Sports
Kyle Sinckler: Toulon sign England international, with Lewis Ludlam set to follow
Kyle Sinckler has joined Toulon for next season, with his England team-mate Lewis Ludlam expected to follow.
Bristol have announced that Sinckler, 31, will leave to join the Top14 side, who also have Northampton back-rower Ludlam lined up.
The switch to the three-time Champions Cup winners will effectively end the England aspirations of both players.
Under existing rules, England head coach Steve Borthwick is unable to select players based with clubs abroad.
Toulon, who won the last of their four French titles in 2014, sit fifth in the Top 14 with seven rounds of the regular season remaining.
“They are two good signings who will complete our forward pack for many years,” Toulon club president Bernard Lemaitre told the AFP news agency.
Ludlam will link up with former Northampton team-mate Dave Ribbans, who made the same move last summer.
“They respond to the profiles we’re looking for in our recruitment,” added Lemaitre.
“We’re trying to have higher expectations on mentality, behaviour and lifestyle of players like their impressive compatriot Dave Ribbans.”
Sinckler won the most recent of his 68 England caps at the Rugby World Cup in France last autumn.
Ludlam, 28, also played in the tournament, winning his 25th cap in the third-place play off against Argentina.
But both missed out on selection for Borthwick’s squad for this year’s Six Nations.
Former England great Jonny Wilkinson won the second of back-to-back European crowns with Toulon a decade ago.
Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam said of Sinckler: “He has dealt with his fair share of setbacks along the way, and I believe he is playing his best rugby which is a testament to his resilience and determination.
“Like everyone’s journey, there will always be a time it comes to an end and I know Kyle is desperate to finish his time at the Bears on a high and continue his impressive form until the end of the season.”
Sports
Italian Open: Iga Swiatek beats Madison Keys to reach semi-finals
In the men’s event, Daniil Medvedev’s title defence came to an end after he fell to a 6-1 6-4 defeat by American 14th seed Tommy Paul.
The Russian’s exit means world number five Alexander Zverev, who beat Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-2 7-5 on Thursday, is the highest-ranked player left in the draw.
World number two Jannik Sinner and third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz withdrew because of injury before the event, while top seed Novak Djokovic was knocked out by Alejandro Tabilo in the second round.
Tabilo followed up his surprise win over the Serb by upsetting Russian 16th seed Karen Khachanov.
The Chilean, ranked 32nd in the world, won 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (12-10) to reach his first ATP Masters 1,000 quarter-final.
He will play China’s Zhang Zhizhen, who defeated Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.
Meanwhile, Greek sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas needed just 61 minutes to thrash Australia’s Alex de Minaur 6-1 6-2.
Tsitsipas, a finalist in Rome in 2022, has lost just two of his 15 matches on clay this season.
The Monte Carlo champion and Barcelona Open finalist will face Chile’s Nicolas Jarry, who beat Frenchman Alexandre Muller 7-5 6-3.
American Taylor Fritz overcame Bulgarian eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-2 6-7 (11-13) 6-1 after letting a match point slip during a 20-minute second-set tie-break.
Fritz, the 11th seed, will now take on Zverev, while Paul’s victory over Medvedev means he will face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the last eight.
Hurkacz fought back from a set down to beat Sebastian Baez of Argentina 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 6-4.
Sports
Ulster pair Iain Henderson and James Hume to miss rest of season
Murphy, who was confirmed in the role permanently on Monday, is well aware of the challenge posed by Leinster but believes from his own experience, the European Champions Cup finalists will wary of their visit to Belfast this weekend.
“Playing Leinster is always difficult, no matter where you play them,” Murphy said.
“I’ve been in the Leinster camp coming up to Ulster many a time, and they don’t find it an easy place to come.
“If the ground can be as good as it has been in the last two home games, I think they [the crowd] can have a big part to play in the game, and us, as Ulster, need to make sure we turn up and start from minute on, and try to put them under some pressure.”
When the two sides met in Dublin on January 1, Ulster held on for a famous 22-21 win. For Saturday’s meeting, Murphy will be without five of the starters from that game at the RDS.
“We’re a little bit under pressure in terms of some of the players we’re missing but it always gives other lads an opportunity to come out and stake their claim for the jersey.
“We know that they’ve got some class players – no matter who turns up – so it’s going to be a big test for us to see where we are at.
“There are definitely certain elements of our game that we are not happy with at the moment but behind closed doors we are working really hard to try and fix that.”
Sports
Sarina Wiegman: England boss discusses captain choice
England manager Sarina Wiegman discusses who she will appoint as captain after recalling World Cup skipper Millie Bright to the squad.
Bright’s return is a boost as Wiegman will be able to select her first-choice centre-back pairing – Euros-winning Leah Williamson and Bright – for the first time since February 2023.
READ MORE: England recall fit-again Bright for Euro qualifiers
-
African History4 months ago
Black History Facts I had to Learn on My Own pt.6 📜
-
African History4 years ago
A Closer Look: Afro-Mexicans 🇲🇽
-
African History1 year ago
PROOF AFRICAN AMERICANS AIN'T FROM AFRICA DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE
-
African History2 years ago
How Did Normal Medieval People Survive Winter? | Tudor Monastery Farm | Chronicle
-
African History3 years ago
The Entire History of Africa in Under 10 Minutes – Documentary
-
African History3 years ago
What happened to the many African Kingdoms? History of Africa 1500-1800 Documentary 1/6
-
African History2 years ago
AFRO MEXICO: Black History In Mexico!
-
African History1 year ago
A Black African King in Medieval European Art