I Dig Sports
Baxter questions viability of Championship clubs in cup
Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter says a Premiership Rugby Cup made up solely of top-flight teams would be better commercially for the country's leading clubs.
Reports have cast doubt on the future participation of Championship clubs in the competition, which plays its semi-finals this weekend.
Second tier sides have been part of the event for two seasons.
Reigning Championship champions Ealing reached the semi-finals last year and face Exeter at Sandy Park on Saturday for a place in the final.
Two Premiership and two Championship sides faced each other home and away in each pool this season - with second-tier sides often having their biggest gates against their Premiership opponents.
But Baxter says Exeter's lowest crowds this season have been in the cup - where they faced Gloucester, Hartpury and Cornish Pirates in the pool stage.
"The game is needing to develop more money not less, and if the key element to that at the moment is revenue through the gate, through people coming and buying tickets, then ultimately that's the one Premiership clubs have to look at," he told BBC Sport.
"I don't need to explain my position on playing Championship rugby, I captained Exeter Chiefs in the Championship for eight years.
"For me, all these grounds we've been going to I've played numerous times at with Exeter, I enjoyed that time doing that, you don't need me to champion Championship clubs, I've done enough of that.
"But that is, at this stage, not the point. The point is making these competitions commercially viable and I think that's what's ruling the way."
The 'special' duel at the heart of Ireland v France
Peruse Ireland and France's line-ups for Saturday's potential Six Nations title decider and you'll find no shortage of instantly compelling head-to-head battles.
Caelan Doris v Gregory Alldritt pits two of the world's best number eights against one another, Andrew Porter v Uini Atonio will be an engrossing scrum-time tussle, while powerhouse Irish centre Bundee Aki will meet his match in Yoram Moefana.
But naturally, most eyes are drawn to the battle of the scrum-halves.
In Antoine Dupont, France have a generational talent. A world player of the year in both the 15s and sevens codes, an Olympic gold medallist and a poster boy for his sport, Dupont has gleefully exhausted superlatives in recent years.
His otherworldly gifts even moved his Toulouse team-mates to refer to him as 'the Martian', Emmanuel Meafou revealed last year.
Dupont's worthy adversary on Saturday is Jamison Gibson-Park. 'Jamo' to his team-mates, he is Ireland's unflappable metronome and the frontrunner to wear nine for the British and Irish Lions in Australia this summer.
"Yeah, it will be interesting," said Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby.
"Two fabulous players at the peak of their game. There are a number of individual battles across the teams, but that one will be pretty special."
This will not be the first time Gibson-Park and Dupont have crossed paths, of course. They have twice met in the Champions Cup, including last year's final when Dupont's Toulouse beat Gibson-Park's Leinster in extra time.
They have met three times in the Six Nations, although not since 2022 (Gibson-Park was injured in 2023 while Dupont skipped last year's championship).
This time, the stakes are suitably sky-high.
The Edmonton Oilers added defenseman Jake Walman to their blueline in a deal with the San Jose Sharks ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline.
The Sharks get AHL forward Carl Berglund and a conditional 2026 first-round draft pick in the deal with Edmonton.
The pick is top-12 protected. If the selection is in the top 12, Edmonton might choose to transfer its 2027 first-round selection to San Jose instead. Should the Oilers do so before the 2026 NHL trade deadline, their 2026 first-round selection will transfer to San Jose, unconditionally.
Walman is having the most productive season of his six-year NHL career. The defenseman has 6 goals and 26 assists in 50 games for the Sharks, skating to only a minus-1 on the NHL's worst defensive team. He skated a career-high 23 minutes, 11 seconds per game.
Walman is signed through the 2025-26 season with a $3.4 million cap hit.
The trade was a stellar bit of asset management by Sharks general manager Mike Grier. He acquired Walman and a second-round pick from the Detroit Red Wings in 2024 for yet to be defined "future considerations." He has now turned Walman into a first-round pick.
Berglund, a UMass-Lowell product, has played with Bakersfield for the past three seasons. He has 12 points in 45 games this season.
The Sharks have been busy ahead of the deadline, trading goalie Vitek Vanecek and forward Nico Sturm to the Florida Panthers in separate transactions.
The Oilers made a splash this week when they acquired center Trent Frederic from the Boston Bruins, adding another key role player to a team trying to make the Stanley Cup Final for a second straight season.
O'Neill, Boland share nine as McSweeney shines in Junction arm wrestle
Victoria 285 & 46 for 0 (Kellaway 23*, Harris 17*) lead South Australia 283 (McSweeney 60, O'Neill 5-51, Boland 4-53) by 48 runs
O'Neill took his fifth career five-wicket haul to maintain his outstanding Sheffield Shield record, while Boland claimed 4 for 53 with spells that were every bit the equal of the best he has shown at Test level, to bowl South Australia out for 283 and give Victoria a narrow two-run first innings lead. That advantage swelled to 48 as Campbell Kellaway and Marcus Harris batted impressively in the final hour of the day.
Victory is crucial for Victoria if they are to maintain a realistic chance of making the Shield final.
Their lead would have been more without McSweeney's 199-ball 60 in very challenging batting conditions. He only struck six boundaries and had to defend and leave stoutly in the face of some high-quality bowling from O'Neill and Boland who delivered 38.4 of the 67.4 overs he was out there for.
He began the day on 9 off 52 balls and was unable to gain any fluency early after Jason Sangha was adjudged lbw not offering a shot to O'Neill for 19.
McSweeney started to flow from there despite the loss of Liam Scott, who was also trapped plumb infront by an excellent Xavier Crone yorker. Scott's front foot slid from under him to leave him on all fours as the finger was raised.
Nielsen and Ben Manenti then counterattacked against the old ball as Boland and O'Neill rested before the new one was due. The pair added 61 for the seventh wicket before Boland returned to remove them both in quick succession.
Manenti flashed a drive against the second new ball and nicked to Macdonald at first slip. Boland then nipped one back through Nielsen's gate from around the wicket to splay off stump in almost identical fashion to Conor McInerney's dismissal on the first evening. But Nielsen's 45 was vital in the context of the match.
Brendan Doggett and Henry Thornton combined to frustrate Victoria, adding 34 for the ninth wicket before O'Neill switched ends again to take the final two wickets. He took a sharp return catch to remove Doggett for 19 before clean bowling Jordan Buckingham.
It set up a tricky 16-over period in the evening session for Kellaway and Harris to negotiate. But the pair left and defended well against the new ball while rotating the strike impressively to give Victoria the chance to build a significant lead on day three.
Henry's availability for Champions Trophy final 'a little bit unknown'
Neser's six-wicket burst leaves Queensland in command
Tasmania 161 (Weatherald 55, Neser 6-37) and 70 for 1 trail Queensland 425 for 9 dec (Khawaja 127, Hearne 74) by 194 runs
He ripped through the home team's top order in their Sheffield Shield match on Friday, taking the first six wickets of the Tasmania first innings in a devastating nine-over spell after lunch - all the wickets coming in the space of 39 balls.
Replying to Queensland's first innings of 425 for 9 declared, Tasmania collapsed after lunch from 86 without loss and were dismissed for 161 at Bellerive Oval. Tasmania followed on and were still 194 runs behind with two days left.
While Queensland and Tasmania started this penultimate round as the bottom two teams, a big win would keep one of them in the hunt to make the final against SA.
Following Usman Khawaja's century on Thursday, Neser's command performance confirmed Queensland have the game by the throat.
He snared 6 for 37 from 15 overs. It is his third Shield game back after a hamstring injury in November while playing for Australia A cruelled his hopes of a Test return this summer.
The 34-year-old has played only two Tests, most recently against the West Indies in late 2022. Neser has had to bide his time, stuck in Australia's pace-bowling queue behind Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland.
Neser bowled Weatherald for a top score of 55 and took a wicket in each of his next three overs. When he trapped Radhakrishnan lbw for 39 and bowled Beau Webster, Tasmania were 122 for 6 and Queensland were in the box seat.
Mark Steketee had Radhakrishnan caught behind for 24 late on day two, with Weatherald unbeaten on 39.
Gabe Bell and Webster took three wickets apiece in Queensland's first innings.
Green century and Rowe four-for give New Zealand unassailable series lead
New Zealand 245 for 7 (Green 100, J Kerr 38, Inglis 34*, Athapaththu 2-42) beat Sri Lanka 167 (Samarawickrama 58, Rowe 4-31, Carson 2-30, Illing 2-45) by 78 runs
Green was the constant. She struck seven fours, the last of which brought up her century in the penultimate ball of the innings. She has been in fine touch recently, carrying the form from the strong showing in the domestic One-Day Cup where she hit 125 and 126 in two of her last three outings. New Zealand scored 84 in their last ten to post 245 for 7, with Green run-out trying to pinch a single in the final ball of the innings.
From 101 for 4, Sri Lanka needed Samarawickrama to go big, but she fell next to Rowe for 58 with a mis-hit pull to midwicket. Nilakshika Silva was lbw to Bates after missing a flick, and Anushka Sanjeewani was found short of her crease at the bowler's end when a straight drive from Sugandika Kumari took a touch off Jess Kerr's boot while rolling onto the stumps. This period firmly gave New Zealand the upper hand, and Rowe returned to pick up two of the last three batters to finish with 4 for 31. Carson claimed the last wicket to wrap up the game in the 47th over.
The third ODI is on Sunday at the same venue.
Avs land coveted center Nelson from Islanders
The Colorado Avalanche have acquired Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders, the most coveted center available ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline.
The Islanders sent Nelson and forward William Dufour to the Avalanche in exchange for defenseman Oliver Kylington, forward Calum Ritchie, a first-round draft pick in 2026 or 2027 and a conditional third-round pick in 2028.
New York then traded Kylington to the Anaheim Ducks for future considerations.
Nelson, 33, has played all 12 years of his NHL career with the Islanders, who drafted him 30th overall in 2010. A member of Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, Nelson is considered one of the top two-way centers in the NHL, adept defensively with an offensive game that has seen him top 30 goals in the preceding three seasons.
Through 61 games this season, Nelson has 20 goals and 23 assists for the Islanders, playing on New York's power play and penalty kill. An unrestricted free agent after this season, Nelson and the Islanders had discussions on a new contract through Thursday but were unable to find common ground. Teams such as the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild were linked to Nelson's availability this season.
The Avalanche are hoping Nelson can fill a hole at No. 2 center, behind star Nathan MacKinnon, that they've had in their lineup since Nazem Kadri left for Calgary as a free agent after Colorado's 2022 Stanley Cup win.
"I know Brock from over the years. Really excited. He's an amazing player," said MacKinnon, who added that he appreciated Colorado's all-in approach.
"We have to. These are our years. There's no other way."
Dufour, 23, has played in 45 games this season for the Bridgeport Islanders (AHL), registering 18 points.
Ritchie, 20, has played seven games this season for Colorado, scoring one goal. He was selected 27th overall in the 2023 draft. He has size (6-foot-2) and was considered one of Colorado's top prospects.
The draft picks in the deal are conditional.
If Colorado's 2026 draft pick is transferred to the Philadelphia Flyers subject to terms of a previous trade, or it is not transferred and is in the top 10 of the 2026 draft, Colorado will send its 2027 first-round pick to New York. The Avalanche sent that lottery-protected pick to Philadelphia in acquiring defenseman Sean Walker last season.
Colorado's conditional 2028 third-round pick will be met should the Avalanche win the 2025 Stanley Cup and Nelson play in at least 50% of his team's playoff games.
This is the second significant deadline move for the Avalanche, who previously acquired defenseman Ryan Lindgren from the Rangers this week.
The Nelson trade could be the first of a handful of moves for the Islanders. Winger Kyle Palmieri is on an expiring contract, and there has been speculation the Islanders could also move veterans such as center Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
LOS ANGELES -- LeBron James' and Luka Doncic's 30-point double-doubles might have jumped off the box score after the Los Angeles Lakers' 113-109 overtime win over the New York Knicks on Thursday, but L.A.'s stars said the victory belonged to their supporting cast.
"I think Gabe [Vincent] won the game with those three 3s in the fourth quarter," Doncic said of the team's backup point guard.
The Lakers trailed by as many as 10 in the fourth quarter -- only the second time during their eight-game winning streak they were down double-digits to an opponent -- when Vincent caught fire.
Vincent, who missed nearly all of last season with a knee injury, hit his first 3 of the fourth to cut the Knicks' lead to five with 5:59 remaining. His next 3, with 2:55 left, cut L.A.'s deficit to one. His third, with 1:21 to go, gave the Lakers a 99-96 advantage, the first time they were up since the second quarter.
"It's part of why I'm here," Vincent said. "Part of why I'm here is what I've done at those moments late in the season. So just try and take the experience I've had and built and just try to continue to keep up with winning games."
The Lakers signed Vincent to a three-year contract in the summer of 2023 when he was coming off an NBA Finals run with the Miami Heat. While injuries derailed the start to his Laker tenure, he's been a valuable performer to the Lakers' turnaround this season on the defensive end -- ranking No. 1 in defensive efficiency in the league since Jan. 30.
Doncic finished with 32 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds and 4 steals and scored L.A.'s first five points in overtime. James had 31 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists and played 44 of 53 minutes at 40 years old.
But it was Vincent's 12 points, rookie Dalton Knecht's 11 points, backup center Trey Jemison III's seven points and four rebounds and starting center Jaxson Hayes' eight points, five rebounds, two blocks and two clutch free throws to give L.A. a two-point lead with less than a minute left in overtime that received the most praise in the locker room.
"There's no such thing as non-key players on this team," James said. "Everybody is key. And everybody who steps on the floor has a role and they go in and match that. And I thought our bench gave us a great lift once again and Gabe was -- I'll single him out -- he was spectacular. His play both on the defensive end and obviously his shooting, we needed it."
L.A. (40-21) begins a four-game road trip Saturday against the defending champs and franchise rival Boston Celtics.
Austin Reaves, who returned from a two-game absence from a right hamstring injury and struggled with a 2-for-13 shooting night, said that the nature of the win speaks volumes to what kind of team the Lakers are becoming.
"We probably shouldn't have won that game," Reaves said. "It's special to not play the way you want to and still come out and win."
LOS ANGELES -- New York All-Star guard Jalen Brunson could miss an extended period after suffering an ankle injury during overtime in the Knicks' 113-109 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.
Coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game that Brunson was still being examined by the medical staff.
"It's a bummer of an injury," forward Josh Hart said. "We expect him to be out for a little bit."
Brunson -- who is seventh in the league in scoring (26.3 points per game) and eighth in assists (7.4) -- rolled his right ankle with 1:24 remaining in overtime after landing on the foot of Lakers guard Austin Reaves after being fouled on a drive to the basket. Brunson was helped up by teammates and stayed in the game to make both free throws and tie the score at 107. He then went to the locker room.
Brunson led the Knicks with 39 points and 10 assists. He sent the game into overtime with a three-point play after the Lakers rallied from a double-digit deficit midway through the fourth quarter.
"His mental toughness is through the roof," Thibodeau said about Brunson, who was 13 of 26 from the field and made 12 of his 13 foul shots. "It doesn't surprise me the way he played the whole game. He still keeps battling and battling."
Brunson's injury could not come at a worse time for the Knicks. The loss to the Lakers began a five-game West Coast trip.
New York, which is 40-22 and in third place in the Eastern Conference, remains in Southern California to face the Clippers on Friday night before facing Sacramento on Monday night, Portland on Wednesday night and Golden State on March 15.
"It's next man up," center Karl-Anthony Towns said. "He's a huge part of our team. We've been playing with grit and have to go out there and do it again."
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
