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Rugby union power rankings: how the teams stand a year from World Cup

There’s no ignoring the holders but what of the hosts, the All Blacks, France and even England? Here’s a rundown of all 24 teams taking part in Australia in 2027Beaten by Australia last weekend but the manner in which they came back after Rassie Erasmus emptied his bench was emphatic. The series victory over New Zealand was the one they really wanted this year and achieving that, romping from 1-0 down to 3-1 victors, underscores that they are the team to beat in Australia next year. Continue reading...

Published Oct 1, 2026 · 11:00 AMOriginal source: Sport | The Guardian1 reads
There’s no ignoring the holders but what of the hosts, the All Blacks, France and even England? Here’s a rundown of all 24 teams taking part in Australia in 2027Beaten by Australia last weekend but the manner in which they came back after Rassie Erasmus emptied his bench was emphatic. The series victory over New Zealand was the one they really wanted this year and achieving that, romping from 1-0 down to 3-1 victors, underscores that they are the team to beat in Australia next year. Continue reading...
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Tuchel: Kane a one-off for England

Thomas Tuchel feels England are unlikely to see another striker of Harry Kane's level. Kane is two games away from equalling Peter Shilton as England's all-time record appearance maker, on 125 caps. The Bayern Munich forward is already England's record scorer, with 87 goals in 123 appearances for the Three Lions. Kane has scored twice in England's last two games, although he did miss a penalty in last Saturday's 3-2 loss to world champions Spain. The 33-year-old plundered 73 goals for club and country last season and Tuchel does not think there will be another forward of his ilk that comes along anytime soon. "The highest level of goalscorer, of finishing," Tuchel said of Kane. "He is the first one to push everyone and that is his mindset and he became a very, very hardworking forward on top of his finishing skills. He is a complete package." Fox in the box The view from pitchside — England (@England) October 1, 2026 Asked who could replace Kane once he retires, Tuchel said: "You will not get another Harry Kane, first of all. "We look for different options and solutions. We finished the game with Jude [Bellingham] up front as a number nine. "There will be someone else, but it will not be Harry or a copy of Harry. We will find a solution when it comes to it but maybe not me. It might be another 10 years." One possibility could be Jude Bellingham, who netted eight goals for England at the World Cup. "I like him as a nine," Tuchel said of Bellingham. "Then he can contribute to both sides and overload the sides and doesn't affect so much of the balance. "We found a bit of a new role for him in the last match, as a central 10, so he can go to both sides and it is more of a 4-2-3-1 than a 4-3-3 to have Harry and Jude closer together and to give them a chance to overload both

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Klopp not anticipating more titles following Man City verdict

Jurgen Klopp is not readying himself to receive more titles retrospectively in the wake of Manchester City's guilty verdict. It was confirmed on Tuesday that an independent commission had found Man City guilty on the vast majority of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League. The charges, which were made in 2023, relate to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules across a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018. It has been found that City's breach amounted to around £900m. During the period in question, City won three Premier League titles. However, it also paved the way for what was to come under Pep Guardiola. In 2018-19, City won their fourth Premier League crown, and their second under Guardiola, by finishing one point ahead of Klopp's Liverpool. Club statement. https://t.co/yrJ8Z0A52Y pic.twitter.com/0NP2k33JT9 — Manchester City (@ManCity) September 29, 2026 That sparked a thrilling rivalry between City and the Reds, with Liverpool winning the title in 2020 and pushing Guardiola's juggernaut close again in 2022. With a plethora of punishments open to the commission at an upcoming sanctions hearing, there has been a suggestion City could have titles stripped, but Klopp is not expecting to receive a retrospective winners' medal. "I haven't given it much thought, even though I've seen it of course," said the Germany boss. "Should any sanctions be imposed, I naturally have nothing to do with it anyway, and that's why I'm waiting to see how things pan out. But when you're talking about legal proceedings that have been going on for so long now, I assume there will be an appeal or something like that? That will take ages again of course. "So I'm a long way from preparing myself for it in any way and I don't have any feelings about it." City insist

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Prediction: Switzerland vs Slovenia

Looking to extend on their Nations League romp this weekend, Switzerland will welcome Slovenia to Luzern on Saturday night. With another stacked Nations League schedule pencilled in this weekend, there are plenty of attractive betting promotions available. Verdict: Switzerland win Best Odds: 4/11 Bookmaker: 1xBet Switzerland Starting with the hosts, while Switzerland might have eventually watched their World Cup adventure come to an end at the quarter-final stage as they fell to a 3-1 defeat against Argentina, Murat Yakin’s men have taken plenty of positives away from their North American adventure. Getting their Nations League charge underway with a routine 3-0 victory away at North Macedonia, the Nati laid down another marker on foreign soil earlier in the week. Making a heavyweight statement as they clinched another dominant 3-0 win against Scotland in Glasgow, Switzerland are almost universally regarded as the standout League B promotion candidate this year. With the mood in Yakin’s camp rightfully at a red-hot high, the Swiss have also recorded a clean sheet in four of their previous five appearances across all competitions. Switzerland Team News At the centre of what has become a major controversy in Switzerland, skipper Granit Xhaka has not been allowed to feature this month due to an ongoing battle regarding allegations that he obtained a fake vaccination certificate. Despite facing what is a speedy turnaround this weekend, Yakin could be tempted to name an unchanged XI from their thumping 3-0 victory in Glasgow on Tuesday night. Already notching a trio of strikes in his opening two Nations League appearances over the past week, Burnley marksman Zeki Amdouni will spearhead Switzerland’s charge in the final third. Slovenia As for the visitors, drastically failing

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