i asked our rugby union correspondent, chrisjones, about how serious the offer is from rugby australiaealistic contingency plans were to play in south africa behind closed doors or with very limited crowds. or to have it appear in the uk and ireland, either to have it behind closed doors or with limited crowds. as we know, australia have been hosting a big sporting events over the course of the covid crisis, and are preparing to welcome 30,000 spectators for the australian open, so they are looking to use this. they have offered to step in and toast the lion series against south africa. it is a fascinating one. there are major obstacles, both logistic and financial. but there are major pros, the fact that it will continue the lion's touring ethos and they can have test matches in front of crowds. before this became an option, that looked very unlikely. the cyclo—cross world championships have been taking place this weekend in belgium. british rider tom pidcock was talking up his chances yesterday, navigating the beaches and mud along the flanders coast. the 21—year—old from leeds won s

let's speak to our rugby union correspondent chris jones, evening.take place in the uk and ireland. but this is quite a novel one? yes. but this is quite a novel one? yes, an extraordinary _ but this is quite a novel one? yes, an extraordinary development. as you say, up _ an extraordinary development. as you say. up until— an extraordinary development. as you say, up until this weekend, we all thought— say, up until this weekend, we all thought the two realistic contingency plans were to play it in south _ contingency plans were to play it in south africa behind closed doors and with very _ south africa behind closed doors and with very limited crowds, or to have it appear— with very limited crowds, or to have it appear in — with very limited crowds, or to have it appear in the uk and ireland, either— it appear in the uk and ireland, either behind closed doors or with limited _ either behind closed doors or with limited crowds. as we know, australia _ limited crowds. as we know, australia have been posting big sporting — australia have been posting

in rugby union, the premiership champions exeter have reported more positive cases this week, but asir top of the table clash against bristol to go ahead at the weekend. tighter covid protocols around match days and in training have been imposed today to try and keep the league going. here's our rugby union reporter sara orchard yes, they have announced new enhanced measures and they might be a bit familiar because it came out a lot on the first time round and all spots going to different tiers in stages to actually get back to returning to play is a somerby familiar their split between certain regulation at the training grounds in certain regulations put in place on match day and so when it comes to the training ground, it's not like they want any meetings but they should think they should all have been virtually and everywhere they go and they're not inside the training ground environment. when it comes to match days, i think one thing that's really stood out for a lot of people is that they will no longer be allowed to have any face—to—face celebration so will be very strange if h

and champions exeter are back to winning ways in rugby union's premiership, but they're pushed closercester. good evening. the government says the european commission recognises it made a mistake threatening to impose controls on the export of coronavirus vaccines from the eu into northern ireland. it was a decision that could have seen checks on its border with the republic of ireland. the move — which was reversed late last night — came amidst a deepening row over vaccines supplies. the first minister of northern ireland accused brussels of an "incredible act of hostility". michael gove insists the uk will work with the eu to address issues — and that the uk's vaccine programme is still on track. our political correspondent nick eardley reports. vaccines are the great hope. a potential way out of the coronavirus crisis. in the uk ministers believe the roll—out is going well and this was the first vaccine in northern ireland last month, but in the eu there is concern about supply. brussels introduced controls on exports but that lead to a furious row over what could happen here at t

onto rugby union and the head of women's performance has told us she has "concerns" about this year'sthe tournament's due to start in less than a month, but with no fixtures announced yet and plans formalised. most of the unions women's sides are not deemed "elite" by their governments and are predominatly made up of amateur players: ido i do have concerns about how well we re i do have concerns about how well were going to be able to get through this period. i am relatively confident about how we're going to be able to deal with it but as you say, there are different challenges and different unions. and while we have more of our sport that is likely to be full—time in there for you through to manage the time, it is harder and the other unions. i think increasingly unions are getting more and more time from the players and not necessarily as far down the road as we are in terms of having that full—time programme. it is present challenges and i think the last couple of weeks that we have some more planning to do with the other unions over the next week to ten days to give us in the pla

to rugby union now and there wasjust one match in the premiership today, after london irish against northamptonand it was a good one as leicester tigers came back from 1a points down, to beat bath at welford road... jim lumsden was watching.. the premiership has been hit hard by covid postponements. leicester's boxing day meeting with newcastle was one. bath were playing for the first time in three weeks after two of their games were called off. it took them just a few minutes to find their feet as leicester allowed... to cross the line. but ben spencer didn't need any help. he cruised through to register try number two. george ford kept leicester in the game providing... the last pass to freddie stuart and they trailed 1716 at the break. the tigers needed to carry the momentum into the second half. they did just that. harry wells added his name to the scoresheet. their lead was eroded by penalties but refreshed with a try from cameron henderson. bath hit back with a late score, but it wasn't enough and they left welford road with a losing bonus point. england's cricketers have arrived in sri l

and a sting in the tail for rugby union champions exeter.ten by last season's premiership finalists wasps. hello and welcome to sportsday. plenty to bring you this saturday evening. we start with the old firm derby in scotland — and could the balance of power be shifting in the scottish premiership? rangers made it three wins in a row this afternoon against rivals celtic. and with that victory, moved 19 points clear at the top of the table. it was an emotional day in glasgow, with tributes paid to fans who lost their lives in the ibrox disaster 50 years ago. our sports news correspondent chris mclaughlin reports. in a city often divided by football, unity in remembrance. in 1971, a crush on a stairway left barriers crumpled, 66 men, women and children dead, and countless families in mourning. today's silence and a since—modernised ibrox could only be observed by players and staff. a new year of hope, yes, but coronavirus still dictates. when play started, it was celtic who set the early pace. there was no way past allan mcgregor, though. but

bristol bears have gone top of rugby union's premiership after a close—fought win over the exeter chiefsof the day, but it was the visitors bristol who took the lead early on in devon. harry randall at the bottom of the pile for their first try. before semi radradra made sure of bristol's win over the defending champions by 20 points to 7. meanwhile, newcastle falcons continued their good run of form with their fifth win of the season. they comfortably saw off struggling gloucester 22—10 at kingston park, george mcguigan burrowing over for their third and final try. australia appear on course to win the third test against india, after a sublime bowling and fielding display on day three at the sydney cricket ground. india were all out for 244. australia closed on 103—2, a lead of 197 runs. nick parrott reports. australia may no longer boast the top—ranked test batsmen, but they do still have the world's number—one bowler. that man is pat cummins and this is why he is the best. he had dismissed one of india's two top scorers yesterday and added the other in today's devastating display, end

there was a thrilling finish to rugby union's premiership clash between london irish and harlequins.s was the man they had to thank — the prop forced over from a line out with two minutes to go. quins had led 17—7 at one stage. london irish go seventh, just a place below their opponents today in the table. australian cricket's governing body has apologised to india — and is investigating claims that visiting players were subjected to racist abuse by spectators during the third test. local police ejected six spectators from the scg, after india's mohammed siraj complained to umpires. drew savage reports. after three days of enthralling cricket, sadly the focus on day four shifted. play was interrupted because of alleged racial abuse from the crowd. india had made a formal complaint on day three after bowlers jasprit bumrah and mohammed siraj said they'd been abused. today they brought it to the umpires‘ attention after more abuse was alleged to have taken place. the officials investigated, play stopped for ten minutes, until six members of the crowd were identified and removed. it is

seen a number of sporting fixtures postponed due coronavirus cases over this festive period — and rugby union'sip was no different. with harlequins against worcester called off — bristol against newcastle was the only game played today. and 2021 started off with a win for the home side, to move them second on the table. patrick gearey watched it. in english rugby right now it really is the taking part that counts. coverts claim to fixtures this weekend the starting is succeeding. newcastle last match was called off. a chance to rest or rest. just have a minute in bears came from fiji via the british army. breck delete that expert behind enemy lines. newcastle responded on his league debut evaded every blocker to score. second against third only for pointing at the break this would surely be tight. and yet subtly nathan hughes found himself alone. and clear. newcastle a re found himself alone. and clear. newcastle are the surprise of the season so newcastle are the surprise of the season so far. then about he set up a rentalfor the points. in this season a rentalfor the points. in this season of

. —— rugby union. pretty briefly with the warriors too. it could've been very different. yes.happens for a reason. i never really fulfil my dream or my potential in the rugby days, but if i knew if i would become a dart player, i'm not too on the issue i would have. and everything happens for a reason. i had another opportunity in a com pletely had another opportunity in a completely different floor. i've achieved a lot over the last past seven years. i am thankful that i have another opportunity and i take an opportunity. from when you step onto the oche for the last few yea rs, onto the oche for the last few years, you onto the oche for the last few yea rs, you start onto the oche for the last few years, you start ruffling a few feathers, the top players in the world, this image, this persona has grown around you. world, this image, this persona has grown around you. you've had it been anita will gary anderson in the past, you beat last night. it got a bit hasty in the semifinals against peter wright. do you see yourself as becoming perhaps of the 80 bill another piece, gett

next to rugby union's premiership where there was a brilliant high scoring game at the rec where waspsbath 52—44. bath led 29—24 at half time, but wasps powered through in the end to get a fifth straight win. tom cruse here with the second of his tries. and tries from faf de clerc here and jono ross helped sale sharks to victory over worcester warriors. it finished 20—13 at the aj bell. and that's all the sport for now. hello. a spell of cold wintry january weather will be gradually easing through the weekend and into next week as things turn a little bit milder. but certainly on friday, we had a lot more snow for some parts of northern england. this was of the picture in cumbria. north wales, as well, had a lot of lying snow. into saturday, still the odd flurry of snow around but most places largely dry, very cold and frosty with some freezing fog as well. look at these temperatures, first thing saturday morning at dawn around —11 degrees or so, could be —15 across some of the sheltered glens of scotland. so, widely subzero, we've got the freezing fog to contend with, particularly acr

glasgow warriors beat edinburgh by 23 points to 22 in rugby union's pro 14. the two sides. and 20—year—old yan bingtao from china has knocked out the defending champion stuart bingham 6—5 to reach the final of snooker�*s masters. yan will face the winner of tonight's semi between john higgins and david gilbert — that's live on bbc two, it's currently one frame all. motor racing driverjamie chadwick has a busy year ahead. not only will she be defending her w series title, she's a development driver with the williams formula one team. chadwick also signed up for a brand new eco—series taking her to a rainforest and a desert amongst other places. alistair durden reports. this is off—road racing with a difference. jamie chadwick at the wheel of analytic suv, the series will see mixed team of men and women are racing at five remote locations across the world that have been affected by climate change. it is incredibl affected by climate change. it 3 incredibly exciting, the environmental impact something our sport is notoriously quite bad at doing so trying to take

the pandemic has also had a major impact on rugby union with the announcement in the last hour that europeanafter french authorities said it was too great a public health risk for their clubs to participate. for more, let's bring in our correspondent chrisjones. there were rumblings about this. now it's confirmed, so what's the immediate impact? hi there. as you say this was a story that has been rumbling for a few days. it was inevitable that this decision would come today. the french government have driven this and have advised their clubs not to play. concerns over rising coronavirus cases especially in light of the new strain in the uk. what it means now is a very good question. the french have moved very quickly. they will play some league matches over the next two weekends that had been scheduled for european action. we have not heard anything yet from the pro14 with the premiership ever that the calls from a leading club figures to bring forward some of their matches to avoid a fixture pilot. a number of clu b avoid a fixture pilot. a number of club directors said why not play some pr

time now for some of the days other sport stories and rugby union's european cup competitions are ins between the french government, the clubs involved and tournament organisers. there are two rounds of champions cup and challenge cup pool games remaining this month. manchester city's continental cup tie against chelsea on wednesday has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak at city. four players tested positive for covid—i9 earlier in the week, with tomorrow's wsl match against west ham already called off. west ham forward sebastien haller, the club's record signing — has joined ajax for a fee ofjust over 20 million pounds. former manager manuel pellegrini paid 45 million for the forward back in 2019. in recent months there's been a growing discussion around dementia and what can be done to protect players sportspeople from it. previous research has shown that ex—footballers are three and a half times more likely to die of dementia than the general population. the former england and west brom strikerjeff astle died from a brain condition in 2002 which doctors say was cau

now, we've seen some significant changes and cancellations in rugby union over the last few days.ons has been postponed until later this year, because of the coronavirus pandemic. at the moment, the men's event is due to start as scheduled, but we know that the french authorities are seeking reassurances over the safety of it. our sports reporterjo currie explains why there has been this call on the women's event. this is very much an announcement you were expecting today. at the six nations would be pushback. many in women's rugby did not have a bit to work towards and the organisers said it should be pushed back to spring maybe early summer which does not give you an idea when it will go ahead. and for players to find out that it ahead. and for players to find out thatitis ahead. and for players to find out that it is being moved is not a great look. essentially this all comes down to safety and it's hard to argue with. of the six teams that take part, on the england are the full—time professional team. there are already and whether full—time professional team. there are already

now to rugby union, and after an enforced break because of the pandemic, the premiership resumed tonightntials. the fijian international semi radradra scoring the pick of their seven tries with this solo effort, which started inside his own half. it's now five successive victories in all competitions for bristol. well, sale are second after a 25—15 victory over leicester. former england winger marland yarde diving over to seal the win at welford road. he beat ding junhui 5—3. trump, who won this title last year, produced some of his best form to reach the last four, where he'll now meet barry hawkins for a place in the final. and that's all for sport for now. hello. it's going to be a cold weekend across the whole of the uk. some of us are in for rain, but there is also sleet and snow in the forecast. at this time, the snow should fall mostly across the hills. now, this is what the morning looks like. in the north of the country, it's actually going to start off clear and very cold. temperatures in the scottish glens could be even as low as —10 celsius. now, across the southern parts of

in rugby union, european club competition has been frozen for the past two weekends, but the premiershipes a much needed win, 21—17 at worcester and gloucester pushed northampton close but could only come away with a losing bonus point. that finished 31—26 to saints ben croucher reports. the waiting was finally over after a rare pause, things are tightly packed and again. having lost their last two, he breaks into the extra grid. he and the ball and under there. in the backs and wings where stuart hogg is best. the move started by him was finished by ian whitten and when devoto broke three to score a third try, it seemed the champions are back in form, but stay so high in the tackle, get brought back to earth. logic suggested play it safe, but when woodburn tried to crawl his way out of trouble, duncan weir was waiting at the deficit was just a four. the chiefs kept a tight for the final half an hour to cling on to the win and climb to second. such heady heights, gloucester can only battery mother right now, picking up where they left much to northampton�*s benefit —— gloucester can only

in rugby union, european club competition has been frozen for the past two weekends, but the premiershipter got themselves a much needed win, 21—17 at worcester and gloucester pushed northampton close but could only come away with a losing bonus point. that finished 31—26 to saints, ben croucher reports. the waiting was finally over after a rare pause, things were tightly packed and again. having lost the latter, the brake seem to do extra good. a gray putting them ahead of worcester and they were under there. stuart hogg was best on the back wing, a move started by him finished by ian whitten and when devoto broke through to score a third try commencing the champions were on third form, but the attacker was brought back to earth. short—handed, logic suggested plate say. when all woodburn tried to call his weight of trouble, junk weir was waiting. the deficit was just four. —— duncan weir. clinging onto the win and climbing to second. gloucester can only dream of these heights now, picking up where they left off, much to northampton�*s benefit. but a returning heinz means... gloucester a

let's bring in sarah orchard, a rugby union reporter.today? i about, the made headlights there toda ? , , about, the made headlights there toda? , ., about, the made headlights there toda ? , ., ., today? i suppose the one thing that whales fans — today? i suppose the one thing that whales fans will _ today? i suppose the one thing that whales fans will be _ today? i suppose the one thing that whales fans will be most _ today? i suppose the one thing that whales fans will be most interested | whales fans will be most interested in from their point of view was we heard from their captain, who's had this knee injury that's kept him out from playing, he had the injury and the start of december when they were playing against italy in the automations cup. he said he's nearly back to full fitness but no confirmation if you will be ready for that first fixture against ireland. but perhaps away from ireland, was interesting as organisers say they're still a bit of detail that needs to be ironed out with the french government when it comes to pla

bristol bears have gone to the top of rugby union's premiership, thanks to a brilliant win over defending park — semi radradra with the decisive second try, as they won by 20—7. that's back to back defeats for european champions exeter, who drop to third in the table. they're behind newcastle falcons, who comfortably saw off bottom side gloucester 22—10 — george mcguigan burrowing over for their third and final try. liam williams could miss wales' opening game of the six nations after he was sent off in scarlets' proili defeat by cardiff blues. he was shown a straight red for his dangerous entry into a ruck. cardiff overcame some spirited resistance, tomos williams' try and two jarrod evans penalties securing a 29—20 victory. six spectators were removed from the sydney cricket ground on day four of the third test, after india's mohammed siraj complained to the umpires about comments from the crowd. play was held up for about 10 minutes. cricket australia were already investigating claims of racist abuse on the previous day. australia are closing in on victory. they declared on 312—6 after

their first league defeat of the season losing 3a points to five, while gloucester are bottom of rugby union'sinute. ben croucher reports. with the dawn to 2021, a refreshing twist to a familiar tale where last year exeter barged past all before them, including wasps. you typically had to look really hard for weaknesses in their game. keep looking and wasps found one. james gaskell was hidden at the bottom of that bundle but even in plain sight, the reigning champions still couldn't stop him. a job well done with three more tries following to inflict exeter‘s first defeat of the season on them, but not enough to knock them from top spot. at the other end, gloucester‘s hopes of climbing off the bottom looked promising for 77 minutes. in the 78th, sale'sjosh beaumont, back after 1a months out, put paid to that. from ten points down, it was quite the comeback and a frustrating finish for gloucester. billy twelvetrees took it out on the water carrier, achieving very little bar a yellow card and some running repairs to the advertising hoardings, merely leaving gloucester starting the new year rock

to rugby union and with all european pool matches postponed, the only game to be played in the uk todayrgh 23—22, as adam wild reports. they called this the oldest intercity rugby match in the world. since 1872, glasgow have been taking on edinburgh, but whilst age and tradition still count for plenty, youth also has its place, this was a young ross thompson putting glasgow in front, the penalties were all either side had to show until shortly before the break, jamie farndale giving edinburgh the lead. it took until the second half for glasgow to wrestle back control, george turner powering over. even without the fans it is clear this is a match that matters and back came edinburgh, storming through for christine to reduce the gap with a stunning try. —— chris dean. there won't be many finishes as dramatic as what followed, as eroni sau brought edinburgh to within a single point, so a kick, then, to win it... but a miss, point, so a kick, then, to win it... buta miss, and it is point, so a kick, then, to win it... but a miss, and it is glasgow's night in this oldest of royal rulers. ——

there was a real shock in rugby union's premiership, with reigning champions exeter chiefs beaten fort was a heavy defeat too — wasps winning by 3a points to five, as exeter paid the price for resting six of their international players. lima sopoaga there with the pick of the tries — he also kicked nine points. sale ended their run of three straight defeats by beating bottom of the table gloucester 22 points to 19. they trailed for much of the match at kingsholm until the 78th minute whenjosh beaumont scored their only try of the match. edinburgh narrowly got the better of glasgow warriors in their pro 14 game at murrayfield, to take the 1872 cup. it was a really tight match and it was scoreless for over an hour, before jaco van der walt got edinburgh's first points on the board. a few minutes later they extended their lead, when magnus bradbury crossed the line. glasgow got a late try but edinburgh held on. there's more on all yesterday's games on the bbc sport website. british boxer luke campbell said he was "heartbroken" after his hopes of another world title shot suffered a severe

onto rugby union and the head of women's performance at the rfu has told bbc sport she's worried aboutth no fixtures announced yet. most of the women's sides are not deemed "elite" by their governments and are predominatly made up of amateur players. i do have concerns about how well we're going to be able to get through this period. i am relatively confident about how we're going to be able to deal with it but as you say, there are different challenges and different unions. and whilst we have more of our sport that is likely to be full—time and therefore it's easier to manage the time, it is harder in the other unions. the england women's cricket team are going to tour pakistan for the first time they'll play two twenty20 matches and one—day series in october and they will be there alongside the men's team. clare connor, who's in charge of women's cricket at the ecb says it's an important step in their history. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website and app — including a victory for heather watson over fellow britonjodie burridge in the first round of the abu

there are a couple of games in rugby union's premiership this afternoon.arlequins — that one is on bbc radio 5 live sports extra right now. you can follow both games via the bbc sport website and app. i will be with you a little later with another update. thousands of people have been asked to self—isolate in guernsey, after a steep rise in coronavirus infections. there have been 44 cases in the past 24 hours — some of them linked to a dance festival last week. anyone who attended the event has been told to self—isolate. the island has recorded 186 infections in the past week, up from just eight. dr nicola brink is the director of public health for guernsey and alderney. shejoins me now. why on earth with a dance festival be held at a time when we note there are variants that are particularly infectious and parts of the uk are infectious and parts of the uk are in lockdown? i infectious and parts of the uk are in lockdown?— infectious and parts of the uk are in lockdown? i think it is important to contextualise _ in lockdown? i think it is important to con

next to rugby union's premiership where there was a brilliant high scoring game at the rec where waspsf time, but wasps powered through in the end to get a fifth straight win. tom cruse here with the second of his tries. and tries from faf de clerc here and jono ross helped sale sharks to victory over worcester warriors. it finished 20—13 at the aj bell. and that's all the sport for now. hello. a spell of cold wintry january weather will be gradually easing through the weekend and into next week as things turn a little bit milder. but certainly on friday, we had a lot more snow for some parts of northern england. this was of the picture in cumbria. north wales, as well, had a lot of lying snow. into saturday, still the odd flurry of snow around but most places largely dry, very cold and frosty with some freezing fog as well. look at these temperatures, first thing saturday morning at dawn around —11 degrees or so, could be —15 across some of the sheltered glens of scotland. so, widely subzero, we've got the freezing fog to contend with, particularly across parts of the midlands, centra

rugby union's european cup competitions are in doubt as the french governement considers pulling itses. the new strain of covid—i9 infections has led to urgent talks among the french government, the french clubs involved and the tournament organisers, who hope revised protocols will allay any fears they have. there are two rounds of champions cup and challenge cup pool games remaining this month. australia's steve smith has scored a long awaited test century on the second day of the third test against india. he hit 131 at the sydney cricket ground, his first test century since the ashes series in england back in september 2019. there was a big score, too, for marnus labushane, who got 91, as australia finished their first innings on 338. india are 96—2 in reply. i read a lot of things, as i think i have said numerous times, and many people said i was out of form. it was nice to, i guess, come back into form, if that is what you want to call it. it was only about three or four weeks ago i think i scored two of 300. it kind of makes me laugh sometimes when people say that kind of thing

there are a couple of games in rugby union's premiership this afternoon too.asps against harlequins later — that one is on bbc radio 5 live sports extra. and you can follow both games via the bbc sport website and app. thank you very much. some environmental groups are calling on the government to review the hs2 rail project in the light of the pandemic. the high speed line was signed off by borisjohnson almost a year ago, before travel ground to a halt as covid hit the uk. construction is under way and the first phase between london and birmingham is due to open between 2029 and 2033. let's talk to baronessjennyjones, the only green party member of the house of lords. she is at euston station in central london where activists have been camped out in protest of hs2 for many months. thank you forjoining us, baroness. thank you forjoining us, baroness. thank you, by the way there are two members of the house and we are making a bit of difference.- making a bit of difference. thanks for that, is — making a bit of difference. thanks for that, is the _ making a bit

now to rugby union, and after an enforced break because of the pandemic, the premiership resumed tonightl competitions for bristol. well, sale are second after a 25—15 victory over leicester. former england winger marland yarde diving over to seal the win at welford road. and the world number one snooker player, judd trump, is through to the semi—finals of the german masters. he beat ding junhui 5—3. trump, who won this title last year, produced some of his best form to reach the last four, where he'll now meet barry hawkins for a place in the final. and that's all the sport for now. hello. we're in for a cold weekend. there is some sunshine in the forecast but also more rain, sleet and snow. now, this time, the sleet and the snow should mostly fall across the hills. and at the moment, there's a battle between cold air coming in from the north and the milder air trying to spread in from the south. and this is also where we have a weather front, and that weather front will bring the rain, sleet and the snow on saturday. in fact, we've got a couple of weather fronts heading our way. this i

glasgow survived a late fightback tojust edge out edinburgh in rugby union's pro ia.er put glasgow in control, but edinburgh hit back and could have won it, but jaco van der walt�*s missed conversion preserved the glasgow's one—point lead and moved them off the bottom of their conference. history will made at the masters snooker today. we'll either have the oldest ever winner injohn higgins or the youngest winner for more than 25 years in yan bingtao. two—time champion higgins — who knocked ronnie 0'sullivan out in the quarter finals and first made a masters final back in 1995 — saw off david gilbert last night and described his 20—year—old chinese opponent today as an old head on young shoulders. you might be aware of sir ben ainslie's attempts to qualify for the america's cup in march — his british team are competing in the challenger series for the right to face the holders team new zealand for the main prize.. they're competing against two other teams, one of those american magic, who got into some difficulties in one of tehir races as their boat tipped over. fort

said clubs should not play in the competitions this month because of the public health risk. 0ur rugby unionenglish elite men's rugby there will bea english elite men's rugby there will be a two week break. there was support for bringing some premiership matches forward to fill the void left by europe and get a couple of rounds of premiership matches out of the way, to give breathing space on the calendar later also have more premiership games where the internationals were available, because the 6—nation start in february six so for the best pa rt start in february six so for the best part of two months the internationals will not be playing clu b internationals will not be playing club rugby, but for some reason the clu bs club rugby, but for some reason the clubs not agree on the change answer without europe there will be a two week break. as for the six nations, is that under threat with the decision of the government? french the french have tried to allay fears, they are confident the six nations can go ahead as planned on the 6th of february, and perhaps because international teams can

oli hoskins helped rescue a dramatic draw for london irish against harlequins in rugby union's premiership irish were back in action after missing three weeks due to a covid—19 outbreak. cricket australia have promised to "act strongly" against any spectators found to have racially abused visiting india players during the third test in sydney. they're investigating after mohammed siraj‘s complaint led to the ejection of six fans from the sydney cricket ground. on the pitch, india salvaged an unlikely draw. they needed to bat out the final day, going in 308 runs behind — and they managed it, thanks to some missed opportunities — australia captain tim paine dropping three catches as well as hanuma vihari and ravi ashwin staying at the crease for nearly four hours. this thrilling series now goes to a decider in brisbane. trump national golf club in bedminster has been stripped of the us pga championship in 2022, as organisers felt using the course would be "detrimental". the new jersey club is owned by current united states president donald trump — and the pga of america said their reputation

there was just one match in rugby union's premiership after london irish against northampton saints wascored three tries after bath had gone 1a—0 up with harry wells' second half effort putting them into a lead they never relinquished. they're now seventh in the table. bath are ninth. there are four englishmen in big bash action right now as alex hales, lewis gregory, sam billings and joe denly are playing in the game involving brisbane heat and sydney thunder. you can listen to that on 5 live sports extra. already today, the world's best t20 batsman, dawid malan, was powerless to prevent hobart hurricanes losing to melbourne stars. he made 26 as the hurricanes fell 11 short of their target of 18a. and finally — bad fog forced oldham's match against forest green to be cancelled at the weekend. they didn't have to contend with the storms of portugal luckily. quite how the match between santa clara and benfica started — we're not quite sure. after five minutes of splashing around in the puddles, and the rain showing no sign of stopping — the referee eventually saw sense and called the gam

rugby union's english premiership has been disrupted throughout by covid—19, and two more games are offinute of the match and they never lost their lead, winning by 29—17, to leapfrog their opponents and move up to second in the table. japan's prime minister insists the delayed 2020 tokyo olympics and paralympics will go ahead this summer despite concern over a major surge in coronavirus cases. there have been over 1,000 daily infections in the city for the first time, but yoshihide suga said the games will be held this summer and be "safe and secure." the olympics are due to begin on 23rd july, with the paralympics a month later. dave ‘chizzy‘ chisnall has reached the semi—finals of the world darts championship for the first time, and he got there with a stunning victory over the world number one michael van gerwen. chisnall had never managed to beat him in 27 attempts before this, but he thrashed him 5—0 at alexandra palace, to earn a meeting with another former champion gary anderson. a single—handed round the world yacht race, can be a lonely business — but maxime sorel had a pleasa

bristol bears have gone to the top of rugby union's premiership, thanks to a brilliant win over defendingr european champions exeter, who drop to third in the table. and that is behind newcastle falcons, who comfortably saw off bottom side gloucester 22—10. george mcguigan burrowing over for their third and final try. liam williams could miss wales' opening game of the six nations after he was sent off in scarlets' pr014 defeat by cardiff blues. he was shown a straight red for his dangerous entry into a ruck. cardiff overcame some spirited resistance, tomos williams' try and two jarrod evans penalties securing a 29—20 victory. the masters snooker gets underway today in milton keynes — but the world number one will not be there. judd trump has tested positive for covid—19, so he's had to pull out, along with jack lisowski, he also returned a positive result. their places go to substitutes who were in the tournament bubble. to tennis now. britain's kyle edmund has been forced to pull out of next month's australian open, due to a persistent knee injury. since the sport returned after lockdow

there was a real shock in rugby union's premiership, with reigning champions exeter chiefs beaten forr resting six of their international players. with the don of 2021, a refreshing mix toa with the don of 2021, a refreshing mix to a familiar tale. they had to look at for weaknesses. keep looking and wasps found one. even in plain sight, the reigning champion still could not stop him. ajob well done with three more tries to inflict the first defeat of the season but not enough to knock them from top spot. at the other and, from ten points down, a great comeback and a frustrating finish for gloucester. one taking an out on the water carrier. many in gloucester starting the new year rock bottom. just some handbags there. edinburgh narrowly got the better of glasgow warriors in their pro 1a game at murrayfield, to take the 1872 cup. it was a really tight match and it was scoreless for over an hour, before jaco van der walt got edinburgh's first points on the board. a few minutes later they extended their lead, when magnus bradbury crossed the line. glasgow got a late try but edinburgh he

next to rugby union, england are going to be without another key forward in the upcoming six nations.ola and joe launchbury in being ruled out. jack willis will replace underhill in the squad. england's first game is against scotland at twickenham a week on saturday. and sport england says it'll invest another £50 million to help get people engaged and active again. the main focus will be grassroots organisations hit hard by the pandemic. tanayah sam is an ex—offender who now works with young people at risk of offending. you can't restrict son when it comes to the life, the sanctity of life, and if we are not able to get sports with young people, violence will increase —— you can't restrict funds. my speciality is lying in working with young people who will lean towards the violent end of things, i am lean towards the violent end of things, iam interested in lean towards the violent end of things, i am interested in reducing levels of violence, we have seen a number of young people killing each other, that is a pandemic in and of itself. i other, that is a pandemic in and of itself. :

oli hoskins helped rescue a dramatic draw for london irish against harlequins in rugby union's premiershipack in action after missing three weeks due to a covid—19 outbreak. it feels as though we've had non—stop action at the marshall arenal in milton keynes, with so many events moved there to take advantage of the covid—secure facilities. now it's the turn of the masters snooker — and kyren wilson came safely through to the first round, with a 6—2 win over gary wilson — no relation. coverage continues on bbc two from three o'clock. let's go back to the fa cup now. non—league chorley celebrated their 2—0 win at victory park against derby over the weekend with their traditional rendition of adele's someone like you. # never mind, i'll find someone like you. # i wish nothing but the best for you, too. and their victory song did not go unnoticed after adele showed her appreciation on twitter, posting a love heart in response to their video. isn't that fantastic? they have finally got her attention! andy preece, chorley‘s assistant manager, joins us now. good morning. i know you have had a lit

there was just one match in rugby union's premiership after london irish against northampton saints wasrting onjanuary the 10th — has been moved from the alexandra palace to milton keynes so that strict covid—19 regulations can be followed. the tournament features the world's top 16 players, with stuart bingham defending the title against the likes ofjudd trump, ronnie 0'sullivan, neil robertson, john higgins and mark selby. all players will be tested the day before their first match, and will remain within the bubble as long as they are participating in the tournament. cricket now, and australia bowler nathan lyon says players just need to "suck it up and get on with it" ahead of potentially stricter quarantine measures for their fourth test against india in brisbane. the teams play the third match in sydney this week, but the fourth and last match in queensland would see the players forced to abide by stricter biosecurity protocols. in my eyes, it is very small sacrifice for us to get out there and play the game that we love and put a lot of smiles on a lot of people's faces around th

there's good news ahead of the rugby union six nations championship, with progress on the quarantinee is against scotland on the 28th of february. robert macintyre is one shot off the lead at the dubai desert classic. the scotsman is in good form at the moment. europe's ryder cup captain, padraig harrington, will have enjoyed macintyre's round of 68. that took him to 9—under—par, just behind belgium's thomas detry. tommy fleetwood is two off the pace. spinner nauman ali made a magnificent debut for pakistan, giving them a seven—wicket victory over south africa in the first test in karachi. he took 5 for 35, brushing aside the visitors' tail and leaving pakistan to chase just 88 runs for victory, which they reached with ease and with a day to spare. the second and final test starts on thursday before three t20 games. this is south africa's first tour to pakistan in ia years. the former england netball coach, tracey neville, has taken on a key role with manchester thunder. it's her firstjob in the sport since she stood down from the england role after a successful four years, which inc

glasgow survived a late fightback to just edge out edinburgh in rugby union's pro—14.ay. we'll either have the oldest ever winner injohn higgins or the youngest winner in 26 years in yan bingtao. two—time champion higgins, who knocked ronnie o'sullivan out in the quarter finals and first made a masters final back in 1995, saw off david gilbert last night and described his 20—year—old chinese opponent today as "an old head on young shoulders." it is set up to be a bit ofa... it is set up to bea bit ofa... i it is set up to be a bit ofa... i mean, if you rock at ronnie o'sullivan, you know you are onto a good thing. but it is when you have to face those slightly more inexperienced players, not sure what you are going to get.— you are going to get. sometimes it can throw even _ you are going to get. sometimes it can throw even the _ you are going to get. sometimes it can throw even the most _ you are going to get. sometimes it i can throw even the most experienced players, can't it? can throw even the most experienced players. can't it?— players, can't it? exactly. but hi

we are two weeks away from the start of rugby union's six nations and defending champions england have a shadow squad, who will go through the same covid testing routine as the main squad and act as back up. and it's been slow going, in the heat on the second morning of the second test in sri lanka, but england have taken a couple of wickets today. james anderson and mark wood with those. sri lanka, 310—6 and we will show some action from galle at 7.30. stay with us, headlines coming up. hello, this is breakfast with rachel burden and charlie stayt. senior doctors have called for a shorter gap between the first and second doses of the pfizer—biontech covid vaccine. health officials extended the wait from 3 to 12 weeks so as many people as possible could be vaccinated. but the british medical association wants that halved to six weeks, saying the policy was "difficult to justify. " it comes after a warning that the new variant of the disease may be more deadly than first thought. the royal college of nursing is calling for all staff in the uk to be given higher—grade face masks, to prot