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Wales hooker Elias faces Six Nations fitness race
Wales have major Six Nations hooker concerns with Ryan Elias a fitness doubt for the start of the tournament because of a neck injury.
Wales captain and Ospreys hooker Dewi Lake has already been ruled out for most of the tournament because of a bicep injury and there are growing concerns about Elias' fitness.
Elias, 30, has not played for Scarlets since the end of November and will miss the Challenge Cup match against Gloucester on Friday, 10 January and is set to be absent for the visit of French side Vannes eight days later.
"He won't be right this week," said Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel.
"He has a neck/shoulder issue. He took some part in training today which is good to see but won't be ready for this week and probably won't be back next week."
Wales open their Six Nations campaign against France in Paris on Friday, 31 January with head coach Warren Gatland naming his squad next Monday.
Wales have lost 12 successive internationals with the previous Test victory coming against Georgia in October 2023 in the Rugby World Cup.
Feyi-Waboso could miss entire Six Nations with shoulder issue
Feyi-Waboso's injury is one of the first for an England player since new contracts were brought in between the Rugby Football Union and Premiership clubs.
The winger is on an enhanced elite player squad contract, giving England the final say on when he plays and greater influence on medical matters under the new eight-year Professional Game Partnership between the RFU and top-tier clubs.
Baxter says the decision on whether to operate or not is slower than it would have been had it been down solely to England.
"I think it certainly would have happened quicker, without doubt," he said.
"We had things booked, ready to go, decisions ready to be made a week ago. The process you have to go through now has certainly slowed things down.
"That doesn't mean, necessarily, that it's wrong, but it certainly slows things down."
Club and country team-mate Henry Slade played through a shoulder injury last season, opting to have an operation after it worsened during England's summer tour of New Zealand.
Feyi-Waboso's absence for at least the opening rounds of the Six Nations leaves England looking at alternatives in the back three with full-back George Furbank still recovering from a broken arm that is likely to rule him out of their tournament opener against Ireland at least.
Northampton's Ollie Sleightholme, who started against South Africa and Japan in the autumn after Feyi-Waboso suffered a concussion, could step in once again, with Sale's Tom Roebuck and Harlequins' Cadan Murley, who scored two tries in England A's win over second-string Australia side in November, also in contention.
Bristol's Gabriel Ibitoye, who is joint top of the Premiership's try-scoring charts, is out of action with a leg injury.
Feyi-Waboso, who was nominated as World Rugby's breakthrough player of 2024, has scored five tries in eight Tests since making his England debut as a replacement against Italy last February.
The former Wales age-grade international, who was born in Cardiff but qualifies for England through family ties, has been touted for selection for the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia this summer.
Gloucester remove Russian flag from player's shirt
Gloucester have apologised for the use of a Russian flag on prop Kirill Gotovtsev's club shirt and said it will no longer be featured going forward.
Since 2015, the club has included national flags on the Premiership shirts of any player who has been internationally capped.
But a Gloucester statement on Wednesday said that following "internal discussion and Kirill's blessing" the Russian flag will no longer appear on 37-year-old Gotovtsev's shirt, while other nations will continue to be recognised.
Russia has been banned from international and cross-border competition by World Rugby since 2022 following the country's invasion of Ukraine.
"We remain entirely supportive of World Rugby's 2022 sanction regarding the conflict in Ukraine," the club statement, external said.
"Kirill fully co-operated with the requirements of World Rugby and DCMS [Department for Culture, Media and Sport] at that time and continues to do so.
"Kirill's national flag will not appear on his shirt in line with the sanctions. We understand the connotations of the flag in question and apologise for any offence this may have caused."
Family handoutFormer England rugby player Tom Voyce's car was found submerged in 7ft (2.1m) of water, an inquest has heard.
It is thought the 43-year-old former wing's car was swept away while he tried to drive across a Northumbrian ford during Storm Darragh last month.
Mr Voyce's Toyota Hilux was found in the River Aln, four days before his body was recovered from deep water further downstream.
The coroner adjourned the inquest at County Hall in Morpeth and said the hearing would conclude on 1 April.
Mr Voyce won nine caps for England and made 220 Premiership appearances before retiring in May 2013.
Northumberland coroner Andrew Hetherington said Mr Voyce was last seen on the evening of 7 December, when he left the Queen's Head pub in Glanton.
He had moved to the area with his wife and son, Oscar, after setting up a business.
PA MediaHis wife Anna reported him missing the next morning when she realised he had not returned home, the coroner said.
A search of the River Aln revealed his car, which was unoccupied, had been swept downstream from the ford at Abberwick "as a result of storm water", Mr Hetherington said.
Searches of the Aln involving the emergency services and volunteers continued and his body was found "in deep water" on 12 December by a member of UK Search and Rescue at Old Abberwick Mill, the coroner added.
Getty ImagesFormer teammates expressed their shock and sadness when he went missing, including messages from World Cup winners Matt Dawson and Lawrence Dallaglio.
Mr Voyce started his senior playing career at Bath, then spent six years with Wasps where he helped them win European and domestic titles, before leaving to join Gloucester in 2009.
Additional reporting by PA Media
'To break America, rugby must learn to love its stars'
When it first opened its London office in 2019, Roc Nation Sports International had no intention of moving into rugby.
However, intrigued by the commotion around England's run in the tournament, a curious Yormark watched that year's Rugby World Cup final in the back of an executive car on the way north to meet Manchester City midfielder and Roc Nation client Kevin de Bruyne.
Yormark heard a victorious Kolisi speak about the relationship between South Africa and the Springboks. He read about Kolisi's township upbringing, when the future flanker's favourite toy was a brick. He was convinced. A few weeks later, Kolisi had signed with Roc Nation.
Roc Nation uses star power from other parts of their business to shine a light on such stories: Kolisi has hung out with NBA legend Kevin Durant, while Itoje has spent time with superstar producer DJ Khaled at his Miami home.
Convincing rugby's stars to promote themselves as aggressively as artists in other arenas, though, has proved a challenge.
It often falls to Paul Adesoye. Roc Nation's head of rugby has to overcome an ingrained culture that prioritises the dressing-room collective above individual empire building, even if the example of United States sevens player and social media superstar Ilona Maher has changed perspectives.
"Over here the guys are a little bit more reticent about doing it," said Adesoye. "To be honest, they are a bit nervous about the reaction of their team-mates and their clubs as well. But it is slowly changing.
"Danny Care has launched a vlog and done a podcast - granted he is towards the end of his career, but it is becoming more common in the sport.
"I think it will eventually go in the direction of how it has in the United States where you have current NBA players doing podcasts during the season, telling their story first-hand. It is a matter of time."
Whether it will be in time for rugby's big push west, though, is the question.
Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves will drive the No. 82 Pinnacle Racing Group Chevrolet in the ARCA 200 at Daytona on Feb. 15 at Daytona (Fla.) Intl Speedway.
The 49-year-old Sao Paolo, Brazil native will drive the No. 91 Wendys Chevrolet fielded under Trackhouse Racings Project91 banner in the 67th-annual Daytona 500 the next day.
The race in the ARCA Menards Series is part of Castroneves preparation for his first Daytona 500.
I am looking forward to ARCA racing, said Castroneves who will be in Daytona on Thursday at the ARCA test. I think getting as much seat time as possible will help in our preparation for the Daytona 500, plus I have watched ARCA races in the past on television and they look like a lot of fun.
Castroneves earned Indianapolis 500 victories in 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2021. Additionally, he has scored 21 other NTT Data IndyCar Series victories and six CART Champ Car World Series wins. He has four previous starts on the 2.5-mile Daytona oval, all in the International Race of Champions, with a best finish of sixth in 2004.
Pinnacle Racing Group fielded Chevrolets for Trackhouse Racing driver Connor Zilisch who won five races in the ARCA Menards Series races in 2024. The team also fielded an ARCA entry for Shane van Gisbergen at Daytona last year.
AlUla, Saudi Arabia After trouble with his electronic tablet during Tuesdays Stage Three, bike racer Daniel Sanders was given back 4 minutes, 54 seconds by Dakar Rally race organizers before setting off on Stage Four.
He continued his brilliant event in the first part of this years Marathon Stage as the Australian navigated the 415-kilometer volcanic rock garden spreading from Al Henakiyah to AlUla safely on Wednesday as others in the convoy found it tough going on their tires.
The 30-year-old, who holds a 13-minute 26-second lead over his nearest rival Spaniard Tosha Schareina, said, I know this area and it can be tricky, so youve just got to focus. It looks like Im opening the stage tomorrow, so the pressure is on to not lose too much time.
With younger brother Luciano in eighth overall, two-time bike winner Kevin Benavides has struggled to reach those heights again at the 47th edition as under Marathon Stage rules the riders were given just 90 minutes to work on their bikes after completing todays route.
The first part of this Marathon Stage was incredibly long, more than five hours of racing, Benavides said. There were lines everywhere, so I was really focused on the navigation and doing my own work.
The Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team rookies swapped positions in the Challenger class as American Corbin Leaverton leapfrogged Portuguese team-mate Gonçalo Guerreiro into second spot overall.
There were so many stones, Guerreiro said. Ive never seen something like this. We managed as best we could and still got one flat tyre. We have more than 400 kilometers and our car is in perfect condition.
It was a frustrating day in the Ultimate class as Frenchman Sébastien Loeb did not even start due to a damaged roll cage which means he goes another year without an elusive Dakar title while car debutant Australian Toby Price was undone after a string of strong results when he had to wait more than two hours for his service truck to arrive.
Swede Mattias Ekström got through unscathed to lie 21 minutes, 40 seconds off Ultimate leader Henk Lategan with Brazilian Lucas Moraes up to fifth overall, and American Mitch Guthrie Jr. up to sixth as five-time winner Nasser Al-Attiyah dropped down to seventh 35 minutes, 53 seconds back from Lategan overall.
We stopped twice today, Al-Attiyah said. Once for a puncture and the second time for a broken rear arm. We waited for Cristina (Dacia teammate Gutiérrez) and then we fixed it. The car is OK for tomorrow.
In the SSV class, Chilean Francisco Chaleco López finished second on the day for fourth overall.
All the rocks and also the navigation made this a complicated stage, López said. Aside from the tough terrain, the landscape in AlUla is always very beautiful.
Thursdays Stage Five to Hail is a classic mix of sandy and rocky tracks on a timed special stage of 428km as the rally heads towards its rest day.
The Emotional Rollercoaster of Antron Browns Title
With any form of motorsports, tensions are high within title-chasing teams.
While drivers and crew members may not talk about it out loud, all they can think of is whats at stake.
During the NHRA Finals at Californias In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, tension reached an all-time high in Top Fuel as title contenders Justin Ashley and Antron Brown had to wait to face each other in the first round due to a more than two-hour delay for a plane crash near the top end of the race track.
An added element prior to their battle is their close-knit bond. Someone was going to miss out on a championship, however, both drivers were actively rooting for one another.
It was some high emotions on that deal because Ive been with Justin for so many years and watching him grow and becoming a young man and also becoming into the driver that he is, Brown said. Hes a championship driver.
Brown won the battle and was greeted by Ashleys father, Mike Ashley, at the top end of the race track with one motivational sentence AB, you better win this damn championship, Brown recalled.
The chase was only beginning for Brown as hed endure high stakes races the rest of the afternoon from knocking out title contender Shawn Langdon one round later to holding off Brittany Force in the semifinals to clinch his fourth Top Fuel title.
After we got past Shawn and we got to that semifinal round and we beat Brittany, that was lights out, Brown recalled. So for us, man, it was really like a deal that was unexpected.
While always a threat, Brown was perhaps overlooked for the title as he was fifth in the standings when the Countdown to the Championship began.
Nonetheless, Brown and his AB Motorsports team reeled off two straight wins to kick off the Countdown and put themselves into a title-winning position before knocking out Doug Kalitta in the finals in Pomona to put an exclamation mark on their season.
The team may have put itself into position in Pomona with consistency in the Countdown. However, it ultimately, came down to one race.
It came from the work that you did the whole year, but that one race was everything, Brown said.
It was great for TV, it was great to write about, but it wasnt great for the racers that were involved, because Ill tell you what, it took five years off my life, Brown laughed.
But, besides that, it was truly a blessing and its a tribute to how strong of a team that we have and I believe in every one of our people on our race team, each and every day and we never faltered.
So thats why I went into that race day locked in, head down and they gave me the car and they gave me the vehicle what it took to get to get the job done. My hats off to them and without them, I wouldnt be here today.
Historic Trans-Am Series Taking Racing To Heritage Invitational
CONCORD, N.C. The highly anticipated opening of the Ten Tenths Motor Club will include the circuits first-ever sanctioned race when the Historic Trans-Am Series hosts its season-opening event during the Heritage Invitational April 3-5.
Historic Trans-Am racing celebrates the golden era of American motorsport, featuring the legendary muscle cars not reproductions that ruled the tracks from the late 1960s to early 1970s.
These meticulously restored machines, driven by passionate racers, will bring a mix of speed and nostalgia to the short course at the all-new Ten Tenths Motor Club for two days of racing before going on display as part of the third annual Heritage Invitational concours.
The Heritage Invitational was created to celebrate car culture and community, Greg Walter, President and General Manager, Charlotte Motor Speedway said. With the expansion to three days this year, were thrilled to bring a new element to the weekend through on-track events.
The Historic Trans Am Series is the perfect way to highlight automotive history and speed while showcasing our innovative new circuit.
Racers will take to the innovative 13-turn, 1.1-mile short course for the first time during practice sessions on April 3. Final practice, qualifying and two feature races one racing clockwise around the circuit and the second counterclockwise will take place on April 4.
On April 5, the iconic machines will be staged for viewing in conjunction with the Heritage Invitational concours.
The NHL will play outdoor games in Florida for the first time next season, hosting matchups in Miami and Tampa.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told ESPN that next season's Winter Classic will feature the Florida Panthers against the New York Rangers on Jan. 2 at LoanDepot Park, home of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins. Bettman also said next season's Stadium Series game will be played between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins on Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"We've done 42 games all over North America. We haven't had one in Florida, and our teams have been there for three decades," Bettman said. "This is a golden age of hockey in Florida when you look at fan engagement, when you look at big events like All-Star [Games], when look at Stanley Cups between the Lightning and the Panthers and when you look at the growth of hockey at all levels of the game."
This will be the first time the Panthers participate in an outdoor game and the Lightning's second appearance (2022 Stadium Series vs. Predators in Nashville). With the Columbus Blue Jackets playing in this year's Stadium Series game, it leaves the Utah Hockey Club as the only NHL team that has neither played nor is scheduled to play in an outdoor game.
Going to Florida will be the league's latest chapter in hosting an outdoor game in a nontraditional hockey market.
The NHL held an outdoor game at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 1991, but unconventional venues became more frequent with the introduction of the Stadium Series in 2014, with Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles; Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California; the Cotton Bowl in Dallas; and Carter-Finley Stadium at NC State hosting games.
NHL president of content and events Steve Mayer said LoanDepot Park is like T-Mobile Park, home of MLB's Seattle Mariners, where the NHL held its 2024 Winter Classic. Mayer said both stadiums have a roof that can cover the playing surface that helps with building ice under controlled conditions. The idea will be to open the roof before the game for a dramatic entrance.
Mayer said Tampa and Raymond James Stadium, an outdoor venue with no roof in an area with high humidity, provides a different challenge. The NHL is working with a Dallas-based company to create what is essentially a mini-warehouse where they will build the ice under controlled conditions.
"Then at the appropriate time, which could be hours before the game, we'll dismantle that structure and underneath we'll reveal, 'Voila, here is our rink. Let's play some hockey,'" Mayer said. "That's how we're going to have to do it at Raymond James. The actual weather itself, unlike Dallas and Los Angeles, will not allow us to build ice because of the humidity and the temperatures during the day."
Regarding alternate venues in both South Florida and Tampa, Bettman said Hard Rock Stadium wasn't an option because of the Orange Bowl, which will be played around the same time as the Winter Classic. He said Tropicana Field, which was the Lightning's first home back when it was the ThunderDome, wasn't considered before it was damaged by Hurricane Milton because it was an indoor structure.
Keith Wachtel, the president of NHL Business, said the league examines several items when it comes to what teams can host an outdoor game. He said the league takes details such as potential venues, how a team is performing in the standings and how much support they could receive from fans in a market.
Wachtel said hosting the games six weeks apart means that Florida is "going to be the center of the hockey universe."
Markets such as South Florida and Tampa Bay were part of the NHL's expansion into the Sun Belt in the early 1990s. The Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1996 while the Lightning won their first Cup in 2004. The past decade, however, has seen both franchises take a more commanding role in the sport, with the Lightning winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 and the Panthers claiming their first title last season.
Both cities have also hosted the NHL All-Star Game during this Florida hockey surge. Tampa hosted the game for the second time in 2018, and South Florida welcomed its second All-Star Game in 2023.
Mayer said as All-Star Weekend in Tampa was ending, the league saw a billboard from the Tampa Bay Sports Commission that read, "Next time, let's go outside the box," with a rendering of an outdoor game at Raymond James Stadium.
"That was their plea to us as we left town to come back," Mayer said. "We've been focused on this for many, many years. The engineering of this took time. Then the building of this to where we could do two games in Florida? It just all came together so perfectly."
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