Former England international Dan Scarbrough has joined the legal case against rugby's governing bodies over alleged failures to protect players from the risks caused by concussion.

"The governing bodies have a responsibility to look after us post-retirement," said Scarbrough.

The 43-year-old was diagnosed with early onset dementia in December.

Scarbrough, who played twice for England, hopes that measures are put in place to protect former players and the game at grassroots level following his diagnosis.

"I became involved to access specialist treatment and to gain an understanding of what was happening to me," he said.

"One of the main drivers for this action, and for speaking out, is to help other former professionals gain access to elite level treatment and deal with injuries sustained throughout our careers, which is effectively cut off once you retire.

"I knew what it was doing to my body, I just didn't realise what it was doing to my brain. My biggest issue now is memory loss.

"I also want to ensure that there are clear measures in place to protect the game at grassroots level and continue to increase the safety of the sport, across all levels, particularly in relation to head injuries."

In December, a letter of claim was delivered to World Rugby, the RFU and the WRU on behalf of the players.

France defence coach Shaun Edwards has revealed the terrible week he endured following the death of his mother Phyllis before the Six Nations match against his former side Wales.

"I informed (France coach) Fabien Galthie and (France's team manager) Raphael Ibanez and they sorted out a car for me, which I drove from Heathrow up to Wigan to console my father, who has early onset dementia," said Edwards.

"It was such a terrible week. We still have the funeral to come, but I've lost my mother and best friend as well."

Edwards says it was his mother's advice that led him to coach Wales for 11 years as part of Warren Gatland's backroom staff.

"Back in the mid-1990s she was the first person to tell me to study rugby union as well as rugby league, because I always wanted to be a coach and I always took notes of what coaches said," said Edwards.

"When rugby union went professional in 1995, I was at the top of the league game, captain of Wigan who were world champions, but she always told me to learn about rugby union.

"That's one of the reasons I ended up coaching Wasps and Wales.

"She was very supportive, but could be very critical as well, she'd say things like, 'You need to sort them lot out!'.

"She was a proper Wigan lady, she understood rugby and the kind of characters involved in the game.

"I remember once doing an interview saying the only person I was scared of was my mother. She was only just over five foot but she had presence and was a good Catholic lady."

Edwards is grateful for the backing he has received from the rugby world.

"I have had a lot of support with texts from players, coaches and staff I worked with," said Edwards.

"The relationships I forged in Wales go beyond rugby. We love the game and it's my job and all of our passions, but life and death and family is a lot more than that.

"It's so nice how rugby can also keep your mind occupied. What most people tell you is when you have had a bereavement, it's good to be busy.

"I am just happy I have a job in a game I enjoy. I love coaching and being around rugby lads. It is a special environment and there are a lot of nice people involved in the game."

Edwards has revealed the very limited part he played in the 32-30 victory over Wales because he could not be reintegrated with the France squad following his return owing to Covid restrictions.

"I wasn't really with the team in the preparation," said Edwards.

"I arrived on the Friday having not slept for two days. I was not thinking about the game because I was sorting out my father, he needs a lot of help and care and we have great friends who support us.

"I was physically drained, but come Saturday I was in game-day mode and trying my best to give the players confidence, but I had to do that from a distance away.

"I wasn't allowed in the dressing room or to go on the team bus to the game because of the coronavirus situation, although I had four tests in three days that were all negative.

"That's what you have to do to follow the current rules.

"So I wasn't really with the team and it was a frustrating because at half-time, I wanted to say a few things about how we could improve the defence.

"I had no part of the preparation, I was basically a spectator. Fabien had been the defence coach during the week, so it was probably best I left it to him."

Edwards watched the remarkable match unfold at the Stade de France, where Brice Dulin's last-gasp try denied Wales the Grand Slam and kept alive France's hopes of clinching the Six Nations title this Friday against Scotland.

"We are still recovering from the last game because it was such a tough physical game and I thought Wales were absolutely superb on the day," said Edwards.

"It was 14 players against 13 in the end, I don't think that's rugby. I wish we could see more games which are 15 v 15. It is what it is though and definitely opened up the pitch.

"What was vital in the last 20 minutes was who had the ball and you could play from your own half because there was more space.

"It was a bit like the World Cup game against England in 2015, but unfortunately for Wales, it was against them this time."

Edwards now turns his attention to helping France attempt to claim their first Six Nations title since 2010 and deny Pivac's side silverware.

Les Bleus play Scotland in the final game of the tournament, rescheduled after the 28 February postponement because of Covid-19 cases in the France camp.

"I would have to say Wales are definitely favourites and if you score 20 tries, you probably deserve to win the Six Nations," said Edwards.

"It's an incredible effort from the lads and the coaching staff who deserve a lot of credit.

"You always get obstacles you have to overcome if you win a Grand Slam or Six Nations title. Raphael Ibanez lost his grandmother recently so we have had two deaths in our families.

"We have also had the coronavirus situation, which was a huge obstacle. If we did pull it off, it would be very rewarding.

"If we didn't, it would still be good for the people of Wales because their team's effort has been pretty special.

"If any team was going to win the Six Nations, other than France because I am working for them now, I'd want Wales to do it because I have so many friends and great memories of people there."

HAMPTON, Ga. — March 11, 2001 is remembered by NASCAR fans as the day Kevin Harvick edged Jeff Gordon in a photo-finish to win at Atlanta Motor Speedway weeks after the death of Dale Earnhardt in a crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500.

Harvick’s victory also served as an opportunity for the NASCAR industry to heal after Earnhardt’s tragic death. Harvick was piloting the No. 29 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing that day, the same car that Earnhardt had driven since 1984 but minus Earnhardt’s traditional No. 3.

However, often forgotten is the fact that were it not for some unfortunate luck, Dave Blaney may have celebrated in victory lane that day.

Blaney, the 1995 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion, was in his second season driving the No. 93 Amoco Dodge fielded by Bill Davis Racing.

On that particular day, Blaney had one of the fastest cars in the field and led 70 laps. However, following a green-flag pit stop, Blaney returned immediately to the pit lane. But a yellow flag waved and he went back on the track without stopping. He should have stopped.

The left-rear wheel came off the car after a drive plate came loose.

Harvick beat Gordon by .006 seconds to win the Cracker Barrell 500.

Fast-forward to March 21, 2021 and the Blaney family finally got one back from Atlanta Motor Speedway when Ryan Blaney ran down Kyle Larson to win the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.

Prior to Sunday’s race, the younger Blaney got a text from his father reminding him about that day in 2001.

“He texted me today. He said, ‘This is the 20-year anniversary.’ He was whipping butt in that Amoco car. The damn wheel fell off his car, ruined his day. He lost the race. He was dominating,” Ryan Blaney recalled. “I said, ‘We’ll win one for the 20th anniversary.’ I don’t know how solar cycles line up, every 20 years, I don’t know. Happy we were able to avenge that loss.”

While Sunday marked Ryan Blaney’s fifth NASCAR Cup Series victory, Dave Blaney went winless in 473 Cup Series starts despite numerous close calls.

One was the aforementioned race at Atlanta. Another was in 2003 while he was driving the No. 77 Jasper Engines Ford at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway as Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch beat and banged for the race win.

Dave Blaney got to watch all that happen from third. He was gaining on Craven and Busch each lap, but simply ran out of time.

He added two more third-place finishes during his career, both at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

“Dad, he’s taught me everything that I know,” Ryan Blaney said. “He comes to as many races as he can. Just sits in the stands nowadays. Obviously, can’t come in the infield (because of COVID-19).

“He’s always someone I always trusted. Fortunate to have a dad that’s done it all, seen it all. I still go to him for advice about anything. Whether it’s a stern talking to or it’s careful advice, I’ve always enjoyed talking to him, hearing what he’s got to say. Just him being around means a lot.”

When his post-race media obligations were finished, Ryan Blaney said he was going to call his father, who watched him win the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 from the grandstands, and pass on a simple message.

“I can’t wait to call him and tell him, ‘I told you so, we got one back for you,’” Ryan Blaney said.

Indeed he did.

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Thirty-nine cars are on the entry list for Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the first NASCAR Cup Series race on a dirt surface in 50 years.

Headlined by defending Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, who will pilot the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, the stars of NASCAR’s premier division will hit the dirt over the weekend and attempt to tame The Last Great Coliseum in a whole new manner.

The lineup for the 250-lap feature at the .533-mile dirt-covered oval will be set through four qualifying heat races, with all drivers transferring into the big show since there are less than 40 cars entered.

However, the final starting positions will be determined by a combination of heat-race finish points and passing points earned for spots gained during each 15-lap heat.

Multiple grassroots dirt-track stars will be in action during the Food City Dirt Race, led by USAC Triple Crown champion Chris Windom of Canton, Ill., who will wheel the No. 15 NOS Energy Drink Chevrolet for Rick Ware Racing in partnership with Hayward Motorsports, Windom’s USAC sprint car team.

A similar agreement will see California sprint car and midget ace Shane Golobic step behind the wheel of Live Fast Motorsports’ No. 78 Ford, with support from Matt Wood Racing and longtime sponsors NOS Energy Drink and Elk Grove Ford.

Big-block modified star Stewart Friesen will step up from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for his first Cup Series appearance behind the wheel of the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports.

Finally, past World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series champion Mike Marlar will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut with Carl Long’s MBM Motorsports team, driving the No. 66 Toyota.

Full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers who cut their teeth in dirt-track racing before advancing into stock cars include Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet), Tyler Reddick (No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet), Chase Briscoe (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford), Christopher Bell (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet).

The 36 chartered NASCAR Cup Series teams are joined by three open teams at Bristol – the No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet of Ryan Preece; the No. 66 MBM Motorsports Toyota of Marlar; and the No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota of Ty Dillon.

Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET start, with live coverage on FOX, the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

NASCAR Cup Series Food City Dirt Race Entry List

(39 entries as of March 22)

Car No. – Driver – Team

00 – Quin Houff – StarCom Racing
1 – Kurt Busch – Chip Ganassi Racing
2 – Brad Keselowski – Team Penske
3 – Austin Dillon – Richard Childress Racing
4 – Kevin Harvick – Stewart-Haas Racing
5 – Kyle Larson – Hendrick Motorsports
6 – Ryan Newman – Roush Fenway Racing
7 – Corey LaJoie – Spire Motorsports
8 – Tyler Reddick – Richard Childress Racing
9 – Chase Elliott – Hendrick Motorsports
10 – Aric Almirola – Stewart-Haas Racing
11 – Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing
12 – Ryan Blaney – Team Penske
14 – Chase Briscoe – Stewart-Haas Racing
15 – Chris Windom – Rick Ware Racing
17 – Chris Buescher – Roush Fenway Racing
18 – Kyle Busch – Joe Gibbs Racing
19 – Martin Truex Jr. – Joe Gibbs Racing
20 – Christopher Bell – Joe Gibbs Racing
21 – Matt DiBenedetto – Wood Brothers Racing
22 – Joey Logano – Team Penske
23 – Bubba Wallace – 23XI Racing
24 – William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports
34 – Michael McDowell – Front Row Motorsports
37 – Ryan Preece – JTG Daugherty Racing *
38 – Anthony Alfredo – Front Row Motorsports
41 – Cole Custer – Stewart-Haas Racing
42 – Ross Chastain – Chip Ganassi Racing
43 – Erik Jones – Richard Petty Motorsports
47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – JTG Daugherty Racing
48 – Alex Bowman – Hendrick Motorsports
51 – Cody Ware – Rick Ware Racing
52 – Josh Bilicki  – Rick Ware Racing
53 – J.J. Yeley  – Rick Ware Racing
66 – Mike Marlar – Motorsports Business Management *
77 – Stewart Friesen – Spire Motorsports
78 – Shane Golobic – Live Fast Motorsports
96 – Ty Dillon – Gaunt Brothers Racing *
99 – Daniel Suarez – Trackhouse Racing

HAMPTON, Ga. — It wasn’t a victory, but Alex Bowman’s third-place result in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway was a feel-good run for a team that needed things to go right after showing early-season speed but having little to show for it.

Bowman’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet didn’t have anything to contend with eventual winner Ryan Blaney or race-long dominator Kyle Larson, but a podium effort marked Bowman’s best finish so far this year and his third top 10 in six NASCAR Cup Series races.

“I felt like we had a pretty solid day,” Bowman said. “We kind of struggled on long runs a little bit, but we had really good pit stops all day. Our Camaro was pretty fast. (We had) decent restarts. Nothing went wrong for once. It seems like every race all year, something has gone wrong, so I was just glad we were able to put an entire day together and not have anything go wrong.

“Greg (Ives, crew chief) called a great race. We were just a little off; I was on the splitter a little bit over the bumps and then would kind of snap the back of the car out of the race track after that. Solid day. Really proud of the 48 team.”

Now in his fourth season with crew chief Greg Ives, Bowman said the veteran signal-caller has built him into a better driver over the course of their tenure together.

How has Ives benefited Bowman?

“Riddles,” tipped Bowman with a smile. “He likes to talk in riddles.

“I feel like Greg and I are both a little awkward at times. But I think recently Greg has stepped up and kind of identified some areas where he can help me in the race car, whether it’s on the radio, by giving me more information, helping me understand things, or telling me things I can do differently based on what he sees in the driver data and stuff like that,” he added. “I feel like in this race, Greg talked more on the radio than he has for any race I ever have been a part of. I think it was really positive.

“We’ve been working together for four years now, but we still are learning. I feel like we learned some things that he can use to help me (late last year) and it’s definitely showing.”

By the numbers, Hendrick Motorsports is off to one of the best starts to a Cup Series season in the history of the organization.

With two wins and a combined 14 top-10 results from its four drivers through the first six weeks of the season, all four of team owner Rick Hendrick’s drivers — Bowman, Larson, William Byron and defending Cup Series champion Chase Elliott — are solidly in playoff contention after the first quarter of the regular season.

Though Bowman is the lowest of the four — ranked 14th in the Cup Series standings — he’s coming off his most complete run so far and believes it’s a sign of things to come for his No. 48 Chevrolet team.

“We’ve struggled in some areas this year that have been pretty frustrating,” admitted Bowman, who earned points in both stages Sunday. “I feel like we really struggled in dirty air, maneuverability in traffic, and restarts and stuff. But we worked really hard at bringing something to the race track this week that I could be aggressive with and could drive hard.

“It felt good to have that, to be able to pass cars. My pit crew did a great job keeping us up front as well. It definitely feels good to be closer to the front,” Bowman added. “We want to be a couple of spots better, but after the last couple of weeks, this definitely feels pretty good.”

Bowman told SPEED SPORT that not only is he learning from his three teammates, he’s enjoying the ride as he targets his fourth consecutive Cup Series playoff appearance.

“Every day walking into HMS for me is a dream come true. I’m still enjoying every minute of it,” tipped Bowman. “I feel like this is the strongest start to the season the company overall has had. I feel like, as a race team, we were a little better the beginning of last year than we have been the beginning of this year. I feel like we specifically could have won Vegas (in 2020). We did win Fontana and then came back after the (COVID-19) break pretty strong.

“This year, I feel like we’re a little behind. But the 5 (Larson) and 24 (Byron) specifically are super-fast each and every week. It always is good to be able to learn from them. Overall, though, everything is going very well. A lot of really smart people are working really hard back at the shop and it’s paying off.”

Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney says the team is on schedule to return from its COVID-19 shutdown on Thursday night against the New York Islanders. The game also would be the first pro sporting event in Massachusetts with paying fans in the crowd since last March.

The NHL on Friday postponed two Bruins games after four more Boston players entered the COVID-19 protocol, for a total of five. They are: David Pastrnak, David Krejci, Sean Kuraly, Jake DeBrusk and Craig Smith. Games against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday and the New York Islanders on Tuesday were to be rescheduled.

Sweeney said the players were driven separately back to Boston from Buffalo after that game was postponed.

Assuming there are no more positive tests, the Bruins would play at the TD Garden with 12% capacity, or about 2,100 fans.

Monday night's scheduled game between the Edmonton Oilers and Canadiens in Montreal has been postponed due to COVID-19-related reasons.

The NHL made the announcement less than an hour before the 7 p.m. ET start time at Bell Centre.

In its statement, the league said two Canadiens players entered the NHL's COVID protocols Monday, leading to the postponement.

AUSTIN, Texas – Even from a hospital bed across the country, Tiger Woods was the predictable perfectionist.

“[Woods] told me that I toed my tee shot on 18 [at The Players Championship], which I didn't. I hit it right in the middle, I just overturned it a little bit,” Justin Thomas said Monday from the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. “But he's adamant that I toed it. But I made sure to remind him that I didn't. It was right where I needed to be.”

Woods’ critique came a day after Thomas won the PGA Tour’s flagship event and a day before Tiger traveled home to South Florida for the first time since he was involved in a single-vehicle crash in Los Angeles on Feb. 24. Woods underwent multiple surgeries for “significant orthopedic injuries.”

Woods spoke with Thomas on Monday before flying home.

“I got to FaceTime, talk with him a little bit after, because I knew he would want to chat and catch up and I knew he was going home the following day, so it was cool,” Thomas said. “He was in great spirits, was glad to hear how supportive, and my dad said he was texting him the whole [final round at TPC Sawgrass], giving him grief about what was going on, so it was good to see he was watching.”

Woods and Thomas are South Florida neighbors and have celebrated various victories together, including Thomas’ 2017 PGA Championship.

AUSTIN, Texas – Jordan Spieth’s freefall from the game’s upper-echelon has been well-documented, but it was actually the world ranking math that had his attention to start the year.

Spieth finished 2020 ranked 82nd and slipped all the way to 92nd before turning his game around. That left many of the PGA Tour’s top events out of reach, including this week’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

“First and foremost I was looking at the [World Golf Championship] that got moved from Mexico into Tampa and that hit me pretty hard,” Spieth said. “Missing a World Golf Championship, via not qualifying for it was the first one, and I didn't like that at all, being able to play in an event against the best in the world … it lit a fire that I hope to progress forward and not miss many more.”

Spieth failed to qualify for the year’s first WGC event for the first time in his career but cracked the top 64 and qualified for the Match Play thanks to his tie for fourth place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

“This one being in Texas and being home and obviously having actually maybe an easier chance to qualify for this one than that one, I definitely wanted to keep playing well to make sure that was a possibility,” he said.

AUSTIN, Texas – Two weeks ago, Rory McIlroy reached out to swing coach Pete Cowen for “opinions” on his swing but didn’t appear poised to leave his longtime coach Michael Bannon. According to a report in The Daily Telegraph, however, the Northern Irishman is set to begin working officially with Cowen.

Cowen, whose current list of players include Brooks Koepka and Henrik Stenson, has worked with McIlroy before, including during his days as the coach of the Irish men’s golf team, and the two were spotted together on the range following an opening 79 at The Players Championship two weeks ago.

After missing the cut at TPC Sawgrass, McIlroy said his swing struggles stem from his decision to chase “speed” last fall.

“Doing a little bit of speed training, started getting sucked into that stuff, swing got flat, long and too rotational,” McIlroy said at The Players. “I added some speed and am hitting the ball longer, but what that did to my swing as a whole probably wasn't a good thing, so I'm sort of fighting to get back out of that. That's what I'm frustrated with.”

Last month at Bay Hill, McIlroy had suggested it was time for a change but when pressed for specifics he appeared to dismiss the notion of a wholesale coaching change. “I certainly didn't mean like a change of personnel, per se. I think more a change in philosophy,” he said at TPC Sawgrass.

McIlroy is in the field at this week’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, but wasn’t immediately available for comment.