England looking for northern stronghold to relight Ashes fire after Wembley letdown

All change. In truth, something had to give following the nature of England’s performance at Wembley last weekend but as Shaun Wane’s side look to send the Ashes to a deciding Test in Leeds next Saturday, there are wholesale changes that the hosts hope will provoke a reaction both on and off the field.Wembley was underwhelming last weekend on multiple fronts. England limped to a fairly miserable 26-6 defeat, in which they showed little of what had been promised in the build-up to a first Ashes series in 22 years. But the atmosphere felt flat, in part due to what Wane’s men delivered, but also due to the fact the stadium wasn’t full

Ireland and All Blacks back in Chicago with memories of 2016 on the mind

It is back to where it started for Ireland. And by “it” we mean any kind of success against the All Blacks. With that, of course, comes credibility on the world stage, a status they still enjoy.On Saturday night, UK and Ireland time, afternoon in the United States, Ireland take on New Zealand at Soldier Field in Chicago. Before any considerations of team news and vibes, the words Ireland, New Zealand and Soldier Field will transport many a rugby fan back not quite nine years

Australia beat India by four wickets: second men’s Twenty20 international – as it happened

We’ll be back on Sunday to cover game three of the five-match T20 series. We would ordinarily expect India to bounce back anyway, but the absence of Josh Hazlewood for the rest of the series will be a reasonable leveller too.Here is the full report of Australia’s four-wicket victory over India in front of more than 82,000 fans at the MCG.Mitch Marsh continued his strong start to the summer with 46 runs that not only set up the successful chase but also would have boosted his hopes of a recall for the Ashes. The Australia skipper says all the right things while speaking on Fox Sports

Australia’s Harry Wilson rejects claims Wallabies use illegal breakdown tactics

Australia’s captain, Harry Wilson, dismissed accusations his team are guilty of illegal breakdown tactics on the eve of England’s meeting with the Wallabies at Twickenham on Saturday and suggested it was English “whingeing”.The England head coach, Steve Borthwick, reportedly raised the issue of Australian players frequently joining rucks from the side with the referee, Nika Amashukeli, in a pre-match meeting, according to the Daily Telegraph.Wilson, however, batted away claims of illegality and compromised player safety due to the alleged infringements while the England scrum coach, Tom Harrison, declined to confirm if the issue had been raised by the hosts.“Firstly I’d like to question how many of them are illegal,” Wilson said. “And to say they’re dangerous, they are definitely not

‘He’s a true legend’: what now for Frankie Dettori as racing’s biggest name leaves the stage?

It has been a giddy, glorious and occasionally bumpy ride, but this time, it seems, Frankie Dettori’s mind is made up. The most storied jockey of the past 40 years will effectively head into retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three chances to add a farewell Grade One winner to nearly 300 on his record already. Racing may not see a career quite like it again.Alongside Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck over the past half-century, “Frankie” registers with pretty much everyone, no surname required. People know who he is, even if they have no interest at all in what he does

My friend Pancho’s long life is a gift. Most racehorses never get that chance | Elizabeth Banicki

My beloved friend Pancho is an off-track thoroughbred who has been with me for 24 years. In his youth, in the early 2000s, he soldiered through a vigorous mid-level career on the competitive tracks of Southern California. At nearly 28 now his life is approaching its natural end. Our life together riding trails has been the purest gift. But his slow decline forces me to face the unsettling possibility of euthanasia