former Aberdeen and Scotland defender Willie Miller added that “Celtic are not a club that is moving together right now.”

The boardroom appears reluctant to spend the funds they have, and the manager is undoubtedly unhappy, they say. “They’re still not sure about Brendan’s future.

Thompson, a former Scotland international, agreed with that sentiment.

It becomes simple and easy for you to play football on a team that is consistently winning, he said.

You continue to the pitch knowing that we will win this game. Negativism is starting to spread like wildfire, and there are beginnings of wallowing in.

Tam: Ignorant! Not a single player would be remiss. The board’s greed has destroyed everything we’ve built over the years. They ought to shamefully hang their heads. Fans, who are the real Celts, have been ignored by a board without any discernment. What kind of funding are these people in need of? I’m sick of Greed!

In the Almaty Open final, Corentin Moutet defeated a resurrected Daniil Medvedev to claim his first title in 882 days.

The former world number one from Russia, who won just one match at the Grand Slams and suffered a meltdown at the US Open, has had a rough year.

Medvedev’s inconsistent playing on the ATP Tour, and particularly his issues with his serve, caused him to fall short of the top 10 and ultimately fall short of Gilles Cervara, a long-time coach.

Since moving to the Netherlands with Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, Medvedev consistently improved, winning 7-5, 44-6, 6-3 over Frenchman Moutet.

It marks Medvedev’s first competitive title since the Rome Masters of 2023, and it marks his first since March of that year.

Additionally, Medvedev has won 21 titles at 21 different tournaments as a result of his victory.

To win a title together with my two daughters is really nice, said world number 14 Medvedev.

The 2021 US Open champion Medvedev had lost six of his finals, including one at Halle earlier this year.

Some people were left to wonder if his ability to play at the highest level was over due to his frequent outbursts on the court and his defensive play style.

However, the 29-year-old has made some adjustments in recent weeks, making an aggressive play and attempt to hit the net, backed up by a better serve.

In the first set, he won four of the final five games to reclaim the lead over the difficult Moutet.

Before Moutet, who was competing for his first ATP Tour title, took control and forced a decider, the pair exchanged breaks in the second set.

Before Medvedev broke to 15, Moutet saved four early break points in a score of 15 to start the match.

On Saturday, the English rugby union might have welcomed a superstar.

Noah Caluori, a teen winger, scored five tries to help Saracens defeat Sale Sharks in their blatantly stunning full Premiership debut, 65-14.

The Sale defense struggled with Caluori’s 6′ 5″ frame repeatedly, both in the air and on the ground, due to his 6′ 5″ frame.

Sam Warburton, a former Wales captain, believes Steve Borthwick should call up the 19-year-old for the autumn internationals because he was so stunned.

In his capacity as a TNT Sports pundit, Warburton declared, “I haven’t seen a player this good in the air, ever, and he’s a teenager.”

After watching Caluori’s incredible performance, former England winger Chris Ashton, a different TNT pundit, declared he was “lost for words.”

Even former Sarries hero Ashton’s signature swan dive scoring celebration was emulated by Caluori, but Ashton doesn’t believe the teenager will take anything from him.

With a score of 101, Ashton compared his own status as the all-time top-flight try scorer, saying, “He’ll only need 20 games to get [my] record.”

He has shown some of his skill in the air, but you don’t see him very often gliding past players with ease. You might get one of his three or four really good tries [normally].

He’s in a great team, and Sale reduced his team to 14 men, but Sale had no idea how to handle his air conditioning skills in the first half. Five tries on your first try is… I have no words to describe. That is excellent.

Has he exceeded expectations in this regard?

Alex Sanderson, the Sale boss who had already lost some ground, could not hide his admiration.

“I don’t believe it could have been any better for him,” he said. Five attempts? If you look at the scoreline, he defeated us by himself,” Sanderson said.

It would be easy to see Caluori’s stunning display as a launch pad for a successful club and international rugby career. His future appears incredibly bright.

However, Saracens rugby director Mark McCall cautioned against exceedingly high expectations.

Everyone needs to take a breath, according to McCall, but Noah’s aerial ability is unique.

He is both a fantastic child and a very special player. He’s a very young, sage, and intelligent person who will undoubtedly attract a lot of attention.

He can handle that, but he isn’t yet the best player, by any means.

He is aware of the importance of improving. Although his ceiling is enormous, let’s take advantage of it and allow him to grow naturally.

McCall also cautioned Caluori that his burgeoning reputation must be guarded as well.

Caluori declared he would go over the experience as soon as he could after revealing his excitement over his night of work.

“I’m probably going to watch it back and wonder, how did this happen?” “,” Caluori told TNT.

“I merely wanted to make the most of it,” he said. We had a set goal as a team this week: returning to being ruthless, bouncing back to zero, and going once more, giving it our all.

When I told my roommates back home that they thought names like Maro Itoje were my current team-mates, I said. We as young people as possible are attempting to learn the most from them.

If Caluori maintains his form from Saturday, Itoje might well be his team-mate for both the club and the nation.

And that should occur sooner, than later, according to former Irish Lions captain Warburton.

He is almost undefendable, Warburton continued, “I can’t believe the height he can reach.”