Gossip: Newcastle expect Liverpool approach for Isak
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Inside the mad and dangerous world of Superbikes where 'gladiator' riders dice with death
It's been a weekend of unremitting heat at the UK round of the Superbike World Championship — motorsport which makes F1 look like a sedentary Sunday afternoon drive — and, at the end, the outstanding racer tells me about life and death. Toprak Razgatlioglu is motorcycle racing's most compelling character since Valentino Rossi — riding on the edge just like the Italian, and Barry Sheene decades before him.
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Steve Tandy: I found out about Louis Rees-Zammit's return from my daughter
Good news has been a scarce commodity in Welsh rugby and the new national head coach only heard about the welcome return of Louis Rees-Zammit when he was informed by his 14-year-old daughter. 'She was telling me, 'Zammo's back,' ' Steve Tandy said. 'I'm like, 'Quick, give me the phone!' ' Confirmation that Rees-Zammit, the 24-year-old wing, would be ending his attempt to break into the NFL to renew his rugby union career came last week, six days before Tandy's first public engagement in his new role on Thursday. As his job entails reviving the fortunes of a Wales side who recently ended an 18-match losing streak with a narrow victory over Japan, taking over a squad painfully short on experience, the return of a wing who exhibited world-class qualities came as a considerable early fillip to the Tandy era. 'It's a great boost to the game, to fans and to coaches,' he said. 'The excitement that Zammo brings just by coming back is great for the game. Everyone will like getting Zammo back in the mix.' Rees-Zammit's time away from the sport neatly encapsulates the grim period that Wales endured under Warren Gatland, Tandy's permanent predecessor, and Matt Sherratt, who took interim charge after Gatland left during the Six Nations. The last of the wing's 32 caps was the first of that ignominious 18-match streak, the 2023 World Cup quarter-final defeat by Argentina, and in the 18-month spell that he was trying his hand in the NFL, Wales won only one game. Having previously played for Gloucester, Rees-Zammit has yet to determine which club he will join, but as his tally of caps exceeds the 25 required by WRU rules, he will not need to sign up with a Welsh region to resume his international career. As he prepares to begin his tenure with autumn internationals against Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa, Tandy would not discount the possibility of a swift Wales return for Rees-Zammit. 'You wouldn't rule anything out,' he said. 'Zammo, I'm pretty sure, will be in outstanding physical condition. We've got some outstanding back-three boys, but adding Zammo makes it even more competitive.' Tandy, 45, is making his own return to Welsh rugby after a substantial time away. Hailing from Tonmawr, near Neath, he was a hard-nosed flanker for Ospreys, becoming head coach shortly after his retirement. He subsequently specialised in defence, first with the Waratahs in Australia before beginning the six-year stint with Scotland, working under Gregor Townsend, that ended with his recent appointment back home in Wales. During his time with Scotland, he acted as defence coach for the British & Irish Lions on their 2021 tour to South Africa and he is determined to make bringing a harder edge to a Wales defence that conceded 25 tries in five Six Nations matches last season his priority. 'Coming from a defensive background, you want something really robust and resilient around that,' he said. 'We're going to be really tough in that area. But I want our group to have ambition, that if there's something to play, they go and play. I want them to believe that when they go out there, they can go and express themselves. But we definitely want that robust nature around the [defence], because that does fundamentally underpin outstanding teams.' The recent Lions squad that toured Australia featured only two Wales players and, once Tomos Williams had returned home with injury, Jac Morgan was the solitary Welshman. Increasing this representation for the Lions tour to New Zealand in 2029 would be a measure of the progress Tandy has made with the side from their position as 12th in the world rankings. Along with Morgan and Williams, players such as Dewi Lake, the hooker who captained the side in Japan, and Dafydd Jenkins, the lock who missed the tour through injury, will be pillars around whom Tandy can build. 'I'd love to see the next time it comes around, us getting more [in the Lions squad],' Tandy said. 'A lot of that will be underpinned by how well connected we get with the players, how we can accelerate their development. We've got lots of talent and we can get to that point of putting more people in the shop window for the next Lions tour.' The word 'development' is a crucial aspect in Tandy's appointment. Wales's slump was precipitated by losing so many experienced players in a short period, so fast-tracking promising young players to become comfortable on the international stage will be as much part of his role as the blending of elite performers. 'We have to nurture them, we have to coach them, we have to be around them more than probably any time before because they are a young group,' Tandy said. 'It's about building incrementally, there's no magic wand. We understand where we're at.' Tandy has yet to appoint his assistant coaches and will do so in conjunction with Dave Reddin, the former England rugby and FA performance expert recently appointed as the WRU's director of rugby and elite performance. This being Welsh rugby, there will also be political elements for the new pairing to negotiate, especially as there is a widespread acceptance that the recent results were not a mere blip, but a reflection of a professional structure that is not fit for purpose. The WRU announced last month that it was conducting formal consultations that could lead to the number of regional sides being reduced from four to either three or two. 'We've got to build something that suits us, not following anyone else,' Tandy said. 'I'm coming into this with my eyes wide open.'
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Tommy Fleetwood one off the pace after opening round in Memphis
Tommy Fleetwood shot an opening round of 63 to sit one shot off the lead in the FedEx St Jude Championship. Fleetwood's seven-under-par round in the first of the season-ending FedEx Cup events left him trailing American Akshay Bhatia in Memphis. English duo Harry Hall and Justin Rose were alongside American Bud Cauley in a tie for third after opening with 64s. Scotland's Robert MacIntyre and England's Matt Fitzpatrick are five shots off the pace, alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler who played his first tournament round since winning the Open at Royal Portrush. Bhatia eagled the 16th hole and closed with two birdies to edge ahead with an opening 62, Fleetwood also finishing strongly with four closing birdies. 'I hit the ball so well off the tee that I was always giving myself an opportunity,' said Fleetwood, who found 13 of 14 fairways. Rose built his round on five birdies in six holes around the turn before dropping a shot on the 13th. Only the top 70 in the season-long FedEx rankings have qualified for the event – although Rory McIlroy opted not to play this week – with the top 50 after the tournament reaching next week's BMW Championship. The top 30 after that will contest the Tour Championship in pursuit of a 10million dollar (£7.4million) bonus.
