Four decades ago Mike Gatting lamented 30-game schedule and while improvements were made, players will be weary of gruelling season ahead A meteorologist would say that England’s winter will start this year at midnight on 1 December; an astronomer would point a few weeks later to the 21st, perhaps even...
Wigan eye third consecutive Super League title and place among all-time greats
Hull KR have taken two of Wigan’s crowns this year and stand in the way of Matt Peet’s team at Old Trafford It is not just the walls of Wigan Warriors’ plush Robin Park training complex that are draped with the historic moments of rugby league’s most famous club. Almost...
Roebuck hat-trick sets up nine-try rout as Sale pile more misery on Newcastle
Sale 57-5 Newcastle Alex Sanderson’s side 31-0 up at half-time with five tries There will come a time to truly judge the credentials of a Sale side whose solitary title success came nearly 20 years ago, but Friday night was not it. Not against a Newcastle team who surrendered so...
Flag alert! Gary Neville may not be Orwell but he is a very English type of patriot | Barney Ronay
An easy target for accusations of luxury hypocrisy, Neville has at least tried to address an issue that has everything to do with aggressively flag-draped and militarised modern sport “At the far end of the food counter a group of men were pledging allegiance to the flag, with trays balanced...
Bellingham must accept Tuchel’s collective structure or risk England exile | Jacob Steinberg
Manager learned at PSG to ignore star power in pursuit of a winning formula that prioritises brotherhood Thomas Tuchel once stood on the touchline at Anfield, watching in disbelief as his self-indulgent Paris Saint-Germain players refused to put in the hard yards against Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool. “Guys, what is this?”...
Clive Tyldesley: ‘I’ve only been drunk twice and once was with the England women’s team’
Veteran commentator answers your questions on famous lines, favourite stadiums and being told ‘Not for me, Clive’ What is the best sporting accomplishment or achievement you have commentated on and did you ever harbour personal ambitions to be a professional in any sport? Tony Medlock I was never good enough...
A World Cup preying on Fomo: Fifa’s 2026 ticket scheme is a late-capitalist hellscape
Dynamic pricing, crypto detritus and corporate doublespeak have made the task of buying 2026 World Cup tickets a grim case study in the monetization of emotion When the first tickets for the 2026 World Cup went on sale last week, millions of fans joined online queues only to discover what...
‘Ball junkie’: some dogs show signs of addiction, study finds
Researchers say terrier and shepherd breeds display greater tendency for addictive-type behaviour Whether it is a spaniel with an insatiable love for a ball or a flat-coat that cannot be without its squeaky bear, dogs can be very keen on their toys. Now researchers say some may even show signs...