RUGBY UNION
Harlequins beat Newcastle
Harlequins on Friday surged to the top of the English Premiership with a 24-3 thrashing of lowly Newcastle at Kingston Park. Nick David set the tone for a one-sided encounter when he started the Harlequins scoring spree with a try after 67 seconds. The Falcons were backed by their biggest crowd of the season as they went in search of their first league win since March last year. However, further tries from Andre Esterhuizen, Jack Walker and George Hammond took the game away from the beleaguered hosts, who are struggling in the top-flight amid financial cutbacks. The victory elevated Harlequins from sixth place to the top of the Premiership table ahead of the rest of the weekend’s games. Newcastle remain rooted to the bottom, 12 points adrift of Gloucester. Sale missed the chance to return to the top of the Premiership after a 22-14 defeat against Bristol. Sale drop to fourth place, while Bristol remained eighth.
CRICKET
Warner retires a winner
David Warner yesterday scored 57 runs to help lead Australia to an eight-wicket victory over Pakistan in his final Test match, ending a 112-Test career as a winner on his home ground. With Australia needing only 11 runs to claim their third consecutive victory in the three-match series, Warner was out LBW off the bowling of Sajid Khan. He walked off the Sydney Cricket Ground to a standing ovation as he waved to the crowd. Warner handed his Australia batting helmet and gloves to a young fan at the players’ gate and walked off into Test retirement. “It’s pretty much a dream come true,” Warner said in a post-game TV interview, after walking back onto the field, with a pink stump in his hand and a tattered original baggy green cap on his head, along a line of teammates and Pakistan players shaking hands and hugging. “Win 3-0 and cap off what’s been a great 18 months for the Australian cricket team: World Test Championship win, Ashes series, the [ODI] World Cup and then we come here and win 3-0. I’m just proud to be here with a bunch of great cricketers.” Pakistan captain Shan Masood presented Warner with one of Babar Azam’s shirts signed by the touring team as a gesture of congratulations.
BOXING
Joshua to fight Ngannou
Two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is to fight former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia, organizers said on Friday. Joshua had announced plans to face ex-WBC champion Deontay Wilder if they had both won while fighting on the same card in Riyadh on Dec. 23. However, Wilder was handed a stunning upset defeat by New Zealand’s Joseph Parker last month, before Joshua clinched a knockout win over Otto Wallin later that night. “Tonight we confirm it’s a Done Deal,” Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn wrote on X. “Anthony Joshua v Francis Ngannou collide on a huge night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - press conference Jan 15 in London with full details dropping soon!” ESPN reported that the fight would be held in early March, weeks after WBC world champion Tyson Fury faces WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO champion Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. Ngannou made his pro boxing debut against Fury in October.
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported ￡400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported ￡400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported ￡900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically
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