Darge hopes 'really good coach' Smith remains at Glasgow next season
Rory Darge can understand why Glasgow "really good" head coach Franco Smith is being linked with other jobs, but says the Warriors players are desperate for the South African to remain at Scotstoun.Smith is entering the final year of his contract and has been linked with a number of other jobs, most notably the vacant Wales head coach position.Following Glasgow's defeat to Leinster in the United Rugby Championship semi-final earlier this month, Smith refused to confirm if he will still be in charge next season, saying he would take time "to reflect a little bit" over the summer."He's a really good coach and showed that with getting the results last year," Darge said."He laid out to us after this year all the positives. It's obviously knockout rugby and when you lose, you have that disappointment. We've maybe brushed over a lot of the big wins that we had over the season."You focus on the next job and usually it's a game the following week, so you don't celebrate those big wins. But he wanted to do that. He wanted to highlight the good work that had gone into last season."He was speaking to us as players in that Monday review and laying out the good stuff that we'd done last season and the work to do next season."But you know, the way professional sport is, you don't know what's going to happen, but as it stands, obviously he's the coach."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
12 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Hottest start to Wimbledon in 147-year history amid 36C heatwave
Wimbledon is bracing for its hottest-ever opening day as a heatwave is forecast to peak at 36C on Monday. The previous record temperature for the start of the grass court Grand Slam event was set in 2001, when 29.3C was reached. The forecast for Monday could also be the hottest temperature ever recorded during the tournament at SW19. The previous highest being 35.7C in 2015. People queueing for tickets will likely face intense heat and should take precautions. British health officials have an amber heat health warning in place until 6pm on Tuesday July 1 for much of the country, including London. This warns of a rise in deaths, particularly amongst people aged 65 and over, or those with health conditions. Wimbledon's heat rule will likely come into force, which allows for a 10-minute break in play during extreme heat. The rule will apply after the second set for all best of three set matches, and after the third for all best of five set matches, with players allowed to leave the court during the break, but not to receive coaching or medical treatment. Wimbledon organisers are taking precautions to protect the general public and staff, including ball boys and girls (BBGs), as well as players. 'Adverse weather is a key consideration in our planning for The Championships, and we are prepared for the predicted hot weather, with comprehensive plans in place for guests, players, staff and the BBGs,' a club statement said. More free water refill stations will be provided around the grounds, and real-time weather alerts will be announced on big screens and via the tournament website. Five-day heatwave Staff shifts will also be adjusted to mitigate the heat, while 'shade-mapping' will help people get away from the sun. Guidance also advises tennis fans to 'wear loose, cool clothing, preferably trousers', as well as 'wide brim hats' to keep the sun away. A heatwave is predicted for much of England over the weekend and could last for a total of five days. The weather is caused by a high-pressure 'heat dome' over mainland Europe, which is trapping hot air and forcing it downwards. This creates more heat at the surface, clears away clouds, and leads to more sun exposure which further bakes an area. It leads to day-to-day increases in temperature until the lid holding the 'heat dome' in place is breached, often with powerful thunderstorms. A heat dome caused London to surpass 40C in 2022, and the Met Office says the physics behind this phenomenon are common in the UK. 'A 'heat dome' is a term not frequently used in the UK meteorological world, though the physics behind it are essentially what happens frequently in UK summers,' explained Dr Rob Thompson, a meteorologist at the University of Reading. Imperial research has found that the weather in June is now up to 4C hotter as a result of climate change, taking once pleasant summer temperatures into more hazardous territory. Ben Clarke, research associate in extreme weather and climate change at Imperial College London, told The Telegraph that the extreme European heat, which could reach a record 47C in Spain, will cause the mercury in Britain to surge in coming days. 'If the forecasts are correct, the high pressure that is currently over much of western Europe will intensify,' he said. 'This will drive the transport of very hot air from north Africa and the Iberian peninsula northwards, resulting in an intense heatwave over the weekend. 'Whether the high pressure system classifies as a 'heat dome' will depend on how intense the high pressure is and how long it lasts, but this certainly has the characteristics of one. 'The forecasts currently show the high pressure weakening over the UK by early next week (though temperatures will stay in the mid-upper twenties in the south), but holding over mainland Europe into the middle of next week – after that, forecasts become a lot less certain. 'The heat is also very likely being amplified by the low rainfall we've had here and in much of Europe through the spring, as the land is unable to cool through evaporation.'
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Toto Wolff interested in signing Max Verstappen for Mercedes
Toto Wolff has signalled a surprising openness to a potentially explosive driver pairing, suggesting Max Verstappen could join George Russell at Mercedes. This comes as Russell, fresh from a victory in Canada, believes talks with the four-time world champion and Mercedes are ongoing. The British driver, who has been one of the grid's standout performers this season, indicated that the ongoing talks with Verstappen might be delaying the renewal of his own deal, which is set to expire in six months. The prospect of Verstappen and Russell as teammates is fraught with tension, given their fractious history. The pair engaged in a heated war of words following last December's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. More recently, Verstappen controversially accelerated into Russell's Mercedes during the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this month, a reckless manoeuvre that leaves the Dutchman just one penalty point away from a race ban for next weekend's British Grand Prix. Such a high-stakes partnership inevitably draws comparisons to the tumultuous relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Their rivalry, while delivering three world championships for Mercedes, famously descended into chaos during their three years as teammates. But, when asked if Verstappen could be paired with Russell, Wolff said: 'I can imagine every line-up. I had Hamilton and Rosberg fighting for a world championship so everything afterwards is easy. 'There are pros and cons to having two drivers fighting each other hard. We have seen examples where they have functioned and others where they didn't.' Russell's Italian team-mate Kimi Antonelli, 18, has impressed in his rookie season. However, he is under contract for this season only, and has no guarantee of a seat with Mercedes beyond this year. He is 73 points behind Russell in the standings. Verstappen's contract at Red Bull runs until 2028, although performance clauses within his current deal could activate an early release. Pressed directly on whether he is in dialogue with Verstappen, Wolff replied: 'At the moment, clearly we need to explore what is happening in the future. 'That doesn't change what I think about George, or Kimi or the line-up that I am extremely happy with. I want to have conversations behind-closed-doors and not in town halls.' It had been suggested that Russell's Mercedes extension could coincide with his home race at Silverstone next weekend. However, it is understood that a fresh deal for Russell, who is 62 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, is not imminent. And Wolff continued: 'When it comes to the contract situation, our sport is pressure, constant pressure, whether you are inside the car or outside the car, and you just need to cope with that. George knows that. 'I feel like when you are put into a comfort zone that is more detrimental to performance. 'He has always performed to the expectations we have set and he is continuing to do so. We have not given him a car to win the world championship, and that is on us. 'But in the times when the car has been good he is winning races, he is always there and you know he will extract what is in the car. 'He needs to be top of our list because he is a winner, a Mercedes junior, and he has been with us for a long time.'
BBC News
23 minutes ago
- BBC News
Nygren: Celtic's new Swedish forward with echoes of Larsson
Talk of signing another Swedish international forward will naturally have Celtic fans reminiscing about the legend that was - and is - Henrik for a pittance from Feyenoord in 1997, he would spend seven trophy-filled seasons with the Glasgow club before going on to perform admirably for Barcelona and Manchester United in his twilight Nygren will be dreaming of making a similar impact at Celtic Park after completing his transfer from Nordsjaelland for a fee reportedly less than £ 23-year-old has spent three and a half years in the Danish Superliga but said in a recent Swedish television interview that he believes it is time for him to move to a bigger club, in front of a packed stadium, and to play in the Champions tick those boxes, at least if they can negotiate a play-off, but what about his profile has attracted the Scottish champions? Nygren came through IFK Goteborg's youth ranks before making his competitive debut as a 16-year-old in came shortly after he agreed professional terms with his local club despite reported interest from Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Manchester was still only 17 when he moved on to Genk in Belgium's top flight for a reported fee of £4.2m - a record sale by had only made 15 appearances by that time, but he had already displayed his scoring prowess with six goals - with four coming in 12 appearances during his second season with the first-team as they finished seventh in Sweden's top would only play seven times for Genk, scoring once, but his European travels had meantime taken him to the Netherlands on scored seven times in 32 appearances as Heerenveen finished 12th in the Eredevisie and reached a national cup second season on loan was not quite as fruitful, failing to find the net in 19 appearances, and he joined Nordsjaelland in January 2022 after having his loan spell terminated - and cutting short his contract with Genk by two Danish venture, alongside current Rangers midfielder Mohamed Diomande, started modestly has they helped his new club avoid Nygren's career was back on track as six goals in 31 games in his first full campaign in the Superliga took Nordsjaelland to the top of the table by the end of the regular season only to be overtaken by Copenhagen after the runners-up at least led to Conference League group stage football the following season and, although they would finish third behind Fenerbahce and Ludogorets Razgrad, it would thrust Nygren into the European Swede grabbed a double in a 7-1 thrashing of the Bulgarians and upstaged that with a hat-trick in a 6-1 drubbing of the Turks - results that no doubt helped draw Nygren to Celtic's Nordsjaelland, now minus Ibrox-bound Diomande, finishing fourth in the Superliga, Nygren would chalk up 12 goals from 31 appearances overall and, although his side were only fifth this past season, he would surpass that personally by finding the net 16 times in 32 leaves Denmark having scored 35 goals in 107 appearances overall for Nordsjaelland over three and a half seasons - the fourth-highest scorer in their history and not a bad return for someone viewed as primarily a right winger. Comparisons with Kuhn and Cerny With Scotland defender Kieran Tierney back at Celtic Park on a free transfer from Arsenal and Ross Doohan returning as back-up goalkeeper from Aberdeen, Nygren becomes Brendan Rodgers' first proper new face of the is no surprise that Celtic's first outgoing fee since the opening of the transfer window has been paid for a player with Nygren's Kyogo Furuhashi sold to Rennes near the end of the January window, fellow Japan forward Daizen Maeda had - at times - been pushed up front from his normal wide left Maeda proved to be a highly effective striker, outshining specialist Adam Idah, it left Celtic short of options on the wings, especially when Jota, who had returned in January from Rennes, was the Portuguese ruled out until the end of the year and right winger Nicolas Kuhn - and, indeed, Maeda - reportedly attracting attention from clubs around Europe, another wide man with a goal threat was badly needed. Not that Nygren should be seen as an out-and-out right winger. Nygren's style is not too disimilar to that of Vaclav Cerny, the Czech international who impressed on loan to Rangers from Wolfsburg last season, often drifting infield to fire for goal with his favoured left IFK sporting director Mats Gren was quoted in a recent interview as saying that he is best as a number first two goals against Fenerbahce, for example, came after picking the ball up centrally and dribbling into the penalty his third against the Turks and his first for Sweden - as he earned his second cap in a 5-1 thumping of Northern Ireland in March - were poacher tap-ins inside the six-yard box and he has since added a curled finish against wonder Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has described Nygren as an "exciting" player who will be a crowd to Kuhn, the German has more dribbles and creates more chances for others, but while their statistics are broadly similar, the Swede is ahead in attempts on goal, goals per game and, given his greater height, aerial duels like Larsson, Nygren will arrive as a cut-price winger, external and leave a legendary goalscorer.
