Full-back George Furbank says England will “take their learnings” from a run of three narrow defeats by New Zealand as they prepare to face Australia in the Autumn Nations Series.

England surrendered leading positions on all three occasions as they lost their two-match summer series in New Zealand before opening their autumn campaign with a two-point home defeat by the All Blacks at Allianz Stadium last Saturday.

Steve Borthwick’s side were also beaten 33-31 by France in their final Six Nations game this year after a last-minute Thomas Ramos penalty.

Furbank, 28, says England are aiming to improve their discipline and make “better decisions” in the closing stages of matches.

“Test rugby against the top sides is probably always going to come down to the last quarter but each match is different,” Furbank told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“There are learnings to take from last week and the big one for us was the amount of penalties we conceded in the final quarter.

“We lost five, having conceded only a couple leading up to that.

“It’s about being smart in that area to give you territory and close the game out. We have to be quicker at taking those learnings into games.

“Ultimately you just want to make good decisions and not allow the opposition in.

“If we kept that ball better we could have got down in their half, but we gave New Zealand momentum again.”

England have beaten Australia in 10 of their last 11 meetings and will be favourites when the two sides renew their rivalry at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

Furbank says the hosts want to play with the England “DNA” against Joe Schmidt’s side, who have also lost their last three Tests.

“We probably didn’t move the ball as well as we could have [against New Zealand] and we squandered a few opportunities, even before the last quarter,” added Furbank.

“We need to get that right but it’s about putting our DNA on the pitch, in the way we want to attack and defend.

“There might be opportunities to play through Australia or to go wide but it’s about being loaded on the pitch to be able to pull both triggers.”

THE race for the Champions League Golden Boot is already hotting up – with Sporting superstar Viktor Gyokeres netting a sublime HAT-TRICK against Manchester City.

Bayern Munich talisman Harry Kane and Real Madrid sensation Kylian Mbappe finished as the joint top scorers during the 2023/24 campaign.

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But competition is expected to be even more fierce this time around, especially with more games for the likes of Manchester City machine Erling Haaland to sink his teeth into.

Who are the Champions League 2024-25 top scorers?

Here are the current Champions League highest scorers for this season:

• Viktor Gyokeres – Sporting – 5
• Harry Kane – Bayern – 5
• Jonathan David – Lille – 4
• Raphinha – Barcelona – 4
• Vinicius Jr – Real Madrid – 4
• 15 players including Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski – 3

Who is the Champions League’s all-time leading scorer?

Cristiano Ronaldo is the current all-time leading goal scorer in club football’s elite competition with a staggering 140 goals.

However, Argentinian magician Lionel Messi isn’t too far off the pace as he has scored 129 goals in the Champions League.

While Robert Lewandowski sits in third with 94 Champions League strikes.

The only active player in the top 10 is Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe who bagged his 50th goal on the first matchday of the 2024/25 campaign.

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Who has previously won the Champions League Golden Boot?

• 1992/93 – Romario – (PSV Eindhoven), 7 goals
• 1993/94 – Ronald Koeman – (Barcelona), Wynton Rufer (Werder Bremen), 8 goals
• 1994/95 – George Weah – (Paris Saint Germain), 7
• 1995/96 – Jari Litmanen – (Ajax), 9
• 1996/97 – Milinko Pantic – (Atletico Madrid), 5
• 1997/98 – Alessandro Del Piero – (Juventus), 10
• 1998/99 – Andriy Shevchenko – (Dynamo Kyiv), Dwight Yorke – (Manchester United), 8
• 1999/00 – Mario Jardel – (Porto), Rivaldo – (Barcelona), Raul (Real Madrid), 10
• 2000/01 – Raul (Real Madrid), 7
• 2001/02 – Ruud van Nistelrooy – (Manchester United), 10
• 2002/03 – Ruud van Nistelrooy – (Manchester United), 12
• 2003/04 – Fernando Morientes – (AS Monaco), 9
• 2004/05 – Andriy Shevchenko – (AC Milan), 9
• 2005/06 – Ruud van Nistelrooy – (Manchester United), 8
• 2006/07 – Kaka – (AC Milan), 10
• 2007/08 – Cristiano Ronaldo – (Manchester United), 8
• 2008/09 – Lionel Messi – (Barcelona), 9
• 2009/10 – Lionel Messi – (Barcelona), 8
• 2010/11 – Lionel Messi – (Barcelona), 12
• 2011/12 – Lionel Messi – (Barcelona), 14
• 2012/13 – Cristiano Ronaldo – (Real Madrid), 12
• 2013/14 – Cristiano Ronaldo – (Real Madrid), 17
• 2014/15 – Neymar – (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo – (Real Madrid), Lionel Messi – (Barcelona), 10
• 2015/16 – Cristiano Ronaldo – (Real Madrid), 16
• 2016/17 – Cristiano Ronaldo – (Real Madrid), 12
• 2017/18 – Cristiano Ronaldo – (Real Madrid), 15
• 2018/19 – Lionel Messi – (Barcelona), 12
• 2019/20 – Robert Lewandowski – (Bayern Munich), 15
• 2020/21 – Erling Haaland – (Borussia Dortmund), 10
• 2021/22 – Karim Benzema – (Real Madrid), 15
• 2022/23 – Erling Haaland – (Manchester City), 12
• 2023/24 – Harry Kane (Bayern), Kylian Mbappe (PSG) – 8

RJ Young

FOX Sports National College Football Analyst

The first College Football Playoff rankings for the 2024 season were released Tuesday, and it’s the Oregon Ducks who were named the No. 1 team in the initial set of rankings.

This is the first time in program history that Oregon has been ranked No. 1 in any edition of the CFP rankings since its conception back in 2014. The Ducks’ highest ranking in a CFP reveal was back in 2014 when they were ranked No. 2 for five consecutive weeks.

Ohio State is ranked No. 2 in the first set of CFP rankings. Ryan Day’s team is 7-1 on the season, with its lone loss coming against top-ranked Oregon back in Week 7. The Buckeyes are coming off an impressive top-five win over Penn State this past weekend on the road. Georgia, also sitting at 7-1 with wins over Clemson and Texas, is ranked No. 3 in the CFP rankings, while undefeated Miami and its Heisman Trophy hopeful QB Cam Ward sit at No. 4 in the rankings.

So, while it’s Oregon, Georgia, Miami and BYU that will receive first-round byes in the projected bracket, my top takeaways from the committee’s initial reveal center around the following programs: Colorado, Indiana and Ohio State.

With that, here are my top takeaways from the first set of CFP rankings:

1. Colorado’s path to the CFP has emerged after seeing its name among the selection committee’s top 25 for the first time since 2016

The Buffs were ranked No. 20 in Tuesday’s CFP reveal, one spot behind Kansas State (19) and three spots behind Iowa State (17).

With Iowa State and Kansas State taking losses to Texas Tech and Houston, respectively, Colorado (6-2) moved into a tie for second place in the Big 12 standings with the Cyclones. That means Deion Sanders’ Buffs are not just bowl-eligible with a Heisman candidate leading the offense and defense in Travis Hunter, but they also find themselves on a path to the 12-team CFP.

With just one game left against a team with a winning record in Texas Tech (6-3) — Utah (4-4), Kansas (2-6) and Oklahoma State (3-6) — a win over the Red Raiders would be massive for the Buffs, who need Iowa State to lose to Kansas State on Nov. 30 and to win out in order to earn entry into the Big 12 title game.

If Colorado wins out, that would mark the first 10-win season the Buffs have secured since 2016 when they finished No. 10 in the Selection Sunday rankings — high enough to earn selection into a 12-team CFP in the four-team era.

2. Indiana is the most (un)likely CFP team, and it’s not close

BYU has won a national title. BYU has enjoyed a Heisman Trophy winner. BYU won 11 games just four years ago.

Indiana has never won any of those things, and, in November, this program has a chance to win 10 games for the first time in school history and earn a chance to play for the national title for the first time in history.

The Hoosiers are 9-0 for the first time and have achieved their highest ranking in the CFP era at No. 8 after having previously peaked at No. 11 in the Selection Sunday 2020 rankings. 

This Indiana team has won every game by 14 or more. In Big Ten play, they’ve won games by 29, 37 and 49 points. Two of those three wins have come on the road.

While both the AP and the College Football Playoff committee ranked the Hoosiers No. 8, I ranked this team at No. 6 in my latest College Football Playoff predictions because they have demonstrated they can play at the level Oregon and Ohio State have. Just look at a common opponent: Ohio State beat Michigan State 38-7. Oregon beat Michigan State 31-10. Indiana stomped a mud hole in Michigan State and walked it dry, 47-10.

Barring a disastrous loss for Indiana or Ohio State, that Nov. 23 matchup will define which of those programs is guaranteed selection come Dec. 4 when the CFP bracket is set.

3. Ohio State has the best seat at the CFP table

This is an opinion I’ve consistently voiced since the 12-team format was finalized. Think of it as the pinned comment on a YouTube channel or X page: The No. 5 seed is the best position in the CFP, and it’s not close. And right now, that team sitting in the No. 5 spot in the bracket is the Buckeyes.

As the No. 5 seed, you’re likely a conference title win away from the No. 1 or No. 2 seed, as we believe that team is likely to come out of the Big Ten or SEC. But even the conference champion would like to have the fifth seed, because that team gets to host the first home game in postseason history against the weakest team in the CFP field. With a win, the No. 5 seed then gets to play the weakest of the four highest-ranked conference champions.

That means, in this scenario, Ohio State would host Boise State at the Shoe. Then, the Buckeyes would play BYU at a neutral site. While the Cougars would have a bye, most believe Ohio State is the better team as the runner-up in one of the two super conferences. With a win, the Buckeyes would finally fight in their weight class, potentially setting up a matchup against Big Ten foe and No. 1-ranked Oregon. That game would also be played at a neutral site, without the Ducks getting the benefit of a week’s rest.

Play for the No. 5 seed.

Here is a look at the first set of CFP rankings for the 2024 college football season:

1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia 
4. Miami (Fla.) 
5. Texas  
6. Penn State 
7. Tennessee 
8. Indiana 
9. BYU
10. Notre Dame 
11. Alabama
12. Boise State
13. SMU
14. Texas A&M 
15. LSU
16. Ole Miss 
17. Iowa State
18. Pitt
19. Kansas State
20. Colorado
21. Washington State
22. Louisville
23. Clemson 
24. Missouri
25. Army

Now that the first set of CFP rankings are live, here is a look at what the projected bracket would look like:

1. Oregon: Bye (would then play the winner of 8. Tennessee vs. 9. Indiana)

2. Georgia: Bye (would then play the winner of 7. Penn State vs. 10. Notre Dame)

3. Miami: Bye (would then play the winner of 6. Texas vs. 11. Alabama)

4. BYU: Bye (would then play the winner of 5. Ohio State vs. 12. Boise State) 

5. Ohio State (Big Ten championship runner-up) vs. 12. Boise State (highest-ranked Group of 5 champion)

6. Texas (SEC championship runner-up) vs. 11. Alabama (one of the top-12 teams)

7. Penn State (one of the top-12 teams) vs. 10. Notre Dame (one of the top-12 teams)

8. Tennessee (one of the top-12 teams) vs. 9. Indiana (one of the top-12 teams)

First two teams out: 
13. SMU
14. Texas A&M 

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast “The Number One College Football Show.” Follow him at @RJ_Young.

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Uefa has fined the Football Association and the Football Association of Ireland after the national anthems were booed before the Republic of Ireland played England in the Nations League in September.

European football’s governing body imposed a £10,500 fine (12,500 euros) on the Football Association (FA) following England fans’ booing of Amhran na bhFiann at Aviva Stadium.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) received a fine of £8,400 (10,000 euros) after home supporters booed God Save The King.

The FA’s punishment is greater because the England fans’ booing was deemed a repeat offence.

Uefa imposed further punishment on the FAI, with a £7,800 (9,250 euros) fine for the lighting of flares and a £5,000 (6,000 euros) penalty for a pitch invasion by a spectator.

The FA was also fined £4,150 (5,000 euros) for a supporter coming on to the field of play.

England won the September 7 match 2-0 with goals from Jack Grealish and Declan Rice.

Francesco Bagnaia’s hopes of retaining the MotoGP title are hanging by a thread. The factory Ducati rider is facing a 24-point deficit to Pramac rival Jorge Martin heading into the final round of the season in Barcelona next week.

Although the odds have been against Bagnaia for some time, it was his crash from second place in the Malaysian Grand Prix sprint that has effectively sealed the deal in Martin’s favour.

From the early part of the year, Bagnaia had identified sprint races as being the main weakness in his title bid. After the first six rounds, he had accumulated just 14 points on Saturdays while his chief rival Martin had tallied up 56. By this stage, Bagnaia had actually outscored Martin by three points in Sunday races, but was left with a mammoth 39-point gap to overcome in the overall table.

To be fair to Bagnaia, he has upped his performance in half-distance races in the ensuing period. Since the Italian Grand Prix back in June, Bagnaia has picked up six sprint wins in 13 attempts, compared to four for Martin. Over the course of the full year, Martin is still ahead in the reckoning with seven wins to six thanks to his early-season form but clearly, the defending champion has shown that he can be rapid in the new format.

However, while Bagnaia knows how to score big on any given day, he has also hemorrhaged big points to the championship leader over the course of the season.

As early as the second round in Portugal, the two-time champion gave away a sprint win by outbraking himself at Turn 1 while leading the race. He later revealed that a mistake in miscalculating the impact of decreasing fuel load on braking led to him running off track.

A DNF in the Le Mans sprint was partly down to him, as the crash in qualifying left his primary bike with too much damage. The back-up GP24 that he ended up racing was described by him as “dangerous”, forcing him to pull into the pits after just three laps.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team crash

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

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Then there was the biggest error of all in Barcelona, where he crashed on the final lap while circulating a second clear of his nearest rival.

Even with that patchy run in the first part of the season, Bagnaia had managed to pull himself to the top of the championship, incidentally after Martin dumped his bike while leading the German Grand Prix.

But when the championship resumed at Silverstone in early August after the summer break, Bagnaia failed to capitalise on the situation, hitting the deck in the sprint while having a podium in the bag.

That weekend clearly showed the 27-year-old’s tendency to make errors at the worst time possible. The 10-point lead he had inherited after Sachsenring was turned into a three-point deficit and the focus suddenly shifted to Martin’s mental strength in overturning a psychological and sporting disadvantage.

In that context, it is easy to explain why Bagnaia fumbled under pressure in Malaysia at Turn 9 – admittedly at one of the trickiest corners on the track, a complex uphill left-hander that comes at the end of a fairly long straight.

The retirement from Sepang marked his fourth non-score in a sprint event this year (compared to two for Martin). That goes to show why he has lost a whopping 48 points to his title rival on Saturdays alone.

Points scored by Martin and Bagnaia in sprints:

Of course, Bagnaia then responded with a bang on Sunday, outduelling Martin in the early stages of the grand prix before sprinting clear to win by 3.1s.

It was his 10th win of the year from 19 grands prix, which already puts his 2024 campaign as one of the best by any rider in the history of the premier class.

With that success, he is now tied with ex-Ducati and Honda star Casey Stoner in the list of riders with most wins in a season, albeit with a lower success ratio due to there being more races on the calendar now.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Another triumph in the Barcelona finale would mean he would have scored as many victories as Valentino Rossi did in 2001, ‘02 and ‘05, but again with the same caveat as before with Stoner.

In fact, 11 victories was the maximum motorcycling legend Giacomo Agostini achieved in his career in a single season – in 1972, back when there were just 13 races in the 500cc class.

Points scored by Martin and Bagnaia in grands prix

With those numbers, it would be easy to conclude that Bagnaia would have been champion if MotoGP had not overhauled its weekend format and added sprint races to the schedule. After all, if you take sprints out of the equation, it would be Bagnaia leading the championship by 24 points heading to Barelona and not Martin.

But that only explains part of the picture. Bagnaia is known to build his speed over the course of a weekend. He starts off slowly on Friday and gradually picks up the pace, making steady gains in both single-lap performance and long run speed.

A crucial part of that trajectory is the sprint, which gives him the opportunity to hone his speed in real-life racing conditions. It’s one of the reasons why he is able to win races on Sundays after being outperformed by Martin in the sprints.

Of course, it’s important to note that some of his dismal sprint results in sprints haven’t entirely been of his own making. At Jerez, for example, he was blameless when he scored a duck after being sandwiched by Brad Binder and Marco Bezzecchi. He also strongly hinted at a faulty Michelin tyre for his troubled run to ninth place in the Aragon sprint, a race in which Martin finished on the podium.

But those misses pale in comparison to the unforced errors committed by Bagnaia and it’s a key reason why he may have to surrender the crown to Martin in a little over a week’s time.

A STURM GRAZ player was punished for having “big booty” in an unfortunate VAR call.

The Austrian side were beaten by Borussia Dortmund in the in the Champions League last night.

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Donyell Malen netted the 85th-minute winner for the German side as they won 1-0 at Signal Iduna Park.

However, the hosts were fortunate as VAR was forced to check the goal due to the tightness of the Serhou Guirassy’s position in the build-up.

Upon further inspection, it was clear that Guirassy was onside, but only thanks to the rear of Emanuel Aiwu.

Fans could not help but feel bad for the defender who came unstuck due to his kiester.

One posted: “Punished for having a thick stack? Game has gone.”

A second wrote: “Booty too Big.”

A third commented: “I like big butts and I can not lie – Dortmund.”

A fourth said: “He’s assisting Dortmund there, cheeky decision by VAR.”

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Another added: “Saved by the butt.”

The goal helped Dortmund seal the win to take the record in the competition to three wins from four games.

After the game, manager and former Liverpool star Nuri Sahin priase his side’s performance as he insisted their energy levels were not “normal”.

He told Dazn: “We completely controlled the game, apart from one phase between the 60th and 70th minutes.

“We need to score our first goal earlier, that opens the door. We didn’t manage to do that. Up to the box, we were good and the plan worked out.

“When you score the goal, the spaces get bigger. In the end, we got our reward.

‘I’m glad that we kept clear heads and got the job done. I told Donny that he needed to bring some intensity to the game.

“I have to take my hat off to them. The way the boys ran, it wasn’t normal.”

New Champions League format is a snorefest

By Dan King

UEFA sold the idea of expanding the Champions League from 32 to 36 teams, with each playing eight games instead of six in the opening phase, as a way of creating more competitiveness and excitement.

The biggest clubs would have two matches against their peers, rather than having to wait until the knockout stage to meet.

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The smaller clubs would meet teams of a similar level twice and have a chance of tasting victory that was so hard to achieve if you were the bottom seed in a group of four.

Ignoring for a moment the fact that the real motivation was the simple equation of more games = more money, the theory itself already looks flawed.

None of the matches between European giants has delivered a compelling contest yet.

And why would they? At the start of the long season with more matches in it, why would any team with ambitions to win things in the spring, go out all guns blazing in the autumn?

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Especially when they know they have six games NOT against big sides to make sure they accrue enough points to qualify at least for the play-off round (and even more games).

There is even less jeopardy than before.

Read the full column on the Champions League format fail and why everyone – including YOU – needs a rethink.