Every tackle, turnover and successful dual was being celebrated long, loud and together by England’s players as they zeroed in on a first home win over New Zealand in 12 years.

The biggest cheer though was reserved for referee Angus Gardner, whose voice was broadcast NFL-style over the stadium speakers – a new innovation for this autumn – as he reviewed and ruled out a score by Beauden Barrett for Caleb Clarke’s knock-on.

However, England ultimately could not keep the visitors at bay.

The replacement front row – Fin Baxter, Theo Dan and Dan Cole – could not maintain their grip on the scrum and the penalty count ticked up against the home side.

Finally Tele’a, forced back into the fray after an injury to Beauden Barrett, pirouetted through Ford’s tackle and held off Harry Randall to dot down.

There was still time for more drama, but not another twist in the scoreline, as Ford planted a long, but straight penalty shot against the post and then clipped a last-gasp drop-goal wide.

In England’s last outing at Twickenham back in March, Smith had landed a final-play drop-goal from a similar spot to defeat Grand Slam-chasing Ireland.

This time, they could not muster the same accuracy and were left with a vastly different feeling as they tasted narrow and bitter defeat once again.

England: Furbank; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Lawrence, Freeman; M Smith, Spencer; Genge, George (capt), Stuart; Itoje, Martin; Cunningham-South, T Curry, Earl.

Replacements: Dan, Baxter, Cole, Isiekwe, B Curry, Dombrandt, Randall, Ford.

New Zealand: Jordan; Tele’a, Ioane, J Barrett, Clarke; B Barrett, Ratima; Williams, Taylor, Lomax, S Barrett (capt), Vaa’i, Sititi, Cane, Savea.

Replacements: Aumua, Tu’ungafasi, Tosi, Tuipulotu, Finau, Roigard, Lienart-Brown, McKenzie.

Mike Malott and Trevin Giles meet Saturday in the main card opener of UFC Fight Night 246 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 1-4
UFC main cards, 2024: 90-85-3

Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles UFC Fight Night 246 preview

Malott (10-2-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) returns for his second fight of 2024, looking to erase the sting of a frustrating loss to Neil Magny in January. The result was the Dana White’s Contender Series veteran’s first loss in the UFC. Malott won his first three fights in the promotion. … Giles (16-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) has never lost three in a row, and enters his second fight of the year on a two-fight skid. Prior to being finished by Gabriel Bonfim and Carlos Prates, Giles picked up a pair of decisions over Louis Cosce and Preston Parsons.

Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles UFC Fight Night 246 expert pick, prediction

Despite having guaranteed, high-level action fights like Victor Henry vs. Charles Jourdain on the prelims, the UFC matchmakers decided to kick off the main card with a welterweight matchup between Malott and Giles.

In the matchmakers’ defense, whenever they disrespectfully go against Joe Silva’s tried and true method of booking lighter-weight men’s divisions to set proper entertainment tones, they at least pick welterweight or middleweight fights that have a high potential for finishes.

From a stylistic perspective, there are potential finishing points across the board in this fight between Malott and Giles.

Giles is the more experienced of the two, but he is also the type of fighter who can surprise you with how good he looks until spontaneously combusting at the hands of an opponent.

Whereas Malott, who can find finishes out of nowhere, is also not beyond going from cruise control to internal combustion in the blink of an eye.

Still, even though you can argue either party is untrustworthy, I can’t help but pick Malott to rise to the occasion in this spot.

The pick is Malott to score a club-and-sub in Round 2.

Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles UFC Fight Night 246 odds

The oddsmakers and the public favor the Canadian fighter, listing Malott -310 and Giles +240 via FanDuel.

Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles UFC Fight Night 246 start time, how to watch

As the main card opening bout, Malott and Giles are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 8:05 p.m. ET (5:05 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.

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Marc-Andre Barriault and Dustin Stoltzfus meet Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 246 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 1-4
UFC main cards, 2024: 90-85-3

Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus UFC Fight Night 246 preview

Barriault (16-8 MMA, 5-7 UFC) will look to get back on the winning track after dropping his last two outings. Prior to a split decision loss against Chris Curtis and a first-round finish by Joe Pyfer, Barriault won back-to-back fights against Julian Marquez and Eryk Anders. … Stoltzfus (15-6 MMA, 2-5 UFC) will also look to return to the win column in Edmonton. The Pennsylvania native struggled to gain momentum since joining the UFC in 2020, only recording two wins in seven appearances.

Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus UFC Fight Night 246 expert pick, prediction

God forbid we have a main card without a middleweight fight on it, as Barriault vs. Stoltzfus appears to be the bout to scratch the UFC matchmaker’s itch this week.

Barriault, to his credit, is a fairly dependable action fighter whose durability and output tend to bring out the dog in his opposition. Stoltzfus, on the other hand, is a hit-or-miss overachiever who continues to make efforts to improve each time out.

I believe Stoltzfus will have an edge if this hits the floor, but I’m not sure his wrestling is reliable enough to get in there.

Add in the fact that Stoltzfus is making a fast turnaround on what was a vicious knockout loss last June, and I can’t help but side with Barriault in this spot.

This fight probably goes to a decision more often than not, but I’ll take Barriault to force a stoppage via strikes by Round 3.

Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus UFC Fight Night 246 odds

The oddsmakers and public favor the Canadian fighter, listing Barriault -198 and Stoltzfus +166 via FanDuel.

Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus UFC Fight Night 246 start time, how to watch

Barriault and Stoltzfus are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 8:35 p.m. ET (5:35 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.

Gerrit Cole exercised his opt out from his New York Yankees contract, giving the team two days to void the opt out by adding a $36 million salary for 2029, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press.

Three days after the Yankees lost the World Series, New York said Saturday it declined first baseman Anthony Rizzo‘s $17 million option in favor of a $6 million buyout, making the first baseman a free agent.

Cole’s decision, which was expected, was conveyed by a person who spoke on condition of anonymity because it was not publicly announced. Cole would give up $144 million in the four remaining seasons of his $324 million, nine-year contract.

A 34-year-old right-hander, Cole won the 2023 AL Cy Young Award. His 2024 season didn’t start until June 19 because of nerve irritation and edema in his right elbow. The six-time All-Star went 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 17 starts, then was 1-0 with a 2.17 ERA in five postseason starts.

A three-time All-Star, the 35-year-old Rizzo hit .228 with eight homers and 35 RBIs over 92 games in an injury-interrupted season.

Rizzo missed 62 games with a fractured right forearm after colliding with Boston reliever Brennan Bernardino on June 16. He batted .380 (8 for 21) after returning from the injured list on Sept. 1, then fractured the fourth and fifth fingers when hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh’s Ryan Borucki on Sept. 28.

He returned for the AL Championship Series and World Series and batted .267 with no RBIs.

A 2016 World Series champion with the Chicago Cubs, Rizzo has a .261 career average with 303 homers and 965 RBIs in 14 major league seasons. He was traded from Chicago to the Yankees in July 2021.

He stayed with the Yankees for a $32 million, two-year deal, then agreed in November 2022 to a $40 million, two-year contract.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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