Brittain's contract situation is nothing new
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The Lionesses have support the England teams of my day never had - now they must embrace the weight of expectation against Sweden, writes RACHEL YANKEY
Rachel Yankey OBE, the Arsenal and England legend who earned 129 caps – placing her among the top ten most-capped Lionesses – and represented her country at five major tournaments discusses the pressure that comes with wearing the shirt and the lasting responsibility today's stars carry to inspire the next generation… Being an England player – although my team never won anything – we always knew that every time we went out there and played, how we performed would influence how people perceived women's football. When the team of 2022 won it – especially with it being a home tournament at Wembley – it couldn't have been a better place to really create a 'wow' moment. It gave the next generation of women the power to stand up and say, 'I can play football. I want to be like Ellen White, or Jill Scott, or now Alessia Russo and Beth Mead.' And kids these days are actually able to name players. I didn't know any female players when I was young. On Thursday against Sweden in the quarter-final, that pressure is going to be at its highest. Equally, I think there's always going to be pressure on those 23 players. We had pressure on us when there were no cameras and no one really cared that much. Sometimes it can bring out the best in you, so I don't think there's anything wrong with it. They certainly have the ability, and one thing that's really positive – something I definitely knew from the teams I played in – is that while they still want to be the best footballers they can be and the best team they can be, there's still a big responsibility to give back and show the game in a positive light to inspire the next generation. Whilst players are still thinking like that, I think you'll always get the best out of them. That's why I am launching the Rachel Yankey Foundation, to create more opportunities and drive greater representation within women's football. In my squads, there were extremely talented players – I don't want to do any of them a disservice by saying they weren't some of the highest-quality footballers I've ever seen – they just didn't have the support, education, backing and knowledge. From things like sports science and education, to physios and doctors – they didn't have the support staff around them; they weren't professional. The ask of that generation was huge, because they were still playing and still working. The ask of this generation is different, and that's why there will be an expectation – because they are playing professionally, and with that comes pressure and a standard that you have to meet. I suppose the good thing is that, with that support staff, there will be people looking at the mental side of things and supporting the players off the pitch to make sure they're thriving and doing well, because going to a tournament can be difficult. But to be honest, what you see from the outside compared to what the players feel and see is hard to explain. You're in your own little bubble, and they probably don't know a lot about what's going on outside. I remember us going out to the China World Cup in 2007, and we didn't know a lot about what was happening anywhere else other than in our little hotel. I think there's more talk about the pressure from outside than they actually hear themselves. I'd love to see some of the younger players get more minutes. I remember when I was young and playing – we were a little bit more fearless. Maybe we didn't get as nervous; maybe we just wanted to try different things. I think we should encourage players to try something and make a mistake. When I'm coaching, I always encourage players to try something. If you make a mistake, you make a mistake – but if you don't try it, you'll never know if it works. I enjoy watching Aggie Beever-Jones – she's scored some fantastic goals. And Michelle Agyemang – it only took her under a minute to score on her debut against Belgium in April. It's definitely a tournament where I'll be saying to the girls I coach, 'Turn on the TV and watch these players. This girl's only 19 – this is what can happen.'
The Herald Scotland
22 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
That's how he's built – Joe Root hails unstoppable Ben Stokes after Lord's feats
Most remarkable of all was the workload he pushed his body through, sending down 44 overs in all, including muscle-busting spells of 9.2 and 10 overs on the decisive final day. 77 runs with the bat 🏏44-8-111-5 with the ball 🔴Player of the Match 🏅 Shift. — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 14, 2025 Now 34, that is the most he has bowled in over six years and comes after two severe hamstring blowouts in the past 12 months. Root watched on in awe, remembering his own attempts to stop Stokes pushing himself past the limit during his own captaincy. 'You can try, but it doesn't make any difference. I tried for five years,' he said as both sides embraced some down time before next week's fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford. 'I mentioned it, but he doesn't always listen to me. He didn't listen to me when I was captain! 'That's his call now. It was an incredible effort to be able to do that, but that's just how he's built, I guess. He's just desperate to be the man and make things happen. 'It's a great sign for us moving forward, it really is, because that's back to his best. He's got that mentality and that desire to win games and we're lucky to have him as our leader.' At one stage in the first innings, head coach Brendon McCullum sent a message via bowling consultant Tim Southee instructing his skipper to take a breather. Root admits he was also concerned that Stokes might hit breaking point but now accepts that there is only one man who truly knows how far he can go. 'I was just panicking that he wasn't going to make it through the game after a couple of bad injuries, but he clearly trusts his body now,' said Root. 'He knows what he's doing and he's got a good handle on where he's at physically.' Root, meanwhile, has returned to the top of the Test batting rankings a week after losing the crown to team-mate Harry Brook. Root made 104 and 40 at Lord's, while Brook scored a total 34 and drops to third below New Zealand's Kane Williamson. Despite delivering another classic Test finish, in front of a fifth consecutive sell-out crowd, England woke on Wednesday to find they had once again been penalised for slow over-rates. 1st Test, Headingley: Eng won by 5 wkts 2nd Test, Edgbaston: Ind won by 336 runs 3rd Test, Lord's: Eng won by 22 runs 4th Test, Old Trafford: Jul 23-27 5th Test, Oval: Jul 31-Aug 4 They have been docked two of the 12 points they earned for the win, as well as losing 10 per cent of their match fees. England lost 22 points in total during the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle, the most of any nation, and have now become the first to be docked in the new edition. The England and Wales Cricket Board has unsuccessfully lobbied the International Cricket Council for changes to its assessments, while Stokes has previously stated that he refuses to sign the over-rate sheets in protest. The ECB feels the high percentage of overs bowled by seamers, as opposed to spinners, adversely affects England and is understood to be frustrated by the latest penalty. Shoaib Bashir's broken finger meant he was off the field for long periods, denying them an option to hurry through some overs quicker.
South Wales Argus
37 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Scotland desperate to finish Summer Series on high
Following an opening day 31-17 loss to England, Scotland suffered their second defeat of the competition at the hands of hosts Wales losing 52-29 last Friday. Having been 28-3 down after 36 minutes, Scotland rallied with four tries of their own, outscoring their opponents 26-24 over the next 44 minutes. 'We want to finish really strong,' the 20-year-old said. 'We've had some really good moments throughout this campaign, in the English and Welsh games. 'The vibe in camp is pretty positive. We've been doing mini challenges within the squad that keep the competition and excitement up. 'Another positive is everyone has gotten closer and closer as the camp has gone on, and we're really looking forward to kicking on into that Irish game and hopefully ending in a positive manner.' At the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, Ceitidh Ainsworth scored just before half-time and then Freya MacColl grabbed a double after the break, either side of Poppy Mellanby's try to see Scotland show real fight against Wales. Alongside that second-half performance, Scotland fought valiantly against England in Round 1 and enjoyed periods of success against the Auld Enemy. MacRae acknowledged the challenge now for her and her teammates was to put together a complete performance across a full 80 minutes. 'A rugby game is never going to be perfect,' the inside centre continued. 'We're expecting that there's going to be mistakes from both sides, that's just the nature of sport. "But we're looking to link up all those moments that we've had and be slightly more consistent with it. 'And if we can do that, I know for a fact that if we do what we've been doing in training, we can definitely bring it come Thursday.' Ireland also go into the final round of fixtures looking to bounce back from a defeat in Round 2 where they were downed 41-12 by France. But having won their opening match against Wales 27-10 and led France 12-10 during the first half last time out, MacRae is more than aware of the threat Ireland will pose. 'They've obviously got quite a lot of pace on their wings,' she added. 'They all have a physical pack but we're aware of how Irish teams play and we're excited to get stuck in.' Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at U6N | SIX NATIONS - YouTube and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
