6 h. ago French sees off Leigh to put Wigan in Grand Final after week of acrimony

Super League playoff semi-final: Wigan 18-6 LeighWigan grateful to Jai Field’s amazing second-half tackleIt was a week which began with unexpected controversy and the prospect of this game not even taking place. But in the end, there was an all too familiar outcome to a bristling derby as the reigning Super League champions moved to a place in the Grand Final and the verge of yet more history.Wigan Warriors’ stunned the rugby league world on Wednesday morning with a statement alleging that Leigh Leopards’ owner, Derek Beaumont, wanted to withdraw from this game in a row over ticket allocations, merely adding an extra layer of intrigue to the playoff semi-final. Continue reading...

Politics

14 h. ago Jack Draper set new injury return timeline as 'very confident' admission made

Jack Draper has been out of action since September after announcing he would be taking time away from the court to deal with an arm injury but is set to return to action before the end of the year

Events

19 h. ago London tennis favourite Jack Draper to return to UTS London Grand Final

London tennis favourite Jack Draper to return to UTS London Grand Final  Newham Recorder

Events

66 h. ago Jannik Sinner clinches first title since Wimbledon with China Open triumph

Italian swats aside American Learner Tien 6-2, 6-224-year-old’s first title on the regular tour this seasonJannik Sinner continued to piece together one of the greatest seasons of his career as he clinched his 21st career title at the China Open with a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 victory over Learner Tien.Sinner’s victory marks his third title of 2025 after winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon earlier this year. The Italian’s record now stands at 42-5 (89%) this year and he has reached the final in seven of eight tournaments, including all four grand slams. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Beauty queens hurt as Miss England finalists endure Royal Marines

The demanding workout included shuttle-runs, press-ups and squats as the girls completed to grab a top 12 place in the grand final of the beauty pageant

Politics

4 d. ago The Broncos ended one dynasty but must beat the NRL’s benchmark to return to glory | Nick Tedeschi

While Melbourne Storm have a legacy like few others, Brisbane were once rugby league royalty too. The stage is set for a huge grand finalIn the long and storied history of top tier rugby league in Australia, perhaps the least recognised period of greatness is the Melbourne Storm’s two-decade run at the top of the heavily equalised competition.While Penrith’s history-making feats receive plenty of deserved attention, the sustained success of the Storm under Craig Bellamy is often taken for granted, so ingrained and expected has it become. Melbourne have not reached the same highs as Penrith’s four straight titles, and their smaller profile as a Victorian club has made it harder to get their credentials noticed, but there is no doubt the Storm is one of rugby league’s great dynasties, having consistently played in grand finals for two decades under the same man. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Penrith’s long NRL reign is over. Even as a Panthers fan, I feel a little relieved | Barnaby Smith

The success was dazzling but it became almost awkward. We can now celebrate the achievements and see another team lift the trophyAnd so it is over. Rome has fallen.A total of 1,457 days after they beat South Sydney Rabbitohs in the 2021 grand final, the Penrith Panthers’ reign as NRL premiers has come to an end. With a 16-14 defeat to the Brisbane Broncos, one of the most spectacular runs in recent Australian sport has finally unravelled. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago The Lions stepped up when it mattered most, like they always do. Now a dynasty beckons | Jonathan Horn

In August their season was dangling, and on grand final day they were meant to be the banged-up ones. Then they went into hyperdriveThis time last year, Dayne Zorko collapsed to the ground like Sergeant Elias in Platoon. Twenty minutes later he was in the rooms, firing out XXXX cans from the esky, like Greg Williams from the bottom of a pack. By that point Chris Fagan had already been in his players’ ears – be humble, stay fit, don’t come back heavy the way Hawthorn did in 2008, and don’t squander the opportunity to build on this success.As Brisbane basks in their back-to-back premiership, it’s worth reflecting on a hinge moment early in the 2024 season. The Lions were 13th, had won two from seven, and had just been smacked by GWS in Canberra. Weighed down by the ongoing Hawthorn racism allegations, Fagan was having health problems and had asked the club for several weeks off. Against Gold Coast in round eight, they lost Brandon Starcevich in the warm-up. Lincoln McCarthy, a popular...

Politics

6 d. ago Axed MasterChef host John Torode declares his love for wife Lisa Faulkner in home video hours before series final

AXED MasterChef host John Torode declared his love for wife Lisa Faulkner in a sweet home video - just hours before the show’s grand final. Lisa shared a clip of John whipping up a meal in their home kitchen, with the pair declaring their love for each other. John was cooking in casual attire with...

Culture

6 d. ago Jake Connor on the calendar clash that would mean he does the job for Leeds

JAKE Connor hopes to be furious at a calendar clash that would see him miss a huge day out. For that means Leeds will be one match from the Grand Final. The Rhinos’ talisman is also a coach at National Conference League side Siddal, who have reached their Grand Final next Saturday. Just one problem....

Politics

7 d. ago Eddy Current Suppression Ring’s electrifying return proves they never really went away

Fifteen years after their last headline show in Melbourne, the cult favourites played a packed out Federation Square on Friday – and demonstrated the definition of timeless It’s Saturday night in August and I’m standing in a packed bandroom at Singing Bird Studios in Frankston, waiting for the return of Eddy Current Suppression Ring. It’s been a long wait. Apart from a couple of festival appearances in 2016, the beloved garage rock band’s last proper headline show was 2010.But earlier this year, smoke signals: a secret set in a Prahran skate shop. A surprise single, Swimming Hole, and a new EP. A one-off at Melbourne’s The Night Cat that instantly sold out. Then the announcement of a free all-ages show at Federation Square on grand final eve, flanked by a couple of small gigs in Anglesea and Frankston. The chat groups go into overdrive. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago BBC MasterChef viewers complain minutes into final of Gregg Wallace's last

MasterChef viewers were left fuming just minutes into the grand final after branding the episode total "nonsense"

Politics

7 d. ago AFL grand final fatigue? Not for Cats fans desperate for Geelong to get their dues | Geoff Lemon

Geelong followers’ sustained hunger for success is really about wanting a club that has been this good for this long to get its adequate rewardAll your questions answered in our guide to the AFL grand finalIn the week leading up to the AFL grand final, official footy media has been united in polite admiration. Geelong may not be the finalist that most excites the narrative, but there is mutually agreed praise for the fact that they are here again, contending again, another year defying the AFL cycle driven by salary caps and draft picks that sifts teams down to the bottom half of the competition after a season or five near the top. Deeper into the crevices of the internet, politeness fades, with diehards of other footy allegiance more likely to say that they are sick of the bloody Cats who should piss off and give someone else a turn.On pure statistics, this is fair. As a fully disclosed Geelong person claiming no objectivity while anxious for another win, I might be accused of glut...

Sport

7 d. ago AFL 2025 grand final: where the Geelong v Brisbane decider will be won and lost | Martin Pegan

The Lions can draw on their kicking strength, while the Cats have the edge in midfield – but can the perennial contenders upset the reigning premiers?All your questions answered in our guide to the AFL grand finalGeelong v Brisbane is the AFL grand final we had to have. The pair of modern-day powerhouses have two of the past three premierships, and are the only sides to win more than two-thirds of their games over the past six seasons.They have already met in four finals in that stretch. Now, finally, they come together in the game that matters most. The 2025 grand final will be the first time in their 126 seasons that the Cats and Lions clash in a VFL/AFL decider. The winner at the MCG on Saturday will become the first club to claim two premierships this decade, as well as the first to secure five flags since the turn of the century. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Jack Draper will make his return to competition at the UTS London Grand Final

Jack Draper will make his return to competition at the UTS London Grand Final  Ultimate Tennis Showdown

Sport

8 d. ago Timed to perfection: Patrick Dangerfield can cement legacy and power Cats to AFL grand final glory | Jonathan Horn

Geelong’s success has made it easier to manage the veteran in his final years and they can now reap the rewards at an opportune momentAll your questions answered in our ultimate guide to the AFL grand finalPatrick Dangerfield hit last week’s preliminary final like a typhoon. Early in the game, as distress signals flared up all over the field, he’d shown enough to suggest that he was sharp and engaged – a slips catch that ended in a Shannon Neale goal and a smother on Jack Ginnivan, just when Hawthorn had all the momentum.But with a couple of minutes to go in the first half, he adopted an interventional approach. When play resumed, he was thrown into the middle and Hawthorn copped the full brunt. Any shred of malice or anger he possesses was directed at a bobbling ball. He’d see the footy, stick his bum out, put his head down and steamroll anyone in his path. I’ve never seen a footballer better at scrambling on his hands and knees, and at generating power and momentum from that posit...

Politics

8 d. ago From NYC to Hong Kong: AFL grand final goes global with watch parties around the world | Jack Snape

While the growth of football outside Australia remains a work in progress, that won’t stop international fans getting together for one day in SeptemberAll your questions answered in our ultimate guide to the AFL grand finalSaturday’s AFL grand final at the MCG will attract a crowd more than 30,000 fans larger than that of the next Super Bowl. It will be preceded by a public holiday for the prematch parade – one of the few days off around the world dedicated to sport. And it will be headlined by Snoop Dogg, one of earth’s pre-eminent musical performers.By these measures, the grand final can stand alongside any event in world sport. But while there may be more than 50 watch parties for this weekend’s match scheduled across the globe, including five in China and six in Germany, the sport’s international growth remains a work in progress. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Brisbane blow away Collingwood to roar into AFL grand final against Geelong

Lions defeat Magpies 15.10 (100) to 11.5 (71) in preliminary final at MCGMcCluggage stars with 37 disposals to lead second-half fightbackDuring finals sign up for our free weekly AFL newsletterReigning premiers Brisbane will meet Geelong in next Saturday’s AFL grand final after blowing away Collingwood in the last quarter of their preliminary final.Lachie Neale watch will now be a key feature of grand final week after the Lions kicked away in the last quarter on Saturday at the MCG and won 15.10 (100) to 11.5 (71) before a crowd of 96,033.During finals sign up for our free weekly AFL newsletter Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Lando Norris fastest in final practice ahead of Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton, fastest on Friday, was fourth for Ferrari.

Sport

2 w. ago Vuelta chaos shows selling sport as a tool for peace can create its own battlefield | Jonathan Liew

Once teams promote a country, are owned by states or have to reflect government policy, sport becomes a playground for powerHigh fives all round at Hamas high command. The triumphant clink of Gaza Cola tins pings across the bunker. It’s been a tough week for the lads, what with five of their members being killed in the Doha airstrike, but you’ve got to celebrate the little victories, yeah? And as they use what remains of their fragile satellite internet connection to refresh the Cyclingnews live blog for the final time, the Hamas Grand Tour Disruption Division (Vuelta Branch) can toast an operation executed to perfection: the successful mobilisation of more than 100,000 members of the Madrid battalion to force the curtailment of stage 21 of the Tour of Spain.“They asked us to quit the Vuelta, but we did not surrender to the terrorists,” said Sylvan Adams, co‑owner of the Israel-Premier Tech team targeted by mass protests that disrupted several stages. O...

Events