Sport news in brief
Premiership clubs to take a knee as rugby restarts
Harlequins, Leicester Tigers and Wasps will take a knee this weekend as Premiership rugby resumes, with the sport launching the ‘Rugby Against Racism’ campaign as it returns to action following a five-month hiatus. All 12 Premiership clubs have committed to showing their opposition towards racism, though each side has been allowed to discuss and choose how they want to convey that message, while a working group has been set-up comprising a number of black players from the Premiership, as well as ex-Harlequins and England player Ugo Monye and former England Women’s Sevens coach James Bailey.
“Together, we the players stand united in the fight against racism, and we are proud to support the positive message that Black Lives Matter,” the working group said in a statement endorsed by Premiership Rugby. “We are not endorsing a political ideology. We are uniting as players to combat racial discrimination, in our sport and in society #BlackLivesMatter.”
Super League fixtures postponed due to coronavirus
Hull FC and Salford have had their Betfred Super League fixtures this weekend postponed following the positive tests for coronavirus at Hull. The two teams played each other on Sunday in Super League, with the Red Devils winning 54-18 at Emerald Headingley Stadium. Five Hull players who were involved in the match have since tested positive for Covid-19, while a sixth, who was not in their matchday 17, has also tested positive. As a result, Salford’s match against Catalans Dragons on Saturday and Hull’s match against Castleford on Sunday have been postponed
Betfred Super League executive chairman Robert Elstone said in a statement: “Throughout this crisis our priority has been to ensure we minimise any risk, and the postponement of this weekend’s scheduled fixtures involving Hull FC and Salford underlines that approach.”
Robinson added to England squad for second Test
Uncapped Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson has been included in England’s 14-man squad for the second Test against Pakistan. The 26-year-old had been training with the squad during the West Indies series and took eight Hampshire wickets in his subsequent appearance in the Bob Willis Trophy. Whether or not Robinson comes into contention for a first international appearance at the Ageas Bowl could depend on how the remainder of England’s seam attack shape up after a congested summer of Test cricket. Ben Stokes is the only name missing from last week’s three-wicket victory at Emirates Old Trafford as he prepares to return to New Zealand for family reasons.
Paris Marathon cancelled
The rescheduled Paris Marathon on 15 November has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The race was originally scheduled to take place on 5 April, but was postponed at the start of the coronavirus crisis and moved to the end of the year in the hope that conditions would improve sufficiently to a level where the mass participation event could take place. But with cases in France on the rise once again, a decision was taken to cancel the full event, meaning there will be no race for professionals or for the thousands of amateur runners who take part.
“Faced with the difficulty that many runners, especially those coming from abroad, had in making themselves available for the 14th/15th November, it was decided that it would be better and simpler for those concerned if we organised the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris in 2021,” organisers said in a statement. “There will be great disappointment among those who have sacrificed time training for what had become an autumn marathon.”