Cardiff Blues have given Wales fly-half Gareth Anscombe a deadline of "early next week" to decide whether he wants to stay with the region.

Ospreys are leading the other Welsh regions in showing interest in signing 27-year-old Anscombe, whose national dual contract ends in June.

Coach John Mulvihill said Blues are hopeful he will stay, but want to "move forward if it is not going our way".

Mulvihill said Blues have other options if Anscombe leaves.

"I am still hopeful he is going to be here. He has all his mates he plays with," Mulvihill added.

"Rugby is a funny thing and sometimes decisions are made that are nothing to do with rugby, so we will have to wait and see.

"I am always hopeful, an eternal optimist, but nobody is indispensable. If we get bad news we will have to move on.

"We have spoken to a couple of people and there is a contingency plan, but we might cast the net even wider if that is the case because it will free up the budget.

"If the sky falls in early next week, we will resurrect things and get moving."

Welsh rugby has introduced a new player banding pay system to replace the national dual contract (NDC) with the wages and categories set by the new Professional Rugby Board (PRB).

Anscombe has always signed national dual contracts with Blues and Welsh Rugby Union since arriving from New Zealand in 2014. He appealed against his pay banding verdict but that was rejected.

Despite reported interest from English clubs, Mulvihill believes Anscombe will still stay in Wales, because if he moves outside the country he would be ineligible for Wales as he has not won 60 Test caps.

"He will be staying in Wales - who he plays for it is up to him," said Mulvihill.

"I can't speak for the Ospreys but I know they are desperate to have him, the Scarlets would like him as well and the Dragons also need a 10."

Mulvihill also confirmed Anscombe is in line to captain Blues in their crucial Pro14 trip to face Connacht in Galway on Saturday, with regular skipper Kristian Dacey an injury doubt.

It was less than a week ago that Israel Folau set a Super Rugby try-scoring record to cement his status as one of the greatest rugby players of his generation.

But in an unprecedented episode, Rugby Australia is now on the verge of sacking their in-form full-back, just months away from a World Cup in which Folau would have been a central figure for the Wallabies.

It comes after Folau posted on social media on Wednesday that gay people were among those who he feels would go to Hell unless they repented.

Unless the 30-year-old has an acceptable explanation for his latest social media foray - and he has yet to return his bosses' calls - then he may never play rugby union again.

Contract breaches leave Folau's career in jeopardy

Folau first found himself in hot water with his employers at Rugby Australia exactly a year ago when he made a similar post on Instagram.

A committed Christian, Folau says he reads the Bible every day, as he outlined in a blog entry on the Players Voice in April 2018, where he sought to explain his stance and insisted he is not a homophobe.

In this column, Folau referenced a passage from Corinthians, which bears resemblance to the most recent post which may have cost him his career.

But while a year ago Folau's bosses at Rugby Australia said they accepted his position but did not support it, now they have moved a significant step further by making clear their intent to sack the player.

This is almost certainly as a result of the first episode and its aftermath, with the Australian media reporting Folau had social media clauses in the deal he signed in October, which he has likely contravened with his latest actions.

"Israel has failed to understand the expectation of him as a Rugby Australia and NSW Waratahs employee is that he cannot share material on social media than condemns, vilifies or discriminated against people on the basis of their sexuality," read a statement.

Furthermore, while Rugby Australia was able to ride out the PR backlash last year and allow Folau to escape with a warning, the damage of doing the same this time around could have been costly both reputationally and financially for a struggling union.

While the governing body will be praised for the decisive action, the financial damage of sticking by the player could have outweighed his sizeable input to the Wallabies on the field.

For example Qantas, the Wallabies' primary sponsor, has voiced its displeasure at Folau's comments and made it clear it would support a hard-line stance.

Folau will be missed on the pitch

Since reaching the World Cup final in 2015 - with Folau a key performer - Australia have under-performed, and are currently as low as sixth in the World Rugby rankings.

Folau - who has also played professional rugby league and Australian rules football - has consistently been one of the side's best players since his international union debut against the British and Irish Lions in 2013, so will be badly missed if and when his sacking is confirmed.

The impact this would have on the playing squad remains to be seen, with some of Folau's team-mates 'liking' his post on social media - although this doesn't necessarily mean they support his views.

But it leaves the Wallabies, and Australian rugby at large, in a fix, with a World Cup looming in which they face the likes of Wales and Fiji in a difficult pool. One bookmaker has already lengthened the Wallabies' odds for the tournament from 12-1 to 16-1.

Head coach Michael Cheika and chief executive Raelene Castle now face an uphill task in repairing the damage being wreaked on the game down under, both on and off the field.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 is teaming up with the Rayce Rudeen Foundation to co-host the inaugural Rayce Rudeen Foundation Race on July 28 at 34 Raceway.

“We are really excited and grateful that Kevin Rudeen and the Rayce Rudeen Foundation chose 34 Raceway and the All Stars to be a part of this great event,” said Tony Stewart, owner of the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions. “Racers have always taken care of other racers, so to be able to do this for Kevin, his family and the Foundation is an honor not only as the series owner, but also as a driver.”

“34 Raceway [in West Burlington, Iowa] is honored to partner with the Rayce Rudeen Foundation and the All Stars for this inaugural race. Hosting a premier racing event at 34 Raceway and having the ability to use it as a platform for addiction awareness in partnership with the Rayce Rudeen Foundation is tremendous,” said Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatt of 34 Raceway.

The Rayce Rudeen Foundation was established three years ago when Kevin Rudeen, owner of the No. 26 Rudeen Racing entry driven by Cory Eliason, tragically lost his son, Rayce, to an overdose at 26 years old. Rayce would have been 29 years old April 12.

In order to honor his life and keep his memory alive, his family decided to start a private foundation to help others. Today, the Rayce Rudeen Foundation is a certified nonprofit that gives grant money to organizations and programs that encourage a healthy and productive life, free from addiction.

It is the goal of the the Rayce Rudeen Foundation to help fill the gaps in a broken system so that others are able to get the support they need, and so that other families don’t have to suffer in the same way theirs had.

“Losing Rayce was devastating to our family, but we refuse to let shame and stigma prevent us from trying to help others,” said Foundation President Nadalie Malsam, Rayce’s cousin and best friend.

Thanks to generous donors that cover all of their operations, 100 percent of all donations the Rayce Rudeen Foundation receives go directly to their grants and programs, which means every penny donated gets straight to those who need it most.

The inaugural Rayce Rudeen Foundation Race will be unique in itself, just like Rayce was. It is starting off with a $66,000 total purse – with $25,000 being awarded to the winner. Throughout the night there will be giveaways, fan participation and interviews.

“To be able to add a purse of this magnitude to our schedule is something that the teams, drivers, owners and fans will be thrilled about,” Stewart said. “Most importantly, through all of this, we hope to help the Rayce Rudeen Foundation raise awareness on addiction prevention, treatment and recovery. We would like to thank Kevin and his organization for allowing us to be a part of this event.”

With a star-studded lineup set to attend, Kevin Rudeen is very appreciative of the outpouring of support.

“Moving forward, we hope to make this a fundraising event for years to come with Tony and the All Stars, but for now what is important to us is that we raise awareness and understanding of addiction,” said Kevin Rudeen.

PERRIS, Calif. – This Saturday the AMSOIL USAC-CRA Sprint Car Series will return to Perris Auto Speedway for the Sokola Shootout.

Promoted by Don Kazarian, the fourth point race of the year for the AMSOIL USAC-CRA Sprint Car Series will also showcase the PAS Senior Sprint Cars and the PAS Young Gun Sprint Cars.

The Sokola Shootout has been a popular race on the West Coast since Tony Jones won the inaugural show at Manzanita Speedway on March 17, 2001. Originally called the Sokola Classic to honor past CRA President and USAC Sprint Supervisor Gary Sokola, the event has grown to also honor former driver Mark Sokola and their contributions to racing.

Last year, fast qualifier Brody Roa, Jake Swanson, Danny Faria Jr. and Charles Davis Jr. followed Damion Gardner to his third Sokola victory.

Since March 6, 2004, the Lake Perris Fairgrounds has held 214 AMSOIL USAC-CRA Sprint Car Series events and thirty-eight different drivers have claimed victory. Gardner leads all drivers with 45 home track wins and the one-lap track record of 15.833 seconds was set by Nic Faas on Feb. 25, 2012.

Entering Saturday’s event, Roa sits atop the point standings with a 14-point advantage. Driving the BR Performance No. 91R HD Industries/Burris Racing Maxim, Roa has one win, three top-10 finishes and 28 feature laps led. The 2016 USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series champion is tied with Matt Mitchell, Richard Vander Weerd, and Austin Williams for 14th on the USAC-CRA win list and will be looking for his eighth series triumph.

Gardner ranks second in the chase for the championship. Racing Mark Alexander’s No. 4 Trench Shoring/All Coast Construction Spike, Gardner finished seventh in the Perris So-Cal Showdown. To date, the seven-time champion has also posted one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, two heat race victories and three top-10 finishes on the year. This Saturday, Gardner will have his sights the eighty-first USAC-CRA feature win of his career.

Settling into his new ride, Williams is third in the USAC-CRA point chase. Piloting Tom and Laurie Sertich’s No. 92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror/Lucas Oil DRC, Williams finished third at the Lake Perris Fairgrounds on March 30. He has three top-10 finishes on the season and will be looking for his eighth series win.

R.J. Johnson ranks fourth in the USAC-CRA championship point standings. Driving the Bobby Martin Racing No. 51 Martin Family Auto Museum/Pro Flyer Race Engines Sherman, Johnson was in contention for the Marth 30 win until a lap 16 flip resulted in a 16th-place finish. To date, the five-time USAC Southwest Sprint Car Series champion has posted two heat race victories, two top-10 finishes and 16 laps led in the campaign. The second generation driver will have his sights on claiming his seventh USAC-CRA victory.

Stevie Sussex is currently fifth in the USAC-CRA point standings. Racing Robbie & Gaye Allen’s No. 12 ABC Body Shop/PPG Automotive Finishes Maxim, Sussex charged to fifth in the So-Cal Showdown after starting 10th. At press time, the 2017 USAC National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year has three top-10 finishes and will be looking to earn his first USAC-CRA main event win.

OCALA, Fla. – Big Frog Motorsports has announced that Tanner English will drive the M&W Transport No. 58 Dave’s Towing/XR1 Rocket Chassis/Clements Racing Engine Super Late Model in select events.

“I began talking about possibilities with Tanner a month or so ago after his deal with Randy Weaver Racing dissolved. We both thought it would be a good fit to have him drive our team’s car, but we just couldn’t find dates that worked for both of us,” said Big Frog Motorsports owner Augie Burttram. “We recently talked again, and decided to give this deal a shot, so he’ll be piloting our car in the Schaeffer’s Oil Spring Nationals races on April 19-20.

“We’re going to reevaluate after that first weekend, and see how it works out for both of us and what we can do together to be successful. Tanner is a super-talented driver, and I’m excited to have him behind the wheel of our team’s car.”

English is the two-time defending Schaeffer’s Oil MARS Racing Series champion. He previously inked a deal to drive for Randy Weaver Racing this year, but it fell apart when the team shut down.

“Augie [Burttram] and I decided to take this deal on a race-to-race basis and see if it’s a good fit for both of us,” the 25-year-old English said. “Big Frog Motorsports has top-notch equipment, and I’m grateful for this opportunity. I’ve got some races already committed in my personal car and a couple of other rides for the remainder of this year, but I’d love to race with Big Frog Motorsports, whenever makes sense for both of us. Hopefully, we can gel and enjoy success together.”

English will make his debut in the Big Frog Motorsports No. 58 on April 19-20 in Schaeffer’s Oil Spring Nationals competition in Georgia. The weekend opens on Friday night at Blue Ridge Motorsports Park in Blue Ridge, Ga., with a $4,000-to-win race before shifting to Toccoa (Ga.) Raceway on Saturday night for a $10,000-to-win affair.

They say anything can happen in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and yet one of the greatest regular-season teams in NHL history blowing a three-goal lead to lose on home ice to the lowest seed in its conference felt stunning to the point where "anything" wouldn't cover it.

Here's what happened last night -- check out replays of every playoff game on ESPN+ -- and what to watch for tonight, in today's edition of ESPN Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily:

Jump ahead: Last night's games | Three Stars
Play of the night | Tonight's games | Social post of the day

About last night...

Game 1: Columbus Blue Jackets 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 3. The Lightning jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, and the team that tied the record for most regular-season wins ever (62) looked like it was going to roll through the playoffs. But then a sloppy Ryan McDonagh pass resulted in a Nick Foligno goal in the second period that ignited the Blue Jackets' physical and forechecking games. Defenseman David Savard undressed Victor Hedman on a goal in the third. Less than four minutes after that, Josh Anderson scored a short-handed goal to tie the game, and Seth Jones's power-play goal at 14:05 of the third gave them the lead. Sergei Bobrovsky went from Game 1 goat to a 16-save savior in the final two periods.

The Lightning are the 10th team in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs to blow a three-goal lead in their first game of a postseason. Only two of the previous nine recovered to win the series. Uh-oh. Meanwhile, John Tortorella lit a fire under his team (and nearly burned down the dressing room):

�� VOLUME UP ��

Think this fiery Torts pep talk had anything to do with the @BlueJacketsNHL>#CBJ>pic.twitter.com/gmhAAyVXz1 - FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) April 11, 2019

Game 1: New York Islanders 4, Pittsburgh Penguins 3 (OT). Nassau Coliseum was deafening at times during the Islanders' Game 1 victory, although the Penguins tried to do their best to stun them into silence with Justin Schultz's goal at 18:31 of the third period to tie the game at 3-3. But the fans blew the roof off the old barn when Josh Bailey tucked home the game winner at 4:39 of overtime, thanks to an incredible move from Islanders star Mathew Barzal to set it up, deking several Penguins out of their skates:

Bailey wins it in OT! pic.twitter.com/2edd3msKlN - NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) April 11, 2019

Game 1: St. Louis Blues 2, Winnipeg Jets 1. Tyler Bozak scored the game winner with 2:05 left in regulation on a pass from Patrick Maroon, and it might have been the most meaningful assist in Maroon's career: He dedicated the win to his late grandfather, who passed away at 95 years old on Tuesday. "It's been emotional, tough days for me," Maroon said. "But being with the guys and having them by my side has been really good." Rookie goalie Jordan Binnington did the rest, with 24 saves in his first playoff start.

Game 1: Dallas Stars 3, Nashville Predators 2. Rookie defenseman Miro Heiskanen scored two goals, becoming the youngest player to score a playoff goal in franchise history, while goalie Ben Bishop and the team's defense did the rest in their win over the Predators. Mats Zuccarello, the Stars' trade deadline pickup, had the game-winning goal. So desperate for offense were the Predators that coach Peter Laviolette pulled goalie Pekka Rinne with 3:13 left in the game and Nashville on the power play. "We lost our way, we lost the game," Laviolette said. "There's nothing encouraging about tonight. We know we're capable of playing at high speed with high gears and competitiveness. Like I said, it went their way."

Game 1: San Jose Sharks 5, Vegas Golden Knights 2. It was an ugly game, and not just because Sharks captain Joe Pavelski got his mouth mangled by deflecting the first goal in with his jaw. The Sharks ruled in puck possession through two periods, building a 4-1 lead and limiting the Golden Knights' attack. They pummeled them physically and dominated them defensively. Brent Burns (1G, 1A) and Erik Karlsson (2A) controlled play. Martin Jones was steady in making 24 saves. Mark Stone scored two goals for Vegas in his playoff debut for them, one of the few highlights in a forgettable game for the Knights.

Three stars

1. Jordan Binnington, G, St. Louis Blues. The rookie sensation announced his arrival in the Stanley Cup playoffs by skating into the most hostile of territories -- the White-Out crowd of Winnipeg -- and stopping 24 of 25 shots . That included 17 saves in the first two periods, many of them spectacular, to give the Blues a chance to rally. The showstopper, literally, was this stop on Mark Scheifele late in the third, the same player who was penalized earlier in the game for charging into him:

Jordan Binnington absolutely robs Mark Scheifele in the final minute to seal the deal for the Blues in Game 1 https://t.co/4Y4rFvj8ka>pic.twitter.com/OtcKm4Q7iG - Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) April 11, 2019

2. Miro Heiskanen, D, Dallas Stars. Another sensational rookie making his mark, the Stars defenseman scored a power-play goal in the second period to tie the game and an even-strength goal in the third for the lead in their eventual 3-2 win over Nashville. He was second on the team in ice time at 23:24. Heiskanen is just the third teenager to record a multi-goal game in the playoffs over the past 20 seasons, joining Sean Couturier (hat trick in 2012) and teammate Tyler Seguin (2011).

3. Seth Jones, D, Columbus Blue Jackets. Along with scoring the game-winning goal, Jones was instrumental in helping the Jackets keep the Lightning's top players scoreless in their Game 1 stunner.

Play of the night

It's a one-goal game thanks to @dsavy58.>#StanleyCup>pic.twitter.com/QFhLzWWOmh - NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) April 11, 2019

Oh, nothing to see here except David Savard of the Blue Jackets looking like Bobby Orr while undressing Victor Hedman, one of the best defensemen on the planet, before lasering home the second goal of their rally.

Dud of the night

The Lightning's stars. As lackadaisical as the Tampa Bay defense was in allowing the Blue Jackets to rally, the fact that Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point combined for 16 shot attempts, eight shots on goal, a minus-4 and zero points was even more shocking.

On the schedule

Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins, Game 1, 7 p.m. ET

The rivalry continues for these two, one year after the Bruins eliminated the Leafs in seven games. But this Toronto team has a few new tricks: Namely star center John Tavares and veteran defenseman Jake Muzzin. Will things be different this time, or are we in store for another year of Toronto media complaining about the playoff format because Boston owns the Leafs?

Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals, Game 1, 7:30 p.m. ET

The underdog Canes play their first postseason game since May 26, 2009, in taking on the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Capitals dominated Carolina in the regular season to the tune of 4-0-0. Do these ''Bunch of Jerks'' from Raleigh have more defiant magic in the postseason, or are the Capitals just too talented for an upset?

Colorado Avalanche at Calgary Flames, Game 1, 10 p.m. ET

The Avs will get big boost entering this one with the return of Mikko Rantanen to the lineup, and, one assumes, to the line that has Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. Colorado has a red-hot goalie in Philipp Grubauer (8-1-2 in his past 11 games), but is he enough to handle a Flames offense that was third in the NHL at 3.52 goals per game?

Social post of the day

Torts complains the interview room smells like BO then ends his presser, reporter stands up and smells himself ������ pic.twitter.com/AxnqyRKrrs - CJ Fogler (@cjzer0) April 11, 2019

John Tortorella left the locker room and walked into the interview room -- which smelled like a locker room. He noted the body odor as Torts does, and then walked out ... leaving a member of the great unwashed (aka the media) to administer a sniff test. Wow.

Quotable

"The only critics that matter are the ones in the room, and there aren't any. I don't think he cares about whether he silenced you guys, and I don't think we care either." -- Sharks coach Pete DeBoer on goalie Martin Jones, and whether his Game 1 performance quieted his critics.