Belgium’s Tim Merlier secured his second consecutive Tour de France victory by winning a dramatic sprint finish on stage eight in Bergerac.

The Soudal Quick-Step rider followed up his stage seven triumph with another stunning bunch finish on Saturday.

Dramatic late surge

The 33-year-old initially looked out of contention after being caught out of position heading into the final 500 metres.

However, the Belgian fast-man launched a phenomenal long-range charge to reel in all of his rivals.

He hit the front with under 200 metres remaining to hold off Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay and secure his fifth career stage win at the Grand Tour.

“If you win one, you can win a second, and I’m happy,” said Merlier.
“Three sprint stages, I won two – definitely my Tour de France.”

Green jersey battle intensifies

This latest victory moves the dynamic sprinter within just 15 points of Mads Pedersen in the battle for the sprinters’ green jersey.

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar safely retained the yellow jersey to maintain his overall general classification lead over Jonas Vingegaard.

The flat 180.4km ride from Perigueux to Bergerac wound past some of the Dordogne region’s historic castles before culminating in the expected sprint.

Breakaway heartbreak and heatwave adjustments

A three-man breakaway led for most of the day, with Liam Slock eventually caught an agonising 1.3km from the finish line.

Mathieu van der Poel attempted to set up Alpecin-Premier Tech team-mate Jasper Philipsen in the finale, but they were ultimately overpowered.

“I needed to fight for my position all the time until the last minute.”
“Just before the corner, I was a bit boxed in, and then they almost crashed, so I thought it was over.”
“I gave it a try to come back off the guys who did the lead-out because I was coming with so much speed.”

Tour organisers have confirmed that Sunday’s ninth stage will be shortened due to an intense heatwave gripping the Correze region.

The route from Malemort to Ussel has been reduced from 185.5km to a more manageable 155.5km.

Stage eight results

General classification standings

England ended a miserable five-Test losing streak by ruthlessly dismantling a 14-man Fiji 73-8 during their Nations Championship clash in Liverpool.

Replacement back-rower Henry Pollock was the standout performer, crossing the whitewash for a sensational second-half hat-trick as the hosts cruised to victory.

The Pacific Islanders were reduced to 14 men for half the encounter after scrum-half Simione Kuruvoli received a straight red card for kicking out at Ellis Genge.

This numerical advantage allowed the home side to cut loose and register their largest ever winning margin over their Southern Hemisphere opponents.

Record win eases pressure on the hosts

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso delighted the 50,209-strong crowd at the Hill Dickinson Stadium with an acrobatic finish down the left flank after the interval.

Meanwhile, Bristol’s South African-born centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg and Saracens’ teenage wing Noah Caluori both capped off memorable Test debuts by scoring off the bench.

Fly-half Fin Smith also enjoyed a flawless afternoon from the kicking tee, successfully converting nine of the staggering 11 tries scored by his team.

While the scoreboard reflects absolute dominance, the overall value of this triumph must be weighed against a remarkably disjointed performance from the visitors.

Fiji fail to recreate past glories

The Fijians famously shocked the rugby world by defeating their opponents at Twickenham in August 2023, before pushing them to the brink in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals shortly afterwards.

During a subsequent autumn meeting amid a strong run of English form, the islanders remained within three points on the hour mark before eventually succumbing to a 38-18 defeat.

However, this current iteration of the squad lacked the cohesion and discipline required to condemn their hosts to what would have been their worst losing streak in two decades.

Instead, a heavily penalised and thoroughly outclassed away side offered little resistance as a rejuvenated English squad ran riot across the park.

India bowler Kranti Gaud has made history by becoming the first woman to go on the Test honours board at Lord’s after securing a five-wicket haul against England on day two.

The historic milestone was sealed when Shafali Verma took a spectacular diving catch on the rebound in the slip cordon.

That stunning piece of fielding resulted in the dismissal of Lauren Bell to give the visiting seamer her fifth scalp of the innings.

Spectacular reflex catch seals history

The hosts were continuing their first innings on the second day of the Test match when the landmark dismissal occurred.

“Oh that is superb!”

The commentary box erupted as the sensational grab brought the iconic London crowd to its feet.

Verma had to react instantly after the ball deflected sharply, managing to pluck it inches from the turf.

A milestone moment at the Home of Cricket

Prior to this tour, no female cricketer had secured a spot on the famous dressing room boards at the historic venue.

The Indian fast bowler’s name will now be permanently etched alongside the legends of the men’s game who have achieved the same feat over the past century.

Her brilliant spell puts the tourists in a commanding position as they look to press their advantage in this landmark fixture.

Debutant back-rower Sean Jansen scored as a heavily rotated Ireland defeated Japan 36-20 in New South Wales to record a second successive bonus-point victory in the Nations Championship.

The New Zealand-born number eight marked his international bow with a crucial second-half try to help break down a resilient Brave Blossoms outfit.

The Connacht forward crashed over the line 10 minutes after the restart to reward the European heavyweights for their sustained attacking pressure.

His powerful effort added to earlier first-half scores from Nick Timoney, Tom O’Toole and Robbie Henshaw.

Japan threaten shock upset under returning Jones

Eddie Jones was back on the touchline for the Asian side following a recent suspension, and his squad fought tenaciously to stay in the contest.

An early try from winger Taira Main, combined with eight points from the boot of full-back Takuro Matsunaga, kept the underdogs within a single converted try at the interval.

The prospect of a rare Japanese victory looked plausible when replacement prop Hayate Era powered over the whitewash with just 20 minutes remaining on the clock.

That timely score reduced the deficit and gave the Japanese faithful hope of achieving only a second win over the men in green in 12 historic meetings.

Late surge ensures Farrell’s winning streak continues

However, the Irish squad demonstrated their superior composure to successfully close out the physical fixture in the final quarter.

Replacement fly-half Harry Byrne stepped up to stretch the advantage to nine points via a well-struck penalty.

Hooker Tom Stewart then applied the finishing touches in the final minute, dotting down to guarantee a sixth consecutive Test match victory for Andy Farrell’s side.

Aaron Grandidier Nkanang scored twice on his debut as France fought back from a half-time deficit to defeat Australia 42-26 in the Nations Championship.

The visitors recovered brilliantly to condemn Joe Schmidt’s side to a sixth consecutive defeat.

A devastating second-half display saw the European heavyweights score 30 unanswered points at Lang Park.

Wallabies dominate dramatic opening half

Emmanuel Meafou opened the scoring for the away side in the third minute to stun the home crowd.

However, momentum quickly shifted when the powerhouse lock received a yellow card for a high tackle on Rob Valetini.

Australia capitalised immediately through replacement hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa.

The indefatigable Fraser McReight then crossed the whitewash twice in eight minutes to give the hosts a commanding 21-12 half-time advantage.

Grandidier Nkanang shines on debut

Former Olympic sevens gold medallist Grandidier Nkanang responded with a superb finish in the corner to spark the revival.

Matthieu Jalibert, starting his first international game at full-back, later delivered a precision kick to set up the debutant’s second try.

With the game opening up, Romain Ntamack extended the lead after Wallabies full-back Tom Wright was sent to the sin-bin.

Florian Verhaeghe and Theo Attissogbe then crashed over to completely extinguish any hopes of an Australian comeback.

“It’s awesome, we studied them all week and I think it was a challenge for us to come and play,” said Meafou.
“Credit to the Wallabies. That was a tough first half. We knew they weren’t going to go away, but we got some good tries in the second half.”

Schmidt era nears conclusion

Jeremy Williams managed a late consolation score to clinch a try bonus point for the beleaguered hosts.

The Wallabies must now regroup to face Italy next week in what will be Schmidt’s final game in charge.

Incoming head coach Les Kiss will inherit a squad desperately searching for form and confidence.

Meanwhile, Les Bleus will travel to Tokyo to face Japan in the final fixture of their southern hemisphere tour.

The French squad will carry significant momentum having bounced back impressively from last week’s loss to the All Blacks.

Will Jordan has become the All Blacks’ all-time leading try scorer after registering a hat-trick in New Zealand’s victory over Italy in Wellington.

The 28-year-old touched down in the right corner to complete his treble and reach exactly 50 Test tries in just his 56th international appearance.

That milestone strike took the versatile back past the long-standing national tally previously held by former full-back Doug Howlett.

Surpassing a generation of wingers

The New Zealand try record had proved famously resilient over the past two decades despite the emergence of several prolific finishers.

Both Joe Rokocoko and Julian Savea threatened to claim the outright lead during their respective careers, but the formidable duo ultimately stalled on 46 international scores.

Current squad member Beauden Barrett also sits just behind the leading pack with a tally of 45 tries.

Chasing the global milestone

Following his record-breaking touch down, the outside back delivered a shark-fin celebration in tribute to his domestic provincial side, the Tasman Mako.

Having achieved his half-century at a blistering pace, the Crusaders star is now perfectly positioned to challenge the global scoring charts.

Japan’s Daisuke Ohata currently holds the official world record with 69 tries, though a number of those efforts occurred in fixtures with disputed Test status.

South African legend Bryan Habana remains the benchmark for Tier One nations after registering 67 times in 124 caps for the Springboks.

Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi broke a 27-year-old men’s 1,000m world record on his debut at the distance during Friday’s Diamond League meeting in Monaco.

The reigning Olympic and world 800m champion crossed the line in two minutes 11.83 seconds, shaving 0.13 seconds off the previous mark set by compatriot Noah Ngeny in 1999.

Great Britain’s Jake Wightman pushed the 21-year-old hard down the final straight before eventually settling for second place.

The 2022 1500m world champion clocked a personal best of two minutes 12.77 seconds at the Stade Louis II, elevating him to fifth on the all-time list.

Focus remains on personal improvement

Algeria’s Olympic bronze medallist Djamel Sedjati took third place, while fellow Briton Ben Pattison finished fifth in a fiercely contested race.

Speaking after his historic victory, the newly crowned record holder expressed his joy but firmly dismissed speculation about targeting David Rudisha’s legendary 800m world record.

“I don’t want to talk about the world record in the 800m. I first want to run fast and improve my personal best.”

“Let me keep quiet. Actions speak louder than words,” the Kenyan athlete added.

Wightman admitted he wished he could have surprised the race favourite but was ultimately satisfied with his aggressive strategy.

“I was nearly there. This was just a long 800, so I wanted to go through quickly and try and hang on for as long as I could.”

Alfred and Duplantis dazzle in Monaco

Away from the middle-distance drama, Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred delivered a spectacular victory in the women’s 200m.

The Saint Lucian sprinter crossed the line in 21.51 seconds, making her the third-fastest woman in history over the distance behind only Florence Griffith Joyner and Shericka Jackson.

In the field events, pole vault world record holder Armand Duplantis secured another dominant win by clearing a meeting record height of 6.07m.

Mixed results for British hopefuls

Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith finished fourth in the men’s 400m, clocking 44.22 seconds as Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi stormed to a Diamond League record of 43.44.

Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee returned to the elite track circuit for the first time in seven years, finishing 12th in the men’s 5,000m.

Jamaican sprinter Oblique Seville rounded off the night’s track action by holding off American Jordan Anthony to win the 100m in 9.88 seconds.

The global athletics calendar now moves to the United Kingdom, with the next Diamond League meeting scheduled for London on 18 July.

England fast bowler Lauren Filer has etched her name into the history books by claiming the first-ever wicket in a women’s Test match at Lord’s after dismissing India opener Shafali Verma for a duck.

The landmark moment arrived on the opening morning of the one-off encounter between the two international sides.

Steaming in under overcast London skies, the pace bowler produced a beautiful delivery to remove the dangerous visiting batter without scoring.

A significant milestone at the Home of Cricket

Verma was comprehensively beaten by the speed and lateral movement, departing early to give the home side a dream start.

This fixture marks a watershed moment for the sport, with the iconic venue hosting a women’s red-ball international for the very first time.

The Somerset speedster showcased exceptional rhythm to instantly justify her selection in this high-profile clash.

Capitalising on early conditions

Favourable morning weather provided the ideal platform for the seamers to exploit early movement off the famous slope.

The hosts will now look to build on this early breakthrough as they seek a commanding position in the standalone fixture.