Exeter sign South African prop Mona from Sharks

3 days ago

Exeter Chiefs have signed South African prop Khwezi Mona from United Rugby Championship side Sharks. The 32-year-old has played more than 50 times for the Durban-based side - but missed last season through injury. Exeter have not disclosed the length of Mona's move, which will see him play in England for the first time. Mona is able to play on both sides of the front row and adds depth after Exeter saw Marcus Street move to Saracens, while Ehren Painter is missing with a long-term knee injury."Khwezi is an experienced player who has played a lot of high-quality rugby," Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter told the club website, external."The opportunity to sign him probably only came about because he's just recovered from an injury. "We're rounding off the very end stages of his recovery for that so that he is confidently fit to play and able to go flat out when we need him."He's already fully integrated with our squad at Sandy Park and is on-message with everything that we are trying to do. Now, it's just about us getting him on peak performance levels before we unleash him fully with the squad."Mona added: "This is the kind of team and environment I want to be a part of. I'm excited to learn from the coaches, contribute on and off the field, and test myself in such a competitive league."I've heard about the incredible Sandy Park atmosphere and can't wait to give the passionate fans something to cheer about. My focus now is to work hard, settle in quickly, and give my all for the badge."

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Ex-Manchester United star joins newly promoted LaLiga side Real Oviedo as they aim to survive in top flight

Daily Mail

13 minutes ago

Daily Mail

Ex-Manchester United star joins newly promoted LaLiga side Real Oviedo as they aim to survive in top flight

Real Oviedo have announced the signing of a former Manchester United star. The LaLiga outfit confirmed on Monday afternoon that they have completed the signing of the free agent, who was released by Villarreal earlier this summer. Eric Bailly spent seven years at Old Trafford between 2016 and 2023, making 113 appearances for the Red Devils. The 31-year-old now joins newly-promoted Oviedo after spells with the yellow Submarine and Besiktas. The club, captained by former Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla, pulled off a romantic return to the Spanish top flight after a 24-year absence, winning the LaLiga 2 play-off final. A statement on their website read: 'Real Oviedo and Eric Bailly have reached an agreement for the Ivorian footballer to join the club from the capital of the Principality until June 30, 2027. 'Eric Bailly was born on April 12, 1994, in Bingerville, Ivory Coast. His journey in Spanish football began at just 17 years old when he joined RCD Espanyol, where he made his La Liga debut in 2014. His impressive performance with the Catalan club led Villarreal CF to take notice of him in January 2015. 'With the Yellow Submarine, Bailly played a total of 47 matches and became an important player, characterized by his power and prowess in aerial duels. 'With many clubs interested in securing his services, Manchester United took the lead in the summer of 2016 and paid a significant amount of money to Villarreal CF, making his sale the most expensive in the history of the Castellón team. 'The defender subsequently played for Olympique de Marseille and Beşiktaş before returning to Villarreal CF on December 30, 2023. At the time, the U19 was going through a difficult time in LALIGA and Eric Bailly was key to the team's improvement during the second half of the season. 'Now, the Ivorian footballer has joined Real Oviedo to strengthen Paunovic's team and become a new signing for the Blues.' Oviedo's campaign began with defeat on Friday night as they were beaten by Bailly's former club 2-0 in their LaLiga opener.

Pats say WR Stefon Diggs (ACL) is 'ahead of schedule'

Reuters

14 minutes ago

Reuters

Pats say WR Stefon Diggs (ACL) is 'ahead of schedule'

August 18 - New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs is "ahead of schedule" in his return from a torn ACL, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said Monday. Diggs began training camp last month with no restrictions after receiving medical clearance, but he has yet to appear in a preseason game. "Stefon has done everything we've asked," Wolf said. "He's been attentive in meetings. He's been good on the field. He had two really good practices in Minnesota. He's ahead of schedule, injury-wise." Diggs has been cleared for contact, but Wolf did not say whether the four-time Pro Bowl selection will be active for Thursday's preseason finale against the host New York Giants. Diggs told reporters last week "we'll see" when asked about his availability for the Sept. 7 season opener against the visiting Las Vegas Raiders. Diggs signed a three-year, $63.5 million contract with the Patriots in March. Playing for the Houston Texans last season, he caught 47 passes in eight games before sustaining the season-ending knee injury on Oct. 27 against the Indianapolis Colts. Diggs, 31, has 857 career catches for 10,491 yards and 70 touchdowns in 144 regular-season games (136 starts) with the Minnesota Vikings (2015-19), Buffalo Bills (2020-23) and Texans. He also owns 69 receptions for 909 yards and four touchdowns in 14 postseason games. --Field Level Media

After Eze row what are football's other little known rules?

BBC News

15 minutes ago

BBC News

After Eze row what are football's other little known rules?

A little known rule proved to be Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze's undoing on the opening weekend of the Premier League freekick was ruled out because a Palace player was standing too close to the Chelsea rule, which was introduced to the laws of the game in 2019-20, surprised many - but was ultimately the correct what other obscure laws are there in football? Why are masks banned? Iliman Ndiaye might hold the accolade for the strangest booking in Premier League history after imitating a seagull, but did you know this rule?A player can be cautioned for excessively celebrating a goal which includes covering their head or their face with a mask under International Football Association Board's (Ifab) Law Aubameyang is among those to have fallen foul of this niche section of the lawbook when he was cautioned for putting on a Black Panther mask after scoring against Rennes in the Europa League in who take off their shirt, jumps onto a fence or boarding, enters the crowd, mocks their opponents, or covers their face will also be cautioned. Can you dry a ball with a towel? Clubs in the English Football League (EFL) voted to ban players from using towels to dry the ball before taking a instead decided to bring in the multi-ball system that we see in the Premier Luke Leahy did not get the memo in 2024 when he was cautioned for drying a ball on a steward's rule also prevents players from using items of clothing offered up by fans, like when a Rotherham United fan gave defender Wes Harding his jumper to wipe the ball before a throw-in in 2023. Can you score an own goal from a set piece? It's common knowledge that footballers cannot score directly from an indirect what would happen in the unusual event that a player kicked the ball into their own net from a free-kick? Fortunately for the offending team, it would not count as a 13 states that if a direct or indirect free-kick is kicked directly into the team's own goal, a corner kick is also cannot score directly from a thrown-in, not that Aston Villa's Peter Enckelman knew in goalkeeper accidentally miscontrolled a throw-in from team-mate Olof Mellberg to inadvertently score an own article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team. What is Ask Me Anything? Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at some of the world's biggest sporting coverage will span the BBC Sport website, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio. More questions answered... Why was Eze's free-kick disallowed against Chelsea?How can I watch Premier League highlights from 8pm on BBC Sport?Why does football have Saturday 3pm TV blackout in UK?What are the rules on double-touch penalties?