‘Phenomenal’ Zoe Aldcroft named England women’s rugby union captain

Zoe Aldcroft has been installed as England women’s captain for 2025, taking over from Marlie Packer, and is set to lead John Mitchell’s side into the World Cup this year.Aldcroft, who was named World Rugby’s women’s player of the year in 2021, has undertaken the role on a number of previous occasions including the emphatic victories over Scotland and Wales in the 2024 Six Nations but has been appointed on a permanent basis. The Gloucester-Hartpury forward will be supported by Packer and Megan Jones, who have been named as vice-captains.“Zoe is a phenomenal rugby player who consistently performs to a high standard in the [Premiership] and at international level,” said Mitchell. “She leads by example through her world-class actions, on and off the field, and is an integral member of our leadership group

Money or the starter’s gun? AFL and NRL riches remain a lure for Olympic hopefuls | Nicole Jeffery

The teenage sprint prodigy Gout Gout has taken the headlines but Australia had an equally promising and even younger prospect at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima last year. A Sydney schoolboy was the youngest medallist at the event, just 15 when he leaped a personal best of 7.80m to win the bronze medal in the long jump, beating boys up to three years older than him.But there is no guarantee Mason McGroder will still be competing in athletics when Brisbane 2032 rolls around. The talented youngster is also in the Sydney Swans Academy and could pursue a career in the AFL

The wrong trousers: how sporting dress codes can create an image problem | Emma John

Wallace and Gromit is a festive TV staple in many a household – but it wasn’t their wrong trousers that scooped the post-Christmas headlines. That honour belonged to Magnus Carlsen, disqualified from a chess tournament in New York for wearing jeans.The world No 1 – who also happens to be the only current chess player most people can name – had balked when he was told to change his attire before his ninth-round match at the World Rapid and Blitz Championships. Walking out of the event, Carlsen shrugged that he would “probably head off to somewhere where the weather is a bit nicer”. Instead, he returned three days later after the governing body, Fide, had agreed a more “flexible approach” to its dress code

Murray ready to be on the end of any Djokovic outbursts at Australian Open

Andy Murray says he would be absolutely fine with receiving any angry outbursts of emotion or venting on-court from Novak Djokovic, his new coaching charge, as the two former longtime rivals prepare for their first tournament together on the same team at the Australian Open.“Of course, I’ve thought about it,” Murray said in Melbourne on Thursday. “I would think that I’d be one of the people that would maybe hopefully understand that side of things. I know it’s not easy out there, and it’s stressful, and at times he’s going to want to vent towards his team and his box. Provided that he’s giving his best effort and trying as hard as he can, I’m absolutely fine with him expressing himself how he wants

NFL playoff predictions: will anyone thwart the Chiefs’ three-peat bid?

The postseason kicks off on Saturday. Our writers pick the dark horses, players to watch and make their tips for the NFL’s championship gameCincinnati Bengals. This is the obvious answer, as it’s a bummer when the team with one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks (Joe Burrow), the receiving triple crown winner (Ja’Marr Chase) and the NFL’s sack leader (Trey Hendrickson) are on the outside looking in. Plus, it would be fun to watch opposing offenses torch the Bengals’ iffy defense. As it is, we’ll have to wait until next season to know whether a defensive overhaul (including the firing of defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo) will bear any dividends

Australian Open draw: Emma Raducanu on early collision course with Swiatek

Emma Raducanu will hope to start the new tennis season strongly as she faces Ekaterina Alexandrova, the 26th seed, in a challenging but winnable first-round match at the Australian Open after being unable to compete in the opening week of the season due to a back injury.Since travelling to Melbourne, Raducanu has trained normally on the tournament grounds and has looked in good shape during her public training sessions. On Tuesday, Raducanu competed against the 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in a practice set on Rod Laver Arena, which she won.Raducanu has been drawn into Iga Swiatek’s section of the singles draw and the pair could face each other in the third round. Swiatek, the No 2 seed, will begin her tournament against the doubles No 1, Katerina Siniakova