‘He’s the real thing’: Longley feels Chicago connection as Josh Giddey brings Bulls back to the big time | Jack Snape

Luc Longley chooses his words carefully when talking about Chicago Bulls point guard Josh Giddey, not wanting to heap any more expectation on the young Australian still finding his feet in the ferocious competition of the NBA.He says he doesn’t watch every Bulls game these days – only about half of them. That he hasn’t spoken to Giddey much since his move to Illinois. That Longley’s life in Australia, where he part-owns the Sydney Kings and Flames, takes up most of his energies rather than what is happening on the shores of Lake Michigan.Despite all this, Longley says he can’t help but feel a connection to Giddey’s emergence with the Bulls, one of the stories of the NBA season

Wales 26-52 New Zealand: Autumn Nations Series rugby union – as it happened

Another week, another Welsh defeat. This latest one was 52-26, and if you missed it, it will look like just another in their long list of losses to New Zealand, which now stretches back 34 matches to 1953.But it’s just possible, too, that, for the men who coached it and played in it, for the tens of thousands in the ground, and the hundreds of thousands watching on TV, it may yet come to stand for something more significant than that. Wales did not turn a corner, but they took a little look around one and got a glimpse of what the future might look like with Steve Tandy in charge.That’ll do from me as I take a breather before the Ireland v South Africa game (do join me for it)

Tom Rogers makes hat-trick history in vain as New Zealand surge past Wales

Another week, another Welsh defeat. This latest one was 52-26 and to those who missed it will look like just another in their lengthy list of losses to New Zealand, which stretches back 34 matches. But it is possible, too, that for the men who coached it, and the men who played in it, for the tens of thousands watching in the ground and the hundreds of thousands watching on TV, it might yet come to stand for something more significant.Wales did not exactly turn a corner here, but they took a little look around one and got a glimpse of what a better future might be like. “A lot of what we want to do and what we’ve been working on as a team shone through today,” said their captain, Dewi Lake

Travball 1-0 Bazball: Head’s big numbers add up to a damning zero for England | Geoff Lemon

In short, England tried to play a certain style of Test cricket. Travis Head succeeded at it. As his numbers grew on the second afternoon here, what they represented grew more astonishing.A normal 16 runs from 20 balls became brisk at 26 from 23. By the time it was 50 from 37, the frame of the usual had disappeared

‘Shellshocked’ Stokes urges England to move on from mauling in first Ashes Test

Ben Stokes has warned his England players not to wallow in the pain of losing to Australia inside two days. A hotly anticipated Ashes series got off to a catastrophic start in Perth and he said they must “feel it and get rid of it” if they are to have a chance of levelling the scores in Brisbane.The England captain said the tourists were “very confident in our ability to keep Australia to under 200 and win the game”, having set the home side a target of 205. Instead, they were marmalised by Travis Head, bumped up to open in place of the injured Usman Khawaja, who scored 123 off 83 balls to power his side to the verge of victory. It was a contribution the Australia captain, Steve Smith, described as “one of the great Ashes knocks”

Australia v England: Head blasts hosts to eight-wicket Ashes win in first Test inside two days – as it happened

Time to wrap things up on the second and final day of the first Test. The second and final day.Thanks for your company and emails on both days of a mind-blowing Test match. Goodbye!It is the UK that is living through a cold snap, but in balmy Perth they were playing in a snow globe. The scenery was static, solid, but everything else was constantly getting shaken up, bits flying in unpredictable directions