Kildunne is one of England’s biggest rugby union stars and among the most high profile players in the world.

She was the face of the 2025 World Cup for the Red Roses and her profile has only continued to skyrocket since the team lifted the trophy last September.

Bristol, who finished a disappointing eighth in the table this season, is also a club that has a track record of signing prominent figures of the sport.

America superstar Ilona Maher enjoyed a three-month spell at the club during early 2025, New Zealand captain Ruahei Demant similarly joined this season and Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit joined their men’s Prem outfit last summer his return to the sport from American football while their chief executive officer stated that marketability of players, external is a factor in their recruitment strategy.

The Bears’ running rugby style of play was a key factor in Kildunne wanting to make the move she said but also that joining a club which has worked with other high profile players did come into her thinking.

“Bristol have worked with players who have maybe stepped out of just being the rugby players that you prioritise, is something that definitely aids moving here because I do have a lot on my plate at times,” Kildunne said.

“My priority is always rugby, will always be rugby. But this is new territory, so to feel supported by the staff to ensure that I can keep rugby being my priority as well as aiding the progression of women’s rugby in different ways that I am doing as well.

“It’s definitely something that was a huge positive.”

Kildunne added that she feels the “best is still yet to come” with her rugby.

At Bristol she will link up with a number of England team-mates including Sarah Bern, Hannah Botterman, Abbie Ward and Lark Atkin-Davies and pointed to wing Millie David, who won her first cap this spring, as someone she was excited to link up with.

“Millie Wizz (David) is someone that has been in and out of the Red Roses camp. We’ve seen where she’s got the pace that she’s got when she’s been playing in the PWR.

“I’m excited to keep on growing that bond. I think we can get the best out of each other on the pitch.”

Having previously been the super-middleweight bogeyman, David Benavidez has found himself a wanted man since announcing himself at cruiserweight.

After holding belts at 168 and 175lbs, Benavidez made an ambitious leap up to the cruiserweight division last month, where he delivered one of the performances of the year and dispatched of unified WBA and WBO world champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez inside six rounds.

It now appears that Benavidez will remain at cruiserweight rather than return to the light-heavyweight scene, at least for his next fight.

Despite calls for him to face Jai Opetaia, the 29-year-old looks set to first prioritise a charge towards the undisputed throne, with a clash against WBC world champion Noel Mikaelian close to being finalised. Should he win there, there are more fights in the division, including Opetaia, worth a mention.

After witnessing Benavidez’s cruiserweight debut, former WBO world champion Chris Billam-Smith – who lost his belt to Ramirez in 2024 – has thrown his name into the mix, telling Inside The Ring that a scrap with ‘The Mexican Monster’ could prove to be a ‘fire fight’.

“Of course, you are always thinking how you go about beating those sorts of guys. I said before that [Zurdo] fight, I said, ‘if he does win, me against him is an absolute fire fight and a very fan-friendly fight’.

“He is a fantastic fighter, obviously he has come up through the weights and put on a great performance there.”

With Benavidez-Mikaelian appearing to be next, Opetaia is likely to seek an in-house defence of his Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight title – with Billam-Smith being the standout candidate for the away corner.

With that route in mind, ‘The Gentleman’ said that he sees a showdown with Benavidez as a more difficult test than a dust-up with his promotional stablemate.

“Benavidez would be harder to beat [than Opetaia], stylistically for me.”

Benavidez-Mikaelian is reportedly being planned for November, whilst Viddal Riley is anticipated to headline a Misfits Pro card in August, before challenging for the remaining vacant IBF cruiserweight title in the fight that follows.

After months of recovery and rehabilitation, Neeraj Chopra is finally set to return to competitive action at the Doha Diamond League 2026. The Indian javelin superstar will compete for the first time since the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last year, where a persistent back injury affected his performance and resulted in an eighth-place finish.

The Doha meeting holds special significance for Chopra. It was at this venue in 2025 that he finally crossed the coveted 90-metre mark with a national record throw of 90.23m. Although he finished second behind Germany’s Julian Weber, the achievement marked a major milestone in his career.

This year’s event offers Chopra the perfect opportunity to assess his fitness and form against a world-class field. With the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games later in the year, the Doha Diamond League represents the beginning of an important season for India’s biggest athletics star.

MANILA, Philippines — Japan escaped Czechia’s tough third-set challenge and scored a 25-15, 25-23, 27-25 win to stay unbeaten in six games in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Women’s Week 2 on Friday at Philsports Arena.

Czechia reached the set point, but a crucial successful floor touch challenge by Japan mid-rally tied the third at 25-all. Yukiko Wada scored back-to-back kills to seal the win for her team and keep them on top of the standings of the 18-nation field.

READ: VNL: Foreign stars relish passion of Filipino fans

Yoshino Sato set the tone in the opening set, scoring 10 of her 21 points for their second win in Pasig City.

“I think we were able to bounce back by using the momentum of our opponents in the second half of the game,” said SV.League MVP Sato. 

“Volleyball is very popular here in the Philippines. So we feel like we play a home game.”

Team captain Mayu Ishikawa was also instrumental with 16 points, while Wada added 13.

Japan takes on the Dominican Republic on Saturday at 4 p.m. before capping Week 2 against defending champion Italy.

Czechia, which entered Week 2 with a 3-1 record, has yet to notch a win in the Philippine leg and slid to 3-4.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. might be a little sore.

The New York Yankees second baseman had found his groove following early-season struggles, but now, he might not have any type of groove at all.

Chisholm’s night was cut short in the fourth inning on Thursday after he fouled a pitch off that took a direct shot in his man area.

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He fouled a breaking ball off that hit the dirt surrounding home plate and bounced directly back at him. After the ball made contact, he collapsed and was tended to by trainers while clearly in some serious pain.

Apparently, the injury was not a quick fix, as Anthony Volpe took his spot in the lineup.

In his first 21 games, Chisholm struggled after boldly claiming he’d hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases, hitting .164 with a .498 OPS and zero homers.

But in his last 49 games, while 50-50 might be a far cry, he is hitting .254 with an .811 OPS, both of which are above his career numbers and extremely similar to last year’s .242/.813.

PRO BASEBALL TEAM FORFEITS PRIDE NIGHT GAME AFTER PLAYERS REFUSE TO WEAR THEMED JERSEYS, ORGANIZATION SAYS

The Yankees have been hit with the injury bug this season, as Aaron Judge is out with a broken rib, and Giancarlo Stanton “reinjured” a bothersome calf recently. Trent Grisham was also placed on the injured list, while Cy Young candidate Max Fried is also on the shelf.

However, the team has been able to more than tread water without them and are in first place in the American League East by 3.0 games.

The Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians and Seattle Mariners are the only teams in the American League that are above .500, so New York has been able to take advantage.

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But they can only survive so many injuries to All-Stars.

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An investigation into the nightclub incident, when Stokes and pace bowler Gus Atkinson were present when a member of security staff was struck by a Saracens rugby player, remains ongoing.

While the England and Wales Cricket Board is hopeful of a swift resolution, no update is expected on Friday.

There remains a growing likelihood Stokes will return as England captain for the third Test at Trent Bridge next week.

“This is a difficult situation,” added Bostock. “It sounds like common sense is prevailing.

“We are happy to have Ben here but not under these circumstances.”

England introduced a curfew after a number of off-field incidents dogged their defeat in last winter’s Ashes in Australia.

In the aftermath of the incident on 8 June there were fears Stokes would retire, ending a storied England career. Those fears were allayed when he returned to training with Durham last weekend.

He has continued to train with his county through the past week and, with the investigation not preventing the all-rounder – nor fast bowler Atkinson – from playing in domestic, both returned to the field on Friday.

After having a catch dropped in his first over, Stokes had returned figures of 0-26 in nine overs by tea on day one against Northants at Chester-le-Street.

Atkinson dismissed Kiran Carlson and Ben Kellaway in his first 11 overs in Surrey’s visit to Glamorgan.

“[Stokes] should be playing for England,” Bostock said. “Hopefully will be back captaining next week.”

If Stokes and Atkinson are picked to play in Nottingham they may have to be withdrawn from the latter part of the county fixtures, given the Test begins on Thursday.

Lindsay Gough is banking on jockey Robbie Dolan’s significant experience in major Cups to see Cavalry Man perform well on Saturday, despite the gelding’s draw of barrier ten for the Ipswich 2150-metre start.

While the Melbourne Cup is a grander stage, the Ipswich Cup represents a premier event for Queensland racing this weekend.

Cavalry Man, trained by Gough at Eagle Farm, is set to compete in the Listed Ipswich Cup, with the stable aiming for its first black-type victory since 2013.

The gelding’s last start saw him victorious at benchmark 60 level over 1810m at Eagle Farm, starting as a $3 favourite according to leading Aussie betting sites. Gough is now hoping the horse can avoid a lapse in concentration during the race.

“He worked nicely into it but just when they straightened he probably got a bit flat for a few strides,” Gough remarked. “It is hard to say but they might have dashed a little bit quicker than him but he looked the winner from the furlong.”

“He has prepped up well but we have our fingers cross from a sticky draw,” Gough added, referring to barrier ten. “I’ve done my job so it is up to Robbie Dolan now. I’ll leave it to him. He’s competed at the top level winning the Melbourne Cup and he’s ridden more winners than me.

“Ideally we’d like to get some cover.”

For Gough, who oversees a stable of around 15 to 20 horses, there’s a statistical comfort: five of the last ten Ipswich Cups have been won from barriers 10 to 12.

The five-year-old gelding is currently priced at $5 for this event, with Matthew Dunn’s Belvedere Boys the $3.70 favourite according to popular betting apps Australia. Explore the latest racing odds for the Ipswich Cup with online bookmakers.