
Drama in Darwin as V8 Supercars is marred by TWO crashes just 15 seconds into the race
Broc Feeney has extended his lead at the top of the Supercars standings, holding onto pole position to win a crash-filled first race of the Darwin Triple Crown.
The Triple Eight speedster's third consecutive win opened up his championship gap over teammate Will Brown to 107 points, keeping his cool despite the chaos unfolding behind him on Saturday.
Feeney held off Tickford's Cam Waters at the opening turn and remained in front until the end.
Waters opted to change all four tyres in his compulsory pit stop, sacrificing time off the track in the hope his fresher tyres would give him a speed boost to haul down Feeney later in the race.
While he closed the gap to 1.7 seconds, it was not enough to haul down the 22-year-old, even with a clutch issue hampering his drive.
'It was super stressful. I didn't know how it was going to go,' he told Fox Sports.
'But it was awesome fun. Cam chasing me down, it was super hard out there. Hot, stressing, I had lots of stuff going in my head.
'I bloody love coming to Darwin, so stoked to win here.'
It's Feeney's fourth race win at the venue, having won both races in 2024.
It took just one turn for the first big shunt of the race to bring out the safety car.
Wheel contact from James Golding fired Jaxon Evans into the barrier at the exit of turn one at high speed, dislodging his front left wheel and ruling his car out of the rest of the day's action.
Thankfully, Evans walked away from the incident unscathed, except for a slightly sore foot.
There was more drama straight off the restart.
The grid was pinched together as drivers jostled for position on the 1.1km-long straight; at one point cars were five-wide as braking ahead squeezed the available space on the track.
ABSOLUTE CHAOS ON THE SAFETY CAR RESTART!
We're under control of the bp Ultimate Safety Car once more! #RepcoSC #Supercars pic.twitter.com/ClyzcvLrRM
— Supercars (@supercars) June 21, 2025
Broc Feeney escaped the carnage to claim victory in his Red Bull Ampol Racing Chevrolet Camaro
Contact amid the cramped conditions sent Jack Le Broq into the wall, losing his front-left wheel, and seconds later a tangle between Nick Percat and Richie Stanaway on turn five left the PremiAir Racing man with heavy damage.
Meanwhile, Ryan Wood's Ford Mustang lost power and emerged immobile out of the chaos.
Walkinshaw Andretti United later revealed his car had suffered engine failure and was in doubt to start in race 18.
We had to wait until lap 12 for the first green lap of the race.
Off the second restart, Brodie Kostecki bumped past Matt Payne on the inside of turn one to move into third position and was handed a five-second penalty as a result.
Payne eventually finished in third, while Brown managed to close six spots to finish in eighth after failing to make the top 10 earlier for both races.
Hometown hero Bryce Fullwood narrowly missed out on a podium, finishing four seconds behind Payne in fourth.
Feeney will start from pole position again in the second 120km race of the day, which kicks off at 3.40pm (AEST).
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Reuters
37 minutes ago
- Reuters
List of Super Rugby champions
SYDNEY, June 21 (Reuters) - Super Rugby champions since the competition began in 1996 (home team in CAPS): Year Champions Runners-up Score 2025 CANTERBURY CRUSADERS Waikato Chiefs 16-12 2024 AUCKLAND BLUES Chiefs 41-10 2023 Crusaders CHIEFS 25-20 2022 Crusaders BLUES 21-7 2021 Local competitions due to COVID pandemic 2020 Local competitions due to COVID pandemic 2019 CRUSADERS Jaguares 19-3 2018 CRUSADERS Lions 37-18 2017 Crusaders LIONS 25-17 2016 WELLINGTON HURRICANES Lions 20-3 2015 Otago Highlanders HURRICANES 21-14 2014 NSW WARATAHS Crusaders 33-32 2013 CHIEFS ACT Brumbies 27-22 2012 CHIEFS Sharks 37-6 2011 QUEENSLAND REDS Crusaders 18-13 2010 BULLS Stormers 25-17 2009 BULLS Chiefs 61-17 2008 CRUSADERS Waratahs 20-12 2007 Bulls SHARKS 20-19 2006 CRUSADERS Hurricanes 19-12 2005 CRUSADERS Waratahs 35-25 2004 BRUMBIES Crusaders 47-38 2003 BLUES Crusaders 21-17 2002 CRUSADERS Brumbies 31-13 2001 BRUMBIES Sharks 36-6 2000 Crusaders BRUMBIES 20-19 1999 Crusaders HIGHLANDERS 24-19 1998 Crusaders BLUES 20-13 1997 BLUES Brumbies 23-7 1996 BLUES Sharks 45-21 Super 12 from 1996 Super 14 from 2006 Super Rugby (15 teams) from 2011 Super Rugby (18 teams) from 2016 Super Rugby (15 teams) from 2018 Super Rugby Pacific (12/11 teams) from 2022


Telegraph
39 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The many reasons to be cheerful about Lions despite defeat
A 28-24 loss to Argentina means the British and Irish Lions will head to Australia on a note of frustration. For anyone keen for a good omen, the last time they lost their opening game was in 1971, and that did not turn out badly. Andy Farrell refused to offer caveats for what he called a 'disconnected' display. Indeed, he positively squirmed at any hint of mitigation for a disappointing result. That said, a strange evening presented plenty of encouraging aspects for the class of 2025. And, frankly, Farrell cannot disregard them because his team has a foundation on which to build in Australia. Strength of opposition Put simply, unless the Invitational Australia and New Zealand side is loaded with All Blacks, the Lions are unlikely to face opposition as strong as they did on Friday evening until July 19 when the Test series against the Wallabies begins in Brisbane. It always seemed punchy that Argentina were 17-point underdogs with some bookies, and so it proved. Despite fielding a few relative rookies who will have been unfamiliar to viewers outside of South America, they were always going to pose attacking threats. Argentina spoil the party in Dublin as Ignacio Mendy scores the opening try 🇦🇷 — Sky Sports (@SkySports) June 20, 2025 Their cohesion and clinical edge, and strength of their progress under Felipe Contepomi, were crystalised in three fine tries. The first was created when Santiago Carreras ghosted onto a pass from Tomás Albornoz. Juan Martín González sparked the second, which was finished by Albornoz, by pouncing on a loose ball. Then, for the third, Argentina thrived in open space once more. Albornoz was the architect, stepping past Tom Curry and brushing off Henry Pollock before offloading to Joaquin Oviedo. Justo Piccardo took it on and two replacements, Matias Moroni and Santiago Cordero, capped the 70-metre move as the former grubbered ahead for the latter. 'We took our chances,' said head coach Contepomi afterwards. This was the difference. The Pumas capitalise on the Lions' sloppiness and take the lead right before half-time 👀 — Sky Sports (@SkySports) June 20, 2025 Shades of shape… Intricate and varied phase play is Farrell's calling card and, while the end product went missing too often, the Lions did seem to have made impressive progress in that facet. How often do we hear coaches insist that attack is the last piece of the puzzle to come together? There were no such pleas here. On the back of an Argentina drop-out in the eighth minute, the Lions retained possession and probed on both flanks, with Fin Smith ghosting behind a four-man pod before Tommy Freeman arced all the way from the right wing onto the left a phase later. Smith's attempted kick-pass towards Jac Morgan, one of the many forwards who migrated to the touchline, was then plucked by Ignacio Mendy. Patience and greater accuracy can enhance such foundations. The PACE from Cordero ⚡️ Argentina hit back ‼️ — Sky Sports (@SkySports) June 20, 2025 …and a line-out that is bound to improve Maro Itoje admitted that the Lions were short of line-out rhythm after both Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ronan Kelleher missed their men over the 80 minutes. Just as the presence of Ollie Chessum immediately polished England's line-out during the Six Nations earlier this season, so he will better the Lions' scruffy set-piece efforts upon being introduced in Australia. The second-row shake-up is fascinating with Joe McCarthy and James Ryan also returning and Scott Cummings bound to strive for more game-time. Jack Conan rather than Ben Earl at No 8 would provide another outlet and Chessum can always slip to blindside flanker to tighten everything up. Intent from the off An alternative perspective on the frustration voiced by Farrell and his players regarding the slew of errant offloads is that the Lions evidently felt free enough to attempt them. While that might seem like an attempt to clutch at straws, Farrell's men will have to throw ambitious passes to seize try-scoring chances Down Under. A head coach like Farrell would probably prefer to refine ambition rather than coax a conservative side out of its shell. Busy wings Freeman was particularly proactive as far as hunting touches. Mack Hansen arrived from the bench to replace Duhan van der Merwe and looked for work as well. Farrell believes in a 'messy' attacking system where wings are given licence to circle into midfield and this was a seriously promising start. Scrum a resounding success Argentina have not been particularly imposing in the scrum for some time, but Ellis Genge and Finlay Bealham still took them to the cleaners. Both props laid down statement performances, which is a significant bonus with Andrew Porter and Will Stuart yet to be used. One area that Farrell did endorse was the Lions 'aggressive' scrummaging, which can be a destructive point of difference against the Wallabies. "Argentina caught us slipping" 🗣️ Maro Itoje says the Lions showed signs of promise despite defeat to Argentina 🔴 — Sky Sports (@SkySports) June 20, 2025 Two 12s – now for a 13 Bundee Aki candidly conceded that he did not feel able to bring Sione Tuipulotu into the game as much as he would have liked. To reinforce the same point, Tuipulotu seemed to grow more prominent in attack after Elliot Daly replaced Aki on the hour mark. As far as balancing backlines, the pair of specialist outside centres in Garry Ringrose and Huw Jones will be important figures on this tour. The plus point is that, in Aki and Tuipulotu, the Lions have two combative, skilful focal points to deploy in the 12 jersey. Here come the cavalry From Finn Russell to Chessum via Conan and the Leinster cohort, Farrell will be close to a full complement from here on out. They are waiting only on Blair Kinghorn, capable of starring either at full-back or on the wing once his Toulouse commitments are done. THE FIRST TRY OF THE 2025 LIONS TOUR ‼️ Bundee Aki finally gets the Lions opening try on familiar territory 🔥 — Sky Sports (@SkySports) June 20, 2025 Costly lessons Reviewing a tight and painful loss – one that was underpinned by a number of straightforward fixes – is a surefire way to move forward. As early as the second minute, after Argentina won back a high ball, the Lions clustered around a ruck catastrophically. The Pumas could play to space all too easily, and eventually eked out three points. Argentina's first try was another elementary spacing issue. It was inexcusable that the Lions were outflanked on the second phase after a line-out, which came from an inability to fold around the breakdown quickly enough. "Not acceptable... dissapointed" ‼️ Andy Farrell's scathing assessment of the Lions defeat 🗣️ — Sky Sports (@SkySports) June 20, 2025 Contact skills were lacking for the next three points, with Pablo Matera pouncing, and the Albornoz try – a real sucker-punch – was spawned directly from a Van der Merwe fumble inside the Pumas 22. Tadhg Beirne's neck-roll was another costly lapse and Rodrigo Isgró was far too quick for Pollock's supporting colleagues at the death, darting in for a clean pilfer.


The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Nick Kyrgios: ‘If I'd acted a bit differently, I would have had a Wimbledon title'
Wimbledon runs through Nick Kyrgios's tumultuous career with a mysterious force full of pain, glory and controversy. It is a tournament defined by history and restraint but, for Kyrgios the disruptor, it is also a place pitted with dark despair and sunlit magic. The Australian has spent a night in a psychiatric ward while playing at Wimbledon and also been served with court orders and lawsuits during and after the 2022 championship that ended in him pushing Novak Djokovic so hard in a memorable final. But he has since struggled with injury and he will miss his third successive Wimbledon this year. He still can't keep away. Kyrgios returns for a live performance of his podcast, Good Trouble, at the New Wimbledon Theatre on 24 June. But he pauses when asked what this strange and beautiful place means to him: 'Wimbledon holds special memories for me. It's the first grand slam where I broke through and it's the pinnacle of tennis. Every time you step into the grounds you feel the energy and the aura. But I don't always feel so comfortable there either because I don't act like the normal tennis player. Wimbledon takes note of that a lot. I definitely feel like a snowman in the desert there but I enjoy it.' Kyrgios cackles when I ask if he expects a few hecklers to join his secret guests at his Wimbledon show. 'I hope so. I really enjoy people that don't necessarily like how I go about things. If they want to come and heckle, I'm all for it. Open invitation, please.' Past guests on his podcast range from Mike Tyson and Naomi Osaka to Matthew McConaughey and Djokovic. Kyrgios starts each episode by asking his guests what 'good trouble' means to them. For Kyrgios, 'good trouble' means 'shaking things up, not always doing things the way we're taught. The one thing that stands out for me, being a tennis player in a Roger Federer-esque sport where you fit into a mould, is that I've gone against the grain my whole career. I've definitely shaken things up and done it my way'. We revisit his tournament debut in 2014 and I ask Kyrgios to describe his initial impressions of Wimbledon. 'That I was at the top of the tennis world. If you play Wimbledon multiple times you're playing in front of the Royal Box on a court where every blade of grass is the same length. If you make it on to that stage the journey has been worth it.' Kyrgios was given a wildcard that year and he played sublime tennis to beat Rafael Nadal in the fourth round. Nadal made only 18 unforced errors over four sets, but he couldn't contain the fire and brilliance of the Canberra teenager. Kyrgios hit 37 aces and 70 winners, including a between-the-legs flick that almost brought Centre Court down with delirium. John McEnroe said: 'We have a new star on our hands.' 'It was life-changing,' Kyrgios says, 'but I wasn't ready at that age [19] to take on the responsibility.' Five years later he played Nadal in the second round. It was another engrossing match studded with acrimony. He lost in four sets but attention focused afterwards on the fact he had tried to hit Nadal with a ball. 'The dude has got how many slams, how much money in the bank?' Kyrgios said afterwards. 'I think he can take a ball to the chest, bro. I'm not going to apologise to him.' Yet, as Kyrgios revealed years later in the Netflix documentary Break Point, he was in turmoil. He was drinking and self-harming to the point where he had to wear a compression sleeve on his arm to hide the scars. He spoke of how, in the aftermath of losing to Nadal, he was admitted to a psychiatric ward in London. But Kyrgios says something subtly different now when I ask if he can take us back to his time under psychiatric care: 'I had to go and play Nadal the next day. I didn't really have a choice.' I am so surprised that I ask Kyrgios if he really had been on the psychiatric ward the night before he faced Nadal? 'Yes, yes. In 2019 people assumed that I had an incredible year. I was top 20 in the world, but I was at my lowest. When I finally opened up that's when people started realising that, yes, I haven't always been perfect or always done things right, but I'm willing to speak about it. I've had hundreds of thousands of kids messaging me on Instagram and I try and go through all of them and help as much as I can.' How did he play against Nadal in such a fragile state? 'We have to sometimes block out what we're going through and go to work. I can't just run away.' Kyrgios adds: 'Playing Nadal at Wimbledon and losing in a tight four-set battle? I was extremely proud. I'm just proud I made it through [his depression].' He was so low that, 'all through that year', Kyrgios contemplated taking his life. 'I was in a dark place and it didn't get better after that moment. I was definitely struggling throughout the year with those thoughts and the self-harm. But I've been able to navigate that and help others.' For Kyrgios, 'anyone who doesn't say I'm a role model doesn't know what I go through on a day-to-day basis. They don't have kids messaging them for advice and saying: 'I've had suicidal thoughts and you're the only reason why I'm trying to find my way.' I do everything I can for the youth so I think [his critics] are straight-up haters. 'But I take pride in giving back and when I see kids that aren't super-high on confidence and are afraid of people speaking negative words at them, that's when I can help the most, because I've gone through it.' Andy Murray saw the signs of self-harm and, as Kyrgios confirms appreciatively, 'he was one of the first to notice and tell me, if I needed any help, I could always talk to him.' Three years on, in 2022, Kyrgios lost that bruising four-setter to Djokovic in the final. 'The fact I've made the final of a grand slam is pretty damn cool,' he says. 'It's something I'll be able to share with my kids and grandkids and show them that anything is possible. The courts around my house [in Canberra] are generally concrete with cracks in them so the fact I made a grand slam final is pretty crazy.' Earlier in that tournament Kyrgios received a summons to appear in a Canberra court on a charge of common assault after he had allegedly pushed his former girlfriend Chiara Passari during an argument in January 2021. 'All the charges got dropped,' Kyrgios says. 'I knew exactly what was happening, so I just had to continue playing tennis.' In 2023 Kyrgios pleaded guilty but he was not convicted as the magistrate decided he had 'acted poorly in the heat of the moment' and that the case was at the lower end of the scale of common assault. In a written statement Kyrgios expressed his contrition. 'I was not in a good place and I reacted to a difficult situation in a way I deeply regret. I know it wasn't OK and I'm sincerely sorry for the hurt I caused.' Kyrgios was also sued after the 2022 final because he had asked the umpire to eject a spectator, Anna Palus, who shouted just before he served. He said that Palus 'looks like she's had about 700 drinks, bro' but, after legal action was instigated against him, Kyrgios accepted she had not been drinking excessively: 'I was mistaken, and I apologise. To make amends, I have donated £20,000 to Great Ormond Street Hospital.' Despite all the controversy he still believes he came close to beating Djokovic. 'Definitely. It was only a couple of points here and there where, if I'd acted a bit differently, I would have had a Wimbledon title. But there's no shame in losing to the greatest of all time. Do I think about it often? Yes. Do I think about what I could have changed? Yes. Could I have prepared better? No. I prepared amazingly.' Two months later Kyrgios should have played Casper Ruud in the US Open semi-final but he lost a five-set match in the quarters to Karen Khachanov. 'I should have won and I genuinely thought that was one of my biggest chances to win a slam. But it's not life or death. I can't say that losing a tennis match is catastrophic.' Kyrgios has suffered numerous wrist, knee and foot injuries and, after struggling at the Australian Open and Indian Wells this year, he was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon. Can he come back and play in more grand slams? 'Yes, I think I'll definitely play them one or two more times. But there's a lot of wear on these tyres. It's a tough sport.' Rehab and training are a 'constant grind' for the 30-year-old but he expects to play in the US Open. 'Yes, for sure. I'm definitely playing the US swing and I'll take it one day at a time.' Meanwhile, as they showed during their exhilarating French Open final, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are playing, in Kyrgios's words, 'incredible tennis. It's pretty obvious those two are going to be juggernauts of the sport for the next 10 or 15 years. They pushed each other to a level that not many have played before. I think Alcaraz has that flair and X-factor of Federer, Nadal and Novak. Sinner is incredibly powerful but Alcaraz will be up there with those greats.' Who will win Wimbledon next month? 'I've got to say Alcaraz.' Kyrgios and Djokovic are friends now, so was he wrong to once say the Serb had 'a sick obsession with wanting to be liked'? 'No. He's way more comfortable in his own skin now. I think he did want the crowd to love him but he enjoys being the villain. He finds energy when people heckle him. He's the greatest tennis player of all time so he wouldn't care as much what people think now. We have respect for each other and we are proof that different personalities can make it to the top and you don't have to have everyone liking you.' Kyrgios has been a revelation in the commentary box. 'I know I'm a great commentator,' he says. 'All I've done for 20 years is play, study and breathe this sport. I also think tennis needs commentators who say things that not everyone says.' Yet the BBC has not signed him up for this year's Wimbledon. 'It's unfortunate but it's probably their loss more than mine,' he says. 'I understand they've got Chris Eubanks [the American currently ranked world No 108] but he hasn't beaten the greatest of all time multiple times. When someone's beaten Federer, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic and has incredible insights, it's very strange you wouldn't want that person adding knowledge to tennis fans.' Kyrgios sounds more conciliatory towards the BBC when he says: 'I'm sure our paths will cross again. I only ever want to add humour, some knowledge and some great atmosphere.' As he prepares to return to Wimbledon, and the scene of so many tangled memories, Kyrgios says: 'Life's too short for regrets. I think if you take one little block out, it all falls down. Every mistake I've made has given me the chance to learn and be the person I am today.' Nick Kyrgios will be at the New Wimbledon Theatre on 24 June as part of his Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios global tour. Info at In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@ or jo@ In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at