Surgery ends Feyi-Waboso’s hopes of playing for England in Six Nations

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has finally undergone shoulder surgery, leaving his hopes of being in contention for this summer’s British & Irish Lions tour of Australia in the balance and ruling him out of England’s entire Six Nations campaign.The 22-year-old sustained a dislocated shoulder in December and the confusion as to how best to treat the injury has dragged on for two months. He is one of 17 England players who were awarded enhanced contracts in October, which give Steve Borthwick the “final say” on all sports science matters.Initially, Exeter booked Feyi-Waboso for surgery before the Chiefs’ director of rugby, Rob Baxter, revealed the winger was still deliberating whether to forgo the operation and hope rehab could enable him to return for the business end of the Six Nations.When announcing his squad for the Six Nations on 14 January, Borthwick said Feyi-Waboso had decided to have surgery after all, only for it to emerge that he had opted against the operation and could feature in the Six Nations

Doubts raised over US travel system during 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics

The United States is unprepared for the burdens placed on its air travel system when the country hosts the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, according to a report released on Wednesday.The US Travel Association, a non-profit that represents the travel industry, commissioned a report written by former government officials and industry experts. The report raises concerns about visas, creaking infrastructure and poor security technology.The report says that the World Cup, Olympics and Paralympics, 2025 Ryder Cup and celebrations for the US’s 250th birthday could draw in an estimated 40 million visitors to the country.“We’re not ready to host the upcoming mega decade of events that will draw millions of domestic and international travelers

‘There is magic here’: Lewis Hamilton bullish on title challenge with Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton is convinced ­Ferrari will give him the chance to win his eighth world championship, descri­bing his “magic” new team as having everything in place to compete.Hamilton has been reinvigorated by his switch from Mercedes and he and his teammate Charles Leclerc drove their new challenger, the SF‑25, for the first time in a shakedown run at the team’s test track at Fiorano on Wednesday. Afterwards the British driver gave an unequivocal “yes” when asked if he believed he could secure a record eighth title with the Scuderia.“This team already has an insane legacy, they are not short in how many world championships they have won,” Hamilton said. “In their DNA they have that winning mentality but the competition is fierce

‘I’ll be OK,’ says Emma Raducanu after incident with ‘fixated’ man in Dubai

Emma Raducanu has insisted “I’ll be OK” after the behaviour of a male spectator caused the British tennis star to pause a match in tears and raised again the issue of security for female athletes.The 22-year-old spoke of the “difficult experience” she endured during her Dubai Tennis Championships match against Karolina Muchova on Tuesday night, when she was forced to alert officials mid-match to the presence of an individual in the stands who had accosted her earlier in the tournament.The British No 2 was had looked uncomfortable in losing the first two games in her match against the world No 17 and before the third game approached the umpire’s chair in tears.Following a discussion with the tournament director, security officials ejected the spectator before the match resumed. Raducanu slipped 4-0 behind before battling back to send the first set into a tie-break but eventually fell to a 7-6 (6), 6-4 defeat

Scotland’s dangermen Russell and Van der Merwe loom large for England

No one can say England have not been forewarned. Their recent record against Scotland – one win in their past seven Calcutta Cup encounters – has involved a range of painful indignities but two familiar themes stand out. Their names are Finn Russell and Duhan van der Merwe and, fitness permitting, the deadly duo will be back in harness in London on Saturday.If Russell has been the deft-fingered architect of many of Scotland’s best moments, Van der Merwe has been the breeze-block destroyer of English reputations in each of the last two years. Who can possibly forget his brace of tries at Twickenham two years ago or, indeed, his hat-trick in the same fixture at Murrayfield 12 months ago?Stitch those five scores together and, on their own, they form a highlights compilation any player would cherish

England hopeful over Champions Trophy fitness while NZ crush Pakistan in opener

England begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Australia in bustling Lahore on Saturday and, while recent results have set alarm bells ringing, there is growing optimism that a previously lengthy injury list is at least beginning to ease.So much so, in fact, that Jos Buttler, the captain, and Brendon McCullum, the head coach, may even be able to select from a fully fit squad for their Group B opener, with all 15 players taking part in their first training session at Pakistan’s National Academy on Wednesday.The outlook was far less positive last week and not just by virtue of the 3-0 hammering in India that served as their warm-up for the Champions Trophy. Ben Duckett (groin), Jofra Archer (hand), Jamie Smith (calf), Brydon Carse (toe) all picked up knocks on the trip, while Jacob Bethell’s winter ended prematurely after a hamstring injury.But three days out from their opener against Australia at the recently refurbished Gaddafi Stadium – and with Bethell already replaced by Tom Banton – only Carse appeared touch-and-go