I Dig Sports
Cardiff: Jacob Beetham; Gabriel Hamer-Webb, Rey Lee-Lo, Rory Jennings, Tom Bowen; Ben Thomas (capt), Ellis Bevan; Rhys Barratt, Evan Lloyd, Kieron Assiratti, Josh McNally, Teddy Williams, Alex Mann, Thomas Young, Alun Lawrence.
Replacements: Efan Daniel, Danny Southworth, Rhys Litterick, Rory Thornton, Mackenzie Martin, Johan Mulder, Callum Sheedy, Cameron Winnett.
Connacht: Santiago Cordero; Chay Mullins, Piers O'Conor, Bundee Aki, Byron Ralston; Josh Ioane, Ben Murphy; Peter Dooley, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham, Josh Murphy, Joe Joyce, Cian Prendergast (capt), Conor Oliver, Paul Boyle.
Replacements: Eoin de Buitlear, Jordan Duggan, Jack Aungier, David O'Connor, Sean Jansen, Matthew Devine, JJ Hanrahan, David Hawkshaw.
Referee: Morne Ferreira (SARU)
Assistant referees: Aimee Barrett-Theron & Griffin Colby (SARU)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
Ulster: S Moore; W Kok, B Carson, J Postlethwaite, M Lowry; J Murphy, N Doak; E O'Sullivan, R Herring, S Wilson; I Henderson (capt), C Izuchukwu; J McNabney, N Timoney, D McCann.
Replacements: C Reid, T Stewart, C Barrett, H Sheridan, K Treadwell, J Cooney, J Flannery, R Lyttle.
Exeter: H Skinner; B Hammersley, J Hawkins, W Rigg, P Brown-Bampoe; W Haydon-Wood, N Armstrong; W Goodrick-Clarke, J Innard (capt), J Isoefa-Scott; R Tuima, C Tshiunza; M Moloney, R Capstick, R Vintcent.
Replacements: Max Norey, K Blose, J Roots, J Dunne, L Pearson, J Bailey, T Cairns, Z Wimbush.
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Sco)
What next for Rees-Zammit, a year after NFL move?
Rees-Zammit was known for his blistering speed and agility on the rugby field, which are coveted qualities in the NFL.
But the 23-year-old's transition has not been without its challenges, with Rees-Zammit already having played multiple positions, including running back and on special teams.
Schecter believes that wide receiver might be his best fit.
"Ultimately, it's all about developing his football IQ," Schecter explained.
"He needs to absorb as much knowledge as possible about the game. It's been tough for him, but his athleticism is undeniable, and that will give him a solid foundation."
With a new head coach on the way in Jacksonville, Rees-Zammit's future in the NFL remains uncertain.
The Jaguars have not opted to sign Rees-Zammit to a reserve/future contract, which franchises can use to prevent players from negotiating deals with other teams.
As a result, the former Wales wing is able to strike a deal with any of the NFL's 32 teams, but he could find himself back with Jacksonville in the future.
"Their season is over now and they don't really start going back until end of March, early April," said Schecter.
"Nobody's really in the building right now but he's doing everything he can to make sure that he either can re-sign with the Jags or find another team."
Who needs what to qualify for Champions Cup last 16?
Fixtures:
Saturday, 18 January - Clermont Auvergne v Bristol (15:15 GMT), Benetton v La Rochelle (17:30 GMT), Leinster v Bath (17:30)
Leinster have already qualified and know a win at home to Bath on Saturday will secure their spot as number one seeds from Pool 2.
Clermont know a home win over Bristol is likely to give them a place in the last 16 because of the difficult games facing Bath and Benetton.
Bristol also know a win would probably take them through if those results also go their way.
A point for La Rochelle, who face Benetton, will be enough to secure their position in the top four, and a win would secure a top-two seeding.
Benetton will qualify with a win, and if they can overtake their opponents - they are three points behind La Rochelle but with a markedly worse points difference - could secure a last-16 home tie, depending on what Bath do.
Bath know a win over Leinster would secure enough points to qualify. However, they can still qualify without picking up any points if results go their way.
Borthwick insists he has not been distracted from the job in hand, and has had no edicts from his embattled bosses regarding either win targets or financial belt-tightening.
"At this point before the start of the tournament why would we not be going into every game aiming to win every game?" Borthwick told BBC Sport.
"It's what every England supporter would expect of me and the players and it's what we expect of ourselves.
"Ever since I have come into this role two years ago I have had nothing but support from the RFU about what we want to do.
"Our focus is about the Six Nations that is coming up, and how we get the performances and results we want to get."
Borthwick stressed all through the autumn that the team was progressing, and improving, and developing their identity, but he has made a big change ahead of the Championship, with Maro Itoje taking over the captaincy from Jamie George.
The reasoning makes sense: Itoje is four years George's junior, walks into the team, and is almost guaranteed to play 80 minutes.
But George is one of the most popular members of the squad and led the side with real class on and off the field. It is a big call.
There will also be strategic shifts.
Former assistant coach Felix Jones joined from South Africa 12 months ago and introduced a Springboks-style blitz defence.
Just when it looked as if it was it bearing fruit, Jones resigned abruptly.
As a consequence, the defence was a mess in the autumn, although Borthwick also referenced how many line-breaks England conceded against New Zealand in the summer, when Jones was in situ.
"To be really clear, we are a line-speed team," Borthwick said.
"I want the team coming off the line and putting the opposition under pressure. Will there be alterations and slight tweaks? Yes. There will be positional things that will be a little bit different."
With the ball, however, Borthwick has promised more of the same.
Having played little rugby in 2023, England opened up in 2024, with Borthwick vowing to persist with an attacking style in 2025.
"This is a team that has evolved over this last year and has continued to evolve," he said.
"I sense what the England supporters want to see is the England team continuing to move the ball and play with pace, because that is what gets them out of their seats."
TULSA, Okla. The second first-time winner in as many nights at the 39th annual Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy Drink, Emerson Axsom grabbed the lead on lap four and never gave it back en route to victory during Wednesdays York Plumbing Qualifying Night.
The 55th driver to win a Chili Bowl preliminary A-Feature, Axsom, in his fifth preliminary A-Feature start, was asked how it felt to win, Ive been trying a long time and took myself out of a lot of races here, but I knew our stuff was good enough if I just did my job.
Landing car owner Keith Kunz his 37th career victory inside the SageNet Center during Chili Bowl competition, two attempts at the start saw Axsom chasing from the right of the front row as polesitter Daison Pursley paced the field.
The CB Industries No. 86 around the bottom, the KKM/Curb-Agajanian No. 68k around the top, Axsom shot off the cushion, exiting the second turn to take the lead.
Thankfully, it was a double-file restart because I fell back, quipped Axsom of the initial start. It worked out that we were able to run the top in for a couple of laps and then get the restart where I could get a shot because I knew Daison [Pursley] was going to be good on the bottom. Their stuff has a lot of grip anywhere he goes so I worked on momentum to where when he did jump up, I could counter his move and throw a slider.
Keeping pace through restarts with varying lines, Axsom held off Pursley by .343 seconds.
Pursley in second was followed by eighth-starting Corey Day. Fourth was Tim Buckwalter with Kale Drake moving ninth to fifth.
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 68K-Emerson Axsom[2]; 2. 86-Daison Pursley[1]; 3. 41-Corey Day[8]; 4. 29-Tim Buckwalter[3]; 5. 97K-Kale Drake[9]; 6. 52-Blake Hahn[19]; 7. 19T-Mitchel Moles[4]; 8. 4Y-Jett Yantis[7]; 9. 3G-Kyle Cummins[13]; 10. 55A-Jake Swanson[11]; 11. 40X-Steven Snyder Jr[6]; 12. 3J-JJ Yeley[16]; 13. 27W-Colby Copeland[10]; 14. 3U-Rylan Gray[17]; 15. 7AU-Harry Stewart[21]; 16. 32C-Alex Bright[15]; 17. 1-Sammy Swindell[14]; 18. 91X-Danny Wood[20]; 19. 16C-David Camfield Jr[22]; 20. (DNF) 22X-Steven Shebester[23]; 21. (DNF) 25K-Taylor Reimer[12]; 22. (DNF) 4B-Chelby Hinton[18]; 23. (DNF) 8K-KJ Snow[5]; 24. (DNS) 4P-Kody Swanson
MOORESVILLE, N.C. Spire Motorsports has signed pavement late-model standout Tristan McKee to a driver development agreement prior to this weekends Protect Your Melon Buckle Up Speedfest at Cordele (Ga.) Motor Speedway.
The 14-year-old will test his mettle against some of the countrys most skilled racers at the three-eighths mile south-central Georgia oval in the JEGS/CRA All-Star Pro Late Model tour season opener.
McKee began turning heads two seasons ago when, at just 12-years-old, he won a 100-lap CARS Pro Late Model feature race at Dillon (S.C.) Motor Speedway to become the youngest winner in CARS Tour history.
Since then, the Williamsburg, Va., native has gone on to collect CARS Tours wins at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway and Caraway (N.C.) Speedway. McKee has also been identified as a rising star by Chevrolet and is mentored by Josh Wise through his driver development program Wise Optimization.
We are really excited to have Tristan on board with us at Spire, said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. Weve taken a lot of pride through the years in identifying young talent and bringing them to NASCAR, however this wasnt one of those cases. Josh Wise and Lorin Ranier from General Motors called and, based on my long history with both, it was one of those if its good enough for them, its good enough for me kind of things. Frankly, everyone around Tristan has nothing but good things to say about his speed, work ethic and versatility. He obviously comes from a great family so we cant take too much credit. Tristan will be making noise in this sport in the short and long term, so were excited to be on this journey with him.
I think its pretty cool, so Im really grateful for the opportunity that Jeff Dickerson and everyone at Spire Motorsports has given me, said McKee. I think 2025 is going to be a really good year. Were going to have plenty of races on the schedule, so Im just looking forward to the opportunity and I cant thank the people from Spire enough.
McKee will compete across multiple different series and disciplines in 45-plus events in 2025, including the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Car and Pro Late Model tours, ARCA Menards Series and the Trans-Am CUBE3 Architecture TA2 Series where he is expected to race for the series title. The upstart teenager will also see action at select NASCAR Weekly Racing Series events and holds high hopes for the coming season.
Im definitely looking forward to running the whole Trans-Am schedule, said McKee. Ive never really raced road courses like that before, so Im going to be learning every time Im on the track. Im working as hard as I can for all those races, you know, thats a big deal. Im really excited about a few of the CARS Tour races, especially (North) Wilkesboro. All those big late model stock races at the end of the year are important. They are pretty long races and you have to be really good at the end, so were going to focus our attention on those, as well. Martinsville at the end of the year is a big one.
HARRISBURG, N.C. With not much more than a journalism degree and a passion for sprint car racing, I drove from my childhood home in Columbus, Ind., to Ridgewood, N.J., during the early days of 1983.
Chris Economaki needed someone to manage the news desk at his weekly motorsports newspaper, National Speed Sport News, and this 22-year-old aspiring journalist had been awarded the opportunity.
Economaki was willing to take a chance on a raw rookie he would later describe as having a nose for news. It was the opening chapter in a 42-year-old story that ends today, Jan. 16, 2025.
Chapter 1 The First Decade
Here are some memorable moments from my first 10 years of working and learning alongside Economaki in NSSNs north Jersey offices:
Television was changing how fans viewed the sport and NSSN was changing along with it. Instead of telling fans who won, we told them how they won.
A massive special issue in 1984 celebrated NSSNs 50th year.
Spot color was utilized on a regular basis for the first time, which eventually evolved into four-color photographs.
We moved to spacious new offices staying in downtown Ridgewood and installed the latest technology in typesetting and production equipment.
As part of a Meadowlands Grand Prix promotion, this young writer enjoyed breakfast with legendary Yankees slugger Joe DiMaggio.
Bill France Jr. invited Economaki and I to lunch with he and his father at one of their favorite New York restaurants.
I covered events in Mexico, Canada and Germany, while also writing about racing from El Centro, Calif., to Barre, Vt., to New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
I rode around the Porsche test track in Weissach, Germany, with American racing legend Al Holbert behind the wheel of a Porsche 959 Supercar.
Chatted with Evel Knievel in the Ascot Park Speedway press box as the 1990 edition of the Turkey Night Grand Prix brought down the curtain on the popular L.A.-area race track.
Had a couple of doughnuts at the old Summit House on the top of Pikes Peak.
Ran second to Area Auto Racing News owner Lenny Sammons in a limited late model media race at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pa.
Spent hours speeding through the woods in exotic places such as Escanaba, Mich., and Bemidji, Minn., while serving as Dave Laphams navigator in the SCCA Pro Rally Series.
We introduced NHRA drag racing to the pages of National Speed Sport News and had a fabulous conversation with Don Prudhomme while overlooking the sprawling pit area at New Jerseys Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
If you are selling wine and cheese, youre in the wrong place, he told us. But if your business is beer or tobacco, you need to be in drag racing.
It brought tears to my eyes when ultimate NASCAR underdog J.D. McDuffie was killed at Watkins Glen Intl.
Mike Kerchner, Jerry Gappens, Ron Hedger, Walt and Ronnie Renner, Dave Argabright and Kim Novosat were colleagues who became friends. And Tommy Economaki, Chris wife, made sure I occasionally had a homecooked meal and insightful dinner conversation that didnt involve something going in circles.
By January 1993, this young writer had come a long way. Others saw the progress and I received the Frank Blunk Award for outstanding journalistic coverage of motorsports at every level. The award was voted on by my peers and was presented during the Eastern Motorsports Press Associations annual convention.
Chapter 2 Driver and Team PR
The first chapter of my NSSN story came to an end later that year. Beaten down by a grueling seven-day-a-week schedule, we relocated to the suburbs of Charlotte, N.C., and transitioned to the growing public relations side of the racing industry.
First, I worked for Tom Cotters agency representing Western Auto and then directly for Darrell Waltrip as his Hall of Fame driving career transitioned to the television booth.
Our crowning achievement during this era came in 1997 when D.W. celebrated his 25th anniversary of NASCAR Cup Series racing with a media barrage that stretched the entire season.
Chapter 3 Track PR
In May 2000, I joined the communications team at Charlotte Motor Speedway, reuniting with Gappens who took his marching orders from promoter extraordinaire H.A. Humpy Wheeler.
The Dirt Track at Charlotte was new and our publicity efforts helped establish that state-of-the-art facility. We were also the first to write about a stellar group of young Legend Car racers guys named Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, David Ragan, Austin Dillon and Ty Dillon.
Our publicity efforts helped put more than 167,000 fans in Charlotte Motor Speedway during the early 2000s for the Coca-Cola 600. Thats an attendance number that may never be duplicated.
Chapter 4 Freelance Work
Freelance work became a viable option late in 2018. We continued to produce event programs for Charlotte Motor Speedway; was welcomed back into the National Speed Sport News family; became a writer and editor for NASCAR Pole Position Magazine; and managed the at-track media operations when NASCAR went dirt-track racing at Ohios Eldora Speedway in 2013.
Away from the track, I lost my biggest fan in 2011 when my father passed away. Then, I fought a battle against Stage 3B melanoma that started in 2014 with the final rounds of radiation coming nearly six months later. Its now been 10 years cancer free.
I had both hips replaced in 2018 and I lost my mom a few weeks before COVID shut down the world in early 2020.
Charlotte Motor Speedway stopped producing event programs following the pandemic, Eldora no longer hosts any type of NASCAR racing and SPEED SPORT, in website form, is a shell of the iconic publication it once was.
On the other hand, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, which we copy edit and will continue to do as long as the publisher will have us, is back for another season.
Chapter 5 Another EMPA Trophy
Soon after receiving my Medicare card, I accepted an invitation to attend the 52nd edition of the Eastern Motorsports Press Assn convention. Rember that event from above?
This years gathering was in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and a few of the same faces were in the audience as when my work was first recognized 32 years ago.
On Saturday night, Jan. 11, I was called back to the EMPA stage where I received one of the two Jim Hunter Memorial Awards as the writer of the year voting ended in a tie.
Chapter 6 Parkinsons Disease
I have to apologize to those in attendance that night as I could not restrain my emotions. It was a special moment as I have Parkinsons disease and life is getting harder day by day; week by week; month by month. Its a progressive disease, and while doctors can manage the symptoms, theres no cure.
My days of roaming a pit area full of racers and race cars in search of news to share with NSSN readers are over. The pain simply becomes too much.
As you can glean from this column, my life has been an amazing story that now appears destined for a disappointing conclusion.
My health is still sufficient to navigate daily life, but its time to ease off the throttle.
I expect this to be my final SPEED SPORT effort, and I want to simply say thank you to those who have read my many words over all these years.
I hope you agree with Chris that I had a nose for news.
Truex Jr. To Attempt Daytona 500 With TRICON Garage
MOORESVILLE, N.C. Martin Truex Jr. may have retired from full-time racing after the season-ending NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway, but hell be back on the track when the series returns to Daytona Intl Speedway in mid-February.
TRICON Garage announced that Truex will attempt to make its NASCAR Cup Series debut in the 67th running of the Daytona 500 with 2017 Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. piloting the No. 56 Toyota Camry XSE.
TRICON will be receiving technical support from Joe Gibbs Racing and Cole Pearn will reunite with Truex Jr., returning to the NCS as a crew chief for the first time since 2019.
The duo amassed 24 Cup victories and a championship in their five seasons together and will look to secure a starting position in their sixth Daytona 500.
Bass Pro Shops will continue their longstanding relationship with Truex Jr. and will serve as the primary partner for the No. 56 in the Great American Race. The premier outdoor and conservation company founded by Johnny Morris has been a partner of the 44-year-old driver dating back to 2004.
Its going to be a really cool deal to be able to work with Cole and have the number 56 again, said Truex Jr. I really appreciate everyone at Bass Pro Shops, TRICON and Toyota helping put this together to go have some fun, and I cant think of a better time to go win the thing for Johnny Morris.
TRICON Garage and Toyota partnered beginning with the 2023 Truck Series season. Since the relationship debuted, success has been evident and immediate with nine victories, 50 top-five finishes and consecutive Championship 4 appearances. The consistent on-track performance and run of success make this partnership the logical next step for TRICON as the organization continues to grow and plan for the future.
This opportunity is a testament to the dedication of our entire organization and our partners at Toyota. Having raced against Martin for many years, I can confidently say theres no stronger competitor Id want behind the wheel for our first Cup Series entry at the sports most prestigious race, said David Gilliland, partner, TRICON Garage.
As an open entry, we know the road ahead will be challenging, but I have no doubt that Martin will put us in the best position to succeed. Ive had the privilege of sitting on the pole at Daytona, but my next goal is to celebrate in victory lane.
Which top NHL prospects could be traded before the deadline? A guide to contenders' plans
The NHL trade deadline is less than two months away on March 7, and the 4 Nations Face-Off (Feb. 12-20) probably will kick-start the festivities, with every NHL general manager expected to attend.
Teams have their midterm scouting meetings in January, when they set the course for the trade deadline, discuss which players they are willing to move and who they are most interested in acquiring. This is another opportunity for development staff to provide updates on organizational prospects and scouts to provide analysis on prospects in other organizations. Once the meetings are done and scouts are dispatched with players to monitor, the trade talks really pick up.
With that in mind, it's time to evaluate the prospect cupboard of each contender. Who is untouchable? Is it the right time to go all-in? In which prospects will teams be most interested? How close is each prospect to playing NHL games on a regular basis and what impact could they have?
All of these are questions that teams and their fans will be asking over the next two months. Not every playoff team is a true Stanley Cup contender, and not every team we'll discuss here is on the same level of contention. Four teams are positioned as contenders with a significant prospect surplus that can be leveraged to improve the current roster: the Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals.
Here's a detailed look at the prospect situation for 13 likely playoff-bound teams -- players whose names might be popping up in trade chatter in the coming weeks:
Note: Teams are listed in alphabetical order by conference.
Eastern Conference
Carolina Hurricanes
Team overview: The Canes are perennially listed as contenders and are one of the few prospect-rich contending teams. That's directly related to their continued draft success. Carolina is consistently viewed as a draft winner because it extracts tremendous value every year. It's well known that owner Tom Dundon is not keen on moving first-round picks or high-end prospects, making it difficult for Carolina to acquire stars. That tune probably would change if a superstar signed to a long-term deal were to become available.
Prospect pool: Alexander Nikishin is the best defenseman outside of the NHL, and has been an untouchable for quite some time. The projected top-four defender plays a well-rounded game, and should be an impact player for the Canes in the near future. Scott Morrow and Aleksi Heimosalmi are two defenders teams would be keen to acquire in trades with Carolina, as both are impact players in the AHL. Though it's unlikely Carolina moves Morrow, perhaps Heimosalmi is a player the Canes would use as a trade option to acquire a player who can help them in their current contention window, given Dominik Badinka in the pipeline.
Other NHL teams have shown interest in quite a few forward prospects, but Carolina has been unwilling to move them. Bradly Nadeau, Felix Unger Sorum and Nikita Artamonov are under 20, producing admirably at the AHL and KHL levels and are known to be untouchables. Jayden Perron, Noel Gunler, Ryan Suzuki and Justin Robidas are seeing an uptick in trade value with their performances this season, and will draw interest from potential trade partners. All of them are skilled players with middle-of-the-lineup NHL potential.
Gunler, Suzuki and Robidas are in their early 20s and could play NHL minutes as soon as next season. All are players who have been developed well and would be valuable talent for a team that is looking for young players who skate well: Gunler a scorer; Suzuki a playmaker; Robidas a reliable two-way player. All of them bring a different skill set and could be the key component in a rental trade.
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