A five-a-side version of rugby can revolutionise the game at professional and grassroots levels, says Olympic gold medal-winning coach Ben Ryan.

The first 'Rugby X' event - featuring men and women - has been confirmed for 29 October at London's iconic 02 Arena.

The five-a-side format is described as "fast and furious", while retaining rugby's "core principles".

"It will bring new players and supporters into the sport," Ryan told BBC Sport.

"I see it as a really exciting variation on the game."

How will it work?

Ryan hopes 'Rugby X' could make the same impact T20 cricket has since its inception in 2003 - a shorter, more understandable version that will help attract a younger audience.

"That's the plan. If you look at 15s as being your five-day Test matches, and the one-day internationals being 7s, and Twenty20 being Rugby X; I can see that happening," he said.

"We are not clashing with 7s tournaments or 15s tournaments. I see it as a vital tool that can help the 7s."

'More like an NBA game'

Ryan, who is helping to drive the concept, is confident 'Rugby X' can be part of the solution to the sport's sustainability, rather than create another problem.

"It is going to be a little more like an NBA game, where in every moment of dead time, supporters are going to be entertained.

"I was [at the 02] when the Knicks were playing the Wizards [in the NBA], and it was a sell-out and was loud and noisy and amazing.

"There is going to be lights and music, and international Olympic athletes. It is just going to be a great event and a lot of fun.

"World Rugby has given us the green light for this test event and if things go well we would hope they would agree to expand the series."

The saviour of grassroots rugby?

Ryan feels 'Rugby X' could help save grassroots rugby union - especially in state schools.

"I do [see it dying], and I see it across the board," he added. "Extra-curricular sport is dying in state schools, especially in the inner cities.

"It is very hard - even if you are a mad keen rugby teacher working in an inner-city school - to start up rugby at the moment.

"15s is obviously technically difficult as a start-up, and 7s is just aerobically and anaerobically shattering.

"This gives a short-sided and simple version, where teachers with no background in rugby, in limited resources in limited space, can get the game going."

Ryan also hopes a physically demanding yet easily accessible game could help with some of society's more serious problems.

"It is a strand of the solution to what we are seeing going on as far as the increase in crime and knife-crime," he said.

"Give people something to do, give them an interest, give them playing a sport that espouses all the values around team work, and togetherness, and understanding, and mutual respect."

Better for player welfare

Ryan hopes 'Rugby X' will address issues over safety and player welfare that are threatening the viability of the 15-a-side game.

"We are working in a shorter space, so that is going to mean you won't get the collisions you get in 7s or 15s," he said.

"We've done our trials. There will be injuries - it is a contact sport - but the trials have been really positive. We are tweaking things as we go along, but ultimately it is going to be a sport that will support player welfare and reduce injury.

"Once people see this version of the game, they will want to come back. It is going to be accessible, it is not going to be expensive, in some of the best indoor arenas in the world.

"There is going to be a risk with any start-up, but we are pretty sure it is going to catch."

Neymar has been suspended for three European games for insulting match officials on social media after Paris Saint-Germain was eliminated by Man United in the Champions League.

The penalty, handed down by UEFA on Friday, will see the Brazil international miss half of the Champions League group stage next season.

More to come...

The father of Emiliano Sala, the Argentine player who was killed in a plane crash in January as he was en route to join new club Cardiff City, has died three months after his son.

- Borden: In search of Emiliano Sala

Horacio Sala, 58 suffered a heart attack on Friday in his home in Progreso, Argentina, a friend and president of local club San Martin del Progreso, Daniel Ribero, confirmed to local TV station C5N.

"Unfortunately, he felt a sharp pain in his chest in the early hours [of Friday] and suffered a heart attack," Ribero said. "By the time the doctors arrived he had already died. I recently saw him and spoke to him. He seemed to be gradually getting back to his routine. We spoke for half an hour and even told a joke. The news comes as a surprise as Horacio leaves us at 58.

"It leaves another void. We had been in constant contact for a month during the disappearance of the plane and this is very sad news."

Emiliano Sala, 28, died after his plane crashed into the English Channel on Jan. 21 as he was flying from France to Wales after completing a club record £15 million deal transfer to Premier League side Cardiff. His body was recovered from the Piper Malibu aircraft two weeks later near Guernsey.

Cardiff and Nantes are in a dispute over Sala's transfer after the Premier League side refused to make the first scheduled payment for the Argentine.

The Bluebirds argue the agreement struck with Nantes regarding Sala's purchase was not legal as the French club failed to fulfill conditions they set.

FIFA has granted Cardiff City and Nantes extra time to submit full details of the transfer of Sala as the clubs look to schedule face-to-face talks.

England batsman Alex Hales has failed a drugs test. Hales, who was named in England's provisional 15-man World Cup squad last week, is understood by ESPNcricinfo to have tested positive for a recreational drug in recent weeks. The England selectors are not thought to have known about the test result at the time the squad was announced.

According to a report in the Guardian, he is currently serving a 21-day ban after returning a second positive test, having pulled out of Nottinghamshire's Royal London Cup campaign, shortly after the World Cup squad was announced, for undisclosed personal reasons.

The drugs violation is understood to have been detected after Hales underwent a routine hair follicle test, which all professional men's cricketers and centrally-contracted women's players undergo at the start and finish of every season. The policy was introduced in 2013 in the wake of the death of Surrey's Tom Maynard, and can detect banned substances in the system for up to three months.

For a first offence, which is treated as a health and welfare issue, players are offered advice and support with only the county director of cricket being notified.

A second violation can invoke a three-week ban and a 5 percent fine of the player's annual salary, at which point the player's county is informed, as well as the ECB chief executive, Tom Harrison, and PCA chief executive, David Leatherdale.

A third offence, such as that committed by Durham's Jack Burnham in 2017, can lead to dismissal - although in Burnham's case, the club chose instead to ban him for 12 months and give him the chance to revive his career this year.

It is nevertheless another significant black mark for Hales, who was recently banned for six white-ball games (four of them suspended) and fined £17,500 by the ECB for his part in the Bristol brawl that led to Ben Stokes' arrest and subsequent acquittal. England are not obliged to name their final World Cup squad until May 23.

Although the loss of Hales at the World Cup would be significant, as things stand he would have served his suspension. He is still expected to join up with the squad for their training camp in Cardiff at the weekend.

While he is not currently seen as part of the first-choice side, he was set to be the reserve batsman in the squad. He has an outstanding ODI record: only nine men have scored more than his six ODI hundreds for England; only Jason Roy has a higher individual score in the format than the 171 Hales made against Pakistan. With Roy (back spasm) having recently experienced some fitness concerns, there was every chance he would win an opportunity at some stage during the tournament.

Ashley Giles, the England's men's team director, Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire's director of cricket, and the ECB all declined to comment when contacted by ESPNcricinfo.

Clemson and coach Dabo Swinney agreed to a 10-year, $93 million deal on Friday, making it the largest deal in college football history.

Swinney, who has won two national championships with the Tigers, is on par to make the same average salary as Alabama coach Nick Saban. Both are set to average $9.3 over the course of their respective deals.

Swinney, who began his Clemson head coaching career as interim coach in 2008, has led a remarkable rise for a school that had one national championship in its history before he took over from Tommy Bowden.

With his folksy charm and culture centered on his "All In" mentality, Clemson has emerged as a force in college football with no signs of letting up.

With Trevor Lawrence back behind center, Clemson goes into the 2019 season as a heavy favorite to make it back to the College Football Playoff.

Swinney's first deal as full-time head coach at Clemson when he was promoted by then-AD Terry Don Phillips at the end of the 2008 season paid him $800,000 a year.

"He way overpaid me," Swinney quipped Friday to ESPN.

Swinney is set to make $8.25 million in the first two years of the new deal, going all the way up to $10 million in 2028, the last year of the contract.

"I am grateful and humbled by the incredible commitment Clemson has made to me, my family and our football program," Swinney said in a statement. "For more than a decade, we have given our all to provide this world-class university and our incredible fans the championship football program they deserve -- to live up to Best is the Standard.

"With this contract, we make a collective statement that we intend to continue pursuing championships and developing total student-athletes for years to come. Our sustained continuity in vision, people and culture has been a key ingredient to our success, on- and off-the field. I am thankful for the leadership we have at Clemson and appreciate all they do for Clemson Football. I am truly blessed to be your Head Football Coach."

If Swinney were to leave for another collegiate head coaching position in the first two years of his deal, the buyout would be $4 million. But the buyout increases to $6 million if he were to leave for Alabama over the next two years. There is no buyout if he leaves for an NFL job.

"Dabo's leadership of our football program has brought value, exposure and unprecedented levels of success not only to our athletics program but to the entire university," Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich said in a statement.

"He has demonstrated the ability to consistently achieve at the highest level on and off the field, and he has done so with a commitment to integrity and core principles. This new agreement is evidence of Clemson's steadfast commitment to Dabo and to our football program, and we are thrilled that he and his family will be a part of our community for years to come."

Swinney is entering his 17th overall season at Clemson, including his time as an assistant coach from 2003 to 2007. His 116 head coaching wins at Clemson rank second all-time.

Meanwhile, Radakovich agreed to a contract extension through June 30, 2024. He is set to make $1.2 million for the 2019-20 athletic season, going up to $1.4 million in the final year of the deal.

ESPN's Chris Low contributed to this report.

BELLEVILLE, Ill. – Friday’s 28th annual Arnie Knepper Memorial featuring the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League and POWRi Engler Machine & Tool 600cc Outlaw Micro League has been cancelled due to rainfall.

POWRi and Belle-Clair Speedway officials are actively seeking a date for rescheduling.

“The rain gauge at the track shows three inches of rain,” said Brian Thompson of Belle-Clair Speedway. “This spring hasn’t been kind to racing in the Midwest.”

Saturday’s race at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 and Sunday’s race at Jacksonville Speedway are both still on.

BROWNSBURG, Ind. – With overnight rain saturating Attica Raceway Park to a point beyond repair, Attica and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 officials were left with no choice but to cancel Friday’s 30th Annual Core & Main Spring Nationals.

The event will not be rescheduled.

“Most of the damage has already been done. We are left with very little drying time,” said Eric Walls, All Star Circuit of Champions Series Director. “Taking everything into consideration, it is in our best interest to cancel tonight’s event. We certainly appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue to battle with Mother Nature.”

The All Star Circuit of Champions will try again on Saturday afternoon, April 27, with a visit to Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, Ohio.

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Jeffrey Earnhardt will embark on a historic first this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, the track where much of the Earnhardt family’s NASCAR legacy was first cemented.

At the same 2.66-mile Alabama behemoth where his grandfather Dale Sr. won 10 times in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and his uncle Dale Jr. took six Cup Series checkered flags, Earnhardt will pull double duty for the first time, racing in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Cup Series events.

On the Xfinity Series side, Earnhardt will drive the No. 18 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing, seeking his first win of the season after a strong performance at Daytona Int’l Speedway back in February.

Meanwhile, on the Cup Series frontier, the fourth-generation driver will pilot the No. 81 Toyota Camry as Xtreme Concepts Racing – the organization founded by Earnhardt’s sponsor’s CEO, Landon Ash – debuts at NASCAR’s top level just one month after racing in the Xfinity Series at Texas Motor Speedway.

It will make for a busy weekend for the 29-year-old Earnhardt, but it’s a challenge he’s eagerly looking forward to.

“Double duty will definitely be a new experience for me, but it’s something we’ve been preparing for. The JGR cars have been fast every race,” Earnhardt said. “We’ve seen Kyle (Busch) go out and absolutely dominate in the No. 18, and we’ve been able to pull out some really great runs, so I’m excited to have another shot at it, especially after doing so well at Daytona.

“The Cup race will be a bit different. The Xtreme Concepts team is still new and it’s only our first Cup start this year, but we’ve had a lot of help from Joe Gibbs Racing to prepare,” he continued. “If you look back at Texas … that was the first Xfinity race for Xtreme Concepts. We fought for position all day and ended up in the top-10 before it was all over. I think you can look at that and see we aren’t just here to finish.

“We’re here to finish up front and fight for every spot, and it will be the same on Sunday.”

Earnhardt is instantly reminded of the unique atmosphere at Talladega every time he comes to the track, not only because it’s one of the most unpredictable on the schedule, but because of his family’s deep legacy of success there.

“Talladega has always been a special place – not just for me, but the whole Earnhardt family. We’ve all seen the success my grandfather and uncle have had there, and for the most part, it’s treated me well,” said Earnhardt. “There’s something different about Talladega. The fans are so emotionally connected to what is going on, and the feeling you get when you pull into this huge track with all of the campers and people in the infield. You’ll never see or feel that anywhere else.

“I think knowing the family history and what they were both able to accomplish definitely adds to that feeling for me.”

While he knows that the draft creates plenty of opportunities for success at Talladega, Earnhardt also realizes that there’s a bigger picture goal of bringing his two rides home in one piece this weekend.

That doesn’t mean he’s not going to go for it, however.

“This weekend is about putting on a great show and coming out of Talladega with two good finishes between Joe Gibbs Racing and Xtreme Concepts Racing,” Earnhardt noted. “The support from these two groups has been amazing, and the best way for me to show that is to go out, take care of the equipment and be there at the end with a chance to win. We don’t know what to expect at Talladega. You never know how the race is going to play out, but if you can hang around and make it to those final laps, you’ve got a chance to take home a trophy.

“There have been a lot of learning moments this year and I’m sure we have some more coming, but we’ve had fast Toyotas and I know that isn’t going to be any different this week.”