Rob Howley has "gone through hell" since being suspended for an alleged breach of World Rugby betting rules, says former Wales coach Warren Gatland.

Ex-Wales backs coach Howley was sent home before the World Cup in Japan and is awaiting the outcome of a Welsh Rugby Union investigation.

Gatland says Howley did nothing illegal and missing the World Cup was the absolute punishment.

"He's felt he's let a lot of people down," said Gatland.

Speaking to the Rugby Union Weekly podcast, Gatland added: "I spoke to him a couple of days ago and during the World Cup.

"It's been the hardest six or seven weeks of his life, he's been emotionally through absolute hell and there's an investigation that's been going on."

Gatland stepped down after 12 years in charge of Wales at the end of the tournament in Japan, when Howley's contract was also due to end.

The pair have had a 17-year association at Wasps and Wales, with Gatland saying the incident has had a big effect on the former Wales scrum-half.

"Hopefully in the next couple of weeks there'll be a result from that, but I know emotionally it's been incredibly tough on himself and his family and he's been so apologetic," said Gatland.

"He's been through a hell of a lot emotionally and it's been tough. The biggest punishment so far for him is he's missed out on being involved in the World Cup.

"It's important in the rugby community we do what we can in terms of supporting as much as possible."

Eddie Jones - the friendly rival

In Howley's absence, Gatland led Wales to the semi-finals where they were beaten 19-16 by eventual winners South Africa, who defeated England 32-12 in the final.

Gatland caused controversy after England beat New Zealand in the last four by questioning whether Eddie Jones' side could reproduce that form against the Springboks.

Jones responded by telling Gatland to enjoy the third-place play-off which Wales eventually lost to the All Blacks.

Gatland insisted there was no bad blood between the pair.

"I thought England were magnificent in that semi-final against the All Blacks and that was one of the best performances I've seen for a long time," he said.

"They just didn't, for whatever reason, turn up for the final.

"They just weren't quite at their peak and I can understand that and it didn't happen for them on the day.

"I made some comments after our semi-final and I got criticised, but I wasn't actually talking about England, I was talking about my own rugby experiences in the past with Wasps and the Lions.

"Eddie would not have heard my response to when I was asked that question in the press conference after our semi-final game and I was just reflecting back on some of my experiences."

Gatland says he has a good relationship with Jones after some verbal jousting over the years.

"It's just a game and Eddie understands that," said Gatland.

"It's kind of like water off a ducks back nowadays.

"There were times when he threw a few hand grenades out there and at times Eddie does get criticism.

"There's also times when he's smart in the way he takes some of the pressure off the players and brings it on himself.

"It's just a bit of banter and people get caught up in it and stuff and we have a laugh and a joke about it afterwards.

"People think we dislike each other, if you put us in a room by ourselves we'd be punching the hell out of each other, but it's not like that at all."

'I could have ended up in France'

Gatland will return to New Zealand to coach the Chiefs in Super Rugby next year and also the British and Irish Lions on the tour of South Africa in 2021.

He says he never had a serious conversation about becoming England coach, but revealed he could have taken over at France where ex-Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards is heading.

"They are an untapped giant and I had some conversations with Bernard Laporte about potentially going there after my Wales contract," said Gatland.

"It didn't get voted because the amateur clubs had to agree to a foreign coach and it didn't get a majority through.

"I think only about half the clubs voted, so I probably could have ended up in France."

Each week on GolfChannel.com, we’ll examine which players’ stocks and trends are rising and falling in the world of golf.

RISING

Scott McCarron (+8%): The 54-year-old grinder doesn’t boast the career record of Langer or Monty or Goosen, which is why so much emotion spilled out when he captured the season-long Charles Schwab Cup. It’s cool to see that these grizzled vets aren’t just playing hit-and-giggle golf to pad their bank accounts.

Tyrrell Hatton (+7%): Even while battling a lingering wrist injury, Hatton has surged toward the finish line in 2019, with his gritty playoff victory in Turkey marking his fifth consecutive top-20 finish. The $2 million payday was sweet, and now, at No. 6 in the Race to Dubai standings, he’s in line for an even larger windfall with a strong finishing kick.

Jeff Maggert (+5%): Few things in golf are better than a walk-off win, but Maggert hooping his approach in the season finale was doubly impressive in that it snapped a four-and-a-half-year winless drought. The question now is how he’ll be repaid by McCarron, after Maggert helped hand him the season-long title.

Patrick Reed (+3%): Captain America endured some horrible p.r. for a few months, but his comments following the 2018 Ryder Cup didn’t have any long-lasting effects, not after Captain Woods selected him for the Presidents Cup. And unlike a year ago in Paris, Reed is playing some stellar golf right now and poised to make a significant impact for Team USA.

Lucy Li (+1%): The Symetra Tour has struggled to attract attention in a crowded landscape, but Li’s presence next year should help. At 17, the newly minted pro isn’t yet eligible for the LPGA, but she could force the commissioner’s hand with a strong campaign in 2020. 

FALLING

Matthias Schwab (-1%): His nine top-10s suggest a breakthrough win is imminent, but not all playoff losses are created equal, and his short miss on the fourth extra hole in Turkey was costly – really costly, as in, more-than-$1.5-million costly. Ouch.

Nedbank Challenge (-2%): Unlike the FedExCup playoffs, the European Tour has had some trouble luring stars for its big-money finish. Just five of the top 10 in the Race to Dubai standings are teeing it up in South Africa, which feels like a letdown before the season-ender in Dubai.

Eddie Pepperell (-3%): The only disappointment of his DQ for running out of balls? That there isn’t video evidence as he launched shot after shot into the pond. Not only did he miss out on tournament pay, but here’s guessing he’ll also be writing out a check to the European Tour for conduct unbecoming.

Second stage flameouts (-4%): Those who miss the cut during Korn Ferry Tour Q-School are relegated to golf’s version of no-man’s land, with Monday qualifiers and sponsor exemptions their only avenue to tournament starts. That’s the difficult road ahead for the likes of Akshay Bhatia, Norman Xiong, Will Gordon, Rico Hoey, Dylan Meyer and Dru Love. 

Rickie (-5%): Not only was the beloved U.S. team member snubbed for Woods’ squad, but now Fowler’s position as the de facto first alternate is uncertain after he contracted a bacterial infection while on his honeymoon. Can he really be trusted if he plays only once (the Hero) in three months?

The Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational is increasing its purse to $2.3 million next year, making it the largest LPGA purse outside the major championships and the CME Group Tour Championship.

That’s a $300,000 increase in total prize money.

A $559,000 first-place check will be split by the victorious two-woman team.

Only the U.S. Women’s Open ($5.5 million), the CME Group Tour Championship ($5 million), the AIG Women’s British Open ($4.5 million), the Evian Championship ($4.1 million), the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship ($3.85 million) and the ANA Inspiration ($3 million) offered a larger purse this year.

“They are taking all the right steps to keep attracting the most talented golfers and creating a one-of-a-kind competition on the tour,” Dow ambassador Suzann Pettersen said.

Cydney Clanton and Jasmine Suwannapura teamed to win the inaugural event last year. Next year’s event is scheduled July 15-18 in Midland, Mich.

England coach Gareth Southgate has said Raheem Sterling's emotions "ran over" in his clash with Joe Gomez, labelling the situation "difficult".

Sterling will not be considered for England's Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro after an altercation with his England teammate on Monday.

A day after Liverpool beat Manchester City 3-1 at Anfield, where the pair confronted each other towards the end of the match, both players became involved in another exchange when the England squad convened at the national training centre at Burton upon Trent.

Southgate told a news conference: "Raheem [Sterling] explained that for a brief moment his emotions ran over. It would be correct to say that's not the same for Joe [Gomez].

"It is important to always be as fair as possible on any decision I make. Quite the number of our senior players have been active in discussions.

"That is an important process. I am the manager and certain decisions are my responsibility. The group has been very mature dealing with a difficult situation.

"As emotions calmed yesterday, I am very impressed the players worked through collectively. I had to make some difficult calls -- that's the end of discussion.

"It's not for me to discuss the details of the incident. In the end I have to find the right solution for the group. You try to be fair at all times dealing with the players.

"I have made the decision and it was appropriate for moving forward. Raheem is a very important player for us but I feel it was the right.

"I consult very closely with all of the players, in particular the senior players. They have a very good understanding of how we have worked over the years. We are a united group and now we have to turn our focus on to the football."

A statement from the English Football Association on Monday said Sterling would miss the match against Montenegro at Wembley on Thursday "as a result of a disturbance in a private team area at St. George's Park today. He will remain with the squad."

Southgate added: "We have a hugely important qualifier on Thursday night. We are drawing a line under it and moving forward as a team.

"I love all of my players. We are a family and all families have disagreements. The most important thing is to work through them.

"Our focus is now to move forward. It was crucial to me that everyone in the group is ready to move forward. That is why everyone is part of the squad."

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Sterling released a statement on his Instagram account late on Monday night confirming the altercation with Gomez and said that both had moved on from the incident.

"First and foremost everyone knows what that game means to me!" Sterling wrote.

View this post on Instagram

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A post shared by Raheem Sterling x ? (@sterling7) on Nov 11, 2019 at 4:30pm PST

"Everyone knows that I am not that way inclined and more to the point. Both Joe and I have had words and figured things out and moved on.

"We are in a sport where emotions run high and I am man enough to admit when emotions get the better of me. We move this is why we play this sport because of our love [of] it.

"Me and [Gomez] are good we both understand it was 5-10 second things and it's done we move forward and not make this bigger than it is.

"Let's get focus on our game on Thursday."

Sterling has been in exceptional form for England, scoring eight goals and providing five assists during Euro 2020 qualification.

Last season, he was named Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers' Association after scoring 25 goals in all competitions as City won a domestic treble of the Premier League title and the two Cup competitions.

For England, Sterling has scored 12 goals in 55 games. Southgate's men, who top Group A with 15 points from six matches, face Kosovo on Sunday, three days on from the match with Montenegro.

LIVERPOOL, England -- Pep Guardiola concluded his long praise of Liverpool following Manchester City's 3-1 defeat at Anfield by tagging them as "the best team, right now, in the world." Meanwhile, City midfielder Bernardo Silva, wrestled with the reality that "you can play better than them and still be 2-0, 3-0 behind" in the aftermath of the loss, which left the defending champions fourth and nine points adrift of Jurgen Klopp's league leaders.

The most accurate appraisal of this Liverpool group came from a man who used to thrive on being the ultimate Anfield bandit, Jose Mourinho. He stole a handful of wins there as a manager and also spent much of his career locked in an exacting battle with Pep Guardiola. In his role as Sky Sports pundit extraordinaire, Mourinho described Klopp's men as "the complete puzzle" and those words help explain just how Liverpool got the better of Man City on Sunday.

Liverpool won the midfield battle -- Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson served as destroyers, creators and in the case of the Brazilian, a goalscorer. The trio were physical, disciplined, press-resistant and accomplished in and out of possession. While City were brilliant on the ball, they were a distinct second best without it.

Then there were Liverpool's full-backs, who continue to show why they are the standouts in their positions this season. Trent Alexander-Arnold's diagonal pass to Andy Robertson, delivered with precision and the air of a pedigreed midfielder with his weaker left foot, saw the left-back then supply a teasing cross to the far post for Mohamed Salah to head in the second goal.

"I don't think I ever saw a goal like this. Probably not," Klopp said postmatch. "A right full-back with a 60-yard pass to the left full-back; two more touches and a cross over 40 yards, 50, and a header. That's pretty special. It was a good moment to score a goal like this." The pair played two key passes each on Sunday, with Alexander-Arnold having the most touches and making the most passes for Liverpool. Between them, they had three interceptions, five clearances, two tackles and seven possession gains.

In an exclusive with ESPN in May, Alexander-Arnold revealed how important his role has become. "Just as Ashley Cole did when I was growing up, I want to change the way full-backs are thought of along with Robbo," he said. "We want to show that full-backs often influence a game a lot more than positions that are traditionally thought of as the most prestigious. It's a valuable role as Klopp and Guardiola have both said and it's certainly one of the most demanding." The pair achieved that on Sunday and Alexander-Arnold dealt with Raheem Sterling, City's best player at Anfield, superbly.

In fact, the Reds' defence in general was excellent bar leaving Bernardo Silva unmarked to pull a goal back for the visitors, even though that 78th minute effort was their first shot on target in the second half. Meanwhile Klopp's forwards -- Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino -- defended from the front, contributing six tackles, eight possession gains and one clearance between them.

When Guardiola was asked why Liverpool are so hard to play against, he referenced all of the above. "They are incredibly strong in the set-pieces," he said. "When you sit back and defend in the box, they open you up with Alexander-Arnold and Robertson and start to make crosses.

"When they arrive with not just Mane, Salah, Firmino, but Henderson coming with the right tempo, Wijnaldum and the second balls, it's almost impossible to live with that situation. When you are able to get back from that position, they have an incredible back four. And when you are attacking, like we tried, every mistake you can do -- the transitions are the biggest quality of Jurgen from all of his career -- like the situation with the second goal."

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There was another facet to Liverpool's game that will have impressed Mourinho in particular. The Reds were shrewd, slowing the game down to prevent City from taking quick throw-ins or free kicks, which quite clearly frustrated them. They also reacted to big moments better: when the ball struck Alexander-Arnold's arm five minutes into the game, Sergio Aguero stopped playing in order to appeal for a penalty to Michael Oliver, with Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva following suit. The ball was still there to be won, with Sterling free on the far side and screaming for it to be fed to him. Instead, Liverpool shuffled it quickly to Mane and within 22 seconds, Fabinho had fired a thunderous shot in from distance to give them the lead.

For all the understandable frustrations about VAR -- the PGMOL's explanation of the handball, discounting the fact it deflected off Silva's arm first which is a factor in the new law, was unhelpful -- City ultimately lost because they were deficient in both boxes. Liverpool managed the encounter better, starting with arguably the game's turning point, when City stopped to appeal instead of playing to the whistle.

Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan's head coach and chief selector, was the captain of the national side that last toured Australia in 2016-17, when they were whitewashed 3-0. A number of players in the current squad, including Azhar Ali, Babar Azam and Shan Masood were also a part of that tour. With the experience and learnings from that series, Misbah feels this 'ambitious team" can go on to get "good results" this time around.

"For Asian teams in Australia, it's always difficult but overall the best thing for us is that our batting line-up is experienced," Misbah said in Perth. "Our boys who have toured previously scored runs here. Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq and Shan Masood had a good time in the bouncy tracks in South Africa [tour in 2018-19] so looking forward, we have a good mature team. We have got good, young fast bowlers and Yasir Shah was there with us last time [we toured here]. When [you] have such an ambitious team, you expect good results. The fast bowlers are energetic and all the players are expected to play well in the conditions."

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In 2016, Pakistan were never able to get all 20 Australian wickets in the three Tests but Misbah believes the current fast bowling unit is capable of doing that. "Our young fast bowlers and spinner Yasir Shah are our biggest positives. He [Yasir] is aware of Australian conditions and he also had better preparation playing domestic cricket at home. He bowled lengthy spells there and he exactly knows what was missing during his previous tour here. So, I am hoping that our preparation are better than before.

"It's important for us to take 20 wickets because you can't win without it. I feel our batting line-up is capable enough to put up 400-450 runs on the board, so it also help our bowlers along the way."

Pakistan have made a number of changes in their bowling department, with the experienced Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz having quit the longer format to focus on white-ball cricket. Apart from Shah, their ace legspinner, the squad is mainly centered around young fast bowlers. Sixteen-year old Naseem Shah, 18-year-old Muhammad Musa have earned their maiden call-ups, while Imran Khan, who last played during Pakistan's last tour of Australia, has been recalled.

But with Pakistan having lost 2-0 in the T20I series, will the inexperience dent their confidence further? "Overall, when you try out different options and search for solutions you have go through all of that," Misbah said.

"Obviously," he added, "when you are settled, you get the results but if you want to improve a few things, you should also think about the future for back-ups. If you need to try new players, you need to look past that [the loss]. Obviously, we were looking to win those games but we were looking far ahead by giving few players the experience they need. There are a lot of positives for us, and this is definitely going to help Pakistan in future."

Lungi Ngidi has been set three tasks during this year's Mzansi Super League (MSL): to hone his craft, so he is able to win more games for the team; to keep his bowling loads up, so he is ready for the Test match summer ahead, and to make sure he stays fit for the season after a history of injuries. He knows that the last of those will be most difficult for him to control.

"You can tell yourself that [you will stay fit] but you never know what's going to happen to the field. You never know that you are going to tear a hamstring until it happens," Ngidi said ahead of the Tshwane Spartans match against the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants in Centurion. "You always want to finish the season unscathed but I will just take it one game at a time and see what happens from there."

Ngidi's most recent niggle was a hamstring strain, which forced him to withdraw mid-match in South Africa's defeat to Bangladesh at the World Cup and miss the next three games. He recovered in time to play two more and but was only deemed match fit for the Tests against India by late October, for South Africa's final fixture on a forgettable tour.

"Every player would love to have something like that [the consistency of one mentor], but it's not happening at the moment [in the South Africa men's set-up]... It is nice as a player to work with a coach for a long period of time." Lungi Ngidi

Before that, Ngidi had a side strain that kept him out of the 2019 IPL, sustained a knee injury in Australia in late 2018 which sidelined him for three months, had a hip injury in early 2017, which kept out of a tour to New Zealand and an abdominal injury which forced him out of five ODIs against Sri Lanka.

His fitness concerns stem from a combination of bad luck and the inevitable consequence of trying to manage a big frame while bowling quickly. But, as Ngidi matures, he is getting to know himself and understand his own conditioning a little more.

"It's not a perfect science," he said. "As a young bowler I am still trying to find the best way to make sure I am 100% ready for every game. Over the years that has changed. Different trainers have different opinions for to you try different things. I am trying to settle into a groove now, and I feel its coming a lot better than over the past couple of years."

Having played in the South African set-up in the Russell Domingo, Ottis Gibson and Enoch Nkwe eras has meant Ngidi has rubbed shoulders with different coaches. While that may have broadened his perspective, it's also meant he has not had the consistency of a mentor - something Ngidi hopes will change.

"Every player would love to have something like that but it's not happening at the moment," he said. "There's not much you can do about it as a player and until someone is appointed, you've got to work with whoever is there at the time. It is nice as a player to work with a coach for a long period of time."

The proof is the domestic set-up, where Ngidi has worked with Titans and Spartans' coach Mark Boucher since Boucher joined the franchise. "For example," Ngidi said, "Boucher and I have worked together since I played for the Proteas and I feel he is one of the guys that understands me as a player. He may not be a bowling coach, but he knows what gets me ticking mentally. And that's very comforting for me because I know where to go if I am struggling."

Though not struggling at the moment, Ngidi is at that point in his career where he needs to make the step up. This is his third international season, so the early excitement and the second-season blues are both over. In the shortest format, his 50 T20 caps are likely enough to see him considered a senior and at the Spartans, that's what Boucher wants him to be. Ngidi has been instructed to become more resourceful and work on his skills in this competition, something he is taking seriously. "I was told to find a way in whatever situation I am in. I take 100% of that responsibility," he said.

At the same time, he knows he needs to look ahead, to the four Tests against England, which are the marquee matches of this home summer. Ngidi has only played five Tests but is expected to be a big part of the England series and understands he needs to have form and fitness on his side when the series starts.

"As a cricketer, I know what's coming up in the calendar and it would be reckless and irresponsible of me to disregard that. While training for T20, you've got to make sure your bowling loads are still up for four-day cricket and you do not neglect those skills," he said. "As much as this is the T20 tournament, there's obviously a bigger picture in terms of the English team coming to play us on South African soil which is a must-win for us. In no way do we disregard those skills in a T20 tournament."

It may be unfair to judge Ngidi on the evidence of the India series, where he played one match and went wicketless, but it's the most recent data we have. And going by that, Ngidi has to work on his control and his lengths, which he seems ready to start fine-tuning, especially for when he plays on unhelpful surfaces in future.

"Personally, it was disappointing to not get as many games as I wanted to play and to not perform the way I wanted to in the one Test that I did play. For me, that's just a learning curve; Indian conditions are different," Ngidi said. "Out of the four Test series I've played, two of them have been in the subcontinent, so it's not exactly easy as a fast bowler but you've got to find a way and that's what I am doing. Hopefully, next time I go there, I will be a lot better."

Ashton Turner, the Australian finisher, has joined Worcestershire for the whole of their T20 Blast campaign for 2020, in a move that would not have been possible but for the ECB's decision to change its visa criteria in order to attract the best overseas players for the Hundred.

Turner, who has starred in the middle order for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash, has played only 11 white-ball internationals in the past 24 months, and the criteria for a 'governing body visa endorsement' previously required a player to have played at least 15 such games - or one Test - in that time period.

But in order to ensure franchise stars like Sunil Narine would be available to play in the Hundred, the ECB lobbied the Home Office to add a criterion allowing those who have played at least 20 domestic T20 fixtures in recognised leagues in the past two years. That extends to all domestic competitions, opening up the possibility for Turner to play in the Blast.

Worcestershire came within one dot ball of becoming the first team to defend their T20 title this season, having dramatically snuck past favourites Nottinghamshire in the semi-final. They have signed Hamish Rutherford, the New Zealand batsman, as their main overseas player, who will be available for all three formats throughout the season.

Paul Pridgeon, the chairman of the club's cricket steering group, said Worcestershire were "very pleased" to secure to signing of Turner.

"He is a promising, young player which fits our profile and hopefully he will fit nicely into our set-up. He is a top-order batter, batting four or five at the moment in the Australian T20 side.

"His stats stack up. We've seen footage of him and have done our homework - he looks a decent player. He is also a terrific fielder which helps, and is important in T20 cricket."

Turner was close to being picked in Australia's 50-over World Cup squad last summer, after hitting a remarkable innings of 84 not out from 43 balls against India in a successful run chase of 359 in only his second ODI.

He missed out on that squad, but has been an ever-present for Australia in their six T20Is against Sri Lanka and Pakistan over the past two weeks - though he only faced 31 balls across those games due to Australia's domination.

He made 378 runs in last year's Big Bash despite Perth's struggles, and earned an IPL contract with Rajasthan Royals, though he made first-ball ducks in each of his first three innings in that competition.