
Nolann Le Garrec dived like Neymar but rugby isn't as bad as football
Nolann Le Garrec will be forever etched into the 'best of' and 'worst of' rugby. His long-range, no-look backwards spin pass, against Wales in last year's Six Nations, was rugby at its best. What he did on Saturday was sport at its worst.
With ten minutes left in Racing 92's defeat by Perpignan, Le Garrec received a light bump from Bruce Devaux, the opposition prop, and a featherweight glance on his face that sent the scrum half to the ground, holding his face. The moniker 'Neymar Le Garrec', in homage to the Brazilian footballer renowned for theatrics, quickly did the rounds.
Nigel Owens, a veteran of 100 Tests as a referee, wrote that he would have had no hesitation in showing Le Garrec a red

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Tatler Asia
28-05-2025
- Tatler Asia
Where to do cold plunges in Manila
Prime Studios + Recovery This physical fitness centre is situated in Commercenter, Alabang, making it the perfect place to visit for those who live in the South. The studio also offers jiujitsu, Muay Thai, boxing and MMA, which make this cooldown even more worthwhile. Renū Philippines Renū Philippines was initially started by a group of friends interested in exploring the wellness space. Since then, they have evolved into a team staging ice baths at venues such as Kerry Sports Manila and Enclave Alabang—their social media platforms show where their next event will be. They often team up with Optima Wellness, which allows you to build your own ice bath at home, if you're ready to commit to cold plunges more often. More from Tatler: 5 go-karting facilities in and around Metro Manila Open Mat This Vinyasa yoga and Brazilian jiu jitsu studio welcomes sports enthusiasts of all levels, from beginners to seasoned athletes. Located in the heart of Makati, Open Mat also offers cold plunges, with water between 3 and 8 degrees Celsius. Vida Yoga To complement their hot yoga classes, Vida Yoga offers cold plunges that enhance the recovery process and offer refreshment to athletes. In between, they offer breathwork to mentally prepare each person for the experience, leaving one feeling rejuvenated for future workouts. Vida Yoga has branches in Makati, Bonifacio Global City and Alabang, making them accessible from different points of the Metro. NOW READ Discover the watches worn and loved by your favourite NBA stars Bianca Bustamante's GB3 debut marks a turning point—for her future in motorsport, and for women in it How stem cell therapy is changing healthcare in the Philippines, according to Dr Ronald Rigor


Times
28-04-2025
- Times
Fix defence and decide on veterans: how Red Roses can win home World Cup
John Mitchell has a fair idea of his 32-player squad for the Women's World Cup but he would love a 33rd. The roster size for the men's tournament increased in 2023 but the women's edition is one short, with World Rugby citing that teams play fewer matches. With the domestic campaign over and another grand slam won, the Red Roses have two warm-ups — set to be at home to Spain and away to France — in August before the World Cup begins in Sunderland against the United States on August 22. Injuries may still play a part of course but Mitchell, the England head coach, is firm in his mind as to the formation of his squad. 'I'm definitely going to take 18:14 [split of forwards to backs] so some positional versatility is going to be important among the backs,' Mitchell said. 'It seems strange that the men's World Cup is 33 and we're only 32 and the teams have to come all this way. 'World Rugby will probably need to consider it going forward because otherwise you are going to have to wait for [replacement] players to be flown from overseas.' The Red Roses will break for five weeks after beating France 43-42 to seal their seventh successive Six Nations without defeat. They will regather on June 2 and begin preparing for a campaign whose endpoint is a World Cup final at Twickenham on September 27. There will be warm-weather training in Treviso and an onus on geographical variety so that, in Mitchell's words, the team aren't stuck in a 'high-performance jail'. There follow the warm-ups and then potentially six Tests to become world champions at last. England could be 32 Tests unbeaten going into the final, although France are a larger stumbling block now in a possible semi-final. After a tournament of experimentation England's squad has taken shape. Intrigue surrounds Marlie Packer and Emily Scarratt: 2014 world champions who are no longer first choice but whose experience may be enough to sustain a place. Zoe Harrison showed fine touches on Saturday, notwithstanding dropping the ball behind her own try line, and looks the No1 fly half in preference to Holly Aitchison. Another question mark is whether to select a third scrum half or have Claudia MacDonald, a starter on the left wing, cover her former position. 'It's just a case of trusting every person in that squad,' Megan Jones, the centre, said. 'I always say it but Emily Scarratt's not even on the [starting] team. That's the depth we're talking about and the sort of expertise we have.' Though England have firepower in their back three, Saturday was a reminder that they do not have a monopoly on the issue. Joanna Grisez showed supreme speed to finish the late try that gave France hope of victory and Kelly Arbey caused trouble too. France also put England under pressure with vintage forward play, carrying up the middle and offloading deftly. '[It was an] unusual defence performance,' Mitchell said of his team. 'That's probably the thing I'll unpack. I thought through the middle we weren't winning the first collision and then we weren't getting the second in. But then the edge [problems in defence] in the second half — I certainly didn't see that coming.' The return of Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, reversing her retirement, adds the World Cup's most prolific tryscorer to New Zealand's armoury. The Black Ferns were brilliant out wide in the 2022 final — England's sole defeat in their past 56 matches — through the likes of Stacey Waaka at outside centre, with Woodman-Wickliffe having been knocked out in the collision that yielded a red card for Lydia Thompson. Deprived of one final, she will seek another. It was around this stage three years ago that the Black Ferns got their act together, cramming for finals that they always win, doing so again 34-31 at Eden Park. 'New Zealand are on for a three-peat in World Cups so there's probably more pressure on them to win a World Cup than us,' Mitchell said. With France also improving on the big stage — their two Twickenham games have ended in five and one-point defeats — and Canada going well, England have three nations keen to knock them down. What is not in doubt is England's ability to score tries, with greater variety than their 2022 version. 'One thing that Mitch hammered home, especially in this game, is that we weren't here to defend a title, we were here to win one,' Abby Dow, the wing, said. 'I think often we try to defend something when actually there is a privilege and an opportunity. We're really trying to change that mindset and go for it. 'When you look at the last World Cup, how often did we score from the maul? Yes, we went to it [on Saturday], but we also had tries from our back three. The difference is that we're not just using our back three when it's not top four [teams in the world]. We're using them whenever we can and when it's on. There is a desire to say: 'Why not?' I think that's key for us.' Harrison had an adequate day off the tee, not always an area of strength for England (notably she kept the kicking duties rather than handing them to Emma Sing, the top points-scorer in the domestic game), while Morgane Bourgeois slotted all six of her conversions, keeping France's deficit to one point even though England scored an extra try. For all the Red Roses' dominance, the scoreboard is invariably close when they face Canada, France or New Zealand in opposition. Every point matters come August and September.


Irish Daily Star
27-04-2025
- Irish Daily Star
Conor McGregor's glowing endorsement of Ian Garry ahead of UFC comeback fight
Conor McGregor predicted a "bright future" in the UFC for compatriot Ian Machado Garry ahead of the Irish welterweight's comeback against Carlos Prates on Saturday. Garry, who made a serious accusation about one of his opponents last year, headlined UFC Fight Night over in Kansas City, Missouri , against a fighter who was yet to experience defeat since joining the UFC roster. Nonetheless, he triumphed by unanimous decision, having controlled the majority of the bout despite the Brazilian's late blitz. It was a welcome victory for the No. 7 ranked Garry, once described as "sensational" by Joe Rogan , who didn't manage to climb the welterweight ladder after a decision loss to No. 2-ranked Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 on December 7. Post-bout, the 27-year-old stood firm on his belief that he should've emerged victorious, and McGregor stepped up to bolster his spirits. Read More Related Articles Shedeur Sanders breaks silence as five QBs taken before him in NFL Draft Read More Related Articles Tom Brady's pre-Draft comments on Shedeur Sanders come to light "Very good fight. Well done Ian, future is bright," the former Featherweight and Lightweight Champion said in the aftermath of Garry's first setback in the UFC octagon more than four months ago. Despite the compliments for his efforts, however, it still didn't yield Garry victory. Nevertheless, the Irish mixed martial artist maintained his grace, even though he felt the judges had done him dirty. "I do not feel like I lost. My hand may have been raised tonight, but I came out and fought a giant," Garry expressed post-fight at UFC 310. "I fought the boogeyman of the division, on three weeks' notice, and I saved this card." Detailing how he withstood the fiercest competitor in the welterweight class, he added: "Against the scariest man in the division, and I almost stopped everything he did. There was no point where it looked like he was going to finish the fight, I got him in two submissions, I took his back and I had fun." Garry suffered a decision loss to No. 2-ranked Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 on December 7 Garry expressed his pride in his performance against Rakhmonov, demonstrating his ability to hang with the division's top contenders. "I showed that I can hang with the single best in the division and I can absolutely be a champion, that I can do it in five rounds and there are no holes in my game. He won by opinion and that's okay, I can live with that and I am very happy with my performance," he said. The praise he received from McGregor, a fighter he deeply admires , was a huge boost for Garry. His admiration for the 36-year-old goes beyond mere fanhood, having been heavily influenced by the Irishman's career when he first started out in MMA. In a chat with The MMA Hour , Garry recalled his surreal experience of training and befriending McGregor in Dublin . "It was one of the most surreal experiences of my life," he shared. "Being a fan and being emotionally invested in everything that man did and then getting to have the ability to stand, train with the guy, talk to the guy, go and have dinner with the guy afterward." Garry believes that his bond with McGregor will play a key role in his fight career, particularly as he strives for the UFC Welterweight title. The young fighter highlighted that their friendship has given him someone to look up to and learn from, someone with immense experience in the sport. Garry spoke of his adoration for McGregor and the bond they share The most valuable takeaway for Garry has been forming a deep and meaningful friendship with a mentor like McGregor. "The biggest takeaway from meeting Conor is the fact that I have a friendship now that I believe is very powerful and very special in someone who I can look up to and learn from," he emphasized. "Someone who has done it all in the sport." Garry treasures the time he spent with McGregor, stating that they hit it off immediately, meeting three times, and forging a close connection that felt incredibly strong. "We met up three times and I feel like he's my best mate now. I've never met someone who's so like me in my life. Honestly, it's nuts!" he exclaimed. Now that Garry has established a profound connection with McGregor, he's set to draw from this valuable experience as he continues to push the boundaries of his fighting career. "Someone who's had all the highs, all the lows. All the biggest things in the sport all have his name attached to it and he's wanted to change the game more than anybody. To be able to have that friendship, it's so powerful, it's so special and I'm so grateful."