Northampton Saints cruised into the quarter-finals of the Premiership Rugby Cup by thrashing Nottingham in a 10-try win at Lady Bay.

Saints needed a bonus point to secure qualification as pool winners, and achieved it inside the first half with five tries, despite The Archers taking the lead twice in the early stages.

Phil Dowson's side punished the hosts after a Jack Stapley yellow card, with Charlie Savala scoring a hat-trick as one of seven try scorers.

Despite a spirited effort from Nottingham, Northampton took complete control in the second half with five more tries.

Saints came into the game as heavy favourites, having won four of their five pool matches, with Nottingham winless.

Dowson picked a strong side to secure a place in the last eight, but it was the Championship side who made the early running.

Sam Green and Ryan Olowofela's early tries, either side of Savala's opening score, gave The Archers an early lead.

But after Stapley's sin-binning, Northampton took control with tries from Iakopo Mapu, George Hendy, Tom James and another from Savala to give them a comfortable lead at the break.

They sealed victory early in the second period, with Tom Litchfield and Rafe Witheat's scores, before dropping off in the latter stages.

A penalty try for the hosts, a February 14 try for Xavier Valentine, and Tom Threlfall's late score gave them a deserved bonus point, before Tom Seabrook and Archie Benson scored late for Northampton to give them a comfortable ten-try win.

Victory took them to 25 points in their pool, giving them a decent chance of a home quarter-final in a fortnight.

Stockdale's return to fitness comes at a time when fellow Irish internationals Stuart McCloskey and James Hume are also back after lengthy spells out.

McCloskey has been out with a hamstring injury suffered against Munster on 20 December, while his fellow centre Hume has yet to play competitively this season having sustained a serious knee injury against Cardiff last April.

"I feel the Queensland Reds game was good for a few of us who have been out to come back from long-term injuries," Stockdale said.

"It was nice for me to get back on the pitch, but it was good to see Hume and Stu (McCloskey) back again.

"There were a few busted lungs out there the first few minutes, but it was good."

The experienced trio are back to boost Ulster for their United Rugby Championship (URC) trip to Benetton on Saturday evening.

Richie Murphy's side have fallen to ninth in the standings and are returning to league action for the first time since their home defeat to Zebre on 26 January.

While Ulster have won just five of 14 games in all competitions this season, Stockdale believes there have been valuable lessons for the less experienced members of the squad.

"I think it is a learning year for younger guys, but also it is an opportunity to perform. Every time you step on the pitch it is an opportunity to perform.

"For those younger guys that are playing every week it is a baptism of fire, but something you have to get up to speed with.

"I think there is an opportunity for us to do the basic things better and hopefully over the next couple of weeks we will start to see that happen.

"The young lads who have come in have been really good, they're raw, they've a long way to go, but they've been pretty effective in their performances."

Ross McCann got Edinburgh level when it looked like the returning Emiliano Boffelli had hesitated too long with his pass, but the winger skipped back inside and boshed off a few defenders to score.

Zebre did not let up and crossed the line again as scrum-half Gonzalo Garcia sniped from the base of a ruck to dive over.

The visitors rightfully led at half-time and went further ahead when Giacomo Da Re knocked a penalty over to give Zebre a 10-point lead.

Edinburgh are known for being stronger in the second-half and they gave themselves hope when Ali Price zipped the ball to Mosese Tuipulotu and he crashed over for his first league score.

With the conversion added, it became a three-point game, but Zebre responded brilliantly and replacement Tommaso di Bartolomeo gladly fell over the line from the back of a rumbling maul.

Edinburgh put the pressure on, with Prisciantelli seeing yellow before Luke Crosbie crashed over from short range.

Guido Volpi was then sent off for a high shot on the Edinburgh captain and it seemed Sean Everitt's side would make their numbers count.

However, an unbelievable defensive effort from Zebre kept the hosts out and they held on for one of the most famous victories in their history.

Edinburgh: Goosen, Boffelli, Currie, Tuipulotu, McCann; Thompson, Price; Venter, Harrison, Rae, Sykes, Young, Crosbie, Watson, Currie.

Replacements: Morris, Hislop, Hill, Skinner, McConnell, Vellacott, Healy, Lang.

Zebre: Prisciantelli, Trulla, Paea, Mazza, Gregory; Da Re, Garcia; Buonfiglio, Bigi, Hasa, Canali, Krumov, Andreani, Stavile, Licata.

Replacements: Di Bartolomeo, Rizzoli, Pitinari, Volpi, Ferrari, Fusco, Montemauri, Morisi.

Ospreys: Jack Walsh; Daniel Kasende, Evardi Boshoff, Keiran Williams, Keelan Giles; Owen Williams, Reuben Morgan-Williams; Garyn Phillips, Ethan Lewis, Tom Botha, James Ratti, James Fender, Harri Deaves, Justin Tipuric (capt), Morgan Morris.

Replacements: Will Austin, Cam Jones, Ben Warren, Will Spencer, Morgan Morse, Kieran Hardy, Tom Florence, Iestyn Hopkins

Leinster: Jamie Osborne; Tommy O'Brien, Hugh Cooney, Charlie Tector, Jimmy O'Brien; Ciarán Frawley, Luke McGrath (capt); Jack Boyle, Gus McCarthy, Rabah Slimani, Diarmuid Mangany, Brian Deeny, Max Deegan, Scott Penny, James Culhane.

Replacements: John McKee, Paddy McCarthy, Rory McGuire, RG Snyman, Alex Soroka, Fintan Gunne, Ross Byrne, Andrew Osborne.

Referee: Filipo Russo (FIR)

Assistant referees: Ben Whitehouse & Adam Jones (WRU)

TMO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)

MONTREAL -- The storied USA-Canada hockey rivalry will be reintroduced -- and reignited -- when the two countries take center stage at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Saturday night.

It can't be defined as an ordinary game -- not for players who have waited a lifetime to be part of best-on-best hockey against their nation's greatest on-ice foe.

"This one's a big one, the biggest of my career," USA forward Dylan Larkin said. "Just watching [international games] as a kid with my family, it's like a holiday, it's like the Super Bowl for us. To be able to be a part of it, on a Saturday night in Montreal, it's perfect. It's just great."

The opportunity for NHL skaters to be involved in events such as the Olympics came to a halt after the 2014 Sochi Games and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Many of the league's current top stars were left wondering if they'd ever go toe-to-toe against the world's greatest players in tournaments like the ones they were raised on.

It's a reality now.

"I think it's going be the biggest game that I've ever played in my career," USA forward Brady Tkachuk said. "I'm really looking forward to that. There's a big buildup to it. USA vs. Canada is bigger than just the guys on the ice. There's so many people past, present and down the road [that it affects]. We've been talking about this game especially. It's going to be a long couple days [waiting] until it happens, but it'll be exciting."

Canada and the USA will enter Saturday night with one tournament win apiece -- the U.S. pounded Finland 6-1 on Thursday, and Canada outlasted a stubborn Swedish team 4-3 in overtime Wednesday.

Those appetizers will be nothing like the upcoming main event, though. There's unmatched history between these two countries that has found its way into the 4 Nations discourse already.

The most memorable chapter -- at least for most skaters now -- was the 2010 Olympics. Canada and the U.S. faced off in the gold medal game, and Canada let slip a 2-1 lead with less than a minute to play. In overtime, it was Sidney Crosby -- captain of Canada's 4 Nations team -- who scored the winner to down the Americans and send Canada home with gold.

Canadian forward Connor McDavid claims that as his favorite moment produced by these rival countries. He watched it happen then as a junior hockey player; now, for the first time at this level, he'll be counted on to help lead his nation to victory.

"It's what you dream of," McDavid said. "It's big; it's exciting. It's playing the Americans in Montreal. That's a big game."

Defenseman Drew Doughty was part of Canada's 2010 and 2014 gold medal Olympic teams. That has done nothing to dampen his passion for what's coming Saturday.

"The wait has just amplified [the rivalry]. It's made you more hungry. And I know that the Americans are feeling the same way about playing us. It's going to be a hard-fought game. I suggest everyone watches that one."

Canada defenseman Drew Doughty

"When you play the Americans, you want to beat them so bad," Doughty said. "And I still have this feeling at 35 years old, how bad [I] want to beat the Americans. They're a really good hockey team. ... It's going to be a tough battle. But this is probably the most exciting matchup of the tournament."

The world junior championships have provided a dose of elite-level best-on-best hockey in the years since that latest World Cup. But the men's rivalry was still simmering beneath the surface just waiting to be released again with this generation of talent.

"The wait has just amplified [the rivalry]," Doughty said. "It has made you more hungry. And I know that the Americans are feeling the same way about playing us. It's going to be a hard-fought game. I suggest everyone watches that one."

"There's no bigger rivalry than Canada-USA in hockey," Canada's Brad Marchand added. "They're the games that everybody dreams about playing growing up. They're memories that will last a lifetime. We're all really looking forward to it. Can't come quick enough."

Canada will have a distinct hometown advantage, a reaction the U.S. anticipated for every game it will play this tournament.

Still, there was some surprise that fans at Bell Centre booed the United States anthem when it was performed ahead of Thursday's game. That has become more of a trend around the league since President Donald Trump threatened -- and subsequently enforced -- significant tariffs on Canadian imports.

"I'm not going to get into that," Crosby said. "We respect the anthems; I'll leave it at that."

"I just kind of stay out of it," Doughty said. "I know what's going on, and I understand the Canadians' frustration, but I think we should respect the anthems. I don't think anyone should be booing."

Some fans might save that reaction for what happens during the game. Coaches, like players, are expecting to see the best out of their lineups for what is projected to be a tournament highlight. And no amount of practice time or conversation can prepare players for a potentially emotional night.

"There's a lot of pride," USA coach Mike Sullivan said. "There's a lot of familiarity on both sides. These guys play with and against each other in the NHL all the time. An event like this where it's best-on-best, I think it brings out the competitive spirit of both sides. The biggest difference is when you have the privilege to play in an event like this and represent your country, it has become something that's bigger than any individual. There's a responsibility to bring your best when you have the privilege to participate in these types of events.

"I would envision it being a real competitive hockey game."

That might be an understatement.

"Saturday night in Canada, against Canada -- I don't think there's much better than this for a hockey player of this level," Jake Guentzel said. "The crowd's going to be intense, it's going to be hostile, it's going to be all of the above, and it's going to be a lot of fun."

United States defensive midfielder James Sands is hoping a mid-season switch to Bundesliga side St. Pauli can help him earn a ticket to the World Cup next year.

The 24-year-old Sands, who joined St. Pauli on loan from New York City FC in January, has made six league appearances for his new team, and has played the full 90 minutes in his last three games, suggesting he has already become a key player for coach Alexander Blessin.

St. Pauli was promoted as second division champion last season, so Bundesliga survival is the goal for this campaign. Sands was one of four players to reinforce the squad over the winter, and his four starts for the club so far have yielded two wins and a draw.

"I think that speaks a lot to how quickly my teammates and the coaches here have helped me get on board with things," Sands told journalists in an online call this week. "It's a very good group here. We're really building in the right direction."

New York City FC's first academy pro, Sands has already made 13 appearances for the U.S., helping the team win the 2021 Gold Cup after making his debut in the opening game against Haiti. He started every game of the tournament thereafter.

But Sands hasn't made a national team appearance since the Gold Cup semifinal loss to Panama in July 2023, and he's keen to get involved again.

"Being a part of the World Cup team next year would be an amazing achievement," he said, noting "whether you get selected or not for the team is really out of your control. The only thing I can control is how I perform on a day-to-day basis with my club. And I think being consistent and putting in strong performances will hopefully get my name back in the mix."

Sands faces strong competition to win a place in Mauricio Pochettino's squad.

"There are a lot of talented players and a lot of them are playing in Europe. So I knew to have a realistic chance at the team, I would have to be competing at a very high level in Europe," he said.

Sands can also play in central defense, as he did when he helped New York City FC win the MLS Cup in 2021.

He joined Scottish club Rangers on loan for a year in January 2023 and is confident the experience there will help in Germany. Though he stressed the playing style is different, with Rangers usually dominating possession while St. Pauli will look to hit on counterattacks.

"I think being exposed to that many different styles and rhythms in the game only makes you a better player," Sands said.

St. Pauli, which is 14th in the 18-team division, next hosts Freiburg on Saturday.

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has said "everything" went wrong as his team succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at Brighton on Friday, describing it as the worst performance of his tenure.

It marks the second time in a week that Chelsea have fallen foul of Fabian Hurzeler's team. Maresca's side, who were without Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu through injury, were toothless up front and failed to register a single shot on target.

"My frustration was about everything," Maresca told Sky Sports after the loss. "We feel sorry for the fans that came. In the position that we are, arriving with 14 games to go, we need to do much better.

"We are in a moment when we feel we can concede easily and struggle to score. I think before the goal they didn't have some chances. There are many things we can do better.

"Now is the moment we need to stick together. I always feel pressure but this was the worst performance since I arrived. We are still fourth and still in the race to finish in Europe."

Chelsea have won just two of their last nine Premier League games and crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of Brighton last week.

They remain fourth in the table, though one of Manchester City or Newcastle United could leapfrog them with a win in their clash on Saturday.

Brighton, meanwhile, moved into eighth with the win having won their first league game since the 7-0 humbling away at Nottingham Forest.

Left-hander Cole Ragans and the Kansas City Royals are in agreement on a three-year, $13.25 million contract extension, sources told ESPN on Friday, guaranteeing the ace's salary up until a year before he reaches free agency.

The deal for the 27-year-old covers the 2025 to 2027 seasons and gives Ragans $1.25 million this season, $4.5 million next year and $7.5 million the following season. Ragans will hit free agency after the 2028 season.

Ragans' emergence into one of the most feared pitchers in baseball came after back-to-back Tommy John surgeries, often a career-ending injury. Ragans didn't throw a professional pitch for nearly three years, and after ascending to the big leagues with Texas, he made nine starts and 17 relief appearances before getting shipped to Kansas City for free agent-to-be reliever Aroldis Chapman.

While Chapman helped the Rangers win the World Series, Ragans blossomed almost immediately into a front-line starter. With a fastball that can reach triple digits and a vast array of off-speed pitches, Ragans mixed strikeout stuff with plenty-good control and made his first All-Star team last year en route to a 3.14 ERA with 223 strikeouts and 67 walks in 186 innings.

Ragans, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha -- who re-signed as a free agent in November -- formed the backbone for Kansas City's surprising playoff run. In addition to the returning Wacha, the Royals signed closer Carlos Estevez and traded right-hander Brady Singer for second baseman Jonathan India to complement MVP runner-up Bobby Witt Jr.

The Royals will give Ragans nearly a half-million dollars over the major league minimum this year and are buying out the first two years of arbitration with near-top-of-the-market salaries in a system that is comparable-based. For instance, as a first-time arbitration-eligible player with similar numbers to Ragans', Seattle Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert made $4.05 million last season.

Avoiding arbitration allows Kansas City to sidestep the possibility of Ragans winning a Cy Young Award and using the achievement to seek an arbitration salary similar to Corbin Burnes, who parlayed the award into a $6.5 million settlement.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Adrian Wojnarowski, the award-winning former ESPN sportswriter who redefined the journalism industry with his breaking news prowess, was honored Friday with the Curt Gowdy Media Award.

"I only had ever hoped to have a career as a sportswriter, and so to me this honor is reflective of all the people who believed in me, gave me opportunities, helped me along this road, and that's what comes to mind first," Wojnarowski told ESPN shortly after Friday's announcement. "So many of my idols, from Jackie MacMullan to Michael Wilbon to Doris Burke to Harvey Araton, have been honored previously, and it's beyond my wildest dreams to be in that company."

Wojnarowski's journalism career began in his native Connecticut in Waterbury, where he covered the University of Connecticut before moving on to the Fresno Bee in California and then the Bergen Record in New Jersey.

He went to Yahoo! Sports in 2007, where his relentless drive created a seemingly never-ending series of breaking news, which came to be known as "Woj Bombs." A decade later, he joined ESPN in his hometown of Bristol, Connecticut, and spent the next several years solidifying his place as one of the most influential sportswriters ever.

"I came along at a unique time in media," Wojnarowski said, "and I came along at a time media and the league were changing, and I was the beneficiary of good timing and incredible support from people I worked with at the NBA, ESPN and Yahoo."

In September, Wojnarowski's last "Woj Bomb" might have been his most shocking one of all, when he retired from journalism to step into a new role as the general manager of the men's basketball team at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University.

Wojnarowski was one of four Gowdy award winners announced Friday, receiving the honor in the insight category.

Michelle Smith, a longtime chronicler of women's sports and specifically women's basketball, won the print media award, having written for ESPN, espnW, the San Francisco Chronicle and AOL FanHouse, among other publications.

There were two recipients of the electronic media award: Clark Kellogg, the longtime CBS college basketball analyst, and George Blaha, the legendary Detroit Pistons play-by-play man. Kellogg has been an essential part of CBS' college basketball coverage since 1993, especially its annual chronicling of March Madness. Blaha is in his 49th season calling Pistons games. According to the team, he has called more than 3,700 regular-season games and more than 260 playoff contests.

The Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award winner is longtime Celtics public relations official Jeff Twiss, who began working for the franchise in 1981 and has been part of four championships in Boston.

"To be honest, I'm still pinching myself till my arm hurts," Twiss told ESPN. "Red Auerbach was my boss for a few years, and I got to spend some time rubbing shoulders with people at the Hall of Fame and could only dream about being in there with them one day, and now that dream is a reality."

The Gowdy winners will be honored on Sept. 5-6 alongside this year's Naismith Hall of Fame class, for which the finalists were also announced Friday.