Scotland showed 'true identity' against Samoa
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BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
Taylor's fighting talk inspires tourists
Jack Conan has revealed that a video message from Irish boxing legend Katie Taylor helped inspire the Lions' memorable comeback in their series-clinching victory over gold medallist and undisputed world super lightweight champion Taylor urged the touring party to dig deep in a good luck message before the second Test in Melbourne. The Lions took heed of Taylor's encouragement after overturning an 18-point deficit to win 29-26."The video was unbelievably poignant and powerful. It spoke about being prepared to win with skill, but also being ready to win by will," said Ireland number eight Conan."That was something that was massively summed up in the game because we were not at our best at all."It's huge because she comes from the town I'm from. I'm incredibly proud of where I come from and I know Katie is as well."She's gone on to achieve incredible feats in the boxing world. To be such a superstar, incredibly humble and driven is something that we leant on as well because we knew that Australia are a hugely proud nation and they showed it in spades."Everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy - it resonated with everyone. It was unbelievably poignant, it was class. It really hit home for us."
The Sun
19 minutes ago
- The Sun
Inside Lionesses' boozy Euro 2025 celebrations as stars sing karaoke until 4am after pizza and beers with loved ones
ENGLAND'S proud Lionesses partied hard after they made history with their sensationally dramatic Euro 2025 victory. England retained their title as European champions after Chloe Kelly cooly dispatched the decisive spot-kick in a penalty shootout following a tense 1-1 draw with Spain. 22 22 22 22 22 The nation watched on from behind the sofa, but Kelly showed supreme confidence to smash home from 12 yards and earn England a second Euros title. And the Lionesses made sure to celebrate their victory in style after doing the nation proud and making history as the first England side to ever win a major tournament on foreign soil. The team wasted no time getting the party started, with beers and pizza coming out on to the pitch in the aftermath of the trophy lift. While family and friends watched on in tears as the girls proudly lifted the European Championship trophy for a second time. Penalty hero Kelly even joked to the cameras: "The first time was so nice we had to do it twice". Choruses of Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline' and 'Dancing on My Own' by Robyn were belted out by the players on the pitch, with the crowd in Basel signing every word right back at their heroes. The players later returned to the playing surface with their winners medals draped around their necks to celebrate even more with their families and loved ones. Some of the Lionesses even jumped into the stands to share emotional hugs and words with their family. 22 22 22 22 22 22 CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Lauren James posted a photo with her family in the crowd, including Chelsea star brother Reece James, who had made the journey out to Switzerland to watch his sister play. Lucy Bronze shared snaps alongside her nephew, Freddie, and niece, Alzira, soaking it all in while laying in the golden confetti on the pitch. Chloe Kelly completes Lionesses' greatest comeback yet to retain Euros title And Beth Mead posed for a picture with girlfriend and Manchester City star Vivianne Miedema. Miedema, who represented Holland at the tournament before their group stage exit as part of England's group, even wore an England shirt to support her girlfriend from the stands. Mead and Ella Toone also took a moment to remember those who couldn't be there, with both stars losing parents in recent years. Toone shared a selfie of the pair with the caption: "We did it for our angels in the sky. Forever with us & forever proud". The Man Utd star, whose dad died last year, also shared a photo of an empty seat next to her mum at the game with the words: "Spare seat next to my mum tonight. "If that's not a sign I don't know what is. I know you were there Dad. Love you cock!" Following the on-pitch celebrations, the Lionesses had even more beer and singing in the dressing room. While they continued the party as they returned to their team hotel. Friends, family, staff and loved ones all awaited the Lionesses as they flooded through the doors wearing their "CHAMPIONS 25" shirts. 22 22 22 22 22 Drinks were flowing as everyone made sure that the victory was a night to remember. Even boss Sarina Wiegman was enjoying some drinks, but made sure to keep things professional. Speaking after the game, she joked: "I'll do some more dancing. "I'll have a drink but I don't think I'll drink as much as the players will do." Players got hold of the mic to belt out some late night karaoke as celebrations went on UNTIL 4AM. While captain Leah Williamson and boss Wiegman even cut a custom-made football cake that had been brought in for the team to celebrate. Chloe Kelly hoped that the celebrations were going to echo around England, telling the BBC at full-time: "The celebrations are going to be crazy. "I hope the whole of England comes out to support us and shows the love to all these girls, because they deserve it." Kelly will get her wish tomorrow, when the players and staff will embark on an open-top bus parade and a huge homecoming party in central London. Starting at 12.10pm, the bus will drive past fans along The Mall before ending with a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace at around 12.30pm. 22 22 22 22
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
How the new Tadej Pogacar used Tour de France to reach terrifying new heights for rivals
The defining image of this Tour de France may not be a rainbow-clad Tadej Pogacar celebrating his 100th career victory; nor Pogacar letting fly with 12km to go on Hautacam and storming up the mountain in yellow; nor Pogacar grinning as he essentially broke his rivals in the Pyrenean time trial. Instead, the defining moment of this year's Tour may be the waiting game he played on the road up Mont Ventoux. Climbing the legendary lunar landscape, pedalling smoothly, but hanging back. Up ahead, it was local boy Valentin Paret-Peintre who took a career-defining victory, raising his arms aloft, Ben Healy shaking his head in defeat in the background. (For the French, that is probably the defining moment.) Further down the mountain, Pogacar continued to pedal. He did not reel in the day's plucky breakaway, chasing down every moment of glory for himself, as many teams – and many observers – may have feared. Instead, he watched. Waited. And in the closing moments, he broke free of Jonas Vingegaard, his only, very remote challenger for yellow, and floated across the line alone. This Tour de France has seen a newer, more complete version of Tadej Pogacar, the 2.0 model of the world's best bike rider. Refined, given a few tweaks and upgrades. It has made him a more terrifying prospect than ever. Pogacar now has four Tour de France titles, each won in a different style. The first, in 2020, was almost a surprise, having shadowed Primoz Roglic for the whole race before seizing the crown in the final time trial. His second title, the following year, was a show of strength: he led from day eight and won three stages, including two summit finishes. Then followed two years of humiliation at the hands of Vingegaard. In 2022 he won three stages to the Dane's two; it wasn't enough. In 2023 he was on the back foot from the start, nursing a wrist fracture from Liege-Bastogne-Liege, but attacked the race with the same exuberance as if he had been box-fresh. It proved his downfall, as Vingegaard utilised his team strength and canny, calculating racer's mind to overwhelm Pogacar, letting him exhaust himself with attacks before quietly, mercilessly, turning the screw. 2024 was back to normal for Pogacar: his third overall win was a display of total domination, hoovering up six stage wins in the process. But the lessons from his two years of abject defeat no doubt stayed in his mind. They have contributed to his newer, sharper, all-conquering form. Now he is not just the world's best bike rider: he is the world's best racer. His dominance this year is unprecedented in the modern era. Only 12 riders have finished within one hour of the yellow jersey. That hasn't happened since 1969, when Eddy Merckx won his first Tour. Evidently, Pogacar still loves to win: UAE Team Emirates-XRG orchestrated Tim Wellens taking custody of the king of the mountains jersey ahead of stage four, just so the Slovenian could take his 100th career win in the world champion's rainbow stripes, rather than polka dots. He picked up two wins on the Classics-style punchy terrain of the first week, both times against his biggest rivals: Mathieu van der Poel and Vingegaard. It was clearly important to him that he not just stamp his authority on the race on Hautacam, but to take victory on one of the Tour's most infamous summits too. But whereas previous incarnations of Pogacar would simply have kept winning, from then on, the 26-year-old held something back. On Mont Ventoux he was content to match Vingegaard's attacks, withstanding the temptation to put his rival in his place, and only accelerated at the very summit. It seems unlikely this was driven by any sympathy for his fellow riders; he said during this Tour that he isn't here to make friends. He did the same on Col de la Loze, making his point with a vicious kick inside the final few hundred metres, rather than attacking from the foot of the climb. Perhaps part of that is because he views the Courchevel side of the climb as beneath him: 'This side of the Col de la Loze is much easier, but the other side I want to return [to] for a victory.' But he also said, 'I wanted the win, but [defending] the yellow jersey is a priority.' He backed that up on stage 20: UAE rode as if they wanted to win it, but he did not chase down Thymen Arensman in the final kilometres, allowing himself to be towed along by Florian Lipowitz as the German rode for his own GC ambitions. He has spared energy, riding conservatively and defensively, racing within his means. In short, he has raced in the same manner Vingegaard did when he schooled his rival in the 2022 and 2023 Tours. One of the most fascinating developments of this year's Tour has been seeing just how much the world's two best riders have taken from each other, as they both aim to plug the holes in their armour. It was noticeable in the first week how much better Vingegaard has become on punchy climbs, the sort of terrain where he has never previously been able to match Pogacar's unparalleled explosive kick. And over the last couple of seasons, Pogacar has made himself sharper at high altitude, on the hour-long, brutal Alpine climbs where Vingegaard has always felt most comfortable. Vingegaard demolished Pogacar in 2023's climbing time trial, from Passy to Combloux; Pogacar turned the tables this year. Every adaptation has served both riders well – but it has also highlighted how unbridgeable the gulf was for Vingegaard this year. The pair are, in theory, closer than ever, with neither carrying injuries and both in their physical prime. Vingegaard certainly looked closer to Pogacar in the Alps than the Pyrenees, but he hasn't gained any time on the Slovenian, barring bonus seconds, in the last two Tours. His only time gain on this Tour was two seconds on the line on stage 19. So Pogacar celebrates a fourth victory, and can finally go back to doing 'nice stuff with his life'. Where next for the modern-day Cannibal? He has won nearly everything there is to win; he has got Vingegaard's number. But he has also cut a jaded figure: it does not feel merely coincidental that Pogacar has seemed fed up throughout much of this Tour, especially since he began to ride in defence of yellow. 'This is the point where I ask myself: 'Why am I still here?' It's so long these three weeks,' he said after the queen stage. The idea of the Tour without the world's best rider seems inconceivable; UAE are hardly likely to let their star skip it. But what does the future look like for Pogacar? Will he go back to his marauding, stage-hunting pomp, hunting down Mark Cavendish's record 35? Will he target ever more outlandish milestones – maybe the unprecedented Giro-Tour-Vuelta treble? He has drawn level with Chris Froome on four Tour de France victories: could he go one clear of the current record of five, shared by Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Jacques Anquetil? For the peloton, Pogacar 2.0 may be a more merciful figure, refraining from winning everything in sight in search of greater goals. But he is ever more powerful – and the only question remaining is, how far will he go?
