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In the end, the ball bouncing right into Ronan Kelleher's bread basket served only as a reminder that this is sport, and anything can happen even when everything your eyes are showing you points to a different outcome.

The second half to that point had been a fairly harrowing showing from the hosts, as France began to showcase their superior skillset having been quiet in a first half briefly illuminated by a wonderful Charles Ollivon try.

The curtains were nearly drawn inside two minutes of the restart when Julien Marchand's brutal carry down the middle was stopped short inches from the line, with Antoine Dupont's subsequent pass bouncing off the head of Paul Willemse with a try appearing a near certainty.

It was a comical end to a rampant move that has no doubt already been the subject of much laughter in the French dressing room.

It was a botched opportunity, but they knew another one was just around the corner. France will create chances - even when they are far from their best.

This is not a certainty currently extended to Ireland, and it is hurting them badly.

"We're not taking the opportunities that are presenting themselves for us," said Sunday's captain Iain Henderson, even though in truth the home side created few.

"We were in good positions for a lot of the game...more so than France but when France got their opportunities they took them.

"There's a huge amount of frustration. You are seeing guys putting in the time, trying their best to progress on the pitch but I think it's that last couple of inches.

"You get into the opposition 22...and it's those last couple of metres that are actually extremely difficult to get. No-one's going to give up, our coaching staff and our players, to continually push to get this."

Possession without clinical edge counts for little

Last year Ireland met expectation but no more, and given the disruption caused by the pandemic that was rightly deemed a fair enough return.

Where they won the games they were supposed to, they never came close to causing an upset in the matches into which they arrived underdogs.

As we moved into 2021 that was always where Ireland's success would be measured; can they show that they have moved closer to the teams above them?

The answer based on the opening two games is reflected in the Six Nations standings.

The game against Wales became an entirely different beast from the moment Peter O'Mahony was shown red, but against France at home there were no caveats.

The scoreboard will suggest a game won on fine margins, but anyone who watched it knows that narrative paints a picture of the final 20 minutes as opposed to the opening hour.

In the first half Ireland saw more of the ball and enjoyed more time in opposition territory than France but only once, through James Lowe, did they come close to crossing the whitewash.

A possession-based game only counts for something when there's a clinical edge to turn control of the ball into a tangible reward.

Farrell insists Irish 'not far away'

Farrell, as you would expect from a head coach, insists his side are not far away from where they want to be - and that their two defeats came in games which could have gone either way. In-so-far as they were both one-score losses, he is right.

"They had a couple of chances and this was it. They took their chances," said the head coach.

"It was formidable. When they got the chance to punch through us first phase to get us on the back foot on the gain-line, and second phase coming round the corner and getting their offloading game going.

"It happened on a few occasions but those few were one too many because they were clinical enough to go and score the try.

"It's fine margins. You get seldom opportunities like this against a side with the quality of France."

In the end it was fine margins - a two-point deficit that gave us the heart-in-mouth finish the Six Nations so often provides.

But it was a mirage. Ireland were within a penalty or drop-goal of beating France, but in real terms the gap between the two sides is much bigger, and growing wider.

The tight finish, and the bounce of a ball, should not detract from the fact that Ireland are a side in trouble, and with Scotland and England still to come, there is no let-up in sight.

Elliott Hoping To Grow Into A Cup Series Superstar

Published in Racing
Sunday, 14 February 2021 11:00

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – When Chase Elliott reached NASCAR’s pinnacle last November, his Cup Series championship started something greater.

His “offseason” spoke for itself. Elliott, 25, began filling out his place as NASCAR’s lead star.

As the sport moves into a new era with a more-streamlined schedule, Elliott elected to evolve with it, at a rate that could yield big results over the next decade.

No one is better on road courses in NASCAR’s current era than Elliott. This year, a record seven road courses grace the schedule. There’s also few drivers more ambitious and driven simply to get better than the reigning Cup Series champion, either.

Over the winter Elliott raced in the Snowball Derby, the Chili Bowl Nationals, and the Rolex 24 At Daytona. He’s also raced and may continue to race USAC National Midget Series events with Chad Boat, a move that is stretching Elliott and sharpening his skill set.

“At the end of the day, you have to be good everywhere, and I want to be good everywhere,” Elliott said on adapting to the revamped Cup Series schedule for this year, but also, racing in general. “We, as a team, want to get to the point where we can win on any given week: road course, circle track, intermediate, dirt. Whatever it is, we want to be able to win at any time. The great teams and the great drivers are capable of doing that.

“I think we are capable of doing that, so that’s where my head’s at: trying to be good everywhere.”

The son of 16-time Cup Series Most Popular Driver Bill Elliott always seemed destined for superstardom, but maybe not in this fashion. He was always known for his short track prowess on the asphalt super late model scene.

When he moved to the Xfinity Series in 2014, he raced intermediate tracks to a series championship in his first full season at 18 years old.

What distinguishes Elliott now is his road racing ability and newfound dirt racing endeavors.

It’s important to note that Elliott has won the last four points-paying road races at the Cup level, and nearly added the non-points Busch Clash on the Daytona Int’l Speedway road course Tuesday night.

Make no mistake, though, Elliott came on at the end of last year with a bang.

He led 389 of the final 812 laps at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and Arizona’s Phoenix Raceway, respectively, capping off his championship run with back-to-back wins and showcasing his ability to take over a race.

But Elliott’s championship moment last November was anything but an arrival.

Chase Elliott. (HHP/Harold Hinson photo)

Elliott still has holes on his résumé at a handful of tracks, namely the sweeping ovals like Michigan Int’l Speedway, Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway, as well as Pennsylvania’s Pocono Raceway and Atlanta Motor Speedway, his home track.

But the Dawsonville, Ga., native is slowly filling out his superstar status, and that headlines the many storylines entering the new NASCAR Cup Series season.

“I don’t think we are at our best in every category, which is really cool for me and something I think our team should take a lot of pride in,” Elliott said. “To have the kind of result we had last year but also know that we can still improve in some pretty big ways is exciting.”

Schedule changes aside, the departure of Jimmie Johnson marks a new era for NASCAR.

Kyle Busch now stands as the lone multi-time Cup Series champion active in the sport, which halts a 51-year streak of at least two multi-time Cup titlists racing concurrently.

The last time that happened was in 1969, when Richard Petty was the lone wolf with two titles before David Pearson scored his second straight championship.

Whether it’s a heart to race or simply keeping up with the times, it’s only right that Elliott is starting to fill out his makeup as NASCAR’s lead star and finding a path to make the new decade his own.

In the 1950s, it was Lee Petty. In the 1960s, it was Pearson.

In the 1970s, it was Richard Petty and Cale Yarbrough. In the 1980s, it was Darrell Waltrip.

In the 1990s, it was Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. In the 2000s, it was Jimmie Johnson.

Could the 2020s be Chase Elliott’s era? He certainly hopes that will be the case.

“We want more,” Elliott said. “We’re not trying to play defense. We just simply want more. That needs to be our outlook and we’re trying to keep it as simple as that.”

Elliott’s status as a new-age superstar would be further cemented with a victory in The Great American Race. His best Daytona 500 finish to date is 14th, earned in 2017.

The 63rd Daytona 500 goes green at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, with live coverage on FOX, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Ernie Irvan’s Daytona 500 Upset

Published in Racing
Sunday, 14 February 2021 12:00

It’s been 30 years since Ernie Irvan celebrated the biggest victory of his NASCAR career.

Now 61, Irvan lives in Ocala, Fla. — roughly a 90-minute drive from Daytona Int’l Speedway, the site of the Daytona 500 that Irvan won on Feb. 17, 1991. Between sweeping his shop floor and tending to his pet poodle, Irvan sat down with SPEED SPORT in December to recall the race that catapulted an upstart-driver from Salinas, Calif., to national stardom.

Irvan’s Daytona story begins 11 months earlier when he signed with Morgan-McClure Motorsports in March 1990. At the time, Irvan had zero top-five finishes in 62 starts for car owners Marc Reno, D.K. Ulrich and Junie Donlavey. The 31-year-old Irvan felt his new crew chief at Morgan-McClure, Tony Glover, needed a scouting report on his new driver.

“I suck at road courses and I don’t have any clue how to draft,” Irvan told Glover.

It was an honest self-assessment, but Glover disregarded it. He knew Irvan’s potential.

“You just haven’t sat in the right car,” Glover replied.

Irvan debuted later that week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he finished an impressive third — one of the best results in the Morgan-McClure team’s history and easily the best performance of Irvan’s career.

After a mid-July switch from Oldsmobiles to Chevrolets, Irvan captured his — and the team’s — first victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in August. Irvan led 120 of 500 laps and out-ran defending series champion Rusty Wallace in the closing laps. Irvan didn’t expect his first win to come at Bristol — or, frankly, to come at all — but the skills he’d honed as a short-track star at Concord (N.C.) Speedway in the 1980s were on full display when he needed them most.

Irvan followed the win with a second-place finish in the Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and four additional top-10 results in the season’s final five races.

Ending 1990 on a high note gave Irvan and Glover plenty of momentum.

Ernie Irvan in victory lane after winning the 1991 Daytona 500.

Both men felt optimistic when the No. 4 Kodak Film Chevrolet hauler departed its Abingdon, Va., base in February 1991. Irvan’s car had speed during pre-season testing, but no one in their right mind was picking Ernie Irvan to win the Daytona 500.

Most bets were on defending series champion Dale Earnhardt, who’d come one agonizing lap from winning his first 500 the previous year. Surely, they figured, nothing could stop Earnhardt in 1991.

Irvan didn’t mind being an afterthought. Hell, Irvan had always been an afterthought.

“It didn’t bother me,” Irvan recalled. “We weren’t mad that they were choosing Dale to win it. I mean, how many times had he come close to winning it by then? We were really fast in testing in January, but you never know you’re fast until you get down there for the race and you look at the time sheets.”

Irvan remained one of the fastest drivers throughout time trials. A 46.003-second, 195.64 mph qualifying lap — faster than Earnhardt — put Irvan outside the front row. He missed Davey Allison’s pole-winning lap by less than a tenth of a second. Was Irvan really quicker than Earnhardt?

Two 125-mile qualifying races, which set the field beyond the front row, seemed to answer the question. Irvan started first for his 125-miler, lost the lead on the first lap and watched as Earnhardt led all 50 laps.

Irvan was unfazed. Thursday didn’t pay the big money and it didn’t hand out the big trophy.

“We were confident that we had a really good car,” Irvan said. “It was a matter of me being able to do the right things despite not having much experience drafting. We felt like that if we put it all together, there should be no reason we couldn’t win the race.”

Glover wanted Irvan’s car to be slippery enough to pass people on the straightaways and stable enough to hold them off in the turns.

“If we can get to where you’re running flat-out all day, we can win,” Glover told Irvan.

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PHOTOS: Beef It’s What’s For Dinner 300

Published in Racing
Sunday, 14 February 2021 13:00

Martial racially abused online again after draw

Published in Soccer
Sunday, 14 February 2021 12:03

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has received racist abuse online again after his side came from a goal down to draw 1-1 with West Brom on Sunday.

A number of users commented under Martial's Instagram posts with racist messages and symbols mere days after the company said it was going to impose stronger penalties on accounts found to be sending abuse.

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The forward was subjected to similar abuse, alongside teammate Axel Tuanzebe, when United lost to Sheffield United on Jan. 27.

United's Marcus Rashford and Lauren James alongside Chelsea's Reece James and Southampton's Alex Jankewitz are among the other players who have received racist abuse.

A number of players and clubs have spoken out to condemn the racist abuse received by players after games.

United released a joint statement with Everton, Liverpool and Manchester City on Feb. 6 calling for the abuse to stop.

"We condemn the racist abuse that too many players, officials and supporters continue to encounter, most recently on social media platforms," the statement said.

"We stand shoulder to shoulder in saying there is no room for racism, hate or any form of discrimination in our beautiful game. It should not happen and it must stop."

Facebook, who own Instagram, committed to tougher measures against accounts sending hate on Feb. 10 and said they were "horrified" at what players were receiving.

"I'm horrified at the type of abuse that people, especially these footballers, have to deal with on the basis of who they are, whether it's their race or their religion or their gender, and as a company, we're disappointed to see that sort of behaviour that plays out offline also playing out on our platform," Facebook head of content policy Fadzai Madzingira told the BBC.

"It's why we're making the announcements today about taking tougher measures to go after accounts that are violating our community standards and our goals within Instagram direct messages."

The Premier League has also announced a plan to eradicate racial prejudice and create more opportunities for minority ethnic groups in football.

LONDON -- Perhaps Arsenal supporters can begin to expect the unexpected again. One persistent criticism of manager Mikel Arteta is the Gunners' rigidity in attacking positions that has often led to an inability to translate possession into clear goal-scoring opportunities. Leeds United may have been willing accomplices at Emirates Stadium, but Sunday's 4-2 win featured a more enticing vision of what Arteta is aiming to implement -- just not in the way many expected.

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It appeared when Martin Odegaard arrived at the club on loan from Real Madrid that he would end up in a rotation with Emile Smith Rowe, who has seized his opportunity in the first team with great aplomb, but could not reasonably be asked to carry a heavy creative burden in his breakthrough season. Yet Arteta opted to hand Odegaard his first start alongside Smith Rowe, the former as a No. 10 in a three-man advanced midfield with Bukayo Saka on the right behind central striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in a 4-2-3-1 shape.

What followed was one of Arsenal's most dynamic attacking performances of the season, with Aubameyang clearly revelling in the creativity provided by his supporting cast. "I thought [the creativity in the final third] was much better," said Arteta. "We were much more efficient and we were composed. We took our time when it was needed. We had movement, runs in behind, people in the box and arriving into the box. Our decision-making was much better and our efficiency, we were hitting shots and many of those were on target. That was the difference."

Odegaard and Smith Rowe interchanged positions with impressive fluidity, Saka menaced Leeds through a mixture of pace and cool-headed decision-making in the final third and Aubameyang helped himself to the first Premier League hat-trick of his career.

Only West Brom (55) have conceded more goals than Leeds' 42 in the top flight this term, and the price they are willing to pay for showing such relentless attacking intent is an openness that top sides can exploit. The Gunners have not always appeared capable of taking such opportunities, but they did so here in what no doubt felt like something of a cathartic release after frustrating defeats to Wolves and Aston Villa.

Those games contained VAR-related controversy (a David Luiz red card at Molineux, which the club tried and failed to appeal, before being denied a man advantage of their own for a foul on Bukayo Saka, and later, a strong penalty shout at Villa Park). On Sunday, it appeared third time unlucky. Aubameyang had already put Arsenal in front with a low 13th-minute drive by the time Saka burst through on goal, only to go down under contact from Leeds captain Liam Cooper. Referee Stuart Attwell pointed to the spot, but reviewed the decision on the pitch-side monitor and judged that Cooper didn't make contact sufficient to make Saka fall.

Arteta was furious on the touchline, but Saka continued unperturbed, pressing goalkeeper Ilian Meslier into a mistake as he dallied on the ball, winning a spot-kick beyond contention. Aubameyang converted and Arsenal established a control they never really looked like relinquishing, with Hector Bellerin smashing home a third after some excellent work around the box from Saka and Dani Ceballos. It was the first league game this season in which the Gunners scored three first-half goals.

Smith Rowe set up Aubameyang's third with a superb ball two minutes after the restart, before Leeds struck twice through Pascal Struijk and substitute Helder Costa to take a little sheen off the Gunners' victory. The latter stages were a little more uncomfortable than Arsenal may have liked, but parity never appeared to be restored.

Aubameyang walked off with the match ball, having vowed in his programme notes to "repay all the love" shown to him during a difficult period in which he missed games while caring for his sick mother. He did that and then some here, netting his 200th league goal in Europe's Top 5 divisions in the process and reaching 36 Premier League goals for Arsenal. Only Jamie Vardy (46), Mohamed Salah (42) and Sadio Mane (37) have scored more since Aubameyang made his debut in February 2018.

"It's been a tough time for me, but now it's time to get the smile back and win games and score goals, that's it," said Aubameyang. "Everybody around the club was giving a lot of love to me, my mum and my family, so I'm really, really happy and I'm really proud to be part of this family. I'm really happy today, the win and goals -- this is for them."

Said Arteta of his center-forward, "He had a great performance not only for the goals, but the way he worked without the ball."

Aubameyang added potency to the purpose injected by Saka in particular, who continues to excel; it was Gabriel Martinelli who set the tone for this team upon his return to the side, but these days Saka is performing that role with remarkable consistency. His form is so good that Willian and club-record signing Nicolas Pepe are among those who will have to respond to earn a place in the team.

The challenge for Arsenal now, as it has been during prior purple patches, is to play with such ingenuity against better opponents. Arsenal's next four games are both legs of their Europa League last-32 tie against Benfica, as well as challenging clashes against Premier League leaders Manchester City and high-fliers Leicester City. Those opponents will not be as accommodating as Leeds, but Arsenal now have a prime example of their expressionism on which to build.

There was an air of apology to the naming of South Africa's T20I squad last month, with head coach Mark Boucher almost forced to justify the inexperience of the men named. He explained that the visitors were prioritising the upcoming visit of Australia to their shores, and were keen to provide their senior players as much rest as possible following the two-match Test series in Pakistan.

Double jeopardy would soon strike the luckless visitors though, with Australia calling off the South African tour altogether, meaning South Africa were stuck with a T20I side very different to the one they'd likely have named had that information been known a few weeks earlier. Aside from David Miller, no one in the squad had played over 30 T20Is, and only Tabraiz Shamsi, Reeza Hendricks and Andile Phelukwayo had lined up in more than 20. The captain, Heinrich Klaasen, had been a part of just 13.

At that time, South Africa might have been quite content to have known they'd partake in a T20I series that went to the final few overs of the deciding contest, indeed one in which they had serious opportunities to wrap up all three games. It was a point head coach Mark Boucher made just after the third game ended, with Pakistan having edged out the visitors 2-1.

"I think you can pretty much analyse any moment in T20 cricket but, in the first T20, overs 6-10 when we were batting, we only got 15 runs," Boucher told a video press conference. "That was a big issue and we probably did lose the game there. So yes, we probably could have done better there. The second game went to plan and losing three or four wickets so quickly did mean we were chasing the game. The key moments really cost us here, and for me, as a coach, we have spoken about that and we'll continue to try and get through to guys so they don't make the same mistakes again. If they can do that, then I think we'll be going in the right direction, and the series shows where we're headed with this T20 side.

"The guys showed a bit of bravery with the way they played, though I wish we had been a bit smarter in the way we played the game at certain stages. What I've seen is encouraging. Even though we ran ourselves into a bit of trouble, we put up a good total. Maybe 15, 20 runs shy, but we were still in the game till the last couple of overs. A lot of positives, some youngsters coming through and Shamsi bowled really well throughout the series. Reeza [Hendricks] played nicely, and David [Miller]'s knock towards the end was great; good to see him back in the runs. The bowling I thought we did really well, there were times with the bat when we perhaps didn't do that well but enough encouragement overall."

For Boucher, the biggest positive appears to be the opportunities the bench have been given, and the manner they accounted for them. There were calls when Australia pulled out of the tour to retain senior players for the T20I series, but South Africa stuck to their original plans, determined to give players with less experience a chance at the highest level. He pointed out that few outside the camp had given his charges a chance, but was hopeful this group of players would continue to breathe down the necks of the first-choice squad.

"I think the media were writing these guys off a bit, but we've got a T20 competition back home and I hope some of these guys stand up and put some pressure on the squad. The nice thing for me is that throughout the next couple of years we've got a good group of players together and we're getting where we'd like to be. For Covid reasons we've had quite a large group of players travelling. They are learning some tough lessons, but you've got to be winning and unfortunately we didn't. That doesn't mean I'm not happy with their efforts though."

Boucher also praised Pakistan as "a fantastic place to play cricket". This is the first tour South Africa have undertaken a tour of the country since 2007, with the head coach part of the playing squad at the time. With the pitches in Lahore worlds removed from what his side might generally be used to in the Highveld or the Western Cape, Boucher singled out his bowlers for special praise.

"I think what we can learn is this is a fantastic place to play cricket. You see the history around the grounds and some of the fantastic talents that have come out of Pakistan. The spin isn't as bad as it is in India and Sri Lanka, there's not as much turn, but there's a special technique that you still have to apply, especially when you're batting. I'm really proud of the way the guys bowled; the bowling was a standout for me. I think the guys have done well in this particular situation and it can only help them going back to South Africa.

"The tough part of being here was losing a series. We don't go anywhere to lose series so I think that's tough. The way we played a couple of the big moments was kind of disappointing. We got ourselves into the game and found stupid ways to get ourselves out of the game again.

"But I think we played some good cricket throughout the series. We had a very good meeting after the first game that we lost; we got ourselves into strong positions in that game. The second game showed the brand of cricket that we want to play where we showed intent, especially in the batting. We needed to show the right intent especially when we play against spin. We needed to be more proactive rather than react to it, and I think the guys really showed that today."

Boucher and his men might not have to request extra baggage for the rather voluminous trophy they just ended up missing out on, but there certainly need be no apology for the cricket the visitors offered out in Lahore. With Pakistan set to visit South Africa for a limited-overs series in just a few weeks, the departing South Africans may feel confident they'll end up having the last laugh.

Danyal Rasool is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @Danny61000

Bubba Wallace's No. 23 car fails inspection twice

Published in Breaking News
Sunday, 14 February 2021 12:05

Bubba Wallace's car failed inspection twice for Sunday's Daytona 500 and had to start at the back of the field.

Greg Emmer, the car chief for 23XI Racing, was ejected as punishment. The No. 23 Toyota passed inspection on the third attempt.

Wallace drives a new entry owned by NBA great Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin. He had been slated to start "The Great American Race'' in the third row. Instead, Wallace will be one of 10 drivers who have to drop to the back of the pack during pace laps.

Nine others already lost their starting spots because of modifications made after NASCAR's twin 150-mile qualifying races Thursday. Former Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski and front-row qualifier William Byron switched to backup cars because of wrecks. It was the same case for Chase Briscoe, Kaz Grala, Anthony Alfredo, Cole Custer and Ross Chastain.

Martin Truex Jr.'s team had to change a radiator and oil cooler. Erik Jones' team changed an engine.

Alex Bowman led the 40-car field to the green flag.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Andy Murray was unable to win a first trophy since 2019 after being soundly beaten by Illya Marchenko in the final of the ATP Challenger in Biella, Italy.

Murray, 33, never established a footing and was broken twice in the opening set as Ukraine's Marchenko fired a forehand winner to take a 4-1 lead.

He closed out the set 6-2 and broke again in the opening game of set two.

Murray did not earn a single break point and while he saved match point twice, Marchenko sealed a 6-2 6-4 win.

The world number 212 thoroughly deserved his win over Murray, ranked 87 places higher.

Scotland's Murray last won an event at the European Open in Antwerp in 2019 but he played only seven competitive matches in 2020 because of injury and the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

This tournament was his first since October and appearing in the second-tier Challenger Tour is a means for Murray to prepare for future events given he lost his place in the Australian Open following a positive Covid-19 test.

Murray had not won on the Challenger Tour since 2005 - when he was 18 - but he never looked like repeating the feat in Biella.

Marchenko served nine aces to Murray's three and converted three of his seven break points.

Elsewhere on Sunday Britain's Liam Broady lost in the final of the Challenger Tour event in South Africa.

Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi proved too strong for Broady and closed out a 7-5 6-4 win to lift the PotchOpen trophy.

Italy's Sebastian Negri has apologised after his tackle left England flanker Jack Willis facing the prospect of a long spell on the sidelines.

Willis' leg buckled awkwardly after Negri pulled him out of a ruck in the second half of England's 41-18 victory.

The Wasps back row, who moments earlier had scored the fifth of his team's six tries, cried out in pain and was driven from the field on a medical cart.

Willis, 24, is having scans to assess the extent of the damage to his knee.

It appeared Negri used a move known as a 'crocodile roll' - a sometimes controversial method of clearing out players from a ruck.

It is not illegal as long as it does not involve a tackle around the neck, and no action was taken against Negri.

"A quick message to Jack Willis. So sorry about what happened yesterday," Negri said on Twitter.

"Just horrible and never nice to see. Myself and all the @Federugby boys are wishing you all the best.

"I hope to see you back on the field again soon. Take care and we all know you will be back stronger."

Willis, the current Premiership player of the season, broke into the England team last autumn having battled back from previous knee and ankle issues.

"It's one of those, it's quite emotional," said Wasps head coach Lee Blackett.

"We have seen Jack, for the last few years, come back from his last one, just on the verge of England, then gets himself in this time, and it looked a nasty one. We'll know more come today [Sunday]."

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