Ospreys made the most of moving their United Rugby Championship (URC) home game from Swansea to south-west London by defeating Sharks at the Stoop.

Sharks had opened the score with a Phepsi Buthelezi try.

All the points were scored in the first half as Ospreys defended resolutely to hold off the error-strewn Sharks.

It is a second straight league victory for Toby Booth's young side after defeating Zebre 34-31 last weekend, while Sharks have now started the season with three defeats, after previous losses against Leinster and Munster.

With Jac Morgan and Justin Tipuric absent because of their involvement in Wales' uncapped match against the Barbarians on Saturday, number eight Morgan Morris was an inspiration as he captained the 'home' side to victory, while flanker Harri Deaves was also outstanding.

Moving match to London

This is one of three matches Ospreys will have to move this season because their landlords Swansea City's fixtures take precedence at the Swansea.com Stadium. Ospreys are in line to face Cardiff at Bridgend's Brewery Field on 1 January.

On this occasion, the region decided to branch out and try to attract a new audience in London, with many Welsh and South African ex-pats living there.

Only 3,017 attended Ospreys' opening home victory against Zebre in Swansea last weekend. So the London game was an ambitious idea that was criticised by some and welcomed by others.

Three of the Stoop stands were open, but the main stand was closed to spectators with the attendance announced as 7,183, just under half of the 14,800 capacity.

Wales hosting Barbarians in Cardiff on Saturday afternoon had robbed the Welsh region of their top players.

Ospreys captain Tipuric is due to play for the Barbarians, with Morgan, Dewi Lake, Adam Beard and George North already in the Wales squad, while Sharks had none of their World Cup-winning Springboks.

The hosts were also missing Gareth Thomas, Alex Cuthbert, Sam Parry, Huw Sutton, Will Griffiths, Dom Morris, Keelan Giles and Mat Protheroe.

Sharks start fast

Sharks struck first with a well-worked move that allowed flanker Buthelezi to score. Ospreys responded with a series of powerful drive as Sharks lost their discipline with hooker Ethan Lewis appearing to have been driven over.

The try was initially awarded and followed by a failed conversion before belatedly being checked and ruled out after Lewis lost the ball.

Ospreys did not have to wait too long as they built patiently before creating the space for full-back Walsh to glide over.

Owen Williams missed the conversion and was forced off with a hamstring injury, with Walsh moving to fly-half and Nagy slotting in at full-back.

Nagy made an early impression after charging down a chip from Rohan Janse van Rensburg, collecting possession and sprinting away for an opportunist score. Walsh converted.

While in possession, Janse van Rensburg was shown a yellow card for a high forearm on Deaves.

Ospreys capitalised on a mistake from wing Aphiwe Dyantyi with centre Williams touching down. Walsh converted to give Ospreys a 19-5 half-time lead.

Ospreys lock Rhys Davies avoided a yellow card after a head clash with Sharks fly-half Curwin Bosch, who was forced off the field.

Coach Toby Booth changed the hooker, but Lewis' replacement Lewis Lloyd struggled with his first few line-out throws.

Ospreys defended resolutely, but Walsh failed with a late penalty to extend the lead while Nagy spurned a bonus-point try attempt.

It mattered little with victory the main aim for this young Ospreys side on what can be considered a successful evening for the region on and off the field.

Ospreys captain Morgan Morris told BBC Sport Wales: "They're a big physical team and we were up against it during the game.

"They came at us with everything, especially after half-time. Credit to the boys in the front five, they were outstanding and the work we did in the scrums and mauls was absolutely fantastic.

"Mark Jones [defence coach] has had an amazing effect on us. Our defence has been good, especially today. We were in our 22 a lot but we didn't give up and won a couple of penalties."

Ospreys: Jack Walsh; Luke Morgan, Keiran Williams, Owen Watkin, Toby Fricker; Owen Williams, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Garyn Phillips, Ethan Lewis, Tom Botha, Rhys Davies, James Fender, James Ratti, Harri Deaves, Morgan Morris (capt).

Replacements: Lewis Lloyd, Rhys Henry, Ben Warren, Lewis Jones, Morgan Morse, Luke Davies, Max Nagy, Luke Scully.

Sharks: Aphelele Fassi; Werner Kok, Francois Venter (capt), Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Aphiwe Dyantyi; Curwin Bosch, Cameron Wright; Ntuthuko Mchunu, Dylan Richardson, Coenie Oosthuizen, Corne Rahl, Emile van Heerden, James Venter, Phepsi Buthelezi, Sikhumbuzo Notshe.

Replacements: Kerron van Vuuren, Dian Bleuler, Hanro Jacobs, Hyron Andrews, George Cronje, Zee Mkhabela, Boeta Chamberlain, Murray Koster.

Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)

Assistant referees: Dewi Phillips & Mark Butcher (WRU)

TMO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)

Sale Sharks moved to the top of the Premiership with a convincing victory over Gloucester at the Salford Community Stadium.

England fly-half George Ford added the other points in his first Sale appearance since playing in the World Cup.

Gloucester slip a place to sixth after a second consecutive loss, with Freddie Thomas grabbing their sole try.

Ford and prop Bevan Rodd were the first members of Steve Borthwick's England squad to feature in the Premiership this season, with Sale glad to have them available after their 43-0 mauling by Exeter Chiefs last Saturday.

There was also a debut for veteran Creevy after his summer switch from London Irish with the 38-year-old back from World Cup duty with the Pumas.

Ford played in five of England's seven games at the World Cup, contributing 41 points, including all of them in the 27-10 pool stage victory over Argentina, but his last start was in the win over Japan on 17 September.

However, his return to domestic duty was a huge boost for the Sharks as the 30-year-old had played a key role in leading them to last season's Premiership final for the first time in 17 years.

In front of a crowd of 4,775 that included World Rugby president Bill Beaumont, a George Barton penalty gave the visitors an early lead.

But it was not long before the Sharks' power began to take effect in the wind and rain on a foul north west evening.

Ford neglected a shot at goal and instead the hosts kicked for the corner. From there, home pressure close to the line ended with Rob du Preez sending in Reed in the opposite corner.

Ford, who missed three kicks in quick succession in tricky conditions, was heavily involved in Reed's second try as Gloucester winger Jack Reeves made a huge mess of a massive up-and-under and Gus Warr released Reed to sprint home before Ford added the extras.

There was the welcome sight in the second half of the return to the field for Sale captain Curry for his first game since last season's Premiership semi-final in May when a hamstring injury cost him his place in the final and any chance of World Cup selection.

And his first involvement was powering over to score from close range, a feat later repeated by Creevy to bring up the bonus point and cap the night's work for Sale, who have not lost at home in the league for more than an year.

Gloucester were well beaten and were heading for a second try-less game until Thomas ran in under the posts to add a touch of respectability to the scoreline.

Sale Sharks head coach Alex Sanderson told BBC Sport:

"We won a lot of the scraps and that comes with an intensity that you play with. On a night like tonight, it was about those scraps in the end.

"We had loads of attacking possession that we probably should have converted but we ended up scoring from a stolen line-out and a missed kick.

"To have the lads back from World Cup duty and injury, I thought they had a really positive impact on the game."

Gloucester head coach George Skivington told BBC Radio Gloucester:

"Both teams were putting each other under pressure but Sale put us under a lot more pressure at the end of the game and got a couple of scores.

"The physicality and the work-rate were really good and some of our young players really fronted up but we didn't take advantage of the pressure situations we created.

"We definitely left a couple of tries out there and in the end, that was the difference in the score."

Sale: S James; Roebuck, R du Preez, Bedlow, Reed; Ford, Warr; Rodd, Creevy, Schonert, Wiese, Hill, Van Rhyn, Dugdale, D du Preez.

Replacements: Langdon, McIntyre, Harper, Beaumont, B Curry, N Thomas, Ellis, Wills.

Gloucester: Morris; Reeves, Harris, Atkinson, Hearle; Barton, Chapman; Ford-Robinson, Singleton, Gotovtsev, Thomas, Clark, Tuisue, Donnell, Clement.

Replacements: Socino, Elrington, Knight, Jordan, Taylor, Young, Llewelyn, Hathaway.

Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe.

England's WXV-winning captain Marlie Packer has been named World Rugby Women's Player of the Year for 2023.

The Saracens back row, 34, led England to a Six Nations Grand Slam in April.

That was followed by the inaugural WXV1 title, which was secured with a 33-12 victory over world champions New Zealand in Auckland on Saturday.

Packer, who won her 99th England cap in that match, is one of seven England players named in World Rugby's Dream Team.

She is joined by fellow forwards Lark Atkin-Davies, Sarah Bern, Zoe Aldcroft and Alex Matthews, with full-back Ellie Kildunne and winger Dow also included.

New Zealand's Katelyn Vahaakolo was named Breakthrough Player of the Year, an award for which Scotland winger Francesca McGhie was also nominated.

England became the inaugural WXV1 champions with a 33-12 win over world champions New Zealand in Auckland.

Facing the side that beat them in last year's World Cup final, England started quickly with tries from Alex Matthews, Lark Atkin-Davies and Sarah Bern.

Kennedy Simon and Katelyn Vahaakolo replied, before Morwenna Talling and Zoe Aldcroft put England beyond reach.

As well as confirming them as the first winners of women's rugby's new global tournament, England's victory also ensured they will stay ahead of New Zealand at the top of the world rankings.

The platform for England's win was laid by a blistering start as they raced into a 19-0 lead with three tries inside the first 23 minutes.

Matthews burrowed over from the base of a scrum and that was quickly followed by an Atkin-Davies try reminiscent of the four she scored against Canada in England's previous outing.

Bern crashed over from close range after multiple phases to extend England's advantage over a New Zealand team who began with several sloppy errors but finally clicked into gear before the interval.

Simon and Vahaakolo both crossed after overlaps were created on the Black Ferns' left side, reducing their deficit to seven points, but England again went through the phases to send Talling over close to the posts midway through the second period.

That score meant New Zealand needed to win by more than seven points and score at least four tries of their own to clinch the title - a task that proved beyond them.

After the match, England captain Marlie Packer was named as the winner of World Rugby's Women's Player of the Year award.

England end transitional 2023 with perfect record

Following the disappointment of their World Cup final defeat by New Zealand in November 2022, England have bounced back in superb style with a perfect record of 10 wins from 10 games during a transitional 2023.

Simon Middleton's reign ended with a Six Nations Grand Slam, capped off with a narrow victory over France in front of more than 58,000 people at Twickenham.

Interim head coach Louis Deacon oversaw two Test victories over Canada before WXV and has been at the helm in New Zealand, with incoming head coach John Mitchell linking up with the Red Roses after completing his duties with Japan's men at the Rugby World Cup.

Moving forward, the Six Nations gets under way in March and there will be another chance for the Red Roses to showcase their talent at Twickenham against Ireland on 20 April.

Twickenham could also stage another rematch of the World Cup final, with talks held between the two respective nations regarding a standalone fixture next year.

The long-term aim is to build momentum heading into the 2025 Rugby World Cup, which England will host.

Line-ups

England: Kildunne; Dow, Rowland, Heard, MacDonald; Aitchison, Hunt; Carson, Atkin-Davies, Bern, Aldcroft, Galligan, Talling, Packer, Matthews.

Replacements: Powell, Botterman, Muir, Beckett, Allen, Wyrwas, Jones, Breach.

New Zealand: Holmes; Tui, Du Plessis, Brunt, Paul; Demant, Marino-Tauhinu; Henwood, Ponsonby, Rule, Roos, C Bremner, A Bremner, Simon, Mikaele-Tu'u.

Replacements: Connor, Murray, Fisher, Sae, Jenkins, Hohaia, Maliepo, Vahaakolo.

The New York Rangers placed defenseman Adam Fox (lower-body injury) on long-term injured reserve and forward Filip Chytil (upper-body injury) on standard injured reserve Friday amid a flurry of roster moves.

The Rangers recalled defenseman Connor Mackey and goaltender Louis Domingue from AHL affiliate Hartford.

Domingue is set to back up Jonathan Quick for the Rangers' game Saturday night at the Minnesota Wild, as the team told local reporters that No. 1 goalie Igor Shesterkin is "banged up" after Thursday's win over Carolina. Shesterkin is considered day-to-day with the undisclosed injury.

As a result of being on LTIR, Fox must miss a minimum of 10 games or 24 days. The former Norris Trophy winner for best defenseman in the NHL has three goals and eight assists through 10 games.

With 7:51 remaining in the opening period Thursday night, Fox collided with the Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho and hobbled to the bench. He missed the remainder of the game.

Chytil exited with about 6 minutes left in the second period. Chytil has six assists through 10 games to start the season.

Shesterkin won the Vezina Trophy for the NHL's top goaltender two seasons ago and is 6-2-0 through eight starts. He has a 2.36 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage this season.

The Rangers also announced that forward Barclay Goodrow will miss Saturday's game to attend the birth of his son.

The Rangers are 8-2-0 through their first 10 games, just the second time in franchise history they have won at least eight of their first 10 games to open a season.

The New Jersey Devils lost center Jack Hughes to an upper-body injury early in the first period of their 4-1 loss to the Blues on Friday night in St. Louis.

Hughes, who entered the game with an NHL-leading 15 assists and 20 points, left the game after awkwardly crashing into the boards after being slightly hooked by Blues defenseman Torey Krug. No penalty was called on the play.

"It's tough," Devils forward Curtis Lazar said. "I mean you look at the start he's had. I'm not going to lie, we were a little dejected when it happened. But, again, you've got to kind of turn the page when you realize he's not coming back and say, 'All right, next man up.'"

Devils coach Lindy Ruff didn't have an update on Hughes' status after the game. He will be reevaluated Saturday.

New Jersey was already playing without center Nico Hischier, who missed his third consecutive game with an upper-body injury.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Erik ten Hag has branded Marcus Rashford's decision to go to a nightclub after Manchester United's defeat to Manchester City as "unacceptable" and revealed the forward has apologised.

Rashford was spotted at Chinawhite club in Manchester on Sunday night hours after the 3-0 derby defeat.

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A source close to Rashford, who turned 26 on Tuesday, said he attended "an intimate, pre-planned celebration in honour of his birthday at a private area of a Chinawhite organised by his friends."

Ten Hag hinted the England international, who was named on the bench for the 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle on Wednesday, has been disciplined and said he would be available for the trip to Fulham on Saturday.

"I am aware of it [the party] and I spoke with him about it," Ten Hag told a news conference on Friday.

"It's unacceptable. I told him, he apologised and that is it. For us it's an internal matter."

Rashford scored 30 goals in all competitions last season and signed a new 315k-a-week contract over the summer. But he's struggled for form so far this season, scoring just once in 14 appearances.

"He's very motivated to put things right," Ten Hag said.

"I know how much effort he is putting in. He's totally with us. I see him every day in training, what he's doing, I know. So he makes one mistake but also, off the pitch, what he is doing, how he lives, and I'm sure he is doing everything right to help the team and to perform and to let us win."

United head to Fulham looking to bounce back from consecutive 3-0 home defeats to Manchester City and Newcastle. Ten Hag's team are eighth in the Premier League table after losing five of their 10 games, but the Dutchman insists they will come through their poor run.

"I'm convinced, sometimes you have difficult periods but when you stick together -- and we are together -- then you come through those difficult periods," he said.