Shane Flanagan has unveiled a new-look backline after the return of as playmaker and the omission of his veteran fullback.

With England's first Test against New Zealand less than two months away, Daily Mail Sport looks at how the players vying for selection fared in the opening round of matches...

General manager Tom Fitzgerald is parting ways with the New Jersey Devils, the latest NHL team to make an abrupt late-season change in the front office or behind the bench.Co-owner David Blitzer announced Monday that a decision had been made for Fitzgerald to leave the organization. Fitzgerald had been GM since January 2020 and got the title president of hockey operations early in 2024, along with a contract extension. Tom and I had a thoughtful conversation today and agreed it was time to move in a new direction, Blitzer said. Tom changed the trajectory of our team here, including setting a franchise record for points in a season and helping make New Jersey a hockey destination. He is a well-respected leader across the Devils organization and NHL, and I am grateful for our friendship." Fitzgerald was responsible for building much of the core of the roster around top picks Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, who were drafted when he was an assistant to Ray Shero. The 57-year-old endured criticism in recent months for signing players to contracts with restrictive no-trade clauses and for extending Jacob Markstrom early, before the goaltender's struggles.After talking with David Blitzer, it was apparent to everyone that the best course of action is to move on for the benefit of the team, Fitzgerald said. The Devils are fortunate to have a core of great players, vocal and passionate fans, but most importantly, tremendous people who worked with me toward a common goal. Ive always said that New Jersey is a hidden gem, and Im proud of the effort that we put in to raise the standard and make it a destination."New Jersey made the playoffs twice in the five seasons with Fitzgerald in charge, losing in the second round in 2023 and bowing out in the first round last year. As we prepare to move forward, it is important I acknowledge our fans: I recognize we have not delivered in the way you expect and deserve and I understand and share in your frustration, Blitzer said. "This is a critical offseason for our franchise, and we will explore all avenues that best position the Devils to compete for a Stanley Cup once again.It's unclear what this means for the future of coach Sheldon Keefe, who is nearing the end of his second season. Fitzgerald hired Keefe in May 2024.Fitzgerald, who was part of USA Hockey's management group that constructed the roster that won gold at the Milan Cortina Olympics, could immediately become a candidate for one of the other GM vacancies around the league. The Nashville Predators with Barry Trotz retiring and Toronto Maple Leafs after firing Brad Treliving are currently searching for a new head of hockey operations.I am incredibly appreciative to David, Josh Harris, and the entire New Jersey Devils organization for being a part of my life for the past decade," Fitzgerald said. "I look forward to the next step in my hockey career and will always look back fondly on my time with the Devils.Fitzgerald spent time in Nashville and Toronto during his playing career. He was the first captain of the Predators, wearing the C from 1998-02 while Trotz was coaching the team and played two seasons with the Maple Leafs from '02-04.After going into management, Fitzgerald was director of player development when Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup in 2009. He joined the Devils in 2015.___AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

North Carolina is working toward finalizing a deal with NBA championship-winning coach Michael Malone to lead the Tar Heels' basketball program, a person with knowledge of the situation said Monday.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the school hasn't publicly discussed its search. Malone would replace Hubert Davis, who was fired March 24 after five seasons as the successor to retired Hall of Famer Roy Williams.ESPN was the first to report UNC moving toward hiring Malone. The 54-year-old Malone spent 12 seasons as a head coach in the NBA, including a 10-year run in Denver. He led the Nuggets to the 2023 championship behind three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic.The Nuggets fired Malone last spring with less than a week left in that regular season. Almost a year to the day, in another surprise move, Malone is on the verge of taking over a blue-blood program with six national titles, a record 21 appearances in the Final Four and alums including Michael Jordan, James Worthy Vince Carter and Atlantic Coast Conference career scoring leader Tyler Hansbrough.UNC now has big-name former pro coaches leading its two highest-profile programs. The Tar Heels hired six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick as their football coach in December 2024. Belichick struggled to a 4-8 record in his debut season.Davis firing opened one of the top jobs in college basketball for only the fourth time since the late Hall of Famer Dean Smiths retirement after 36 seasons in October 1997.The job had stayed in the Carolina Family ever since. Longtime assistant Bill Guthridge replaced Smith, followed by former UNC player Matt Doherty, former Smith assistant Williams and then Davis, who played under Smith and worked on Williams' staff.Names like Arizonas Tommy Lloyd, Michigans Dusty May and Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan who led Florida to the 2006 and 2007 NCAA titles had been linked to the job since Davis firing. Lloyd announced Friday at the Final Four that he would return to the Wildcats while praising UNC for the way theyve handled this.Three days later, the search had turned in an unexpected direction with Malone, who has never been a college head coach and has spent most of his career in the NBA. His primary connection to UNC athletics is the presence of daughter Bridget on the Tar Heels volleyball team.During an October appearance on the UNC athletic departments Carolina Insider podcast, Malone recalled hearing his late father, NBA coach Brendan Malone, talk often about Smith and UNC basketball. He also mentioned attending multiple recent practices and Davis asking him to speak to the team at least once.Ive always been a Carolina fan, Malone said. And when (Bridget) decided to come here that made it even that much more special, because now Im Go Heels for everything. I root for all the teams, have fallen in love with Chapel Hill.Malone's time in the NBA included a brief stint in Sacramento, where he was fired in December 2014, just 24 games into his second season. He also worked as an assistant with the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets and Golden State Warriors.Malone had stints in college as an assistant at Oakland, Providence and Manhattan. He spent only one season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, working as director of men's basketball administration at Virginia under Pete Gillen in 1998-99.David Adelman, Malone's successor in Denver, said he was happy for his friend, adding that Malone would be comfortable with players earning big money through name, image and likeness deals.Its more of a professional environment now, especially at schools like that, where you have to look at it like these guys are under contract now, Adelman said. And I think a lot of NBA coaches understand what it means to coach somebody thats making money.___AP freelancer Michael Kelly in Denver contributed to this report.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

England supporters heading to the World Cup clash against Ghana have reacted with fury after learning they will face a fourfold increase in rail fares to reach the venue.The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority confirmed on Monday that return tickets from Boston's South Station to Foxborough will cost 60, up from the standard 15.Thomas Tuchel's squad will take on the Black Stars at Gillette Stadium on June 23, but the venue sits 27 miles from Boston's city centre.Reports also indicate the Boston host committee is considering bus services to matches, with fares potentially reaching 70.TRENDINGStoriesVideosYour SayThe Free Lions, the Football Supporters' Association's embassy service for travelling England fans, issued a statement expressing their anger at the fare increase.The group said: "At what is normally a 15 return, we are incredibly disappointed that this has been allowed to happen."For a stadium so far away from its advertised location, all organisers had a duty to ensure supporters could get there sustainably and for a fair price. "Unfortunately, like much with this tournament, supporters are gouged."The pricing stands in sharp contrast to arrangements at Euro 2024 in Germany, where match tickets granted holders free access to public transport for 36 hours around each fixture.Gillette Stadium will host seven World Cup matches, including Scotland's group-stage encounters with Morocco and Haiti.Individual supporters have vented their anger on social media.One fan wrote: "It's disgusting they can get away with it." LATEST SPORT NEWSMichael Owen gives Arne Slot sack verdict with Liverpool in crisis after Man City FA Cup defeatGary Lineker explains 'signal of panic' after Arsenal's nightmare FA Cup exit to SouthamptonNon-league football team sign Man Utd icon who won two Premier League titlesOthers branded the situation "sickening" and "mad... diabolical," while some accused organisers of a "disasterclass."The backlash extends beyond England fans to American commuters facing their own World Cup transport chaos.Separate disruption awaits commuters in New York, where sections of Penn Station will reportedly be restricted to World Cup ticket holders only during the four hours preceding matches at MetLife Stadium.The station, North America's busiest transport hub, serves approximately 132,000 NJ Transit passengers on weekdays.Four of the eight matches at MetLife Stadium, including the final, are scheduled for weekdays, with fixtures on June 16, June 22, June 25 and June 30.New Yorkers have questioned how they are supposed to maintain their daily routines when matches fall on working days.One user wrote on X: "Just so wrong. We should never put the every day citizen aside for anything when it comes to publicly funded services."Another asked how commuters would cope with evening kick-offs on weekdays, noting: "If a Tuesday match [starts] at 8pm, you leave early or at 8pm?"Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

He said his goal was to 'come to London and present a show of change' through his music.

Archaeologists have uncovered a one-of-a-kind artifact near the Sea of Galilee that may reveal new details about how early Christians practiced baptism.The 1,400-year-old artifact was recently found in the ancient city of Hippos, a prominent bishop's seat during the Byzantine era, according to a March 30 press release shared with Fox News Digital.The city was once the only Christian city around the Sea of Galilee, controlling territory associated with Jesus' ministry.LEGENDARY CAPTAIN WHO INSPIRED 'THE THREE MUSKETEERS' MAY HAVE BEEN FOUND UNDER CHURCH ALTARThe marble block was found in a hall of baptism called a photisterion. It may shed light on "a stage of the early Christian baptismal rite that has until now gone unrecorded," officials said.Hippos' cathedral had two baptismal halls: one for adults, and another for infants and children, which is where the new object was found.The smaller hall was constructed after 591 A.D. and was destroyed by an earthquake in 749 A.D. meaning the object is roughly 1,400 years old.COIN USED AS BUS FARE TURNS OUT TO BE 2,000-YEAR-OLD RELIC, ITS JOURNEY STILL A MYSTERYOfficials described the artifact as "a rectangular block bearing three hemispheric cavities, found beside a baptismal font in a newly revealed ceremonial hall."Researchers believe the block may have held three different oils used during a threefold baptismal immersion ceremony.Pictures of the object show the weathered marble block with three bowl-shaped basins, suggesting it was designed to hold liquids side by side.Early Christian baptisms more commonly involved two anointings before and after the rite which makes the three-part design particularly unusual.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ"The collapse buried the marble and bronze artifacts beneath the rubble, preserving them until their recent discovery," the release noted.Officials added, "After extensive examination and comparison, the scholars concluded that no known parallels to the artifact exist."Michael Eisenberg, a University of Haifa archaeologist who recently published the results in the journal PEQ, along with colleague Arleta Kowalewska, said the object was found among a variety of "remarkable liturgical objects," including a bronze candelabrum used to hold candles."Only after careful research did we realize how unique they are for understanding Christian ritual practices in the cradle of Christianity by the Sea of Galilee," he said.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERThe object was "nothing special at first glance," to the excavations, Eisenberg told Fox News Digital."But here is exactly where the archaeological and liturgical studies came into play.""Realizing that it is a one-of-a-kind artifact that may fill unknown regional and perhaps wider lacunae in one of the most ancient and sacred Christian ceremonies was a complete surprise."Eisenberg said the findings may "open a portal" to the development of baptism rituals in the early Christian world.CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES"In different regions, distinct liturgical traditions developed, many of which are not documented in written sources," the archaeologist said."This find offers a rare glimpse into how the baptismal rite was shaped and practiced in the Byzantine Christian community of Hippos."The find joins a long list of significant archaeological discoveries found at Hippos in recent years.Last year, excavators in Hippos found a 1,600-year-old Christian care facility for the elderly, which is possibly the world's oldest nursing home.Last July, metal detectorists found a trove of ancient jewelry and gold coins near ruins in Hippos.

Paris-Roubaix zhlt zu den prestigetrchtigsten und hrtesten Eintagesrennen im Radsport-Kalender. Alles Wissenswerte zur Fahrt durch die "Hlle des Nordens".[mehr]

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