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The Independent
6 minutes ago
- The Independent
England flanker Marlie Packer avoids ban for World Cup opener after red card
England have been given a boost with Marlie Packer cleared to feature in their Rugby World Cup opener after receiving a one-match ban for a red card. Packer was sent off for a dangerous clearout having been deemed to have targeted the lower leg of a Spanish player during the Red Roses ' 97-7 warm-up win at Welford Road. Her dismissal led to fears that the 35-year-old flanker would be unavailable for the opening game of the upcoming tournament against the United States in Sunderland on Friday 22 August. But Packer has received only a short ban, which will be served for next week's game against France in Mont-de-Marsan, and be eligible for selection come the start of the tournament. Packer was given a two-match ban, with the sanction cut in half after full mitigation was considered. A World Rugby statement said: 'Packer's actions were reckless, and although the initial contact was on the Spanish player's back, the secondary movement resulted in significant body weight being placed on the Spanish player's leg/knee. The committee also noted that the Spanish player avoided injury.' The veteran, a World Cup winner in 2014, skippered the side in Leicester despite losing the full-time captaincy to lock Zoe Aldcroft at the start of the year, and produced an impressive performance before her ruck misdeed. for England boss John Mitchell entering the tournament. The vastly experienced Alex Matthews, breakthrough star Maddie Feaunati, all-action openside Sadia Kabeya and Abi Burton, a former sevens stalwart, are the other specialist back rows in the squad alongside Packer. Captain Aldcroft and fellow lock Morwenna Talling can also feature across the back row.
The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
England given Chris Woakes fitness boost ahead of nail-biting finish to India series
Chris Woakes stands ready to bat with a dislocated shoulder and 'put his body on the line' for England, with Joe Root confident the hosts will apply the finishing touches to a nail-biting series decider against India. For the fifth Test in a row, the game is going all the way to the final day after a nerve-wracking fourth evening left all results possible. Brilliant centuries from Root (105) and Harry Brook (111) had England cruising towards a remarkable chase, set fair on 301 for three hunting 374, but they lost three late wickets to leave things in the balance. Bad light and rain halted a thrilling conclusion in its tracks, with England needing 35 runs and India seeking four more wickets. One of those belongs to Woakes, who has not featured since badly damaging his left shoulder while fielding on Friday. He was ruled out of the game the next morning but has remained with the team and is willing to bat at number 11 with his arm in a sling if required. 'You probably saw him in his whites in the dressing room. He's all in, like the rest of us,' said Root. 'Clearly, he's in a huge amount of pain. But it means a huge amount to him and it just shows the character and the person that he is, that he's willing to put his body on the line like that for England. 'If it does come to that, hopefully he can get us across the line and win an incredible series.' Root was not surprised to see a dramatic end unfold after almost seven weeks of full-blooded battle but, having done a huge amount of the heavy lifting alongside Brook, still fancies England to triumph. 'It was always going to happen like this wasn't it? Just look at the first four games,' he said. 'It's been amazing to play in and quite fitting that we're going to get that kind of finish. It's been one hell of a series, one hell of a journey, and there's clearly confidence in our dressing room. I'd like to think we've got what we need to get across the line.' Root had earlier marked his 39th Test hundred, and third this summer, with a touching tribute to the late Graham Thorpe. The former Test batter, who took his own life last year, enjoyed a close relationship with Root during his time as England's assistant coach. When he reached three figures, Root produced one of the Thorpe-inspired white headbands Surrey have been selling to raise funds for the MIND mental health charity and wore it as he looked to the skies. 'That was on behalf of our team. It was just a thank you for everything that he's given the game of cricket, and given English cricket, on and off the field,' he said. 'It's been amazing to recognise everything that he's done as a player, as a coach, as a mentor, as a friend to the dressing room and to the game. 'It was really great to see the amount of love that there is for him and for his family.' India's quicks had found wonderful rhythm before the weather intervened and would probably have liked to try and finish the job while the mood was with them. A night's break and an extra use of the heavy roller could play into England's hands but a saturated outfield meant the tourists were not complaining about the umpires' decision. 'We can see it's pretty wet out there,' said bowling coach Morne Morkel. 'In a way that's out of our control so all we can focus on is doing a good warm-up in the morning, get the boys ready to get the ball in the right area and create a little bit of excitement again.'
The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
‘Iconic' white storks could be coming back to London after centuries
Londoners are being consulted on the potential re-establishment of white storks in the capital, as part of a project to determine if these "talismanic" birds can once again thrive in the city. The majestic birds, which vanished from Britain centuries ago, have seen a resurgence following reintroduction efforts in southern England, leading to a notable "explosion" in sightings across Greater London. Conservationists are now exploring whether the metre-tall birds, known for flourishing in urban environments across Europe, could similarly establish themselves in London. The urban rewilding organisation Citizen Zoo is spearheading an appraisal to transform London into a "white stork-friendly city". This involves comprehensive habitat mapping, engaging with boroughs across the capital to assess their receptiveness, and conducting public surveys. Historically, white storks were a common sight in British skies, constructing their large nests on rooftops, buildings, and in trees, before their disappearance as a breeding species in the 1400s due to hunting and habitat destruction. Since 2016, the white stork project in Sussex has sought to create new colonies of rehabilitated injured storks – which can act as a 'magnet' for wild birds that visit from the continent – at Knepp and Wadhurst Park, with the first successful breeding in 2020. In the four decades before the start of the project, there were just 27 records of white storks across Greater London. But between 2016 and 2023 there have been 472 sightings in the capital, with the numbers increasing year-on-year, conservationists said. Citizen Zoo has worked with communities to bring beavers back to Ealing, reintroduce water voles to Surrey and restore wetlands in the capital, in efforts to bring city dwellers closer to nature, deliver wellbeing benefits and make London more resilient to climate change, and is now looking at white storks. The storks have wider ecological benefits for their habitat, creating huge nests which are homes and food sources for an array of species from insects to birds. But it is their ability to inspire people about nature that has been a key part of reintroduction efforts in the UK. Elliot Newton, co-founder and director of rewilding at Citizen Zoo, said: 'These are a really talismanic, iconic species that really do draw and attract attention. 'You look up into the skies and see a white stork, it's quite obvious.' He said: 'We realised in recent years we've seen an explosion in white stork recordings across Greater London. 'And if you look across European landscapes, this is a bird that can actually thrive in urban landscapes, on chimneys, on pylons, and are associated with thriving in urban settings. 'What we want to see is how can we make London a more white stork-friendly environment, and embrace it for its ability to inspire people about the nature we can and should have close to where we live.' The survey is being led by the University of Brighton 's Rachel White, with two phases that mirror a national survey she conducted as part of the white stork project in Sussex. The first phase of the study has involved surveying a representative sample of 1,000 Londoners, and a second phase is asking residents and frequent visitors to give their view on white storks and their place in the capital. Dr White said: 'It is really important to be monitoring stakeholders' opinions and attitudes towards any reintroductions, because that's one of the main reasons that reintroduction projects fail – they haven't got the buy-in from the key stakeholders. 'It is really important to not assume, or to not just go ahead with projects, because you see the conservation value in it.' The national survey found overall people were very positive towards the species, even if they had never seen storks before, although there was a lack of knowledge about matters such as the stork's diet, and even what they look like. But a 'relatively small' number of people – often those who were ecologists, conservationists or birders – were not in favour of the reintroduction, largely because it was not a threatened species and they thought it should not be a priority for action, she added. The London survey will feed into the wider assessment by Citizen Zoo of the political and public enthusiasm and habitat availability for storks, and potential next steps such as creating more habitat to encourage natural colonisation or even a release similar to that in Sussex. However, Mr Newton added that 'nature has a fantastic tendency to surprise us', with the possibility storks could establish themselves in the capital of their own accord.
