Day two of BBC Sport's advent calendar looking back at the sporting decade stars Ireland's Jonny Sexton in the rain in Paris.

With the clock in the red, Ireland have one last chance to snatch victory from France on the opening weekend of the 2018 Six Nations, and Sexton takes centre stage.

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Rene Farrell, the former Australia fast bowler, joined Alex Blackwell and Kristen Beams in announcing her retirement from the Women's Big Bash League following the exits of their sides from the latest edition of the T20 tournament on Sunday.

Sydney Thunder's Blackwell, Australia's most-capped woman cricketer, and Beams, who turned out for Melbourne Stars since the tournament took off in 2015-16, had announced their decision to finish up earlier, and Farrell joined Blackwell in a post-match guard of honour after the Thunder lost to the Melbourne Renegades in their last match of the season.

Farrell, 32, made her Australia debut in an ODI against New Zealand in Darwin in July 2007 and played three Test matches, 44 ODIs and 54 T20Is over the years, her last outing in national colours coming in March 2017, again in an ODI against New Zealand, in Mount Maunganui. She finished with 114 international wickets.

Though she won't play in the WBBL again, Farrell will continue to play for New South Wales Breakers.

"I still have 50-overs cricket with the NSW Breakers. Hopefully I can go out on a high there like we did for Alex's career and winning that [after announcing her retirement from state cricket last year]," Farrell, who picked up 79 wickets in 66 games for the Thunder over the years, said. "I have a bit of cricket left, [but this send off with Sydney Thunder] was really special."

The Thunder website said that Blackwell had invited Farrell to join her in the farewell, joined by players from her team, as well as from the Renegades, Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat, who were all in action at Melbourne's Junction Oval.

"It was lovely of Al [Blackwell] to invite me to enjoy that moment… very special," Farrell said. "My reputation is gone now, I had a few tears on TV, but it is special."

It wasn't a particularly memorable outing for Farrell on the field, though, as she conceded 33 runs in four wicketless overs before scoring 14* in 12 balls in a 29-run defeat. Blackwell, too, didn't have a good time of it, run out for 1 in the failed chase for the Thunder.

"I couldn't have that send off without sharing it with her," Blackwell said of the joint farewell. "She's been an absolute legend of the game; really valuable - especially in T20. She's a big loss, a wonderful character. She's been an incredible servant of the game and it's easy to get emotional when you think of her contribution."

Beams, too, had a bad day at work, conceding 14 runs in her only over as the Heat beat the Stars by eight wickets. She picked up just wickets this season in eight bowling innings for the Stars.

"I've loved the last five years with the Melbourne Stars and being part of the Stars family," Beams told the team's website. "To see the WBBL grow from the first year of competition to what it is now has been a fantastic journey."

The 35-year-old legspinner played one Test, 30 ODIs and 18 T20Is for Australia since making her debut in an ODI against Pakistan in Brisbane in August 2014, last turning out for the national team in an ODI against England in Coffs Harbour in October 2017. She picked up 62 international wickets, and was a one-team player at the WBBL, having been with the Stars since the start of the league.

HOUSTON -- The Tom Brady-led New England Patriots offense continued to slump in Sunday night's 28-22 loss to the Houston Texans, a result that has knocked New England out of the No. 1 spot in the AFC.

The Baltimore Ravens, at 10-2, move into the top spot in the conference. The Patriots drop to 10-2, but because they lost to the Ravens on Nov. 3, they slide to No. 2 with four weeks left in the regular season.

While no longer possessing the top spot in the AFC, the Patriots have bigger concerns with their sputtering offense, which showed consistent signs of life only late in the fourth quarter when the Texans seemed to let down.

Brady finished 24-of-47 for 326 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception against the Texans, but that hardly reflects how much of a struggle it was. The pick came in the first quarter on a slant route to rookie receiver N'Keal Harry at New England's 28-yard line, with Texans cornerback Bradley Roby making an exceptional play that was a turning point. The Texans quickly turned it into a touchdown to go ahead 7-3, and never trailed again.

"Just execution, just have to do a better job. It's tough to get behind and come back. We put ourselves in a pretty deep hole and you can't do that on the road," said Brady, whose Patriots scored 17 and 13 points in their previous two games, both victories. "We didn't get the job done. A loss is a loss, and learn from it and try to move on to next week."

Patriots coach Bill Belichick added that the Patriots "weren't good enough in any area." He noted the Texans' success on second down against New England's usually stingy defense, and when asked if there was cause for concern with the offense, he said, "We all have to do a better job."

Brady was 7-of-19 for 82 yards at halftime.

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, the 36.8 completion percentage matched the lowest in a first half in Brady's 20-year career (minimum 15 attempts). He had been 7-of-19 in the first half of two other games prior to Sunday night, and the Patriots had rallied from halftime deficits to win both of those games.

While the Patriots had authored a historic comeback at NRG Stadium -- overcoming a 28-3 second-half deficit against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI -- the Texans (8-4) ensured that wouldn't happen again despite some anxious moments in the final minutes.

Bill O'Brien, the former Patriots offensive coordinator now in his sixth season as Texans head coach, earned his first victory over former boss Belichick, which included some razzle-dazzle as receiver DeAndre Hopkins threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Deshaun Watson in the fourth quarter.

Watson became just the fourth player in NFL history to throw three passing touchdowns and have a receiving touchdown in the same game, and the first since Jim McMahon for the 1985 Chicago Bears, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. Frank Ryan (Los Angeles Rams) and Ray Buivid (Bears) were the other players to accomplish the feat.

As for Brady, this wasn't a game in which he was consistently pressured. Even as the Texans built their lead into the fourth quarter, Brady had been averaging 3.25 seconds to throw, according to NFL Next Gen Stats data. Brady, who was emotional on the sideline during the first half as he implored his teammates to raise their level of play, had not had any games this season in which he averaged more than three seconds to throw.

He attempted to find a silver lining late Sunday night.

"We're battling, we're trying as hard as we can, hopefully we can make enough plays and be the best we can be," Brady said. "All remains to be seen. You can make a bunch of predictions and so forth, but that's not what it's about. It's about going out there and doing it."

Receiver Julian Edelman echoed a similar message.

"I think we'll be all right. What I did see is a team that fought to the end, so you can take that and you can build off that," he said. "It was ugly out there a little bit here and there. We didn't play the way we wanted to. But you got to tip your hat to Houston. They played a helluva game."

The Patriots return home to face the Kansas City Chiefs (8-4) on Sunday, before a road game at the Cincinnati Bengals (1-11). They finish the season with back-to-back home games against the Buffalo Bills (9-3) and Miami Dolphins (3-9).

The Ravens visit the Bills, host the New York Jets (4-8), play at the Cleveland Browns (5-7) and then close the season with a home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5).

The Ravens are 10-2 for the first time in their 24-year existence and are riding an eight-game win streak, which is the longest in franchise history and the best current one in the NFL.

The Ravens have never finished a season as the top seed. Baltimore was the No. 2 seed in 2006 and 2011.

"We're 10-2 and we ain't done nothing yet," Ravens coach John Harbaugh told his players in the locker room after Sunday's 20-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

ESPN's Jamison Hensley contributed to this report.

BOSTON -- David Backes couldn't help but smile after scoring his first goal of the season in his first game in nearly a month.

The Bruins right wing picked a big moment against a big-time rival to accomplish the feat.

Backes scored the deciding goal with 9 minutes, 31 seconds left in the third period, David Pastrnak added his league-leading 25th goal, and Boston won its seventh consecutive game, beating the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Sunday night.

"You could see [the emotion] on my face. That was elation,'' Backes said. "I've been watching this team do this for a month, and now it's great to be part of it.''

Backes' goal came off a feed from David Krejci through the right circle. Jake DeBrusk added his sixth goal of the season on a give-and-go with Charlie Coyle a couple minutes later and the Canadiens' season-high losing streak reached eight (0-5-3).

Backes was in the lineup for the first time since being injured during a scary collision with Ottawa's Scott Sabourin on Nov. 2.

"We didn't know what he'd have, to be honest with you,'' Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "He hadn't played in a while. I thought he gave us some good energy, had a couple looks, was banging bodies.''

Tuukka Rask made 28 saves for the Bruins.

Boston extended its points streak to 11 games (8-0-3) and entered the third month of the season as the only team without a home regulation loss (11-0-4).

Joel Armia scored and Carey Price had 31 saves for Montreal.

"For 45, 46, 47 minutes, we were playing solid hockey,'' Montreal and former Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "We needed that win desperately, and now we've got to go back home and find a way to win the next one.''

Montreal had allowed 24 goals in four prior games, including a season-worst 8-1 loss to Boston at home Tuesday that featured a hat trick by Pastrnak.

Price gave up five goals on 11 shots in Tuesday's loss to the Bruins and has surrendered 19 total over his past four games.

But the Canadiens star saw improvement in his team's effort.

"If we definitely play like [we did today], the majority of our games are going to be a better result,'' Price said.

The Canadiens got off to a fast start this time after giving up three first-period goals in Tuesday's matchup.

Armia's backhand shot from the right circle deflected off Charlie McAvoy's skate and into the net for his 10th goal of the season 1:58 into the game.

Play was stopped with 2:47 left in the second as a scuffle broke out involving all 10 position players on the ice after Shea Weber interfered with Pastrnak.

Pastrnak evened the score at 6:16 of the third after skating into the right circle and firing a one-time shot past Price high to the stick side.

"Twenty-five [goals] by December 1st, I wouldn't have predicted that,'' Cassidy said. "I know he's certainly, maybe could have had 30. I don't think he's had a lot of freebies, let's put it that way.''

Backes' goal came with 9 seconds left on a Bruins' power play after Montreal's Nick Cousins was whistled for holding Boston's Torey Krug.

"It's unfortunate. It was a bad call,'' Julien said. "Krug's stick was stuck under his own player. As a referee in a 1-1 hockey game, you've got to make sure when you make those calls. I was pissed off at the way that was handled.''

The Canadiens beat the Bruins 5-4 in their first meeting on Nov. 5 in Montreal.

NOTES: Bruins LW Brad Marchand played despite being a game-time decision after playing through flu-like symptoms on Friday. ... Boston C Patrice Bergeron (lower body) was out for the sixth time in eight games. Bergeron skated before Sunday's practice and is still day-to-day. ... Canadiens D Victor Mete did not travel and was to be reevaluated Sunday after suffering a lower-body injury Saturday against Philadelphia. ... Montreal LW Jonathan Drouin (torn tendon in left wrist) has missed eight games following his surgery but has been medically cleared to ride a stationary bike. His return date, originally thought to be eight weeks, is still uncertain. RW Paul Byron (knee) also missed his eighth straight. ... Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur underwent surgery Thursday in Montreal to remove ganglions and a lobe on his lung, the team announced Sunday. LaFleur is expected to return home soon to continue his recovery.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Host New York Islanders on Tuesday night.

Bruins: Host Carolina on Tuesday night.

Priyam Garg will look to join a select list of India Under-19 World Cup-winning captains consisting of Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand and Prithvi Shaw when he leads the team at the 2020 edition in South Africa in January-February. Uttar Pradesh's wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel has been named his deputy.

Garg is already a first-class regular for Uttar Pradesh. He finished the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy as the second-highest run-scorer for UP, making 814 runs at an average of 67.83, with two hundreds including a career-best 206. He also featured in the Deodhar Trophy recently, top-scoring with a 77 for India C in the final. He has played 15 List A matches and 11 T20s.

The 15-member squad also features Mumbai's 17-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has already made waves in the 50-overs format. During the Vijay Hazare Trophy in September-October, Jaiswal became the youngest player to smash a List A double-century, while also topping the run charts for Mumbai. In all, he made 564 runs at an average of 112.80 with three hundreds and a fifty.

ALSO READ: Yashasvi Jaiswal: From selling pani-puris to smashing List A double-ton

Karnataka's spin-bowling allrounder Shubhang Hegde, who recently led India Under-19 to a 3-2 series win over Afghanistan in Lucknow, was also in the squad. He first impressed as a 15-year-old in the Karnataka Premier League and has just a solitary first-class game under his belt.

The World Cup begins on January 17 with India slotted in Group A along with New Zealand, Sri Lanka and first-time qualifiers Japan. There are four groups with 16 teams in all and the top two sides from each of them will qualify for the Super League stage. The final will be played in Potchefstroom on February 9. This will be the 13th edition of the Under-19 World Cup and India have won four titles so far, the most, including the last edition in 2018 in New Zealand.

Squad: Priyam Garg (capt), Dhruv Jurel (vice-capt & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Divyaansh Saxena, Shashwat Rawat, Divyansh Joshi, Shubhang Hegde, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Singh, Kartik Tyagi, Atharva Ankolekar, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Sushant Mishra, Vidyadhar Patil.

More to follow...

West Indies Emerging Team 293 for 7 (Julien 83, Drakes 38, Cariah 34, Cato 30, Boatswain 2-59, Berridge 2-59) beat Leeward Islands 88 (Sinclair 4-20, Cariah 3-8) by 205 runs

Impressive spells from spinners Kevin Sinclair and Yannic Cariah took West Indies Emerging Team to their maiden Super 50 Cup title after they bowled Leeward Islands out for 88 for a whopping 205-run win in Port of Spain on Sunday.

Young offpsinner Sinclair, playing only his ninth List A game, and lespinner Cariah, also the captain, ran through the Leeward Islands' line-up, finishing with figures of 4 for 20 and 3 for 8 respectively.

Leeward Islands hardly resisted with the bat after the emerging team put up 293 for 7, with six of them dismissed for single-digit scores. The highest individual score was Amir Jangoo's 43-ball 20.

Openers Kieran Powell - the highest run-scorer of the season - and Montcin Hodge contributed just 13 and 1 respectively, while the in-form Devon Thomas fell for a 22-ball 15. A clutch of wickets fell after Cariah removed Keacy Carty in the 18th over, as Leeward Islands lost their last seven wickets for just 24 runs.

Earlier, after being put in, the emerging team rode on strong top-order partnerships, with Leonardo Julien top-scoring with 83. Although they lost three quick wickets in the space of 3.5 overs in the middle, handy lower-order contributions from Sinclair (28 in 33 balls) and Dominic Drakes (38 in 25) took them to a competitive total.

Cariah was named Man of the Match for his bowling spell as well as 34 off 52 balls batting at No. 3.

New South Wales 294 (Abbott 54, Nevill 50, Larkin 50, and 0 for 129 (Larkin 68*) drew with Victoria 7 for 307 dec (Pucovski, Maddinson 59, Handscomb 54, O'Keefe 5-80)

Victoria and New South Wales played out a sedate final day at the MCG before the teams shook hands on a draw.

Daniel Hughes and Nick Larkin put on an unbroken opening stand of 129 with no chance of a result being forced. New South Wales started marginally behind, but once they avoided losing any early wickets the action fizzled out.

The draw consolidates New South Wales' position at the top of the table after they started the season with four consecutive wins although the gap to second has been narrowed after Queensland's two-day victory over Tasmania.

There is one more round of Sheffield Shield matches before the BBL break.

All the latest updates from the 10th round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Ole Miss dismissed head football coach Matt Luke on Sunday after he posted a 15-21 record in three seasons at the helm.

"After evaluating the overall trajectory of our football program, we did not see enough momentum on the field and determined a change is necessary in order for our student-athletes to compete at the highest level," athletic director Keith Carter said in a statement. "While improvements were evident in certain aspects of the program, we are judged ultimately by our record, and, unfortunately, we did not meet the standard of success that we expect from our program.

"We will always be grateful to Coach Luke for his leadership, particularly from a recruiting, academic and overall culture standpoint. At the same time, winning is important, and we know that we can compete for championships at Ole Miss."

At least 10 Ole Miss players walked out of a meeting Sunday after being informed of Luke's firing, a source told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, confirming a report by the Clarion-Ledger.

Luke, who played at Ole Miss, took over as the Rebels' interim head coach just a week prior to the start of fall camp in 2017 after Hugh Freeze was fired. Luke was named the permanent head coach following the 2017 season.

The Rebels finished 4-8 this season, including a 21-20 loss on Thanksgiving night to rival Mississippi State, a game in which the Rebels missed a chance to send the game into overtime when receiver Elijah Moore was penalized for excessive celebration after catching a touchdown pass and then pretending to urinate in the end zone. The Rebels were backed up 15 yards for the extra point, and Luke Logan's PAT kick was no good.

Luke didn't take the Rebels to any bowl games. The school self-imposed a bowl ban in 2017 because of NCAA violations that occurred when Freeze was the coach, and a second year of postseason ban was added by the NCAA in 2018, although the Rebels were just 5-7 that season.

"I want to thank Coach Luke for his devotion to Ole Miss," Carter said. "His integrity, class and dedication to this program and our student-athletes is unsurpassed, and we will always appreciate how he stepped up at a time when his university needed him the most. We wish him the very best, and he will always be a cherished member of the Ole Miss family."

Just a week ago, Carter told the Clarion-Ledger that the football program was "headed in a great direction" and that he was "excited about Coach Luke."