We may all be stuck inside but sport is continuing for now, which means some things may have slipped through your net. From upsets in the FA Cup to some bad news for the women’s Six Nations, here are five stories you may have missed this weekend...
Women’s Six Nations Set To Be Postponed
Women’s sport has truly suffered during this pandemic and now the Six Nations is set to be postponed. Originally planned to be held in the traditional slot of February and March alongside the men’s edition, with rising uncertainty around the virus, April and May have been pencilled in as an alternative.
Tournament organisers won’t be able to delay the tournament for too long however as this year will see the World Cup take place in New Zealand, probably the best place in the world to host a sporting event at the moment, and scheduled to begin on 18 September. The 2020 Six Nations were not completed, but England were announced as champions with one game remaining, giving them back-to-back titles.
Chris Eubank Jr Signs Contract With Team Sauerland
Chris Eubank Jr has made the next move in his boxing career by signing with Team Sauerland, which could give him a fresh chance to take on the middleweight elite. Eubank has only fought once since he beat James DeGale at the start of 2019, not fighting at all in 2020, and at 31-years-old, really needs to kick on with his career before it’s too late.
The WBA interim middleweight title holder has worked with the Sauerland brothers before, in the World Boxing Super Series where he was beaten by George Groves in the semi-final, and retained a good relationship with the event organisers, even agreeing to be on the undercard in case either fighter pulled out of the final. Now it seems that relationship has paid off, could we see Eubank win a world title fight again in 2021?
NFL Set For One Of The Greatest Quarterback Match-Ups Ever
The NFL season is coming to a climax and after this weekend’s games we now know we’re going to get one of the greatest match-ups of quarterbacks in history. Following their victories over Washington and Chicago Bears respectively, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, meaning we get to see Tom Brady take on Drew Brees.
Brees, who turns 42 on Thursday, and Brady, 43, have been smashing it in the NFL for two decades now, but Brady’s move from the New England Patriots to the Buccaneers stirred up a lot of controversy. Now he is looking to win his seventh Super Bowl, and his first outside of New England. To do so he will have to get past Brees in a battle between two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Trump Course Stripped of Championship
Donald Trump’s ‘Trump National’ golf course in Bedminster has been stripped of the right to host the 2022 US PGA Championship after organisers agreed that use of the course would be ‘detrimental’. The PGA of America voted to terminate the agreement after the violence at Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. last week.
The president of PGA of America confirmed the change in a statement, saying, "It has become clear that conducting the PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the PGA of America brand and would put at risk the PGA's ability to deliver our many programmes and sustain the longevity of our mission."
Crawley And Chorley, The FA Cup Giant Killers
If the weekend’s action was anything to go by, then the magic of the FA Cup is shining as bright as ever. Crawley Town boss John Yems masterminded an FA Cup giant killing this weekend as his League Two side dumped Premier League Leeds United out of the competition. Goals from Nick Tsaroulla, who was let go by Spurs after a car crash, Ashley Nadesan and Jordan Tunnicliffe were enough to give Crawley a remarkable 3-0 victory to leave Marcelo Bielsa’s men dumbfounded. There was even a very brief appearance from former TOWIE star and Crawley’s new marquee signing Mark Wright at the very end.
Elsewhere, sixth-tier Chorley knocked out a young Derby County side and Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho received plaudits for showing no mercy to Northern Premier League Division One North West side Marine, the lowest ranked team in the tournament, by picking a strong team that ran out 5-0 winners.
