England centre Manu Tuilagi will not be leaving Leicester Tigers "anytime soon" despite cross-code interest from big-spending Toronto Wolfpack, according to his club boss Geordan Murphy.

Tuilagi, 28, is wanted by the ambitious Super League newcomers, who are also set to sign Sonny Bill Williams.

"If the Wolfpack want Manu then I am sure they can have a conversation with us," Murphy told BBC Leicester Sport.

"But we don't want Manu leaving. He is world class and wants to be at Tigers."

Tuilagi, a key man in England's run to the World Cup final, rejected a lucrative offer from French side Racing 92 earlier this year to extend his stay with Leicester.

Murphy is confident Tuilagi's links to the club and area mean he will not be tempted to change his mind and switch codes to move to the Canadian side, who are reportedly closing in on dual-code legend Williams, 34.

"Manu was offered more money to leave last year when the speculation was around," Murphy added.

"He has a family here. He is settled here and he feels like a Leicester player so I don't think he will going anywhere, anytime soon."

South Africa's World Cup-winning prop Tendai Mtawarira has announced his retirement from international rugby.

The 34-year-old, nicknamed "Beast", is South Africa's third most capped player in history, having played 117 Tests since his debut in 2008.

In the World Cup final Mtawarira helped the Boks dominate England in the scrum.

"I have many memories to cherish forever, but winning the Rugby World Cup is the perfect ending and cherry on top," he said.

Saturday's 32-12 victory over England in the final in Yokohama proved to be his last international.

"The Beast is someone who never complained, always put in the hard work and simply got on with his job in his typically unassuming way," said Mark Alexander, president of South Africa Rugby.

Mtawarira has played for the Durban-based Sharks in Super Rugby since 2007.

FONDA, N.Y. – After a season of resurgence at Fonda Speedway, it’s time to celebrate.

The top performers from the Fonda season will be honored on Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Fonda Speedway Awards Banquet hosted at Treviso by Mallozzi’s in Albany, N.Y.

This will mark the first year-end celebration under the BD Motorsports Media LLC promotional banner at the hallowed half-mile track.

The top-10 drivers in the Sunoco Modified, Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman and Algonkin Motel Pro Stock divisions will be recognized, in addition to the top-five finishers in the Montgomery County Office for Aging Limited Sportsman, Trackside Body Works Street Stocks and Four Cylinders.

Other special awards will be distributed during the evening as well.

Rocky Warner of Gloversville, N.Y., drove the Jake Spraker-owned No. 1J to the Sunoco Modified divisional championship for the first time in his career.

Warner was trailed by Bobby Varin, Danny Varin, Stewart Friesen, Dave Constantino, David Schilling, Craig Hanson, Brian Gleason, Josh Hohenforst and Michael Maresca.

Niskayuna, N.Y., native Tim Hartman Jr. called Fonda Speedway home for 2019 very successfully, taking the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman title.

Hartman beat out Adam McAuliffe, Chad Edwards, Brian Calabrese, Mark Mortensen, Cody Clark, JaMike Sowle, Tony Farone, Andrew Buff and Brian Borst for the Sportsman crown.

‘Cousin Luke’ Horning of Gloversville, N.Y., put together a breakout season in the Algonkin Motel Pro Stock division and took the championship with Nick Stone, Josh Coonradt, Kenny Gates, Chuck Dumblewski, Justin Knight, Jason Morrison, Ivan Joslin, Bill Knapp and Randy Cosselman in tow.

The Montgomery County Office for Aging Limited Sportsman high point man was E.J. McAuliffe of Broadalbin, N.Y., who defeated Rich Christman, Brett Mortensen, John Young and a tie between Steve Wagoner and Alan Hanson.

Jason Samrov was the Trackside Body Works Street Stock champion over Michael Arnold, Cliff Haslun, Dave Horning Sr. and Stephen Young.

Ken Hollenbeck continued his longstanding dominance of the Fonda Four Cylinder Cruiser ranks, taking top honors with Cole Lawton, John Napoli, T.J. Marlitt and Wayne Russell completing the front five.

Doors open for the Fonda Speedway Awards Banquet at 6 p.m. with cocktail hour. Tickets include a buffet dinner, featuring sliced sirloin and chicken parmesan, sides, dessert, soda, coffee and tea. A cash bar will be available.

Tickets are on sale for $39 each and should be reserved prior to Nov. 15.

BROWNSBURG, Ind. – Bob Vandergriff Racing has announced that D-A Lubricant Company will not be returning to sponsor the Jordan Vandergriff-driven Top Fuel dragster for 2020.

“This was very unexpected. To find this out at the beginning of November puts us behind the eight-ball in trying to find a partner for Jordan in 2020,” said team owner Bob Vandergriff. “We will continue to field a car for Shawn Reed and Josh Hart while we actively pursue sponsorship for Jordan.”

Jordan Vandergriff had a successful rookie season driving Top Fuel. Although he has only competed at 10 races, he reached the semifinals three times and was close to getting his first win a few weeks ago when he made the finals of the NHRA Fall Nationals in Dallas.

Jordan consistently tops the NHRA Power Rankings with one of the best reaction-time averages in his class. He is also a candidate for the Auto Club Road to the Future Award.

“Jordan will still be driving at the NHRA Finals in Pomona,” added Bob Vandergriff. “Now that he is available for sponsorship, we will be talking to companies interested in coming on board as partners.”

Napoli have said they will discipline their first team squad after players opted against going into a club retreat.

On Monday, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis had ordered the players to stay in retreat until Sunday -- a common reaction to poor form in Italy known as ritiro -- following a 2-1 defeat to Roma, which left them out of the Champions League places.

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Napoli, who have failed to win in each of their last four matches, drew 1-1 at home to FC Salzburg in the Champions League on Tuesday and it was reported players refused De Laurentiis' decision.

"The club announces that, in reference to the stance undertaken by the first team players last night on Tuesday Nov. 5, 2019, it will proceed to protect its rights on economic, capital, image and disciplinary rights in every competent jurisdiction," a Napoli statement read.

"It is noted that, responsibility for the first team players undertaking the days in ritiro was afforded to first manager Carlo Ancelotti. The club will be making no further comment."

Following De Laurentiis' decision, Ancelotti had said he was against going into ririto but would go along with it.

Napoli sit seventh in Serie A -- 11 points behind leaders Juventus, who they were expected to challenge -- after suffering three defeats in their first 11 matches of the campaign.

And, following an impressive 2-0 victory over Liverpool in their Champions League opener, they have only won once since and are second in Group E.

The second edition of the Mzansi Super League, which gets underway on Friday, may provide entertainment but it will not paper over the cracks at Cricket South Africa (CSA), according to Mark Boucher.

The former national wicketkeeper and current Titans and Tshwane Spartans coach is the first person involved with the MSL to comment on wider issues in South African cricket, which is deemed by several insiders and observers to be in crisis.

At administrative level, CSA is fighting two court battles, one against the players' union and another against the second-biggest provincial affiliate, Western Province, have suspended three senior members of staff and are projecting financial losses of millions of Rands (R654 million is the figure CSA use, the South African Cricketers Association put that closer to R1 billion). On the field, South Africa's Test team is reeling from five consecutive losses in 2019 and have not won three of their last four series, and there is no certainty over the director of cricket or team director positions as a tour of England looms.

"I think there are bigger issues that need to be dealt with, to be honest," Boucher said. "There might be quite a few people looking at this and saying we're sugarcoating the actual situation were are in with South African cricket at the moment. We've got ourselves into a pretty bad state. Hopefully, there are some clever heads there to try and turn things around. And they need to be sorted out very soon, for the good of cricket our country and for the good of world cricket. There are guys around the world talking about the state we're in, it's not good. It's sad to read, watch and listen about our cricket. There's a lot of negativity."

"The tournament [MSL] will be well-supported as it was last year, but we've got to be very careful with putting too much emphasis on this tournament. There are bigger problems that need to be sorted out." Mark Boucher

Current and former internationals including Jacques Rudolph, Paul Harris and Herschelle Gibbs have been vocal on social media but Boucher's comments could also be a response to Michael Vaughan calling the Test team's form a "real concern" for the game. With that in mind, Boucher, despite his involvement in the MSL, has cautioned against placing too much store in the tournament or its results, because he believes it will not accurately reflect the state of the game.

"I wouldn't read too much into this tournament. I think people will enjoy the action regardless because they love T20 cricket in general. It's new faces, it's new teams and new environments. The tournament will be well-supported as it was last year, but we've got to be very careful with putting too much emphasis on this tournament. There are bigger problems that need to be sorted out," he said.

Down the road at the Wanderers, newly appointed Jozi Stars' captain Temba Bavuma indicated that there was an attempt to solve some of these issues over the weekend. CSA held a team-building event at the luxury Zimbali estate, north of Durban, with administrators and players, where Bavuma said the relationship between CSA and the players' association was discussed.

"Last week‚ we had a conference in Durban where CSA‚ the leadership and the players were there together," Bavuma said. "That was an opportunity for CSA to outline their plans for the next couple of years and for the players to iron out the issues. There's obviously been a spat between CSA and SACA in the media. Players have had the opportunity to resolve whatever issues that they feel need to be resolved."

Although Bavuma did not offer finality on whether the issues had been put to bed, he conceded that the uncertainty in the administrative corridors has not helped with the national team's transition. "It's not ideal to have those types of issues at the top. As the Proteas‚ we're in a construction phase if I were to call it. It also seems there's a lot of constructing that needs to happen through the levels."

In Cape Town, Blitz coach Ashwell Prince shouldered arms when asked whether players would be better off preparing for the England tour playing four-day cricket instead of spending five weeks in a T20 tournament. "I don't want to make comments about the Proteas and Test cricket at the moment. I'm sure there are people in much higher positions than myself, at Proteas level and CSA level, who know exactly how they are going to go about improving the situation," he said.

West Indies 197 for 3 (Chase 94, Hope 77*, Mujeeb 2-33) beat Afghanistan 194 (Rahmat 61, Alikhil 58, Holder 2-21, Chase 2-31) by seven wickets

Roston Chase fell six short of his maiden ODI hundred, while Shai Hope scored an unbeaten 77 as West Indies beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in the first ODI in Lucknow. They now lead the three-match series 1-0.

After being put in, half-centuries from Rahmat Shah and Ikram Alikhil had taken Afghanistan to 126 for 2 around the halfway stage. But it was Alikhil's run-out that proved to be the turning point. The batsman left his crease to congratulate Rahmat on his fifty with the ball still in play. And when Hope broke the stumps and West Indies appealed, he had to walk back.

Afghanistan couldn't recover from there and were bowled out for 194 in 45.2 overs. For West Indies, Jason Holder, Chase and debutant Romario Shepherd picked up two wickets each, while the USA legspinner Hayden Walsh Jr, who became the 14th player to represent two teams in ODIs, also chipped in with a wicket.

West Indies lost two early wickets in their chase but Hope and Chase added 163 in a third-wicket stand to ensure West Indies were always ahead in the game. Chase fell when West Indies were seven away from the victory. Hope and Nicholas Pooran took them over the line with 21 balls to spare.

Earlier, Afghanistan didn't have a great start as Sheldon Cottrell and Holder bowled testing lines and lengths. With just five runs on the board after four overs, Hazratullah Zazai swatted one past Cottrell for four but the bowler slipped in a searing yorker next to send Zazai's leg stump cartwheeling. In the next over, Holder had Ahmadi caught at second slip to leave Afghanistan 15 for 2 at the end of six overs.

Rahmat and Alikhil too found it difficult to score and while Afghanistan played out 49 dot balls in the first ten overs, the two ensured there wasn't a top-order collapse.

In the 11th over, Alikhil pulled Holder twice behind square leg for back-to-back fours and that changed things a bit. Afghanistan got to 50 in the 15th over before Rahmat lofted Shepherd down the ground for a six and swept Chase for four. At the other end, Alikhil top-edged Joseph for six, clobbered him to deep midwicket for four and brought up his fifty in 47 balls after being 4 off 17 at one stage.

Rahmat and Alikhil added 111 in 124 balls for the third wicket but the ball off which Rahmat brought up his fifty also saw his partner being run-out. Once that stand was broken, wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals. Najibullah Zadran was dismissed in the same over as Alikhil, caught at first slip off Chase for a duck. Rahmat and Asghar Afghan took the side past 150 but Rahmat too fell to Chase when he mistimed a scoop to Holder at backward square leg.

Asghar tried to hold the innings together and almost succeeded in it. At 188 for 6 with him and Gulbadin Naib in, Afghanistan were looking good for a total of around 230-240. But they lost their last four wickets in three runs and failed to reach even 200.

West Indies too didn't start well. Mujeeb Ur Rahman beat Hope with carrom ball on more than once occasion but it was Lewis who fell to it. Playing back to a length ball, the left-hand batsman was trapped lbw. Shimron Hetmyer didn't last long either and was caught-behind off Naveen-ul-Haq.

But after that Chase joined hands with Hope and a small target meant the two could take their time. Chase was the dominant partner in the century stand, hitting 11 fours during his innings, while Hope played the supportive role.

Though the Afghanistan bowlers were economical, they were not penetrative enough. Both Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi went wicketless, with former now having taken just three wickets in the last seven ODIs.

In the 40th over, Mujeeb got Chase to edge one behind but Alikhil couldn't latch on to it. Chase was on 85 at the time and West Indies 24 away from the win. Mujeeb eventually bowled Chase but it was already too late.

It's not easy being a head coach in the NFL. The season began with eight new coaches -- we're looking at rookie head coaches and veteran coaches with new teams. The eight have a combined record of 17-47-1.

Not everyone has struggled out of the gate -- Matt LaFleur has the Packers in first place in the NFC North. How has everyone else fared?

NFL Nation gauges the first-half performance of each new head coach, and NFL reporter Dan Graziano offers them some advice for the second half of the season.

Exceeds expectations

Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers (7-2)

Biggest signs of progress: LaFleur has built relationships -- not only with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, which was a must, but with the entire locker room. Most thought LaFleur was hired to revamp the Packers' sluggish offense and get Rodgers back to an MVP level, but perhaps underrated was LaFleur's people skills and his ability to build camaraderie among the players. They've taken ownership in his program and as free-agent pickup Preston Smith told me: "You can set a standard and have a standard, but players have to enforce that standard and come out every day and be ready to play and play for one another." Other than the clunker against the Chargers, that has been the case.

What he needs to do better: Not much. It's hard to find fault with a 7-2 team but if there's something he needs to get a better handle on, it's special teams. Though specialists Mason Crosby and JK Scott have performed at a high level, the return game and coverage units have been a recurring issue. It took a while for LaFleur to settle on Shawn Mennenga as the special-teams coordinator when he put together his first staff and perhaps now it will be necessary for LaFleur to get even more involved in those units. -- Rob Demovsky

Second-half advice: Win your division. Matt, you're 7-2 and in first place. You're the only one of these guys with real playoff expectations for the second half. Your mission is to hold off the Vikings and see if you can't make a run at a first-round bye. Hot starts are precious so keep things humming with Rodgers and don't squander yours. -- Dan Graziano

Meets expectations

Kliff Kingsbury, Arizona Cardinals (3-5-1)

Biggest signs of progress: Kingsbury has adjusted to the NFL game, as evidenced every week. Kingsbury came into this season without any NFL head-coaching experience. It took him some time to figure out what works and what doesn't, but Kingsbury has found a groove calling plays and running his scheme. He has figured out the importance of running the football and how it's necessary to stay patient when down a score or two. But overall, Kingsbury has shown he can coach in this league. He just needs the right roster to fit his offense.

What he needs to do better: A few of his decisions have been head-scratching and they've cost the Cardinals a shot at winning some games. Against the New Orleans Saints, Kingsbury went for it on fourth-and-1 in Saints territory while down 10-6 about midway through the third quarter. They Cardinals didn't convert, turning the ball over to the Saints, who scored a few plays later. Early in the season, Kingsbury was calling questionable passing plays in the red zone, where most coaches would traditionally run the ball. Though Kingsbury is far from traditional, he has also realized that he needs to call a traditional game at times to win. -- Josh Weinfuss

Second-half advice: Just keep getting reps. It's pretty unlikely this organization flips over the apple cart two offseasons in a row, so you can keep a long-range focus. Kyler Murray and your offensive plan are showing signs of life. Make this second half about getting better. Murray getting better, the receivers growing around him, you getting better at managing the team through the game ... just keep repping. -- Dan Graziano

Vic Fangio, Denver Broncos (3-6)

Biggest signs of progress: Fangio has seen the roster grow increasingly younger right before his eyes, either because of injuries, trades or personnel decisions. And he and his staff have coached those young players well. The team is improving, for the most part, week to week as players such as Chris Harris Jr., Courtland Sutton, Derek Wolfe and Justin Simmons are playing some of the best football of their careers, and players who weren't even on the roster before Aug. 31 have been capable starters in spots, such as Davontae Harris at cornerback.

What he needs to do better: Fangio's extensive résumé is on defense, but the team's struggles to score points are now on his watch. QB Joe Flacco's criticism that things are a little too close to the vest at times was mostly spot on. Nobody is saying chucking it deep all the time, but they need to be more efficient in how they use their personnel on offense (23 of the 29 sacks given up this season have come when they're in a three-wide look) and take advantage of matchups where they clearly hold an edge. -- Jeff Legwold

Second-half advice: Run a killer defense. The offense isn't going to be there for you in Year 1, Vic. Without a quarterback or a plan at quarterback, you're just stuck. So do what you're great at -- go with what got you here. Establish a dominant defense in Denver so you guys can go out on the market and maybe get a quarterback to sign with you. -- Dan Graziano

Brian Flores, Miami Dolphins (1-7)

Biggest signs of progress: Cutting down on penalties. Flores surprised some players when he introduced the T.N.T. (Takes No Talent) Wall, making them run to it every time they made a mistake that "takes no talent" like false starts or jumping offside. But it has paid off. The Dolphins have the fewest accepted penalties in the NFL (5.6 per game). There isn't a lot of talent in Miami, but Flores has gotten his team playing hard and disciplined, which has kept them in games as of late.

What he needs to do better: The Dolphins rank in the bottom four in scoring offense, yardage, scoring defense, yards allowed, passing offense, rushing offense, rushing defense, sacks, sacks allowed, takeaways, giveaways, and turnover differential. But we'll focus on the last one, their league-worst turnover differential (minus-13). Flores' defense has forced only four turnovers this season, tied for the fewest in the NFL, which has given them little chance to catch teams once they fall behind. Their 17 giveaways force them into holes way too often. So the discipline has to transfer to this area next. -- Cameron Wolfe

Second-half advice: Find out who's with you. We all know the core of your team's future lies in the trove of draft picks your front office has assembled over the next two years. But some of the guys on the current team are going to be a part of that future. This second half should be about finding out who they are. You're going to do a lot of losing. Find out who you can count on to stick with you through tough times. -- Dan Graziano

Below expectations

Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals (0-8)

Biggest signs of progress: To Taylor's credit, the locker room appears to be fully behind its new coaching staff despite the winless start to the season. Players have retained the optimism of their new coach during the buildup to games this season. Establishing a good culture was one of Taylor's primary objectives when he arrived after two seasons on Sean McVay's coaching staff with the Rams. So far, Taylor has done that successfully as he tries to pick up his first win.

What he needs to do better: Taylor is still trying to find his way as a playcaller. The coaching staff is trying to instill its philosophy that primarily centers on running 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end) as the base package. However, the Bengals have struggled to find any rhythm and consistency on offense, which is one of the main reasons they are winless. Before Cincinnati's off week, Taylor started to mix in more diverse offensive packages, which indicates he might be learning to adapt as an offensive coordinator. -- Ben Baby

Second-half advice: Find out what you have in QB Ryan Finley. It looks as if your draft pick will be a high one, so it'd be good to know before the draft whether you need to use it on a quarterback. Benching Andy Dalton at this point was the right move because it gives you a long look at Finley -- maybe even with WR A.J. Green to help him -- and tells you whether he has a chance to be the solution or whether you need to find one in April. -- Dan Graziano

Freddie Kitchens, Cleveland Browns (2-6)

Biggest signs of progress: Save for a brief fumbling spell, Kitchens has gotten the most out of Nick Chubb, who has been among the league's most effective running backs in his second season. Kitchens was Chubb's position coach last year before becoming interim offensive coordinator. The defense has been decent for the most part, too, despite injuries to its secondary, and the special teams units are much improved.

What he needs to do better: The Browns are arguably the most undisciplined team in the league, and ultimately that falls on the head coach. Cleveland, the NFL leader in penalties, is the only team to commit 13 or more penalties in a game twice, both resulting in double-digit losses. The Browns are also tied for third in turnovers, trailing only the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Factor in the dubious challenge flags, questionable clock management and, at times, curious playcalling, and this has been arguably the NFL's biggest disappointment thus far. -- Jake Trotter

Second-half advice: Give them a reason to bring you back. All the high hopes with which they trusted you are circling the drain. You're not making this year's playoffs, and if the level of disappointment continues to crescendo, you're going to convince them all you were the wrong guy for the job. Show them you can bring the team together and finish strong, even with hope lost. That'll prove you've got head-coaching stuff inside of you, and it might keep you around for another year. -- Dan Graziano

Adam Gase, New York Jets (1-7)

Biggest signs of progress: The Jets have been so bad that it's really hard to pinpoint one area in which Gase has excelled. The team is a laughingstock because its offense is historically bad (Gase's area of expertise) and because of off-the-field dramas. Star safety Jamal Adams is feuding with management because he was dangled in trade talks, and former guard Kelechi Osemele was cut because he had shoulder surgery without the blessing of the team -- an ugly divorce that made the organization look bad. In Gase's defense, there hasn't been a full-blown mutiny in the locker room (yet), so that's something. He also has managed to keep his cool with the media, another small victory.

What he needs to do better: Gase's pet project, QB Sam Darnold, has regressed under his tutelage. Gase has failed to create a pass-protection scheme that protects the franchise's No. 1 asset from a weekly beating. There have been too many blown assignments and mental errors on offense. He hasn't figured out a way to get versatile RB Le'Veon Bell involved in the offense on a consistent basis. Granted, he's working with a sub-standard offensive line, but there has been no evidence that suggests he can get replacement-level players to overachieve. Gase's game management has been suspect, and there's no excuse for that because he's a fourth-year head coach. We could go on, but you get the point. -- Rich Cimini

Second-half advice: Get Darnold on track. There's no way this season can possibly live up to any win/loss expectations you had for it, and frankly, they're calling for your head already. Your best bet to get the angry mob off your back is to get Darnold playing at a higher level by the end of the year than he is right now. What the Jets' fan base wants is hope, and if they think Darnold is on the ascent, that'll help. -- Dan Graziano

Bruce Arians, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-6)

Biggest signs of progress: Arians has infused an air of confidence that has been much-needed inside the building after Dirk Koetter spent three years learning on the job. Arians assembled a strong coaching staff composed of some top-caliber teachers and advisers, including one of the best defensive minds in the business in former New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles. Arians' biggest asset is his ability to gauge what players need psychologically, infusing discipline and encouragement. The two bright spots have been pulling road upsets over the Carolina Panthers in Week 2 and Los Angeles Rams in Week 4. They also nearly beat the Seattle Seahawks on the road in overtime in Week 9.

What he needs to do better: Arians' assessment this summer that the "secondary has been fixed," couldn't have been more wrong, and you could argue that it set an extremely inexperienced group up to fail. They continue to give up chunk plays on defense and have struggled coming out at halftime. They're also blowing fourth-quarter leads. Offensively, there have been communication issues resulting in receivers running the wrong routes and even a collision in the backfield against the Tennessee Titans that could only be described as "Butt Fumble 2.0" -- understandable in Week 1 but in Week 8, it's unacceptable. Quarterback Jameis Winston doesn't appear any closer to resolving his turnover issues. There also has been questionable playcalling and use of personnel from offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, who appears to be going through his own set of growing pains as an inexperienced playcaller. -- Jenna Laine

Second-half advice: Win some games, man. You have the fourth-best scoring offense in the league and you've lost four games in a row. We all know the organization has to make a Winston decision in the offseason, but that decision will be a lot more fun to make if you guys can finish the season strong and translate some of that offensive production into wins. -- Dan Graziano