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Bundee Aki has not travelled with the Ireland squad for their Six Nations training camp in Portugal, with the Connacht centre the subject of a misconduct complaint after his side’s defeat by Leinster on Saturday.

The 35-year-old, a World Rugby player of the year nominee in 2023, is “alleged to have engaged with the match official team on several occasions in a manner which may be deemed to be in breach of the league’s disciplinary rules” during the United Rugby Championship (URC) loss.

He will face an independent disciplinary committee on Wednesday.

Andy Farrell’s side take on France in Paris on 5 February to begin the Six Nations and Aki has been replaced in the squad by Ulster’s uncapped centre Jude Postlethwaite.

An Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) statement said: “The IRFU does not tolerate any form of disrespect shown towards match officials and does not condone actions that fall below the standards expected of players representing Irish rugby.”

“The IRFU are investigating the matter further internally and no additional comment will be made at this time.”

Ireland have already lost two players from the 37-man squad named by Farrell last week.

Prop Jack Boyle was injured playing for Leinster against Connacht, while Munster flanker Tom Ahern has also pulled out.

They were replaced in the squad by Connacht’s uncapped loose-head Billy Bohan and Ulster forward Cormac Izuchukwu respectively.

West Ham midfielder James Ward-Prowse is expected to undergo a medical with Burnley on Wednesday as he closes in on a loan move.

Ward-Prowse, 31, joined the Hammers from Southampton in August 2023 and has made 78 appearances.

The England international was loaned to Nottingham Forest for the 2024-25 season and played 10 times under then manager Nuno Espirito Santo, but the deal was cut short during the winter transfer window.

He was a regular under former West Ham manager Graham Potter and made six appearances this season before Potter was sacked in September.

Ward-Prowse has not played a single minute of football since Nuno was brought in at West Ham.

Burnley sit 19th in the Premier League and are 10 points from safety following Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham. The 18th-placed Hammers are five points above the Clarets.

Burnley manager Scott Parker brought in 18-year-old defender Cameron Scott from Rangers earlier this month but is looking to add experience with Ward-Prowse.

Ward-Prowse came through Southampton’s academy and made 410 appearances before leaving for West Ham.

Britain will also have two representatives in the semi-finals of the men’s doubles event.

Sixth seeds Neal Skupski and American Christian Harrison won 6-2 6-3 against Czech pair Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl.

Luke Johnson and Polish partner Jan Zielinski were 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 winners over fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo, of El Salvador, and Croatia’s Mate Pavic.

Skupski and Harrison will play third seeds Marcel Granollers of Spain and Argentina Horacio Zeballos for a final place, with Johnson and Zielinski taking on Australian wildcards Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans in the other half of the draw.

Andy Lapthorne and Gregory Slade were beaten in their respective quad singles first-round matches.

Lapthorne lost 6-4 7-5 to Turkish fourth seed Ahmet Kaplan, while Slade was beaten 6-1 6-3 by Brazilian qualifier Leandro Pena.

However, Lapthorne progressed to the quad doubles semi-finals alongside Australian Heath Davidson, achieving a 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 win against Chile’s Francisco Cayulef and Argentine Gonzalo Enrique Lazarte.

On Monday, the New York Knicks’ Guerschon Yabusele, who also hails from France, made a strong statement on X calling for the US government to “stop operating this way”, external.

Wembanyama, 22, praised his countryman for speaking out but said Yabusele’s words “might have some price right now”, adding that “each and every one of us has to decide the price we’re willing to pay”.

When asked whether he feared repercussions for speaking on the topic, Wembanyama said “for sure”.

“I read the news and sometimes I’m asking very deep questions about my own life,” he said.

“But I’m conscious also that saying everything that’s on my mind would have a cost that’s too great for me right now. So, I’d rather not get into too many details.

“I know I’m a foreigner. I live in this country, and I have concerns for sure. I think there’s enough details there for now. If privately, we can discuss it maybe later, but not right now.”

Moeen announced he would be leaving domestic cricket behind after featuring for Birmingham Bears last summer.

He ended his international career the previous year after playing 68 Tests, 138 ODIs and 92 T20 internationals, and featuring in three Ashes series.

Following England’s recent 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia, the team’s culture again made headlines, with the England and Wales Cricket Board pledging to investigate reports of players drinking excessively.

A devout Muslim, Moeen does not drink alcohol. From a sporting perspective, he says drinking a day or two before a match will have an impact on a player’s performance.

“I think when you’re at the elite level things have to be proper and if you’re trying to perform at the highest level then drinking is a bigger issue,” Moeen said.

“I think there should be something in place… I know it happens in football, guys hardly drink before the game, I think it will be the same in cricket within four or five years.”

Moeen, who won two IPL titles with Chennai Super Kings and captained Worcestershire to their first Blast triumph in 2018, also skippered Birmingham Phoenix to the final of the inaugural Hundred tournament.

He knows his latest move might surprise some people.

“There might be some fans disappointed at signing a 38-year-old, but I’m there to do a job and hopefully win silverware,” he said.

“And to play at Headingley, which is such an iconic ground, is one of the main reasons I signed for Yorkshire. I know this might be the last two or three years of my career and I want to win as much as I can.”

The move will also see Moeen team up with England’s white-ball captain Harry Brook, the Yorkshire batsman who has been making headlines on and off the pitch.

Brook was punched by a nightclub bouncer in an altercation during England’s tour of New Zealand before the Ashes. The incident and a fine imposed on Brook only came to light more than two months after the event.

More positively, Brook hit a rapid century for England on Tuesday in their victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo to secure a 2-1 ODI series win.

“I think he has done a good job. On and off the field is something everybody goes through, the greatest players have been through it, it’s how you learn and how you come back from it,” Moeen said.

“Mistakes can happen, it was just highlighted a lot more because we lost the Ashes. I think he will be fine, and I think he’ll learn a lot.”

Moeen will join his new side in May before their first T20 match against Nottinghamshire, and there is an option to extend his contract for 2027.

Yorkshire, who have never won the T20 Blast, have also signed Afghanistan’s Naveen Ul-Haq and Australian fast bowler AJ Tye and Netherlands all-rounder Logan van Beek for the forthcoming campaign.

Moeen said of his future: “I have got one eye on what I want to do after cricket. I want to go straight into coaching.

“While I’m at Yorkshire I want to help as much as I can and if that means doing an academy session I’ll be more than happy to help and pass on my knowledge of the game.”

It’s time to see which Mission League basketball teams are ready for some March Madness in February.

The tournament is set to begin Thursday after Tuesday’s final results clarified seedings.

The final game of the night was Crespi pulling out a 65-61 win over Loyola when Isaiah Barnes scored while falling down with 15 seconds left for the game-clinching basket. Despite the loss, Loyola claimed fourth place in the seedings while finishing in a three-way tie for fourth with Crespi and St. Francis.

The Cubs, though, are 14-14 and will need a win Saturday against the winner of Thursday’s Bishop Alemany (No. 8) vs. St. Francis (No. 5) game to keep alive their Southern Section playoff hopes. You need a .500 or better record to be considered for an at-large berth.

The other Thursday game has No. 7 Chaminade at No. 6 Crespi. That winner will play at Harvard-Westlake on Saturday.

Crespi was led by 6-foot-9 Rodney Mukendi, who scored 17 points. Deuce Newt had 15 points for Loyola.

Harvard-Westlake 90, St. Francis 56: Joe Sterling got back his shooting touch, making seven threes and finishing with 27 points. Amir Jones added 17 points for Harvard-Westlake. St. Francis did not play center Cherif Millogo.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 81, Bishop Alemany 48: The Knights claimed second place in the Mission League and an automatic spot for the Southern Section playoffs. Zach White had 26 points and 10 rebounds. Notre Dame played without NaVorro Bowman.

Sierra Canyon 79, Chaminade 28: Brandon McCoy had 18 points and Maxi Adams added 17 points for the Mission League regular-season champions.

Crean Lutheran 76, La Habra 67: The Saints took over first place in the Crestview League.

Mira Costa 53, Peninsula 41: Logan Dugdale has 17 points and 10 rebounds for Mira Costa (23-4).

Chelsea have urged fans travelling to Naples for Wednesday’s Champions League game to “exercise extreme caution” after two supporters needed hospital treatment.

The Italian city has a long history of cases of away supporters being targeted by Napoli ultras.

“The club is aware of an incident that took place on Tuesday evening in Naples,” a Chelsea statement said.

“Two fans are being treated in hospital, having sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The club would like to remind all supporters to exercise extreme caution whilst in the city and take note of the advice shared ahead of this fixture.”

Fans on social media claimed Chelsea supporters had been stabbed, but there has been no official confirmation of how the injuries were caused.

Around 2,500 Chelsea supporters have tickets for the game, with fans urged to meet at designated areas so they can travel to the ground by shuttle bus under police escort.

In travel advice that was issued to fans earlier this month, Chelsea said: “During Uefa competition matches, attacks on away fans have sometimes occurred in Naples.”

Supporters have been urged not to walk around the city and to avoid wearing club colours or emblems that identify them as Chelsea fans.

Liam Rosenior’s side need a win against Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to go directly into the last-16 stage of the Champions League.

Their hosts – Serie A champions last season – are seeking a win to stay in the competition.

Iga Swiatek’s bid to complete the career Grand Slam at this year’s Australian Open was ended by Kazakh fifth seed Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Swiatek lost 7-5 6-1 as Rybakina used her power to devastating effect.

Swiatek, 24, can already be ranked among the greats, having won six major titles across all three different surfaces.

Mastering the Wimbledon grass last year – a surface considered her weakest – opened the door to attempting in Melbourne to become only the sixth woman in the Open era to win all four Grand Slam events.

Before the tournament, Swiatek acknowledged the achievement would be a “dream come true” but insisted she was blocking out the outside noise about what was at stake.

On the evidence of what she had showed over the opening four rounds, it never truly felt that she would complete the clean sweep this year.

Swiatek’s service game had not been solid, while the quicker courts at Melbourne Park have historically led to problems against aggressive opponents.

That always promised to be a bad combination against 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina, who ruthlessly took advantage in Wednesday’s contest.

Rybakina, 26, could not find rhythm with her serve in a first set which started with the pair exchanging breaks.

A low first-serve percentage of 41% was uncharacteristic, but she had enough pace and aggression in her groundstrokes to rush Swiatek.

That was demonstrated in the crucial 12th game. Rybakina fought back from 0-30 with deep returning – drawing loose sprays from Swiatek – and explosive winners to take the opener.

Momentum stayed with Rybakina as she immediately took control of the second set.

In perfect 22C sunny conditions following Tuesday’s heatwave, her groundstrokes continued to fly through the court and Swiatek was unable to solve the problem facing her.

Just like his famously inventive offenses, Mike McDaniel had many options.

He interviewed for several head coaching jobs after his four-year tenure in charge of the Miami Dolphins ended this month, and he could have been an offensive coordinator pretty much anywhere he pleased.

McDaniel still wants to be a head coach again someday, but he chose to join the Chargers alongside Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert because the combination of time, place and personnel seemed perfect for this idiosyncratic coach who also happens to be one of the top offensive minds in football.

“It didn’t take long for me to feel this is what I was looking for,” the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator said Tuesday. “You just want to be a part of a hungry organization with like-minded football people that are doing anything and everything to win. And for me, the opportunity to work with coach Harbaugh was too good to pass up. It felt like I was extremely fortunate to be afforded this opportunity.”

Harbaugh and the Chargers seem equally fortunate to land McDaniel, an ideal candidate for the crucial job of directing Herbert’s career into something worthy of his prodigious talent.

In his introductory news conference, McDaniel immediately went into great detail about what he wants to do for Herbert, who has thrown for 24,820 yards and 163 touchdowns while emerging as one of the NFL’s top passers in his six seasons with the Chargers.

“You have a competitive player that each and every year is trying to get better at his craft, (but) I think he hasn’t neared the ceiling to what he’s capable of,” McDaniel said.

Herbert has consistently shined despite playing with three permanent head coaches, four offensive coordinators and a changing collection of playmakers and linemen around him.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert scrambles against the New England Patriots in the AFC wild-card playoffs on Jan. 11.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Despite playing in some offensive schemes perceived to be relatively primitive by modern NFL standards, particularly in the past two years under Harbaugh and fired coordinator Greg Roman, Herbert has frequently carried the Chargers through his improvisation, arm strength and sheer competitive will.

Essentially, McDaniel doesn’t want Herbert to have to work so hard.

“There’s a lot of incredible plays Justin has made,” McDaniel said. “He’s firmly capable, and sometimes as a coach you can rely upon that a little too much. … It can be taxing over time for a player to necessitate an incredible play too often, so you try to take it off of him by creating some low-cost, high-reward offense that he’s firmly capable of doing, but maybe a player of lesser talent would be capable of doing as well.”

McDaniel said the Dolphins’ struggles when Tua Tagovailoa was out with injuries reinforced his determination to keep Herbert safer. The Chargers quarterback took 96 sacks in the past two seasons.

“He has an incredible ability to do off-schedule (throws),” McDaniel said. “I think I’ll be firmly coaching away from the off-schedule stuff at the front end, because he can always go back to that comfort zone as you work out other things. I think a primary focus on how to have offense without putting him in a vulnerable position will be a starting point, and we’ll extrapolate from there.”

McDaniel and Herbert spoke last week, and the quarterback is ready to work.

“He was in high spirits and just excited about attacking something,” McDaniel said. “You lose in the playoffs in the first round, it’s a lot of work that you feel kind of like (left you with) an empty stomach. So that hunger, I could hear in his voice.”

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh attends Mike McDaniel’s introductory news conference on Tuesday.

(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

McDaniel is joining a good team that needed a spark after consecutive 11-6 seasons followed by two playoff losses under Harbaugh. The Chargers have needed that spark to join the NFL’s upper echelon ever since they moved north from San Diego, posting six winning records over nine years with just one postseason victory.

McDaniel could be the ingredient to put the Chargers into championship contention if this partnership with Harbaugh flourishes. The 42-year-old coordinator hit it off immediately with his famously square-looking new boss.

“I feel like we’re the same guy,” McDaniel said while Harbaugh laughed at the back of the room. “He’s just taller. No, I think one thing we share is that Jim has never patterned himself after somebody. He’s his own person, and I would say that hopefully I would be described in a similar fashion. Who knows? I might be a 100% Dockers coach now.”

The fashion-forward McDaniel’s line was even funnier because he delivered it while wearing what appeared to be a $12,000 Bottega Veneta woven leather jacket.

The chance to learn from Harbaugh was important in his decision, but McDaniel also paid his respect to past Chargers coaches Sid Gillman and Don Coryell, two offensive innovators who changed football forever.

“There was a lot that I found very attractive,” McDaniel said. “I was fortunate to have some opportunities, but it started with coach Harbaugh. To be a part of an organization that has the legacy of Sid and Air Coryell, I was super attracted to. Got a quarterback who I’ve always admired, and just a lot of young players. A great situation for my family and me to go to the next chapter.”

Beacham writes for the Associated Press.

The battle to pin down places in the top eight could be enthralling, given how tightly packed the standings are.

Let’s start with the easy bit. For Real Madrid and Liverpool, both on 15 points, and Tottenham, on 14, a victory on matchday eight would secure direct entry into the last 16.

Spurs face eliminated Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, where the north London outfit won last year on the way to a Europa League triumph that secured them Champions League football this season.

Arne Slot’s Liverpool side are at home to Qarabag, who have a slim chance of still making the top eight.

“It’s all down to us again. Let’s make sure we’re in the top eight,” said Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk after last week’s win in Marseille.

“It’s very important as you miss the play-offs, and it helps with the intense programme that we’re having. We’ve put ourselves in a good position.”

Real Madrid are away to their former manager Jose Mourinho’s Benfica.

Mourinho reached three Champions League semi-finals in a row with Real before leaving in 2013, but Benfica – with only two wins in their first seven games – will need to beat Real to have a chance of sneaking into the play-offs.

Behind Spurs come the group of eight teams, starting with holders Paris St-Germain in sixth down to Atalanta in 13th, on 13 points.

Newcastle, Chelsea and Manchester City are all in that group and looking for a priceless win – and even then knowing their fate could come down to goal difference.

Chelsea are also up against a familiar face in their former head coach Antonio Conte, who won Serie A with Napoli last season.

Conte welcomes the Blues to Naples with his side sitting outside the play-off spots on goal difference and needing a positive result.

Fiery-tempered and fierce-tongued Jose Mourinho softens his tone as former club Real Madrid face crunch game in Benfica.

Benfica coach Jose Mourinho said his Real Madrid counterpart, Alvaro Arbeloa, was like a child to him, in the run-up to their Champions League meeting in the final round of league phase matches.

The veteran Portuguese manager, known for his fiery temper and fierce tongue, coached Arbeloa at Madrid during his time at the helm of Los Blancos between 2010-2013, and had a strong relationship with the former defender in a dressing room that was splintering.

After a comment from Mourinho last week about being “surprised” when inexperienced managers lead big European clubs was viewed as a dig at new Madrid coach Arbeloa, he said he would never try to make life hard for his former charge.

Former Inter Milan coach Mourinho said in Italy that his words were also being taken as criticism of the appointment of Cristian Chivu at the Serie A side last year.

“There is one problem – both Chivu and Arbeloa are my children, they are not just ex-players of mine, but they are special,” Mourinho told a news conference on Tuesday.

“Speaking about Alvaro, I would say that he is one of the players – from a human point of view, from a personal point of view, and personal empathy – he is one of my favourites of them all.

“Obviously, he is not the best player who has played for Real Madrid, but he is certainly one of the best men who has played for me at Real Madrid.”

Mourinho said he was surprised when he himself was offered the chance to lead Benfica at the beginning of his coaching career in 2000, so his words could not be taken as an insult.

“The last thing I would do would be to put pressure on him,” explained the 63-year-old. “I want everything to go well for him, and for him to have a fantastic career as a coach.”

Mourinho said he had not spoken to Arbeloa since the 43-year-old replaced Xabi Alonso at the helm, but that there was no need to.

“My telephone number is very complicated, because there’s only the club’s number, and after that, only my family has it, and then my other phone is always changing, changing, changing,” explained Mourinho.

“People lose my contact, and I lose theirs too, and with Alvaro, it’s not necessary to have a call to say ‘good luck’, he knows it.

“In the same way that I [want Real Madrid to win games], Alvaro wants to beat Benfica, but then after that, he hopes Benfica always win, that’s for sure — no call is necessary.”

Mourinho admitted he could not speak for Arbeloa’s quality as a coach yet because he had not watched Madrid’s reserves or youth teams play.

“I cannot analyse him as a coach because I do not know him,” said Mourinho.

“I’ve only seen results, not followed with my own eyes the trajectory of the youngsters at Madrid.

“I have no advice to give him. The only thing that is important for me is that he is happy, that he likes it, because coaching these days is a very difficult mission.”

Madrid will seal their spot in the last 16 with a victory, while Benfica need to win and hope other results go their way to reach the playoff round.

Entering a particularly consequential season for coach Lincoln Riley at USC, a brutal Big Ten slate won’t cut the Trojans or their coach any slack in 2026.

That much was clear long before the Big Ten officially released its schedule for next season Tuesday. USC already knew it would face the conference’s top three teams from a season ago (Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon). But the official unveiling of the slate would further solidify just how grueling the climb could be for USC next season.

Oregon will face Portland State, an FCS team, a week before coming to USC on Sept. 26. Ohio State will have a bye week before its Halloween meeting with USC at the Coliseum, and so will the defending champ, Indiana, which USC will face in Bloomington on Nov. 14.

The Trojans will assuredly have to win at least one of those games to maintain their hopes of making the College Football Playoff in Riley’s fifth season. The rest of the schedule is hardly a cakewalk too, with trips to Rutgers (Sept. 19), Penn State (Oct. 10) and Wisconsin (Oct. 24).

The nonconference schedule is still being finalized, after talks broke down between USC and Notre Dame over the future of their rivalry series. But with two byes already baked into the Trojans’ schedule, a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly told The Times that USC plans to schedule its season opener during Week Zero, with a home game on Aug. 29.

That timing drastically cuts down USC’s options for finding a fill-in opponent to open the season against at the Coliseum.

In order to play in Week Zero in its home stadium and not internationally or at a neutral site, USC must secure an exemption from the NCAA. That probably limits the Trojans to a team that faces Hawaii in 2026 — and thus gets an exemption from the NCAA to play an additional game — or means playing a Football Championship Series team, which USC has notably never done.

Starting the season early will allow for USC to add an extra bye week, while most Big Ten schools are working with just one during their 2026 slates. It’ll need that break considering what the latter half of the season holds.

After kicking off in late August, USC opens the season with home games in five of its first six weeks. But after that, the Trojans return home just twice the rest of the season, for matchups against Ohio State on Oct. 31 and Maryland on Nov. 21.