The Ospreys have criticised the WRU plans – stating that they believe a four-team model remains the way forward – and have had a summer of change.

After spending last season in Bridgend, they will play at a revamped St Helen’s in the 2026-27 campaign thanks to a joint redevelopment venture with Swansea Council.

A first fixture at home is scheduled to be against Dragons in the United Rugby Championship (URC) on 24 October, swiftly followed by another derby against Cardiff.

Ospreys have lost Wales captains Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan to Gloucester but head coach Mark Jones has had a busy recruitment drive.

Wales back Tom Rogers has signed from Scarlets and three Australians have arrived in Liam Wright, Lawson Creighton and Lalakai Foketi, with another move lined up for ex-Wallabies wing Marika Koroibete.

Ospreys played amid uncertainty last season when owners Y11 Sports and Media attempted to take over rivals Cardiff, only for the deal to collapse in April.

Devdutt Padikkal plays a shot during day one of the first Test against Sri Lanka. (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak credited Devdutt Padikkal’s preparation and improved back-foot game after the left-hander produced a composed unbeaten 131 to put India in a strong position on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka. Padikkal, batting at No. 3, brought up his maiden international hundred as India reached 288 for two at stumps.Padikkal’s innings was built around calculated shot selection and an ability to adapt to Sri Lanka’s spin-heavy attack. Kotak said the 26-year-old had specifically worked on his back-foot game during his preparations at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, while also developing his options against turning deliveries.“I am so happy for him because he was actually waiting for his opportunity. The way he played here and in the warm-up match, it’s really encouraging,” Kotak said at the post-day press conference.

Back-foot game key to Padikkal’s success

Kotak explained that Padikkal’s preparation had focused on developing multiple ways of putting pressure on spinners, particularly when the pitch offered turn. The batter’s ability to move back and create room, combined with occasional use of the sweep and charge down the track, allowed him to keep Sri Lanka’s bowlers from settling into a rhythm.“Preparation, I would say, overall the way Devdutt, was preparing and I saw it in the NCA (BCCI CoE)…he was working on his back foot game. We try that when we expect a turn from a pitch.“We also tried to work on step-out, sweep besides the back foot game. So, a lot of credit goes to him, the way he has prepared himself for the last couple of years,” he added.Padikkal’s innings reflected that preparation. He was predominantly comfortable playing off the back foot but was also willing to step out when he needed to dominate the spinners.

No. 3 debate remains open

Padikkal’s century could also add another dimension to India’s selection decisions once regular No. 3 Sai Sudharsan returns from his toe injury. Kotak, however, suggested the team is less concerned about rigid batting positions and more focused on how players adapt to match situations.“I think Devdutt batted really well. So Sai also has been batting really well at that number. But the thing is they all are new ball batsmen. So they open, they go number three, so, we are very flexible.“But I would look at the way they bat, how they are adapting to conditions, how they are dealing with the different stages of a match, and that is very important for me rather than number three or four or five,” he added.

Sri Lanka also impressed by Padikkal

Padikkal’s performance drew praise from Sri Lanka’s spin and fielding coach Jordan Gregory, who felt the Indian batter and KL Rahul had successfully put pressure back on the hosts. Rahul also made a significant contribution before retiring hurt.“I think firstly, credit to Padikkal. I think that he batted superbly today and so did KL. Unfortunate for him to get injured,” Gregory said.Gregory also praised debutant off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha for the way he handled the challenge of bowling against India’s batters.“It’s very encouraging to see that Kesh on his debut had asked a lot of questions and created a lot of opportunities.“So credit to him. I could imagine there may have been a couple of nerves from his side. But I’m very proud of him and the way he bowled on his debut,” he added.

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India began their FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 campaign with a 3-1 victory over Wales in their opening Pool D match at the Wagener Stadium on Saturday. Sanjay and captain Harmanpreet Singh put India in control with two penalty-corner goals in the first quarter. Sanjay opened the scoring in the eighth minute before Harmanpreet doubled the advantage three minutes later. India continued to control proceedings after the break, and Harmanpreet scored his second of the match in the 43rd minute, converting another penalty corner to make it 3-0.

Wales eventually found a way through in the 55th minute, with Sam Welsh scoring after a scramble inside the circle. India’s defence, however, held firm in the closing stages to secure all three points.

The win puts India at the top of Pool D as they look ahead to their next fixture, against England on August 17.

India have been drawn in Pool D along with England, Wales and arch-rivals Pakistan. Having won the 1975 edition by beating Pakistan 2-1 in the final, the World Cup glory has eluded India for the last 50 years.

Having registered a ninth-place finish in the 2023 edition held at Bhubaneswar, India is aiming to bring the gold home, riding on the back of the momentum of two back-to-back Olympic bronze medals, an Asia Cup title win, two Asian Champions Trophy wins and an Asia Cup gold.

Ahead of the opening fixture, Harmanpreet Singh said the side is determined to end the country’s 51-year wait for the FIH Hockey World Cup title, insisting that the team is ready to give its all in the tournament.

Speaking to JioStar, Harmanpreet said the World Cup presents a major opportunity for the team, especially with several senior players in the squad.

“The World Cup means a lot to all of us because after this World Cup, you never know what might happen. There are several senior players in the team as well, so for us, this is a great opportunity,” Harmanpreet said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Just over a month after retiring from tennis, Roberto Bautista Agut has returned to competitive sport – this time on a football pitch.

The 38-year-old former Wimbledon semi-finalist has signed for Spanish seventh-tier side CD Els Ibarsos and scored twice in a 4-2 win on his debut in a pre-season match.

The Spaniard’s tennis career featured 12 singles title wins plus a Davis Cup triumph with his country in 2019.

Achieving success on the football field is now his challenge.

“It’s a new stage of life that’s making me very happy”, Bautista Agut said on Instagram.

“May the good start continue!”

Bautista Agut returns to football after playing for Villarreal’s youth teams until the age of 14, before opting to pursue a career in tennis.

Els Ibarsos, who are based about 60 miles north of Valencia, said Bautista Agut was presented to fans before he made his debut, and the club are looking forward to watching him play for a “whole season”.

“It’s official: Roberto Bautista Agut is a C.D. Els Ibarsos player,” the club wrote on Instagram.

“Thanks to everyone who came out to support us and create a great atmosphere on an unforgettable evening. And thank you, Roberto, for putting your trust in this project and this town.”

During his tennis career, Bautista Agut reached a highest world ranking of ninth in late 2019, boosted by his run to the last four at Wimbledon earlier in the year.

Australian fast-bowler Josh Hazlewood exuded confidence, saying Australia can still go on to win the first Test against Bangladesh despite the Asian side bossing things in Darwin on Saturday. Hazlewood stated that if the team can bat deep on Day 4, they can have the opportunity to take 10 wickets and still win the Test match, which looks far from their grasp as of now. Bangladesh ended the third day still on top of the hosts, who were 161/4 with a trail of 67 still upon them. All-rounder Cameron Green (43) and wicketkeeper batter Alex Carey (19) are in the middle with Beau Webster and Pat Cummins waiting in the wings.

“Once we tick those [runs] off, hopefully we’re still four down, and you can start to build the pressure,” Hazlewood said after the end of Day 3, as quoted by Cricinfo.

He added that the wicket is still showing signs of variable bounce and hoped to take the 10 wickets if the wicket remains up and down.

“I’m not sure how the wicket will play. Obviously we haven’t played much in Test cricket [here]. It was showing a little bit of signs of up and down. If we can bat deep into tomorrow and potentially even the whole day, maybe there are always opportunities to take 10 wickets on the final day if the wicket is a little bit up and down. So [the] win is still definitely in our mind, and always is pretty much. So we’ll look to do whatever we can to move towards that.”

For Australia to scrape through with a win, they would need to overturn their biggest ever trail in a home Test. They were trailing by 228 runs after the visitors made 426 in reply to Australia’s 198. The previous biggest deficit they overcame for a win at home was 206 against Pakistan in 2010 at the SCG. The biggest deficit that they overcame for a win anywhere is the 291-run trail against Sri Lanka in 1992, a Test which they won by 16 runs.

Green holds the key for Australia as he looks to post a strong score to shrug off recent question marks over his position. He could well have been dismissed on 12 if not for an inside edge grazing his leg stump without breaking it.

“You definitely need luck in cricket, that’s for sure,” Hazlewood said on Green’s lucky survival. “I think his intent has been good. He’s looked to score from the outset. I thought even in the first innings, it was probably just summing up the situation more so in that time, just before whatever break it was.

“I think he’s shown good intent from ball one in both innings. [He] looked to score, put the pressure back on the bowler. Yeah, a little bit of luck goes a long way sometimes. So you never know.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz was confident that the visitors could keep the target low and register a famous win Down Under. “We are playing on a good wicket, so all we want to do is bowl in the right areas,” he said. “We have to work hard for each wicket. We had to do a lot to get those four wickets today. We are trying to give away as few runs as possible. If we can take at least three or four wickets within these [67] runs, then we won’t have a difficult target coming up.

“We want to give them as few runs as possible. They have a lot of good batters remaining, so getting at least three more wickets is our priority. I don’t want to predict the future, but we must own the first session on day four.”

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Elsewhere in European football, former midfielder Xavi Hernández was appointed head coach of the Dutch national team. The 46-year-old had been out of management since the end of his spell at Barcelona in 2024.

Day three of the European Aquatics Championships in Paris saw 19-year-old Italian Sara Curtis set a new world record in the 50m backstroke semi-finals. Later in the evening, Romania‘s David Popovici claimed his third consecutive 100m freestyle title, while Sweden‘s Sarah Sjöström won a record-equalling 18th continental gold.

Team France added two silver medals to their tally at the European Athletics Championships on Wednesday, with Muhammad Abdallah Kounta coming second in the 400m final before Just Kwaou-Mathey also finished runner-up in the 110m hurdles.

It has been an excellent Saturday morning for the Irish athletes in Birmingham.

Kate O’Connor achieved a PB in the heptathlon long jump and is now in the gold medal position, PBs came for David Kenny and Oisín Lane in the Men’s Half Marathon Walk, Sarah Healy and Sophie O’Sullivan qualified for the Women’s 1500 Final, the Women’s 4 x 100m Relay team set a new National Record and qualified for the Final, and the Men’s 4 x 100m Relay team posted a Season’s Best and also advanced to tonight’s Final.

O’Connor in gold medal position

Kate O’Connor has moved into the gold medal position after Saturday morning’s action in the heptathlon at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.

O’Connor began her morning with a PB of 6.55m in the long jump, and had a best effort of 50.16m in the javelin competition after that.

With one event, the 800m at 7.45pm this evening, remaining, O’Connor leads overall on 5,812, with a 51-point advantage over Emma Oosterwegel of The Netherlands on 5,761, with her compatriot Sofie Dokter in the bronze medal position with 5,741 points.

Healy & O’Sullivan qualify for Women’s 1500m Final

Both Sarah Healy and Sophie O’Sullivan qualified for Sunday evening’s final of the women’s 1500m. Both participating in heat two, Healy took third with 4:08.12 and O’Sullivan was fifth in a time of 4:08.88 with the first six advancing to the final. 

Obvious delight for Sophie O’Sullivan in making the 1500m final #rtesport #EuropeanAthletics pic.twitter.com/KCIsDvLdG3

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 15, 2026

Earlier Jodie McCann took to the line for the first heat of the women’s 1500m. Despite being prominent for the first few laps, once the pace increased the Irish woman found herself drifting back, ultimately finishing in 13th place in the heat. Her time of 4:14.63 was well outside her PB of 4:06.81, and did not qualify for the final.

Women’s & Men’s 4 x 100m Relay teams make finals

Ireland’s Women’s 4 x 100m Relay team of Lucy-May Sleeman, Ciara Neville, Sarah Leahy and Lauren Roy set a new National Record in the heats this morning. Running a new Irish record time of 43.13 seconds, the team finished fourth behind Italy, Britain and Portugal.

The first three finishers qualified for the final with the next two fastest teams over the two heats also gaining final berths in the final. With Ireland finishing eighth overall, they gained a place in tonight’s final.

It was a case of ‘having to make the final’ for Bori Akinola, Sean Aigboboh, Marcus Lawler and Israel Olatunde in the 4x100m men’s relay #rtesport #EuropeanAthletics pic.twitter.com/wIOaLUn5xo

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 15, 2026

The men’s 4 x 100m Relay team of Bori Akinolo, Seán Aigboboh, Marcus Lawler and Israel Olatunde followed that soon afterward by also booking their place in the final. Running in heat 2, the men ran a season’s best time of 39.13 seconds in finishing fourth behind automatic qualifiers Italy, Germany and Belgium. With the sixth fastest time overall, Ireland booked the final spot for Saturday night.

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