Latest news with #LeSage
Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
LeSage, Rumball part of a sizable Canadian contingent in Major League Rugby playoffs
Ben LeSage normally looks forward to running into fellow Canadian Lucas Rumball. But not Saturday when LeSage's New England Free Jacks host Rumball's Chicago Hounds in Major League Rugby's Eastern Conference final. Both teams finished the regular season with an 11-5-0 record, with New England topping the conference thanks to two more bonus points. Rumball, a backrower who captains Canada, is a force at the breakdown, hard to dislodge as he looks to steal the ball off a tackled opponent. 'A great buddy off the field but he's very frustrating to play against,' said LeSage, a veteran Canadian international back. 'As soon as he gets close to a breakdown, it's right near impossible to get him off of it. So that's something we've talked about this week, for sure.' LeSage and the Free Jacks are looking to three-peat after defeating the Seattle Seawolves 20-11 in last year's championship game and edging the San Diego Legion 25-24 in 2023. Chicago lost 23-17 to New England in last year's Eastern final. Also Saturday, it's the Houston SaberCats (10-6-0) at the Utah Warriors (11-5-0) in the Western Conference final. 'It's a pretty short season so it flies by and this is what you work all year for,' said LeSage. 'To have a chance to win important rugby games at the end of the year.' Saturday's East showdown features two teams with plenty of other Canadian ties. In addition to LeSage, the Free Jacks squad features Canadians Cole Keith, Kyle Steeves, Foster DeWitt, Andrew Quattrin, Lindsey Stevens, Kyle Baillie, Conor Keys, Josh Larsen, Piers Von Dadelszen, Ethan Fryer, Cam Nordli-Kelemeti, Jack Reeves, Isaac Olson, Josiah Morra and Brock Webster. 'A lot of people I know, a lot of people I've played with and against before,' said Rumball, who was teammates with more than a few including LeSage at the now-defunct Toronto Arrows. 'So a lot of familiar faces. 'I look forward to it,' he added. 'I think it's great Canadians have kind of found a home there and are really able to express themselves and put their stamp on Boston and show their trade there. Chicago has done well (too), has developed more Canadians this year than last.' Other Canadians on the Chicago roster are brothers Mason and Noah Flesch, Matt Owuru and Jason Higgins. The Hounds went 7-1-0 in the first half of the season, finishing at 4-4-0. But, including the playoff semifinal they have won four straight. Rumball points to injuries and some squad rotation for the fallow spell. 'I think we hit our stride again at the right time, towards the end of the year and we're rolling and, I think, pretty confident with the way we've been playing lately,' he said. In contrast, the Free Jacks have been winning since recovering from a bumpy start After opening the season at 2-3-0, including the loss to Chicago the second week of the season, New England has gone 10-2-0. But the Free Jacks lost star fly half Jayson Potroz to a season-ending knee injury in a June 1 win over Seattle. New Zealand's Dan Hollinshead, who has played in France and Japan as well as previous MLR stints with New York (2021) and L.A. (2024), has taken over at fly half. Chicago split its regular-season meetings with the Free Jacks, winning 36-17 at home on March 2 and losing 27-17 at New England on May 10. 'We're both quality teams,' said Rumball. 'I think we met each other at different times in our season. New England, obviously, struggled a little bit at the start of the year where we seemed to find some form early on. And then towards that middle bit of the season, they were finally starting to click and we ran into a little bit of stutter at times. 'So I think it's probably a wash when it comes to the regular season … So I would say it's pretty much going to come down to the day on the weekend. I wouldn't put too much stock into the regular-season matchups.' Houston advanced by beating RFCLA 27-21 while Utah edged Seattle 23-21. In the East semifinals, it was New England 32 Miami Sharks 10 and Chicago 27 Old Glory DC 16. The championship game is set for June 28 in Pawtucket, R.I., at Centreville Bank Stadium, the 10,500-seat home of the United Soccer League's (USL) Rhode Island FC. LeSage and Rumball are among 12 players from New England and Chicago on new Canada coach Steve Meehan's extended 59-man roster ahead of July tests against Belgium and Spain in Edmonton. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025
Telegraph
19-03-2025
- Telegraph
Casualty and Holby City actress crashed car into nurse while high on cocaine at 10am
A former Casualty and Holby City actress crashed her car into a nurse while high on cocaine shortly after 10am, a court heard. Amanda Mealing, who played Connie Beauchamp, a surgery worker in the TV dramas, drifted across the A1175 near Stamford in Lincolnshire in January last year. Her Mini Cooper crashed into the vehicle of Mark Le Sage, a nurse and district councillor who was at the wheel on his way to work, Boston magistrates court was told on Friday. Mr Le Sage was seriously injured in the crash while Ms Mealing had a cut to the head and a broken wrist and collarbone. Mealing, appearing in court under her married name of Amanda Sainsbury, admitted driving without due care and attention while under the influence of cocaine. She was banned from driving for 22 months and ordered to pay a fine of £485. The court heard the actress was almost five times over the legal limit for benzoylecgonine, a chemical the body creates when it processes cocaine. She had 240 micrograms of it in her blood. The legal limit is 50mcg. She also had 18 micrograms of cocaine in her blood, almost twice the legal limit of 10 micrograms. Prosecutor Marie Stace said that the victim recalled 'an explosion and his car began to spin', according to the Spalding and South Holland Voice newspaper, which first reported the case. She added: 'He started to panic, the car was full of smoke and he couldn't get out because his foot was stuck under the pedal. 'He did get out and was assessed by a paramedic who said he needed to go to hospital. 'There was a witness following the Mini, who said he assumed there was something in the road because it went on to the other side of the carriageway. 'Ms Stace said that in a police interview Mealing admitted taking cocaine the night before.' In a victim impact statement which he read out in court, Mr Le Sage said that since the accident he could not continue his job as a theatre nurse because his fine motor skills have been severely affected. He also said that he cannot enjoy his hobbies as a keyboard player in a local band and can no longer play water polo. He said he still has problems with his sight and hearing, suffering from constant pain in his legs, neck, shoulder, back and hip. He also has flashbacks and nightmares about the crash. Mealing left Casualty in March 2021 after seven years. She is not currently working and is receiving a 'token salary' of £935 a month from her employer, the court heard. Her solicitor, Edward Lloyd, told the court that she does not accept Mr Le Sage's account of his injuries, that he was not taken to hospital by ambulance and there is no evidence of that level of injury. 'Deeply ashamed' He said: 'In terms of the offence, my client pleaded guilty to drug-driving at the very first opportunity. 'It's something she's deeply ashamed of. She's not somebody who takes drugs at all. Her brother died of a drugs overdose when he was 18 and she says herself that she should have known better.' He said that Mealing had recently lost her father, best friend and dog, and that she was also going through divorce proceedings. She had been driving back from visiting a friend's house, where she had been staying, and was yards away from her front door when the accident happened. Though Mealing had no explanation as to why her car drifted, paramedics at the scene believed she was having a hypoglycaemic attack as her blood glucose levels were very low. Mealing has now surrendered her driving licence, as it is still not known what caused her glucose levels to drop. Her lawyer said: 'She simply doesn't know what happened, she suspects that she was unconscious.' He added: 'She's reluctantly accepted my advice that in the circumstances, she's in a car, it's drifted over to the other side of the road, so she has to plead guilty. 'She was horrified about what happened, she still is.' Experts concluded that there was no medical evidence she was unconscious at the time of the accident. The court said that there was no need for a compensation order as this was a matter for insurance companies to deal with. Speaking after the hearing on Friday, Mr Le Sage said: 'I'm glad it's over for my family and I'm so lucky and grateful for their support over what has been a very difficult time. 'I hope the Sainsbury family can now also get on with their lives.'
