One and two in the world to compete in each final
By ELLIE MAWSON

An Egyptian quartet will feature in the finals of the DPD Open Squash as the world’s top four players – Raneem El Welily, Nour El Sherbini, Ali Farag and Mohamed ElShorbagy – get set to do battle for the PSA Gold titles in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

World No.1 Raneem El Welily and World No.2 Nour El Sherbini will go head-to-head in the women’s final after they were both pushed all the way to five games by compatriot Nour El Tayeb and France’s Camille Serme, respectively.

El Welily avenged her defeat to El Tayeb at February’s PSA World Championships by taking an 11-9, 7-11, 7-11, 11-2, 12-10 thrilling victory, which sees her reach her 47th PSA final.

“Nour played really well and maybe better than me in some parts of the match,” said World No.1 El Welily. “I just hung in there and tried to push myself to fight until the end and I live to see another day.

“My attitude and personality on court, they help me get to where I am today and it’s definitely something I’ve been working on and I’m happy to be in another final this season.”

El Welily and El Sherbini will contest their 12th successive PSA final after the latter overcame France’s World No.4 Serme in another epic five-game battle in the women’s draw at the DPD Hub in Eindhoven.

The two players have faced each other in the previous two tournaments, with both of those encounters also going to five in the favour of the Egyptian, and today proved to be no different as El Sherbini halted a Serme comeback to be victorious by an 11-9, 11-4, 2-11, 3-11, 11-6 scoreline.

The 23-year-old El Sherbini said: “It is the third time that I have beaten Camille 3-2. That shows how hard and tough the match is every time. Unfortunately, we have played the last three tournaments against each other, back to back, but I’m really glad to be on the winning side.

“After being up 2-0, she really came back strong and was attacking everything when I was a bit passive and flat. In the fifth I tried to get myself back and be mentally strong and I’m really glad I came back strong and won.”

The men’s final will also be contested by the World No.1 and World No.2 as Ali Farag and Mohamed ElShorbagy claimed respective semi-final wins over Germany’s World No.4 Simon Rösner and Egypt’s World No.6 Karim Abdel Gawad.

Reigning World Champion Farag was in top form to despatch Germany’s Rösner in straight-games in 38 minutes and progress through to his eighth PSA final of the season.

“Winning that first game was really important because I know it could have been totally different if I lost that one,” said 26-year-old Farag. “I think my movement got me through today, I don’t think my squash was the best, and he was dominating the ‘T’ area for most of the time.

“I’m just glad I was moving well and picking up a lot of his balls. It’s always tough against Simon, tough but very fair, so it’s always a joy to play against him especially in front of this crowd.”

Meanwhile, ElShorbagy played out a high-quality match with former World No.1 Gawad to progress through to his second successive final after winning the Grasshopper Cup earlier this month.

The two players brought the crowd to their feet with an emphatic display with ElShorbagy taking an 11-9, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9 victory that will see him face Farag tomorrow in their first meeting since 26-year-old Farag took the World No.1 spot from him.

“He’s [Gawad] definitely the most talented squash player we have on tour now,” said 28-year-old ElShorbagy. “You have to get the physicality into the match and make him work hard. The players who like making squash look easy don’t like playing players that make it look tough.

“This is the first time we play where he is No.1 and I’m No.2 now, so it’s reverse pressure a little bit. I think he [Farag] is going to feel what I always feel when I played him before. It’s going to be a new experience for both of us. He has been having an unbelievable season. He raised the bar for all of us and we are all trying to get to that level and I’m sure it’s going to be a great match tomorrow.”

The finals will take place on Sunday April 14 at 15:00 local time (UTC+2) and the action will be broadcast live on SQUASHTV (rest of world) and Eurosport Player (Europe only). 

DPD Open 2019, DPD Hub, Eindhoven, Netherlands.

Men’s Semi-finals:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [4] Simon Rösner (GER) 13-11, 11-8, 11-5 (38m)
[2] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) bt [3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 11-9, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9 (49m)
Final:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [2] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY)

Women’s Semi-finals:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 11-9, 7-11, 7-11, 11-2, 12-10 (60m)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [4] Camille Serme (FRA) 11-9, 11-4, 2-11, 3-11, 11-6 (52m)
Final:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)

Pictures courtesy of PSA

World number ones deliver the goods in DPD finals
By ELLIE MAWSON

Egypt’s World No.1s Ali Farag and Raneem El Welily are the 2019 DPD Open Squash champions after they claimed respective wins over Mohamed ElShorbagy and Nour El Sherbini in Eindhoven, Netherlands today.

The PSA World Tour Gold tournament was held at the brand new DPD headquarters in the Dutch city to mark the grand opening of their new distribution centre and it was the two Egyptian World No.1s who took home the inaugural titles.

World No.1 El Welily claimed her second successive PSA title, following her win last month at the Black Ball Squash Open, after producing an incredible comeback from 2-0 down to win 10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 against reigning World Champion El Sherbini.

El Welily, who had gone to five games in all of her matches in Eindhoven, held numerous game balls in the first, but El Sherbini battled back to rattle off the points in quick succession, eventually taking the opener on a tie-break.

The three-time World Champion then doubled her lead in the second, with both players showing some unbelievable skill on court much to the delight of the packed-out crowd. However, El Welily showed her incredible mental strength to battle back in style and claim her 21st PSA title.

“The five-setters really paid off eventually,” said 30-year-old El Welily. “To come back from 2-0 down against Nour is almost impossible, mentally at least, so I’m really happy with the way I managed to push myself mentally and physically and show some character towards the end.

“After I lost the first when I was 10-5 up, I thought I blew it up, but I just told myself it’s not the end of the world just keep pushing. You need to come off court doing your best, if you mess things up sometimes you fight hard to make things right again.”

Meanwhile, World No.1 and World Champion Farag dominated against rival ElShorbagy to claim the men’s title.

It was the first meeting between the two players since January’s J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions final, when Farag won to take the World No.1 spot from ElShorbagy and Farag ensured he continued his dominance with a 3-1 win.

The first game looked as though it was going to set the tempo for the rest of the match, with both players showcasing their ability to send it all the way to a tense tie-break, which ElShorbagy claimed. However, Farag came out firing in the second and never looked back as he controlled the rest of the match against a below-par ElShorbagy to take an 11-13, 11-6, 11-4, 11-4 victory.

“The first game was really tough and it was a tough one to lose,” said the 26-year-old Farag afterwards.

“I’m glad I regrouped myself and Nour [El Tayeb] gave me a very good tip after the first. It’s always a pleasure to share the court with someone who is one of the greats of our sport and I’m looking forward to many more battles in the future.

“He was No.1 when I was starting so Mohamed is always going to be favourite. I don’t put much pressure on myself but obviously I’m very happy with the way I handled things. I think I played good squash and I’m looking forward to taking that on next week in El Gouna.”

The next PSA World Tour tournament will be the El Gouna International which takes place in Egypt between April 17-26.

DPD Open Squash, DPD Hub, Eindhoven, Netherlands.

Men’s Final:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-1: 11-13, 11-6, 11-4, 11-4 (46m)

Women’s Final:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) 3-2: 10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 (65m) 

Pictures courtesy of PSA 

Annie Au wins biggest career title while Diego Elias win second title in a month
By ALEX WAN – Squash Mad Asian Bureau Editor

The wrath of the weather once again denied tonight’s final matches the prestige of being played at the impressive all-glass court set up at the Tap Seac Square. However, that did not dampen the spirit of all the finalists who gave the packed gallery a feast of our lovely sport.

Annie Au of Hong Kong and Macau Open debutant Diego Elias both became first-time champions of this prestigious 50k event. The pair both won in similar fashion, with Au halting the giant-killing run of Low Wee Wern and Elias outplaying Omar Mosaad.

The women’s final started the evening for a change, after four straight days of the men opening. Hong Kong’s Annie Au, who has played in the event for many years but never won it before, was up against Malaysia’s comeback queen Low Wee Wern. The pair, who are quite in the same age bracket, has played each other fifteen times and not including the smaller regional events.

It was fairly equal in the first half of the first game up to 5-5, before Au ran away with six straight points to lead. Au was lethal in the front right corner throughout the entire match, winning six points in the very same spot in the first game alone. Every time the ball was sent there, it would either be a winner or a shot so tight that Low could only force a weak return.

Low got to a good start in the second, opening up a 2-point cushion at 2-0. It was close from then on up to 7-7 before Au broke away to game ball at 10-7. Low fought back and levelled 10-10 to force the tie-breaker and even got ahead to game ball after a no let decision was given against Au, but she couldn’t convert. Once Au was back serving, she made no mistake and took the game 13-11.

If Au was on fire on the front right hand corner in the first game, she was even more so in the second as she won an astonishing nine points there. By the second game, the refereeing decisions were also beginning to be questionable and highly inconsistent, something which lasted the entire match. An exact situation could warrant two very opposite decisions and, in some cases, were critical to the outcome of the game.

Low once again got off to a flying start in the third, racing away to a 3-0 lead. But that quickly turned around as Au then forged ahead 7-4. Low also had, on some points, looked to limp a little and was less comfortable with her movement. That did not bother Au as she never looked back from the lead and won the game and match after two consecutive no lets were given against Low. The win gives Au her biggest title in her career.

“I’ve been playing this event for many years and in the last few, it’s either the semi-finals or once the final. So to win, it, I feel very happy that I took the opportunities I had this year. It also feels rewarding because I’ve had pretty tough matches in the beginning. It took me a while to get into this tournament, but luckily I managed to settle in the last two matches.

“(Low) Wee Wern has been playing really well this event, so I knew she was going to be a tough customer. I was expecting very tight points and they were. We’ve played each other many times, so we are both familiar with each other’s game. Our standards are also very close so it’s a case of who is more stable on the day,” Au said later when asked about how she felt and if playing Low Wee Wern was a familiar thing.

While Low might be ruing not taking her chances in the second game, she was also very positive on what she has achieved here this week.

“Overall, it’s been a pretty good round for me to have upset three higher seeds. I didn’t expect myself to get to the final. But for today, just a little disappointing and to be honest, the squash just wasn’t as free flow as I would’ve liked it to be. But it happens and I just have to move on from this.

“I don’t think I’ve played four hard matches back to back for a few years. So to actually get back on court today is actually a bonus. To actually know I’m OK physically and the body held up. For that I have to thank my physio who has been working for me for a few years now.”

The men’s final was on paper a cracker in store. But while it failed to live up to its sizzle, there were moments in the match where things were pretty heated up. The start of the first game was rather close, with the Peruvian breaking away to a 2-point lead after slamming a forehand volley cross court into the nick to go 5-3.

The next point was a crucial one as a no let given against Mosaad had him a little rattled and it was evident his concentration was off the books as the next five points went by quickly to give Elias the one-game lead.

In the second, the opening rally was perhaps the best of the day. It was long, both players took turns attacking and defending and it ended in Elias’ favour. That rally must’ve zapped quite a bit into Mosaad’s reserves as he quickly went down 1-6. He only managed to break the cycle after two consecutive deft drops to the backhand corner. Mosaad manages another two points in the game, but Elias would eventually be two-up.

Elias was pretty much picking up every shot Mosaad threw at him – whether it was the low, hard Hammer of Thor shot into the back or a soft dying drop to the front, Elias would get to it and eventually, it simply wore Mosaad out.

The third was by far the most competitive game. When Elias got to a 6-3 lead, Mosaad found his second wave and fought back to 6-6, before he crashed a very simple shot in the front into the tin. That threw the momentum back to Elias, who raced to 10-7. Mosaad wasn’t done yet and took the next two points with two shots into the nick. Shamefully, the match had to be ended on a no let decision against Mosaad when it was evidently a simple let.

The new Macau Open champion said:

“That wasn’t easy at all today. It might have looked so, but it wasn’t. I played a really good tournament and I’m happy with my performance. I’ve been playing better every day and I knew today was going to be a lot harder playing against a player like Omar.

“I’ve had some good wins here and also this season, so I think I’m going to do well next week in El Gouna. I think it’s going to be a good year in fact. I hope I can keep on doing well. One of my goals is to qualify for the World Series Finals and hopefully finish in the top five (in the world) by end of the year.”

Omar Mosaad, who is clearly a local crowd favourite here, was still pretty pleased with his week here in Macau.

“You know I did my best here. I did not start very well today, especially in the first game. He started to be very confident and played really well. He also had the advantage of playing in this court all week, while I’ve been playing on the other. So today is really my first time on this court and it feels different.

“But overall, I’m happy with how I did here. I won three matches and lost today. Of course, today is also a very valuable lesson to me to develop my skills better and work on my fitness. Right now, I’m just looking forward to my next tournament back home in El Gouna.”

RESULTS (FINALS)

Annie Au (HKG) bt Low Wee Wern (MAS) 11-5, 13-11, 11-8 (41m)
Diego Elias (PER) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 11-3, 11-4, 11-9 (38m)

Pictures courtesy of Macau Squash Association

Your brain has to master four dimensions before you can master squash
By CHRIS SARGENT – Squash Mad Columnist

Why is squash so addictive if you are that way inclined? This is a question that has puzzled me ever since I started playing around 10 years ago. Why, because having never played a racket sport before, I was instantly addicted and remain so today.

I used to think it was the buzz from the exercise and hard work that had hooked me. Also, the therapy of hitting a small black ball hard and that satisfying “thwack”. But it is much, much more than that.

I have come to the conclusion that it is not the fact that it gives you a great workout. It is not the adrenalin buzz or the one-to-one competition. I have done other sports that easily compete on these terms (karate for example). What is it that keeps me wanting to get back on court?

I have come to a pretty simple conclusion (and a realisation that has helped my own squash). It may just be me, but I have finally realised that squash is played in Four Dimensions. I think this is pretty much unique in individual competitive sport.

What do I mean by four dimensions? Well, you have length, width, height AND time (speed of shot, movement etc).

Think about it, we use all four (some coaches suggest six) corners of the court. We use the full height and space available above the floor level AND we use the speed of shot. We use them combination to manoeuvre our opponents out of position and win points.

When you compare this to tennis, for example, this is a game that mostly consists of three dimensions, length, width and time. Most rallies consist of serve, baseline play and power (speed of shot = time). The height element rarely comes into play as a key element of strategy in the same way as squash – it is coincidental to the power and length element.

Now, I have been thinking about this in my own squash. I propose that every squash player goes through a similar evolution.

Stage 1: You start off just hitting the ball in two dimensions. Any use of height is purely coincidental.

Stage 2: As you progress, you start to try to use the “time” element – basically you start to try to hit the ball harder. This gets you more success to some degree.

Stage 3: Then, a friendly opponent who has just hammered you suggests that you might want to use the upper (largest) part of the wall a bit more! Suddenly, you are struck with that “why didn’t I think of that before?” moment. As soon as you do, a whole new aspect and complexity (difficulty) of the game opens up.

Stage 4: After a while you slowly start to understand the main purpose of hitting the ball high and slow. Obvious, really, but it is to get you to the T, not just to get your opponent to the back of the court. This gives you time to actually play and control the game!

Stage 5: Finally, you realise that the “time dimension” is the missing part of the jigsaw. You start to bend your opponent’s time by varying the pace and height of shots to break their rhythm and confuse. For the time dimension, also read “holding shots” and “taking the ball early”.

Stage 6: The final stage or “Squash Nirvana”, is to be able to use all of the four dimensions in squash in a strategic and devastating way. Of course, all this needs to be done while having your heart burst out of your chest and lungs strain for oxygen to power you around the court.

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When you watch the top men and women, it is quite incredible how they manipulate the ball – and their opponents’ time. It is a tug of war in four dimensions that captivates and enthrals. I firmly believe that it is that glimpse of what is possible that keeps me hooked.

It is those rare occasions when, for just one or two points, it all clicks. You seem to be able to win points at will using the four dimensions that grabs your imagination. You think “why is this game so difficult?”

Then, those fleeting moments of relative genius and inspiration disappear, and it is back to earth with a bump. That is what keeps me hooked. That hunt for that perfect rally, that feeling of flow and control. I just wish it would happen more often!

Where am I in this progression? Well, I would like to think that I am making progress through Stage 4 and aspiring to Stage 5. But, when I play opponents who truly know how to use length, width and height effectively, and are able to “bend time”, I am but a beginner at their mercy!

They, truly, are Time Lords of Squash.

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Squash is renowned for the extraordinary movement demanded by sudden changes of direction and the reduced time between shots when your opponent takes the ball early or adds some extra pace to his or her shot. Hence all those dives and lunges. 

Pictures courtesy of Patrick Lauson and PSA 

Wales fly-half Gareth Anscombe will leave Cardiff Blues at the end of the season to join regional rivals Ospreys.

The Blues had offered a new contract to the 27-year-old, who joined in 2014.

Anscombe was Wales' first-choice 10 as they won the 2019 Six Nations Grand Slam but his regional future had been a source of speculation during a period of uncertainty in Welsh domestic rugby.

He said: "I'm delighted to have secured my future to play professional rugby in Wales and to be joining the Ospreys."

Anscombe added: "I am very happy to finally be able to put pen to paper during what's been an unsettling time and commit to staying in Wales.

"I know a lot of the boys from my time with the Wales team and they can't speak highly enough of the spirit and ambition within the region which really excites me.

"I've been impressed with the vision and the long-term goals of the coaches and region as a whole and I would like to thank them for supporting my dream to continue playing pro rugby in Wales and, if I am playing well enough, to play for my country."

Anscombe has been an influential player for the Blues, scoring 597 points in 76 appearances and helping them win the European Challenge Cup last season.

He has always signed national dual contracts with Blues and Welsh Rugby Union since arriving from New Zealand in 2014.

But Welsh rugby has introduced a new player banding pay system to replace NDCs with the wages and categories set by the new Professional Rugby Board (PRB).

Anscombe appealed against his pay banding verdict but that was rejected.

Following that news, Blues head coach John Mulvihill said they had given him a deadline of early this week to decide on his future.

Despite reported interest from English clubs, Anscombe had to stay within regional rugby if he wanted to play for Wales.

If he moved outside Wales Anscombe would be ineligible as he has not played in 60 Tests.

Blues and Ospreys face each other in the crucial final regular Pro14 match on Judgement Day at the Principality Stadium on 27 April.

The winner will achieve a Champions Cup play-off place with the game being played in mid-May - which means Anscombe could play a part in helping his current side beat his future employers in that match.

Shaun Edwards will not become head coach of Wigan Warriors as planned at the end of the Super League season.

Edwards, 52, was presented to the media in August 2018 when he talked of "testing himself" in league, having coached exclusively in union.

However, after a successful Six Nations campaign as part of Warren Gatland's Wales coaching team, Edwards is expected to remain on the staff.

"I will not be taking up the head coaching role at Wigan," Edwards said.

"The reason is my lack of preparation. World Cup preparations have been brought forward a month and, as a result, I will be unable to spend eight weeks in Australia as planned on rugby league.

"I feel Wigan need a more experienced rugby league head coach than myself, to give the club and the people of Wigan the best team possible."

The first signs that Edwards would not return to his boyhood club surfaced earlier this year when he confirmed there was not a written contract in place for him to join Wigan - only a verbal agreement.

Edwards, who played in all eight of Wigan's consecutive Challenge Cup wins and featured in every game of every round between 1988 and 1995, was part of Wigan's late 1980s and early 1990s dynasty in which he lifted every available honour.

However, his last involvement in rugby league came with London Broncos in 2000, and that inexperience in his old code has prompted the U-turn.

Warriors chairman Ian Lenagan added: "He clearly feels that he is not the best man to take the team forward currently and I have to respect and accept this.

"Like every Wiganer, I wanted Shaun to lead the team and this very honest admission has taken me by surprise. I have always admired Shaun and I wish him well with whatever he does next."

What next for Wigan?

Wigan appointed former player Adrian Lam as an interim coach for this campaign, to fill the gap before Edwards' anticipated arrival in 2020.

Ex-Papua New Guinea international Lam, who took over from club legend Shaun Wane after a Grand Final-winning campaign, has had a tough start, with Wigan 10th after seven defeats from 10 games.

"For us now our next steps are to confirm the coaching structure for 2020 and beyond," Lenagan said. "We need to draw a line under the last few months and give our loyal fans the clarity they deserve.

"I'd like to thank our supporters for their patience and understanding in what has proven to be a very difficult situation to navigate and now we can concentrate on building more strong foundations to drive this wonderful club forward. We will announce our plans in due course."

'Statement a piece of diplomacy' - analysis

Dave Woods, BBC rugby league correspondent

Most Wigan fans have been pretty certain for some time that Shaun Edwards would not be returning to the club next year.

He appeared at a press conference last August to be unveiled as head coach from 2020 on a three-year deal but recently it has been shown that all was not as it seemed.

Edwards has been dropping lots of hints that he wanted to stay in rugby union.

He revealed he had not signed a contract with Wigan, that he was open to offers from anyone in union or league and that he wanted to repeat the successes he has enjoyed in international rugby union.

For Wigan fans, that was a show of great disrespect to his home town club.

The statement today that a lack of "preparation time" means he won't be coming back to Wigan reads like a piece of diplomacy aimed at saving some face for both him and the club.

At least now Wigan can look for a new permanent coach for 2020 now this mess has been concluded.

The question will now arise over the future of Adrian Lam. Success this year would put him in prime position to continue his role as head coach.

But the way the season has begun, Wigan have struggled. Lam will rightly point to a number of injuries amongst key forwards as being one major factor, but Wigan will hope to announce an appointment for next year soon.

And there is no certainty that Lam himself will want to stay anyway. He has family back in Australia, is living over here on his own, and initially stated he was happy to spend only one year in England.

Whether he and the club change their minds on that commitment remains to be seen.

Sale Sharks have announced that prop Alexandru Tarus will leave at the end of the season.

The Romania international, 29, is moving to Italian side Zebre Rugby.

Tarus, who joined the club two years ago, has made 29 appearances for Sale, scoring one try.

He was presented with the Sale Sharks Community Player of the Year Award last season for holding walking rugby sessions with over-50s around the north west region.

Sale Sharks director of rugby Steve Diamond said: "Alex has been a great lad to have around and we wish him every success in the future.

"I am sure he will be a great asset to Zebre in the Pro 14."

Tarus is a former Junior World Cup winner, with 33 caps for his country.

Saracens have warned Billy Vunipola about his behaviour and said he made a "serious error of judgment" defending Israel Folau's social media post claiming "hell awaits" gay people.

England forward Vunipola liked the post by Folau and called for people to "live their lives how God intended".

He has issued a statement saying he had not intended to "cause suffering".

"The player has been formally warned about his future conduct," said Saracens in a statement.

"At Saracens, we are one family, open to all, with the firm view that everyone should be treated equally with respect and humility.

"We recognise the complexity of different belief systems and understand Billy's intention was to express the word of God rather than cause offence.

"However, he made a serious error of judgement in publicly sharing his opinion, which is inconsistent with the values of the club and contravenes his contractual obligations."

Vunipola's statement, released at the same time, said: "I can see that my recent post has hurt people. My intention was never to cause suffering.

"My intention was to express my belief in the word of God. These beliefs are a source of great strength, comfort and guidance in my life.

"Anyone who knows me, knows I live with kindness and love towards ALL people."

Folau's contract was terminated by Rugby Australia on Monday due to a 'high-level breach' of his code of conduct.

He had posted a photo on Instagram earlier, with the message: "Warning. Drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists, idolators. Hell awaits you. Repent! Only Jesus saves."

Vunipola - who was booed during Saturday's Premiership defeat by Bristol - was criticised for liking Folau's post and the Rugby Football Union has said it intends to hold a meeting with the player this week.

The Australian rugby union authorities have ended Israel Folau's contract over a social media post in which he said "hell awaits" gay people.

He has 48 hours to accept his sacking, or face a code of conduct hearing.

Rugby Australia said the 30-year-old "had committed a high-level breach of the Professional Players' Code of Conduct warranting termination of his employment contract".

He has won 73 caps and was expected to play at this year's World Cup in Japan.

Full-back Folau, who signed a four-year deal with Sydney-based Super Rugby side the Waratahs in March and had a contract with Rugby Australia until 2022, escaped punishment for similar comments last year.

Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle said: "Israel was warned formally and repeatedly about the expectations of him as [a] player for the Wallabies and NSW Waratahs with regards to social media use and he has failed to meet those obligations.

"It was made clear to him that any social media posts or commentary that is in any way disrespectful to people because of their sexuality will result in disciplinary action."

'I live for God now'

The committed Christian last week posted a banner on his Instagram account that read: "Drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolators - Hell awaits you."

The post remains online and on Sunday the player said he was standing by "what the Bible says".

Following a service at the Truth Of Jesus Christ Church, he told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper: "I share it with love. I can see the other side of the coin where people's reactions are the total opposite to how I'm sharing it.

"First and foremost, I live for God now. Whatever He wants me to do, I believe His plans for me are better than whatever I can think. If that's not to continue on playing, so be it," he added.

"In saying that, obviously I love playing footy and if it goes down that path I'll definitely miss it. But my faith in Jesus Christ is what comes first."

In addition to his rugby union career, Folau has also played professional rugby league and Australian rules football.

Last week Australian rugby league's governing body ruled out Folau returning to the National Rugby League.

LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. – Springtime at Lawrenceburg Speedway has been an annual tradition for the AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Series over the years.

This Saturday marks the second attempt to accomplish that tradition, after Mother Nature’s interruption of racing a few weeks back at the three-eighths-mile, high-banked dirt oval.

Eighteen such events have been held at Lawrenceburg since 1984, and four expected entrants for Saturday’s upcoming race have enjoyed an early-season USAC Sprint Car win in recent times at the track.

Chris Windom (2017), Dave Darland (2016), Justin Grant (2014) and Kevin Thomas Jr. (2013) have all won the spring Lawrenceburg stop in the last six years, and all four have hopes of doing so again this weekend.

On the most recent of those occasions, USAC Sprint Car and Silver Crown titlist Windom raced to victory. the Canton, Ill. driver captured this year’s season opener in Ocala, Fla.

Windom holds down sixth in the standings in his first campaign for Goacher Racing, who finished second during a USAC Sprint stop at Lawrenceburg in 1992 with Dave Darland.

No driver has tasted victory at Lawrenceburg in USAC Sprint Car competition more often than Darland has. His seven victories, of which the most recent was in the spring of 2016, are most among all drivers.

Perhaps even more impressive is that the 1999 series champion has accomplished those seven victories with six different teams. He has a chance to tack on another this weekend.

Like Windom, Grant has won this season and is also a spring Lawrenceburg winner to boot. The Ione, Calif., native won in Ocala back in February and is fourth in the standings following three finishes inside the top-six during the first four events of the season.

Not only did Grant’s first career USAC win come at Lawrenceburg, he also was victorious in the most recent visit by the series last fall, in addition to his April 2014 win.

Following last Friday’s Bloomington round, Thomas took over the series point lead, and is now up by three markers over C.J. Leary coming into this weekend.

Thomas is certainly knocking on the door for his first victory of the season you could say, but this door is seemingly almost off the hinges, with three runner-up finishes in his first four outings this season.

Thomas is the only driver to have placed in the top-five in each of those four starts, and the Cullman, Ala., driver owns three total wins at Lawrenceburg.

Robert Ballou will arrive at this Saturday’s race as the most recent winner at Lawrenceburg. The Rocklin, Calif. native was in winning form last Saturday at Lawrenceburg, leading 15 laps, including the last 14, to capture the 25-lap unsanctioned main event.

The 2015 series champion, from Rocklin, Calif., won with USAC at Lawrenceburg in 2011.

Brady Bacon is fresh off his first USAC National Sprint Car Series win of the year, last Friday at Bloomington. He’s returned in the Dynamics Inc. colors for 2019, for whom he won at Lawrenceburg in 2015.

The Broken Arrow, Okla. driver was the hard charger in the unsanctioned season opener at Lawrenceburg two weeks ago, advancing from 17th to fourth by race’s end.

C.J. Leary is a past track champion at Lawrenceburg and that experience showed with a USAC victory during the 2017 season. The Greenfield, Ind., driver dropped back to second in the standings following last weekend’s affair at Bloomington, where he established a new one-lap track record earlier in the evening.

Leary’s new foray in the Reinbold/Underwood Motorsports car for 2019 has already netted a victory, which came in the Winter Dirt Games X finale at Ocala back in February.

Reigning series champion Tyler Courtney is beginning to heat up, with finishes of third, third and fourth in his last three races.

The Indianapolis wheelman has been in victory lane at Lawrenceburg with USAC recently, dominating all 30 laps of last year’s Indiana Sprint Week stop.

Similar to Grant, Chase Stockon and Josh Hodges have a fondness for Lawrenceburg, as that is where each driver captured his first career USAC National Sprint Car feature victory.

Stockon wired the field, leading all 30 laps, to win in the fall of 2012. Meanwhile, Hodges took the lead just past the halfway mark to score his first, and to date, only career USAC win.

He did so in track-record fashion that night as well, ripping around the joint in seven minutes, 21.09 seconds, a 30-lap record which still stands today.

Additional springtime USAC National Sprint Car winners at Lawrenceburg over the years include Rick Hood (1984-86), Jack Hewitt (1988), Jon Stanbrough (1994, 2006), Kevin Doty (1998), Kevin Briscoe (1999), J.J. Yeley (2003), Jay Drake (2003), Levi Jones (2007), Josh Wise (2009), Jerry Coons Jr. (2010) and Logan Jarrett (2015).