Premiership Rugby investigates amid fury over leaked Saracens report

• Full version of salary cap judgment included player names
• Premiership Rugby branded leak as ‘unauthorised and reckless’

Premiership Rugby plans to investigate the “unauthorised and reckless leak” of an unredacted disciplinary report into Saracens, which named several players who were part of ventures set up with the club’s owner Nigel Wray that breached salary cap rules.

A Sky News report on Wednesday night revealed details of the 103-page report by Lord Dyson which found that Wray had put £1.3m towards companies owned by Maro Itoje, Billy and Mako Vunipola and Chris Ashton, in a way that constituted a breach of Premiership Rugby’s £7m salary cap rules.

Manchester United’s Ed Woodward: admired by Glazers, despised by fans

Frontman for the unpopular Glazer family is target for hateful chants now the manager no longer doubles as a human shield

Finn Russell banished from Scotland squad for breach of discipline

• Major blow to Scotland before Six Nations campaign
• Player returns to Racing 92 after being sent home

Scotland’s talisman, Finn Russell, has been sent home from their Six Nations training camp for a breach of discipline. The Racing 92 stand-off will not play in the Scots’ opener against Ireland on 1 February and his involvement in the rest of the tournament appears in doubt.

STATEMENT | Scotland team spokesperson: “Stand-off Finn Russell will play no further part in preparations for Scotland’s Six Nations opener against Ireland, having been disciplined for a breach of team protocol during the week’s camp in Edinburgh. He has returned to his club."

Joe Root says series win in South Africa would be his biggest achievement

• England captain says ‘sky’s the limit for this team’
• No decision yet made on bowling selection at the Wanderers

Joe Root has said sealing a Test series win in South Africa would be the biggest achievement of his England captaincy, adding: “The sky’s the limit for this team.”

Medvedev and Nadal escape dirt deluge to advance at Australian Open

• Play delayed for up to two hours after overnight deluge
• Medvedev speeds past Spanish qualifier Pedro Martinez

As the Australian Open staggers towards the end of an eventful first week through hail, heat and polluted dust bombs, there was relief for Dominic Thiem, encouragement for Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev and confirmation that world No 1 Rafael Nadal is still dangerous away from clay.

Actually, when the dirt fell in an overnight deluge that briefly held Melbourne in an ochre embrace, it very much looked like a clay-court tournament until attendants power-hosed away gobbets and blankets of sticky dust, delaying the start by two hours in many cases.

Revealed: the scale of Manchester City’s FFP breaches before 2014 Uefa deal

• Accounting rejected and £118.75m of sponsorships questioned
• City could face Champions League ban in second Uefa inquiry

Manchester City were found to have made inadmissible submissions to Uefa over financial fair play in 2014 and were reported for not making their bank statements available, the Guardian can reveal.

City’s submissions for the 2012 and 2013 financial years were questioned in relation to £118.75m in sponsorships from companies in Abu Dhabi, the home state of the club’s owner, and their accounting methods over transfer fees and the formation of two new companies were rejected.

The psychology of football rivalries

Why does supporting one club mean you have to hate another?

Zion Williamson delivers in NBA debut with 17-point fourth-quarter outburst

• Williamson, 19, scores 22 in long-awaited debut after slow start
• No 1 pick scores 17 straight during electric fourth-quarter stretch
• Spurs hold off Pelicans to spoil Duke product’s first NBA game

Zion Williamson scored 22 points in his NBA debut, but LaMarcus Aldridge topped him with 32 points and 14 rebounds as the visiting San Antonio Spurs defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 121-117 on Wednesday night.

Williamson, the first overall draft choice, missed the first 44 games of the season while rehabbing from arthroscopic knee surgery.

The Breakdown | Saracens scandal may spell end of a way of rugby life

The affair has shown the regulations are ineffective as a deterrent and clubs stoke their own inflationary pressures

The end of an era was how Mark McCall described Saracens’ relegation to the Championship but will it also mark the end of a way of life? Will a club that has in the last 10 years based its squad around a core of English players it has either produced or signed young look to recruit from outside and minimise the financial impact of a player quickly going from a paltry wage to a substantial one after being capped by England?

British singles hopes end at Australian Open as Harriet Dart loses to Halep

• Dart departs after spirited fight with Simona Halep
• Second year in a row no British players in third round

The British are going home early again, beaten but mildly encouraged at the end of four days of struggle in singles at the Australian Open, and Harriet Dart at least waved goodbye with a spirited flourish against the former world No 1, Simona Halep.

This, nonetheless, is the second year on the spin there will be no British player in either singles draw in the third round. In the decade before 2019, at least one British player – usually Andy Murray – hung around for the first weekend. Dart on Thurday followed Heather Watson, who lost 6-3, 6-0 on a tiny outside court to the 16th seed, Elise Mertens, whom she had beaten in the quarter-finals in Hobart only a week ago.

NFL offseason questions: rule changes and the return of Andrew Luck?

Only two teams are still playing football, which means their rivals are already pondering what comes next in the calendar

There is just one meaningful football game left this season, and teams have already moved on to planning for next year. With that in mind, here are the biggest questions this coming offseason.

Talking Horses: Gérald Mossé hails British rehab facilities as best in world

Much-travelled French jockey, now based in Newmarket, is being helped back to action at Oaksey House

The rehabbing facilities available to jockeys in Britain have been hailed as the best in the world by Gérald Mossé, who speaks with authority after more than three decades of riding in many different countries around the globe. Mossé, who has ridden winners of the Arc and the Melbourne Cup, is spending this week at Oaksey House, the Injured Jockeys Fund’s facility in Lambourn, with the aim of getting back in the saddle in mid-February after sustaining what he describes as a minor injury in Bahrain at the end of last year.

“I’ve been lucky in my career, never to be injured too much,” said Mossé between treatment sessions on Wednesday, “but what I will say is, it is amazing. This place really provides the jockey with everything needed to be able to get the best treatment, helping you to go back as quick as possible.”

Nick Kyrgios wins war with himself and Gilles Simon at Australian Open

• Australian progresses to third round after match of two halves
• French opponent bemused by crowd’s inane chanting

At war with himself as much as his opponent, Nick Kyrgios progressed to the third round of the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 win over Frenchman Gilles Simon in Melbourne. It was a contest that proved the cliche about matches of two halves. For two sets Kyrgios was the focused and ruthless version of himself that could frighten the entire grand slam draw. For the second half of the match his head was spinning faster than his backhand slice.

Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka to put Australian Open focus back on court

They light up the women’s game and will command the full attention of media and spectators when they meet on Friday

The 2020 Australian Open needs some drama that does not involve sodden red dust falling out of the sky or players choking on polluted air – and Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka will surely provide it on day five.

They light up the women’s game like few of their contemporaries, with both their tennis and personalities, the 15-year-old American oddly more self-contained and clinical than the 22-year-old Japanese player who already has two slam titles.

Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty accused of punching child

• Popular orange-haired mascot accused of punching teenager
• Police confirm ‘active and on-going’ investigation of assault

Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty has been accused of physically assaulting a 13-year-old boy at the team’s home arena, according to police.

Chris Greenwell claims the mercurial orange-haired creature “took a running start” and “punched my son as hard as he could” during a meet-and-greet photo shoot for season ticket holders in November at the Wells Fargo Center.

New York Giants icon Eli Manning set to retire after 16 NFL seasons

• Manning, 39, to announce retirement on Friday, ESPN reports
• Two-time Super Bowl champion played 16 seasons in New York
• Manning to walk away with career record of 117-117 as a starter

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will announce his retirement from professional football after 16 seasons, the team announced Wednesday.

The durable 39-year-old signal-caller walks away following a decorated career that includes a pair of Super Bowl championships and nearly every team passing record for one of the NFL’s blue-ribbon franchises.

'You start out at 0-0': John Millman eyes repeat upset against Roger Federer

• Millman books Federer showdown with second-round win
• Australian hoping for repeat of 2018 US Open win over Swiss

John Millman is looking forward to another dream showdown with Roger Federer after winning his second round Australian Open match on Wednesday night.

Often the marathon man drawn into long matches, the popular Australian had a surprisingly straightforward victory over 31st seed Hubert Hurkacz, 6-4 7-5 6-3.

England dogged by domestic woes as Six Nations rivals talk up new eras | Robert Kitson

Four of the six sides under new management struck an upbeat note at launch while England grapple with Saracens fallout

Five of the teams at the Six Nations launch at a chilly Tobacco Dock in London’s Wapping could be heard talking an upbeat game. Ireland, Wales, France and Italy are all under new management, while Scotland have a passionate new captain in Stuart Hogg already itching to lead out Gregor Townsend’s army on Saturday week.

Basketbrawl, a one-armed golfer's hole in one and Mahomes magic | Classic YouTube

Also featuring Wes McDonald morphing into Messi, C64 nostalgia with Peter Shilton and harsh red cards

Caroline Wozniacki: ‘Tennis is what I’ve done my whole life … it’s crazy it’s coming to an end’

The Dane is retiring after the Australian Open and says that while she is looking forward to a quieter life she can look back with pride at a grand slam title and 70 weeks as world No 1

Caroline Wozniacki has spent the majority of her life in a fishbowl, her every move monitored and detailed. She never complained, accepting that it is part of the business of being a top sportswoman, that if she told paparazzi not to take photos it wouldn’t do any good. But now she is getting out, and she could not be happier.

“I think I had my first interview when I was eight or nine years old, it’s pretty crazy,” Wozniacki said at the Australian Open. “My whole life I’ve been scrutinised, my career’s been scrutinised. So it’s nice to do what I want to do, not have to think twice about anything. Obviously I want to make right decisions but just be able to live life.

Saracens scandal shatters rugby union’s illusion it ever held the moral high ground | Marina Hyde

Rugby seems to have firm belief in its own probity but has been reminded that, like most elite sport, it is a morality free zone

At last, some good news out of the Saracens financial doping scandal, as former England wing Ugo Monye declares rugby union has lost “the moral high ground”. This is an immediate positive in a story not exactly littered with them. That said, we must sound a note of caution, as the phrase “the loss of the moral high ground” implies that one of the other sports has won it. Unless, of course, the moral high ground is lying fallow for a year, which would surely be the best option. Or rather, the second best option, after lying fallow forever.

Modern sport is about as suited to dispensing morality as Michael Jackson ever was. Which, I concede, didn’t ever stop him. But a useful rule of thumb in the sporting money trench is: the bigger the fairytale, the bigger the fakery it’s trying to hide.

With Jofra Archer fit, what will work best for England at the Wanderers? | Vic Marks

Archer looks likely to return but a five-man seam attack and whether Dom Bess should be the one to make way are England’s decisions before Friday at the Bullring

Transfer window January 2020 – every deal from Europe's top five leagues

All the latest deals and club-by-club guides for the top divisions in England, Spain, Italy, France and Germany.

Solskjær understands ‘disillusionment’ after Manchester United’s defeat

• Fans chanted against Glazers and Woodward in Burnley loss
• ‘We’ve got to stick to our values and beliefs,’ says manager

Inside the push to stop female footballers suffering so many ACL injuries

Female athletes are far more susceptible to cruciate damage and one man is particularly determined to find a solution

“You start to blame yourself,” Claire Rafferty says. “I definitely did. I would go through different phases of feeling sorry for myself. Why? Why is it me? Am I doing something wrong? Am I not training hard enough? When actually it’s stuff that you can’t really see.”

Rafferty’s journey through three ACL injuries has been well documented and her legs bear the long scars of her many surgeries. The former England international’s injuries were sustained before the professionalisation of the top flight and semi-professionalism of the Championship but female players are still suffering knee ligament injuries in worrying numbers. Research shows they are four to six times more likely to suffer an ACL injury than male footballers.

Leicester’s Pérez deflates West Ham but Vardy injury a concern for Rodgers

Leicester got back their mojo but lost their talisman when Jamie Vardy limped off with a glute injury. “He’s a fantastic player and really important for us but you’re never going to succeed if you rely on just one player,” Brendan Rodgers said.

Klopp: Henderson’s game lifted by Liverpool’s Champions League success

• Liverpool captain now playing at much higher level
• ‘His natural quality was always there,’ says Jürgen Klopp

Scottish Premiership roundup: Celtic stay top with Rangers in hot pursuit

• Edouard opens scoring in leaders’ win at Kilmarnock

• Defoe sinks St Mirren to keep Rangers within two points

Celtic maintained their two-point advantage over Premiership title challengers Rangers with a 3-1 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. Odsonne Édouard fired the visitors into the lead in the 25th minute before Leigh Griffiths added a second at the start of the second half.

Gabriel Martinelli shrugs off Arsenal’s shackles and lets hope fly again | Jonathan Liew

Such is the Brazilian’s swagger that his solo goal at Chelsea seemed predestined; he could be the perfect fit for Mikel Arteta

“I’m not the Messiah!” “I say you are, Lord, and I should know – I’ve followed a few.” – Monty Python’s Life of Brian

Has a goal ever looked so breathtakingly easy and ludicrously difficult all at once? As Gabriel Martinelli gathered the ball in his own half on Tuesday night, he found himself all on his own, 80 yards from goal, with N’Golo Kanté blocking his path. And yet within a few seconds the ball was rolling past Kepa Arrizabalaga into the Chelsea net, the 18-year-old Martinelli having simply run the length of the field in a very fast straight line, dumping perhaps the world’s best covering midfielder on his backside in the process. You know, as you do.

Griezmann the party pooper in Ibiza as late double spares Barcelona blushes

• Copa del Rey last 32: UD Ibiza 1-2 Barcelona
• Bale scores on Real Madrid return in 3-1 win over Unionistas

Antoine Griezmann struck two late goals as Barcelona came from behind to beat third-tier UD Ibiza 2-1 and avoid an embarrassing Copa del Rey last-32 exit.

Javi Pérez put Ibiza ahead at the Can Misses municipal stadium after nine minutes and the hosts had a second goal disallowed before Raí Nascimento hit the post with Barcelona floundering.

The Fiver | Carlo Ancelotti's eyebrow arching towards the heavens

‘That is ridiculous’: brilliant bowls shot lights up World Indoor Championships – video

'About six inches between the two bowls, so there is just room,' were the words of England's Greg Harlow as his partner Nick Brett approached a shot. Harlow's words were met with laughter by the audience at the World Indoor Bowls Championships. However, what followed was a stunning piece of skill, as Brett produced a spectacular shot sliding between the two red balls surrounding the jack. The English duo went on to win the tie with Scotland's Paul Foster and Alex Marshall 10-6, 6-8, 2-1

Brawl breaks out at the end of Kansas college basketball game – video report

A fight broke out at the end of the US college basketball game between rivals Kansas State and University of Kansas on Tuesday. Despite the university side being comfortable 81-60 winners one of their players taunted the state player DeJuan Gordon after blocking his effort in the final seconds of the game. What followed was a mass brawl that emptied both benches. Speaking after the game, University of Kansas coach Billy Self admitted that his side 'were in the wrong', adding that it was 'an embarrassment on our part'

Arteta praises Arsenal's 'spirit, fight and leadership' after coming back to draw at Chelsea – video

Mikel Arteta was delighted with Arsenal’s spirit as they twice recovered from a goal down to snatch a point against Chelsea, whose failure to take advantage of David Luiz’s early red card infuriated Frank Lampard. 'When someone makes a mistake, what cannot happen is that we don’t stand up for him. Every single player did it, with belief as well,’ said the Arsenal manager. Speaking after the 2-2 draw Arteta praised the performance of former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka. 'I didn't know how good he was going to do, but he was going to put everything in there. And and he was great.' Xhaka played in central defence after the early red card to David Luiz.

'We were outstanding': Joe Root delighted after England thrash South Africa in third Test – video

England moved 2-1 up in the Test series against South Africa after a superb performance in Port Elizabeth, winning by an innings and 53 runs. Despite the flattering scoreline England were made to work for the final wicket which fell at a partnership of 99. It was a Test to remember for 22-year-old Ollie Pope who finished 135 not out as well as taking six catches during the match.

Fair play: futsal player refuses to score after opponent goes down injured – video

A moment of sportsmanship from a futsal match in Spain when Cartegena's Solano chooses to put the ball out of play - despite having an open goal. 

After Zaragoza's Javi Alonso goes down injured, the ball is squared to Solano to tap in, but instead he puts ball out of play. The game finished 5-5.

'If something happens I'll be here': McGregor hints at Khabib rematch – video

Football transfer rumours: Agüero and David Silva to Inter Miami?

Today’s fluff is good at construction

The Fiver | Pardew and Powell attempting to bust Den Haag out of the slime

Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Grealish, Saka and Chalobah shine in draws, while Newcastle are ready for reinforcements after a late win

Sports quiz of the week: Conor McGregor, cows, cricket and a crash

Who keeps scoring? Who keeps driving? Who keeps playing?

Conor McGregor is back in action this weekend in Las Vegas. When did he last win a fight (in UFC or boxing)?

2019

2018

2017

2016

JS Saint-Pierroise are playing in the last 32 of the French Cup this weekend. They are an amateur team and have never made it this far in the competition. How far do they have to travel for the game?

0.6 miles

6 miles

600 miles

6,000 miles

Even though they are top of the league in Spain, Barcelona decided to sack their manager this week. They played 69 home games under Ernesto Valverde and only lost one of them. Which manager got the better of him in that game?

David Moyes

Quique Setién

Jürgen Klopp

Unai Emery

Why was a referee given medical attention at the Masters snooker tournament in Alexandra Palace?

He tripped over a rest and sprained his ankle

An angry player punched him and split his lip

He was stung by a wasp

He had an allergic reaction to one of the player’s aftershave

The England cricket team are playing South Africa in Port Elizabeth this week. It is their 500th Test on foreign soil. What percentage of their previous 499 Tests did England win?

15%

30%

45%

60%

Sergio Agüero is now the top scoring foreign player in Premier League history. But he is still below three Englishmen on the all-time goals list: Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and …

Frank Lampard

Andy Cole

Jermain Defoe

Michael Owen

Aston Villa have bid £10m for the Genk striker Mbwana Samatta. If he signs for Villa, Samatta will become the first footballer from which country to play in the Premier League?

Tanzania

Togo

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

When the Dakar Rally was launched in the 1970s, the race started in Paris and ended in Dakar – hence the name. However, the course has gone nowhere near Dakar in recent years. Which country has been hosting the event this week?

Portugal

Saudi Arabia

Canada

Australia

Why was the rally started?

Ford organised the first race to show off the durability of their cars

A motorbike racer got lost in the desert and thought it would make for a great race

Senegal’s tourist board launched the race to showcase their capital city

It was set up to honour a man called Philippides, who was sent from Paris to Dakar in 490BC to announce that a battle had been won.

Fernando Alonso, the former Formula One driver, entered the rally this year. He did fairly well, finishing 13th overall, but he had a tough day on Wednesday. He crashed his car, flipped it twice and had to drive for 532km ...

… without a windscreen

... with his horn beeping every few seconds

… with a broken arm

... with his hazard lights flashing

Complete this sentence: “Yesterday, I was walking around my home town with cows around me and now I’m here …

… at Barcelona managing the best players in the world”

… ready to fight for the world heavyweight title”

… playing at the Australian Open”

… winning the Masters at Ally Pally”

1 and above.

Ah well. You tried. Have a great weekend

2 and above.

Ah well. You tried. Have a great weekend

3 and above.

Ah well. You tried. Have a great weekend

4 and above.

That's a respectable score. Have a great weekend

5 and above.

That's a good score. Have a great weekend

6 and above.

That's a good score. Have a great weekend

7 and above.

That's a fine score. Have a great weekend

8 and above.

That's a great score. Have a great weekend

9 and above.

That's a great score. You (nearly) know it all. Have a great weekend

10 and above.

That's a great score. You (nearly) know it all. Have a great weekend

11 and above.

That's a great score. You know it all. Have a great weekend

0 and above.

Ah well. You tried. Have a great weekend

12 and above.

Goalscoring NHL goalies, village cricket and handball magic | Classic YouTube

This week’s roundup also features steeplechase drama and an astronaut being brought back down to Earth with a bump

Quique Setién at Barça, Mata's magic and Love Island – Football Weekly Extra

Which footballers have suffered injuries playing other sports? | The Knowledge

Plus: top-flight careers over four decades, more big non-league gates and Garth Crooks presenting a politics show on BBC2

David Squires on … everything kicking off at Sandringham FC

Our cartoonist checks in on the deal involving wantaway big names in the January window

‘This is my adrenaline fix’: Jamie Chadwick, F1’s first female hope in 43 years

No woman has raced in a Formula 1 grand prix since the 1970s. Does the 21-year-old Williams driver have the talent and ambition to change all that?

Being born second is the best way to guarantee finishing first | Tim Lewis

Top-level athletes are, by definition, unusual but the very best will have an unlikely advantage over their siblings

Winners come second. Or third, even fourth. Just usually not first. I’m talking about birth order: where you fit into the run of your siblings. That’s the takeaway from Mind Games, a new book by Annie Vernon, best known at the Guardian and Observer for a short work placement she did here in 2015, though in the wider world she perhaps has greater fame as a world champion rower who won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics.

Mind Games sets out to unpick what it is about top‑level athletes that makes them different. For Vernon it’s mostly mental. “You have to be unbelievably, ruthlessly, exceptionally driven,” she writes. It’s the difference between chickens, which is to say most of us, and pigs, who are rare sorts like Vernon. “Think about a plate of bacon and eggs,” she continues, “as the saying goes, the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed.”

Delusions, chaos and a shot at a new life at Q-School, darts’ dream factory | Jonathan Liew

At a Wigan leisure centre hundreds of hopefuls, from ex-pros to chancers, face a gruelling race to claim a place on the PDC tour

The little girl in the blue leotard grips her mother’s hand tightly, but her gaze is elsewhere. She is spellbound, perhaps even a little baffled, by the tableau she has just glimpsed on her way to gymnastics practice at the Robin Park Leisure Centre in Wigan. There, the large space she usually knows as the tennis hall is instead occupied by several hundred people, most of them middle-aged men in loud shirts, very few of them – if we’re being blunt – the usual leisure centre clientele. There’s a Body Combat class taking place in the sports hall and a sprint session going on in the cycle studio. But here, for this week only, the dream factory is in town.

From the moment the doors opened at 8am, the queue quickly stretched out into the car park. They have come from all parts: former champions and pub chancers, future icons and fallen idols, county stalwarts and armchair aspirants, in pursuit of a better life. Win one of the Professional Darts Corporation’s coveted tour cards and a lucrative new career awaits. But to do so, they’ll need to see off 500 rivals in the ruthless four-day marathon of Q-School.

Will Klopp’s team become the GLOAT (Greatest Liverpool Of All Time)? | Jonathan Wilson

Since Shankly, via Paisley, Dalglish and Benítez, Liverpool have had several outstanding sides. But how do they measure up?

Statistically, this is likely to be Liverpool’s greatest league season, which for a club with 18 championships is no small achievement. The only season that could conceivably beat this one came last year, when they did not win the title – a reminder that statistics must always be considered in context. Greatness lies not only in numbers.