Connacht Rugby are entering one of the most important summers in the province’s recent history, with a significant overhaul of the squad underway ahead of the 2026/27 season.

While several big names are moving on, there is also a real sense of renewal and opportunity around the Sportsground, with experienced internationals arriving, academy talent being trusted, and long-serving servants of the province leaving behind major legacies.

For supporters, this summer feels less like an ending and more like the beginning of a fresh cycle.

Confirmed Departures

• Jack Carty — retirement
• Matthew Devine — to Ulster Rugby
• Joe Joyce — to Gloucester Rugby
• Dennis Buckley — destination unknown

Club legend Jack Carty will retire from professional rugby, bringing an end to one of the great Connacht careers of the professional era. Carty has been central to so many of Connacht’s biggest moments and leaves as one of the province’s finest ever servants.

Expected / Likely Departures

• Jack Aungier — likely to Munster Rugby
• Temi Lasisi — destination unknown
• David Hawkshaw — destination unknown
• Peter Dooley — destination unknown
• James Nicholson — destination unknown
• Chay Mullins — destination unknown
• Oisín McCormack — destination unknown
• Oisín Dowling — destination unknown

Expected To Re-Sign

The expected re-signing of Shamus Hurley-Langton would be a massive boost. He has become one of the province’s most important forwards with his relentless physicality, leadership and consistency.

Incoming Signings

• Thomas Connolly — from Old Belvedere RFC
• Jerry Cahir — from Leinster Rugby
• Ciarán Frawley — from Leinster Rugby
• Will Connors — from Leinster Rugby
• Francois van Wyk — from Bath Rugby
• Fiachna Barrett — promoted from the Academy
• Seán Naughton — promoted from the Academy
• Matthew Victory — promoted from the Academy

The headline arrivals are undoubtedly Irish internationals Ciarán Frawley and Will Connors from Leinster Rugby.

Frawley’s versatility across out-half, centre and full-back could prove invaluable, while Connors brings huge work-rate and breakdown quality when fully fit.

Former Bath Rugby prop Francois van Wyk also looks like a smart acquisition, adding size and power to the front row.

There is excitement too around the younger additions, with academy promotions underlining Connacht’s continued commitment to developing talent internally.

And for those arriving, they walk into a club and a fanbase desperate to build something exciting again.

In September, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez looks to win back a world title following his loss to Terence Crawford last year, but he has warned that it will be far from an easy task.

Crawford moved up two divisions and delivered a disciplined, intelligent performance, outboxing Canelo over twelve rounds to become a three-weight undisputed champion and strengthen his case as one of the finest fighters of his era.

For Alvarez, the loss marked the end of a dominant run at 168lbs that had seen him collect all four major world titles and establish himself as the division’s leading force. Though he remained competitive throughout, Crawford’s timing, movement and adaptability consistently disrupted the Mexican star, who struggled to impose his usual pressure and combination punching.

Crawford’s subsequent retirement scattered the super-middleweight belts and left Canelo facing a fresh path back to the top. The Mexican icon has since confirmed that he plans to return on September 12 against reigning WBC champion Christian Mbilli in Saudi Arabia.

Mbilli had emerged as one of the division’s most dangerous contenders before being crowned champion, and brings an unbeaten record, aggressive style and growing momentum into the clash. His promoter, Camille Estephan, calls it his ‘arrival’ at the top.

“Let me tell you how this goes down! A lot of claims that Mbilli is the perfect style for Canelo… Christian is coming in violent and relentless. This is not a showcase. This is the arrival!”

A win would not only elevate Mbilli’s profile overnight but also solidify his status as champion. He was upgraded from interim to full champion when Crawford was stripped of the WBC belt, having retained the interim strap via a draw against Lester Martinez on the undercard back in September.

For Canelo, it represents an immediate opportunity to reclaim a world title and prove that, even after a major setback, he remains a central figure in boxing’s elite. How the fight unfolds will play a major part in the closing chapter of his career.

Crystal Palace soared into their first European final on Thursday, completing an emphatic 5-2 aggregate win over Shakhtar Donetsk to give manager Oliver Glasner the chance of a fairytale end to his golden reign.

The Eagles claimed a 2-1 victory over the exiled Ukrainian team in the second leg of their UEFA Conference League semi-final thanks to an own goal from Pedro Henrique and an Ismaila Sarr strike.

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Glasner’s men will face Rayo Vallecano in the final in Leipzig later this month after the Spanish side beat Strasbourg 2-0 on aggregate.

“We always talked before, this is why when we were little boys we always wanted to become professional football players, and told the players this is the reward we get, and this is the reward you can’t buy,” the Palace boss told TNT Sports.

“I said this after the FA Cup final (in 2025). Now we’re playing the next final together, so it’s amazing what this group of players are doing for Crystal Palace.”

Shakhtar, desperate to recover from their 3-1 defeat in the first leg, started strongly in south London but Palace strengthened their grip on the tie at a crackling Selhurst Park in the 25th minute after a surging attack.

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Dmytro Riznyk palmed away Adam Wharton‘s stinging long-range shot but was helpless as Daniel Munoz’s follow-up from a tight angle flicked off Henrique and flew past him.

Eguinaldo gave the visitors hope with a nonchalant finish into the top corner in the 34th minute.

Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta crashed a shot against the post with an audacious scissor-kick shortly before the interval as the home side continued to threaten.

The tie was effectively over soon after the restart when Sarr turned in Tyrick Mitchell‘s cross from close range for his ninth goal in the competition this season.

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Palace saw out the game comfortably, relishing the wild scenes of celebration at the final whistle.

– History makers –

The final in Leipzig on May 27 will be Glasner’s final match in charge of Palace after he announced earlier this season that he would leave when his contract expires next month.

The 51-year-old Austrian, who arrived early in 2024, has overseen a golden period for Palace, guiding them to a 1-0 win over Manchester City in last season’s FA Cup final — the club’s first major trophy.

Palace then beat Liverpool on penalties in the season-opening Community Shield.

The Premier League club are only in Europe’s third-tier competition because they were demoted from the Europa League before the start of the season after UEFA ruled they had breached multi-club ownership rules.

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Winning the Conference League would guarantee entry into next season’s Europa League.

Glasner, who won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022, said he had never imagined reaching a continental final with Palace.

“For me personally, it’s massive because everybody who knows me, especially when I announced to leave, it was for me, more of a duty to work even harder, if this is possible, to deliver as a manager, to support the players, to support the group, and to make our fans proud.

“If you wish something, you always want your last game not to play for nothing. So you want to play for silverware, and now we can play for European silverware, and what I can promise, we will give everything we have to bring it here back to Selhurst.”

jw/mw

The Ibom Air @7 Anniversary Football Tournament will begin on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at the Uyo Township Stadium in Akwa Ibom State.

The competition is part of activities marking the seventh anniversary of Ibom Air, the Akwa Ibom State-owned airline. Kick-off time for all matches is 4pm.

The opening semi-final match will see Lagos take on Calenport on Saturday, May 9, before Abuja face Uyo in the second semi-final on Saturday, May 16.

The final of the tournament is scheduled for Saturday, May 23, at the same venue.

Organisers confirmed that all matches in the competition will be played at the Uyo Township Stadium.

The football tournament also highlights Ibom Air’s growing interest in sports development. Last year, the airline entered Nigerian football after signing a record-breaking sponsorship agreement with 2021 Nigeria Premier Football League champions, Akwa United FC.

After the tournament, Ibom Air and Akwa United will clash in a friendly match on May 30, 2026, at the Uyo Township Stadium.

Ibom Air, owned by the Akwa Ibom State Government, began commercial operations on June 7, 2019, and currently operates domestic and regional flights.

Earlier this month, the airline also airlifted the maiden international flight from the Victor Attah International Airport, marking another major achievement for the company.

Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant admitted that a lack of clarity around roles and constant chopping and changing within the batting order has hurt the team badly during their disappointing IPL 2026 campaign.

Speaking at the toss before LSG’s crucial clash against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Lucknow on Thursday, Pant said the franchise had struggled to maintain clarity within the squad, something he believes played a major role in their poor season.

“The only thing is moving with more clarity. We know we are the top players, but at the same time, when clarity is missing sometimes, it can happen in cricket,” Pant said.

“So most of the time, the talk is about clarity, and there are a few changes in the batting order, so hopefully we can figure out and take it for the next season,” he added.

LSG find themselves in a desperate situation heading into the match. While RCB sit third on the IPL 2026 points table with 12 points from nine matches, Lucknow have managed just four points in the same number of games and are staring at elimination from the playoff race.

A defeat against Bengaluru would make LSG the first team to be officially knocked out this season, while an RCB victory would take them to the top of the standings ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings.

Pant, who has been under immense pressure both as captain and batter, also stressed the importance of maintaining stability within a T20 side, though he admitted that the team had been forced to explore changes due to their position in the tournament.

“Having a stable environment in T20 cricket is essential, but at the same time, when the changes are needed, you should be able to change something, because every time, doing the same thing might not give you the same outcome,” Pant explained.

“So trying sometimes, especially where we stand now, trying is not a bad option for sure,” he added.

Pant also gave his assessment of the Lucknow surface before the must-win clash and predicted a comparatively better batting wicket than what teams have experienced at the venue this season.

“It looks like 180-190 wicket for sure. It’s a better wicket than a lot of the matches for sure,” he said.

The season has been equally difficult for Pant personally. The wicketkeeper-batter has struggled to make a major impact with the bat and has scored 204 runs in nine matches at an average of 25.50 and a strike rate of 128.30.

Lloyd Kennewell, fresh from wins on the first two days of the Adelaide Carnival, wants to capitalize for a huge result at Morphettville this Saturday.

On April 25, Vangogh Bankcheque succeeded at the Australasian Oaks/Sangster Stakes day, and Straand Deal notched a victory for Kennewell at the South Australian Derby program last Saturday.

A lifelong South Australian, Kennewell treasures his returns from Cranbourne and is eager to notch a home-town Group 1 to enhance his honors.

Meridius represents Kennewell in The Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville Saturday, the Adelaide Carnival’s final Group 1, with Kokako in the Group 3 Proud Miss Stakes (1200m) and Howcani Resistyou in the Group 3 David Coles AM Stakes (1200m).

The gelding Meridius faces Group 1 foes for the third go, first since his juvenile year with runs in the Caulfield Guineas and Coolmore Stud Stakes in 2022’s spring carnival.

After January’s Magic Millions Carnival on the Gold Coast, two preparations have tuned Meridius for The Goodwood.

He dominated first-up at 1200m at Caulfield on March 21, then endured misfortune for third in the Group 3 Victoria Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield April 4.

“He’s going good and probably should have won the Victoria Handicap,” Kennewell said.

“He’s won there, he knows the place well and I’m keen to run him in it as well, plus I’m very happy to have some nice runners when I head back home again.”

Kennewell secured Perth star jockey Chris Parnham’s services.

Finding a suitable rider proved tough with many regulars skipping the Adelaide Goodwood day.

“There weren’t many riders going over to ride on Goodwood Day which I thought was quite interesting,” Kennewell said.

“Mark Zahra wasn’t going, neither was Craig Williams, Jamie Melham was going to ride mine, but she’s up on the Gold Coast to ride Half Yours.

“There was a lot going on with riders, so I wanted to get on the front foot and get a very good rider, and Chris is an ‘A grader’.

“We’ve got a bit of a relationship with him, so he’s going over, and we’re very happy to have him on.”

Visit racing betting markets to find the best prices for The Goodwood feature.

Ryan Tugawin celebrates at the finish. —TOUR OF LUZON PHOTO

PAOAY, Ilocos Norte—Alliances among local riders were formed, and despite being under siege all lap long, Russian ace Nikita Shulchenko kept a tight grip on the overall lead in the MPTC Tour of Luzon after another smart and spirited ride in Stage 8 won by Ryan Tugawin.

The pacesetter for the past seven stages now, Shulchenko wheeled in in 49th spot, included in a big bunch that arrived just 16 seconds behind Tugawin in the 157.4-kilometer ride from the coastal town of Pagudpud to the front of the historical San Agustin Church here.

Shulchenko’s effort assured no changes in the top three, as he still leads teammate and protector Ibrahiem Alrefai by 1:38 and 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines’ Mervin Corpuz by 4:15 after the trio arrived together in the same group.

“I told my fellow Filipino riders that we have to help each other so that one of us would take the stage,” Tugawin, who clocked three hours, 16 minutes and 58 seconds for the win, said in Filipino after baring an alliance that was hatched in order to unseat the foreign aces at the top.

“We Filipinos need to win (stages), not just the foreigners,” he said after becoming just the second local bet after Go for Gold’s Dave Montemayor in Stage 3, to rule a lap.

Tugawin edged out Malaysia’s Ariff Danial Noor Roseidi and Go for Gold Philippines’ Marvin Mandac for lap honors, as the 36-year-old skipper of Excellent Noodles was able to break a streak of victories by foreign riders.

Tugawin heeded former champion Mark Galedo’s suggestion a day before the derby on wheels took a break on Wednesday regarding a united effort among local riders.

Mandac was one of those in the alliance on Thursday and with his help, Tugawin was able to stand on top of the podium after coming up short in Stage 5 when Shulchenko’s LCW UAE Cycle teammate Ivan Anisimov edged him at the finish in Tuguegarao.

There was a change in the bottom part of the top five, with British rider Tyler Hannay of local side Excellent Noodles and MPT DriveHub’s Nash Lim climbing to fourth and fifth, 4:34 and 4:42 back of Shulchenko, respectively.

Lagging in 19th spot despite the lap win, Tugawin hasn’t lost hope in the country’s top riders.

“I think the Filipino can still do it,” Tugawin said when asked if his stage triumph could provide some spark among the likes of Corpuz and Lim in the chase to snatch the yellow jersey from Shulchenko.

“There’s still a lot of difficult stages, like the tough climbs in Cervantes (Stage 10), Mangatarem (Stage 12) and Baguio (Stage 14). There will be plenty of changes,” he added.

But first, the remaining 76 riders will go through Friday’s Stage 9, which is a relatively flat route from Laoag to Candon, Ilocos Sur, covering a distance of 142.6 kilometers.

It will serve as a warmup to 10th stage where the riders travel from Candon to Cervantes, which will feature a climb beyond categorization in the final few kilometers.

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Facts and figures from the PGA Championship, to be held May 14-17 at Aronimink Golf Club:

Event: 108th PGA Championship.

Site: Aronimink GC.

Length: 7,394

Par: 70.

Field: 156 players (20 PGA professionals).

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Prize money: TBA ($19 million in 2025). Winner’s share: TBA ($3,420,000 in 2025).

Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler.

Last year: Scottie Scheffler lost a five-shot lead on the front nine and wound up winning by five shots by closing with an even-par 71. The two-time Masters champion became the first player since Seve Ballesteros to win his first three majors by three shots or more.

Last major at Aronimink: Gary Player won by one shot over Bob Goalby for his first PGA Championship in 1962.

Previous winners at Aronimink: Sei Young Kim (2020 KPMG Women’s PGA), Keegan Bradley (2018 BMW Championship), Nick Watney (2011 AT&T National), Justin Rose (2010 AT&T National), John Jacobs (2003 Senior PGA Championship).

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The odds: Scottie Scheffler (+400), Rory McIlroy (+750), Cameron Young (+1400), Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele (+1600).

Calendar Grand Slam: Masters champion Rory McIlroy can become the fifth player since 1960 — and the first since Jordan Spieth in 2015 — to win the first two majors of the year.

Career Grand Slam: Spieth tries for the 10th time to complete the career Grand Slam at the PGA Championship. Of the six men with all four majors, none got the final leg at the PGA Championship.

Key statistic: Americans have won the PGA Championship the last 10 times, the longest such streak of any major.

Noteworthy: The PGA Championship has been held at 75 golf courses in 26 states.

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Quoteworthy: “We don’t want to be the story. It should be the golf course and the players.” — Kerry Haigh, PGA of America championships director.

Television (all times EDT): Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m. to noon (ESPN+), noon to 7 p.m. (ESPN); Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. (ESPN+), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (ESPN), 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. (CBS and Paramount+).

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Floyd Mayweather‘s fighting future is about to become a lot clearer.

After not competing professionally since 2017 and no exhibition bouts since 2024, Mayweather looked set for a busy 2026, with three different fights all announced.

First he was lined up for an exhibition with fellow boxing legend Mike Tyson, before a shock professional rematch against former foe Manny Pacquiao was confirmed for September 19.

The American didn’t stop there, after it was then revealed that he was scheduled for another exhibition against Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis, but there has been doubt surrounding each of those fights over the past few weeks.

The clash with Tyson was initially rumoured for the Congo in April, but that date has come and gone, with various factors including an injury to ‘Iron Mike’ throwing doubt on whether it will be rescheduled.

Mayweather’s bout with Pacquiao has also faced several issues, after the pair disagreed over if it will be a professional fight or an exhibition contest, while the announced venue of The Sphere in Las Vegas is now unavailable on the originally planned date.

It appears that Mayweather is at least proceeding with one of those three fights though, after he revealed on social media the details of a press conference for the battle against Zambidis.

PRESS CONFERENCE:
FLOYD “MONEY” MAYWEATHER vs.
IRON MIKE ZAMBIDIS

WHEN: Thursday, May 7

TIME:
2:30 PM PT – Media Arrival
3:00 PM PT – Press Conference Begins

WHERE:
Mayweather Boxing Club
4020 Schiff Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89103 pic.twitter.com/Le5iXCBafz

— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) May 7, 2026

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For now it appears that Mayweather’s focus is on the exhibition with Zambidis, but Pacquiao’s team have stated previously that the American will be in breach of contract if he proceeds with that bout, so the issues still look to be a long way from being resolved.