RugbyX will see the introduction of rugby's version of the 'Super Over', with drawn matches decided by a revolutionary one-on-one contest.

In the event of a draw, a single attacker from one team will try and score past a single defender from the other.

The 'one-on-one' has been included as part of the full laws of RugbyX, which have now been confirmed by World Rugby.

Rugby's newest version launches at the 02 Arena on 29 October.

England, Ireland and the Barbarians are among the teams involved at the debut tournament, which involves both men and women's teams.

Dubbed 'Rugby's Twenty20', RugbyX is a five-a-side version of the game, is full contact and played on a half-sized pitch.

Halves will be 10 minutes each, with no break in between.

Kicking is allowed, but kicks must not exceed 10 metres in height, with the distance monitored by ball tracking technology.

Among the other confirmed laws:

"The RugbyX laws have been developed with the objective of encouraging simple, fast and skilful gameplay with minimal stoppages, whilst retaining the core fundamentals of the game we love," said RugbyX Technical Director Ben Ryan.

Former England winger Ugo Monye, co-host of the Rugby Union Weekly podcast, believes the 'one on one' is a dramatic and revolutionary way of deciding a game.

The attacker will start with the ball 30 metres from the line, while the defender will begin 5 metres out, with a 10 second time limit.

"As a defender it's a nightmare, but as an attacker the pressure is on you to score," he said. "I would love to see someone like [Springbok wing] Cheslin Kolbe doing it.

"For me, RugbyX is a simplified and condensed version which cherry-picks the best bits of what rugby is."

CONCORD, N.C. – Colby Howard will make his return to the ARCA Menards Series at Salem Speedway on Saturday.

In just three career ARCA starts, Howard has earned three top-10 finishes, with an average finish of 9.0 heading into the weekend.

The high banked Indiana short track was the site of Howard’s ARCA Menards Series debut in 2018, where he started and finished in eighth.

This time around, the 18-year-old plans on bettering his results with Win-Tron Racing in the No. 32 Project Hope/Yurpal, Inc. Chevrolet.

“I am really looking forward to returning to Salem,” said Howard. “We had a good run in the test on Tuesday, and should have had a Top 5 finish in last year’s race until I made a mistake on pit road. This time around, it should be better, because our car is really solid on old tires, which is critical on Salem’s worn out surface.”

Earlier this season, Howard debuted for team owner Kevin Cywinski and crew chief Jamie Jones at Iowa Speedway. The No. 32 team finished 10th at Iowa, and plans  on bringing the same racecar to Salem.

GLENDORA, Calif. – NHRA officials released the 2020 schedule for the Pro Stock category of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series on Monday afternoon.

Pro Stock teams will compete at 18 of the 24 events on the series.

Throughout the year, NHRA will celebrate the 50th anniversary of this exciting and competitive class.

Pro Stock returns to several venues in 2020, including the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals in Houston; the NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta; and the Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals in Topeka, Kan.

Additionally, fans in Bristol, Tenn. and Epping, N.H. will see Pro Stock in action at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals and the NHRA New England Nationals.

Also of note, Pro Stock will compete in five events in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship. Points will be adjusted accordingly.

NHRA’s two nitro categories – Funny Car and Top Fuel – will participate at all 24 national events in the 2020 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

2020 NHRA Pro Stock Schedule

NHRA Mello Yello Series Pro Stock Regular Season

Feb. 6-9 – Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals, Pomona, Calif.
Feb. 21-23 – Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Arizona Nationals, Phoenix
March 12-15 – AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, Gainesville, Fla.
April 3-5 – DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Las Vegas
April 17-19 – Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals, Houston
May 15-17 – NHRA Southern Nationals, Atlanta
June 12-14 – Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals, Topeka, Kan.
June 19-21 – NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol, Tenn.
June 25-28 – Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Norwalk, Ohio
July 24-26 – NHRA Sonoma Nationals, Sonoma, Calif.
July 31-Aug.2 – Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Northwest Nationals, Seattle
Aug. 21-23 – NHRA New England Nationals, Epping, N.H.
Sept. 2-7 – NHRA U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis

NHRA Mello Yello Countdown To The Championship

Sept. 17-20 – Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals, Reading, Pa.
Sept. 25-27 – NHRA Carolina Nationals, Charlotte
Oct. 15-18 – AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals, Dallas
Oct. 29-Nov. 1 – Dodge NHRA Nationals, Las Vegas
Nov. 12-15 – Auto Club NHRA Finals, Pomona, Calif.

TOLEDO, Ohio – Herr Foods, Track Enterprises and the Automobile Racing Club of America have announced that Herr’s will sponsor the ARCA Menards Series visit to Lucas Oil Raceway.

The Herr’s Potato Chips 200 is scheduled for Saturday night, Oct. 5 at 8:00 p.m. CT.

ARCA practice and General Tire Pole Qualifying will precede the 200-lap feature event, which is scheduled for live broadcast coverage on MAVTV.

There will also be a compete Thunder Roadsters program on the night’s racing card.

“We continue to benefit from the exposure ARCA provides us as we grow the Herr’s brand nationwide,” said Bob Clark, VP of Marketing at Herr Foods, Inc.

The Herr’s 200 will be the championship event for the Sioux Chief Short Track Challenge, ARCA’s championship within a championship contested at tracks one mile in length or less.

After nine of eleven events, Michael Self leads Bret Holmes by 140 points, with only races at Indiana’s Salem Speedway and the Herr’s Potato Chips 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway yet to be contested.

The Lucas Oil event will also be the second-to-last race of the season for the ARCA Menards Series, with the season finale set for Oct. 18 at Kansas Speedway.

INDIANAPOLIS – As Kevin Harvick was celebrating his second Big Machine Vodka 400 victory Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the famed Yard of Bricks, team owner Tony Stewart stood under the flagstand taking in the moment.

Stewart knows the feeling of winning at the Brickyard as a driver in 2005 and 2007. Sunday’s win was also his second as a team owner, with Ryan Newman earning him his first triumph as a team owner in 2013.

Stewart is able to compare the unique feeling to winning it as a driver and as an owner.

“It is close because where it’s an individual accomplishment as a driver, it’s an accomplishment for your driver and 350 people who bust their ass to make these cars go,” Stewart told SPEED SPORT Sunday night. “Your focus goes from a personal goal to a team goal.”

Stewart has three of his four drivers in the NASCAR playoffs including Harvick, Aric Almirola and Clint Bowyer, who officially clinched his place with a fifth-place finish in Sunday’s final race of NASCAR’s regular season.

The only driver who didn’t make it in from Stewart-Haas Racing was Mexico’s Daniel Suarez, who brushed the wall early in the race and finished 11th.

“It’s hard to do,” Stewart said. “You look at all the good cars and good teams out here, to think you would get 25 percent of the championship field, that’s hard to do. It’s a big deal.”

Stewart was proud of Suarez effort to battle back, however.

“That’s one thing about Daniel; it’s never a lack of effort,” Stewart said. “He got behind today, and it didn’t work out as planned, but you can point to 10 days that we could have done something different and got those 10 points.

“It always comes down to this last race and take care of the points that you need.”

Stewart said his emotions ranged from trying to get Harvick to win the race to getting both Bowyer and Suarez into the NASCAR Playoffs.

“We hoped for good results for all three of them,” Stewart said. “We just didn’t get the result for all four of them. He just came up four points short.

“I told him if he didn’t make this 16, there is still a lot to do for the rest of the season and win some races.”

Stewart expects another great playoff for NASCAR, with lots of pressure and intensity over the next two and a half months.

“It literally comes down to that last restart in the last race at Homestead,” Stewart said.

He won five of 10 races in 2011 to win his third NASCAR Cup Series title during the playoffs. He is the only driver to win Cup titles under three different formats, including the old full-season points system in 2002.

The driver from Columbus, Ind., remains a Hoosier Hero at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“The cool part is where we lined up today, A.J. Foyt’s brick was right in front of me,” Stewart revealed. “That was pretty cool to me.”

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Former Penske Racing South President Don Miller and Dan Luginbuhl, one of the pioneers of motorsports marketing and public relations, have been inducted into the Team Penske Hall of Fame.

The duo were honored Monday morning in a special ceremony at the team’s Mooresville, N.C., facility.

Miller met team owner Roger Penske in the early 1970s during his time as a sales manager for National Engines and Parts, Co. in St. Louis. Miller joined Penske Racing in 1972, working on the team’s stock car and IndyCar programs. A former racer himself, Miller brought a wide range of experience to the team and he worked in many capacities on his way to becoming Vice President of Penske Products.

Miller was instrumental in bringing Penske Racing back into full-time NASCAR competition in 1991 with driver and fellow Team Penske Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace. Miller then became President of Penske Racing South, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the team’s stock car program. Under Miller’s leadership, Penske stock car teams produced a total of 69 victories in NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and ARCA competition until his retirement in 2007. The Chicago native was also an innovator in the sport, helping to design and develop several car safety advancements in NASCAR while leading the Penske team.

“When I first started at Team Penske there were 29 of us,” said Miller. “The population has grown significantly since then, but there is no place I’d rather be. I always tried to do the very best, not only for this team, but for Mr. Penske. When you are a member of this team, he will always have your back. I really appreciate this award. I am honored to be a part of this organization and the Team Penske Hall of Fame.”

When Luginbuhl joined Penske Racing in 1969, he helped chart the course for the team’s innovative and successful partnership model. He also helped pioneer modern motorsports public relations and marketing.  Early in his tenure with Penske Racing, Luginbuhl cultivated the relationship with key team sponsor Sunoco, before he helped foster partnerships with some of the other top brands in motorsports including Pennzoil, Marlboro, Miller, Goodyear, Mobil, Mercedes-Benz and many other Fortune 500 companies.

Under his guiding hand, Team Penske became the industry leader in American motorsports media relations, sponsorship and hospitality – a standard that continues today. During his 35-year career with Team Penske, Luginbuhl distinguished himself in numerous roles within the organization as he helped define and refine the Penske brand. He served as Vice President of Communications when he retired in 2002 and he continues to be a valued resource for Team Penske.

“I am very honored to receive this special honor. And I am humbled to be in the company of some amazing people,” said Luginbuhl. “It’s been my privilege to work with many a great people over the years.  We have come a long way since 1969 and our team of 10 working at the four-bay truck garage in Pennsylvania. But the mission today is still the same – work together, get the job done, keep building the Penske brand worldwide and of course, ‘effort equals results.’”

Inductions into the Team Penske Hall of Fame occur annually. Each year, two inductees are chosen from current and former drivers, employees and partners that have made a significant impact on the team and its history. The Hall of Fame class members are honored both at an event and within the walls of the Team Penske facility in Mooresville, N.C.

Miller and Luginbuhl join past Team Penske Hall of Fame inductees including: Roger Penske (2016), Mark Donohue (2016), Rick Mears (2017), Karl Kainhofer (2017), Rusty Wallace (2018) and Walter Czarnecki (2018).

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski has signed a three-year, $15 million contract, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced Monday.

"Zach Werenski is one of the best young defensemen in the National Hockey League and we couldn't be happier that he will continue to be a foundational player for the Columbus Blue Jackets," Kekalainen said in a statement. "He is a gifted offensive player that has continued to improve in all facets of the game and will be an elite player for many years."

Werenski, 22, had 44 points in 82 games last season for Columbus, averaging a career high 22:54 per game. In three seasons, the Michigan native has blossomed into one of the NHL's best young defensemen, with 128 points in 237 games and solid underlying analytics.

He was part of a restricted-free-agent crop this summer that led to several negotiation stalemates around the league, as teams waited on other RFAs to sign their deals and set the market. Sources told ESPN last month that Werenski was waiting on Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov, both restricted free agents. Instead, he's the one who sets the market.

The $5 million AAV on this contract gives Werenski only the sixth-highest cap hit on the Blue Jackets and puts him at No. 51 overall for active NHL defensemen. It's a bridge contract, meant to bring Werenski closer to unrestricted free agency and the riches that it brings. But when it ends in 2022, Werenski will still have one more year of restricted-free-agent status. His salary in the final year of his deal rises to $7 million, establishing a new floor for his next contract.

For the Blue Jackets, the contract means that their top two defensemen have contracts that expire at the same time. Seth Jones, who has 228 points in 468 career games and has been Werenski's frequent partner on the blue line, is an unrestricted free agent in 2022. But getting Werenski to sign at this salary-cap hit, and with an arbitration-eligible year left before unrestricted free agency, is being seen as a coup around the NHL -- even if the agents for the league's remaining young RFA defensemen might be cringing at the team-friendly financials.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero said he is still attempting to sign center Pavel Zacha amid concerns the former first-round draft pick will play in the Kontinental Hockey League this season.

Peppering his comments with profanities, Shero told The Associated Press on Monday that he doesn't care if Zacha signs with the KHL or with Brampton, an ECHL team. Shero said the Devils still retain the restricted free agent's rights after issuing him a qualifying offer this summer, and he hopes to get a deal completed with training camp opening this week.

Shero said he's unaware if Zacha has signed with a KHL team, although he adds that possibility was raised by the player's agent during a recent conversation.

Shero said playing in the KHL is "not the advice I would give him," and added that "it's a long way back to the NHL" if Zacha goes that route.

Zacha's agent, Patrik Stefan, did not immediately respond to several messages from the AP seeking comment.

Shero called Zacha an "important player" entering a key year in his development. He spoke while watching the Devils' third and final game at the Sabres' prospects tournament in Buffalo.

The 22-year-old Zacha is from the Czech Republic and had a career-best 13 goals in 61 games last season. Overall, he has 29 goals and 47 assists for 76 points in 201 career NHL games.