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SYDNEY (AP) — Super Rugby will have an extended, 17-week regular season and a new format for playoffs under the new 10-team structure in 2027.

The tournament, which will feature five franchises from New Zealand, four from Australia and one from Fiji, will kick off on Feb. 12 and the final is scheduled for June 26, organizers announced Wednesday.

The six-team finals format will allow the teams placing first and second to advance directly to the semifinals, with the teams ranked third to sixth going into a playoff to qualify for the semifinals.

The Wellington-based Hurricanes won the 2026 title with a 60-5 win over the Chiefs in the final last month.

The Hurricanes scored 113 tries in 17 matches in 2026 and finished as the first team in Super Rugby’s 30-year history to score more than 100 tries in a season.

New Zealand’s squad for the opening World RugbyNations Championship test against France on Saturday was announced within days of the Super Rugby final.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani will skip his scheduled pitching start Wednesday against the Athletics to get some extra rest, manager Dave Roberts said.

The Dodgers are in the midst of playing 13 games in 13 days, and Roberts said he wanted to make sure that the Japanese sensation got a break. Ohtani is slated to pitch in San Diego on Friday.

“If there’s any opportunity to give him some extra rest, we’re going to try to take advantage of it,” Roberts said. “So pushing him to Friday allows us to have him still take two starts before the break and get on two division opponents. In that vein, there’s just no downside. This made too much sense.”

Ohtani is 8-2 with a 1.58 ERA in 13 starts this season. The four-time MVP has 82 strikeouts and 24 walks in 79 2/3 innings this season.

Roberts indicated that Ohtani will be the Dodgers’ designated hitter for the series finale against the A’s on Wednesday.

“It’s mostly schedule-driven,” Roberts said. “We talked to Shohei and he was agreeing to whatever we felt, knowing it’s best for him. There’s no downside with him losing starts, get more rest. That was the whole driver.”

Roberts said the Dodgers will go with a bullpen game in Ohtani’s absence on Wednesday.

LeBron James will return for an unprecedented 24th season in the NBA — but it won’t be with the Los Angeles Lakers.

James has informed the Lakers that the franchise can move on without him because he will play elsewhere, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday.

“LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history. We will always be thankful for his eight years with the Lakers — including the title he led us to in 2020 under the toughest imaginable circumstances and the countless records he broke in purple and gold,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “We wish him all the best in the future, both on the court and off. He will always be a cherished part of the Lakers family.”

James posted to X that it was “truly a honor to wear” the Lakers’ uniform and that, “I hope I made a few proud during my stint.”

After taking time to decompress and undergo some self-assessment, James came to the conclusion that he wanted to continue playing “meaningful, competitive basketball,” a source familiar with James’ thinking told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

James has instructed agent Rich Paul to talk to everyone around the league who is interested and come back to him with what the options are so he can make his decision, the source said.

While James is committed to returning for a 24th season, he has not made any decision as to whether that will be his final season in the NBA, the source said.

Sources told Charania on Monday that the Golden State Warriors were one of the teams planning to pursue James once the free agency negotiating window began Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.

Draymond Green declined his $27.6 million player option Monday, opening up the flexibility for the Warriors to pursue James and a possible trade with the Washington Wizards for Anthony Davis, which would reunite the former Lakers teammates in Golden State. However, Andscape’s Marc J. Spears reported Tuesday that the Wizards are not interested in moving on from Davis.

Warriors decision-makers have been given no indication as of Monday afternoon that Golden State is the firm landing spot for James, team sources told ESPN’s Anthony Slater. There’s a belief that the organization will have plenty of appeal for James, but there appears there will be some level of recruitment required.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, the other teams James has played for in his career, are also expected to be in the running to sign him, sources told Charania.

James, who will turn 42 in December, could have returned for a ninth season with the Lakers or retired as arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. Instead, he will choose a new team — potentially the last of his storied career.

James’ son, Bronny, doesn’t appear to be accompanying his father as the Lakers opted to fully guarantee the second-year guard’s $2.3 million deal, a league source familiar with the situation told ESPN’s McMenamin. The Lakers had until Monday night to waive Bronny James and only be on the hook for part of his salary for next season but chose to keep him on the roster.

The Lakers are now armed with $52 million in salary cap space, according to ESPN NBA front office insider Bobby Marks, and have plenty of spots to fill — namely at the wing, thanks to James’ departure, and at the center position.

Detroit Pistons restricted free agent big man Jalen Duren has a planned meeting with the Lakers when free agency officially begins, a source familiar with the situation told ESPN’s McMenamin. A pathway to land Duren could prove difficult, however, as sources told Andscape’s Marc Spears that the Pistons have offered what the franchise believes is the most lucrative contract possible for Duren, are not interested in any sign-and-trade deals and will match any potential offer sheet he signs.

Another big the Lakers have interest in, league sources told McMenamin, is unrestricted free agent Sandro Mamukelashvili. The bruising 6-foot-9, 240-pound “Mamu” is coming off a career year with the Toronto Raptors, averaging 11.2 points on 52.3% shooting (38.9% from 3), 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

As for wings, there are several unrestricted free agents on the market who would fit the Lakers’ needs and have been discussed internally by L.A., sources told McMenamin, including Tobias Harris, Dean Wade and Quentin Grimes.

James saw his record 21-year All-NBA streak snapped last season as he played in just 60 games after missing the first month because of sciatica affecting his lower back and right leg.

The four-time champion and four-time MVP will be entering what many consider to be the final chapter of his first-ballot Hall of Fame career while maintaining a level of performance unheard of for any other aging player.

James was an All-Star last season, averaging 20.9 points on 51.5% shooting, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds. He was equally effective in the postseason, upping his playing time from 33.2 to 38.4 minutes per game and averaging 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds. He led L.A. to a first-round series win over the Houston Rockets while Luka Doncic was sidelined with a hamstring strain.

Doncic reacted to James’ departure on social media, writing in a post to his Instagram story that it was “an honor to play with and learn from you @kingjames.”

Erling Haaland shattered Ivory Coast’s World Cup hopes on Tuesday, netting an 86th-minute winner that sent Norway into the last 16 with a 2-1 victory at Dallas Stadium.

Haaland’s fifth goal of the tournament sealed Norway’s progression after Amad Diallo had cancelled out Antonio Nusa’s 39th-minute opener, setting up a mouth-watering clash with Brazil in New York on Sunday.

The African side had shaded the opening exchanges with Nicolas Pepe threatening down the right, while Ghislain Konan went closest to putting his team ahead, bursting into the area to drag a shot into the side-netting.

Yan Diomande picked out Pepe with a searching ball from the right only for the Villarreal man to mishit his shot, allowing the Norwegian defence to hack clear.

Haaland had been peripheral to that point but, as the end of the half drew near, Norway took control.

The Manchester City striker miscued a downward header from Alexander Sorloth’s cross from the right, but the move sparked Stale Solbakken’s side into life as they upped the tempo and dominated possession.

Their growing superiority paid off when Martin Odegaard fed the ball out to the left to Nusa, who stepped onto his right foot to arc the sweetest of finishes around the flying Yahia Fofana and into the top corner.

Haaland was denied soon after by a last-ditch block while Sorloth glanced his header across the face of goal from the resulting corner.

Emmanuel Agbadou nodded wide at the other end as the half drew to a close while Pepe was denied by Orjan Nyland 10 minutes after the restart having seen Guela Doue’s initial effort blocked by Torbjorn Heggem.

Amad, introduced as a replacement for Christ Inao Oulai on the hour mark, cleared Heggem’s goal-bound effort off the line before dragging his team level at the other end.

The Manchester United winger played a rapid one-two with Pepe and held off David Moller Wolfe before sidestepping Sander Berge to thump a shot into the turf that bounced beyond Nyland, sparking a mass celebration.

But it was Haaland who would have the final say.

Substitute Oscar Bobb, Haaland’s former City clubmate, slid the ball into the path of Patrick Berg inside the penalty area and he teed up the centre forward to score into an empty net with Fofana stranded.

Nyland kept out Amad’s stoppage-time free kick to maintain his side’s slender advantage and ensure Norway progressed.

The 23-time grand slam champion said she ‘missed and relished’ the heat of competition after playing her first singles match in four years, losing to the 20-year-old Maya Joint, 6-3 6-7 6-3, on Centre Court

Serena Williams went down fighting as she was beaten by Maya Joint on her return to Wimbledon, with the 44-year-old wildcard losing 6-3 6-7 6-3 in a thrilling battle on Centre Court on her first singles match in four years.

Just stepping onto Centre Court for the first time since a first-round defeat to Harmony Tan in 2022, Williams became the second-oldest player to appear in a Wimbledon main draw match and oldest since a 47-year-old Martina Navratilova in 2004. Williams said she had “no expectations” ahead of her return, but predicted nerves.

The first set was difficult for Williams. Joint, the 20-year-old Australian, stood up to the immense pressure of facing a legend of the sport and the world No 87 was able to force errors from Williams and converted the only break of the first set to strike ahead.

After going a break down in the second, Williams, who was watched by both of her young children on Centre Court, switched to a more aggressive return game and found a much higher level as she rallied from behind, saving match point in the tiebreak.

Williams went a break up in the deciding set, but could not close in on the finish line as Joint prevailed in two hours and 22 minutes. Williams will return later this week to play doubles with her sister Venus Williams, who was also courtside.

“It was really great to be back at Wimbledon,” said Williams, who later skipped her press conference. “I never expected to be here. The atmosphere was amazing. Walking out was amazing. I definitely relished it and missed it and enjoyed the moment more than anything.”

The scoreline flattered Sweden. France’s flamboyant attack might have reached double figures were it not for the woodwork and a series of near-misses measured in millimetres.

Paraguay lie in wait, and the exhilarating football France produced here will do little to help the South Americans sleep before their last-16 meeting.

At the heart of it all was French captain and talisman Kylian Mbappe. From the start it had been clear he was a man on a mission.

Mbappe’s two goals lifted his World Cup finals tally to 18, one behind Lionel Messi on the all-time list. Remarkably, those goals have come in just 18 matches, with his double here taking him to six for the tournament.

By the final whistle Sweden looked less like beaten men, more like beaten-up men, after 90 minutes hauling themselves around the New York-New Jersey pitch trying to keep up with the precise French passing.

The temperature on the pitch felt even hotter than the 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) officially recorded in East Rutherford, but for Sweden it might as well have been the surface of the sun as they visibly wilted under a relentless French onslaught.

Mbappe was at the centre of everything. He had a long-range shot saved in the 16th minute and had the ball in the net four minutes later. The effort was ruled out for offside, but Sweden had been warned.

Hydration break boos

The match was scoreless by the time the packed stadium roundly booed the hydration break, as has become customary among football fans angered by the effective introduction of four quarters to a game traditionally separated by two halves.

For once, though, nobody could doubt the justification as the haggard Swedes looked out on their feet.

The jeering fans were swiftly distracted by a deafening rendition of Jon Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” before the match resumed, but there was to be no divine intervention for the Scandinavians.

Mbappe rattled the post just after the half-hour as he inched ever closer and finally broke the deadlock on 45 minutes when, from a pass by Ousmane Dembele, he jinked and skipped and slammed a right-foot shot past Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.

The pair have now combined for six goals at World Cup finals, more than any duo in tournament history, moving clear of Germany’s Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose, and Poland’s Grzegorz Lato and Andrzej Szarmach.

The French among the more than 86,000 in the stadium erupted and Mbappe, followed by the entire French team, ran to Didier Deschamps on the touchline to embrace the coach just back in the US after attending his mother’s funeral.

France came out for the second half in the same fashion: sharp, precise and dangerous.

After squandering a handful of gilt-edged chances by the finest of margins, France finally recalibrated their slide-rule precision in the 53rd minute, when Bradley Barcola lofted the ball past the Swedish goalkeeper to double their lead.

Twenty minutes later Mbappe had his second, clipping the ball past the keeper from a deft through-ball from Michael Olise.

In the 84th minute, Deschamps brought Mbappe off and the captain left to rousing cheers from the crowd after a masterclass that hammered home France’s intentions.

⁠MEXICO CITY: Mexico ⁠ended a 40-year wait for ​a World Cup knockout victory as first-half goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez secured a 2-0 win over Ecuador on Tuesday, sending the co-hosts into ​the last 16 amid euphoric scenes at a rocking Azteca Stadium.

The ‌victory was Mexico’s first in the knockout stages of a World Cup since beating Bulgaria on home soil in 1986 and booked a meeting with either England or the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last 16, with the co-hosts returning to the Azteca for the stadium’s final match of the tournament.

Kickoff was delayed by an hour due to thunderstorms but the weather did little to dampen an ​atmosphere that surpassed even Mexico’s tournament opener, with ⁠over 80,000 fans turning the venue into a sea of green long before the opening whistle.

Mexico fed off that energy from the outset and nearly took an early lead when Raul Jimenez peeled away to meet Luis Romo’s inviting cross, only to stoop a header narrowly wide.

Teenager Gilberto Mora then ‌came within inches of producing one of the goals of the tournament, whipping a fierce effort from a tight angle just beyond Hernan Galindez’s far post.

Ecuador weathered the early pressure and almost stunned the home crowd when Gonzalo Plata launched a swift counter-attack that ended with John Yeboah skipping past his marker before drilling an angled effort against the ⁠outside of the post.

Mexico’s breakthrough arrived in the 22nd minute though and sparked deafening celebrations around the Azteca.

Roberto Alvarado picked out Quinones with a perfectly weighted pass through Ecuador’s high press and the Colombian-born forward shrugged off Willian Pacho before opening his body and unleashing a thunderous finish into the top corner for his third goal of the tournament.

Mexico doubled their advantage nine minutes later after Ecuador cheaply surrendered possession on the edge of their own penalty area. Jimenez started the move himself, exchanged passes with ​Quinones and rifled a first-time strike into the top corner for his 47th international goal, moving within five of Javier Hernandez’s all-time Mexico scoring record.

The hosts looked transformed by their two-goal cushion, playing with confidence and intensity as Ecuador struggled to contain waves of green-shirted ​attacks ‌roared on by the crowd.

Ecuador showed signs of life before the break and almost pulled one back when Yeboah cut inside and unleashed a rising drive that forced Raul Rangel into an excellent diving save, but Mexico went into halftime firmly in ​control after ⁠producing arguably their most complete 45 minutes of the tournament.

TEAM’S RALLYING CRY

The second half began with thousands of Mexico supporters chanting “Y si sí?” (“What if?”), a slogan that has become the team’s rallying cry during the tournament as belief spread ⁠through the packed Azteca that this could finally be the year the hosts ended their long knockout drought.

Ecuador enjoyed more of the ball after the restart as they searched for a way back into the contest, but without threatening Rangel.

At the other end, Galindez produced an excellent save to deny Mexico captain Cesar Montes’ powerful header before the defender glanced another effort narrowly wide ⁠as the co-hosts continued to threaten from set pieces.

Mexico coach Javier Aguirre then turned to his bench, withdrawing goalscorers Quinones and ​Jimenez along with 17-year-old Mora, who received a standing ovation after becoming the youngest player to start a World Cup match since Pele.

Ecuador threw men forward in the closing stages but found no way past a disciplined Mexico defence, still to concede a goal in the tournament, and their frustration boiled over when defender Piero Hincapie was shown a red card after covering ‌his mouth while arguing with Santiago Gimenez.

As Mexico’s ⁠players embraced at the final whistle, the strains of the famous mariachi ​song “El Rey” (The King) rang around the Azteca, with tens of thousands of supporters singing in celebration at their team’s latest success.

Columbus Blue Jackets star defenseman Zach Werenski has vetoed a trade to the Dallas Stars, an NHL source confirmed to ESPN.

Werenski, 28, had informed the Blue Jackets that he would not sign another contract with the team when his current deal is up after the 2027-28 season. The Jackets have been fielding calls from teams inquiring about Werenski, who won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman last season and helped the USA to Olympic gold in Italy.

The Stars and Columbus agreed in principle on a trade this week. Multiple reports indicated that 24-year-old defenseman Thomas Harley was the centerpiece of that deal. But Werenski has a full no-movement clause and used it to reject the trade to Dallas.

Sportsnet reported on Tuesday that Werenski currently wants to remain in the Eastern Conference. Specifically, the Tampa Bay Lightning are believed to be on his short list. Multiple reports have indicated that Werenski would also be amenable to a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Werenski is entering his 11th NHL season. The Blue Jackets selected him 8th overall in 2015. He’s blossomed into one of hockey’s premier two-way defenders, averaging over 26 minutes in average ice time in the last two seasons while leading Columbus in scoring with over 80 points in each of those seasons. He won the Norris Trophy this season after finishing second for the award in 2024-25.

Columbus GM Don Waddell said that he intended to meet with Werenski this week. “There are some matters we’re dealing with that should probably stay internal,” he told the media on June 25.

The Blue Jackets were hit with another gut punch during the NHL draft when ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported that forward Kirill Marchenko had also decided not to sign another contract with the team. The 25-year-old led the Jackets with 27 goals last season. He has one more year on his contract before becoming a restricted free agent.

For Dallas, this marks the second time this offseason that a blockbuster trade was scuttled. According to multiple reports, a trade that would have sent restricted free agent winger Jason Robertson to the Seattle Kraken was rejected by Robertson, who said he wouldn’t sign an extension with the club.

Free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic has agreed to a one-year deal with the Houston Rockets, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Bogdanovic, 33, is a veteran of nine NBA seasons and most recently played for the LA Clippers. They declined his team option for next season last week, making him a free agent.

In Bogdanovic, the Rockets get a big two-guard who can handle the ball and shoot from distance, a skillset they were lacking in the postseason.

Bogdanovic’s minutes have dwindled in recent years as he’s struggled with injuries; he’s appeared in just 77 games over the last two seasons.

He has career averages of 14 points and 38.1% shooting from 3-point range.

DENVER — — Javier Sanoja and Owen Caissie each hit three-run homers, and Joe Mack added a two-run shot as the Miami Marlins defeated the Colorado Rockies 14-3 to claim their franchise-best 20th win of June.

The Marlins, who have the second-lowest payroll in MLB, have outscored opponents 133-80 in June, their best calendar month in franchise history. They are also the first team in MLB to win 20 games in a month this year.

Sanoja broke the game open in the third with his 419-foot shot to left-center field to extend Miami’s lead to 5-1. The Marlins then rattled off a three-run sixth inning behind RBI singles from Kyle Stowers, Griffin Conine and Xavier Edwards before Mack launched his fifth-career homer to right field in the seventh.

Caissie sent his 10th home run of the season 453 feet over the right-field wall in the eighth, and Stowers capped the scoring with a two-run double in the ninth. The Marlins set new season highs in runs and hits.

Conine scored the game’s first run with an RBI double in the first, and Leo Jiménez tacked on a one-run single in the second for a 2-1 lead. Conine finished 4 for 5 at the plate, marking the first four-hit game of his career.

Eury Pérez (4-6) gave up one run on two hits while striking out eight for Miami in 5 1/3 innings.

Tanner Gordon (0-2) surrendered five runs on nine hits in five innings. He struck out four.

Mickey Moniak plated the Rockies’ first run with a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning. Jake McCarthy hit an RBI single in the seventh and Ezequiel Tovar plated the Rockies’ final run with an RBI double.