Six Nations: Scotland are favourites, says England coach Jones

England coach Eddie Jones says Scotland will start as favourites when the two sides meet at Murrayfield in next week's Six Nations opening round.

Scotland's World Cup performances and the fact they have a settled side give them the advantage, according to Jones.
"We've only had six training sessions together so there is an enormous pressure on Scotland to perform and not so much on us," he said.
"The bookies might have us as favourites but Scotland have to be."
Scotland have lost their last seven Six Nations games.
Their only win in their last 12 championship games was a 21-20 win over Italy in Rome in February 2014.
They have not beaten England, runners-up for the last four years, since 2008.
The sides meet for the Calcutta Cup on Saturday, 6 February (16:50 GMT).
Scotland, coached by Vern Cotter, reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup, losing narrowly to Australia, while hosts England surprisingly bowed out in the group stages.
England's displays ultimately cost Stuart Lancaster his job and led to former Australia and Japan coach Jones taking over.

Kevin Durant's season-high 44 lead Thunder past Knicks in OT

The ascendancy of Stephen Curry over the past two seasons has somewhat obscured the continued scoring excellence of Kevin Durant, at least insofar as an All-Star starter and recent MVP can lack attention. Yet Durant has bounced back from his 2014-15 foot surgeries and reached his usually fine form. He entered Tuesday's game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden averaging 26.6 ppg on 50.7 percent shooting, which would rank as his third-best mark from the field for his career.

However, what Durant did not come to NYC boasting many big scoring nights in 2015-16. He changed that with a season-high 44 points vs. the Knicks, going 12-of-26 from the field and 16-of-18 from the line. Those points mattered, too — a mid-range jumper with 16 seconds remaining in regulation forced overtime and four free throws in the final 24 seconds of OT helped cinch OKC's 128-122 win.

The new season-best is just Durant's second game of more than 34 points this season, joining the 43 he put up against the Orlando Magic in double overtime way back on October 30. That's a low total for someone who scored at least 35 in three of his 27 games last season, which was itself well off the absurd pace of 27 such games he had in his MVP campaign of 2013-14.

However, it's hard to watch Durant from game to game without thinking that he could put up those kinds of gaudy single-game numbers if he chose. While the Thunder still rely on Durant and Russell Westbrook (30 points on 13-of-24 FG) for scoring well above all other players on the roster, the latter's development from mere All-Star to genuine co-leading superstar and the team's push to become more balanced has changed their offensive calculus. The fact that Durant hasn't been especially explosive could be part of the design. He's been good enough that no one has any reason to worry.

That's not to say the Thunder are without problems. Though a solid ninth in points allowed per possession, Oklahoma City occasionally struggles to contain the opponent and does not necessarily register as a championship-level defensive squad. Tuesday's game displayed some of their problems as the Knicks had five players score at least 15 points with Carmelo Anthony resting due to left knee soreness. New York shot 11-of-23 from three-point range and turned it over only nine times over the 53 minutes.

Royal Rumble 2016 results: Triple H beats Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, becomes WWE World Heavyweight Champion

The Game is the champ for the first time in seven years.

The new WWE World Heavyweight Champion is Triple H, who's captured a world-level title for the 14th time in his career. He was the final entrant in the Royal Rumble, which was all about his Authority faction trying to get the title off of Roman Reigns.

This was the first time in history that the WWE World Heavyweight Championship was defended in the Royal Rumble. The one other time that it was up for grabs in this match was in 1992, when Ric Flair won the vacant title in one of the greatest matches of all time.

Order of entry

1. Roman Reigns (eliminated by Triple H)
2. Rusev (eliminated by Roman Reigns)
3. AJ Styles (eliminated by Kevin Owens)
4. Tyler Breeze (eliminated by Roman Reigns and AJ Styles)
5. Curtis Axel (eliminated by Styles)
6. Chris Jericho (eliminated by Dean Ambrose)
7. Kane (eliminated by Braun Strowman)
8. Goldust (eliminated by Titus O'Neil)
9. Ryback (eliminated by Big Show)
10. Kofi Kingston (eliminated by Chris Jericho)
11. Titus O'Neil (eliminated by Big Show)
12. R-Truth (eliminated by Kane)
13. Luke Harper (eliminated by Brock Lesnar)
14. Stardust (eliminated by Luke Harper)
15. Big Show (eliminated by Braun Strowman)
16. Neville (eliminated by Luke Harper)
17. Braun Strowman (eliminated by Brock Lesnar)
18. Kevin Owens (eliminated by Sami Zayn)
19. Dean Ambrose (eliminated by Triple H)
20. Sami Zayn (eliminated by Braun Strowman)
21. Erick Rowan (eliminated by Brock Lesnar)
22. Mark Henry (eliminated by Braun Strowman)
23. Brock Lesnar (eliminated by Bray Wyatt)
24. Jack Swagger (eliminated by Brock Lesnar)
25. The Miz (eliminated by Roman Reigns)
26. Alberto del Rio (eliminated by Roman Reigns)
27. Bray Wyatt (eliminated by Triple H)
28. Dolph Ziggler (eliminated by Triple H)

29. Sheamus (eliminated by Dean Ambrose)

30. Triple H (champion).

Six Nations 2016: Ireland are favourites - Wales' Gatland

    

Warren Gatland believes title holders Ireland go into their Six Nations defence as tournament favourites.

 

Wales and Ireland meet in Dublin in their opening game on Sunday, 7 February, with Joe Schmidt's side eyeing a hat-trick of European crowns.

"They would like to go in with people writing them off, even though they have won the championship for the last two years," said the Wales coach.

"They have to go in as favourites. You write an Irish team off at your peril."

He added: "We go into this tournament respecting them immensely, and particularly what they have achieved under Joe Schmidt over the last two seasons.

"I think they are favourites for the tournament, given the experience they have at knowing how to win, particularly under pressure." 

 

Monday's gossip column: Costa, Debuchy, Mahrez, Yarmolenko

For a list of all the latest deals, check out the transfers page.




Southampton have rejected an £8m offer from Liverpool for their 29-year-old Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal right-back Mathieu Debuchy says he regrets moving to the club and plans to leave this transfer window. (L'Equipe - in French, subscription required)

Debuchy says he has already spoken to Aston Villa manager Remi Garde about a potential move to Villa Park.

 


 Arsenal have appointed the Leicester scout who helped the club sign players such as Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kante. (Daily Telegraph)

Atletico Madrid want to bring Chelsea striker Diego Costa back to the club. The 26-year-old Spain international left Atletico for Stamford Bridge for £32m in July 2014.

Costa's bruised shin, sustained against Everton on Saturday, may prompt Chelsea to speed up a move for Corinthians forward Alexandre Pato, 26.

Newcastle have been offered the chance to sign former AC Milan playmaker Pato and Swansea's 30-year-old French forward Bafetimbi Gomis, 30.

Gomis is unlikely to join Newcastle because Swansea do not want to sell to a relegation rival. (South Wales Evening Post)

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink says that, if it were down to him, he would give a new contract to captain John Terry, 35.

Terry, meanwhile, is confident he will earn a one-year contract to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge beyond the end of the season.

Tottenham plan to step up their pursuit of Fulham's 19-year-old striker Moussa Dembele, but Whites boss Slavisa Jokanovic is unwilling to sell.

Former Chelsea and Arsenal left-back Ashley Cole, 35, has agreed a deal to join MLS club LA Galaxy from Roma.

FC Porto are not planning to sell forward Yacine Brahimi to Crystal Palace. Reports had linked the 25-year-old Algeria forward with the Premier League club.

Leicester City have agreed a £5m deal with FC Copenhagen for their 21-year-old defensive midfielder Daniel Amartey.

Leeds United's 22-year-old full-back Sam Byram has passed a medical at Goodison Park and will be presented as an Everton player on Monday.

Tennis match fixing: Evidence of suspected match-fixing revealed

Secret files exposing evidence of widespread suspected match-fixing at the top level of world tennis, including at Wimbledon, can be revealed by the BBC and BuzzFeed News.

 

Over the last decade, 16 players who have ranked in the top 50 have been repeatedly flagged to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) over suspicions they have thrown matches.

All of the players, including winners of Grand Slam titles, were allowed to continue competing.

The TIU- which was set up to police the sport - said it had a zero-tolerance approach to betting-related corruption.

Chris Kermode, who heads the body that governs world tennis, rejected claims evidence of match-fixing had "been suppressed for any reason or isn't being thoroughly investigated".

But he added: "While the BBC and BuzzFeed reports mainly refer to events from about 10 years ago, we will investigate any new information."

The cache of documents passed to the BBC and Buzzfeed News include the findings of an investigation set up in 2007 by the Association of Tennis Professionals, the organisation Kermode heads .

 

Louis van Gaal: Man Utd boss in market for January signings

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal wants to "improve" his squad in the January transfer window - but admits it is not the "ideal time to do business".

Van Gaal  United are fifth in the Premier League and their victory over Swansea last week ended an eight-game winless run.
They face Sheffield United in the FA Cup on Saturday (17:30 GMT).
In the programme for that match, Van Gaal writes he would strengthen "if the opportunity does arise" and he and his coaches feel "something can be done".



But he adds: "I don't see January as the ideal time to do business."
Van Gaal, 64, is contracted to United until the end of the 2016-17 season but his position came under scrutiny as his side slipped down the table and went out of the Champions League.
The Dutchman's possession-based approach has been criticised by fans, former players and the media.  
Van Gaal

The Red Devils have had seven goalless draws so far this season, six of them at home.

FA Cup: Video assistance for referees backed by football bosses

Next season's FA Cup and Scottish Cup could feature video assistance for referees after football bosses backed recommendations to introduce trials.

The International Football Association Board, which makes the game's laws, wants experiments to take place and will make a final decision in March.

Football Association chief Martin Glenn said: "I'm happy to be part of that. We are supporters and control the FA Cup."

Scottish FA chief Stewart Regan said: "It's something I'd like to see."

Regan added that his organisation "would certainly discuss" the trials and said any move to involve the Scottish Professional Football League would have to be discussed with league organisers.

The trials would be limited to decisions on goals, red cards, penalties and cases of mistaken identity.

Video would only be used when the referee asked for assistance or when the video assistant was allowed to flag up errors.

Video decisions would be time limited and, unlike rugby, would not be replayed on big screens inside stadiums.

If the trials are successful, video assistants could come in for the 2018-19 season but not in time for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

"This is a great move. The fact people are willing to give it a go," former referee Dermot Gallagher told BBC Radio 5 live.

"We want it to supplement the referees and not replace them. We want it on key decisions - goals, penalties and mistaken identity."

Premiership: Worcester 20-24 Harlequins

Harlequins earned a 15th straight league win over Worcester despite a spirited comeback from Warriors.

Charlie Walker danced through to give Quins an early lead at Sixways before Luke Wallace bundled over as the visitors led 17-3 at half-time.

Walker added his second try following Danny Care's fine kick along the turf.

Worcester earned a bonus point through Marco Mama's score, a penalty try and Phil Dowson's try but were unable to overturn a 21-point deficit.

There was little sign of what was to come from Warriors in the final 30 minutes when Walker's converted try put Harlequins 24-3 in front shortly after the break.

As the visitors started to lose their discipline in the muddy conditions, Warriors' pack began to dominate and ran in 17 unanswered points.

But with just over 10 minutes left for the hosts to find another try, Quins' defence held firm to move up to third in the Premiership table.

Worcester have not beaten Harlequins since a 15-9 victory at the Stoop in February 2005 and their task was made even more difficult when wing Walker exchanged passes with Ross Chisholm to score after just three minutes.


George Lowe was sent to the sin-bin for Quins for coming in at the side of the ruck, but Warriors were only able to add a Tom Heathcote penalty with their man advantage.

Flanker Wallace extended the lead following a big drive from the line-out which Nick Evans converted to take him past 1,500 points in the Premiership.

Harlequins continued their dominance after the break as Walker did well to pick up Care's clever grubber kick and touch down before Mama was driven over for Warriors.

However, as lack of discipline began to creep into Quins' game, Jamie Roberts was shown a yellow card, leading to a penalty try which Ryan Mills converted to reduce the arrears to just nine points.


Worcester captain Dowson crossed in the corner to set up a fascinating finale, but it proved to be the final score of a thrilling match.



Worcester director of rugby Dean Ryan:

"I'm really disappointed, I'm sick of being described as plucky losers as we have to change that tag and I'm fed up of being close.

"Our kicking was woeful in the first half, we were trying to thread the ball through the eye of a needle and the first 40 minutes just wasn't good enough.

"We haven't got the experience of a Nick Evans or a Danny Care, who moved us around with some pin-point kicking and Care's kick to create their third try was outstanding."

Harlequins director of rugby Conor O'Shea:

"For the first 45 or 50 minutes we were outstanding, we were disciplined and clinical and were still trying to play rugby in the difficult conditions.

"If we could play like that for the whole 80 minutes we would be some side. Then we got on the wrong end of the referee but it's a precious win as you have to be 10 points better than the opposition to win away from home.


"I couldn't see how Jamie Roberts could be sin-binned but credit to Worcester for sticking at it and to us for closing the game out."

Premiership: Northampton 8-3 Exeter

It was Exeter's first defeat in the Premiership since their loss

to Bath on 17 October

Exeter missed out on the chance to go top of the Premiership after an error-filled encounter against Northampton.

The only try of the game came when Saints' hooker Mike Haywood went over from a driving maul after 17 minutes.

JJ Hanrahan kicked a penalty to give Northampton an 8-0 lead going into the break at Franklin's Gardens.

Exeter failed to take a number of chances in the Saints 22 after half-time and only got on the scoresheet with Gareth Steenson's late penalty.

Exeter remain in second place behind Saracens after getting a losing bonus point, while Saints stay fifth.

Low-scoring Saints and Chiefs
Exeter equalled their record low for points in a Premiership match - the last time they scored just one penalty was in a 33-3 loss at Northampton in October 2011
Chiefs had scored 215 points in their previous seven Premiership games - an average of just under 31 a game
Northampton's try was just their 11th of the season in the Premiership - five of which came in their 42-16 win over Newcastle in October

In an ugly encounter in front of a modern-day record crowd of 15,430, Saints defence did well to stifle Exeter, stopping the previously free-flowing Chiefs from getting much ball, especially in the first half.

Haywood crossed for the only try after Jamie Gibson gathered a line-out close to the Exeter try-line and the front-rower was forced over with the help of his team-mates.

click here for full story

Hanrahan hit the post with the conversion but found his mark nine minutes from half-time as Northampton's dominance in the scrum led to a penalty.

Hanrahan missed a chance to extend the lead just after the break and while Exeter had more ball, Saints doggedly forced turnovers every time Chiefs went close.

Steenson kicked a 74th-minute penalty for their only score of the game after winning a penalty at the breakdown, but it proved to be the final action of a dour game.