The hosts do have 23 stone-plus Ben Tameifuna on the bench to supplement their set-piece in the second half.

Bath are contesting their first top-tier European semi-final in 20 years since they lost a tryless and bad-tempered encounter with Biarritz 18-9 in 2006.

Toulon and Leinster will face off in the other semi-final on Saturday, with the winners progressing to the final on 23 May at Bilbao’s 53,000-capacity San Mames stadium.

Bordeaux-Begles: Rayasi; Uberti, Penaud, Moefana, Bielle-Biarrey; Jalibert, Lucu (c); Perchaud, Lamothe, Sadie, Palu, Coleman, Bochaton, Woki, Gazzotti

Replacements: Barlot, Boniface, Tameifuna, Cazeaux, Vergnes-Taillefer, Matiu, Retiere, Hugo Reus

Bath: Carreras; Arundell, Hennessey, Lawrence, Muir; Russell, Spencer (c); Obano, Dunn, Du Toit, Roux, Ewels, Bayliss, Pepper, Barbeary

Replacements: Tuipulotu, Van Wyk, Sela, Hill, Underhill, Carr-Smith, De Glanville, Reid

In the other semi-final, Crystal Palace took a significant step towards the final with a 3-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk.

In the Europa League, Nottingham Forest beat Aston Villa 1-0, while Braga secured a 2-1 victory against Freiburg thanks to a late winner.

In the EuroLeague, Monaco suffered a second consecutive defeat in their quarter-final series, losing 94-64 away to Olympiakos.

Meanwhile, at the Madrid Masters 1000, Belgium’s Alexander Blockx produced a major upset by defeating defending champion Casper Ruud (6-4, 6-4) to reach his first Masters 1000 semi-final, where he will face Alexander Zverev, who beat Flavio Cobolli (6-1, 6-4). The other semi-final will see France’s Arthur Fils take on world number one Jannik Sinner.

In the women’s draw, a day after her 19th birthday, Mirra Andreeva defeated Hailey Baptiste (6-4, 7-6) and will face Marta Kostyuk in the final, after the Ukrainian beat Anastasia Potapova.

Although the James H B Carr Stakes eluded Karinska, the filly stands ready for a breakthrough stakes triumph in the Group Three Hawkesbury Guineas.

Fortune deserted her at Randwick as James McDonald guided her externally for the move, only to suffer interference from Snitzel Dancer, the race winner.

Late momentum carried Karinska to third, a performance that leaves Charlie Duckworth, assistant to trainer Chris Waller, rueing the result.

‘You know when jockeys come in and say, ‘I should have won’. This wasn’t a ‘should have’. There was no air of doubt. It was, ‘if I get my run, I win’,’ Duckworth said.

‘She is barging the door down to win one of these.’

Karinska has proven a consistent threat among her age rivals this season, shadowing placers in the spring Furious Stakes and Tea Rose Stakes, culminating in a Group 1 third to Apocalyptic in the Flight Stakes.

Tommy Berry replaces the unavailable James McDonald and, like Duckworth, senses victory imminent for Karinska.

‘Last start was a good example of how well she is going,’ Berry said.

‘She has got a great racing style, she can put herself just behind the speed.

‘You look at her last prep, the races she was running in and the quality of horses she was up against. It’s a bit of a step back from that, and the team is very confident.’

Friday’s market had Karinska at $6.50, as she attempts to become just the second filly in nine years to take the Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m), following Shazee Lee.

Tenebaum represents Berry’s key booking at Hawkesbury over the handy Karinska ride, as the two-year-old.

The colt, under Brad Widdup, trialled sharply with Berry thrice before a stylish Wyong debut win, hinting at Brisbane winter prospects.

‘He is the main reason I chose to stay in Sydney instead of going to Queensland. I think he’s got the potential to be a J J Atkins horse,’ Berry said.

‘He put them away quite easily last start at Wyong and won by a margin, which is hard to do for two-year-olds.

‘The penny is just starting to drop with him. He will improve again off the weekend but to go to Queensland and be competitive in those races, he’s going to have to put in a good showing on Saturday.’

Discover betting markets for the Hawkesbury Guineas race among leading betting sites at betting sites.

Famed for his powers of recovery, Tyson Fury is yet to be stopped in his 38-bout career despite being knocked down eight times, and therefore he is perhaps better placed than most to offer his thoughts on which heavyweight has the best chin ever.

‘The Gypsy King’ was first dropped by Neven Pajkic back in 2011, before bouncing back and halting the Bosnian-born operator in round three of the contest.

18 months later, Fury was floored by former cruiserweight world champion Steve Cunningham in what was his U.S. debut, but again, he went on to win by seventh-round stoppage.

His next four knockdowns also came stateside, each coming in a fabled trilogy with Deontay Wilder, in their iconic first and third fights which proved the resilience of Britain’s now two-time world champion.

A shocking slip to Francis Ngannou came next for the towering champion, taking his eye off the ball in a supposed mismatch and escaping with a split-decision win.

Then, he was on the wrong side of a split-decision against Oleksandr Usyk, after being given a standing eight count in round nine of a first career defeat, when bidding for the undisputed throne.

Although, despite never being stopped himself, Fury told The Daily Mail that he believes Oliver McCall to have the most impressive chin of all time.

Technically, McCall has suffered a knockout defeat, but that came due to a bizarre breakdown in his rematch with Lennox Lewis, rather than because of a shot that could daze ‘The Atomic Bull’.

At the age of 61 years old, McCall remarkably remains active in the sport, boasting a record of 61-14-1.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) co-owner Preity Zinta has reacted to the team’s first loss of IPL 2026. PBKS went down fighting against Rajasthan Royals in their final home game at Mullanpur on Tuesday. The Shreyas Iyer-led side will play its remaining home fixtures at its second home, Dharamsala. Taking to X, Zinta spoke on the loss, highlighting that her team is still top of the table despite the defeat, and adding that there are many more games ahead to be won.

“Last home game in Punjab didn’t turn out as we wanted at our home ground but Koi na …. Lot more games ahead of us. Thanks to the incredible performance by our Sher Squad, we are sitting on top of the points table, half way into the tournament, which makes me very happy,” Zinta captioned a video.

Last home game in Punjab didn’t turn out as we wanted at our home ground but Koi na …. Lot more games ahead of us.

Advertisement

Thanks to the incredible performance by our Sher Squad, we are sitting on top of the points table, half way into the tournament, which makes me very happy

Our… pic.twitter.com/1PtTQeXE5r

— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) April 30, 2026

The veteran Bollywood actress also shared a heartfelt note for the PBKS fans, expressing gratitude for their unconditional support of the team.

“Our fans have showed us so much love n support in & outside the stadium, & have been beyond incredible. I wanted  to take this opportunity to thank every single one of you that came out to support PBKS in the stadium, on social media & everywhere else. Our only goal is to make IPL 2026 memorable for all of you…. that’s why – Bas Jeetna Hai,” she added in the post.

Zinta wore a red dupatta for the game against Rajasthan and went on to reveal the reason behind it.

“This red Phulkari Dupatta is 26 year old & was gifted to me by a Punjabi fan who insisted I wear it for the game so here it is. I’m sure this will make her happy, as it made me, wearing a part of her very special memory. Phulkari is a beautiful but dying art of vibrant folk embroidery by local artisans & I hope to promote & represent them by wearing these dupattas for our cricket games. I hope I can help in reviving this tradition in a small way so we never stop being proud of where we come from & who we are,” said Zinta.

Featured Video Of The Day

IPL 2026 | Delhi Capitals Wins By 6 Wickets Against Mumbai Indians: Redemption For Sameer Rizvi

Wrexham midfielder Matty James is drawing on past experiences as the club faces a nail-biting final day of the Championship season, with a play-off spot hanging in the balance.

The Welsh side, currently sitting sixth, will host Middlesbrough on Saturday in a tense three-way battle for the last coveted position, competing against Hull and Derby.

The permutations for Wrexham, who are chasing an extraordinary fourth successive promotion under the stewardship of Hollywood owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, alongside manager Phil Parkinson, are unusually complex. They could secure a victory and still miss out on the play-offs, or conversely, suffer a defeat and yet find themselves in the top six.

Veteran midfielder James, 34, is no stranger to such high-stakes scenarios. He famously scored in Leicester’s 3-2 final-day triumph at Nottingham Forest in 2013, a result that saw the Foxes sneak into the play-offs. However, that campaign ended in heartbreak with Troy Deeney’s memorable stoppage-time winner for Watford.

“We snuck in and got to sixth on the last day of the season,” James recalled. “After that we had the play-offs against Watford, which is a retro moment on TV that pops up every now and again that I don’t enjoy watching.”

Despite the disappointment, Leicester achieved promotion the following year.

“But we got promoted the year after and those experiences I can call upon, as well as numerous other lads who have been through the league,” he added. “This football club is also used to winning promotions and hopefully we can bring that experience on Saturday.”

James, who joined Wrexham in October 2024 and played a key role in their promotion from League One last season, has provided a crucial stabilising influence during the run-in.

This comes despite missing two months with a broken toe sustained against Millwall in February, an injury that still requires him to wear boots a couple of sizes too large due to swelling.

“For me it is just get your boots on, forget about it, go out there, play and perform,” James stated, downplaying the ongoing discomfort.

“The adrenaline is running and I manage it through the week. Everyone’s excited when you’ve got big games. That’s what we train for, that’s what we play for.”

He emphasised the significance of Wrexham’s current standing.

“The achievement of being in this position is a big one. It’s about taking the opportunity now and the message for quite a long time has been about us.”

As the final whistle approaches, James insists the focus remains internal: “I’m sure there’ll be things up and around the stadium and you’ll hear different things and stuff like that. But for us it’s about concentrating on our performance and our result.”

Head coach Arne Slot expects the improving form of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz to drive Liverpool forward in the future after seeing significant contributions recently.

The two most expensive signings in the club’s history – costing a combined £241million – have had largely underwhelming first seasons due to Isak’s ongoing injury problems and Wirtz’s struggles adapting to the physicality of the Premier League.

But the pair both scored in last weekend’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace and look set to start their fourth successive match together at Manchester United on Sunday, which is their longest run of the campaign.

Slot accepts the new arrivals have had their difficulties, not helped by an underperforming team around them, but in the last month has seen glimpses that both are finally starting to find their feet.

“Converting chances into goals is something we haven’t done very well throughout this whole season but one of the players (Isak) we always thought could score goals for us was hardly available,” said Slot.

“Last week you could see it was a chance but it wasn’t the biggest chance we’ve had this season and he finished that one off really well by scoring the 1-0 and scoring a goal which is vital in football as it sets you in the right direction.

“Happy to have Alex back. I think there are some other players that haven’t scored the amount of goals that I think they are able to, or they have shown in the past they are able to, and that will go back to normal in a certain moment and the sooner the better.”

Wirtz would come into that category with seven goals and 10 assists – none of which have come against Premier League opposition currently occupying European places – representing a lower-than-expected return for a £116m player hailed as a generational talent when he arrived from Bayer Leverkusen.

“For me the development Florian has made throughout his Liverpool career, which has only been 10 months, is so clear and obvious,” added Slot.

“In the 93rd minute against Crystal Palace making a duel on the sideline, winning a throw-in and then making a sprint from 40 yards and hitting the ball in the top corner – that is something I am not completely convinced he could do the same eight months ago.

“That improvement will only continue as he is only 22. Almost every player in the world is at his best when he is 25, 26 but he is already an elite player now and he can only become better.”

As part of the improvements for next season there are plans afoot to bolster the backroom staff with the club being linked with Etienne Reijnen, with whom Slot worked at Feyenoord and would have followed him to Anfield had there not been work permit issues which have now been resolved.

“We are always keeping our eyes open to improve the club and that means it could be a player but also a staff. We always look around to see how we can strengthen,” added Slot, who lost Aaron Briggs from his coaching team in December after he paid the price for poor set-piece performances.

Slot also said it was “a big relief” the departing Mohamed Salah’s hamstring injury was only minor and he was likely to play again this season, while admitting goalkeeper Alisson Becker remained a doubt for Old Trafford as he had not yet trained after seven matches out injured.