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European Challenge Cup – Ulster 28-24 Ospreys: Murphy praises ‘grit’ in hard-fought win

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Ulster head coach Richie Murphy has praised the “grit” shown by his side in grinding out a 28-24 win over Ospreys in Saturday’s European Challenge Cup last-16 tie at a windswept Affidea Stadium in Belfast.

Cormac Izuchukwu, David McCann, Jacob Stockdale and Nick Timoney all scored tries as the Irish province defied the difficult conditions to book a quarter-final against French side La Rochelle in Belfast on Friday.

The Welsh side led 17-14 at half-time but with the wind in their favour after the break, Murphy’s team battled back to claim victory.

The hosts survived a scare in the dying minutes when Kieran Hardy’s potential match-winning try was ruled out because of a forward pass in the build-up after consultation with the Television Match Official [TMO].

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“A little bit of relief definitely. It never was going to be easy and the conditions obviously made it very difficult,” said Murphy after the game.

“We created quite a few opportunities in the first half but didn’t quite pick the right pass.

“That put us under a little bit of pressure and we conceded a couple of early scores to them and defensively we were just a little bit off but we are in the last eight, we’ve got work to do and we’ve got a week’s prep now to lead into La Rochelle which will be really exciting.”

The Ulster head coach added that some handling errors were inevitable given the weather conditions, which he described as the worst he had witnessed for a game during his tenure.

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“We showed a nice bit of grit, we stuck at it and we got over the line.

“Created the opportunities, didn’t take them, so next week we’ve got to work on our skills in training and make sure we take them next time,” he reflected.

Murphy says the prospect of taking on Ronan O’Gara’s team next week is an exciting one.

“It’s a massive game for us, it’s at home. I know they have had a tough enough season but they’re one of the top teams in Europe and when they come to town it’s really exciting.

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“We’ll brush ourselves down, we’ll review really hard on Monday and get back to work and make sure we turn up a little bit more polished, a little bit more tidy in and around our decision making.

“If we can do that we can cause any team a threat so we’re excited about what’s ahead.”

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Ryan O’Hearn homers and drives in 4 to lift Pirates over Orioles 8-2 for 5th straight win

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ryan O’Hearn homered and matched a career high with four RBIs as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-2 on Sunday to sweep a three-game series and extend their winning streak to five.

O’Hearn hit a two-run shot to right-center in the first inning. In the second, his two-run double highlighted a four-run outburst as the Pirates pushed their lead to 6-0.

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Oneil Cruz made it 8-1 with a two-run homer to center field in the sixth. He also singled home a run in the second.

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Cruz’s homer came off left-hander Cade Povich. The center fielder is 7 for 10 with three homers against lefties after going 11 for 108 with one homer last season.

That was plenty of support for Braxton Ashcraft (1-1), who allowed one run and four hits in six innings. He had a career-high eight strikeouts and no walks.

Pirates starters have given up two earned runs or fewer in each of their eight games since 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes was tagged for five runs while only getting two outs against the New York Mets on opening day.

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Orioles starter Chris Bassitt (0-2) was roughed up for six runs in two innings. Signed to an $18.5 million, one-year contract as a free agent just before spring training, the right-hander has given up 10 runs over 6 1/3 innings in two starts.

Pete Alonso had an RBI double and Taylor Ward got three hits for the Orioles, who lost for the fifth time in six games.

Up next

Orioles: Were undecided on a starter for Monday night when they open a three-game road series against the Chicago White Sox and Erick Fedde (0-1, 5.40 ERA).

Pirates: Begin a three-game home series with San Diego on Monday night as rookie RHP Bubba Chandler (0-0, 0.00) faces RHP Germán Márquez (0-1, 12.00).

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___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

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Astros ace Hunter Brown (shoulder) placed on 15-day IL

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MLB: Los Angeles Angels at Houston AstrosMar 26, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) pitches against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros placed ace right-hander Hunter Brown on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a right shoulder strain.

The move was retroactive to Thursday.

Brown finished third in American League Cy Young Award balloting last season. He is 1-0 with an 0.84 ERA in two starts this season, striking out 17 in just 10 1/3 innings.

Brown, 27, last pitched Tuesday when he defeated the Boston Red Sox. He gave up one run and one hit and struck out eight against two walks in six innings.

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There was no immediate word on how long Brown might be sidelined. Houston announced the move before manager Joe Espada met with reporters prior to the club’s Sunday afternoon road game against the Athletics.

Brown made the AL All-Star team for the first time last season when he went 12-9 with a 2.43 ERA in 31 starts. He struck out a career-high 206 and posted a stellar 1.03 WHIP.

He is 37-31 with a 3.44 ERA in 102 appearances (94 starts) since reaching the majors in 2022.

The Astros promoted right-hander Christian Roa from Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move. He had a 6.75 ERA in two relief appearances for Houston earlier this season.

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The 27-year-old pitched one scoreless inning of relief in his lone outing for Sugar Land this season.

–Field Level Media

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Harvey’s passed-in horses claim successive wins at 2026 The Championships

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Gerry Harvey, the owner-breeder and entrepreneur, offered a timely advisory to yearling buyers when two passed-in horses from his stock notched feature victories one after another at Randwick.

In a span of just 35 minutes, after his homebred mare Chidiac secured the Country Championships Final (1400m), colt Campione D’Italia dominated the Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).

Part of the ownership for Campione D’Italia involves Harvey with an elite partnership including Newgate Bloodstock owned by Henry Field, and the colt had also been passed in at sales.

“I passed it in, and Henry Field and I had a talk. I said, ‘I want six hundred (thousand dollars) mate’, and he said, ‘I’ll give you five hundred’ and I said, ‘get lost’. Then I thought I better do it,” Harvey said.

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“It’s a very exciting day because we just had the country winner as well. We passed it in for $25,000. No-one wanted it.

So if you want to buy a horse from my horse studs, always buy the passed-in ones. Never buy in the ring. You’ll do much better buying a passed-in one.”

Campione D’Italia, by Snitzel, elevated his stallion value via the Group 1 conquest, extending from a powerful fourth in the Golden Slipper (1200m) closing from the rear.

The horse’s trainer, Chris Waller, highlighted the enhanced starting position and steady improvement as decisive.

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“Today was his fourth career start and each run has got a little bit better, a little bit better,” Waller said.

“His run in the Golden Slipper was amazing. He just got too far back. It was no-one’s fault, and the horse is just learning all the time.

He got a lovely draw today, and that was the difference between having him in the firing line or going back like he was last start.

It was good to see him knuckle down and get the job done.”

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A next step could be the Champagne Stakes (1600m) for Campione D’Italia, emulating stablemate Militarize who achieved it three years back after Sires’.

“Militarize, he won the Sires’ and then he won the Champagne, so I’ll have a talk to the team and see what they suggest,” Waller said.

“We’ve got to nurse him a little bit, so we’ll see how he comes through it.”

At $4.20, Campione D’Italia held off Miss Chanel ($15) by three-quarters of a length, followed identically by stablemate Fireball ($18) in third.

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The Champagne Stakes is on the table for Fireball subject to how he pulls up.

Follow Sires’ Produce Stakes developments with sports betting options at premier betting sites.

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How to unlock the Stranger Base in Be a Lucky Block

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Be a Lucky Block is a tycoon-based simulation game where you play as a block running on a treadmill. NPCs will chase and break you open, revealing a Brainrot. Your objective is to escape their plans and return to your base to store the Brainrot, allowing you to earn revenue. The new Be a Lucky Block update added a new plot skin called Stranger base to the game. You can acquire it once you have collected all Brainrots from the Ink and Alien Events.

This article covers everything about the Strange Base in Be a Lucky Block.


Everything about the Stranger Base skin

The Stranger Base skin (Image via Roblox)The Stranger Base skin (Image via Roblox)
The Stranger Base skin (Image via Roblox)

To get this alluring skin in the title, you will have to collect all 10 Brainrots from the Ink and Alien Events. The Luminous base skin featured a similar requirement to this. Since this Roblox experience now has four events that take place every four hours, it is going to be challenging to acquire specific Brainrots, as the run time of these events is very short. Hence, the only way to complete this feat is by joining the game at regular intervals and keeping note of the next event’s timer.

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To avoid confusion, it is worth mentioning that all base skins in Be a Lucky Block do not provide any perks or buffs to the game and are just mere cosmetics, meant to elevate the look of your plot. Here are the Brainrots you will need to get the Stranger Base in this title:

Alien Event units:

  • Spaceshipini Tortini: 50%
  • Astro Bandito: 40%
  • Chachelien: 9%
  • Aliensini Octosini: 0.95%
  • La Vacca Galactica: 0.05%

Ink Event units:

  • Glorbo Inkdrillo: 50%
  • Inknina Bombardino: 40%
  • Ink Din Din Dun: 9%
  • Cavallo Inkuoso: 0.95%
  • La Vacca Singolarita: 0.5%

How to get the Ink and Alien Brainrots?

To get the Ink and Alien Brainrots, you will need to venture into the treadmill, where there’s a 40% chance of getting caught by an NPC. After getting caught, you get caught, wait for the bosses to break the Block to reveal the Brainrot. Only then should you escape the plot through the portal to get back to the safe zone. Note that your chances of getting them increase during an Admin Abuse event.


FAQs on Be a Lucky Block

How do you unlock the Stranger Base in Be a Lucky Block?

To unlock the Stranger Base skin in Be a Lucky Block, players must collect all 10 Brainrots from the Ink and Alien Events.

Do base skins provide any gameplay advantages in Be a Lucky Block?

No, base skins in Be a Lucky Block are purely cosmetic, and they do not provide any boosts, perks, or gameplay advantages.

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How to get Ink and Alien Brainrots?

The best way to obtain Ink and Alien Brainrots is to participate in the treadmill while an event is active and let these NPCs capture your Lucky Block and break it to reveal a Brainrot. After the Brainrot appears, you must escape through the portal to safely return to your base to get it.