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The latest rugby news stories from Wales and beyond

Gael Monfils made history by becoming the oldest winner of an ATP Tour singles title with victory at the ASB Classic in Auckland.France’s Monfils beat Belgium’s Zizou Bergs 6-3 6-4 in the final to claim his 13th tour-level title.At 38 years and four months old, Monfils has become the oldest singles champion since the ATP Tour was formed in 1990.Swiss great Roger Federer previously held the record – he was 38 years and two months old when he won the Basel title in 2019.”It means a lot. Age is a number,” said Monfils.”But we keep working. I keep believing that…

Jan 11, 2025, 12:42 AM ETHONOLULU — Patrick Fishburn found some early momentum and Denny McCarthy overcame a sluggish start Friday, both winding up in the same spot — with a share of the lead in the Sony Open going into what figures to be a wide-open weekend at Waialae.Fishburn ran off three straight birdies on the back nine at the start of his round and chipped in for birdie on the fifth hole, closing with one last birdie for a 5-under 65.McCarthy missed a pair of relatively short par putts by his standards early in his round. Once he…

New Orleans Pelicans forward Herb Jones has been diagnosed with a posterior labrum tear in his right shoulder that will sideline him indefinitely, the club announced on Friday. New Orleans Pelicans’ Herb Jones missed 18 games earlier this season due to a similar injury in the same shoulder Jones underwent an MRI on Thursday after exiting Wednesday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. He also missed 18 games earlier this season because of an injury in the same shoulder before returning on Dec. 5 and starting 16 consecutive games. According to Basketball Reference, Jones has played in 20 of the…

Henry Cejudo is backing UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones in a potential fight against Tom Aspinall. UFC CEO Dana White guaranteed that Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) will fight interim champ Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in a title-unification bout in 2025. Jones notched his first title defense with a third-round TKO of Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, whereas Aspinall defended his interim title with a first-round TKO of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304. If the pair do end up fighting, Cejudo thinks Jones’ fight IQ will be too much for Aspinall. “Heavyweight, I’m going Jon Jones, bro,” Cejudo said on…

Duke Blue Devils vs. North Carolina Tar Heels January 10, 2025 Koury Natatorium, Chapel Hill, NC SCY (25 yards) Full Results on Meet Mobile: UNC vs Duke Watch on ACCNX Final Scores: Women: #15 UNC 178, #16 Duke 114 Men: #23 UNC 211.5, Duke 80.5 At their final home meet of the season, UNC hosted their in-state rivals, Duke, to honor their seniors. The #23 Tar Heel men won 11 events to defeat the Blue Devils for the 85th time in 90 scored meets all-time between the teams. Meanwhile, the top-20 showdown between the #15 UNC women and #16 Duke…

John Carter (CCACHExBodywrap) won the sprint for victory in the U23 men’s criterium at the AusCycling Road National Championships, after a stretched out group charged up the short finishing straight of the new course in Western Australia.Carter – who last year was third in the criterium and also came third in the time trial on Wednesday –  had time to celebrate in front of the home crowd as he charged across the line ahead of South Australian Leo Zimmerman in second and Brayden Bloch of New South Wales in third.The race had shifted from its long-term home of a hot…

Recruiting Aaron Fitt – January 10, 2025 Like everything else in college athletics, the recruiting landscape is shifting dramatically under our feet, as the advent of the transfer portal and NIL dollars prompt teams to overhaul their traditional approaches to roster construction. Coaches have had to adjust to a new world where freshmen need to be very special — or at least uncommonly advanced — to find the field early for power programs that have gotten much older. When there’s pressure to win now, coaches are more apt to plug holes with short-term solutions through the transfer portal, rather than…

This weekend, they will both wear 10 for their clubs, as usual, for tough fixtures in France, in the Investec Champions Cup. But early next month, Marcus Smith and Fin Smith are set to form a new double-act for England.Time will tell how long it lasts, but all the indications are that Steve Borthwick is preparing to build his England back line, at least temporarily, around Smith and Smith; not a sibling law firm but a playmaker partnership. Fin at 10 and Marcus at 15 – the position left vacant while George Furbank completes his recovery from a broken arm.…

Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol – a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass – during the Indian Wells tournament last year.He did not dispute traces of clostebol were found in his urine test and successfully argued that he had been inadvertently contaminated with the substance by his physiotherapist.The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), accepted there was “no fault or negligence” attached to Sinner and he had provided a “credible” explanation.Wada is not questioning the player’s explanation of why the substance ended up in his system, but believes the independent panel’s finding that Sinner held no fault…