World Rugby has launched a new global campaign 'Try and Stop Us' to increase participation in the women's game.

More girls have started playing rugby than boys in the past two years.

The number of registered female players has risen by 28% to 2.7 million since 2017.

"We firmly believe that the development of women in rugby is the single greatest opportunity for our sport to grow in the next decade," said World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont.

The campaign includes the stories of 15 women and girls involved in rugby at all levels from around the world.

World Rugby women's advisory committee chairman Serge Simon says rugby is "one of the world's fastest-growing team sports" and women are at the "heart of the success story".

World Rugby has also launched a website to promote the campaign.

Grand Slam winners England became the first 15-a-side professional women's team on 1 January when the Rugby Football Union (RFU) awarded 28 full-time contracts, along with seven elite player squad agreements.

In August 2018, the RFU awarded 17 full-time England women's sevens contracts for the 2018-19 season.

BBC Sport has launched #ChangeTheGame this summer to showcase female athletes in a way they never have been before. Through more live women's sport available to watch across the BBC this summer, complemented by our journalism, we are aiming to turn up the volume on women's sport and alter perceptions. Find out more here.

World Rugby's revolutionary Nations Championship concept faces a crucial 24 hours as the powerbrokers of the world game meet in Dublin on Wednesday.

The Six Nations unions last month agreed to a period of due diligence while also weighing up offers from private equity.

Sources say there has been "real engagement" over the world league plan, and remain optimistic.

The deadline for a final decision is likely to be set for June.

Scheduled to launch in 2022, the Nations Championship would see a top division of 12 teams from both hemispheres play each other once in a calendar year, either through traditional competitions like the Six Nations or an enlarged Rugby Championship, or in summer or autumn Test windows.

The top two teams would then meet in an end-of-year showpiece final.

It is designed to globalise the calendar and increase competitiveness, with many international games currently glorified 'friendlies'.

A major sticking point is the concept - and the timing - of promotion and relegation, with certain unions keen on a period of ring-fencing in order to establish a vibrant and sustainable second tier.

The process of two countries joining the Six Nations and Rugby Championship sides in the top tier is also up for debate, with a 10-team first division being touted for an initial period before expansion.

Potential tweaks to the proposals will also be discussed at the World Rugby council meeting.

The players' union are also believed to harbour reservations over the travel required in the July international window, when northern hemisphere teams traditionally play in the south.

However, despite the various issues, it's believed some of the more reticent countries are being swayed by the financial package on offer from World Rugby.

The Nations Championship is being backed by a £5bn investment from sports marketing giants Infront.

For example the Rugby Football Union are thought to be open-minded, especially in light of the worrying financial picture at Twickenham.

The World Rugby council consists of 51 members across various rugby territories.

INDIANAPOLIS – When your last name is Andretti, it’s almost destined that at some point in your career, you’ll end up racing something around the hallowed pavement of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

This week, Jarett Andretti – the son of John Andretti, godson of NTT IndyCar Series team owner Michael Andretti and great-nephew of 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti – will finally get the opportunity to do just that as he competes in the Cooper Tires Freedom 100 for Indy Lights.

The third-generation driver, who has spent most of this season racing McLaren sports cars in the Pirelli GT4 America Series, will strap in for Andretti Autosport and drive the No. 18 Window World entry in his first go-round at the legendary facility – an opportunity he’s been waiting his entire life for.

Andretti’s driving deal was revealed prior to the Long Beach Grand Prix, and he completed a test session last month at Kentucky Speedway before turning his first laps around IMS during practice on Monday.

“Earlier this year, we were talking and Michael (Andretti) looked at me and said, ‘OK, we’re going to run you in the Freedom 100,” recalled Jarett Andretti. “We’d been looking for partners and such … actually when we made the initial announcement at Long Beach, we didn’t have a primary sponsor at that point, so I can’t thank Window World and all of our partners enough who stepped up to make this happen.

“Michael was committed to doing this no matter what, and that leap of faith in me was something that I really appreciated,” he continued. “At St. Petersburg, they stopped me and said, ‘Hey, you’re testing (at) Kentucky,’ and it’s just built from there pretty quickly, even though it came together pretty early.

“It’s a cool deal and I have to thank Michael for pulling the trigger. This is such a special opportunity.”

The 26-year-old has a vast diversity of racing experience on his career resume, having competed in non-winged sprint cars, supermodifieds and sports cars over the past decade.

However, this week’s Indy Lights race marks a completely different challenge for him, as it is his first time racing any sort of single-seater machinery.

“I’d never been in a single-seater on an oval before the Kentucky test, so this is all a new experience for me,” Jarett Andretti noted. “The only single-seater I drove before that was a racing school F-1600 car, so it was a totally different feeling. Actually, during about a 10-day stretch, I drove the McLaren (GT4) on Sunday at Long Beach, I drove the Lights car Thursday at Kentucky and I drove my sprint car at Spoon River (Speedway) on Saturday. It was three different feels and three totally different racing surfaces.

“The Lights car is interesting. It’s one of those things where you just have to get up to speed gradually, because if you go too fast too early it’ll bite you in a big way.”

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MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Team Penske announced a new multi-year partnership with Dent Wizard, a provider of automotive reconditioning services and vehicle protection products.

The Dent Wizard brand will debut as the primary sponsor on the No. 12 Ford Mustang driven by Ryan Blaney for two races in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, including the Aug. 17 race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and the Oct. 13 event at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Headquartered in Bridgeton, Mo., Dent Wizard provides a full array of automotive reconditioning services across multiple channels that include auction, dealer, rental, finance & insurance (F&I), collision centers, catastrophe and OEM’s. Founded in 1983, Dent Wizard’s 2,100- technicians service thousands of customers within the automotive reconditioning space.

“Dent Wizard has established itself as an industry leader and we welcome them as our newest partner at Team Penske,” said team owner Roger Penske. “We have enjoyed new opportunities with some new partners since our NASCAR Cup Series program expanded to three full-time entries last season with Ryan (Blaney) joining Brad (Keselowski) and Joey (Logano). We are excited to work with Dent Wizard to help build the company’s brand and showcase its services.”

Dent Wizard will maximize the new partnership to engage with potential and current customers through Team Penske’s motorsports programs, including at-track hospitality and social/digital assets. Dent Wizard also hopes to capitalize on business-to-business opportunities by working with existing Team Penske partners.

“We are excited about the Team Penske partnership,” said Mike Black, Dent Wizard President and CEO. “At Dent Wizard, our team of 3,000+ associates pride ourselves on exemplifying our core values of integrity, innovation, customer devotion and excellence.  Having spent the last 35 years in the reconditioning industry, we have learned to value great partnerships that create a win-win for both parties.  Dent Wizard is happy to continue building our business and brand within the automotive space.”

“It’s great to build a new relationship with Dent Wizard and have them as part of the No. 12 Mustang team,” said Blaney. “I hope to bring their brand a ton of new exposure at two great tracks later this year and into the future.”

There is a new No. 1 at the top of the SPEED SPORT Power Rankings this week! Who moved to the top of our weekly motorsports rankings? Click below to find out!

When teams draft prospects, there's always a hope to see year-to-year improvement. There's always a few guys who take big leaps, whether it shows up in the players' production or manifests itself in new skills acquired.

Here's one player from every NHL team that I thought had a big breakthrough this season. For some, it puts them on the cusp of the NHL roster. For others, it's merely an improvement in chances of making it. But any progress is a positive.

Anaheim Ducks

Maxime Comtois, LW, Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)

Comtois had a very strong 2017-18 season, but what he did over the course of the 2018-19 campaign was truly remarkable. The big 20-year-old winger started the season with Anaheim and had seven points in 10 games. Then he captained Canada at the World Junior Championship before returning to the QMJHL, where he ripped the league to shreds when healthy. He had 31 goals and 48 points in just 25 regular-season games, then 11 goals in 16 playoff games. This season opened my eyes more to the full arsenal of Comtois' skills, including his rather nasty physical game. He has a nose for the net and can create offense with power and skill. He could be on the NHL roster next season.

Arizona Coyotes

Nate Schnarr, C, Guelph Storm (OHL)

How's this for a breakout season? Schnarr went from 39 points in 57 games in 2017-18 to 102 points in 2018-19. The big 20-year-old center was an offensive driver for Guelph, showing a good combination of energy and power to go with solid finishing skills.

Boston Bruins

Jack Studnicka, C, Niagara Ice Dogs (OHL)

With tremendous speed, Studnicka routinely burned defenders and made plays on the way to 83 points in the OHL this season. Traded from Oshawa to Niagara, Studnicka went from the guy to just one of several stars and really showed his versatility. His game is all about pace and making plays, but the 20-year-old can play many roles. Having showcased his versatility, he's made a strong case to make the next step in the not-too-distant future.

Vincent Kompany is hoping to take Manchester City's head of academy coaching and a number of young players on loan with him to Anderlecht, sources have told ESPN FC.

Kompany, 33, announced on Sunday that he will leave City this summer, after 11 years with the club, to become player-manager of Anderlecht.

After he announced his departure, Kompany said he wanted to recreate Pep Guardiola's style at the club where he started his career and said: "It's the football I want to teach."

City are keen to retain strong links with Kompany and highly rated youth coach Simon Davies could further help the development of young players in the Jupiler League.

Davies was in charge of City's Under-23 side after Patrick Vieira left for New York City FC in Major League Soccer in 2015 before becoming head of academy coaching.

The former Manchester United midfielder helped develop the talents of midfielder Phil Foden along with Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho and Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz.

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Kompany said farewell to fans at the club's victory parade in front of 100,000 fans in Manchester on Monday and was presented with the club's goal of the season award for his strike against Leicester in his last game at the Etihad Stadium.

And Guardiola said he expects his captain to return to City in the future.

"I think we're going to miss him [Kompany] a lot," the City boss told fans. "I'm going to miss him, but he is going to see us in the future because he is coming back sooner or later.

"It's the best way to say goodbye after an incredible season together. He was a real captain, he helped us a lot."

Kompany will be back in September for a testimonial match in aid of the homeless at the Etihad Stadium where former players Yaya Toure, Pablo Zabaleta and Joe Hart are expected to play.

Although plans for a statue to Kompany are still to be confirmed, City have plans to make a "lasting tribute" to their most successful ever captain.