Johnny Sexton has said it will take "a long time" before Ireland can forget the agony of their Rugby World Cup exit in Japan.

Ireland bowed out at the quarter-final stage for the seventh time after a 46-14 defeat by New Zealand in Tokyo.

"It'll be hard to get over, it'll be a long time," said fly-half Sexton.

"We haven't sat down and talked about it, ultimately we didn't do the basics well enough against New Zealand, but it'll be tough to live with."

After winning the Grand Slam in 2018, Ireland struggled to hit the same heights during Joe Schmidt's final year in charge of Ireland.

A third-placed finish in the Six Nations was followed by the record 57-15 defeat by England at Twickenham in August and, while that was followed by back-to-back wins over Wales, Ireland suffered a shock World Cup Pool A loss to Japan before being humbled by the All Blacks.

While Sexton argues that Ireland have not regressed, he admits they have not evolved as much as maybe they could have after a golden 2018.

"We felt there was a lot more left in us," reflected the Leinster captain during Tuesday's European Champions Cup launch in Cardiff.

"I don't think we ever went backwards from that point, but we probably just didn't evolve as much as we should have or could have.

"We got to where we wanted to get to, which was that quarter-final. I know it was against New Zealand and not South Africa, but either of those games were going to be incredibly tough.

"We knew we had to produce our best performance to get past it and we didn't come close to it. They were excellent on the day, it's as simple as that.

"There's going to be hundreds of conspiracy theories and people wanting to give their opinion, but that's the bottom line."

'Schmidt changed the expectations of Irish rugby'

Sexton also defended Schmidt, saying that he was 'baffled' by people who claim that the coach's legacy is tainted by the defeat by the All Blacks.

Schmidt brought the curtain down on his six-year tenure as Ireland boss following the World Cup exit.

"You just think about the success he's had, he has the best win percentage by a country mile," he said.

"He's changed the expectations of Irish rugby, of Irish supporters. He did it in Leinster and did it again and if we had done what he asked of us in the quarter-final, would we have won it? We'll never know because we didn't do it.

"We should take the majority of the blame as players, but his legacy in the players' eyes will always be there."

Sexton and Leinster begin their Champions Cup campaign at home to Benetton on Saturday, 16 November before a trip to France to face Lyon on 23 November.

CONCORD, N.C. — Brad Sweet holds the top spot in the National Sprint Car Rankings for the ninth straight week.

Heading into this weekend’s World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Sweet holds a slim lead over Donny Schatz.

Sweet has an average finish of 3.426 in 76 starts, while Schatz is second with a 3.552 average finish in 73 starts.

Both drivers have two races at the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte remaining this season.

David Gravel ranks third, with Danny Dietrich and Aaron Reutzel completing the top five.

Dietrich leads the Eastern region on the strength of 14 victories, while other regional leaders are Buddy Kofoid (Great Lakes), Billy Balog (Great Plains), Dominic Scelzi (West), Jacob Patton (Mid-America), Donny Schatz (Northwestern) and Carl Bowser. (Ohio-PA).

One hundred and 30 drivers have combined to win 381 features run through Nov. 3, with 715 drivers participating.

Click below to view the full rankings for each region.

Austin Prock scored his first NHRA victory in August and stole a sliver of the spotlight that glared on boss John Force for capturing his milestone 150th in a Funny Car.

That afternoon, just 17 days before his 24th birthday, the dragster-driving rookie said, “I’ve wanted this since I was knee high. Ever since I could think, I wanted to drive a Top Fuel car.”

How could that be? By the time he went to work as a crew member for John Force Racing, Prock had earned 27 midget and sprint car racing trophies among his 84 top-five finishes in 139 races. He had been competing in a race car since he was 10 years old and was a winner by his 12th birthday.

“To be honest, I never liked drag racing, unless it was a nitro car. I always said I didn’t want to drive anything else unless it was a nitro car,” Prock said. “And I got the opportunity and I ate it up. I always dreamed of racing a nitro car, but I had no interest in bracket racing or anything like that. I grew up around Top Fuel dragsters and nitro Funny Cars. That’s the baddest drag car on the planet. When you grow up around that, you don’t want to drive anything slower than that.

“I went up and did the circle track route as a young kid,” he continued. “I thought it was awesome that my great-grandfather raced circle track and I could kind of try and go a path that he went, be a little different from the last few generations.”

According to drag-racing historian Don Prieto, Prock’s great-grandfather — named Jimmy, like Austin’s dad (the crew chief at John Force Racing for two-time Funny Car champion Robert Hight) — was a midget racer and riding mechanic at the Indianapolis 500 with Chet Miller.

“But,” Austin Prock said, “it was just inevitable that I was going to end up out here after as much success as my grandfather had, and my dad has had. It was almost meant to be.”

Force, Hight and iconic JFR tuner Austin Coil might not have pictured him driving a dragster and excelling in the sport’s headliner class. Someone told Coil years ago that Austin and brother Thomas Prock were polite youngsters and Coil did a double take, as if he discovered the speaker had three heads.

And on the weekend Austin Prock debuted, during February at the Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., Hight said of the rookie’s dad, “I believe you could set the trailer on fire and Jimmy wouldn’t know it. He is so focused on tuning my race car — I’m not kidding. When his kids used to be little, Austin and Thomas, they would be running around, tearing up s—, and he didn’t notice a thing.”

Austin Prock owned up to his rowdiness and dismissed it as “just being a young kid, you know. We were always stirring the pot, that’s for sure. That was 15 years ago — I don’t know exactly what we were doing, but we were always up to no good. We were just young and dumb and having fun.”

He’s still young and having fun, but he’s not doing anything dumb — and he shows the same intensity and confidence his father exhibits.

“I kind of thrive off confidence. That’s how I get by. If I don’t feel confident in something, I’m not going to be very good at it. It’s just how I’m built,” Austin Prock said. “I’ve been oddly comfortable ever since we got to Pomona. I was never nervous going into Pomona as much as I should have been. I haven’t been nervous all year. I’ll roll up against anybody in the Top Fuel category. I feel like if I just go up there and do my job and do the best I can, hopefully, the outcome comes our way.”

Prock knows he has a lot to live up to.

“I’ve got big shoes to fill,” he said. “I’ve got John Force behind me, Don Prudhomme, my dad, my grandpa, my uncle Jeff.”

Through a timely conversation with a buddy during the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., just before the start of this season, Prudhomme arranged for Montana Brand and Rocky Mountain Twist to sponsor Prock’s dragster. The drag-racing legend, known simply as “The Snake,” has said all along that “the kid is dynamite.”

To continue reading, advance to the next page.

ST PETERSBURG, Fla. – Three-day tickets to the 2020 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg are now on sale to the public.

The 16th annual event is set for March 13-15, 2020, in downtown St. Petersburg and runs on the picturesque 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary waterfront street circuit.

Tickets are available online at gpstpete.com or by phone at 1-888-476-4479 with pricing starting at $115 for reserved three-day grandstand seats and $60 for three-day general admission. Junior pricing is also available for those fans ages 12 and under.

Pit access and Firestone Paddock Passes can also be purchased. Single-day tickets will be released for sale in early 2020.

“Just say ‘Grand Prix’ and most everyone around the Tampa and St. Pete area knows what that means. The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is a highly coveted annual tradition thanks to our partners at Firestone, City of St. Petersburg, and the NTT IndyCar Series especially working with our team to make it a world-class event,” said Kim Green, co-owner, chairman and CEO of Green Savoree Racing Promotions, organizers of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. “We’ll have even more racing featured in 2020, and visiting St. Pete doesn’t disappoint with its great restaurants and shops also open throughout the Grand Prix weekend.”

The weekend schedule, featuring NTT IndyCar Series’ season-opening race for the 10th straight year, has been expanded to seven different racing series on track.

The IMSA-sanctioned Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama has been added for 2020, joining the three open-wheel development series from the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires as well as SRO World Challenge Championship’s Pirelli GT4 America and TC America Series, both returning from last year.

Available for a limited time and quantity for $75, the Champions Club membership offers unprecedented event access and an upgraded weekend experience.

Its new features include opportunities to sign a trackside barrier block and a photograph with the winner’s trophy. These members can attend the official IndyCar drivers’ meeting on race day morning, get up close to the Indy cars and drivers with a complimentary Firestone Paddock Pass, and participate in Sunday’s pre-race grid walk.

Additional benefits are a credential with lanyard, savings offers on official event merchandise, a chance to win a two-seater Indy car ride on the track, and other surprises to be revealed leading up to the event.

Liverpool supporter Sean Cox will return to Anfield for the first time since he was attacked before a Champions League match against Roma in 2018 for Sunday's clash with Manchester City.

Cox was left with serious brain damage after he was attacked before the semifinal first leg. Italian Simone Mastrelli was jailed for three years for the assault.

Liverpool have worked closely with the 54-year-old and his family, even staging a charity match which raised £640,000, and Cox will be at Anfield for the meeting between the Premier League's top two sides.

We're delighted to welcome Sean and his family back to Anfield," chief executive Peter Moore said. "I am sure it will be an emotional return for the family.

"However, the club has worked closely with the Cox family to ensure that their visit is made as easy as possible, and that they are given all the space and comfort that they need.

"The way that our fans have supported Sean and the Cox family is a testament to their commitment to the LFC family, and we know this will be the case again on Sunday."

Cox has recently been at a specialist neurological facility for a 12-week programme, aimed at improving his movement and speech.

Manchester United have not committed to signing reinforcements in January as it is difficult to recruit the right players during the mid-season transfer window, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Wednesday.

Solskjaer, who sanctioned the departures of forwards Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez in the close season without acquiring replacements, conceded last month that his squad was light, especially after injuries to several key players.

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"On transfers we always look at the long term. It might be one, two or none in January," Solskjaer told reporters ahead of Thursday's Europa League match against Partizan Belgrade at Old Trafford.

"The summer window is the one we always look to. You cannot really do too many good deals in January."

United are top of Group L in the Europa League and the Norwegian manager said he trusted his young core to step up in the absence of injured seniors.

"We've seen some young players getting a chance and doing well," he added. "Mason (Greenwood) has given us a winner, Brandon (Williams) was fantastic in Belgrade.

"We've given other players a chance to play which has been fantastic because you cannot play with the same 12-13 players all the time."

However, United sit 10th in the Premier League with three wins in 11 games and Solskjaer said the return of midfielder Paul Pogba and defenders Luke Shaw and Eric Bailly from injury would add the required experience to move up the standings.

"I think this team is improving and the longer time we get together, the more we will improve. I can see the improvement in these kids more and more," Solskjaer said.

"We need the experienced lads. Paul, we've got Anthony (Martial) back and hopefully we'll have Luke back soon. Eric will be back soon.

"(Pogba) won't be too long before he he's out of his cast, he'll work through the international break and hopefully we'll have him back in early December."

Fast bowler Shakera Selman is back in West Indies' squad for the five-match women's T20I series against India, which begins on Saturday in St Lucia. Selman, according to a CWI release, sat out the ODI series as an injury precaution, "to ensure her full fitness and availability for the T20I series.

Allrounder Chinelle Henry, who suffered a concussion during the first ODI in North Sound and was ruled out of the second and third ODIs, is also back in the squad. Hayley Matthews, who came into the squad for the second and third ODIs as a replacement for Henry, keeps her place for the T20Is.

"Following the Colonial Medical Insurance ODI Series, the majority of the squad has been retained," Ann Browne-John, lead selector of the women's and girls' panel, said. "Chinelle Henry will hopefully be fit and ready to go again after being sidelined through concussion after the first ODI. Shakera Selman will bring her experience to this team to add more fire power to the bowling attack.

"The team has always had good performances in T20 matches and this series is vital preparation for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup."

West Indies T20I squad: Stafanie Taylor (capt), Anisa Mohammed, Aaliyah Alleyne, Afy Fletcher, Shakera Selman, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Chinelle Henry, Stacey-Ann King, Kyshona Knight, Natasha McLean, Shabika Gajnabi, Shemaine Campbelle, Sheneta Grimmond

PHILADELPHIA -- With wide receiver DeSean Jackson out for the remainder of the regular season, the Philadelphia Eagles are turning to a familiar face for help. The team is re-signing veteran Jordan Matthews, a source confirmed Wednesday.

This marks the third stint in Philadelphia for Matthews, a second-round pick of the Eagles in 2014. He played his first three seasons in Philly before being traded to the Buffalo Bills, only to return the following year in 2018.

The news of Matthews' return was first reported by NFL Network.

He spent the beginning of this season with the San Francisco 49ers. He appeared in one game before being released in late October.

Matthews has a strong relationship with quarterback Carson Wentz and a familiarity with coach Doug Pederson's system, which should make for a quick acclimation.

While he'll bring a sense of security to the table for Wentz, Matthews is not a natural replacement for Jackson, who had surgery Tuesday to repair an abdominal tear. The Eagles are lacking a deep threat, and Matthews is more of a possession receiver who is most effective operating out of the slot -- a position currently occupied by Nelson Agholor.

But the receiving corps needs a boost in production any way it can get it. Matthews, 27, has 270 catches for 3,255 yards and 22 touchdowns over his career, though he has not topped 300 receiving yards in a season since 2016.

Rutgers is trying to lure Greg Schiano back to coach its football team, and the Scarlet Knights took a step toward doing it by meeting with him and his representatives for several hours on Tuesday, sources confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday.

The sources said Schiano met with Rutgers officials in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday. The meeting ended without Schiano taking the job.

NJ.com first reported details of the meeting.

The sources told ESPN that a deal is far from being done, however, because Schiano is requesting a new indoor facility, upgrades for other facilities and a dramatic increase in assistant coaches' salaries.

Former Tennessee coach Butch Jones, now an offensive analyst at Alabama, also interviewed for the Rutgers job last week.

A source told ESPN that Rutgers officials have a "very short list" of potential candidates to replace former coach Chris Ash, who was fired Sept. 29 after compiling an 8-32 record in three-plus seasons.

Schiano, 53, was the most successful coach in Rutgers' long-suffering football history. He had a 68-67 record with the Scarlet Knights from 2001 to '11. After his teams had losing records in each of his first four seasons, Rutgers had winning campaigns in all but one of his final seven at the school.

In 2006, the Scarlet Knights started 9-0 and were ranked No. 7 in the AP poll after upsetting No. 3 Louisville 28-25 at home. Rutgers lost to Cincinnati 30-11 the next week and finished 11-2. They were No. 12 in the final AP poll, the highest finish in school history.

Schiano won the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year and Home Depot Coach of the Year honors that season.

A native of Wyckoff, New Jersey, Schiano left Rutgers to coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January 2012. His teams went 11-21 in two seasons, and he and Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik were fired in December 2013.

Schiano was the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under Urban Meyer at Ohio State from 2016 to '18. Schiano was set to be Tennessee's new head coach in November 2017, but the Volunteers backed out of the deal after some of their supporters and others questioned Schiano's knowledge of Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse during his tenure as a Penn State assistant from 1990 to '95.

Schiano has repeatedly denied knowing about the allegations of Sandusky's abuse of boys, and Penn State and Ohio State officials defended him following Tennessee's decision.

He abruptly resigned from a position on the New England Patriots' coaching staff in March, citing a "need to spend more time on my faith and family." His resignation came less than two months after he was hired by coach Bill Belichick.

Since Schiano's departure, the Scarlet Knights have had just two winning seasons -- 9-4 in 2012 and 8-5 in 2014 under Kyle Flood.

Schiano's success came when the Scarlet Knights competed in the Big East Conference. Rutgers moved to the Big Ten in 2014 and has struggled mightily while competing against Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State in the Big Ten East. The Scarlet Knights have lost 37 of their last 41 conference games.

Flood was fired after a 4-8 season in 2015, and Ash, a former Ohio State co-defensive coordinator, was hired to replace him. Ash's teams never won more than four games in each of his three-plus seasons; he was fired after a 1-3 start this year.

Tight ends coach Nunzio Campanile is Rutgers' interim coach. The Scarlet Knights are 2-7 -- and 0-6 in Big Ten games -- going into a Nov. 16 home game against No. 1 Ohio State.