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Australia’s rugby world champs have triumphed in the Cape Town Sevens after holding on bravely when down to just six players to edge a drama-filled final against France. But it was again a very different story on Sunday (Monday AEDT) for the Aussie men who, having excelled to reach their final, were hammered in the

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 10, 2023, 01:18 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Song Yadong is the youngest bantamweight contender in the UFC. He didn’t appear that way in a mature performance Saturday. The 26-year-old striker used his wrestling and grappling to gain the edge late in a five-round unanimous decision (50-44, 50-45, 50-45) victory

Mike Coppinger, ESPNDec 8, 2023, 07:48 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Devin Haney, fresh off another grueling sparring session, is hunched over in the locker room adjacent to the ring at the Top Rank Gym. It’s the day after Thanksgiving and Haney is weeks away from taking the next step in his

Dec 8, 2023, 08:14 PM Open Extended Reactions World champions South Africa will host Ireland and New Zealand for two tests each next year and also welcome Portugal for a historic first meeting between the sides in July as officials confirmed the Springboks’ home test fixtures for 2024 on Friday. Ireland will play matches in

Dec 7, 2023, 06:04 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Britain’s Emma Raducanu has accepted a wildcard to play at the Auckland Classic in the New Year after missing out on one in the initial batch offered by the Australian Open. The 2018 U.S. Open winner has had a lengthy absence from the tour following operations

Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff WriterDec 7, 2023, 11:58 PM ET Close Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN. Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09. Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — The NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament has provided an ideal platform

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterDec 7, 2023, 03:45 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Open Extended Reactions The LIV Golf League struck another devastating blow to the PGA Tour on Thursday, as the Saudi Arabian-financed circuit signed Masters champion Jon Rahm

Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterDec 7, 2023, 06:00 AM ET Close Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can

Associated Press Dec 7, 2023, 08:57 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Leah Pruett will step away from the NHRA drag racing series in 2024 to focus on starting a family with Tony Stewart. Her NASCAR Hall of Fame husband will replace her next season in the Top Fuel dragster that Pruett drove to a career-best

Welcome to November, that most precious of college football months when falling temperatures mean the heat around the competition is turning up. And this year, the torridity around the Heisman Trophy race is at a downright boil. Earlier this year, we, 15 ESPN college football writers, gifted you with our preseason Heisman Tracker. It was

Associated Press Dec 6, 2023, 11:33 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The 2024 Belmont Stakes will be run at Saratoga Race Course, with the third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown shifting from Long Island to upstate New York because of the massive renovation of Belmont Park. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the move

Emily Kaplan, ESPNDec 7, 2023, 07:45 AM ET Close Emily Kaplan is ESPN’s national NHL reporter. Open Extended Reactions For nearly six months, the greatest active American-born hockey player, the one fans call Showtime, lived in obscurity. As Patrick Kane recovered from hip resurfacing surgery — a bold move to breathe new life into his

Buster Olney, ESPN Senior WriterDec 5, 2023, 06:26 PM ET Close Senior writer ESPN Magazine/ESPN.com Analyst/reporter ESPN television Author of “The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty” Open Extended Reactions Somebody should ask Shohei Ohtani a really simple question about his free agency: What is the point of all of this secrecy? Of course, that

Dec 4, 2023, 10:14 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Columbus Crew won the 2023 MLS Eastern Conference finals after a dramatic comeback victory against FC Cincinnati. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images) The MLS Cup playoffs delivered more drama and excitement in the conference finals as Columbus Crew stunned FC Cincinnati in a thrilling 3-2 comeback win

Open Extended Reactions Beauden Barrett will be available for the All Blacks in the middle of next year, after the veteran playmaker signed a new deal with New Zealand Rugby through 2027. Currently in preseason for the Japanese League 1 season, Barrett will return to New Zealand after his commitments with Toyota Verblitz conclude and

Dec 1, 2023, 08:05 AM ET Open Extended Reactions There are champions in MMA and there are contenders closing in on claiming belts. There are marginal contenders, gatekeepers and former greats hanging on in hope of one last moment of glory. And then there are prospects, the young fighters who serve a vital function: They

Mike Coppinger, ESPNDec 3, 2023, 12:49 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Ryan Garcia admitted his fight with Oscar Duarte on Saturday in Houston was “very tough.” After all, Garcia was competing for the first time since his April TKO loss to Gervonta Davis, and Duarte was a tougher-than-usual comeback opponent. Duarte (26-2-1, 21 KOs) was

Associated Press Dec 1, 2023, 04:07 PM ET Open Extended Reactions JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — The Next Gen Finals championship match will feature one of the players being relied on to revive French tennis against the player that Serbia hopes can keep its flag at the top of the sport after Novak Djokovic. Top-seeded Arthur

Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff WriterDec 1, 2023, 01:01 AM ET Close Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN. Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09. Open Extended Reactions OKLAHOMA CITY — LeBron James is so excited to see eldest son Bronny

Todd Archer Close Todd Archer ESPN Staff Writer Todd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010. You can follow him on Twitter at @toddarcher. Brady Henderson Close Brady Henderson ESPN Brady Henderson is a