Latest news with #turnovers
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'Solid performance from Morgan'
2013 British and Irish Lion Alex Cuthbert at Marvel Stadium - "Another solid performance from Jac Morgan with a few turnovers. He worked well at the breakdown with Josh van der Flier."Interesting he's off after 50 minutes. Like Ben Earl last week who made the bench for the first Test."Maybe that's my Welsh side just wanting him involved this weekend!"
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Lions vs Wallabies head-to-heads: Fraser McReight v Tom Curry
Fraser McReight Position : Openside flanker Age : 26 Height : 6ft Weight : 102kgs (16st 1lb) READ MORE Caps : 25 Points : 50 Why he's so important: The first time Fraser McReight announced himself to a global audience was at the 2019 Under-20 World Cup, when he captained an Australia team that went to the final before losing 24-23 to France . In the pool phase, the Aussies beat Grand Slam champions Ireland 45-17, a game that was shaped by an early red card for Ryan Baird. McReight ruled the breakdown that day in Argentina, winning turnovers and penalties at ruck time, including one crucial ruck when the game was a contest in the first 21-minutes. Last November, McReight won four alone for the Wallabies in Ireland's narrow victory at the Aviva Stadium . He was superb in picking his moments to go after the ball. And the referee that night in Dublin ? Andrea Piardi, who presides over the second Test. McReight paints good pictures for the Italian. He'll be crucial again to the home side's chances of dirtying the breakdown, poaching or forcing penalties. The Waratahs' Charlie Gamble poached four in that match, underlining that the Lions are going to have to be so accurate in clearing at ruck time. Teams target the best pickpockets by running at them and then pinning them at the bottom of rucks. Trivia : McReight works with psychologist Hayley Cronin on a visualisation process. He explained: 'That visualisation, or mental awareness, it's a great way to get wins off the field. Joe Schmidt talks about it all the time; your neurological pathways can be triggered the same amount, without any physical stress. You can just be sitting here, testing your brain.' Tom Curry Tom Curry has been favoured by Lions coach Andy Farrell ahead of Jac Morgan and Josh van der Flier. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho Position : Openside flanker Age : 27 Height : 6ft 1in Weight : 110 kgs (17st 5lbs) Lions Tests : 3 Points : 0 Why he's so important : Andy Farrell had a tough choice to make in deciding to promote the English flanker ahead of Jac Morgan (Wales) and Ireland's Josh van der Flier. There's an argument that he has probably been the least impressive of the three candidates. Curry played in all three Tests four years ago in South Africa, so he has that proven pedigree, but form-wise Morgan and van der Flier have compiled the more impressive body of work on this tour. The Sale Shark is a very strong presence at the breakdown and is also comfortable in carrying and linking play, although he needs to bring a greater degree of accuracy in his offloading game. He offers a composite option as a player to the qualities that his two rivals possess – Morgan's jackalling and van der Flier's ball-carrying and passing game. There's no doubting Curry's talent, but he will be under pressure from the get-go to prove that he deserves the jersey, something that will require mental strength and a linear focus. Ben Earl's presence on the bench means that he's opted for a like-for-like replacement, with the Saracens player's pace and running ability sure to cause problems if Australia are flagging in the latter stages. Trivia : Sale Sharks fans have a combined nickname for Tom and his twin Ben, referring to them as Twindaloo. Anecdotally, Tom and Ben can be distinguished by their hairstyles, with Tom's styled to the right and Ben's to the left.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Magic fall short to Raptors in turnover-heavy summer league contest
LAS VEGAS — Over the course of the past two days, Magic summer league coach Ameer Bahhur had stressed to his team playing with controlled pace and limiting their turnovers. Although Orlando had its moments and fought hard in its second Las Vegas Summer League game Sunday against Toronto at Thomas & Mack Center, the group failed to take care of the ball when it fell to 0-2 out west. Advertisement The sides committed a total of 51 turnovers combined, with the Magic recording more with 29. Toronto took full advantage with 44 points off their takeaways and held on 89-86 in a defensive battle. Magic second-year pro Tristan da Silva got off to a fast start when he drilled his first three shots from beyond the arc and seemed to be in control of finding his spots on the floor. Despite picking up two fouls in the first quarter, da Silva remained aggressive with the ball in his hands, converting an and-one in transition late in the second quarter. His sharp-shooting powered a 18-point performance with 5 rebounds, but he missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the closing moments. Advertisement Magic second-round pick Noah Penda appeared more comfortable in his second summer league game compared to his first. The 6-foot-7 forward from France did a little bit of everything on both ends of the court racking up 9 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and a block. Penda portrayed his ability to knock down shots from the outside when he pulled up off the dribble and converted a triple in the first half. He also continued to make his presence everywhere he could on defense. Fellow rookie Jase Richardson distributed the ball well early with 3 assists in the first half. The 6-1 guard from Michigan State was able to get to the free throw line in the second half, which helped him reach 19 points (8 of 9 FTs), when he finished through contact using his 6-6 wingspan to his advantage. Advertisement Seventeen of his 19 points were scored in the second half. Toronto's aggressive ball pressure gave Orlando a myriad of issues in the second quarter, a frame that the Raptors opened on an 18-5 run. Still, the Magic only trailed by 5 at the break and were able to pick up their own defensive intensity in the third quarter. Although Orlando was able to regain its lead in the third, it led by 2 entering the fourth. The Magic had help off the bench when 6-5 guard Wendell Moore Jr. posted an efficient 22 points with a pair of triples and 6-4 guard Alondes Williams added 14 with 4 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Advertisement Orlando regulars Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Isaac and Anthony Black were sitting courtside Sunday to show their support of the Magic summer league squad. The Magic are off Monday before facing the Thunder on the first night of a back-to-back Tuesday (6:30, NBA TV, FanDuel Sports Network Florida). Orlando plays the Nets the next night (7:30, NBA TV, FanDuel Sports Network Florida). Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
CFB Analyst Names Auburn's 'Achilles Heel' in 2024
CFB Analyst Names Auburn's 'Achilles Heel' in 2024 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Auburn Tigers missed a bowl game under head coach Hugh Freeze following a 5-7 finish to the 2024 season. On a recent episode of "The Hard Count," JD PicKell identified turnovers as Auburn's "Achilles Heel." Advertisement The Tigers could not get out of their own way, mainly due to turnovers. Auburn threw 13 interceptions and lost nine fumbles last season. After forcing 13 turnovers, the team finished with a turnover margin of (-9), ranking 120th in college football. Freeze has taken Auburn to one bowl game since accepting the job in 2023. The Tigers went to the Music City Bowl, but lost 31-13 to the Maryland Terrapins. Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze talks with quarterback Deuce Knight. Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images "Turnovers were the Achilles' Heel," PicKell said. "You can't say here in the month of June and say, 'Well, if we didn't turn the football over, we'd be a much different team.' You did turn the football over, so what are we talking about? But it's not unfair to have a discussion about how good Auburn could be going forward if they clean up those turnover mistakes." Advertisement Quarterback Payton Thorne had nine of Auburn's 13 interceptions last year. Thorne is now in the NFL and the Tigers added former Oklahoma Sooners gunslinger Jackson Arnold. However, Arnold has also struggled with turnover issues in the past. Last year, as Oklahoma's starting quarterback, Arnold threw three interceptions and fumbled the ball nine times. While Arnold needs to prove that he can limit the mistakes, PicKell believes adding Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets transfer Eric Singleton Jr. will help in that area. PicKell also stated that Arnold is the key to the Auburn offense if the turnovers can be stopped. Advertisement The Tigers face the Baylor Bears to open the 2025 season on August 29. Related: Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium Ranking for EA Sports College Football 26 Revealed This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chicago Sky Coach Defends Controversial Decision in Blowout Loss
Chicago Sky Coach Defends Controversial Decision in Blowout Loss originally appeared on Athlon Sports. To say the Chicago Sky have a glaring problem is a bit of an understatement. They have a near-historic one. The team is averaging 18.9 turnovers per game, which is not just the worst in the WNBA, it's the worst by a longshot. No. 12 on the list is the Valkyries at 16.3. Advertisement In fact, the Sky's turnover rate is the highest in WNBA history going back to Washington in 1999, when the Mystics averaged 21.1 TOs. Chicago notched 20 turnovers on Saturday at home against the Mercury, the fourth time they've hit that number this season. Combine that with a team record 17 3-pointers for the Mercury, and the result was a predictable 107-86 blowout at the hands of Phoenix. It was bad enough that midway through the third quarter, coach Tyler Marsh pulled his starters, down 25 points, sparking fans on social media to claim he "quit" on the team. Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh directs his team against the Phoenix Mercury during the first half at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images But Marsh saw himself as being practical. The Sky were in the first game of what will be just two back-to-back situations on the schedule, as Chicago will fly to Atlanta for an afternoon game on Sunday vs. the Dream. Marsh explained: Advertisement "I think that we've got a couple of players that are banged up so we want to be mindful of the minutes that they play as the game got out of hand there midway through the third. For us, it was more preservation at that point and the players were almost at their limit anyway being no a back-to-back, so we wanted to be mindful of that. If the game wasn't as out of hand, maybe it would have looked different. But we've got to be healthy and ready to go into Atlanta tomorrow. ... "We've got to be mindful of having healthy bodies, so we can give it as good an effort as we can going into tomorrow." The Sky have dropped to 3-9 on the season, and have now lost five of their last six games. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
