Wales humbled by Argentina as Steve Tandy witnesses scale of task ahead

The start of a new Welsh rugby chapter left fans reading the same old story, Argentina claiming their biggest victory against the host side and consigning Wales to their 19th defeat in 20 Tests.Welsh supporters had hoped the team had turned a page in the summer after they ended their losing run with a win against Japan and had since given the reins to their new head coach, Steve Tandy. But it is clear there is still a lot of work to do to get this once formidable Wales side back to its glory days.Alongside their torrid form, discussions will be focused on the Wales centre Ben Thomas after he escaped a red card. Thomas was being held in a ruck and kicked a leg towards Pablo Matera’s head, for which he was shown a yellow card

US sports betting crisis grows as MLB’s Clase and Ortiz indicted over alleged rigged pitches

The betting crisis in US sports has spread further after Cleveland Guardians players Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted over an alleged scheme to rig pitches during games.Bettors on baseball can gamble on whether individual pitches will be balls or strikes. Prosecutors allege claim that Ortiz was paid $5,000 for throwing an intentional ball during a game on 15 June. His teammate Clase, a three-time All-Star, is alleged to have been given $5,000 for facilitating the rigged pitch, alongside gamblers in the players’ home country of the Dominican Republic. Prosecutors claim the pair did so again in a game on 27 June, receiving $7,000 each

Norris boosts title bid with F1 São Paulo GP win as Verstappen charges to third

Max Verstappen had declared disconsolately that his world championship hopes should be forgotten as he went into the São Paulo Grand Prix. Yet after another masterclass in Brazil he defied the odds in taking third from a 19th-place start in the pit lane. It was an extraordinary drive, even as Lando Norris delivered a perfect weekend with a win at Interlagos and in so doing staked a claim to having one hand on the title.Norris’s victory was without doubt that of a champion in waiting as he managed a tense and high‑pressure victory from pole position to extend his world championship lead over his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, who finished fifth. Norris gave a performance of precision and control exactly when it was required to put real daylight on his two title rivals

Jamie George warns England not to sit back in awe at New Zealand’s aura

Jamie George has warned that England must not be seduced by the All Blacks’ mystique if they are to clinch a first Twickenham win against New Zealand in 13 years on Saturday.Steve Borthwick has been boosted before the toughest assignment of England’s autumn campaign with the return to fitness of Elliot Daly, who could make his first appearance since fracturing an arm on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck have also been named in the 37-man squad.England will host the All Blacks after extending their winning run to nine matches with victory against Fiji, again romping clear in the final quarter, chalking up a 38-18 win. Their present form is in stark contrast to that of 12 months ago when England were mired in a run of six defeats in seven games, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by New Zealand – two on the 2024 summer tour before a 24‑22 defeat at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks at goal

Can Donald Trump really make an NFL team name its stadium after him?

That’s if a well-sourced report from ESPN is to be believed. The US president has apparently let it be known to the ownership group of the Washington Commanders that he wants the team’s new stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2030, to take his name. “It’s what the president wants, and it will probably happen,” a senior White House official told ESPN.Not quite. While the franchise was a dominant force in the 1980s, its last Super Bowl appearance came in the 1991 season

Carlos Alcaraz up and running at ATP Finals with win over Alex de Minaur

Carlos Alcaraz opened the ATP’s season-ending championships, and the battle for the year-end No 1 ranking, in ideal fashion as he confidently navigated a turbulent opening set before easing to a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win against the seventh seed, Alex de Minaur, in Turin.Alcaraz, the top seed, is attempting to win the ATP Finals for the first time and hold off Jannik Sinner to finish the season as the top-ranked player. Despite ceding significant ground to the Italian in recent weeks by losing to Cameron Norrie in his opening match at the Paris Masters, which Sinner won, Alcaraz still holds a clear advantage this week since the Italian is defending his title from last year. The Spaniard must win all three of his round-robin group stage matches or reach the final in order to secure the top ranking.Although this has been the best season of Alcaraz’s career, he still has much to prove on indoor hard courts where he has so far struggled to replicate his results on other surfaces