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Wales Online
3 days ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Scarlets' season ended by Leinster despite valiant performance
The Scarlets were knocked out of the United Rugby Championship play-offs after a valiant 33-21 defeat to top seeds Leinster at the Aviva Stadium. First-half tries from Tom Rogers and Blair Murray saw Dwayne Peel's side trail by just a point at the break. However, the pressure told in the second-half as the league leaders pushed ahead - even if Johnny Williams' late score did briefly threaten a comeback. Having reached the play-offs after finishing eighth in the league, the Scarlets were given a tough trip to Dublin to start the play-offs. And, while they'll be disappointed with how it unfolded - particularly the second-half which saw their discipline falter as they lost two players to yellow cards - they'll be able to reflect on an 80 minutes where they rattled Leinster and a season where they made big strides forward. The Scarlets hadn't graced the play-offs since 2018, when they actually reached the Pro14 final as defending champions - only to lose to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium. A similar result was heavily tipped, with Leinster the 1/50 favourites with some bookmakers. And, when Ireland winger James Lowe crossed for the opening try after some relentless pressure four minutes in, it looked like being a long afternoon in Dublin for the Scarlets. Five minutes later, the Irish province had their second score. Ireland No. 8 Jack Conan was put through a gap, with the Lion putting Jamison Gibson-Park over. The Scarlets had to wait until the end of the first quarter for their first opportunity, but when it came, they took it well. From an attacking lineout, a couple of quick phases shortened up the Leinster defence, before quick hands from Joe Roberts and Sam Costelow put Rogers in a bit of space. With the home side scrambling, the Wales wing cut back against the grain to reach over for their opening points of the game. The boot of Sam Prendergast pushed Leinster further ahead, before the home side looked destined to end the half with a third try. However, after Prendergast failed to hold onto a fizzing pass with the Scarlets' line in sight, Ellis Mee hacked forward the loose ball before elusive full-back Murray followed up with delicate footballing skills to nudge his way to a superb length-of-the-field try. That score meant the Scarlets went into half-time just a point behind. However, Leinster once again started the half of rugby strongly - with Jamie Osborne latching onto Prendergast's chip to score six minutes after the restart, even if the grounding looked a little dubious. The Scarlets stayed in the fight - although a yellow card to prop Alec Hepburn proved crucial. Down to 14 men, they quickly conceded a fourth try as Ireland full-back Hugo Keenan crossed following a charge-down on scrum-half Archie Hughes. To their credit, even as they continued to get on the wrong side of referee Hollie Davidson, the Scarlets threw everything at the league's top seeds. Some lovely offloading put recently-recalled Wales centre Williams over, as the west Walians threatened a comeback heading into the final 10 minutes. However, a high tackle by Vaea Fifita on Keenan saw the back-row sent to the sin-bin, with the boot of Prendergast ensuring that the Scarlets' play-off hopes were ended at the first hurdle. Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Jimmy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (capt). Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Jack Boyle, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Luke McGrath, Ciaran Frawley. Scarlets: Blair Murray; Tom Rogers, Joe Roberts, Johnny Williams, Ellis Mee; Sam Costelow, Archie Hughes; Alec Hepburn, Ryan Elias, Henry Thomas, Alex Craig, Sam Lousi, Vaea Fifita, Josh Macleod (capt), Taine Plumtree. Replacements: Marnus van der Merwe, Kemsley Mathias, Sam Wainwright, Dan Davis, Jarrod Taylor, Efan Jones, Ioan Lloyd, Macs Page. Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU) Live updates below:
CNBC
16-05-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Charter-Cox deals looks great for everyone, says former NBC Cable president Tom Rogers
Tom Rogers, Claigrid executive chairman and former NBC Cable president, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss Charter's deal to buy Cox.
SBS Australia
03-05-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Police investigating 'disgusting' display of 'no black', 'no Muslim' votes banners
Victoria Police is investigating after several groups dressed in all black were seen on overpasses along Melbourne's Monash Freeway holding racist and Islamophobic banners. Police said they had been alerted to offensive slogans being displayed at several locations along the freeway just after 9.30am on Saturday — the day of . A witness provided SBS News photos of several of the banners which read: "No black votes should count; No Muslim votes should count; and Only Aussie votes should count. Only Australian citizens aged 18 and over can vote in state and federal elections. Former Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers in 2019 said voter fraud in Australia is negligible. He told a parliamentary committee in 2019 that it was "by and large a very small problem". The witness, who asked to remain anonymous, described the scenes as "disgusting". "Imagine having a little Asian child [or] a Muslim child in the back of a seat just driving with your family on a Saturday morning, and then you just see this racism," the witness, who is an Australian Muslim, told SBS News. "It's just disturbing." The witness said she saw about 30 people spread across three overpasses. A Victoria Police spokesperson told SBS News in a statement: "Police have been told people were seen congregating on several foot and vehicle overpass bridges in the vicinity of Huntingdale Road. "It is believed the people involved, who were described as wearing all black and face coverings, were holding banners which displayed offensive slogans." An alt-right media outlet that promotes white supremacist ideologies published a story on the demonstration, reporting that two dozen members of neo-Nazi group, the National Socialist Network (NSN), had been holding the signs. The article quoted NSN figure Joel Davis, but he did not make any statement as to whether he or the NSN were involved. An account appearing to belong to Davis shared the article on the encrypted messaging app Telegram. Victoria Police could not confirm whether the NSN was responsible, telling SBS News its investigation was ongoing. On Thursday, Victoria Police said it was investigating flyers authorised by the NSN that were delivered to Jewish households in Melbourne. In the past week, some other flyers titled "Flood Australia with Indians" were also seen, which were "authorised by Joel Davis, National Socialist Network". Visit the to access articles, podcasts and videos from SBS News, NITV and our teams covering more than 60 languages.
Wales Online
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
What each Welsh club now needs to reach the URC play-offs as race goes to the wire
What each Welsh club now needs to reach the URC play-offs as race goes to the wire The race to reach the URC play-offs will go right down to the wire Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel and wing Tom Rogers celebrate a rare victory over Leinster (Image: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans Agency ) Positivity has been few and far between in Welsh rugby this season but this weekend was certainly one to treasure for professional rugby in Wales. On Friday night Cardiff claimed a noteworthy 26-21 victory over Munster in front of over 11,000 fans at the Arms Park, while the Scarlets stunned table-toppers Leinster with a 35-22 win in Llanelli which condemned the Irish side to just their second defeat of the season. Given the financial gap between the Welsh clubs and the Irish provinces, these victorious should not be sniffed at, even if Leinster did rest a host of first-choice players ahead of next weekend's Investec Champions Cup semi-final against Northampton Saints. The Ospreys also remain in the hunt for a place in the United Rugby Championship play-offs after they demolished the Dragons 57-24 in Swansea. Filo Tiatia's Dragons have been out of contention for a while but three Welsh clubs are in with a shout going into the final two fixtures of the regular season. Article continues below We now know four of the eight teams in the play-offs - Leinster, Glasgow, Bulls and Sharks - while there are still 10 teams in with a chance of claiming one of the other four slots with two rounds to go. Those 10, from fifth to 14th in the table, are separated by 11 points. 25% OFF DEAL NOW: Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Here is what Cardiff, Scarlets and Ospreys need to get out of their South African tours and the results which need to go their way if they are to reach the URC play-offs and qualify for next season's Investec Champions Cup. Cardiff Friday night's heroics have catapulted Cardiff up to fifth in the table but there are only eight points separating Wales' capital city club and Ulster in 12th place. That's how tight everything is. Aside from a trip to take on Leinster in Dublin, Cardiff face arguably the toughest challenge in the URC next up as they take on the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld. The Bulls are flying high in third place after beating Glasgow on their own patch, so the Blue & Blacks will do well to get anything out of their trip to Pretoria. It doesn't get any easier the following week when they rock up in Cape Town for a clash with the Stormers who are currently in sixth place, just one point behind Cardiff. Technically Cardiff could reach the play-offs even if they fail to claim a win in South Africa with so many of their play-off rivals facing each other. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free If this were the case they would need Benetton who are eighth to at least lose one of their remaining two fixtures at home to Glasgow and away to Munster, while Edinburgh slipping up in Connacht or at home to Ulster would also be handy. Munster are also only five points behind Cardiff, while the Ospreys and Scarlets are also vying for a top-eight place. One victory in South Africa would almost certainly see Matt Sherratt's side through to the last eight but two losing bonus point could also be enough. URC position: 5th (46 points) Remaining fixtures: Pretoria Bulls (A) and Cape Town Stormers (A) Scarlets The Scarlets fired themselves back into contention with a stunning victory over Leinster, their first over the Irish giants since 2018. Dwayne Peel's side are in seventh position in the table with 43 points ahead of facing the Lions in Johannesburg and the Sharks in Durban. The next game against the Lions is their big chance to seal a play-off place but it won't be easy at altitude. Peel's side put in their most complete performance of the season against Leinster and do have the natural talent behind the scrum to score tries against anyone with the likes of Johnny Williams, Joe Roberts, Blair Murray and Tom Rogers, among others, dangerous players. But as always the challenge will be whether they have the physicality up-front to match the South Africans. They will need the likes of Taine Plumtree, Vaea Fifita, Sam Lousi, Marnus van der Merwe, Alec Hepburn, Henry Thomas and Alex Craig, among others, to carry hard to gain parity. If they miss out on the last eight Peel's side will look back on the the multitude of games they have lost by a score, whether that be the last-minute try they conceded against the Ospreys in December, Jack Carty's late penalty which condemned them to defeat against Connacht or even the narrow loss in Ulster. But the Lions game is their cup final, win that and the smart money is on the Scarlets reaching the play-offs. URC position: 7th (43 points) Remaining fixtures: Johannesburg Lions (A) and Durban Sharks (A) Ospreys It's safe to say the Ospreys have a lot of heavy lifting to do if they are to reach the last eight of the URC but a bonus-point victory over the Dragons yesterday keeps them in contention for now. The Ospreys have a tough task on their hands against a star-studded Sharks side in Durban next up before finishing at altitude against the Lions in Johannesburg. Mark Jones' side currently reside in 11th place, just three points outside the play-off places, and probably need two victories in South Africa to finish in the top eight. As tough as it will be, it is achievable, certainly against the Lions who they beat in Johannesburg last season, but in all probability they will probably also need to overcome the Sharks which might be a step too far. If you look at the table, Benetton are eighth on 41 points while Munster in ninth have the same tally. Munster host Ulster next up before finishing with a critical clash against Benetton, so the smart money is on the Irish province winning both times. Edinburgh are a point above the Ospreys with a tricky trip to Galway to come before they finish at home to Ulster which they'll expect to win. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here. Realistically the Ospreys need two wins to reach the play-offs. URC position: 11th (38 points) Remaining fixtures: Durban Sharks (A) and Johannesburg Lions (A) Article continues below The URC table as things stand (Image: URC )
The Guardian
22-03-2025
- The Guardian
Teenagers excluded from school ‘twice as likely' to commit serious violence
Teenagers who are permanently excluded from school are twice as likely to commit serious violence within a year of their expulsion than those who were merely suspended, a large-scale new analysis of police and education records has shown. London's Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), set up to tackle the number of teenagers dying as a result of knife crime in the capital, said the new research is the first direct evidence of 'a clear link between children being excluded from school and involvement in violence'. It will lend new weight to calls by youth charities, lawyers and other experts for schools to rein in the soaring numbers of exclusions. Government data released in November last year revealed that there were 4,200 permanent exclusions in the autumn term 2023-24, an increase of more than a third on the same term the year before. The study, published in the British Journal of Criminology by researchers at Hull University and Bristol University, followed more than 20,000 young people who were excluded from secondary school, using their education and police records. They were matched with a second set of 20,000 children chosen because they had the same educational experience, ethnicity and social background, and had been suspended the same number of times but, crucially, were never excluded. The researchers found that within a year the excluded children were more than twice as likely to commit serious violent crime than their peers who were on the same path towards being thrown out but were not excluded. In the excluded group there were 990 serious violence offences and 20 murders or 'near-misses' in the 12 months following the exclusion compared to 500 serious violence offences and fewer than 10 murders in the group which avoided exclusion. Lib Peck, the director of the VRU, said: 'For the first time, this new research provides evidence of what we have long known: there is a clear link between children being excluded from school and involvement in violence.' She added that what struck her most was that the results didn't show young people getting involved in violence some years down the line, 'but in fact almost immediately after having been excluded'. Supporters of firm discipline in education argue that with behaviour problems spiralling since the pandemic, exclusion is an essential tool. Tom Rogers, a history teacher and director of Teachers Talk Radio, said that exclusion was a necessary tool when 'extreme behaviour' threatened teachers as well as pupils. 'There is too much focus on supporting perpetrators rather than victims here,' he said. 'There are 30 children in each class who could be negatively impacted by the instigator of violence, bullying or abuse. These other children need protection.' Peck admitted that some exclusions will always be necessary to keep pupils and teachers safe but said more should be done to support these children to stay in school. Government data shows children on free school meals, black-Caribbean children and those with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) are among those significantly more likely to be permanently excluded. Iain Brennan, professor of criminology at Hull, who co-authored the research, said: 'If you are excluded and no longer in well-supervised education, who are you hanging out with during the day? The opportunities for being exploited increase, and how you see yourself is also likely to change.' He added that teachers he spoke to frequently told him that 'the writing was on the wall' long before a child was excluded, with external issues including domestic violence and poverty contributing to worsening behaviour at school. 'If a teacher is managing a class of 30 and has limited resources and time, it's often easier to rely on behaviour policy rather than trying to work out how to include and help that child.' However, he warned that failing to rein in exclusions risked 'letting down the most vulnerable and traumatised children' as well as potentially creating victims of crime and 'heaping pressure on prisons'. Kiran Gill, CEO of The Difference, a charity set up to tackle the social injustice of lost learning, called on the government and schools to 'sit up and take notice' of this new research. She warned that pupil referral units, designed to provide alternative education for children who have been excluded from mainstream school, are having to turn away children across the country because they are already full, and many councils are not meeting the legal requirement to find a place in education for children within six days. 'That means these children are at home, or worse, on the streets,' she said. 'Teachers might think that if they permanently exclude a child they will get more support than they can access in mainstream school, but this research shows that is often not the case.' Gill warned that children were not only more likely to be criminally exploited outside school but also to spend much more time on their phone, where they might be influenced by extreme ideologies. Kate Aubrey-Johnson, a barrister at Garden Court Chambers in London, who co-founded the School Inclusion Project, a group of 200 lawyers offering pro bono support to children facing exclusion, said: 'These statistics are shocking but sadly come as no surprise. Any criminal lawyer knows this to be a stark reality for children.' She added: 'The vast majority of children are excluded from school for relatively low-level disruptive behaviour that too often arises from unmet needs relating to Send.' She said that excluded children typically become isolated and lose self-esteem, making them an easy target for gangs. 'They lose hope that they have a future worth living for.'
