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Helmut Marko says Sergio Perez’s greatest achievement at Red Bull has been to merely “survive” alongside Max Verstappen for the past two years. Perez was handed the plum seat at Red Bull Racing at the end of the 2020 season, the Mexican replacing Alex Albon who had failed to make much of an impression against Verstappen during his year and a half with the team. And Albon’s predecessor Pierre Gasly lasted only half a season alongside Red Bull’s blindingly fast two-time world champion. Last weekend, Perez finished runner-up to Verstappen in the opening round in Bahrain of the 2023 season, a good start to the four-time Grand Prix winner’s campaign.…

Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson was full of praise for his squad for the way they adjusted without several players en route to their 19-18 triumph in Saturday’s East Midlands derby against Leicester Tigers at Welford Road. Apart from being without five players who are in England head coach Steve Borthwick’s Six Nations squad, Saints were also missing the injured Courtney Lawes and suspended duo Fraser Dingwall and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto. Momentous victory Saints‘ narrow win over Tigers was their first away triumph of the season but despite being minus several first choice players they delivered an excellent performance and came from behind to secure victory. “The more successful…

Speaking after Paris Saint-Germain’s 3-0 win over Nantes last night, club captain Marquinhos looked ahead to the Parisian side’s Champions League test against Juventus on Tuesday. When asked about the looming fixture against the Italian giants, Marquinhos said:  “The team has worked well so far, it was the best preparation. We’ve played some good games, we’ve won, we’ve just had two consecutive clean-sheets. We’ve been good away from home too. In the Champions League, we know that there is always a different context, these are special games. The preparation is done, but now we have to play a great game at home to win.” “It gives you confidence to keep…

McLaren says its new long-awaited wind tunnel in Woking has now been completed, and the team hopes to have access to its new tool in June. The completion of McLaren’s crucial piece of infrastructure was a priority for the outfit’s former team boss Andreas Seidl and technical director James Key, and was initially expected to conclude in 2021. But the global Covid pandemic led to the wind tunnel’s construction being delayed by two years, forcing McLaren to continue to conduct most of its aerodynamic work at Toyota’s facility in Cologne. In Bahrain, Seidl’s successor at the helm of McLaren, Andrea Stella, provided some insight on when the team’s crucial piece…

Fiji have been dealt a huge setback just over eight months out from the Rugby World Cup in France with the news that their head coach, Vern Cotter, has stepped down from his position with immediate effect. Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) chairman Humphrey Tawake said his organisation had accepted Cotter’s letter of resignation and that a new coach will be appointed “in due course”. A press statement on the FRU’s official website said: “Fiji Rugby Union {FRU} has today accepted the resignation of Flying Fijians head coach Vern Cotter who has decided to resign from his role with immediate effect due to personal reasons. “FRU takes this opportunity to thank…

Sébastien Denis is reporting that Marseille midfielder Jordan Veretout (29) is a candidate for a France call-up after an impressive start to the Ligue 1 season.  Whilst uncertainties prevail as to Paul Pogba’s availability for this winter’s World Cup in Qatar after the Juventus midfielder underwent knee surgery, Veretout, who has five caps for the France national team could be set for a re-call.  Veretout has received a “pre-call-up” and according to Denis, is a “serious candidate” to join the France national team during their fixtures later this month.  Veretout hasn’t been called up by Didier Deschamps since November 2021, but despite huge competition in France’s midfield, he could yet return to the fold after…

With so many players and clubs doing media each day, it can be hard to keep on top of a lot of the stories coming out.Rugby is filled with them across all levels of the game and whilst most are covered through some form of media, there are others that might have slipped off the radar as the build towards the Super Rugby Pacific opener dominates discussions.One Percenters returns for 2023 as it looks at everything you might have missed from the week of Rugby.White takes cheeky shot at HooperBrumbies scrumhalf Nic White couldn't help himself when asked about the Waratahs' sleepout on Allianz Stadium.The sleepout dominated the stories out of…

As reported by RMC, Ligue 1 club Lyon are looking at signing French defender Dan-Axel Zagadou on a free transfer to bolster what has become a leaky defensive unit this season with Thiago Mendes, a midfielder by trade, struggling at the heart of OL’s backline. Zagadou has been a free agent since leaving Borussia Dortmund at the end of last season after his contract expired following a host of injury concerns in recent seasons. The former PSG centre-back is also in advanced talks with West Ham United over a four-year contract, however. Lyon are interested too but have ground to make up on the Hammers if they wish to sign…

The Chiefs rallied from 10-0 down after 20 minutes to beat the defending champion Crusaders 31-10 Friday and pull off the first upset of the Super Rugby Pacific season in the opening match.Center David Havili scored the first try of the season in the 20th minute and the conversion which followed a penalty by Richie Mo’unga gave the Crusaders a 10-0 lead in front of a large home crowd.The Chiefs were able to stay in a mostly scrappy match and had cut the lead to 10-7 at halftime with a try to lock Brodie Retallick.Second-half tries to captain Sam Cane, center Alex Nankivell and replacement Cortez Ratima put the Chiefs…

Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas missed the club’s UEFA Champions League clash against Maccabi Haifa. A report from L’Équipe suggests that the former Real Madrid custodian is available for the defending Ligue 1 champions’ trip to Lyon on Sunday. Navas has reportedly recovered from the injury that kept him on the sideline in PSG’s 3-1 victory against the Israeli side. As reported previously, Olympiacos made a last-minute attempt to sign the Costa Rica international just before the deadline day in the Greek transfer window. But with the prospect of playing for them failing to excite Navas, the deal never went through. While the custodian is ready to be back for…