Category Sports News

Leicester Tigers vs. Sale Sharks: Premiership Semi-final

Location: Mattioli Woods Welford Road Saturday, June 7 Kick-off: 15:30 BST

Sale center Rekeiti Ma’asi-White wants to clear up something before Saturday’s Premiership semi-final between the two teams.

His uncle did indeed give him a Leicester shirt when he was 11 years old. However, it’s not quite accurate to say he was a Tigers fan.

Because a young Ma’asi-White didn’t care much about the front badge or the number 12 at all.

He claims that Manu was a big fan. “I only supported Leicester because of Manu,” I thought.

He is of Samoan descent, and I am half Tongan, half English.

“I aspired to accomplish what he did,” he said. At the time, I was a forward. Thankfully, I made progress”!

It also included Tuilagi. Inspiration came from former All Black midfielders Malakai Fekitoa and Ma’a Nonu.

Tuilagi, however, was Ma’asi-White’s closest ally.

In the latter stages of his career, Ma’asi-White’s father Viliami, who represented Tonga at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, played with Manu’s brother Anitelea at Leeds. The two families shared a common goal.

When we lived in Leeds, Manu used to visit us for a little meal and conversation, says Ma’asi-White.

Ma’asi-White and fellow academy prospect Asher Opoku-Fordjour were both signed by Sale when Wasps went bankrupt in 2022. Tuilagi had previously moved to the north-west of Leicester for two years.

He claimed that I once resembled a rat. recalls their reunion with Ma’asi-White and recalls their backyard gatherings from a decade earlier.

“I did learn a lot from him after that,” he said.

However, Viliami is still his primary teacher.

Vili is now coaching Oundle, moving up to the fourth tier this year after playing into his forties.

Rekeiti, however, has a lot of impressive side projects.

Viliami will monitor every Sale training session from his Peterborough home.

Rekeiti receives a call with a list of things to do the morning before each game. He will have another chance to see if he has met those goals after that.

“It is technical, mental, and everything,” Ma’asi-White asserts.

He will say, “You are not running hard enough, you need to tackle harder,” and there is still more in you.

Ma’asi-White has dramatically improved.

The 22-year-old only made his first appearance for Sale in January, starting the season at Championship side Caldy on loan.

He helped the Sharks to a 33-7 victory under the pressure of George Ford and Rob du Preez, and he has been wearing the 12 shirt ever since.

In each of Sale’s last four games, Ma’asi-White has scored, demonstrating his ability to find gaps and knock down doors.

Last month, he received his first call into England’s senior squad.

At Welford Road, he will have a familiar face facing him. For a while, he and Joe Woodward served as England’s under-20 center partnership.

He has a good kicking game, good leg movement, and good distribution, according to Ma’asi-White, who described his former teammate as “a triple threat.”

We had some good times, and I believe we worked well together.

However, there will be only one celebration on Saturday.

Woodward and Leicester won last month at Welford Road, but Sale, who were up 10 points with 30 minutes to go, were able to reclaim the victory.

There has been a lot of discussion about Ma’asi-White saying, “We are not an 80-minutes team.”

We allowed them to play that second half, so there is a lot of discipline to be had going into this weekend in addition to minimizing penalty counts and using scrum and line out to extend the advantage throughout the entire game.

If they do, Sale will have a chance to win the Premiership.

Additionally, Ma’asi-White’s chances of facing England will increase.

He says going to Pennyhill Park for that two-day camp was thrilling and it was unique to witness all these big-time stars.

I decided to give it everything, so I decided to go with that. I was completely exhausted in the taxi home, and I had no energy.

“I have to take it step by step and do my best here, but my goal is to visit Argentina,” she said.

By 2029, the LTA has pledged to introduce equal prize money at both Queen’s and Eastbourne.

The total prize pool for the WTA event at Queen’s Club will be $1.415 million ($1.043 million), with the LTA voluntarily raising the standard prize money by a third.

However, that is not nearly as much as the men’s wage is for the week’s worth of competition at the same venue.

The ATP tournament will offer a total prize fund of 2.522 million euros (2.12 million dollars). The tour minimum prize money levels are set by the organizations.

The third-highest tier tournaments, after the Grand Slams and 1000 events, are held in the men’s and women’s categories, making them the “500” tier tournaments.

Over 80% of the tickets have been purchased for the women’s tournament, compared to the already sold out ATP event at Queen’s.

WTA week ticket sales are lower, which means the long-established men’s event will not be able to generate as much money as they did during the previous week.

The LTA claims that the summer events lost a total of £4 million last year because money spent on prize money cannot also be used to develop grassroots tennis in the UK.

Four years after the WTA’s deadline, the LTA has committed to introducing equal prize money by 2029.

While the WTA recommends that standalone events, which the Queen’s Week technically is, have until 2033, major combined events should have equal prize money by 2027.

In the week leading up to Wimbledon, both men and women will compete in Eastbourne, a combined “250” event.

The women’s prize money is $389, 000 (£286, 650) – making it the highest-paying tournament of that size on the tour this year – while the men will share 756, 875 euros (£637, 000).

This move is an important component of the LTA’s commitment to expanding women’s tennis, both at the professional and grassroots levels, according to LTA CEO Scott Lloyd.

Fans will have access to both men’s and women’s tennis on the biggest stages that we have this year.

After taking over as the Rangers’ new head coach, Russell Martin says he won’t “make any promises,” but that the team must “win early and win while developing.”

The 39-year-old former Scotland defender has agreed to a three-year contract, which will mark the start of a new era at Ibrox.

A US-based consortium led by Andrew Cavenagh, which includes the San Francisco 49ers’ investment arm, completed the club’s takeover last week.

After a lengthy recruitment process, former Southampton and Swansea City manager Martin, who had a brief spell as a player at Ibrox, was the “standout choice” to lead the team.

At his Ibrox unveiling on Thursday, he said, “Winning is how you persuade people-players, staff, and supporters.”

Under first Phillipe Clement, then interim head coach Barry Ferguson, the Rangers finished last season trophyless.

They lost the League Cup final to Celtic, finished second, and suffered a terrible Scottish Cup defeat at home against Queen’s Park. Additionally, they reached the semifinals of the Europa League.

When asked if success in his first season would result in silverware, Martin replied, “I’m not going to sit here and make promises because I don’t think that helps anyone.”

We will work together to improve his club and this team, as I have promised. I believe there are areas where things can get better.

In keeping with Rangers’ new structure, with former sporting director Kevin Thelwell taking over as technical director alongside his former Everton colleague Dan Purdy, Martin prefers to play as head coach rather than manager.

No further additions to the coaching staff have been confirmed, and assistant Matt Gill and performance coach Rhys Owen will work for him at Ibrox.

After leaving Southampton, Martin claimed that he had “a few opportunities,” but that “this was the one I really wanted.”

Martin was described as the “standout candidate,” according to Rangers’ CEO Patrick Stewart, who led the head coach search and Thelwell.

Former Real Madrid assistant manager Davide Ancelotti and former Feyenoord manager Brian Priske spoke with the Ibrox club, and former Ajax head coach Francesco Farioli and former manager Gerrard also spoke with the post.

Russell and the head coach that we’ve been identifying have a clear football style and identity, according to Stewart.

We’re seeking a head coach who will develop our squad, improve our culture, and ultimately win games. Russell is aware of this and we are eager for success.

Thelwell continued, “His teams play dominant football, control the ball, dictate the tempo, and impose themselves physically” to give an idea of what a Rangers team under Martin will look like. They work relentlessly and exert a lot of pressure.

In 2019, Martin made his managerial debut with League One club MK Dons, placing him 19th overall in his first Covid-curtailed season and 13th overall.

He had a win percentage of 37.5% in his 80 matches, with 30 wins and 31 losses.

In the summer of 2021, Swansea City convinced him to join the Championship team.

His 99 games in charge resulted in 36 wins and the same number of losses, or 36.4%, in win percentage. In his first season, the Welsh club placed 15th and placed 10th overall.

In June 2023, Martin made the switch to his league rival Southampton, where he led his team to a 25-game unbeaten run that resulted in a play-off win over Leeds United and promotion to the top flight.

Anyone who saw Martin play can attest to his tenacity.

His late father’s violent behavior and gambling led to upheaval, which belie a delicate Sussex accent and impressive acting ability.

As Martin and his brothers’ first football coaches, Martin has opened up about a complicated relationship with their Scottish father, who veered between controlling and controlling.

In November 2023, he told The Times, “My entire life revolved around disproving him and making him proud.”

Prior to his relatively late 18th birthday, he worked night shifts in a supermarket and cleaned the toilets before going to school.

After conducting acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatments, he underwent a career change to a vegan diet to treat inflammation. He also had to deal with ulcerative colitis.

Martin has never been afraid to make up his mind. Could Rangers hope that way is right?

Will Martin lead the Rangers well?

England opener Phil Salt will miss the T20 series against West Indies on paternity leave.

In a dramatic week, Salt, 28, returned home from the Indian Premier League for the birth of his child and then returned to India to play a part in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s win in Tuesday’s final.

He has now been granted permission to spend the week at home.

Salt has been replaced in the squad by fellow wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, who impressed in his new role opening the batting during England’s 3-0 win in the one-day international series.

Smith is unlikely to play in the first of three T20s at Chester-le-Street on Friday, leaving Somerset’s Tom Banton or Surrey’s Will Jacks as the most likely partner for Ben Duckett at the top of the order.

All-rounder Jacob Bethell is also in the squad and opened for RCB in the IPL.

Rachel Furness, Northern Ireland’s record goalscorer, has announced her retirement from football.

At club level, the 36-year-old played for a number of sides in England including Sunderland, Reading, Tottenham, Liverpool, Bristol City and Newcastle United.

After making her international debut in 2005, the midfielder won 95 caps and scored 38 goals for Northern Ireland.

Furness played a key role in NI’s qualification for the Euro 2022 finals – the country’s first major women’s tournament.

Her final Northern Ireland appearance came away to Hungary in the Nations League in October 2023, although she was recently recalled in April’s international window and was part of the squad for Nations League matches with Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In a video posted on the Northern Ireland X account that shows Furness speaking to her international team-mates, she said: “I’ve had 20 fantastic years. Coming in as a 16-year-old to now, it’s been an absolute blast.

“The progress I’ve seen, especially over the past couple of years, has been fantastic.”

Fighting back tears, Furness added: “Whether I’ve been in it or out of it, I’ve been the biggest fan. Everyone has stories and this is part of my chapter. I’m going on to a new chapter now which I’m really excited for.

Born in Newcastle and qualifying for Northern Ireland through her mother and grandfather, Furness made her senior international debut as a teenager in 2005 – shortly after the team had been reformed.

Furness was integral to Northern Ireland’s historic qualification for Euro 2022, scoring five goals, and her dedication to her country was showcased in the play-off first leg in Ukraine.

After scoring the opening goal, she attempted to play on despite sustaining what turned out to be a broken leg. In the second leg, she was there heading every ball and cheering every tackle while on crutches on the sidelines.

She recovered and became Northern Ireland’s record goalscorer in November 2021 when she netted twice in a World Cup qualifying win over North Macedonia at Seaview.

Furness played in all three matches at the European Championship, delayed a year by Covid, providing the assist for Julie Nelson’s famous header against Norway in Southampton.

She stepped away from international duty following the tournament, which she later revealed in an emotional interview to BBC Sport NI was to look after her mental health.

She made a long-awaited return to the squad away to Wales the following April, and her last cap came in Hungary in October 2023 as injuries limited her involvement.

However, her standing was still clear when she was drafted in as a last-minute call up for April’s game at home to Romania, providing crucial experience in a young squad, and she retained her place for the concluding fixtures in the Women’s Nations League campaign.

In paying tribute, Northern Ireland boss Tanya Oxtoby said Furness has been “the ultimate professional”.

“The respect she’s shown, and her ability to always put the team first, speaks volumes about her character,” said Oxtoby.

After starting her club career at Sunderland, Furness had a stint a Newcastle United, where she recovered from a serious knee injury before she spent a summer in Iceland with Grindavik in 2010.

Returning to England with Sunderland, she won the Premier League Nations Division title over six years at the club.

When Sunderland reverted to part-time status, Furness moved on to Reading in 2017 and had a loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur.

The most successful stint of her club career, which also aligned with Northern Ireland’s historic spell, came when she signed for Liverpool in 2019.

Furness helped Liverpool back to the top flight in 2023 and made it back-to-back Championship titles when she played an integral role in Bristol City’s promotion the following season.

However, her dream had always been to play for her childhood club, Newcastle, and she signed a one-year deal in July.

With injuries limiting her minutes and Tanya Oxtoby’s youthful approach, Furness’ news is not entirely unexpected but does signal the latest changing of the guard for Northern Ireland.

However, just like when Marissa Callaghan announced her retirement, it is sad to see another of Northern Ireland’s history-making Euro 2022 squad call time on their time in green.

As a player, Furness will be remembered as a fearless competitor who made history by becoming the record goalscorer for her country.

One of the most important strikes was in the historic Euro 2022 play-off first leg in Ukraine, when she netted the opening goal before she tried to play on after sustaining a broken leg. That sums up her dedication to her country.

Away from her goals, one of the standout memories of Furness is her dancing around with her crutches in the air after the play-off win over Ukraine.

Furness also had a huge impact off the pitch, and her openness about her mental health struggles were inspiring as she encouraged other players to be open about their feelings and to stand up for their beliefs.