Archive November 26, 2025

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson calls England flanker Tom Curry a “bully,” and Sale head coach Felipe Contepomi claims that this is “laughable.”

Contepomi also accused the forward of swearing and pushing him in the tunnel following England’s 27-23 victory over the Pumas on Sunday.

Sanderson claims he was unaware of any disciplinary action that would have forced the back rower to miss the game and that Curry, 27, will play for Sale in Friday’s game against Exeter in the Prem.

When Sanderson was asked about the incident involving Curry and Contepomi, Sanderson responded, “I’m not giving it any air time, whatsoever.”

Later, Sanderson was asked if he had a “bully” response and responded, “only a laughable one,” before adding that “it is ridiculous in the context of the man that he is.”

Curry was named to the 2025 World Rugby XV Dream Team, and Sanderson confirmed that the squad applauded the forward’s performance.

To reach those heights, you know that’s no mean feat, said Sanderson, “on the back of a career-threatening injury and a broken wrist.”

After winning victories against Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and Argentina, Sanderson claimed that the players who had returned to the club after England duty were “in good fettle” and “motivated.

Tom Roebuck, the wing for England and the Sharks, will be out for seven to eight weeks after breaking his toe in the 33-19 win over the All Blacks, he also confirmed.

Roebuck, 24, will need to wear a protective boot in addition to having surgery.

After his side lost 2-0 to Motherwell, Hibernian head coach David Gray made reference to the Ibrox incident and lamented the officials’ lack of consistency.

What does the handball law actually say in terms of Scottish football, despite the two incidents? And how well is it being put into practice?

Tete Yengi, the home team’s goalkeeper, scored the only goal of the game against Rangers on Saturday when they had just given it a level goal.

The close-range shot, which was a tame effort, hit Emmanuel Fernandez’s hand, which was in the direction of the goal.

At the time, video assistant referee (VAR) John Beaton did not advise an on-field review, and match official Ross Hardie did not intervene.

The Scottish Football Association (SFA) advised the BBC on Saturday that the Rangers centre-back was in close proximity to the goal and that his movement was natural as he moved across the face of goal.

Does the SFA’s statement that the incident has “officially been recognized as a mistake” become outdated given Livingston’s claim?

When Motherwell’s forward Elijah Just fired a shot from a tight angle at Fir Park on Tuesday, it was Hibs defender Grant Hanley’s outstretched hand that struck the ball.

With Scotland’s centre-back Hanley only a yard away from the strike’s striking position, it is difficult to tell whether the effort was on target. Hanley was sent off for denying a goal-scoring opportunity 15 minutes later.

Referee Duncan Nicolson didn’t take any action at all at the beginning, like in the Ibrox incident. However, Nicolson then directed the ball to the spot after suggesting an on-field review.

The rules from the Board of the International Football Association (Ifab) – football’s lawmakers – state that a ball striking a player’s arm or hand does not automatically result in penalisation.

What else must the ball hit below the armpit before it can be deemed an offense?

Okay, but when does a handball cease to be a handball?

There are numerous factors to consider, and managers are clamoring for consistency as a result of these decisions’ subjective nature.

But how do these things relate to the recent Ibrox and Fir Park incidents?

What should happen if a player avoids a ball from hitting their own goal with their hand or arm intentionally, doesn’t intentionally handle it, and doesn’t grow their body in an unnatural way bigger? This is a convenient FAQ on the Ifab website.

The solution Not a jerk. As they watched the incident from Ibrox, perhaps that was what the VAR room was thinking.

Gray, the head coach of the Hibs, disagreed with the player’s punishment.

He told BBC Scotland, “I’m not sure what he’s meant to do with that.” “The shot is clearly going a long way.” Grant [Hanley] hasn’t even attempted to block the shot, making himself any bigger.

Inconsistency is what I find to be the biggest issue. What I just watched on Saturday at Ibrox… Is there a problem with consistency? The rule is unknown to me.

The penalty decision is so severe, said BBC Scotland’s Lee Miller on Sportsound. Is the position unnatural? It also has a “miles”-wide range.

Martindale, the Livingston boss, was perplexed on Saturday as well. I can’t understand how it wasn’t given in our favor, he said.

It’s going on target, which is a possibility. If that occurs in Livingston, I am aware that it offends us. I am completely aware that we are facing repercussions.

It’s disappointing when we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on technology to get important decisions right in games.

Michael Stewart, a former Premiership player, responded to the incident at Ibrox by calling it “outrageous” for the VAR to refrain from participating.

Neil McCann, a former Rangers winger and coach, claimed that Martindale was “right to be fuming.”

As rugby extends a trial that adjusts equipment to anatomical differences, the best women’s sevens players will use a smaller ball, known as a size 4. 5, instead.

The HSBC Svns series, which kicks off in Dubai on Saturday, will feature the ball, which is 3% smaller than a standard size five but weighs the same.

A man’s hand is typically 10% larger than a woman’s. Other sports use different equipment for women’s sports, such as basketball and basketball’s lower sprint hurdles.

Players are helped by the new incarnation, which is the same weight as a size 5, without having their kicking impacted by it.

“Rugby World Cup is committed to supporting women’s rugby in forging its own path to suit our players, not just following the history of the men’s game,” said Melodie Robinson, chair of Rugby World Cup’s Women’s High Performance Committee.

“We’re focusing on player feedback and giving them the best possible setting to showcase their world-class skills,” the company said in a press release.

Women’s players are divided on how to use various balls in the men’s game.

Some have praised it, but others think it’s important to match the men’s game and are concerned about the cost of having separate equipment for grassroots clubs.

Other adaptations have been made for the women’s game, with boot and kit manufacturers creating products that are more appropriate for female bodies than lowering the price of men’s goods.

A mandatory head injury check is also subject to a different threshold.

Because it was thought that women were more prone to concussions, women’s instrumented mouthguards are triggered at 65G rather than 75G for men.

Then, England coach Simon Middleton suggested that touchline conversions be moved a little further in the women’s game to explain the “natural discrepancy between male and female athletes” in 2023.

Kickers’ conversion rates increased from 51% to 61% in the previous tournament’s three years, making it the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup record.

As rugby extends a trial that adjusts equipment to anatomical differences, the best women’s sevens players will use a smaller ball, known as a size 4. 5, instead.

The HSBC Svns series, which kicks off in Dubai on Saturday, will feature the ball, which is 3% smaller than a standard size five but weighs the same.

A man’s hand is typically 10% larger than a woman’s. Other sports use different equipment for women’s sports, such as basketball and basketball’s lower sprint hurdles.

Players are helped by the new incarnation, which is the same weight as a size 5, without having their kicking impacted by it.

“Rugby World Cup is committed to supporting women’s rugby in forging its own path to suit our players, not just following the history of the men’s game,” said Melodie Robinson, chair of Rugby World Cup’s Women’s High Performance Committee.

“We’re focusing on player feedback and giving them the best possible setting to showcase their world-class skills,” the company said in a press release.

Women’s players are divided on how to use various balls in the men’s game.

Some have praised it, but others think it’s important to match the men’s game and are concerned about the cost of having separate equipment for grassroots clubs.

Other adaptations have been made for the women’s game, with boot and kit manufacturers creating products that are more appropriate for female bodies than lowering the price of men’s goods.

A mandatory head injury check is also subject to a different threshold.

Because it was thought that women were more prone to concussions, women’s instrumented mouthguards are triggered at 65G rather than 75G for men.

Then, England coach Simon Middleton suggested that touchline conversions be moved a little further in the women’s game to explain the “natural discrepancy between male and female athletes” in 2023.

Kickers’ conversion rates increased from 51% to 61% in the previous tournament’s three years, making it the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup record.