New Zealand head coach Dave Rennie has warned his side to expect a fierce challenge when they host an unbeaten Ireland in Saturday’s Nations Championship clash in Auckland.

Both nations enter the 08:10 BST fixture with perfect tournament records.

The All Blacks have confidently dispatched Italy and France, while their European visitors boast two bonus-point victories.

Andy Farrell’s men travel to Eden Park seeking a historic first victory at the venue, aiming to shatter the hosts’ remarkable 52-game unbeaten home streak.

Eden Park fortress under threat

The Auckland stadium has long been an impenetrable stronghold for the rugby giants.

New Zealand have not tasted defeat at the ground since France emerged victorious there in 1994.

However, the home manager insists his players will not be relying on historical dominance against a touring team currently enjoying a six-match winning run.

The hosts are also acutely aware of recent history, having lost a landmark series to the same opponents during their last tour of the country.

“There’s a healthy amount of respect for the Irish. We’re well aware of their ability and they’ll come in and genuinely believe they can beat us.”

The New Zealand tactician praised the visitors’ coaching setup and highlighted the technical proficiency of their forward pack.

“They are a good side and you have got to be patient in an effort to break them down.”

Targeting Gibson-Park

A key battleground this weekend will be the performance of New Zealand-born scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park.

The playmaker was instrumental in a recent tight 33-31 triumph over Australia before being rested for the subsequent clash with Japan.

Rennie acknowledged the profound influence of Leinster’s combinations on the national setup, singling out the number nine as a primary threat.

“Jamison’s a big part of their success. We need to make life difficult for him so he can’t play on the front foot and apply pressure that way.”

Current yellow jersey holder Tadej Pogacar has called for a complete overhaul of the cycling calendar to protect riders from the extreme summer heat currently affecting the Tour de France.

Stage nine of this year’s race, running from Malemort to Ussel, was shortened by 30km on Sunday due to a red heatwave alert in the Correze department.

Temperatures have consistently exceeded 30C and reached blistering highs of 40C since the Grand Depart in Barcelona.

Slovenian star suggests radical scheduling shift

The two-time defending champion believes the sport must adapt to increasingly severe weather conditions to prioritise athlete welfare.

“If I had the power I would change all the calendar and not race in July and August in hot places,” the Slovenian said.
“Maybe the next step is to start the stages earlier. You need to start at eight or nine, or even before.”

The general classification leader acknowledged the difficulty of such early starts but insisted the human body can adapt to waking up before dawn.

Wildfires and relentless intensity

Extreme weather has already severely disrupted the current edition of the race.

Stage three in the Pyrenees took place without spectators or the traditional publicity caravan due to massive wildfires in the surrounding areas.

The Professional Cyclists Association (CPA) has publicly backed the race leader’s stance regarding rider safety.

The riders’ union stressed that summer race start times must evolve to safeguard competitor health during grueling Grand Tours.

Peloton echoes safety concerns

Fellow competitors have voiced similar frustrations regarding the relentless heat and the dangerous logistical challenges it creates.

“It’s a fight to have water, ice and drinks between the cars, so for me it’s a good idea to shorten the stage,” said stage eight winner Tim Merlier.

Australian veteran Luke Durbridge noted that while the race is historically hot, the suffocating consistency of this current heatwave is highly exceptional.

“We’ve always had hot Tours de France, but this has been quite exceptional purely because it’s just been so consistent,” Durbridge explained.

He added that the relentless speed and intensity of modern racing leaves competitors with no easy days to recover from the sweltering conditions.

Tour de France leader Tadej Pogacar has urged organisers to completely revamp the cycling calendar and avoid summer racing to protect competitors from severe heatwaves.

Stage nine of this year’s race from Malemort to Ussel was shortened by 30km on Sunday following a red heatwave alert in the Correze department.

Temperatures have consistently exceeded 30C and peaked at 40C since the Grand Depart in Barcelona.

The extreme weather has already caused severe disruptions, with stage three in the Pyrenees taking place without spectators due to surrounding wildfires.

Extreme temperatures demand drastic changes

The Slovenian believes the sport must adapt to increasingly dangerous summer conditions to ensure athlete safety.

“In my opinion it’s a big topic to discuss but if I had the power I would change all the calendar and not race in July and August in hot places.”

The two-time reigning champion also proposed significantly earlier start times to avoid the brutal midday sun.

“You need to start at eight or nine, or even before.”

He suggested that professional athletes could adapt to 5:00 am wake-up calls if it meant preserving their physical health.

Riders and union echo safety concerns

The Professional Cyclists Association (CPA) has supported these demands, insisting that start times must evolve to protect competitors.

Recent stage winner Tim Merlier highlighted the constant struggle to stay hydrated while racing in relentless heat.

“It’s a fight to have water, ice and drinks between the cars, so for me it’s a good idea to shorten the stage.”

Australian veteran Luke Durbridge admitted that while the race has always experienced hot days, the current unbroken consistency of the heatwave is entirely exceptional.

Historically, the three-week Grand Tour is synonymous with July, testing the endurance of the world’s best cyclists across grueling mountain stages.

However, with modern racing speeds increasing and global temperatures climbing, the physical toll on the peloton is reaching unprecedented levels.

Jacob Bethell will open the batting for England in their first one-day international against India at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

The young prospect partners Ben Duckett at the top of the order as the hosts look to build upon their recent white-ball dominance.

Duckett and the returning Joe Root are the only two alterations from the side that secured an emphatic 4-0 Twenty20 series sweep over the tourists on Saturday.

That flawless run over the weekend propelled the national team to the summit of the shortest format’s world rankings.

Buttler reaches milestone as Brook leads

Veteran wicketkeeper Jos Buttler is set to make his 200th ODI appearance for his country in the series opener.

Harry Brook continues his duties as captain while the double-century cap winner operates behind the stumps.

Test regular Duckett comes into the fifty-over setup in place of Phil Salt, while Root replaces Tom Banton in the middle order.

Pace and spin options confirmed

The pace attack will be spearheaded by the express speed of Jofra Archer alongside Josh Tongue.

Left-arm seamer Sam Curran fills a crucial all-rounder role within a highly versatile bowling unit.

Adil Rashid, Liam Dawson and Will Jacks provide a formidable trio of spin options for Brook to deploy on the Birmingham pitch.

England XI

Former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will make his boxing return against Kristian Prenga in Jeddah next weekend following the announcement of a 12-fight undercard.

The Briton’s return comes seven months after a tragic car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of close friends Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami.

He last competed in December, securing a sixth-round knockout victory over Jake Paul.

A successful bout against Prenga is expected to finally set up a highly anticipated clash with British rival Tyson Fury later this year.

Fury showdown looms

The ‘Gypsy King’ is scheduled to face Poland’s Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand, just one day prior to the Jeddah event.

Both heavyweights must navigate their respective bouts unscathed to ensure their long-awaited blockbuster fight goes ahead.

The former unified champion has been intensifying his preparations over the past eight weeks to ensure a statement victory in the Middle East.

Really about two months ago I started really ramping things up, so I was training but there’s levels to training. Anthony Joshua

Sheeraz defends WBO title

The co-main event in Saudi Arabia features Britain’s Hamzah Sheeraz defending his WBO super-middleweight title against Simon Zachenhuber.

The titleholder claimed the belt in May with a brutal stoppage of Alem Begic at the Pyramids of Giza.

His German opponent enters the ring having bounced back from a shock April defeat to Pawel Augustynik with a recent victory over Armin Ajrulai.

Kelly eyes first defence

Elsewhere on the card, Josh Kelly will make the first defence of his IBF super-welterweight title.

The Sunderland fighter faces unbeaten Irish challenger Caoimhin Agyarko, having originally won the belt against Bakhram Murtazaliev in January.

Augustynik will also feature on the bill, taking on undefeated Danish brawler Jacob Bank.

Undercard prospects in action

Japanese featherweight Reito Tsutsumi returns to the region to fight fellow unbeaten contender Alvino Herrera following a stoppage win in Riyadh last December.

Olympic gold medallist Oleksandr Khyzhniak makes his second professional appearance when the Ukrainian faces Frenchman Lenny Patrach.

Meanwhile, British flyweight Mikie Tallon completes the main announcements, with the Liverpool boxer clashing with Venezuela’s Orlando Pino.

Mathieu van der Poel sprinted to victory on a weather-shortened stage nine of the Tour de France as Britain’s Tom Pidcock saw his chances ruined by a late mechanical failure in Ussel.

The Dutchman perfectly timed his effort from a four-man breakaway to secure his third career stage win at cycling’s most prestigious grand tour.

He edged out Tobias Johannessen for the line honours, while Pidcock was forced to settle for a frustrating third place.

Pidcock’s mechanical heartbreak

The Yorkshireman’s gear-shifting issues began with roughly 25 kilometres remaining of the gruelling route through the Massif Central.

Extreme heat warnings in the region had already prompted race organisers to reduce the stage distance by 30km down to a concentrated 155km test.

Despite the malfunctioning equipment, the Ineos Grenadiers rider remarkably managed to hold his position within the leading group until the final acceleration.

“My shifter stopped working. I couldn’t change gear. I could only change on the top.”

Tom Pidcock

The 24-year-old revealed he was entirely unable to shift gears when the decisive sprint was launched, forcing an awkward finish on the hoods.

“My bike was perfect the whole race and then today when the win was there it doesn’t work.”

Despite the bitter disappointment of missing out on a second career Tour stage victory, the British star remained philosophical about the finale.

“Anyway, Mathieu is a difficult one to beat in a sprint situation like that. It would be difficult anyway, so I’m happy for a good day’s racing.”

Alpecin celebrate as GC remains unchanged

The result brought immense relief to the Alpecin-Premier Tech squad as they head into the first rest day of the three-week race.

Their primary sprinter Jasper Philipsen had endured consecutive days of frustration prior to this timely triumph from their versatile one-day specialist.

“The start of the Tour was not so great for our team but I think always we stayed calm. We have a really nice group, we kept believing it will turn around.”

Mathieu van der Poel

Further back down the road, the general classification battle remained locked in a tense stalemate.

UAE Team Emirates set a fierce tempo in the peloton to ensure the breakaway’s advantage never exceeded 90 seconds.

Race leader Tadej Pogacar safely maintained his two-minute and 42-second advantage over defending champion Jonas Vingegaard.

The Slovenian yellow jersey holder’s team-mate Isaac del Toro continues to occupy third overall, sitting a further 45 seconds adrift.

The Open returns to Royal Birkdale with significant course modifications and a new Last-Chance Qualifier awaiting a record-breaking crowd of over 300,000 fans in Merseyside.

Scottie Scheffler arrives as the defending champion following his victory in Northern Ireland last year.

The world number one could become the first back-to-back winner of the Claret Jug since Padraig Harrington achieved the feat at this very venue in 2008.

Rory McIlroy is also among the leading contenders as the Northern Irishman targets a second major victory of the current season.

Meanwhile, hometown favourite Tommy Fleetwood carries the hopes of the host nation as he attempts to end England’s 34-year wait for an Open champion.

Major course alterations

Royal Birkdale has undergone substantial redesigns since it last hosted the championship in 2017.

The famous practice area spot where Jordan Spieth took a crucial penalty drop en route to his title is no longer a playable area.

Organisers have completely removed the previous par-three 14th hole from the traditional layout.

The old 15th now serves as a long par-five 14th, leading into a brand new 240-yard par-three 15th hole.

McIlroy has already described the challenging new par-three as a major talking point for the upcoming week.

Strategic adjustments

Further tactical tweaks include shortening the fifth hole to create a risk-and-reward driveable par-four.

A smaller green awaits players on the par-three seventh, while the 18th tee box has been repositioned to create a more demanding finish.

Inaugural Last-Chance Qualifier

A late addition to the tournament schedule offers an unprecedented opportunity for one final competitor to join the field.

The newly established Last-Chance Qualifier will take place on Monday morning.

A dozen hopefuls will compete in a shootout to secure the ultimate vacant spot in the final men’s major of the year.

Six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy has opened up about living with terminal prostate cancer, stating his life deadline has simply been brought forward.

The 47-year-old was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer in September 2023 after a routine scan for a shoulder sprain.

Doctors discovered tumours in his shoulder, pelvis, spine and ribs, giving him a prognosis of two to four years to live.

Despite the devastating news, the Scottish cycling legend remains determined to maintain his physical fitness and challenge medical expectations.

A shifted perspective on time

In a recent interview with the Sunday Times, the decorated Olympian reflected on public sympathy and human mortality.

He noted that while well-wishers offer condolences, everybody ultimately faces the exact same reality of limited time.

“We only have a set amount of time, everybody. It’s just that my deadline’s been brought forward a little bit, and therefore I’m a bit more aware of it.”

Defying medical expectations

Refusing to let the illness dictate his lifestyle, the former track cyclist recently completed a gruelling coast-to-coast ride across Spain.

He averaged six and a half hours in the saddle every day for a week, directly challenging advice to simply rest.

Following multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, his fitness levels are remarkably just 20% lower than before his diagnosis.

“The notion was, stop doing these silly things and just get your head around the fact that you’ve got this terrible disease, take the pills we’re telling you to take and just lie down and let it take over.”

Facing dual family heartbreak

The devastating cancer update came during an unimaginably difficult period for his family.

Shortly before the British sporting icon received his terminal prognosis, his wife, Lady Sarra Hoy, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Despite facing two incurable conditions within their household, the couple continues to demonstrate immense resilience.

The six-time gold medallist remains active and resolute, even overcoming a horrific leg break sustained while mountain biking in Wales last November.