Chris Jones - BBC Sport rugby union correspondent

Given rugby union's recent history of potentially-revolutionary ventures failing to get off the ground, supporters and players can be forgiven for treating this latest project with caution, especially as sources involved in the process have said it remains in the "very early stages of development".

But considering the sport's precarious financial situation especially at domestic level nothing is off the table.

While plans for the new competition remain embryonic, those involved insist there is money behind it, with that financial backing understood to be coming principally from the United States, rather than the Middle East.

While the money and reduced workload will appeal to players, it's hard to know how it will land with consumers, especially if the games are staged in areas without a strong existing supporter base.

Cricket's Indian Premier League is an example of a freshly created franchise tournament that changed the nature of the sport forever; but this took place in India, an enormous market already obsessed with cricket.

What is rugby's equivalent?

Furthermore, there is the problem of whether this will be sanctioned by World Rugby.

While individual unions could still choose whether to select players involved, if the world governing body refused to approve it, there would be major issues around player insurance and injury liability, officiating, and anti-doping.

Given the problems the sport has faced, any interest in it has to be welcomed, and the fact talks have been ongoing over a British and Irish league recently show that bold and ambitious thinking is needed to safeguard rugby's future.

But whether this rebel league is the answer, is the million-dollar question.

McGuigan spent time coaching amateur clubs in the north west while he was a player at Sale and he says that he has found a real calling.

He will now take up his new defence role ahead of the Premiership return against Leicester Tigers on 1 December.

"My passion is defence," McGuigan told the club's website, external.

"There's a few things that we have brought in over the last couple of weeks and we look forward to challenging these systems going into the next block of games.

The challenge for me is to make our defence effective and bring back our Sharks DNA, physicality, hard work and togetherness, its massive for us, thats non-negotiable."

Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong is expected to see his first action of the autumn series against Fiji at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

The tight-head suffered a hamstring issue in training before Ireland's game against the All Blacks and was absent for both that defeat and the win against Argentina.

He took part in training on Tuesday, however, with Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty describing the 32-year-old as "bullish".

"[Furlong is] full of energy," he said.

"He got through the session [Tuesday] and he will be assessed as we go along.

"Id say [he is] bullish, hes eager to get back and excited to be in and around the team again. Its lonely when youre outside of that so hes excited to be in and around the team, and we are excited as well."

Ulster prop Tom O'Toole is also expected to be available on Saturday having missed out against Argentina, although Ryan Baird is injured.

While changes are expected for what is Ireland's third game of four this month, Fogarty said they will be respecting the threat of opponents who have beaten Wales and Spain, but lost to Scotland, this November.

"I think its important that we are doing right by everyone in our side, continuing to look for a performance," he added.

"Fiji have improved. We played them two years ago and theyve certainly improved. You see that through the Wales game, they didnt quite have the full side out in that Scotland match, but theyre a dangerous side.

"So, its important that we are focusing on developing a good performance. Andy [Farrell] and ourselves will select accordingly."

Waugh has also confirmed he is pursuing New Zealand internationals who are playing their club rugby abroad, and are therefore ineligible for All Black selection, for a trans-Tasman 'Anzac' team, combining both Australian and Kiwi players, who play the Lions on 12 July.

While Waugh did not specify names, Richie Mo'unga and Shannon Frizell, who both started the 2023 Rugby World Cup final for New Zealand, are in Test exile as they ply their trade in Japan.

Scrum-half Aaron Smith, who retired from international rugby after the tournament, is also playing in the countrys Rugby League One.

"There are conversations beginning," Waugh said. "We certainly want to get some high-profile Kiwi players, and given France are in New Zealand then, the sensible place to test some conversations would be the New Zealand players who are offshore. We are starting to engage with some clubs and players."

Forwards

Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Alex Coles (Northampton Saints), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks), Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins), Ben Curry (Sale Sharks), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Theo Dan (Saracens), Trevor Davison (Northampton Saints), Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins), Ben Earl (Saracens), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears), Jamie George (Saracens), Ted Hill (Bath Rugby), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Maro Itoje (Saracens), George Martin (Leicester Tigers), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks), Will Stuart (Bath Rugby), Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby)

Backs

George Ford (Sale Sharks), Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints), George Furbank (Northampton Saints), Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby), Alex Lozowski (Saracens), Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Luke Northmore (Harlequins), Harry Randall (Bristol Bears), Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints), Fin Smith (Northampton Saints), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby), Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers)

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin left their 6-2 win at Utah on Monday because of a lower body injury, after scoring twice to move to within 27 goals of breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL record.

Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said Ovechkin was being evaluated after the game and the team would know more about his status Tuesday.

Ovechkin's last shift ended at 5:30 of the third period after a collision with Utah forward Jack McBain. As both players turned toward a loose puck, their left knees collided. Ovechkin slid on the ice on his stomach in pain before being helped to the Washington bench. He eventually took a twirl on the ice before limping off.

"Yeah, that sucks. You hate to see it. He's been absolutely on fire and huge for our team. He's been playing incredible hockey," Capitals forward Nic Dowd said.

Though the collision appeared accidental, Capitals forward Tom Wilson challenged and fought McBain later in the period.

McBain opened the scoring for Utah before Washington answered with four straight goals. Two of those goals belonged to Ovechkin, continuing his torrid start in pursuit of Gretzky's all-time goals record of 894. Ovechkin now has 868 career goals.

Ovechkin scored his 14th and 15th goals of the season, leading the NHL in goals for the first time since January 2022. It's the highest number of goals Ovechkin has scored in the first 18 games of a season. It was his 100th career multigoal road game, which is 17 more than any other player in NHL history.

"I don't even know if there are words to describe it," Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren said. "It's beyond impressive what he does. He's our leader. It's tough to see him go down."

Ovechkin also made some history with his first goal Monday. By beating Utah goalie Connor Ingram, Ovechkin has now scored on 178 different goaltenders in his career, tying Jaromir Jagr for the most in NHL history.

"He's been phenomenal this year, leading the charge and our team, not only from a leadership standpoint and in the locker room, but on the ice as well," Carbery said of Ovechkin. "In times where you need these types of games, you need guys to step up and score or make a big play, he's continued to do that."

The Capitals have the second-highest points percentage in the Eastern Conference (.750).

While the goal of every NHL general manager is to put together a roster that wins the Stanley Cup, the reality is that teams are on different timelines when it comes to their championship contention.

So which teams are in the best shape for the next three seasons? That's where the Future Power Rankings come in.

These rankings consider how teams are set up for success this season as well as the next three seasons. We had a panel of writers and editors rate each team in four categories -- roster (with an emphasis on players 26 and under); prospects; cap situation and contracts; and front office, ownership and coaching -- using this scale:

• 100: A+ (elite)

• 90: A (great)

• 80: B (very good)

• 70: C (average)

• 60: D (very bad)

• 50: F (disastrous)

After averaging the results from the panelists, each of the four categories was weighted to create the overall score: roster (35%), prospects (25%), cap/contracts (20%) and owner/GM/coach (20%). The result is a comprehensive ranking based on how well each team is positioned for the future, plus insights on every team from Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Rachel Doerrie.

Barcelona official Enric Masip has suggested Paris Saint-Germain were the club that bid 250 million ($263.9m) for teenage forward Lamine Yamal last summer.

Barça president Joan Laporta revealed in October the LaLiga leaders rejected the huge offer for the 17-year-old, but he did not confirm where the bid had come from.

"The president has already said that there was an offer worth 250m that was rejected and never even considered," Masip, who forms part of the club's sporting commission and advises Laporta, told El Chiringuito.

"It came from France."

PSG lost forward Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid last summer, which meant they were scouring the market for possible replacements for the France international.

Asked if PSG were the club in question and if Yamal would have been the perfect substitute for Mbappé, Masip added: "When you have the money to spend, you can aspire to try and sign whoever you want."

Mbappé's arrival in Spain was supposed to take Madrid to the next level, but the LaLiga and European champions' attack has been eclipsed by Barça's trio of Yamal, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski so far this season.

Yamal has scored six goals and set up eight more in 16 appearances in all competitions, with Barça losing the only two league games he did not start.

"I would say that right now he's the most decisive player [in the world], yes," Masip said when quizzed on if Yamal is currently the best in the world.

"I don't think it's necessarily good to speak about a 17-year-old kid being the best in the world, but for us, he is.

"I wouldn't say we have won the lottery, but the year that Mbappé decides to go to Madrid -- which was the cherry on top of the cake for a team that had won LaLiga and the Champions League -- you have a 16-year-old kid appear who wins the European Championship [with Spain] and becomes a global phenomenon in a very short time.

"Suddenly, you're in a league that begins as the league of Mbappé and it becomes the league of [Yamal] with the way he appears and plays in such a fun way -- he is a different player.

"What Vinícius Júnior can do, Mbappé can do, players with speed, with that quality ... what Lamine does is something you saw in [Lionel] Messi, something different.

"Every game he does something that leaves you with your mouth open. It's a privilege for LaLiga and Barça to have a player like that."

Yamal missed Barça's final game before the international break, a defeat at Real Sociedad, with a sprained ankle, which also forced him to miss Spain's wins over Denmark and Switzerland this week.

He is in a race against time to be fit for Saturday's visit to Celta Vigo, with Barça then in action against Brest in the Champions League on Nov. 26.

United States Soccer (USSF) has announced that Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang is to donate $30 million to the federation's women's and girls' programs.

Kang's funding will go towards scaling competitive opportunity for youth players, improving talent identification and fueling professional development, according to the USSF's news release.

The money will allow the USSF to double the number of national team camps for its youth teams to six per year as well as handing development opportunities to an extra 70,000 female coaches and referees.

Kang owns the Spirit as well as Lyon in France and the London City Lionesses in England. The businesswomen is making the largest-ever donation to the USSF by a woman, the federation said.

"Women's sports have been undervalued and overlooked for far too long," Kang said in the USSF release. "I am committed to raising the standard of excellence in women's soccer -- both on and off the pitch -- by delivering the resources female athletes need to reach their full potential and surround them with the professional support they deserve. I hope this investment serves as 'seed capital' and spurs other donors to follow suit."

USSF president Cindy Parlow Cone added: "Michele Kang's gift will transform soccer for women and girls in the United States.

"It will impact generations of women and girls in our game, including players, coaches, and referees. I know first hand the power soccer can have in someone's life and thanks to Michele, we will be able to provide more support and opportunities for women and girls."

The United States women's national team head coach Emma Hayes spoke highly of the investment, saying it has the potential to "change the trajectory of the sport."

In August, Kang announced a $50m global investment in improving the health of elite female athletes with the launch of Kynisca Sports International Ltd, the first organization focused exclusively on women's soccer across multiple teams.

The Spirit is set to play the Orlando Pride for the NWSL Shield after a dramatic penalty-shootout victory over NJ/NY Gotham FC in the semifinals.

Manchester United have asked Rúben Amorim to get the best of his squad he has inherited at Old Trafford rather than rely on a host of new signings, a source has told ESPN.

Amorim has arrived as head coach and is set to take charge of his first game against Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Sunday. The 39-year-old, who has signed a two-and-a-half year contract, has been tasked with getting more out of a team which sits 13th in the Premier League.

A source has told ESPN that financial concerns at the club mean there's unlikely to be a significant transfer budget available in January to reshape the first team.

Although United's recruitment operation is now being run by sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox under INEOS' new structure, Amorim will have a say in incomings and outgoings next summer. However, a source has told ESPN that transfer budgets are set to remain tight moving forward and there is little desire to rip up the current group of senior players.

Amorim's predecessor, Erik ten Hag, spent heavily in the transfer market, signing 15 first-team players over the course of three summers at a cost of more than 600 million ($757.8m).

A source has told ESPN that the figure is unlikely to be matched over the next three years and Amorim's task will be to improve performances with the existing squad.

The former Sporting CP boss is set to implement a new tactical style at United, using the 3-4-3 system that proved so successful in Portugal.

He took his first training session at Carrington on Monday with a group of non-international players including Marcus Rashford, Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo. Players who have taken part in the internationals during the break are expected to report back on Wednesday and Thursday.