It's Week 3 of the NFL preseason, when we're supposed to get the most serious look at teams before the regular season begins. Unless, of course, you're playing on an 80-yard field in Winnipeg -- as the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers did Thursday -- and you sit the majority of your starters. Elsewhere, Daniel Jones continues to impress for the New York Giants, Tom Brady showed off his "speed" for the New England Patriots and Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers was sidelined after an injury to his left ankle.
We have all of that and more in the biggest takeaways and fantasy football nuggets of the preseason's third week from NFL Nation:
Jump to a matchup:
NYG-CIN | WSH-ATL | CAR-NE | BAL-PHI | GB-OAK | JAX-MIA
Daniel Jones connects with Brittan Golden and Darius Slayton to set up the Giants' touchdown, then hits Golden again before the half.
Daniel Jones keeps checking boxes. The rookie showed physical toughness and moxie in his first road preseason game. He lost a fumble on a sack, but followed it up by making some tough throws on a touchdown drive. The rookie took over the offense after one Eli Manning series. Manning went 4-of-8 passing for 41 yards, which resulted in a field goal. Jones one-upped him. He was 9-of-11 passing for 141 yards. He has completed an impressive 25 of 30 passes for 369 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions through three preseason games. -- Dianna Russini
It was a strong night for a few notable members of the Bengals' recent draft class. Ryan Finley (fourth round) had good preseason performance. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 155 yards. Rodney Anderson (sixth round) starred in his Bengals debut. He caught all four of his targets for 51 yards. And Michael Jordan (fourth round) started at left guard and appears to be the frontrunner to hold that spot when the regular season starts. Even though first-round pick Jonah Williams will likely be out for the year with a shoulder injury, Thursday showed reasons to be optimistic about this year's draft class. -- Ben Baby
The Redskins' offense received a boost from how well second-year back Derrius Guice ran the ball and the defense looked strong again. But the first three preseason games have not engendered a lot of confidence in the quarterback position. The Redskins just don't feel rookie Dwayne Haskins is close; he looks sharp on some throws -- and the long-range potential is obvious -- but they want him to master more of the offense and the nuances of the position. That's fine. But the problem is, Case Keenum hasn't looked sharp and makes his own mistakes. At times he moves the offense, but he sometimes forces plays that lead to mistakes. If Colt McCoy returns to full health, he'd likely get the job. But nobody knows when that will happen. Keenum needs to prove he's a worthy starter. -- John Keim
The Falcons appear to have a kicking problem. Giorgio Tavecchio, whom the team turned the kicking duties over to after saying goodbye to reliable Matt Bryant, missed a 39-yarder on his first attempt against the Redskins on Thursday night. It might not have been such a concern had Tavecchio not missed two from 52 yards against the New York Jets last week, one of which was blocked and the other which sailed wide left. Tavecchio, who also missed a 54-yarder short in the Hall Fame Game against Denver, took ownership for the misses against the Jets and vowed to correct the problem. It's fair to wonder if it's worth bringing the 44-year-old Bryant back for one last run after he made 20 of 21 field goals last season, including a season-long, 57-yarder. Tavecchio is due to make $645,000 this season. Bryant made $3.5 million total last season with a base salary of $1.1 million. Folks around the league expect Bryant to be on some team's roster after Week 1, since the veteran's salary in Week 1 would be fully guaranteed. Maybe the Falcons will revisit the possibility after the season-opener at Minnesota, if not addressed now. -- Vaughn McClure
This starts and ends with Cam Newton's left foot. Yes, a lot went wrong for the Panthers in Thursday's loss to New England. The line gave up three first-half sacks, generated only two first downs and 29 yards in the first half and 63 yards after three quarters. Rookie tackle Greg Little left in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. Some things went right, too, namely first-round pick Brian Burns picking up his third and fourth sacks of the exhibition season. But Newton leaving after a sack at the end of the first quarter of his preseason debut with a foot injury is the headline. Backup quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Will Grier are extremely inexperienced. The success of the Panthers depends on Newton, only now add a foot injury to the concern over whether his surgically repaired right shoulder will hold up. The injury didn't appear serious, but the 2015 NFL MVP didn't return to the field after leaving under his own power. He has a history with his left foot, too, undergoing surgery on that ankle in 2014. Is Newton becoming fragile at 30? Are the 1,221 hits he has taken since 2011, more than any quarterback during that span, starting to take their toll? Or will this turn out to be nothing? Coach Ron Rivera said earlier in the week he'd be holding his breath if Newton got hit. He has to be holding his breath hoping that Newton is all right. -- David Newton
Tom Brady methodically works the Patriots down the field to the end zone as they take a 7-0 lead over the Panthers.
Tom Brady made his preseason debut, and though he finished 8-of-12 for 75 yards in three series of work, the highlight actually came with his legs. Brady joked this offseason about his slow speed rating in the Madden video game, and how he was faster than he has been in the past, then showed it (kind of) by lumbering to convert a third-and-3 with a 3-yard rush to move the sticks. That was a big play to extend what turned into a 15-play touchdown march, culminating in fullback James Develin's 1-yard TD dive. Brady wasn't throwing to his full arsenal of receivers, as Julian Edelman, Demaryius Thomas and Josh Gordon (non-football injury list) didn't play, but he was efficient, as usual, leading the attack. The next time Brady takes the field will likely be the regular-season opener Sept. 8 against the visiting Steelers. -- Mike Reiss
Thursday night made it clear -- the Ravens will rely on rookie receivers this season. First-round pick Marquise "Hollywood" Brown caught three passes for 17 yards, but this performance went beyond the numbers. Brown, who was making his debut after being brought back slowly from offseason foot surgery, showed the ability to get consistently open and great quickness in getting in and out of cuts. Miles Boykin, a third-round selection, continued a strong summer with a 44-yard catch. He used his size to break a tackle and his speed to burst up the sideline for extra yards. Starting quarterback Lamar Jackson was held out the third preseason game, but he got an up-close look at his playmaking targets. The Ravens' top three wide receivers on the roster are Boykin, Brown and Willie Snead. -- Jamison Hensley
Five days out of retirement, 40-year-old quarterback Josh McCown got the bulk of the snaps against Baltimore in a weather-shortened game and lit it up. He ended 17-of-24 for 192 yards with two touchdowns, including a beauty of a pass down the right sideline for rookie JJ Arcega-Whiteside that resulted in a 20-yard score. Injuries to Nate Sudfeld and Cody Kessler this preseason prompted the Eagles to lure McCown out of retirement to, at least temporarily, back up Carson Wentz. Thursday's performance suggests he's up for the task.-- Tim McManus
Matt LaFleur called an audible and yanked his starters out of the lineup shortly before the game over field conditions in Winnipeg, where the game was played on an adjusted 80-yard field because of bad spots in the end zones where the CFL goal posts are normally anchored. So any hope of seeing Aaron Rodgers in action went by the wayside. There's a good chance Rodgers will go into the Sept. 5 regular-season opener without any preseason action. On the plus side, he should be healthy as long as the back tightness that kept him out of last week's game doesn't flare up. The star of the night was WR/KR Trevor Davis, who made his preseason debut and did it all with five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown, an 18-yard run on an end-around and a 17-yard punt return. Also, Tim Boyle made a solid bid for the No. 2 quarterback job with a pair of touchdown passes. -- Rob Demovsky
Good luck to Jon Gruden, Mike Mayock and Co. in getting something useful out of this tape. Besides leaving 24 players back in Oakland, the Raiders who did play did so on a short field. Yeah, divots in the middle of each end zone, where the CFL goalposts are positioned, made the field unsafe. The playing surface was limited to 80 yards, with each 10-yard line serving as the reconfigured goal lines. Maybe it's good tape for the Arena League, but the Raiders have some hard decisions to make with their final cuts. At least Keith Smith, who missed most of camp recovering from a torn meniscus in his knee, scored a touchdown on a 15-yard catch and run, serving notice to undrafted rookie Alec Ingold to slow his roll. And for what it's worth, Nathan Peterman got the majority of work at quarterback after Mike Glennon started and played the first quarter. -- Paul Gutierrez
Rookie defensive end Josh Allen overshadowed QB Nick Foles' first game snaps in a Jaguars uniform with a dominating performance. He led the Jaguars with four tackles (two for loss) and also had two QB hits. During the first half he pressured Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick into a bad throw, beat veteran tight end Dwayne Allen for a tackle for loss, hammered Fitzpatrick as he threw the ball to force an incompletion, forced Fitzpatrick out of the pocket into a sack by Dawuane Smoot and dropped into coverage in the flat and tackled running back Kalen Ballage for a loss. He was the main reason the Dolphins' offense managed less than 50 yards in the first half. Though Allen played at the same time as defensive ends Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue early in the game, he didn't have those guys on the field with him in the second quarter and still made plays. If he's able to play close to this level in the regular season the Jaguars' defensive front could be as good or better than it was in 2017, when Campbell, Ngakoue, Malik Jackson and Dante Fowler Jr. combined for 26.5 sacks. -- Mike DiRocco
Josh Rosen steps up in the pocket and completes a pass on the run to Isaiah Ford for a 39-yard gain.
Ryan Fitzpatrick has been the leader in the clubhouse for the Dolphins' quarterback battle all offseason, but Josh Rosen gave fans some reason for hope. He piloted a 99-yard touchdown drive in the second half in which he showed off his pocket presence, mobility, arm talent and decision-making. The biggest thing for Rosen is that he's continuing to improve. Fitzpatrick had some struggles early but led a touchdown drive of his own. Fitzpatrick might end up the Week 1 starter, but Rosen looks like he will be ready sooner than later. That's good news for Dolphins fans. -- Cameron Wolfe
CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has been home for nearly a week in Detroit as he continues to recover from a stroke suffered in May.
Gilbert, 57, had spent the past two months in a rehabilitation center in Chicago. On Thursday, Quicken Loans CEO Jay Farner provided a brief update on Gilbert.
"On Friday, Dan Gilbert returned to Detroit to continue his rehabilitation locally," Farner said. "We are extremely thankful for all of the skilled medical professionals who have played a significant role in Dan's recovery and are glad to have him back home."
Gilbert, who founded Quicken Loans, suffered the stroke May 26 after he was taken to a hospital by a family friend. He was immediately taken into a surgery for a catheter-based procedure, which doctors have credited with being a key to his recovery.
He spent more than a month at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, before going to the rehab facility.
The Cavs and Gilbert's numerous other dealings have operated while he has been absent, and Farner said that will continue.
"While Dan focuses his energy on the rehabilitation process, our teams across the family of companies will continue to execute at a high level, serving and supporting our clients and team members," Farner said.
In a video recorded for Quicken Loans employees, Gilbert said earlier this month he was grateful for the outpouring of support.
The Los Angeles Angels announced Thursday that they're shutting down rookie starter Griffin Canning for the rest of the season after an MRI showed mild inflammation in his right elbow joint.
The team said Wednesday night that he was going back on the injured list just three weeks after the same issue landed the 2017 second-round pick out of UCLA on the shelf.
Thursday's announcement comes just four days after Canning had perhaps the best start of his career, going seven innings and allowing just one run in leading the Angels to a 9-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Canning went 5-6 with a 4.58 ERA in 17 starts and one relief appearance. He has 96 strikeouts through his first 18 major league games, second in Angels history behind Jered Weaver, who had 100.
Andy Murray will continue his singles comeback by playing in the Rafa Nadal Open in Mallorca starting on Monday.
Murray has played in two ATP Tour events and will now compete on the second tier Challenger Tour for the first time since 2005.
The 32-year-old Scot was already due to play two events in China at the end of September, but had hinted that he may add more to his schedule.
Nadal will not be present at his own event as it clashes with the US Open.
Murray pulled out of the doubles in New York to concentrate on his singles career as he steps up his recovery from hip surgery.
He has lost both of his singles matches so far in his comeback, falling to France's Richard Gasquet in Cincinnati and American Tennys Sandgren in Winston-Salem on Monday.
Great Britain's Harriet Dart reached the final qualifying round at the US Open after beating America's Hailey Baptiste 7-5 6-4.
Dart, 23, will play China's 18-year-old Wang Xiyu in New York on Friday as she attempts to qualify for the main draw of the US Open for the first time.
Ranked 140 in the world, Dart overcame Baptiste in one hour and 40 minutes.
Britain's James Ward was beaten 6-4 6-3 by Argentina's Marco Trungelliti in the second qualifying round.
Serena Williams will play Maria Sharapova in the first round of the US Open at Flushing Meadows in New York.
Britain's Johanna Konta faces Daria Kasatkina of Russia while Kyle Edmund will play Spain's Pablo Andujar.
Dan Evans faces Adrian Mannarino of France while Cameron Norrie will take on a qualifier.
Novak Djokovic begins his title defence against Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena while 2018 women's champion Naomi Osaka plays Anna Blinkova of Russia.
Elsewhere in the men's draw, Spain's Rafael Nadal will play Australian John Millman while 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer will face a qualifier.
In the women's draw, 15-year-old Coco Gauff, who beat Venus Williams on her way to reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon last month, will play Russia's Anastasia Potapova. Meanwhile, Wimbledon champion Simona Halep will take on a qualifier.
by BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller
Williams and Sharapova have shared 21 matches and a fair bit of animosity over the years, but this is their first meeting since the Australian Open quarter-final of 2016.
Williams has had back problems in recent weeks, while Sharapova has been limited to just six matches since January because of a shoulder injury.
Daria Kasatkina is a dangerous first round opponent for Johanna Konta. She is twice a Grand Slam quarter-finalist, but is struggling this year.
The British men have decent first round draws, but should they make progress - and then Dominic Thiem could await Kyle Edmund in the third round.
Dan Evans and Cameron Norrie, meanwhile, could face the seeded Lucas Pouille and David Goffin in just the second round.
… There’s only one place to start and that is with Cristian Pletea. He defied the odds to cause what will surely go down as one of the biggest upsets of the men’s singles campaign in Olomouc. The Romanian qualifier summoned his inner warrior, fighting back from a 1-3 deficit to defeat top seed and 2017 Czech Open champion Tomokazu Harimoto in a seven-game thriller (3-11, 7-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-7).
… Another high seeded Japanese player was also halted in round one as fifth seed Koki Niwa fell at the hands of Portugal’s Marcos Freitas. Establishing an early lead in the match but Niwa failed to pick up another game (4-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-4, 15-13). Freitas continued his fine run of form following on from his semi-finals finish at last week’s 2019 Bulgaria Open.
… Following a two month absence from the ITTF World Tour German legend Timo Boll enjoyed a positive return to the international stage, opening his 2019 Czech Open account with a 4-2 victory against China’s Xia Yizheng (11-7, 11-7, 11-13, 11-4, 9-11, 11-8).
… Belarus’ Vladimir Samsonov and Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov won their respective encounters against Ruwen Filus (10-12, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8, 11-5) and Xue Fei (11-5, 13-11, 9-11, 3-11, 13-11, 11-5) to set up a direct head-to-head meeting against one another in round two. Day one closed out with a surprise exit for no.11 seed Wong Chun Ting. He lost out to Chinese qualifier Ma Te (11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 12-10).
… Cheers rang out from the home crowd in Olomouc as Czech star Hana Matelova progressed beyond the women’s singles round of 32 for the first time on home soil. The no.16 seeded player faced a tricky customer in Kim Hayeong but calmly dispatched of her Korean opponent across six games (11-8, 11-9, 10-12, 11-4, 4-11, 12-10).
… The player responsible for arguably the upset of the round was Liu Weishan. Falling behind early to Japanese no.12 seed Miyu Kato the Chinese qualifier continued to persist, turning the match on its head with four consecutive game wins to sail through to the next stage of play (5-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-4).
… Top seed Kasumi Ishikawa almost joined Miyu Kato in suffering an opening round exit but in the end came good. She recovered from 1-2 and then 2-3 down to see off Chinese Taipei opponent Cheng Hsien-Tzu 4-3 (11-7, 7-11, 8-11, 11-2, 6-11, 11-1, 11-2).
… For those of you looking for inspirational never give up examples then look no further than Austria’s Sofia Polcanova, who turned her back on what looked to be an inevitable defeat. Losing out to Chinese Taipei’s Chen Szu-Yu in the opening three games, the tenth seed responded by claiming the next four games in a row to steal the win (7-11, 9-11, 6-11, 11-6, 13-11, 12-10, 11-8).
… The mixed doubles title won’t be heading to the top seeded pair of Lee Sangsu and Jeon Jihee after the Korea Republic combination were dealt a surprise opening round blow by China’s Ma Te and Wu Yang (6-11, 11-6, 11-6, 10-12, 13-11).
… Amazingly we also lost the second seeds from the race on day one as the experienced Slovak Republic duo of Lubomir Pistej and Barbora Balazova failed to hold off the young Germans Qiu Dang and Nina Mittelham in a tight full distance affair (11-8, 6-11, 11-5, 4-11, 15-13).
… The women’s doubles event also saw the top seeded pair depart. Miyuu Kihara and Miyu Nagasaki bid their farewells: despite their best efforts the exciting young stars from Japan couldn’t find a way past Chinese counterparts Gu Yuting and Mu Zi (11-9, 9-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9), who were crowned champions only last weekend at the 2019 Bulgaria Open.
… Puerto Rico’s Adriana and Melanie Diaz carried plenty of confidence into their opening doubles fixture in Olomouc, following their gold medal success at the recent 2019 Pan American Games. However, it wasn’t to be their day as Korea Republic’s Kim Hayeong and Lee Eunhye proved too strong for the Latin American stars on this occasion (9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-3).
… While the top two seeds avoided an early slip-up, the partnership seeded directly below in third, Chen Chien-An and Chuang Chih-Yuan, did fall at the opening hurdle, missing out on an excellent opportunity: leading by two games but the Chinese Taipei players didn’t convert their advantage , leaving China’s Zhao Zihao and Zhu Linfeng to capitalise (11-13, 5-11, 11-5, 15-13, 11-9).
… Liebherr 2019 World Championships medallists Tiago Apolonia and João Monteiro are also out, suffering a 3-2 loss at the hands of Hungarian fourth seeds Nandor Ecseki and Adam Szudi (5-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-4, 11-5).
The only hiccup experienced was at the quarter-final stage of the women’s team event when the top seeded Egyptian trio comprising Farah Abdel-Aziz, Yousra Helmy and Dina Meshref found Ethiopia’s Gidey Abrha, Marta Gulti and Meron Mekuria more than ready for the challenge.
Marta Gulti and Meron Mekuria beat Farah Abdel-Aziz and Yousra Helmy in the opening match of the fixture; however, for the Ethiopians that was to be their only success, a 3-1 Egyptian win was the outcome. A semi-final place secured, no changes to the selection, there was no charity spared; a 3-0 victory margin was recorded against Algeria’s Katia Kessaci, Lynda Loghraibi and Nouari Widad.
“It is going to be tough match because we have been meeting in finals for the last five years; I hope we can overcome Nigeria this year again just like we did in Congo Brazzaville four years ago. It is double pressure for the two teams because the gold medal and the ticket to Tokyo is at stake. We are sure of our victory but it will be a tough match for both teams.” Yousra Helmy
Impressive from Egypt; it was the same from Nigeria, the no.2 seeds. Selecting Cecilia Akpan, Offiong Edem and Olufunke Oshonaike, a 3-0 quarter-final win was secured against Morocco’s Noah Arangay, Raina Bennani and Innes Outolla. Later, the same margin of victory was achieved in opposition to Tunisia’s Abir Haj Salah, Fadwa Garci and Safa Saidani; confidence boosting wins, like Yousra Helmy, Olufunke Oshonaike was in an upbeat mood and positive about the final outcome.
“We are set for the Egyptians and we are just looking to grab the gold medal and the ticket to Japan. We have been unlucky against them in most of our previous meetings but this time around I hope the luck will come our way. My teammates are in good shape and we are all playing well. We have dreamt about the ticket and gold medal; nothing can stop us from mounting the podium.” Olufunke Oshonaike
Success in style, it was the same in the men’s team event. The top seeds, Nigeria, selecting Quadri Aruna, Olajide Omotayo and Segun Toriola recorded a 3-0 win against Morocco’s Salim Karam, Mohammed Krichel and Saad Zine El-Abidine, before securing their place in the final by repeating the score-line against Congo Brazzaville’s Christ Bienatiki, Saheed Idowu and Michel Lignandzi.
Similarly, it was the same imposing path to the final for the no.2 seeds, Egypt’s Khalid Assar, Omar Assar and Ahmed Ali Saleh. They accounted for bronze medallists four years ago in Congo Brazzaville, Ghana’s Derek Abrefa, Samuel Akayade and Felix Lartey, prior to posting a similarly most impressive success in opposition to Tunisia’s Omar Amous, Adam Hmam and Thameur Mamia.
The finals of both the men’s team and women’s team events will be played on Friday 23rd August.
NIGERIA 3-0 CONGO BRAZZAVILLE
Segun Toriola / Omotayo Olajide v Christ Bientiki / Saheed Idowu 9-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-4; Quadri Aruna v Michel Lgnandzi 9-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-8; Omotayo Olajide v Christ Bienatiki 11-5, 11-3, 11-8.
EGYPT 3-0 TUNISIA
Khalid Assar / Ahmed Ali Saleh v Thameur Mamia / Adam Hmam 12-14, 12-10, 11-5, 11-8; Omar Assar v Omar Amous 17-15, 11-1, 11-3; Ahmed Ali Saleh v Adam Hmam 11-6, 11-8, 11-6.
EGYPT 3-0 ALGERIA
Farah Abdel-Aziz / Yousra Helmy v Katia Kessaci, Lynda Loghraibi 11-4, 11-2, 9-11, 11-1; Dina Meshref v Nuari Widad 11-2, 11-3, 11-5; Farah Abdel-Aziz v Katia Kessaci Katia 11-5, 11-8, 13-11.
NIGERIA 3-0 TUNISIA
Cecila Akpan / Offiong Edem v Abir Haj Salah / Fadwa Garci 11-4, 11-2, 9-11, 11-1; Olufunke Oshonaike v Safa Saidani 12-10, 11-8, 11-1; Offiong Edem v Fadwa Garci 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 9-11, 11-3.
And to think, this is just day one. Here are the top four biggest upsets of the day, rated on a shock scale between 1 and 10.
The player: Cristian Pletea, Romania, men’s singles
The upset: Pletea ejected top seed Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan, the adolescent genius who won the 2017 Czech Open at just 14, in what he himself described as the biggest win of his career. The talented Romanian, just 19, has plenty to boast about before — he won the Europe Youth Top 10 for the past two years and has shown that he’s one of the few European players who can keep up with the speedy pace set by the Chinese and Japanese. Still, nobody quite expected Harimoto to go out in the round of 32.
Shock factor: 9.8.
The players: Stephanie Loeuillette and Audrey Zarif, France, women’s doubles
The upset: Loeuillette and Zarif unexpectedly ended China’s Chen Xingtong and Qian Tianyi quest for the final in four fiercely played games (13-15, 11-9, 11-9, 12-10) decided by sharp rallies that favoured the French. It’s a boon for the 27-year-old Loeuillette and 21-year-old Zarif, which should fill them with confidence heading forward.
Shock factor: 8.0.
The players: Ma Te and Wu Yang, China, mixed doubles
The upset: No. 1 seeded Lee Sangsu and Jeon Jihee of Korea were the other top seeds to fall on the opening day of main draw play in Olomouc, capitulating to China’s Ma Te and Wu Yang 3-2 (6-11, 11-6, 11-6, 10-12, 13-11). The Koreans may have been the no. 1 seed, but China is never to be counted out, even when the pair doesn’t practice together often, as Ma and Wu admitted afterward. Ma, by the way, is causing upsets right and left — late in the day, he eliminated Hong Kong’s Wong Chun Ting, setting off a tiny aftershock to the earthquake caused by Harimoto’s early exit.
Shock factor: 6.5.
The player: Sofia Polcanova, Austria, women’s singles
The upset: This is less an upset than a back-from-the-brink encounter, but we’ll count it anyway. Polcanova, down 0-3 against Chinese Taipei’s Chen Szu-Yu, was able to turn the tables on Chen to win 4-3, with both players into the double digits in the fifth and sixth game (7-11, 9-11, 6-11, 11-6, 13-11, 12-10, 11-8).
Shock factor: 5.0.
England head coach Eddie Jones says there is no limit to what "kamikaze kids" Tom Curry and Sam Underhill can achieve playing together.
Curry, 21, and Bath's Underhill, 23, are open-side flankers, but Jones has named the Sale man to start on the blind-side in England's World Cup warm-up against Ireland on Saturday.
The pair were supposed to play against Wales on 11 August, but Underhill withdrew with a toe injury.
"There's no ceiling for them," he said.
"As long as they keep the right work ethic, they'll keep getting better.
"Playing two guys who are pretty good at the breakdown might give us an advantage in that area."
The England head coach has also named George Ford and Owen Farrell in the same starting side for the first time in over a year.
Farrell will partner Manu Tuilagi in the centre at Twickenham - something he has never done before in a Test match - as England seek their second warm-up win after losing to Wales last weekend.
Having previously promised to play "fish and chip" classic English rugby, Jones is hoping these changes will help England get to their best.
"Sometimes the opposition team doesn't allow you to put the batter on the fish, so you've got to play a different way," added Jones.
"And then you've got to fry the fish, or grill the fish. So you've got to find a different way of doing it.
"That's all part of the challenge going forward, being adaptable, looking at what's happening in the game and where we can take it."
England play their final warm-up match against Italy on 6 September before opening their World Cup campaign against Tonga in Sapporo, Japan, on 22 September.
Centre Ben Te'o was left out of Jones' World Cup squad last week and brought his England career to an end when he signed a short-term deal with French Top 14 side Toulon on Wednesday.
The 32-year-old, who has 18 caps, is now ineligible for a call-up in the event of injury after the Rugby Football Union reiterated its selection policy with regard to foreign-based players.
It is understood Te'o was involved in an off-field altercation at England's summer training camp in Italy.
"Everyone makes a choice, Ben's made his choice," said Jones. "We wish him all the best and there's not really much more to say on that.
"I've been in contact with his manager. We're happy for him and hope he does really well."
England team to face Ireland: Daly; Cokanasiga, Tuilagi, Farrell, May; Ford, Youngs; Marler, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Kruis, Curry, Underhill, B Vunipola.
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, M Vunipola, Cole, Lawes, Wilson, Heinz, Francis, Joseph.
I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information. Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
