Cadillac Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez has been given a 10-second penalty in the Monaco Grand Prix results, collapsing from a point-paying 10th position to last of the finishers.

Perez finished 10th on the road in an eventful race in the principality, making the most of the incidents that occurred around him – despite an early drive-through penalty for lining up in Gabriel Bortoleto’s empty grid spot, two places ahead of his own.

The Mexican veteran pitted early and gradually made his way up the order as chaos unfolded ahead of him – including many speeding penalties, a drive-through for George Russell, and a late collision involving Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg.

Explained: Why so many F1 drivers were penalised for pitlane speeding in Monaco

However, Perez ended up under investigation for being out of position at the second start, after the race was red-flagged due to the track surface deteriorating at Antony Noghes corner, where both Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc crashed.

The Cadillac driver was confident he was still going to be able to score the new F1 team’s first point, but the stewards decided otherwise and gave him a 10-second penalty.

Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing

“The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 11 (Sergio Perez), team representative and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video and in-car video evidence,” the stewards’ report read.

“Video evidence showed clearly that the front right wheel of Car 11 was outside the starting box.  The standard penalty is applied.”

As a consequence, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso is inheriting 10th place, meaning Lawrence Stroll’s outfit has scored its first point of the season and is finally overtaking Cadillac in the constructors’ championship.

Perez’s woes are compounded by a third sanction of the day – a reprimand for failing to follow the race director’s instructions regarding practice starts.

“The driver admitted that he had made a practice start in the wrong position,” the stewards wrote.

More to follow…

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At the beginning of the 2026 Formula 1 season George Russell was the clear favourite to win the drivers’ championship, but he has now slipped to third place in the standings after a torturous Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

Russell only finished one timed session ahead of team-mate Kimi Antonelli, qualified five places behind him, and finished outside the points after being hit with a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pitlane.

But even before that point, he was well out of contention for the victory and had even been lapped by Antonelli, who went on to take his fifth consecutive victory of the season.

How George Russell's luckless Monaco GP unravelled as F1 title deficit grows

F1 Monaco GP: Kimi Antonelli takes dominant win in non-score for George Russell

Five quick takeaways from F1's Monaco Grand Prix

“I'm beyond frustration now,” Russell told media including Motorsport.com after the race. “Just struggling to comprehend how on earth this season has panned out in the way it has done. Two weekends in a row, 40 points down the drain.

“Yesterday was a bad day for me and I accept that. But the result of the last two races, I wish I could take some responsibility for the car breaking down in Canada or the penalties today. But it's been completely outside of my control.

“And that is an incredibly difficult pill to swallow. I don't ever really believe in good luck or bad luck.

“But when I look at this season as a whole, you know, leading the race in Canada, break down, could have been on the podium today, zero points. Leading the race in Japan, safety car came out 10 seconds after my pitstop.

“The whole season could look totally different. Now I'm 70 points off the lead.”

George Russell, Mercedes, Lando Norris, McLaren

Even with the latest generation of slightly narrower F1 cars, overtaking in Monaco is incredibly difficult so qualifying is key. Qualifying sixth made Russell’s race all the more challenging before it had even begun.

In his first stint he was bottled up behind the Red Bull of Isack Hadjar, who was struggling for grip and suffering power unit issues. That cost him well over half a minute to the leading group – then, after pitting at the end of lap 31 and successfully undercutting Hadjar, he was stymied by the struggling McLaren of Lando Norris, who was yet to pit.

Norris was also ordered to hold Russell up so team-ate Oscar Piastri could potentially pit and emerge ahead of Russell. Although Norris eventually had to retire his car, by then Russell was over a minute behind Antonelli, and was lapped by him before the safety car was deployed late on. 

Thus the damage was done before Russell inadvertently failed to serve the 5s penalty he had picked up for speeding in the pitlane during his stop.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

The result means Antonelli leads the championship with 156 points, while Lewis Hamilton has moved into second place with 90 points to Russell’s 88.

Such a margin isn’t insurmountable, but Russell recognises something needs to change to make this possible.

“It’s not [too big a gap to close],” he said. “You look at Verstappen last year. “But I need to get myself out of… I don't know how we keep ending up in the same position. Things I need to improve for sure. But I know on clean weekends what I can do.”

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While Kimi Antonelli was taking in the plaudits as he collected his most impressive Formula 1 victory yet, George Russell was left reeling as a horror Monaco Grand Prix caused him to fall to third in the championship.

This leaves him with what is looking like an insurmountable gap to his Mercedes team-mate. Here's how Russell's weekend unravelled.

Qualifying - P6 after struggling with tyre temperatures

“I don't really know what's going on to be honest,” Russell said on Saturday night after seeing Antonelli take pole while he could only manage sixth.

“It's clearly something with my driving that's not helping the car at the moment. The difference is how we're driving has such an impact on the tyres. He's just getting the tyres in a nicer window than me.

“A nicer balance over the course of a lap and the pace is just coming easier for him. I don't know why that is.”

Opening stint - Stuck behind Isack Hadjar

Russell failed to move up significantly at the start, with the field all benefitting from Max Verstappen's stalling on the grid.

That meant Russell was stuck behind Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, who frustrated the Briton with his inferior pace in the RB22, dictated by increased graining on his tyres and engine driveability issues for the fiery Frenchman.

George Russell, Mercedes, Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

Lap 32 - Russell pits but gets pinged for speeding

With pit strategy the only viable way of passing in Monaco, Mercedes looked to snatch a spot away from Red Bull and Hadjar by letting Russell undercut the Frenchman.

At the end of lap 31 Russell peeled in for a quick stop, but it soon emerged that he was one of several drivers being pulled up for pitlane speeding. Curiously a third of the field was penalised for a similar offence, with an investigation still ongoing on why there were so many marginal infractions.

Russell was then held up by Lando Norris as the McLaren driver tried to help his team-mate build a gap in front. But the world champion soon slowed and peeled into the pits with a battery issue, unleashing Russell while being handed a five-second penalty.

Lap 58 - Russell lapped by Antonelli

Russell lost so much ground in traffic that he faced the ignominy of being lapped by his team-mate. As Antonelli enjoyed an obstacle-free race at the front, the 19-year-old Italian came around to lap Russell on lap 58, with only three cars left on the lead lap at that stage.

Lap 61 - Safety Car

A safety car for Lance Stroll's crashed Aston Martin at the final corner saw a flurry of activity in the pitlane, but while Russell came in, he failed to serve his five-second penalty correctly. This would see his day take a turn for the worse, though he and others did get the chance to unlap themselves.

Lap 73 - Drive-through penalty

After Charles Leclerc crashed in the same place as Stroll on the restart, race control red-flagged the race to patch up a breaking up track at Turn 19. Russell was fourth at the restart, but because he hadn't served his pitlane speeding penalty correctly, the stewards handed him an additional drive-through penalty.

With the field reforming for a standing restart, it was an awful outcome, bumping Russell to the back of the lead pack in 14th. That became 13th after Nico Hulkenberg's time penalty, but it still ensured the Briton would end the day without points.

While Antonelli won his fifth consecutive grand prix, Russell's luckless Monaco outing saw his title deficit balloon from 43 to 68 points, falling to third and two points behind Hamilton.

Five quick takeaways from F1's Monaco Grand Prix

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Simone Biles suggested she came close to death after a medical emergency that left her in hospital.

“I’m not one to normally share things like this because I value privacy in today’s age, but almost dying wasn’t on my bingo card earlier this week,” Biles wrote in an Instagram story on Saturday. The story also showed a photo of her wrist encircled by several hospital bracelets.

Related: Simone Biles unsure of competing at 2028 LA Olympics: ‘My body is aging’

“This was one of, if not the scariest experience of my life,” she wrote. The seven-time Olympic gymnastics champion said the experience was made even more frightening by the fact that her husband, NFL player Jonathan Owens, was away on a training camp with his team, the Indianapolis Colts.

“I’ve been in bed resting this week,” the 29-year-old wrote. “I’ll explain sooner or later but [shout-out] to my close circle who reached out, checked in, visited + or sent flowers.”

In an interview with L’Equipe last year, Biles acknowledged the toll the stress of elite sport has taken on her body.

“I went back to the [Olympic] village, I took the elevator and my body literally collapsed. I was sick for 10 days,” she said, recounting an experience at the 2024 Olympics. “The other day, we were sprinting in the garden with friends, I had aches and pains for three days.”

The New York Knicks are warning fans to bring as little as possible to Monday night’s Game 3 of the NBA finals, which Donald Trump plans to attend.

The Knicks are encouraging fans to arrive at least two hours before tipoff as part of enhanced security measures due to the president’s attendance.

Related: NBA finals: Knicks within two wins of elusive title after holding off Spurs in Game 2

The Knicks said on Saturday that a strict no-bag policy will be in place and that there will be airport-style “screening procedures” for fans when they enter Madison Square Garden for the game, which is scheduled to start at 8.40pm local time.

Trump confirmed last week that he will attend the game between the Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, the first NBA finals game in New York City since 1999. He has already attended a number of major sporting events in his second term, including the 2025 Super Bowl, Daytona 500 and Ryder Cup.

Trump is not expected to be the only prominent political figure at the Garden. New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has also said he plans to attend Monday’s game, though he suggested there is little chance he will cross paths with Trump.

“I will be in a very different section,” Mamdani said last week.

The mayor’s office said Mamdani would be paying his own way for a ticket. Trump, meanwhile, said he would be attending as Knicks owner Jim Dolan’s guest, setting up a finals scene that could feature two of New York’s most prominent political figures under one roof.

The game will take place amid a fevered atmosphere in New York as the Knicks attempt to win their first NBA title since 1973. They lead the Spurs 2-0 in the best-of-seven series and are on a 13-game winning streak.

Brendon McCullum hugged his new coaching team on the balcony as the final New Zealand wicket fell and a good week’s work was completed by his England team.

McCullum needed this victory and deserved it too. He re-established his authority over England at Lord’s and the players responded with a comprehensive 115 run win over New Zealand, who were bowled out 45 minutes before lunch for 138.

England’s selection was spot on – Shoaib Bashir did not bowl a ball but nobody foresaw such excessive seam bowling conditions – and they judged conditions better than they did in Australia. When the Test match was at a tipping point on Friday after their second innings collapse of four for one, they rebuilt and added another 99 runs to put the target out of New Zealand’s reach.

Jamie Smith’s swap with Ben Stokes paid dividends; he had a good game with bat and gloves. Josh Tongue continued his rise with five wickets in the match that could have been more and McCullum swallowed his pride to recall Ollie Robinson, who responded with career best match figures of seven for 77.

The 150th Lord’s Test was not a classic. It lasted just 166 overs – not even two day’s full play – and a wicket fell every four overs as uneven bounce and excessive seam movement off the pitch too easily breached defences.

But for England, substance rather than style mattered after the Ashes humbling, and the conjecture over lack of sacking and change. They needed a win.

Full report to follow

McCullum on Ollie Robinson

[Did we learn anything new?] Yeah I think we did. We reconfirmed how good a bowler he is at this level. The relentless accuracy, particularly on this surface, the length he was operating from… he moves the ball so late and he does it at pace.

His skills were always gonna be successful on this pitch. You’ve still gotta execute, right, and he was tremendously nervous leading into the first innings with the ball. He was able to feel the fear and do it anyway.

He’s a very good tactician but he can also get in the fight and he was really good with the other bowlers. It was a wonderful comeback from him. He’s fitted back in nicely.

Career best Test match figures ✅
On the honours board ✅
Player of the Match ✅ pic.twitter.com/tfDnz08q5R

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 7, 2026

McCullum on Emilio Gay

He’s been a big scorer in county cricket, and the key for us was to reinforce that you don’t need to do anything different. You do what you want to do, you play the style you want to play and that will give you the greatest opportunity. The language around that was really consistent and he was really comfortable and clear when he got to the start line.

Clearly he’s got a very well-rounded game – good defensive game, he can score all round the clock as well. That fifty-odd he got was worth a lot more.

He’s fitted in really well around the group. I listened to some of his media stuff and I thought he spoke brilliantly. He was calm, poised, respectful and you can really sense the enthusiasm.

He keeps things really simple and I’m sure he’s got many more Test fifties for England.

Brendon McCullum speaks to Sky Sports

First of all it’s nice to win. That was a nice little change. The temperature’s been a bit hot of late so it’s nice to get one in the [win] column! The boys will certainly enjoy it.

In a game that was on fast-forward, there was a lot to be really pleased with. The way we were able to keep our poise; execute our plans; show some smarts when required; and withstand some pressure, because you don’t win many Test matches when you’re 110/8 in the first innings.

The conditions weren’t what either team expected. But they are what they are, you have to find ways to adapt and I thought the boys did a great job.

[On England’s approach with the bat] We need to be quite malleable depending on the surfaces we get. Nothing needs to be so binary to play one certain way. From a coach’s point of view, the conversations the boys had during the match were fantastic. The communication allowed us to be slightly more adaptable.

Clearly the issue on that pitch was the full and straight ball. Defensively we talked about straightening up your defensive clock to respect anything straight, but anything that had width we were trying to throw our hands at it, knowing it was gonna be a low-scoring game so you still need to keep ticking over the scoreboard.

I thought the guys were really brave in parts. By that I don’t mean running-down-the-wicket-and-swinging brave. There will be times when that is required, but [in this game] I mean brave as in, ‘This is a tricky surface. How are we able to manipulate our guard or where we stand on the crease to give the bowlers something different to think about.’

The communication was the best we’ve seen for a while and I was really proud of that.

"We need to be malleable depending on the surfaces we get!"

Brendan McCullum suggests a more 'refined' approach to Bazball on display against New Zealand 👀 pic.twitter.com/dRtGSgqKnR

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 7, 2026

Ben Stokes’ verdict

Test cricket is tough, you’re never sure what you’ll be presented, and I thought the speed with which we identified the conditions and the way we thought we needed to play was a huge reason for the win.

[Was there a different approach?] I think we were just quicker… Conversations this week were very quick to happen. When you’ve got a lot of people in a dressing-room there can be a lot of ideas floating around. I think we all voiced them pretty well, and that’s where you get to a situation that you can go out there and be very clear as a team.

It was a wicket that presented challenges as a batting unit – but also as a bowling unit when you feel like you’re massively in the game. We were clear about our plans and we executed them probably as well as I’ve seen from an England bowling group since I’ve been captain.

[On Emilio Gay’s impressive debut] I said to him, ‘That’s at the top end of how tough it gets in Test cricket.’ The conditions he had to bat in, the pressure of the third innings... his runs were monumental in terms of getting us to a lead that we felt we could defend.

[On Ollie Robinson’s return] The skill that Ollie possesses has never been questioned, and it was very evident this week. The relentlessness of his length and line, his unbelievable ability to look like he’ll never miss where he wants to bowl... what an introduction back into the team. It’s been an emotional week for him. We know he’s incredibly competitive; once he gets over the white line he’s a different person, and that’s what we want to see going forward. He’s a phenomenal bowler and he led the attack brilliantly well along with Gus, who’s just Mr Lord’s isn’t he? He loves this place! As a bowling unit we were great; I just chipped in at the back end.

[When asked about his own batting form] Ah, look, when we’ve just won the first game of the summer, that’s all I’m concentrating on at the moment.

New Zealand captain Tom Latham’s reaction

I thought the way we set the tone with the new ball on day one was outstanding. There were some extremely talented bowlers on both sides and they managed to exploit the conditions extremely well.

We had our opportunities throughout the Test but we weren’t able to capitalise on them. We weren’t able to get through that tricky phase on day one, and after that we weren’t able to form partnerships.

It’s important that we trust the work we’ve been putting in over the last couple of weeks and take confidence that things will be different at the Oval.

When it’s a low-scoring game, dropped catches can be really important. It’s certainly not from a lack of trying.

As a batter, you’re used to the ball moving sideways but when it goes up and down you don’t necessarily trust the surface. That makes things hard and you can get caught on the crease. If you look at a lot of the dismissals in the Test, I think guys were getting caught on the crease.

The player of the match is... Ollie Robinson

There was a time I thought I’d never be back on the pitch for England, so to walk off the field with the lads after winning the first Test of the summer is an amazing feeling. 

That’s probably the worst nerves I’ve had before a game. The day before, anxiety through the roof. I couldn’t feel my legs before the first over, but then after the first wicket I calmed down a bit. The Lord’s crowd were unbelievable.

I’ve never [taken a triple-wicket maiden] before. It felt so surreal. It’s one of the highlights of my career so far.

I feel like we bowled really well. We hit the stumps a lot as a group. Obviously the pitch went up and down towards the end and there was seam movement. Our plans were really clear which we stuck to, and we came out on the right side of the result.

I thought Emilio Gay played unbelievably on debut as well. He got us to a great score and gave us something to defend.

It was a really important week to be part of that seam group. Hopefully we can keep that going through the summer.

I know this is just the start - there’s a lot of hard to work to do. I have to put those yards in to make it’s a long career, and that there’s no let-up this time.

‘A game for the statisticians’

That’s how Sky Sports’ Mike Atherton has just described this game, and he’s not wrong. Here are a few that come straight to mind:

• 15.42 Average runs per wicket in the match, the lowest in a men’s Test in England since 1958
• 996 Balls bowled in the entire match, making it the second shortest completed Test at Lord’s - and the shortest since 1888
• 0 Balls bowled by spinners
• 24 Wickets that fell either bowled or LBW, a record for Tests in England
• 7/77 Ollie Robinson’s match figures, the best of his Test career
• 57 The highest individual score of the match, made by the impressive debutant Emilio Gay

Gus Atkinson’s extraordinary Lord’s record

• 3 Tests
• 150 runs at 30.00, one century
• 26 wickets at 9.50, four five-fors, one ten-for

England win by 115 runs

Henry b Atkinson 0 You miss, I hit as Atkinson ends the New Zealand innings and the match. The ball crashes into Henry’s stumps as Atkinson seals his five-for. England complete victory in this first Test by 115 runs. Ben Stokes’ side celebrate winning the 150th Test at The Home of Cricket. FOW 138 all out

ENGLAND WIN BY 115 RUNS! 💪

Gus Atkinson wraps up the first Test and completes his five-wicket haul in the process! 5️⃣ pic.twitter.com/23Hlyn6VFp

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 7, 2026

OVER 40: NZ 138/9 (Henry 0 Phillips 44)

We are in that weird phase where Phillips is farming the strike. There is nearly a comical run-out as Phillips thought he could get back for two through the covers but Phillips sensibly opts against the risk. Henry nearly ended up running two in total but gets back in time.

After four balls, the field comes up. He guides one past gully and the ball runs down to third man for four. Phillips was probably hoping that the ball came up short of the boundary.

Tongue bangs the final ball of the over in short but Phillips misses the pull shot. There are a few appeals for a caught behind but Stokes opts against a review.

OVER 39: NZ 134/9 (Henry 0 Phillips 40)

Henry has six balls on the trot to negotiate from Atkinson and does so without too much concern.

OVER 38: NZ 134/9 (Henry 0 Phillips 40)

The field is spread for Phillips, offering up the single but Phillips is not going to take that at the start of the over. From the third ball, Phillips finds a boundary. He absolutely blasts one through point and the ball races down the slope for four. That came right out of the middle of the bat. He then nearly gets another four down towards third man but Root makes a good diving stop on the boundary. New Zealand ended up not getting anything from that shot though. As Phillips did not take the single, the field now comes up.

Tongue then bangs it in short and Phillips goes after it. The pull shot goes fine and ends up going all the way for six. Tongue bowls the final ball of the over a way outside off and Phillips gets no bat on it so Henry will be on strike for the next over.

OVER 37: NZ 124/9 (Henry 0 Phillips 30)

Matt Henry is the last man in for New Zealand and blocks the final ball of the over. He could have taken a single but Phillips wants the strike.

Wicket

Jamieson c Duckett b Atkinson 6 Atkinson has his fourth wicket of the innings and England are one wicket away from victory. Jamieson cannot believe it as he clips it firmly but it is straight at Duckett at mid-wicket. FOW 124/9

"It's a sharp catch by Ben Duckett" ⚡️

England need one wicket to win! pic.twitter.com/4Vc4Gkxs06

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 7, 2026

OVER 36: NZ 120/8 (Jamieson 2 Phillips 30)

Captain Stokes’ spell is over and Tongue is back into the attack, this time from the Nursery End. Tongue nearly manages to get one to go under Jamieson’s bat but the 6ft 8in New Zealander just gets the toe of the bat on it.

OVER 35: NZ 118/8 (Jamieson 1 Phillips 29)

Kyle Jamieson is in and, based on how he played in the first innings, I suspect he is not going to go down without a fight and without blasting it. He is off the mark first ball with a single.

Wicket

Smith c Smith b Atkinson 4 Nathan Smith comes and goes as he is caught by Jamie Smith. One ball after getting off the mark with a boundary, he nicks a good delivery in a good area from Atkinson and Smith takes a simple catch. England are now two wickets away from victory. FOW 116/8

Gus Atkinson finds the edge of Nathan Smith and England are two wickets away from victory! 💥 pic.twitter.com/3CmcGTMTZQ

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 7, 2026

A quietly terrific Test for Gus Atkinson, whose place in the side was not certain until the day before the game. His previous Lord’s Tests have not been quiet at all: 12-fer on debut, and a century against Sri Lanka. This time, he has barely missed his length. 

Wicket

Conway c Bethell b Stokes 41 A few balls after the 50 partnership is brought up, Nelson strikes! Conway attempts to flick into the legside but it takes a leading edge. Bethell takes a good low grab at gully and England break the partnership. FOW 111/7

GOT HIM

Jacob Bethell with a great catch! 👏 pic.twitter.com/MUX6n1OqTo

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 7, 2026

OVER 33: NZ 105/6 (Conway 37 Phillips 26)

Atkinson sends down a maiden over as we come towards the end of the first hour of play.

England still need four wickets to win whilst New Zealand require another 149 runs.

The clouds have just gone a bit higher, and there’s sun poking through. It’s no coincidence, then, that batting has become a bit easier. Overheads are very har to explain, but they definitely have an impact. 

OVER 32: NZ 105/6 (Conway 37 Phillips 26)

This has been a really testing over from Stokes, coming around the wicket from the Nursery End and using the slope to bring the ball back into Conway. This innings has been a bit of a slog for Conway but he has survived and is still there.

Just the one run from the over.

OVER 31: NZ 104/6 (Conway 36 Phillips 26)

Tongue’s spell at the Pavilion End has come to an end and he will be replaced by Gus Atkinson. Conway welcomes Atkinson by driving him down the ground through mid-off for three. It was not the most convincing of shots as one hand came off the bat but Conway gets three for it.

Atkinson then gets one to rise up at Phillips and strikes him on the glove. Mainly when the ball has misbehaved it has kept low but this one has got up. You can hear Phillips say over the stump mic “Goodness gracious me!”.

Phillips is finding it much harder from the Pavilion End than the Nursery End.

MCC will be praying there aren’t any more lifters like the one from Gus Atkinson which gloved Glenn Phillips. The ball keeping low is bad enough but when it is snorting upwards, and physically dangerous, that is when a ban on a Test pitch is imposed. 

OVER 30: NZ 101/6 (Conway 33 Phillips 26)

Captain Ben Stokes has decided it is time for him to turn his arm over, replacing Robinson at the Nursery End. Phillips gets one on his pads and flicks away in front of square for four to bring up New Zealand’s 100. Phillips timed that brilliantly up the slope.

OVER 29: NZ 96/6 (Conway 32 Phillips 22)

That is probably the most convincing shot Conway has played today. He plays a lovely on-drive past the stumps up towards the pavilion and comes through for three.

Phillips has appeared to be more comfortable facing Robinson from the Nursery End but has found it tough against Tongue nipping it back in from the Pavilion End.

Tongue strikes Phillips on the pads but Rod Tucker shakes his head. It is clearly going down leg with the slope yet England decide to review. Unsurprisingly, it is missing the leg stump and England lose their review. Stupid! What makes it even more ridiculousis that Tongue did not really appeal for it, which tells you everything when even the bowler does not think it is out.

OVER 28: NZ 92/6 (Conway 29 Phillips 21)

Smith is still up to the stumps off Robinson for Conway but has now gone back when Phillips is on strike.

England require four more wickets to win whilst New Zealand need 162 more runs.

OVER 27: NZ 90/6 (Conway 28 Phillips 20)

How has that missed the stumps? Tongue gets one to come back into Phillips and down the slope. It misses the inside edge but somehow does not smash into the off stump. The ball kept a bit low and moved a fair bit.

Later in the over, Phillips gets on top of the bounce and guides one into a gap through backward point. Stokes flicks it back just before the boundary rope and keeps it to two. I mentioned when he came in the danger Phillips could pose and he is already up to 20 from just 18 balls.

OVER 26: NZ 87/6 (Conway 27 Phillips 18)

That is the shot of the day thus far. Robinson bowls a full delivery and Phillips tucks into it, drilling it through wide mid-off for four. You have to take advantage of scoring chances when they are presented to you on a pitch like this.

Phillips finishes the over off in style, smashing Robinson through the covers for an emphatic four. Ten runs come from that over.

OVER 25: NZ 77/6 (Conway 26 Phillips 9)

Conway is digging and has managed to survive but is that enough to give New Zealand a shot at winning this game? Not really as at some point there will be a ball with his name on it. He opts to go after one outside his off stump and is fortunate that the outside edge goes through a gap in the gully region. You have to be in it to win it though as they say.

Drop catch! Conway plays a rather strange shot, thinking about going for a cut before trying to withdraw the bat. That is too late and the outside edge goes straight at Brook at second slip. It should be a simple catch but Brook spills it. Brook should be taking those, but then again New Zealand have dropped plenty of catches in this game as well, including off Brook a few times in the first innings.

Devon Conway has a great opportunity to carry his bat.

OVER 24: NZ 71/6 (Conway 20 Phillips 9)

Robinson bowls a beauty to Phillips and finds the edge. It is a genuine edge but it falls just short of Root at first slip. Robinson then finds the edge of Phillips’ bat again, this time the inside edge, but it flies past the stumps and Smith up at the stumps, racing away for four. Those two balls were incredibly tricky to face and Phillips will be relieved just to have survived them.

Then, after being beaten a few times, Phillips finally finds the middle of the bat, punching through the covers for four, with the ball racing down the slope.

It’s great to see Jamie Smith standing up to the stumps when Ollie Robinson is bowling and looking accomplished. Ben Foakes, his Surrey teammate, would be proud. 

OVER 23: NZ 63/6 (Conway 20 Phillips 1)

Glenn Phillips is in at number eight and England will know the danger he will pose, even in tough batting conditions. Tongue bowls one close to Phillips’ hip but it goes down the legside and Smith cannot prevent the ball from racing away for four. There was a suspicion of the ball clipping Phillips’ glove but it came off his hip. A good decision from Rod Tucker to give four leg byes. Phillips then gets off the mark with a single.

Wicket

Blundell LBW Tongue 4 Josh Tongue will start proceedings from the Pavilion End and gets a wicket with his fourth ball of the day. We have seen a number of deliveries over the last few days keep low and that is one of them. It nips back in down the slope and stays low, trapping Blundell on the crease. Rod Tucker’s finger goes up pretty quickly and sensibly Blundell decides not to review, already knowing his fate. He shakes his head as he walks off and any faint hope New Zealand have of chasing the total has taken another hit. FOW 58/6

We are now up to 23 dismissals bowled and lbw out of the first 36 wickets to fall in the match. Another that doesn’t get up massively. New Zealand need to give a bit back to England – at the moment they look like sitting ducks.

OVER 22: NZ 55/5 (Conway 19 Blundell 2)

Once again, the conditions are in favour of the bowlers. Ollie Robinson was midway through an over when play was halted yesterday so he will start the day from the Nursery End, with Jamie Smith up to the stumps.

You would not believe it but the first ball is sent down early, before the clock turns to 11am. Absolute scenes!

Blundell blocks the first three balls of the day and it is a maiden over.

Plenty of action elsewhere

I should add, there is heaps of other cricket today. 

In the Championship, Surrey are playing cellar dwellers Hampshire at the Oval.

In the Blast, there are seven matches this afternoon.

And at Worcester, England Lions are playing South Africa A. The Lions have been in dismal form so far on this tour against much more experienced opponents. 

Nearly ready for action

Ben Stokes and his men are raring to get going, stood by the boundary rope with more than five minutes to go before the scheduled start. England go in search of the five remaining wickets to win this match. The five-minute bell is rung by former New Zealand bowler and current England bowling coach Tim Southee. Southee is one of a number of Kiwis in the England coaching staff along with the likes of Brendon McCullum and Jeetan Patel.

Plenty of optimism

A far cry from the horrid winter England had:

I like a Lord’s Sunday crowd. Tickets are a bit easier to come by and very slightly cheaper, so there tend to be a few more families. Lots of optimism around as I walked through the North Gate, but it’s a tricky balance as a spectator: clearly they want England to win, but they also probably don’t want them to do it too quickly! The other option is for it to happen so quickly they get a refund, like all the folks who were here yesterday. 

What of Ben Stokes’ batting?

"It's been a real decline... is it terminal?" 🤔
"He hasn't played enough cricket!" 🏏

The Sky Sports pundits discuss Ben Stokes' batting form & future as England captain. pic.twitter.com/iHCZu7QMa5

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 7, 2026

Here are some numbers on Stokes’ batting:

Another insightful interview

Yesterday Emilio Gay spoke really well to Sky Sports, which I would recommend to any young cricketer to watch, and this morning it is the turn of Josh Tongue, who has provided plenty of good insight into his run-up, release position and lengths he looks to bowl. Very engaging and good to see!

Josh Tongue reveals how he amends his grip depending on what the ball is doing ahead of day four at Lord's 🔎🧠 pic.twitter.com/SbTpDOWuJi

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 7, 2026

"I just want the stumps in play as much as I can!" 💥

Josh Tongue reveals how England's seamers have found the right lengths at Lord's this week 🤔 pic.twitter.com/c2iQJg1Y35

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 7, 2026

Session times for today

Morning session: 11am-1.15pm

Afternoon session: 1.55pm-4.10pm

Evening session: 4.30pm-6.30pm

I would be very, very surprised if this match is still going on during the evening session.

Another former England player having his say on the Lord’s surface

"Why do we have so much cricket here when the pitches aren't up to muster?" 😬

Mark Butcher discusses whether the pitch at Lord's should be dug up and replaced 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/QlUAvGlnd0

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 7, 2026

What about Bashir?

The Derbyshire spinner has yet to bowl a single ball in this Test and the chances are he will end the game without bowling an over. England gave themselves all the way up until the toss to decide to go with Bashir or Sonny Baker but opted for the former. Does Bashir play in the next Test at The Oval in just over a week or could they give a debut to Baker? The week coming appears to be quite mild weather-wise but from around a week’s time it is set to get much warmer and it could be a hot Test in London for match two of the series so a spinner will probably be more handy.

Get your fix!

Michael Vaughan: The Lord’s pitch is a shocker – MCC must dig up the square

It has been a great occasion for the 150th Test at Lord’s this week and so special to have the longest format back after a long wait.

Sadly the Lord’s pitch has been a shocker. We haven’t had a pitch like this in England for a long time. I’m racking my brains as to when. There was one at Edgbaston in 2000 against the West Indies, where the ball was spitting off a length, but that’s a long time ago. I don’t recall many others.

It has been up and down, with inconsistent bounce from the very first ball. There has been lavish late seam movement, and the ball far too dominant. I have actually felt sorry for the batsmen, and glad that I didn’t play on many pitches like this.

No more rain!

Much better weather in London today, with no forecast I’ve seen predicting rain. Should be cloudy all day, making New Zealand’s job even harder.

Can England get across the line?

England will press for victory on day four of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, knowing they are five wickets away from going 1-0 up in the three-match series. Not even 10 overs were possible at Lord’s yesterday on a very stop-start day but England still managed to get two wickets closer to the win as New Zealand finished on 55/5 in pursuit of 254 to win the Test. Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell were the two men to fall for the tourists yesterday, with Ollie Robinson taking both of those wickets to take his tally in the Test to seven wickets, an impressive number on his return to the England team after more than two years in exile.

The discussion yesterday was dominated by the lack of play, brought into closer focus by the fact that lunch was being taken during the nicest part of the day, when the sun was shining. Did cricket shoot itself in the foot yesterday and look a bit silly? For those who had tickets for day three, at least they were entitled to 100 per cent refund on their tickets. Thus far, there have been just 147 overs in the match, in part down to the weather but also the bowler-friendly conditions.

New Zealand require an unlikely 199 further runs to win this Test. Devon Conway will resume on 19 not out and will be joined in the middle this morning by Tom Blundell, who is on two not out. There is still batting to come for New Zealand with the likes of Glenn Phillips, Nathan Smith and Kyle Jamieson to come but considering the challenges of batting on this surface, another 199 runs seems a very tall order.

Will England seal the victory in the 150th Test at The Home of Cricket? Play on day four at Lord’s gets under way at 11am, with the weather forecast much better today than it was yesterday so we should have a conclusion to the match today.

Sky Sports Formula 1 commentator and former driver Martin Brundle has heaped immense praise on Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, drawing a parallel between the young Italian and three-time champion Ayrton Senna following an impressive Monaco qualifying session. 

The 19-year-old, who currently leads the drivers' championship by 43 points over his Mercedes team-mate George Russell, claimed pole position at the final moments of qualifying around the streets of Monte Carlo on Saturday 6 June.

"That was one of the best qualifyings I've ever commentated on," Brundle said on Sky Sports F1. "Punch, counterpunch, drivers who looked like they were about to take pole like Charles Leclerc, then he threw it in the fence. It had everything." 

He added, likening the Mercedes driver to Senna, who was known as the 'Master of Monaco': "Antonelli made less mistakes than anyone else in the front half of the grid. It was super impressive. He makes me think of Senna."

From 10 race starts in Monaco, Senna secured a record-breaking six wins (1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993), eight podium finishes, five pole positions and four fastest laps.

Ayrton Senna, McLaren hugs a mechanic

Joining Antonelli on the front row of the Monaco Grand Prix grid is four-time champion Max Verstappen, while seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc complete the second row in third and fourth, respectively.

"It was not easy to fall asleep because I still had a lot of adrenaline, but I managed to sleep well," Antonelli said during the pre-race drivers' parade. "It was a great moment yesterday but today’s another day and we’ve still got to execute the race.

"I have two really tough opponents. The closest one is Max and I know he’s going to make my life very hard, so I’ve just got to try to keep it cool and be as consistent as possible."

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Whenever there's a small grey area in Formula 1's regulations, it is guaranteed that at least one engineer will attempt to exploit that loophole.

This year's Monaco Grand Prix demonstrated this perfectly: when it became apparent that straightline mode would not be used and the actuators could be removed for the rear wing, it opened up a small window for the teams to fill with downforce-generating devices. It was somewhat amusing that a handful of teams all embarked upon the same solution.

F1 teams exploit rear wing loophole for Monaco

Mercedes, McLaren, Red Bull, and Williams all produced bespoke new winglets for this area of the car, with a series of cascade winglets all tasked with, a, generating more load, and, b, encouraging the traditional rear wing elements to also work harder.

Meanwhile, the likes of Haas, Alpine, and Racing Bulls all tinkered with their existing geometries and slotted in winglets where they could, while Audi and Cadillac added smaller tabs to the uppermost element of the rear wing to implement a solution that Ferrari had introduced previously.

Red Bull went one step further, adding triangular extensions to the rear wing Gurney flap to increase the rear load generated.

These devices were introduced to balance the car. Drivers want to add more front-end load to help the car turn into the lower-speed corners, but need to have the load at the rear to ensure the back of the car doesn't step out.

Although it hasn't been as prevalent in recent years, F1 teams are no strangers to exploiting loopholes to add more quick-and-dirty downforce to the cars for Monaco. 

Here's a look at some of the innovations that were rarely seen beyond the walls of Monte-Carlo.

McLaren 1974

Emerson Fittipaldi, McLaren M23 Ford

At the 1974 Monaco GP, McLaren opted to run a narrower nose on its car, which had its first outing at the earlier Spanish GP. Emerson Fittipaldi's M23 was fitted with a narrowed 'winklepicker' section, which allowed for wider wings.

There were also two narrow upstands that could be seen stood proud of the endplates. These were not for performance reasons but were instead put there to help act as a visual cue – so the drivers could tell easier where the edges of the front wing were.

Ferrari 1979

Gilles Villeneuve, Ferrari 312T4

Ferrari arrived at the 1979 Monaco GP with a specially commissioned pair of front and rear wings, both designed to improve the car's agility around the streets of the Principality.

The wings were mounted closer to the main bodywork for two reasons. First of all, this allowed a greater depth to the rear wing so it could still comply with the maximum dimensions of the rules – but also less bodywork overhang meant there was a smaller change of collisions with barriers in the event of the drivers getting it wrong.

Jordan 1996

Rubens Barrichello, Jordan, 1996 Monaco

In 1996 Jordan followed in McLaren's footsteps when it introduced its version of the 'mid-wing' for Monaco.

Mounted astride the engine cover, this imposing winglet took advantage of the wording in the regulations to produce a reasonable amount of downforce in its own right.

Tyrrell 1997

Jos Verstappen, Tyrrell 025 Ford

When you think of crazy winglets that have appeared at Monaco, Tyrrell's 'X-Wings' have to be towards the top of that list.

The oft cash-strapped outfit had found numerous innovative ways of increasing downforce down the years, but the X-Wings took things to an all new level. Mounted high up away from the sidepods, they helped to produce downforce in their own right.

The X-Wings appeared at several races other than Monaco and even started to appear on many of the other cars up and down the grid, before being banned by the FIA on safety grounds.

Meanwhile, the '025' featured other novel features, including their single central front wing pillar, nose winglets and sidepod shovels and winglets.

Ferrari 1999

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari

Ferrari's F399, designed by Rory Byrne, helped the team take a 1-2 at the Monaco GP as it deployed a high downforce rear wing.

The wing featured many more flaps than ordinarily would be the case, all of which were angled aggressively too, sacrificing straight line speed for downforce because efficiency is not so important in Monaco.

Williams 2000

Jenson Button, Williams

Williams employed an airbox winglet at the Monaco GP in 2000 as it sought to improve the performance of its rear wing.

The rather wide winglet, similar in design to the one used by Jordan in 1999, undoubtedly created some downforce in its own right but more importantly cleared the path for airflow heading for the rear wing.

Looking for additional balance, the team also installed a winglet atop the sidepod for the weekend.

Arrows and Jordan 2001

Jos Verstappen, Arrows

Arrows and Jordan both rocked up to F1's 'crown jewel' with some rather ungainly winglets in 2001.

Both teams used grey areas within the regulations to mount the appendages from the nose and chassis respectively.

The unorthodox winglets, which bring to mind the crazy high wings used in the 1960s, were immediately put under scrutiny by the FIA and banned before the teams could even qualify with them.

Why McLaren’s new front wing needs “a bit more work”

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With Audi's power deficit not as detrimental around Monaco as it has been elsewhere, this Formula 1 weekend was earmarked as a prime opportunity to add to its modest tally of two points.

Both Gabriel Bortoleto and veteran team-mate Nico Hulkenberg finished all three practice sessions inside the top 10 to tease what was possible later in qualifying and then the race.

But after completing a lap that was good enough for Q2, Bortoleto clipped the inside barrier on the entry into Nouvelle Chicane late during Q1, grinding to a halt with a broken front-left suspension to bring out a red flag.

Bortoleto was unfortunate that the tiniest of touches led to an early retirement, but when Motorsport put that to him the Brazilian wasn't interested in excuses and fully blamed himself for not leaving any margin.

"It was a very tiny touch, but it's not even about the touch," the 21-year-old sophomore responded. "It's about why should I take that much risk in that corner that we have seen drivers already breaking the suspension in the past?

“I would understand if it happens in a Q2 or a Q3 lap when we were pushing to the limits. But in a Q1 lap, I would say this was a mistake that I've not seen myself do often. But I need to reanalyse a bit and understand why I was pushing that much so early in qualifying.

"I pushed a bit too much in Q1 where there was no need because we had a car easily to go through Q1 at least. So, you can take a little bit more margin, build up some confidence."

Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi

Hulkenberg, meanwhile, was on the wrong end of a tight four-car battle for Q3, which was won by an elated Alpine driver Pierre Gasly.

But Audi did confirm it could have got close to a top 10 start and with it a decent chance to score points with a clean outing on Sunday afternoon. That realisation has made Bortoleto's qualifying mistake even more frustrating.

"The pace was there," he acknowledged. "It's just disappointing to know that you can be fighting for the points. It's difficult for us because we have only selected tracks right now that we can do that often, and Monaco was one of them.

"Monaco is a special track, so I really wanted to deliver a good job for the team. I feel like it's difficult to move on because I see how hard they work. I'm always very harsh on myself, because I'm harsh on them when things are not right as well.

"It's just a shame that I was not able to deliver what the team deserved."

Two worrying trends for George Russell as Kimi Antonelli keeps starring in F1 2026

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MotoGP teams have agreed to increase the distance between the rows on the starting grid from the upcoming German Grand Prix, Motorsport.com has learned.

The measure comes in response to the multi-rider crash that occurred at Turn 1 of the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit during the first restart of the Catalan Grand Prix, from which Johann Zarco has yet to fully recover. The Frenchman suffered a serious knee injury after his left leg became trapped in the rear section of Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati following a high-speed chain-reaction accident under braking at the first corner.

Since the incident, which took place in mid-May, officials from MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (MGPSEG), the championship promoter, have held several meetings with the Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers Association (MSMA) and team representatives to devise a strategy aimed at reducing, as much as possible, the congestion of bikes into the first corner of grands prix, where the majority of race-start accidents tend to occur.

Following a series of discussions, the parties held a final meeting on Saturday afternoon, from which emerged a two-phase roadmap.

Starting with the Sachsenring round on 12 July, the distance between each row of the starting grid will be increased by three metres, providing riders with more room and greater separation at the launch. At the same time, the intention is to ban the use of ride-height devices at the start of races from the British Grand Prix in mid-August, the first event after the summer break.

Carlos Ezpeleta, Dorna Sports

Teams have agreed to carry out an initial test of the revised procedure at the next round of the calendar, scheduled to take place in Brno in two weeks’ time. If the outcome proves satisfactory, the proposal will be submitted to the Grand Prix Commission for approval and the corresponding amendment to the regulations.

In practice, this is considered a formality given the broad consensus among all parties involved.

Speaking at Mugello last week, MotoGP sporting director Carlos Ezpeleta acknowledged that MGPSEG was evaluating a number of measures together with the teams and the MSMA, which are now set to be introduced as soon as possible.

“Changing the grid is a very, very significant modification for the championship and, depending on the space available between the starting line and the final corner, it could require substantial changes at some circuits,” Ezpeleta said in Italy last week regarding the proposal to increase spacing between grid rows.

The ban on ride-height devices had already been planned as part of the new technical regulations due to come into force next season, but the Barcelona accident has accelerated its implementation.

Unlike the rules that will apply from 2027, riders will still be allowed to use the rear ride-height device during the race itself. Initially, the possibility of introducing the ban only at Silverstone and Phillip Island was considered, given the higher level of risk posed by their fast, sweeping first corners when the field arrives in a tightly packed group. Ultimately, however, it was decided that the restriction should apply at all circuits.

“The proposal to ban ride-height devices is for every circuit [...]. It is now up to the manufacturers to evaluate it. This is a discussion with an expiry date because the devices will no longer be part of the sport in 2027, so the question is whether we can do something already this year,” Ezpeleta said at the time.

MotoGP proposes four safety solutions following Barcelona drama

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Shea Theodore scored the winning goal 5:38 into the second overtime period on Saturday to give Vegas a 5-4 victory over Carolina in one of the wildest games in Stanley Cup Final history.

The Golden Knights seized a 2-1 edge in the NHL's best-of-seven championship series with game four set for Tuesday, also in Las Vegas.

Theodore, who leads all defensemen with six playoff goals, got a measure of redemption after his penalty late in the third period set up Carolina's equalizer after Vegas led 4-0.

"That can't happen again," said Theodore.

"Defensively we have to be sharper. I fired that puck out of play with three minutes left. That's on me. I was fortunate to get it back there in overtime."

Theodore's off-target shot struck the boards behind the goal, but the puck bounced off the stick of Carolina's Jordan Martinook and struck the back of Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi's left foot then slid into the net.

"There were a lot of pucks bouncing everywhere," Theodore said. "I like the resiliency of our group. I like the way we started the second overtime and I thought we were playing more on our toes."

Vegas star Mitch Marner scored the fastest hat-trick in Stanley Cup Final games in only six minutes and 10 seconds as Vegas stormed to a 4-0 lead.

After Tomas Hertl netted a power play goal in the second period for a 1-0 lead, Marner took control.

- Marner records -

His first goal came off a deflection, the next on a backhand shot and the third with a blast from the right wing off the far post

Marner's three goals in 6:10 broke the former fastest final hat-trick of 6:21, set 69 years ago by Montreal legend Maurice Richard.

Marner had only the second natural hat-trick -- three consecutive goals -- in one period in final history, the other was by Ted Lindsay in 1955.

And it was the first one-period Cup Final hat trick since Peter Forsberg in 1996.

Carolina switched to backup goalie Bussi in the third period and he stopped Marner on the first Cup Final penalty shot in 19 years.

Bussi then watched the Hurricanes score three goals in 39 seconds, another Stanley Cup Final record, to put the game on a knife edge at 4-3.

Martinook scored 7:03 into the third period, Taylor Hall scored 26 seconds later and Jordan Staal netted a tip-in 13 seconds after that.

Theodore's delay of game penalty set up Andrei Svechnikov's power play equalizer with 1:42 remaining to take it to extra time.

The 28 playoff points by Marner this season are the most in NHL history by any player in his first campaign with a team, the 29-year-old Canadian arriving last year in a sign-and-trade deal from Toronto.

Marner passed along any praise to his linemates.

"Can't do it by myself, that's for sure," Marner said. "All five guys have been on a great page. I like our line's game a lot."

The Golden Knights won their sole NHL crown in 2022, the Hurricanes in 2006.

"We've got to just keep going, keep playing the same way we are, keep being aggressive and when we get our chances try and keep capitalizing," Marner said.

js/dh

World number one Nelly Korda birdied the last three holes in a four-under par 67 on Saturday to share the US Women's Open lead with Kim Sei-young going into the final round.

Korda, who was seven shots off the pace after a two-over opening round on Thursday, notched her second straight 67 for a six-under total of 207, putting herself in position to strike for a second straight major title this year after her triumph at the Chevron Championship in April.

She was joined on six-under by South Korean Kim, who carded a three-under 68 at Riviera Country Club, the iconic Pacific Palisades course that will host the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics golf competition.

"It's always amazing to be in this position," Korda said of the chance to challenge for a third career major title.

The American kick-started her round with a chip-in birdie at the third hole and rolled in an 18-footer at the sixth. She gave a shot back with a bogey at the eighth, but powered home with birdies at 16, 17 and 18.

"Just had a comfortable eight-iron on 16," she said of the shot that left her "solid, straightforward" five and a half-foot birdie putt.

At 17, she bombed her drive but missed the green, chipping to two feet to pick up another shot.

"And then 18 I smoked my drive and just had a nine-iron in," Korda said. "Pretty comfortable, nice little birdie finish.

"I'm really happy with how I grinded out the front nine and then took the opportunities that I had on the last three holes."

Korda has said her runner-up finish in last year's US Open fueled her hunger to win her national championship, but she said she can't let that desire get the better of her on Sunday.

"I think last year I really, really wanted it, and the more you want it sometimes the more you stiffen up and you get a little bit more nervous," she said. "I play my best golf when I'm happy, free Nelly ... so that's kind of the attitude that I'm going to have tomorrow."

- Under pressure -

Kim, whose 13 LPGA titles include a major at the 2020 Women's PGA Championship, was alone in first on six-under after birdies at the 10th and 12th, draining a seven-footer at 10 and a five-footer at 12.

But she missed the green at the par-four 15th and her chip left her 12 feet. She two-putted to drop a shot but birdied the 17th.

"I played better than yesterday, for sure," Kim said. "It has been a long time since I won a major championship, so maybe I'll play under pressure tomorrow but I'll try to just do what I have to do to focus on the course."

The leading duo were one stroke clear of South Korean Chun In-gee and American Jennifer Kupcho, who both shot 69.

Chun, who won the first of her three major titles at the 2015 US Women's Open, launched her round with an eagle at the first. She was tied for the lead after a chip-in birdie at 11 followed by a 21-foot birdie at the 12th but gave a stroke back at 16.

Kupcho, tied for the lead after a pair of front-nine birdies, dropped off the pace with bogeys at 12 and 13 but bounced back with birdies at 16 and 17.

Overnight co-leader Yin Ruoning of China carded an even par 71 to headline a trio sharing fifth on four-under 20. She was joined by Japan's Nasa Hataoka (68) and Mexico's Gaby Lopez (70).

bb/js

Argentina eased to a 2-0 victory against a lacklustre Honduras in the reigning champions' penultimate World Cup warm-up game in Texas on Saturday.

Lautaro Martinez and Giuliano Simeone scored the goals in a game dominated by Argentina in College Station.

Lionel Messi was on the bench but not used by coach Lionel Scaloni as he nurses the superstar back to fitness for the World Cup group games after he suffered a hamstring injury on May 24. 

A lethargic game burst into life on 37 minutes when Nicolas Tagliafico was fouled in the penalty area by Cristopher Melendez and Inter Milan forward Martinez drove home the spot kick low to his left to make it 1-0 on 37 minutes.

The lively Martinez was the creator when Argentina doubled their lead on 54 minutes as his intelligent backheel set up Atletico Madrid's Simeone to fire past Honduras goalkeeper Edrick Menjivar.

In other highlights, Giovani Lo Celso hit the crossbar with a superb curling shot from outside the area in the first half and Tomas Aranda's second-half attempt was well saved by the Honduras 'keeper. 

Honduras barely crossed the halfway line in the second half as Argentina exterted their dominance. 

Scaloni said that despite playing some of his younger squad members, his team showed they have a solid identity as the defence of their crown approaches.

"Maybe it could have been done better, but as for the team's hallmark, its identity, I think it remains intact, and that's the most important thing. That's what we're looking for, in the end, not to break that identity," he said.

Argentina face Iceland in their final friendly match in Auburn, Alabama on Tuesday before the three-time winners begin their World Cup group games against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City.

Scaloni has indicated that Messi could play a small part in one of the friendlies, meaning an appearance against Iceland is likely.

gj/rcw

Even after suffering a flat tire in practice, Denny Hamlin fought back in qualifying to secure pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

Hamlin was the final driver on the track, and he denied home hero Carson Hocevar by just 0.018s with a pole lap of 36.901s. This is Hamlin's 50th career pole and his second of the 2026 season.

They did a really great job, accounting for the damage on the bottom side. They re-balanced it, and it felt like they did a really good job. It was a handful, it was all I wanted, certainly. Hats off to this whole Toyota team. That was surprising ... I just noticed that I was chattering all the tires, it felt like, in the corners. It was the limit, for sure."

Championship leader Tyler Reddick will start third, Ty Gibbs fourth, and Chase Briscoe. Four of the fastest five qualifiers were all Toyotas.

Chase Elliott will start sixth, Kyle Larson seventh, Christopher Bell eighth, William Byron ninth, and Erik Jones tenth.

Qualifying recap

Berry spun exiting turn 4, reversed back to pits due to flat tires. Allmendinger had just started his qualifying run, so they needed to return to the pits to re-cool the No. 16 before giving it another attempt. Berry will start last on the grid after the spin, in P37.

After the first ten cars took a time, Bubba Wallace set the pace with a 37.133s lap, over three tenths clear of his closest challenger. 

The first driver to knock him off the top spot was Byron, the 15th driver to go out. He held P1 until his Hendrick Motorsports teammate dethroned him, with Larson becoming the first driver to reach into the 36-second bracket.

Gibbs then took the fight to the Hendrick duo, eclipsing Larson by just 0.014s. However, he did not stay there for long, with home hero Hocevar rocketing to the top with a 36.919s lap.

Reddick got very close, just 0.010s adrift of Hocevar's pole time. The Michigan native waited anxiously through the final group of cars, and was visibly disappointed when Hamlin knocked him off the top spot at the end of qualifying.

"It's a testament to these guys, they do a really good job," said Hocevar. "They're building fast race cars. Yeah, I would have loved to have gotten pole there, but third in the Truck race, second in Cup qualifying, so hopefully that's just a trend there. I would have loved to have that one ... I feel really good about our race car so starting up front is going to be super important, I know it's just qualifying, but damn, I didn't know I wanted it this much. It would mean a lot for so many reasons."

When asked if he felt bad for denying Hocevar at his home track, pole-sitter Hamlin said: "I remember Richmond, way back in '06 or '07, and trying to get a pole at my home track. I get it, I feel like that (a smidge) sorry for him."

Some notables that struggled in qualifying include all of Team Penske and Trackhouse Racing. The Penske cars qualified 18th with Joey Logano, 19th with Ryan Blaney, and 31st with Austin Cindric. It was even more dismal for Trackhouse, with Shane van Gisbergen leading the charge in 30th, Ross Chastain 32nd, and Connor Zilisch 34th. 

NASCAR Cup Michigan Starting Lineup

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Reigning Olympic champion Gabby Thomas won the women's 200 meters in 21.70 seconds, this year's world-fastest time, to capture the title on Saturday at the Lone Star Grand Prix.

With her effort in College Station, Texas, Thomas broke the former 2026 world best of 21.86 by reigning Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred of St. Lucia, set on April 30 in Austin, Texas.

Thomas seized the lead on the turn in hot and humid conditions and surged to victory with fellow American Kayla White second in 22.07 and Nigeria's Favour Ofili third in 22.15.

"I have to say I was a little surprised by the time," Thomas said. "But I've been training hard. Had a great little tour in Africa and I've been back to the track and I've been working and I'm glad it's paying off."

Thomas, who also captured Paris 2024 Olympic gold with the US women in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, has had a relaxed season.

"I get to pick the meets I want to do and I'm having fun with it," she said. "I look forward to waking up and getting to the track every day."

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It was 'Heim Time' once again!

Corey Heim, who is set to go full-time Cup racing next year with 23XI Racing, won Saturday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

The 2025 NCTS champion now has 26 career wins, and three in just five starts this year.

There was just 0.065s between Heim and TRICON Toyota Kaden Honeycutt at the checkered flag.

NASCAR Truck Series win No. 3 in 2026 for Corey Heim! He talks with @JoshRSims after getting it done in Michigan. pic.twitter.com/5aqBike2Qo

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 6, 2026

Just ahead of the leaders was Cleetus McFarland, and Heim used his draft to help hold a charging Honeycutt back in the run to the checkered flag. Cleetus finished on the lead lap in 25th, 12 positions higher than his last Truck start.

Behind Heim and Honeycutt, Carson Hocevar finished third, Layne Riggs fourth, and Chander Smith fifth. Christopher Bell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Connor Mosack, Jake Garcia, and Tyler Ankrum filled out the rest of the top ten.

Corey Heim holds off a hard-charging Kaden Honeycutt to WIN the @NASCAR_Trucks race at Michigan! ⏰🏁 pic.twitter.com/wK2ZwFaOu0

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 6, 2026

Stages 1 and 2

The battle for the lead was constant as drivers maximized the draft, with Bell, Majeski, and Hocevar all taking turns out front early.

Both Daniel Hemric and Tanner Gray got into the wall in separate incidents and had to pit under green. The first caution was for Frankie Muniz and Kris Wright, who both spun after colliding in a three-wide battle for position

On the following restart, Bell shadowed Hocevar and pushed him ahead, helping both trucks to breakaway from the pack.

With five laps to go in the stage, the patient Bell finally made his move, and claimed the Stage 1 win over Hocevar, Honeycutt, C. Smith, Riggs, Heim, Eckes, Ruggiero, Garcia, and Chastain.

During the stage break, Gray jumped to the front with a two-tire call, but he was quickly dispatched. Bell, Heim, and Hocevar formed a three-truck breakaway, pulling away from the pack. Layne Riggs had to make an unscheduled pit stop, and fell off the lead lap.

Bell went on to win Stage 2 as well, beating Heim, Hocevar, Honeycutt, C. Smith, Eckes, Chastain, Ruggiero, Enfinger, and Majeski.

Stage 3

Hocevar was not out front, and Heim had a slow stop as they struggled on the left-side. Friesen was also caught speeding, dropping him out of the top ten.

The next caution was for Cleetus, who spun on his own right after cracking the top 20. There was another quick yellow after that, this time for Friesen getting turned on the backstretch.

Trouble for Cleetus McFarland! He goes around in Michigan, but manages to keep it off the wall. 🫣 pic.twitter.com/zmPB3NjgsU

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 6, 2026

Honeycutt briefly took control before Hocevar regained control, but the next caution wasn't far off. Majeski got pushed out of the groove and spun, backing it into the wall and destroying his truck.

The timing of this yellow were mixed up the strategy. Garcia and Dye stayed out, while several trucks opted for a fuel-only or two-tire stops.

It was a very chaotic restart, and it did not stay green for long. There was constant contact, ending with Cole Butcher and Spencer Boyd crashing hard after Butcher cut a tire down.

Big trouble for Cole Butcher and Spencer Boyd late at Michigan! pic.twitter.com/gxxmzmJ0bY

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 6, 2026

The race went back green, and Hocevar remained out front. It was a five-truck breakaway in the battle for the lead.

Heim surged from third to first, taking the lead with 15 laps to go. Radio chatter indicated that Hocevar allowed it to happen, as he was attempting to clean debris from the grille. 

Corey LaJoie had to make an unscheduled pit stop from inside the top ten, and he was the lead Ram driver at the time.

With 10 to go, it was the Tricon duo of Heim and Honeycutt vs. Hocevar in the battle for the win. Honeycutt eventually passed Honeycutt, and worked with his teammate to get away and make sure it was a Tricon win.

On the final lap, he looked both low and high, but Heim defended every move, narrowly holding him back as they drag-raced to the finish line.

Corey Heim, Tricon Garage

Michigan NASCAR Truck complete race results

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

Aprilia riders have offered possible explanations to the marque’s lacklustre showing at the Hungarian Grand Prix so far, suggesting the performance issues are not solely down to the MotoGP track layout. 

After a dominant start to the 2026 MotoGP season in which it proved that the RS-GP is a well-rounded bike that can work at a wide variety of tracks, Aprilia hasn’t featured at the sharp end at Balaton Park this weekend.

While Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta stole the show for Ducati and KTM respectively, Aprilia was reduced to the third-best manufacturer on Saturday. This gap was particularly evident in qualifying, where the top Aprilia of Marco Bezzecchi finished sixth and more than six tenths down on polesitter Marquez.

MotoGP Hungarian GP: Marc Marquez beats Pedro Acosta to claim sensational pole

In the sprint race, Bezzecchi made a rapid launch to grab third early on but could pose no threat to Marquez or Acosta, finishing 2.7s off the lead. Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez finished right on Bezzecchi’s tail, factory rider Jorge Martin could only manage sixth, while Ai Ogura failed to even break inside the points.

Asked why Aprilia was suffering at the stop-and-go Balaton track, Martin said: “It seems like when we release the brake, we lose the line a bit. With less downforce, we struggle to turn at the slow corners.

“But then in T2, in the second sector, with a lot of downforce, we are super competitive. So, for sure, the bike is really good in terms of aerodynamics, but as soon as we lose the downforce, we struggle.”

Martin started the sprint in eighth and was trying to climb up the order when he was forced to take the shortcut at the chicane while following LCR Honda rider Diogo Moreira.

The Spaniard had to voluntarily drop time to avoid a penalty, halting his momentum in the sprint.

Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing

Speaking afterwards, Martin explained that he struggled with the front-end of the bike, which is supposed to be a key strength of Aprilia’s 2026 package.

“I did my best and I was catching even the group, but I went long again while in corner 15,” he said. “This was the consequence of not having a really good feeling overall. 

“I'm trying it, but it seems like I don't make the front work on the range. So I never have a good grip in the front. 

“The rear is not bad, honestly. But we need to understand this a bit and make it work. I think a small step in the set-up will help me a lot in terms of times.”

Changing conditions 

Meanwhile, Bezzecchi made several mistakes in qualifying, with his ideal lap time three tenths quicker than the one he strung together at the end of Q2.

The championship leader said he had no chance of matching Marquez and Acosta’s pace, even if he had caught up with them at the start.

However, he denied that Aprilia’s relative struggles in Balaton Park were down to the track layout, instead pointing to the changing conditions - including a sharp increase in temperature from Friday - as a major factor.

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

“The conditions this week have been quite different from last year,” he said. “The grip in general from the track has always been less. If you see, the lap times are quite slower compared to last year in general - not only the sprint but also in the free practices, in the qualifying.

“So it's difficult to find consistency, it's difficult to find a situation where conditions improve or at least are the same every session. 

“In the first couple of laps during the sprint, I was struggling and I was feeling like on ice. I don't think it's more a matter of a stop-and-go track, it's more a matter of trying to adapt better to this kind of situation where the conditions are changing.”

Fernandez believes the Balaton Park Circuit isn’t allowing Aprilia riders to extract the maximum performance out of the bike.

“On this track, we cannot use our bike 100% because our hard point is the stability, and here we don't have a corner with stability. You need a flowing bike,” he said. “Also, you have two riders [Marquez and Acosta] that are making the difference.”

Braking troubles

Ogura believes Aprilia riders are struggling with braking this weekend, but was at a loss to explain why the problem only appeared at Balaton Park.

“I haven't spoken with any other Aprilia riders yet, but I think everybody struggled in the same part,” he said. “I think the biggest limitation in qualifying was the straight braking. That's where we lost a lot of time compared to fast guys. 

“I think I said this many times that we improved the braking a lot. And I feel we are quite competitive on the brake, but not in this circuit.”

Asked why the Aprilias were struggling on braking at this venue, he added: I don’t know. I don’t really understand.”

Aprilia explains why it has not been in victory fight in Hungarian MotoGP

Why MotoGP’s Hungarian GP sprint turned out to be a procession

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

Richard Childress made himself available to the media on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway for the first time since the death of Kyle Busch.

As it turns out, this press conference had been scheduled for several weeks, and the time had been made available to formally announce that the two-time Cup Series champion was signing an extension with RCR for 2027.

The agreement was that close to being finalized. Childress says that Busch told him that they were going to make the Chase for the Championship if they kept bringing cars that were as competitive as they started to be.

Beyond that, he and interim crew chief Andy Street were starting to build something that everyone felt was a foundation for a more competitive future. That contract was never signed and what would have happened will be forever left to the imagination.

NASCAR community says there was a difference between 'Rowdy' and Kyle Busch

NASCAR CEO: 'Family reunion' every weekend will never be the same without Kyle Busch

“This is a different different type of media availability,” Childress said. “Instead of a press conference that he was coming back and racing for us in ’27 … I talked to Kyle on Tuesday night before everything went down on Wednesday night and Thursday and we had a great conversation talking about how he said, ‘you give me cars like you gave me the last three weeks,’ he said, ‘I will make The Chase this year.

“I mean we were that confident. Both of us had a lot of confidence in us. We haven't had the year that any of us expected or wanted. We started out like gangbusters and it just didn't go. We've had a lot of opportunities and we just didn't finish 'em off. But that's a tough part about today. Even walking in here, I was thinking, ‘what if he and I were walking in together instead coming in here and thanking the media for the support.”

Childress has been here before, of course, losing Dale Earnhardt on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 but it doesn’t get any easier.

“This has been, I mean both of them, you lose two of the greatest drivers that has ever driven a car in NASCAR and have to go through it again …,” Childress said. “I just feel so bad for the family and the employees and everybody. But yeah, I mean I hadn't slept very good lately and I'll leave it at that.”

Childress also said it is his every intent to have Austin Hill finish the season in what was the No. 8 car, now rebranded as the No. 33 but with the same crew and sponsorship lineup.

“I mean for right now Austin is going to drive as far as we're concerned the rest of the year,” Childress said. “We don't want to put a burden back on everybody trying to go from one driver to the other one.”

Meanwhile, Childress is preserving the stylized No. 8 for Brexton Busch, should the son of Kyle ever want to use it when the time comes. All told, Childress was just happy that he got a chance to race alongside one of the all-time greats and forge a personal relationship with him.

“Kyle will go down in history as one of the greatest race drivers that's ever been,” Childress said. “He’ll definitely be in the Hall of Fame. I'd love to see him put him in it right away. He helped RCR when we needed it. He came right in and we won three races the first part of the year, got a little off and we had a lot of opportunities to win other races and we just didn't finish and capitalize on them.

“But I think his legacy is going to be that he was a man that a lot of people thought he was tough to deal with and that we wouldn't last long. But he is a man that loves this sport. He loved it so much. He wanted to see his family carry on and I watched what he had going on with Brexton and I would go to the races over at Millbridge and watch them race together.

“I would see the enjoyment in Kyle’s eyes. Watching his son race was just unbelievable. His legacy will be in history. He'll go down as one of the greatest drivers of all time. He's won over 200 races and just all of us are going to miss him. You guys and ladies are going to miss having him in here after a win.”

Samantha Busch releases message of thanks for support after death of Kyle Busch

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The end of an era for Saracens, as the curtain finally falls on Mark McCall’s 17-year tenure, and the beginning of a new one for their fierce rivals Exeter Chiefs, who storm into the Prem play-offs with this comprehensive victory.

Just a year ago, Rob Baxter’s side finished in ninth place, forcing him to fast-track his development of a new side. Now his side will travel to Bath on Saturday hoping to book their place in the Prem final six years after their last title.

Baxter’s ability to rebuild yet another side in such a short space of time is remarkable, yet it was one of his veterans that stole the show, with Henry Slade almost single-handedly leading the charge and finishing the game as man-of-the-match with a 17-point haul.

Slade was magnificent, turning back the years with an all-court performance that could see him force himself back into contention for an England spot.

There was to be no fairytale finish for McCall, Baxter’s great rival, who is standing down at the end of the season. His side had kept alive hopes of reaching the play-offs by winning their last five games, but they were outgunned in a one-sided second half.

The game turned deep into added-on time at the end of the first half, when Saracens attempted to build on their 5-3 lead by kicking a penalty to the corner, only to lose possession and cough up a couple of penalties themselves as Exeter counter-attacked. Slade’s break forced Charlie Bracken to deliberately knock on his pass, with Campbell Ridl outside him. Bracken was sent to the sin-bin and from the subsequent line-out, Max Norey powered over for a try.

Saracens, who had looked the more dangerous side despite playing into a stiff breeze in the first half with the impressive Tobias Elliott finishing a fine move, looked composed as they attempted to run down the clock in Bracken’s absence. But from a loose turnover ball at a breakdown, Slade spotted a midfield mismatch and took off, and after an exchange between Ridl and Ollie Woodburn, then finished off the move in style.

Moments later, Slade turned the screw with a penalty to establish a 13-point lead and the burst of scoring sapped all confidence from Saracens, with Fergus Burke losing his composure by throwing a forward pass and then kicking a restart dead.

McCall has brought on Owen Farrell to rescue the game but Exeter were now in their pomp, with Slade and Len Ikitau dominating the midfield, and their forwards taking control of the set-piece.

Andrea Zambonin powered over from a tapped penalty for his side’s third try and although Nick Isiekwe reduced the deficit by crossing for a try, the Sandy Park crowd’s celebrations went into overdrive when Stephen Varney finished off a break-away attack that had begun deep in the Exeter half.

Match details

Scoring sequence: 0-5 Elliott try, 3-5 Slade pen, 8-5 Norey try, 13-5 Slade try, 15-5 Slade con, 18-5 Slade pen, 23-5 Zambonin try, 25-5 Slade con, 25-10 Isiekwe try, 25-12 Farrell con, 30-12 Varney try, 32-12 Slade con. 
Exeter: O Woodburn; P Brown-Bampoe, H Slade, L Ikitau (Z Wimbush 74), C Ridl; H Skinner, S Varney; S Sio (E Burger 62), M Norey (J Dweba 62), J Iosefa-Scott (B Tchumbadze 62), D Jenkins (R Tuima 72), A Zambonin, T Hooper, C Tshiunza, E Roots (K James 47).
Saracens: M Malins; T Elliott, N Tompkins, O Hartley, R Segun (N Caluori 54); F Burke (O Farrell 54), C Bracken (I van Zyl 66); E Mawi (R Carre 45), J George (T Dan 54), M Street (M Riccioni 40), M Itoje, H Tizard (N Michelow 66), T McFarland (N Isiekwe 54), B Earl, T Willis.
Yellow cards: C Bracken
Referee: Karl Dickson

Thanks for joining us!

That brings our coverage of the final day of the regular Prem season to an end, as Exeter clinched a play-off place with victory over Saracens and Bath secured second with a win over Leicester. Here are the resulting play-off fixtures we have to enjoy: 

• Semi-final one: Northampton Saints vs Leicester Tigers - Friday, 12 June (19:45 BST)
• Semi-final two: Bath vs Exeter Chiefs - Saturday, 13 June (15:00)
• Final: Saturday, 20 June (15:00) - Twickenham

Thanks for joining us! 

Watch: Varney seals victory

An Italian with some football 🇮🇹⚽️

Steve Varney seals the deal for @ExeterChiefs 👌

📺 Catch the post-match action on @TNTSports and @HBOMaxUKpic.twitter.com/c553OCYDaF

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) June 6, 2026

Parling ‘frustrated but proud’

Leicester Tigers head coach Geoff Parling speaking to TNT Sports: “Frustrated at the end result but really proud of the players efforts.

“We’ll move on pretty sharpish. It’s a short week and we’ll focus our attentions on Friday now”.

‘Leicester are such a formidable side’ - Du Toit

Bath’s hat-trick scorer Thomas du Toit spoke to TNT Sports shortly after full-time: “We know every time we play Leicester Tigers they are such a formidable side - they are rock hard.

“It was brilliant. We were joking before the closest I came to scoring a hat-trick was scoring in three games in a row.

“We are just so grateful to play at home. It doesn’t make it any easier - we know Exeter are a great side - but we are up for the challenge”.

End of an era

Defeat today means Mark McCall’s 17-year tenure at Saracens has come to an end. 

Baxter ‘emotional’ after win

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter speaking to TNT Sports: “I’m feeling pretty emotional about the whole thing. When you go through some of the things we went through last season and then you get a day like today, the highs and lows of sport are incredible.

“I don’t think I’ve enjoyed two minutes of rugby as much as I enjoyed the two minutes after Varney scored for a long, long time. That was the only time we could relax, Sarries were looking like here we go, they’re going to get back to one score, and all of a sudden we’re breaking.

“It’s a great feeling seeing a group of lads who have worked as hard as these guys have to achieve something. Now we’ve got to get our feet on the ground as quickly as we can and make sure we’re competitive, ready to go next week.

“It would have felt disappointing if we lost today although we’ve had a good season, now it will feel disappointing if we lose next season and we’ve had a good season. Still a lot to go.”

Semi-final line-up

Friday: Northampton Saints vs Leicester Tigers

Saturday: Exeter Chiefs vs Bath

‘It’s a really good feeling’ - Slade on reaching play-offs

Henry Slade to TNT Sports on reaching the play-offs: “It’s a really good feeling, we got used to it a while back, you don’t know how much you miss something until you haven’t got it, its been five, six years since we’ve been in the play-offs. 

“It’s awesome to have done it especially after last season, boys came into pre-season with the bit between their teeth. The boys have been fantastic.”

On whether it meant more because it wads Saracens: “Of course it did.” 

On what has changed this year: “Rob (Baxter) set it out for us at the start of the year, that we want to be a hard team to beat. We’ve got to fight for everything and that’s what we’ve been doing.”

“We’ve worked hard for each other and when you work hard you get your rewards.”

Watch: Slade’s second-half score

IT JUST HAS TO BE HENRY SLADE 😍🔥

On the counter attack Len Ikitau find Henry sle, who draws the man and realises Cameron Ridl, who pops it to Olly Woodburn who finds Slade on the inside to score for @ExeterChiefs

Will this be it now? 👀

📺 Watch live on @TNTSports and… pic.twitter.com/sWdp6icja1

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) June 6, 2026

Harlequins miss out on Champions Cup despite win over Saints

Tom Lawday snatched a late win for Harlequins against Northampton in his final appearance for the club but the 38-31 victory was not enough to secure Champions Cup qualification.

In a rollercoaster match, there were four changes of lead in the second half alone. Northampton led 31-24 with ten minutes to go after Toby Thame and Jonny Weimann profited from a loose Will Porter kick and then a Marcus Smith intercept. However Alex Dombrandt, the game’s outstanding player, were Harlequins level following a short range lineout. Then in the last play of the game - which featured a potential forward pass by Marcus Smith - Harlequins flew down the right hand touchline with Cassius Cleaves inside pass being finished by back-rower Lawday in a hugely popular score in an otherwise miserable season at the Stoop.

Northampton have secured a record number of points in a ten-team league and will now face Midlands rivals Leicester in the Prem Rugby play-offs on Friday night at Franklin’s Gardens.

TOM LAWDAY WINS IT FOR THE QUINS!!! 😱@Harlequins seal the win against Northampton Saints with a last minute try, scored by Tom Lawday in his final match for the Quins!

📺 Stream @TNTSports with @HBOMaxUKpic.twitter.com/m5b2Au1gJj

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) June 6, 2026

Final standings

Northampton had already sealed top spot, Bath hold onto their spot in second, Exeter climb up to third, Leicester drop to fourth and Saracens miss out. 

1. Northampton
2. Bath
3. Exeter Chiefs
4. Leicester
5. Saracens
6. Bristol
7. Sale
8. Gloucester
9. Harlequins
10. Newcastle

Full-time results:

• Bath 24 Leicester 22
• Exeter 32 Saracens 12
• Gloucester 54 Newcastle 21
• Harlequins 38 Northampton 31
• Sale 38 Bristol 17

Full time: Exeter Chiefs 32 Saracens 12

The clock ticks into the red and Exeter can bring this contest to an end, securing the place in the play-offs. A brilliant second-half display from the hosts. 

Full time: Bath 24 Leicester 22

Madness at the end from the Tigers, who had to attack from their own 22 to clinch a home play-off. With the clock in the red, Van Poortvliet attempted a chip over. 

Bath recovered possession, Ojomoh booted the ball out and the hosts have their home play-off. Chessum was absolutely furious with his scrum-half at full-time.

TRY! Exeter seal victory with classy Varney finish

Exeter Chiefs 32 Saracens 12 (Varney) Exeter are heading to the play-offs!

Varney kicks the ball into the Saracens half and it’s the Exeter man who wins the chase before nudging the ball towards the line and diving on it to seal victory for the hosts.

The conversion is there and the lead is back up to 20, with two minutes on the clock.

TRY! Pearson crosses but Bailey misses conversion

Bath 24 Leicester 22 (Pearson) There is late drama! Pearson goes over from a Perese offload, but Bailey’s conversion hits the post. We have a minute to play...

78 mins: Bath 24 Leicester 17

Is there a late twist to come here? Three minutes to play, Leicester camped on the Bath line, and Cokanasiga has just been sin-binned for an accumulation of penalties...

75 mins: Exeter Chiefs 25 Saracens 12

Hooper sells Dan with a wonderful step but his pass out wide falls just short of Ikitau. Wonderful feet from the Exeter forward, though.

TRY! Saracens reduce deficit with slick move

Exeter Chiefs 25 Saracens 12 (Isiekwe) Saracens stop the rot and set up a potentially tense ending at Sandy Park. 

The visitors produce a really slick passing move from right to left, working the ball out to Isiekwe, who crosses in the corner.

Farrell keeps his cool to make the conversion from out wide and Saracens are back to within two scores.

They couldn’t, could they? 

73 mins: Bath 24 Leicester 17

Just under 10 minutes to go here at the Rec and Bath hold their seven-point lead. It would require something remarkable here for Leicester to thwart the hosts from clinching a home semi-final.

71 mins: Exeter Chiefs 25 Saracens 5

Saracens intercept the line-out and break with pace down their right but Tompkins’ decision to go for the grubber-kick is a poor one, wasting a good position and giving Exeter an easy way out of a tricky situation. 

70 mins: Exeter Chiefs 25 Saracens 5

Hooper forces the turnover and Sandy Park celebrates. They know they are nearly there. Slade’s kick isn’t his finest work but it finds touch down the home side’s right. 

TRY! Zambonin crosses as Exeter pull clear

Exeter Chiefs 25 Saracens 5 (Zambonin) Exeter go for the tap-and-go after winning the penalty and they are pushing for the line down their right.

They are wearing Saracens down and eventually it’s Zambonin who makes the decisive surge over the line.

Slade makes the kick and the home side are 20 points clear with just 15 minutes to play.

64 mins: Exeter Chiefs 18 Saracens 5

Saracens defend the maul following the line-out really well, with Itoje making a big intervention, and they earn the scrum just in front of their line.

But Exeter then win the penalty at the set-piece and will go for the tap and go, a couple of metres short. 

Latest scores

• Bath 24 Leicester 17
• Exeter 18 Saracens 5
• Gloucester 49 Newcastle 14
• Harlequins 24 Northampton 24
• Sale 33 Bristol 12

62 mins: Exeter Chiefs 18 Saracens 5

Exeter are looking to put this one to bed now, with some really slick passing taking them up to the Saracens 22. But the visitors, who are visibly tiring, do manage to force the turnover. 

However, there was a tackle off the ball from Tizard and Exeter will have the penalty on their right. Slade kicks for the corner, finding touch within five metres of the line. 

60 mins: Exeter Chiefs 18 Saracens 5

Henry Slade has turned back the years here, almost single-handedly taking this game away from Saracens. Just as Saracens looked to be running down the clock on Bracken’s yellow card, Slade launched a thrilling counter-attack from a turnover, and after an exchange between Ridl and Ollie Woodburn, then finishes off the move. 

Moments later Slade turns the screw with a penalty to establish as 13-point lead. Saracens fly-half Fergus Burke looked to have lost his head, throwing a forward pass and then kicking a restart dead, and McCall has brought on Owen Farrell to rescue the game.

59 mins: Exeter Chiefs 18 Saracens 5

With Leicester trailing at the Rec, Exeter are climbing up to third as things stand, above Geoff Parling’s side. 

Itoje is penalised at the line-out and there are celebrations among the home players. 

57 mins: Exeter Chiefs 18 Saracens 5

Owen Farrell, Nick Isiekwe and Noah Caluori are all on for Saracens. Can they turn things around here? 

Play gets back underway with a Saracens scrum inside their own 22. 

Penalty! Slade edges Exeter further ahead

Exeter Chiefs 18 Saracens 5 (Slade) Exeter earn the penalty at the breakdown and Slade has the simple task of kicking through the posts from close range. 

Burke then sends his restart straight into touch and it’s all going wrong for Saracens at the moment. 

TRY! Du Toit hat-trick as Bath clinch lead and bonus point

Bath 24 Leicester 17 (Du Toit) It’s a hat-trick for Du Toit! The big tighthead, again, driving his way over from a metre out. 

A hint of a double movement? Perhaps, but the try was given, and frankly, it felt inevitable. Bath take a one-score advantage and have one leg in a home play-off.

TRY! Slade extends Exeter’s lead on counter

Exeter Chiefs 15 Saracens 5 (Slade) How big could that be? With Saracens still down to 14, Exeter score their second try of the day.

Saracens come forward with purpose but the hosts force the turnover and can break with pace down their left.

There is some great last-ditch defending from the visitors but Exeter have the overload and time their passing well, freeing Slade to cross for a crucial try. 

The conversion is there and the lead is up to 10. 

46 mins: Exeter Chiefs 8 Saracens 5

Saracens get the decision at the scrum and they can find touch down their left flank. A reminder that the visitors are down to 14 at the moment following Bracken’s yellow on the brink of half-time. 

44 mins: Exeter Chiefs 8 Saracens 5

Exeter produce a wonderful move from left to right but Ridl spills the final pass slung out to him on the flank by Slade. A huge opportunity missed by the hosts, the wing had green grass in front of him. 

41 mins: Exeter Chiefs 8 Saracens 5

We are back underway at Sandy Park, with Saracens kicking things off. As things stand, Exeter are six points ahead of the London side and clinching a play-off spot. That can all change in the next 40 minutes. 

Gloriously tense game at Sandy Park

So far it has been a gloriously tense do-or-die game. The conditions have made it tricky for both sides to win their line-out ball, but overall Saracens would have been happier with their performance. Playing into the wind, they looked more dangerous with their possession, with Exeter’s handling at times letting them down. 

And yet the last twist of the half may have just swung the momentum to Rob Baxter’s side. Saracens will have the conditions after the interval, but having surrendered the lead, must chase the game without their scrum-half Charlie Bracken while he is in the sin bin. This one looks like it will go to the wire. 

Away from the battle for the top four...

The main point of interest from the other matches is who will secure the final Champions Cup spot. Gloucester lead Newcastle Red Bulls 35-14 at half-time so look to have sewn up eighth in the table as Harlequins are drawing 12-12 with Northampton Saints. In the other game, Sale lead Bristol 26-12 at the break.

Games getting back underway

The play-off shoot-out at Sandy Park will be the last game to get back underway, given the first half went well beyond 40 minutes. 

But the other fixtures are starting to kick off for their second periods, including at the Rec. 

Watch: Exeter cross in dying seconds of first half

EXETER ECSTASY 😍🔥@ExeterChiefs nail the lineout, catch Saracens off guard, and Max Norey strikes from close range 😤

📺 Watch live on @TNTSports and @HBOMaxUKpic.twitter.com/teFCzci5k6

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) June 6, 2026

Half-time scores

• Bath 17 Leicester 17
• Exeter 8 Saracens 5
• Gloucester 35 Newcastle 14
• Harlequins 12 Northampton 12
• Sale 26 Bristol 12

Harlequins level with Saints

Jamie Benson’s try on the stroke of half-time has drawn Harlequins level with Prem Rugby leaders Northampton Saints at a sodden Stoop. 

Northampton have dominated so many aspects of this game, making almost twice as many carries and passes. However Harlequins, led by Will Evans and Jack Kenningham, have run riot at the breakdown, winning a staggering nine turnovers. 

When Saints’ handling has clicked, it was beautiful to watch with Fraser Dingwall initiating a lovely exchange of passes with James Ramm that resulted in Jonny Weimann’s opening try. Alex Dombrandt, one of very few players to enhance their reputation this season for Harlequins, replied with a short-range effort from a five-metre scrum but JJ van der Mescht also rumbled over from a couple of metres out. 

Harlequins had plenty of entries into the 22 but their suspect handling and line-out security were preventing them from capitalising until Marcus Smith and Cameron Anderson moved the ball quickly for Benson to bring the scores level at 12-12.

Big swing at Sandy Park

What a swing in the game with the final play of the half. Saracens had been in control, opting to kick a penalty to the corner with the half in added on time. 

But then after conceding a penalty at the breakdown, Exeter counter-attacked, and after Charlie Bracken deliberately knocked on a pass by Henry Slade to Campbell Ridl, the Saracens scrum-half was shown a yellow card. 

Exeter kicked to the corner and from the line-out Max Norey scampered over for a try. Saracens now have to manage playing the opening 10 minutes of the second half without their scrum half.

Half-time around the grounds

That try from Norey is the final action of this tense opening period at Sandy Park, with all four of the other fixtures already at the break. 

TRY! Norey crosses to give Exeter lead

Exeter Chiefs 8 Saracens 5 (Norey) Right at the end of this opening period, Exeter have the lead!

The line-out is really tidy from the hosts, and with everyone expecting Exeter to maul for the line, the ball is popped to Norey, who bursts over in the corner.

The conversion goes wide from Slade but Exeter move ahead for the first time this afternoon.

EXETER ECSTASY 😍🔥@ExeterChiefs nail the lineout, catch Saracens off guard, and Max Norey strikes from close range 😤

📺 Watch live on @TNTSports and @HBOMaxUKpic.twitter.com/teFCzci5k6

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) June 6, 2026

43 mins: Exeter Chiefs 3 Saracens 5

There is late drama at Sandy Park! Slade is bursting into space down Exeter’s right but just before he pops it to Ridl, Bracken knocks the ball out of his grasp.

There is a TMO check, with Exeter really unhappy, and the decision is deliberate knock-on, meaning Bracken is in the bin, but there was enough cover to avoid the penalty try. 

Exeter will have a line-out in the corner as they look to land a late blow in this first half. 

TRY! Van Poortvliet draws Leicester level

Bath 17 Leicester Tigers 17 (Van Poortvliet) The tit-for-tat nature of the game has continued - and we are even! A fabulous Leicester maul looked as if it would barge its way over but it came up just short; Van Poortvliet, however, is able to dart over to level up the scores. And that is the half at the Rec.

41 mins: Exeter Chiefs 3 Saracens 5

Saracens win a late penalty and can kick for the corner down their left, but they lose their line-out for the third time this afternoon. 

Exeter immediately win a penalty of their own and they will have one last attack as the clock ticks into the red. 

38 mins: Exeter Chiefs 3 Saracens 5

Massive moment here at Sandy Park, as after a review, a try by Rotimi Segun is ruled out after it reveals he loses possession after a tackle by Henry Slade in the left-hand corner. It came after a fine break by Fergus Burke. Still, Saracens are enjoying a purple patch and still hold the lead despite playing into the wind. 

TRY! Cokanasiga crosses for Bath

Bath 17 Leicester Tigers 10 (Cokanasiga) The hosts have just started to get the upper hand at the scrum which can often be the difference in these conditions.

Off the back of a scrum penalty, Cokanasiga crosses in the corner after a lovely Ojomoh pull-back.

It’s a nice try but, again, it remains a one-score game as the conversion goes wide.

33 mins: Exeter Chiefs 3 Saracens 5

Saracens keep the pressure on after Exeter’s clearance and Burke makes a wonderful line-breaking run to get into the home side’s 22.

The fly-half slings a pass out to Segun on the left and the wing shows great pace to just about squeeze over in the corner.

But there is going to be a TMO check, with Slade’s last-ditch tackle potentially causing a problem. And replays show the Saracens man just lost control of the ball before he slid over the line, so no try! A huge intervention from Slade. 

30 mins: Exeter Chiefs 3 Saracens 5

Saracens earn another line-out down their right flank in the Exeter 22 but again the passing is sloppy and the home side can gather and clear. 

Penalty! O’Connor reduces Bath’s advantage

Bath 12 Leicester Tigers 10 (O’Connor) Barbeary flies off his feet at a Leicester ruck and O’Connor has the easiest kick to reduce the deficit to two off the tee. It’s really nip and tuck here.

Latest scores

• Bath 12 Leicester Tigers 7
• Exeter Chiefs 3 Saracens 5
• Gloucester 7 Newcastle Red Bulls 14
• Harlequins 7 Northampton Saints 12
• Sale Sharks 26 Bristol Bears 0

23 mins: Exeter Chiefs 3 Saracens 5

Skinner takes a heavy knock from Earl at the breakdown. He is back on his feet but one to keep an eye on.

Saracens then earn a penalty at the breakdown and they can kick for touch down their right. The visitors shift it inside following the line-out but the move breaks down at the crucial moment and Varney can clear. 

Penalty! Slade reduces deficit from tee

Exeter Chiefs 3 Saracens 5 (Slade) Exeter win the penalty at the breakdown, and opt to kick for the posts from a central position. Slade steps up for the home side and it’s straight down the middle from the England man. 

TRY! Du Toit double gives Bath lead

Bath 12 Leicester Tigers 7 (Du Toit) It’s a second for Du Toit from close range, again from a driving maul, but that try belonged to Spencer who, from inside his own half, put a penalty punt onto the Leicester five-metre line.

The scrum battle is already heating up; despite the rain, this is already a slobberknocker. Carreras makes the conversion this time.

TRY! Du Toit provides swift response for Bath

Bath 5 Leicester Tigers 7 (Du Toit) A swift response from the hosts, after a Liebenberg deliberate knock-on gave them field position.

Like Leicester, Bath kept it tight, Barbeary came close from the driving maul before Du Toit surged over. How many times has the South African breezeblock done that?

Carreras can’t add the extras but this game already has an even, quarter-final feel.

11 mins: Exeter Chiefs 0 Saracens 5

A big statement by Saracens, who open the scoring with a try by  Tobias Elliot. It has been a nervy opening by Exeter, the try was a result of a mistake by Harvey Skinner, who kicked a goal-line drop out straight into touch, giving Saracens a five-metre scrum under the posts. After several pick and drives, Max Malins put Elliot over in the right hand corner.  

TRY! Elliott gives Saracens crucial advantage

Exeter Chiefs 0 Saracens 5 (Elliott) First blood to Saracens! It’s great patience from the visitors after being gifted a five-metre scrum and eventually it’s Elliott who crosses in the corner.

With Saracens pushing for the line, a couple of metres short, some slick passing from Malins releases Elliott on their right on two occasions, and the second time he has the space to finish the move off.

The conversion is wayward from Burke, so the lead remains at five.

TRY! Bailey gives Leicester early lead

Bath 0 Leicester Tigers 7 (Bailey) Leicester strike the first blow at the Rec.

Arundell is caught offside so the Tigers kick to the corner. The visitors, in the inclement weather, choose to keep it tight before O’Connor flashes to the short side, feeds Bailey, and the centre scores against his old club.

O’Connor converts and it’s the perfect start for Leicester.

5 mins: Exeter Chiefs 0 Saracens 0

Exeter are sloppy at the lint-out and Saracens can clear down the field. Bracken charges down a kick, causing a moment of panic in the hosts’ 22 but Skinner can sweep up and cleae the danger. 

3 mins: Exeter Chiefs 0 Saracens 0

It’s a strong start from the home side and they win an early penalty at the breakdown, with Elliott at fault. 

Skinner kicks for the corner down Exeter’s left and they’ll have an early opportunity with to get on the board at the line-out. 

1 min: Exeter Chiefs 0 Saracens 0

We are underway around the grounds, including at Sandy Park, where Exeter’s Skinner kicks things off, with the hosts going from right to left in the opening period. 

Sandy Park pays its respects

There is a moment of silence at Sandy Park to pay respects to the three members of the Royal Navy who died in a helicopter crash during a training exercise in Devon on Wednesday. 

Here we go...

The teams are making their way onto the pitches around the grounds and we are just a couple of moments away from getting underway. 

Watch: George delivers passionate team-talk

Jamie George is PUMPED 🫡

Look what this means to @Saracens 💪 pic.twitter.com/ocsnmZI6VK

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) June 6, 2026

Have your say

We are less than five minutes away from kick-off in the Prem’s final round of fixtures in the regular season. Who do you think will come out on top at Sandy Park? 

McCall’s last dance?

Mark McCall standing in the middle of the pitch, alone with his thoughts, watching his players warming up. Is this going to be his last game in charge of Saracens after 17 years?

Saracens’ late surge for the line

Saracens have found form at the right time this season, having won each of their last five Prem fixtures to put themselves in play-off contention on this final day. 

Mark McCall’s side have beaten Sale, Leicester, Bristol, Gloucester and Harlequins in their last five outings. 

‘Great for the neutral’ - Van Graan on final day battles

Ahead of the visit of Leicester, Bath head coach Johann van Graan said: “It’s great for the neutral. It could come down to the final play, and this is why we coach and play. It’s not about pressure, it’s about enjoying the moment.

“I’m loving it, the players are loving it. The Prem is in such a great place and we should enjoy that because it wasn’t like this a few years ago”.

Baxter on Saracens rivalry

Discussing Exeter and Saracens’ rivalry this week, Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter said: “The two of us fighting out for top four in the end of the season shows it’s back on and these games are loaded and now it’s up to us to take our opportunities more than Saracens take their opportunities.”

Battle to avoid bottom two

A reminder that at the other end of the table, Sale, Gloucester and Harlequins are battling for the final two Champions Cup spots (7th and 8th).

Wet conditions to play in Leicester’s favour

Nice weather for ducks? Dolphins, more like. Since my arrival in Bath just after midday, the heavens have yet to close. Shoes in tatters; if anyone knows a trenchfoot specialist in the South West, send them my way. 

Both teams are out warming up and, despite Leicester’s newfound desire to shift the ball to their swift wings, it feels as though this weather might suit them. In a do-or-die battle, the Tigers will fancy their chances at going toe to toe with Bath’s front five.

Good stuff! pic.twitter.com/JdBrDpeIyi

— Charles Richardson (@CharlesRTel) June 6, 2026

How things stand

McCall has ‘massive respect for Exeter’

Saracens head coach Mark McCall, ahead of what will be his final game for the club if they are beaten, said this week: “I have massive respect for Exeter, especially for what they have done this year.”

Speaking to BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly, he added:“They came off a really tough season last season and to turn it around in the manner they have, you can only applaud them for that.

“They are a great club. There is obviously a rivalry, but we have been enjoying the last couple of months a lot and our motivation is much more internal to be honest. And I think there is another level we can go to.”

This afternoon’s fixtures

All five matches in this final round of fixtures of the regular season are kicking off at 3:15 this afternoon:

• Bath vs Leicester Tigers
• Exeter Chiefs vs Saracens
• Gloucester vs Newcastle Red Bulls
• Harlequins vs Northampton Saints
• Sale Sharks vs Bristol Bears 

Our rugby experts predict what the Prem play-off line-up will be

With Saracens and Exeter battling for the final play-off spot, the latter still in contention for a third-placed finish, and Leicester and Bath tussling it out for second, our experts have given their predictions on how the top four will look this evening. 

Chief Rugby Correspondent Gavin Mairs says: “Saracens have been playing knockout rugby since April and have kept alive outside hopes of reaching the play-offs and extending McCall’s last season after 17 years in charge by winning their last five league matches. 

“The fear for Saracens is that they have expended a lot of mental and physical reserves in doing so. Baxter has rebuilt his squad in after a tough season, and Exeter, with the benefit of home support, should edge it.”

Check out the full set of predictions here. 

The skipper has spoken

We are less than 45 minutes away from kick-off in this afternoon’s five fixtures. Maro Itoje was seen a few moments earlier delivering his Saracens side an onfield team-talk ahead of their crunch match with Exeter at Sandy Park. 

Exeter despise Saracens, and the Prem is all the better for it

Hate is a strong word, but Exeter really do not like Saracens. The dislike stems from the Chiefs believing that they were “cheated” out of three Prem titles, between 2016 and 2019, when Saracens defeated them in the final only for salary-cap breaches to be discovered and retrospectively punished. 

Exeter’s victory in the 2017 semi-final at Sandy Park, with Henry Slade’s extraordinary touch-finder setting up the winning finish, remains an aberration for the Chiefs in knockout matches during that era.

A British summer

A weather update from Telegraph Sport’s Charles Richardson at the Rec earlier today...

It might end up as one for the purists in Bath today… if you have tickets in an uncovered stand, bring a poncho (and a canoe)! pic.twitter.com/8u2XAEVdpv

— Charles Richardson (@CharlesRTel) June 6, 2026

Harlequins vs Northampton Saints line-ups

Harlequins: Benson; Anderson, Murley, Bradley, Cleaves; Smith, Porter; Hobson, Riley, Streeter; Green, Lewies, Kenningham, W Evans, Dombrandt (capt).

Replacements: Staples, Wenger, Delgado, Treadwell, Petti, Lawday, Townsend, Bellamy.

Northampton: Pater; Martin, Litchfield, Dingwall (capt), Ramm; Belleau, Weimann; Fischetti, Langdon, Kundiona; Lockett, Van der Mescht, Kemeny, Pearson, Graham.

Replacements: Wright, West, Tonga’uiha, Munga, Chick, James, Thame, Hendy.

Gloucester vs Newcastle Red Bulls line-ups

Gloucester: Redshaw; Loader, Llewellyn, S Atkinson (capt), Thorley; C Atkinson, Englefield; Rapava Ruskin, Blake, Fasogbon; Clark, Alemanno, Thomas, Trenholm, Ventor.

Replacements: Innard, Bleuler, Knight, Gwynne, Clement, Austin, Knight, Edwards-Giraud.

Newcastle: E Grayson; H Obatoyinbo, Hearle, Arnold, E Obatoyinbo; Connon, Benítez Cruz; Hancock, McGuigan (capt), McCallum, Hodgson, Scott, Leatherbarrow, Christie, Lockwood.

Replacements: Fletcher, Clark, Palframan, Cardall, Parsons, Elliott, Healy, Wade.

Sale Sharks vs Bristol Bears line-ups

Sale: Carpenter; O’Flaherty, Roebuck, Ma’asi-White, Reed; Ford, Quirke; Opoku-Fordjour, Jibulu, Harper, van Rhyn (capt), Bamber, Dugdale, Kelly, T Curry.

Replacements: Longstaff, McEachran, Bell, Andrews, Logan, Warr, James, Wills.

Bristol: Lane; Heward, Bates, J Jenkins, Boshoff; Worsley, Randall (capt); Woolmore, Gwilliam, Lahiff, Dun, Taylor, Owen, Thacker, Batley.

Replacements: Hill, Grahamslaw, Chawatama, Halliwell, K Jenkins, Wolstenholme, Pepper, Harris.

Those teams in full

Bath: De Glanville; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Ojomoh, Arundell; Carreras, Spencer (capt); Obano, Tuipulotu, Du Toit; Hill, Ewels, Bayliss, Underhill, Barbeary.

Replacements: Frost, Van Wyk, Sela, Molony, Richards, Carr-Smith, Redpath, Reid.

Leicester Tigers: Pearson; Radwan, Wand, Bailey, Hamer-Webb; O’Connor, Van Poortvliet; Smith, Blamire, Heyes; Henderson, Chessum (capt), Liebenberg, Reffell, Cracknell.

Replacements: Clare, Van der Flier, Hurd, Martin, Watson, Bemand, Kata, Perese.

Leicester team news - O’Connor returns

James O’Connor returns at fly-half for Leicester Tigers, while Ollie Hassell-Collins is replaced by Gabriel-Hamer-Webb.

Cameron Henderson and Olly Cracknell also come into the side. 

Ready for The Rec in Round 18 🔥

Bath Rugby V Leicester Tigers
Sat 6 Jun | 3.15pm pic.twitter.com/8sxEk68urj

— Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) June 5, 2026

Bath team news - Russell remains out

With Finn Russell still sidelined with a tight calf, Santi Carreras moves to 10 with Tom de Glanville coming in at full-back.

Josh Bayliss replaces Ethan Staddon, while Alfie Barbeary starts in place of Guy Pepper.

𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦'𝐬 𝐮𝐩 🔥🛁

The final round of the season is here as we host Leicester Tigers at The Rec. Here's your Blue, Black and White for Round 1️⃣8️⃣.

A home play-off up for grabs, read the full story 👉 https://t.co/HlPeHsKajRpic.twitter.com/3a2DKf0j4v

— Bath Rugby (@BathRugby) June 5, 2026

Those teams in full

Exeter: Woodburn; Brown-Bampoe, Slade, Ikitau, Ridl; Skinner, Varney; Sio, Norey, Iosefa-Scott, Jenkins (capt), Zambonin, Hooper, Tshiunza, Roots.

Replacements: Dweba,Burger, Tchumbadze,Tuima, James, Cairns, Wimbush, Hammersley.

Saracens: Malins; Elliott, Tompkins, Hartley, Segun; Burke, Bracken; Mawi, George, Stree, Itoje (capt), Tizard, McFarland, Earl, Willis.

Replacements: Dan, Carre, Riccioni, Isiekwe, Michelow, Van Zyl, Farrell, Caluori.

Saracens team news - McFarland comes in

Mark McCall brings Theo McFarland into the Saracens team for what could be the pair’s final game for the club, with the forward replacing Nick Isiekwe.

Rotimi Segun returns on the wing after being out with a knee injury. 

𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫.@StoneX_Officialpic.twitter.com/nseKAAE9tR

— Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) June 5, 2026

Exeter team news - Feyi-Waboso out

Exeter are without Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who has undergone surgery for a facial injury suffered last week, and is replaced by Paul Brown-Bampoe.

Christ Tshiunza comes into the team in Rob Baxter’s only other change, replacing Greg Fisilau, who also has a facial injury.

𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠'𝗦 𝗨𝗣!

🥊 top four on the line
🏠 last one at home
💥 old rivalry reignited

Full team news 🔗 https://t.co/x7elHsxTx6#EXEvSAR | #JointheJourney | @LinealSoftwarepic.twitter.com/xhH2ZT8XUr

— Exeter Chiefs (@ExeterChiefs) June 5, 2026

Exeter host Saracens in play-off shoot-out; Bath and Leicester battle for second

Good afternoon and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live coverage of the final day of the Prem’s regular season, with all 10 teams kicking off at 3:15pm. 

The key fixture this afternoon is at Sandy Park, where Exeter Chiefs host Saracens in a shoot-out for the final play-off spot, while Leicester Tigers travel to Bath in a battle for second and a home semi-final next week. 

Exeter start the day in fourth, three points ahead of Saracens and knowing they will be in the play-offs if they can avoid defeat against the London outfit, while they could climb to third with victory, depending on the outcome at the Rec. 

Mark McCall’s side, meanwhile, will clinch fourth-place with a win unless they do so without a bonus point, with Exeter claiming two losing bonus points. Should the two sides finish level on points, which could only happen with a Saracens victory, the visitors would sneak through with an extra win to their name this season. 

There is an injury blow for the hosts, with England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso sidelined having undergone surgery for a facial injury suffered last week. Mark McCall brings Theo McFarland into the Saracens team for what could be the pair’s final game for the club.

In a repeat of last season’s final, Bath and Leicester meet at the Rec this afternoon, with the visitors starting the day two points behind the defending champions, but both teams knowing victory will secure a second-placed finish. 

Elsewhere, Northampton Saints, who have already secured top spot, travel to Harlequins, Gloucester host Newcastle Red Bulls, and Sale Sharks take on Bristol Bears. Sitting from seventh to ninth, respectively, Sale, Gloucester and Harlequins are battling for the final two Champions Cup berths. 

2	Max Verstappen (Red Bull)	1	Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
4	Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)	3	Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
6	George Russell (Mercedes)	5	Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
8	Lando Norris (McLaren)	7	Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
10	Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)	9	Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
12	Carlos Sainz (Williams)	11	Alexander Albon (Williams)
14	Franco Colapinto (Alpine)	13	Nico Hülkenberg (Audi)
16	Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)	15	Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
18	Sergio Pérez (Cadillac)	17	Esteban Ocon (Haas)
20	Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)	19	Oliver Bearman (Haas)
22	Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)	21	Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

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Iran's World Cup squad is expected to arrive in Mexico early Sunday under the shadow of a bitter diplomatic row between Tehran and Washington, after the United States refused to issue visas for some team support staff.

The dispute erupted just days before Thursday's kickoff of the 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The Iran team departed Turkey, where they had been training, on Saturday bound for Mexico, Iranian television announced.

They are expected to arrive early Sunday in Tijuana, a border city in northwest Mexico where they will be based for the tournament's duration.

Iran are due to play their three group games on US soil, making the first World Cup to see a host nation receive the team of a country it is at war with.

Iran switched their base to Tijuana from their original base in Tucson, Arizona in late May.

The team spent nearly three weeks at a training camp in Antalya, using their time in Turkey to apply for visas to travel to Mexico, Canada and the United States.

On the eve of their departure for Mexico, the players received their US visas, Washington's envoy to Turkey Tom Barrack said on X late Friday.

But Iran's embassy to Turkey issued a furious response, saying support staff had been denied visas -- 15 administrative and management staff are concerned, an Iranian diplomat and state TV said.

"You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level," the embassy wrote Saturday on X, calling for world football's governing body FIFA "to hold the US accountable for violations of its rules."

Adding to the tensions, Iran's ambassador to Mexico said Saturday the squad had been notified that under their visa conditions, the team must enter and leave US soil on the same day as their matches.

"We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day," Iran's envoy Abolfazl Pasandideh told reporters.

That appeared to contradict what the team's spokesman Amir Mahdi Alavi told state TV earlier.

"The visas issued for the national team are multiple-entry visas, and the national team will arrive at the match venue one day before the first game and, for the following games, two days prior to each match," Alavi said.

FIFA rules for World Cups stipulate that a team's coach must give a news conference on the eve of the match at the venue where the game will be played.

- 'Abuse this system' -

Iran's Football Federation, whose chief Mehdi Taj was reportedly among those denied a visa, has described the decision as "political interference in sport in its worst form."

In response, a US administration official confirmed that "the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup, including for athletes and necessary support staff, have been issued." 

Without directly addressing the matter of those whose visas were refused, the official added: "We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses."

In April, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any problem would not be with the Iranian players but "some of the other people (they) would want to bring with them," suggesting ties to the Revolutionary Guards, a group on the US terror blacklist. 

Taj himself is a former Guards member, Iranian media in the diaspora have reported. 

The visa kerfuffle has impacted the Iraqi team as well. 

The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency said Saturday that Iraq's national team had landed in Chicago on Friday, and that two members were subjected to additional screening.

"Following inspection, one traveler was admitted to the United States. The second traveler, a photographer and NOT a player on the team, was determined to be inadmissible and was denied entry," CBP said in a statement.

The Middle East erupted when the United States and Israel started bombing Iran on February 28. An April 8 ceasefire, which largely halted the fighting, has come under strain from recent exchanges of fire. 

Iran are in Group G and will play New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, followed by a game against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

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Marc Marquez said he felt “stronger than expected” at Balaton Park, but had to go into “super sport mode” to win the Hungarian Grand Prix MotoGP sprint.

The factory Ducati MotoGP rider was the fastest rider at the 4.1km circuit on Saturday, beating KTM’s Pedro Acosta to pole position before dominating the half-distance race.

Although Marquez admitted on Friday that he remained quick over a single lap on soft tyres, he had concerns about his fitness in race trim - having still not fully recovered after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder last month.

But after showing he could maintain his pace in the 13-lap contest, the Spaniard explained that the result was a combination of improved physical condition and renewed confidence on left-hand corners.

Although anti-clockwise tracks like Balaton Park have always been his speciality, Marquez had been feeling slower than other Ducati riders at left turns since the start of the 2026 season.

“I'm stronger than what I expected," he admitted. “I arrived here with the feeling of Mugello, so I feel very far. But the fact that the circuit changed and [it has more] left corners, I started to ride in a better way. 

“In the first part of the season, I was not the fastest Ducati in the left corners; now I start to be the fastest one, I start to play well with the body. So it makes my life easier in this circuit. 

“But, I'm slower than last year here. So let's see if tomorrow we can manage the race.”

Nevertheless, Marquez made it clear that he is not able to ride at his 100%, warning that his shoulder continues to limit him on track.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Asked how he was feeling after the sprint, which took place in much hotter conditions compared to Friday Practice, he replied: “Not bad. Tomorrow, the key point is to understand when I feel the drop, because the mental side is continuing in the racing mode, but the body is not following. 

“I need to be very careful, because just a small mistake in a change of direction, the body position, as happened in Le Mans, can cause a crash. So it's what we don't want. 

“With the adrenaline, it's difficult to feel what's going on, but you feel like every lap you are getting stiffer and stiffer. And every lap you are playing less with the body on the right side. 

“My brother [Alex Marquez] was joking to me in Mugello, and today a bit also, because when I get tired I start to ride like Norick Abe. Just compensate with the left side and the right corner.” 

Marquez believes the key to his victory was extending a two-second lead in the opening three laps and managing the gap to Acosta in the remainder of the race.

“The strategy was clear. Yesterday, I was in eco mode, today in super sport mode, and tomorrow, I need to be in sport mode. 

“I was in super sport mode because since the first lap of every practice in the morning, I gave everything.

“I was riding fast, and in qualifying practice, I rode in a normal way for a single lap. And then in the sprint, I go out and I ride full attack the first three laps, and then I just manage the distance.”

With this result, Marquez now faces a 97-point gap to Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi in the championship.

MotoGP Hungarian GP: Marc Marquez dominates sprint to claim comeback win

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Max Verstappen has categorically ruled out any prospect of diving into Red Bull's famous hospitality pool as he recounted an incident from a previous season which left him disgusted. 

For years, the spectacular Red Bull Energy station has been the centre of the Milton Keynes outfit's post-Monaco Grand Prix celebrations. The time-honoured tradition of team personnel and drivers hurling themselves into the swimming pool has provided some of the championship's most iconic photos - Daniel Ricciardo's 2018 celebrations come to mind.

But Verstappen has firmly shot down any chance of him following in the footsteps of previous Red Bull Monaco winners. 

When Verstappen's team-mate Isack Hadjar confirmed that he would jump into the pool if he won on Sunday, joking, "I'm going naked," Verstappen explained why he wouldn't. 

"So last year, I saw a guy literally take his socks off, right? And you know sometimes when you have socks, they leave behind the residue, the little blue fluff or whatever? He put his feet in the water, with the fluff on his feet," he said in a video posted to the Red Bull Instagram account.

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"So if you win, good luck. I will be watching you, but I'm not jumping in the water."

Verstappen has won the Monaco Grand Prix twice previously in 2021 and 2023. The Dutchman currently sits seventh in the drivers' standings with 43 points after the opening five rounds. He will be hoping to pose a threat to Ferrari, which is expected to be strong around the streets of Monte Carlo. 

The Maranello outfit topped the timesheets in the opening two practice sessions, and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli was on top in FP3. Verstappen finished FP1 and FP2 in third and FP3 in fifth.

The Monaco Grand Prix will take place on Sunday 7 June at 3pm local time (2pm UK time).

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Having already secured four Formula 1 drivers' championship titles, Max Verstappen has set his sights on "smaller achievements" in the series after completing his F1 bucket list. 

The Dutchman claimed four consecutive titles between 2021 and 2024, and narrowly missed out on the 2025 trophy to McLaren's Lando Norris. While reflecting on his achievements, which also include 71 grand prix wins, 128 podium finishes, 48 pole positions and 37 fastest laps, Verstappen admitted that his main F1 career ambitions have already been fulfilled.

Instead, the 28-year-old's focus has shifted towards more nuanced, technical milestones. Speaking ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Verstappen told Vogue: "I would like, of course, to win a championship again. But no—there’s no real bucket list. The main ones have all been completed.

"What I want now are smaller achievements—like achieving a win on our own power units, stuff like that. I’m just passionate about racing, and trying to build more knowledge—even down to computing power, and AI, which is in a way quite scary, but cool. You need to be a little bit of a geek for these kinds of things, but I like it."

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Red Bull entered the 2026 season having built its own power units. The Milton Keynes outfit's long-standing power unit partnership with Honda came to an end in 2025 and it shifted its efforts to Red Bull Powertrains in collaboration with Ford. 

This came at the turn of the regulations, which now focus on an almost 50:50 split between internal combustion and electric power, although this is expected to be altered in 2027.

After the opening five rounds of the season, Red Bull sits fourth in the constructors' standings with 57 points, Verstappen is seventh in the drivers' standings with 43 points and his new team-mate Isack Hadjar is 12th with 14 points.

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Williams driver Carlos Sainz admitted the team's disappointing 2026 campaign came as a shock, but said the action plan the team has put in place has restored his faith in the squad.

When Sainz signed for Williams after losing his Ferrari drive, there was clearly no doubt that the move would be a downgrade, at least for a considerable period while Williams embarks on a transformation from an underfunded, antiquated also-ran into a top team to go toe-to-toe with F1's big four.

But while Williams vastly exceeded Sainz's wildest expectations in year one, 2026 has swung the opposite direction with a FW48 car that has been well adrift due to a lack of downforce and excess weight, despite spending most of 2025 focusing on the new regulation changes.

Why it will 'take time' for Williams to cut weight off its heavy 2026 F1 car

In public, Sainz and the team have kept the peace, but it is clear - and understandable - that there has been real frustration that the Grove squad isn't making the expected progress after all the emphasis that had been placed on this season and beyond. Williams' move to the front was always going to be a long-term, gradual process, but that didn't make its sudden step backwards less of a shock, Sainz admitted.

"I think we acknowledge that fundamentally even without the weight issue, this car is not good enough for what it could have been or should have been," was Sainz's verdict in Monaco, after he and team-mate Alex Albon combined for only seven points over the first five race weekends.

"Speaking very bluntly this year, we've underdelivered in many, many areas and that's why we've hit a pretty big bump because I think we didn't expect to underdeliver in so many of those areas.

When asked if 2026 tested his faith in his choice for Williams, he replied: "Tested my faith? For sure. When you go from scoring podiums at the end of last year to suddenly being where we were - two seconds off the pace at the beginning of the year - it's a big test of faith or a big shock to the system."

Carlos Sainz can't escape his Ferrari past

The 2026 season has been particularly painful due to the stark contrast with an unexpectedly strong 2025, when the team placed fifth in the standings and Sainz took two surprise podiums in Azerbaijan and Qatar. In hindsight, it feels like the team outperformed the real level of its operational capabilities, with it then trying to pull off more than its processes could handle as it developed and built the 2026 car.

"I think last year we over delivered as a team," the Spaniard added. "The FW47 was a good race car with its strengths and weaknesses, but we definitely managed to create a car that was able to score podiums. In my first year with the team, I was not expecting that. I was expecting to maybe be a solid midfield car but not to at [some] races be fighting with Mercedes and Ferrari head-to-head on outright pace. And that probably also raised my expectations for 2026. Then 2026 came and it was almost the opposite."

The biggest topic is now how Williams will respond. Team boss James Vowles has never shied away from the idea that perhaps he has pushed through more systemic change through Williams's organisation than it was able to cope with. But the hope is the 2026 slump has exposed more weaknesses that the team can now address, and which otherwise may have stayed under the radar.

Sainz has likened Williams's situation to the McLaren team from three years ago, an oft-used analogy, when McLaren languished at the back of the grid before making rapid progress.

Carlos Sainz: Williams slump was

"I was the first one to say to James and to the management that it was not expected, but at the same time we had very open and clear conversations of where things started going wrong," Sainz detailed.

"We did a very thorough analysis with some very important members of the team, and I think once we all understood where it had started to go wrong and how, I very quickly realised that it might have actually done good things for the team.

"The road to recovery of a team is never a straight line. The best example is McLaren at the beginning of 2023, they were really far down, and they ended the year on a high and from there came the big progress.

"It propelled some very interesting changes inside the team [in terms of] mentality, changes of approach that were needed that maybe without the bump we would have never changed, and we would have never corrected.

"Thanks to the shock of that bump, James and his team put [in place] a very strong action to correct them, to erase them from the system. That made me recover a lot of faith and belief in the project."

Ferrari's Fred Vasseur to skip Saturday at F1 Monaco GP

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Meanwhile, more changes to its current car are coming, with Williams trying to strategically let its weight saving efforts coincide with suites of aerodynamic upgrades to spend its resources efficiently.

Next season, Williams is planning to skip a year with the naming logic of its chassis and go straight from FW48 to FW50. That gesture is intended to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its first F1 entry in 1977. Sainz and Albon will also be hoping it coincides with the historic team taking two steps forward instead of repeating 2026's one step back.

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Ferrari Formula 1 team boss Fred Vasseur will not be present at the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday due to ongoing medical checks.

Track action for final practice is due to commence at 12:30pm in the principality ahead of qualifying at 4pm for which Vasseur will not be at the circuit.

It means his usual roles will likely fall on deputy team principal and ex-F1 driver Jerome d'Ambrosio, who has held that position since October 2024 following a year at Mercedes.

A Ferrari statement read: “Fred Vasseur will not be present at the circuit today. Following some medical checks, Fred will remain under observation at a local medical facility.

“No further medical information will be provided. We wish Fred a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back at the track soon.”

Expectations are high at Ferrari because slow-speed corners are a big strength of the SF-26 and that was witnessed on Friday when the Scuderia finished 1-2 in both FP1 and FP2. 

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

FP1 saw Charles Leclerc lap 0.226s quicker than Lewis Hamilton with a 1m13.978s, before the seven-time world champion struck back in FP2 by beating his team-mate by 0.111s.

Many are looking at the Scuderia to end Mercedes’ perfect start to 2026, in which it has won all five grands prix, particularly when Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished third in both practices.

But Ferrari is not getting ahead of itself, as speaking on Friday Vasseur claimed “I don’t care about this kind of approach or rumours that we have to do the job”.

“It's a very long way in Monaco from Friday first to the quali and to the race,” he added.

“The most difficult is that you have to anticipate the evolution of the track, the evolution of the grip.

“You have to be always one session ahead. This is a real challenge for the team and for the drivers. It's still a long way and we'll see tomorrow evening about the real pace.”

Those thoughts were echoed by Leclerc, who took Ferrari’s latest victory at the principality in 2024 before Lando Norris won for McLaren in 2025.

“Red Bull, and Max especially, was very close to us in FP2,” said the Monegasque as Verstappen was just 0.168s off Hamilton.

“I expect them to be very strong, I expect McLaren and Mercedes, as well, once they put everything together in qualifying, they will be very close.

“So I think it’s going to be a tight qualifying and more than what people expect.”

F1 Monaco GP: Lewis Hamilton tops FP2 in another Ferrari 1-2 while Lando Norris retires

F1 Monaco GP: Charles Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in twice red-flagged FP1 

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