Ross Byrne says escort defender crackdown could see locks converted to wings

The Gloucester fly-half Ross Byrne believes international head coaches could convert second-rows into wings for the next men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027 to capitalise on the crackdown on escort defenders.Last October World Rugby instructed referees to scrutinise and punish defending teams obstructing opponents chasing high contestable kicks, a move that has had a profound tactical impact on the elite game.The former Leinster No 10 said it is a “backward step” and a “negative” development that will fundamentally change the sport long term.“Unfortunately I think it’s changed how everybody plays,” Byrne said. “Everybody knows the stats: because of the new rules whoever kicks the ball is most likely to get it back

McCullum’s ‘overprepared’ Ashes remark may prove England’s Bazball epitaph

Brendon McCullum hated the term Bazball from the moment it entered the lexicon, deeming it to be reductive and perhaps knowing how it might be weaponised down the line. Now, 2-0 down in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.But McCullum has not helped himself, either. After the gutting at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England trained “too hard” before the day‑night match was like trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn

Gabba dramas show why pink-ball Tests are here to stay – and could save the format | Martin Pegan

It took just six deliveries for Mitchell Starc to work his magic with the pink ball. The dismissal of Ben Duckett in the first over in Brisbane was the left-arm quick’s 82nd wicket in his 15th day-night Test. Starc would take another seven scalps in the second Ashes Test, as Australia romped to an eight-wicket victory at the Gabba. England’s belated resistance to begin day four ensured the hosts’ triumph was sealed under lights during the third session – when maximum eyeballs, for better or worse, would be locked onto the clash both locally and on the other side of the globe.England might be out to save Test cricket, or to at least reignite interest in it in their homeland

McCullum insists England do not have a ‘glass jaw’ and can fight back in Ashes

Brendon McCullum has insisted that England have the quality and ­character to fight their way back into the Ashes contest, and refused to accept the idea of players feeling sorry for them­selves after starting the series with two savage defeats.“You come to this country and have a glass jaw, you have no chance,” the head coach said. “You have to be strong, tough, and you have to get on with it.”England travel to Noosa on Tuesday for a short break before moving to ­Adelaide to begin their preparations for the third Test, 2-0 down for the third Ashes series in succession. In 2020-21 Australia converted that lead into a 4-0 series win, but in 2023 ­England fought back to draw 2-2

The once formidable Kansas City Chiefs look old, tired and out of ideas

Patrick Mahomes has led his team to seven straight AFC Championship Games, winning three Super Bowls on the way. That run appears to be overThis is how great runs end. Not with a single catastrophic collapse, but with a slow drift towards the finish, looking old, tired and out of ideas. For the Chiefs, that sense of finality arrived on Sunday night, delivered by the Texans in a 20-10 defeat at home that felt more lopsided than the score.For much of this season, there had been a gnawing sense of inevitability about the Chiefs

Lewis Hamilton to ‘unplug from matrix’ after worst season of F1 career at Ferrari

A despondent Lewis Hamilton said he could not wait to get away from Abu Dhabi after enduring what has been the worst season of his ­Formula One career. He finished in his lowest championship position of sixth place and is looking forward to the winter break and disconnecting from the sport as he attempts to reset and regroup.In the final race of the season in he qualified in 16th place and finished in eighth, while the young British driver Lando Norris claimed his first world championship, the first Briton since Hamilton last did so in 2020.“I can’t wait to get away from all this,” Hamilton said afterwards as he faced the media. “Every week, photoshoots and all that kind of stuff