SWPixJay FreemanBBC Sport, North West at Wembley Stadium7 June 2025, 13:36 BST12 CommentsUpdated 11 minutes agoBetfred Women’s Challenge Cup finalSt Helens (0) 6Try: Motterhead Goal: GaskinWigan (18) 42Tries: Williams, Coleman, Veivers, Rowe, Hunter, Banks, Davies Goals: Rowe 7Wigan Warriors ran in seven tries to thrash St Helens and win the Women’s Challenge Cup for the first time, ending their rivals’ hold on the trophy.The Cherry and Whites were ahead inside 10 minutes when Megan Williams touched down and they edged further in front through Mary Coleman.Emily Veivers charged through for Wigan’s third try and an 18-0 half-time lead, and Isabel Rowe picked up where they left off after the break by scoring minutes into the second half.Saints got on the board through Katie Mottershead but Eva Hunter, Grace Banks and Anna Davies ensured Wigan would earn a derby win on the biggest stage of a Wembley final.It is the first time that Wigan have won the competition since its inception in 2012 and ends St Helens’ run of four straight wins in the tournament in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.Warriors’ victory also means that boss Denis Betts, who won seven Challenge Cups with Wigan as a player, claimed his first piece of silverware as a coach.Wigan and St Helens’ only meeting in the Women’s Challenge Cup prior to this final was in 2021 when Saints won 36-0 at the quarter-final stage on their way to winning their first of four finals on the trot.St Helens have dominated much of the women’s game in the past five years.But a reinvigorated Wigan have started 2025 in stunning fashion to lead the early Women’s Super League table and join Saints, Leeds Rhinos and York among the powerhouses of the domestic game. They were mightily impressive in beating last year’s finalists Leeds in the semi-finals and any hint that they would be unnerved by the occasion was banished as Rowe cut through the St Helens defence to feed Williams to run in through the posts for their first score.Wigan then tore through Saints after Faye Gaskin’s kick was charged down, leading to Molly Jones teeing up Coleman to race through unopposed.Perhaps Wigan’s finest try came when Veivers, who later went off with an arm injury and was pictured on the sidelines with it in a sling, collected the ball deep inside the Saints’ 10-metre line and managed to batter her way through to the line, showing sensational strength to score.Any inkling that Wigan simply had enjoyed the rub of the green in the first half was ended as Rowe weaved her way in for a try of her own having been laser-focused with the boot during the opening stages.Mottershead crashed over as Saints finally responded but tries from Hunter, an audacious long-range run-in from Banks, and an easy dot down at the corner from Davies wrapped up a well-earned and historic triumph for Wigan.St Helens: Salihi; Hook, McColm, Hardcastle, McGifford; Harris, Gaskin; Stott, Casey, Crowl, Hoye, Rudge, Cunningham.Interchanges: Whitfield, Mottershead, Sutherland, Woosey.Wigan: Banks; Davies, Wilson, Jones, Derbyshire; Foubister, Rowe; Coleman, Wilton, Speakman, Hunter, Power, Williams.Interchanges: Marsh, Molyneux, Thompson, Veivers.Related topicsRugby LeagueWigan WarriorsSt Helens

IOM TTCatherine NicollBBC News, Isle of Man7 June 2025, 11:06 BSTUpdated 1 hour agoRacing on the final day of the Isle of Man TT has been delayed by more than seven hours because of rain around the course.As a result of the delays, Saturday’s blue riband Senior event has been reduced from its scheduled six laps of the Mountain Course to four, now setting off at 19:00 BST.Announcing the lengthy delay, clerk of the course Gary Thompson said due to the the reduced road closure times and poor weather forecast the race would not be moved to Sunday’s contingency session.Under Saturday’s revised schedule, the A18 Mountain Road is set to close at 16:00, with the lower part of the course due to shut an hour later at 17:00 and a course inspection lap due at 18:00.Once closed, roads around the course will be reopened no later than 21:30.The 118-year-old TT races involve racing being held on 37.7 miles (61km) of public roads, with modern competitors reaching average lap speeds of more than 130mph (209km/h).Significant disruption to the race schedule for the 2025 event followed a qualifying week that was beset by delays and cancellations.Friday’s racing saw Yorkshire’s Dean Harrison secure the double in the Superstock class, and Manx brothers Ryan and Callum Crowe achieve the same feat in the Sidecar class.Meanwhile, Northern Ireland’s Michael Dunlop made it two out of two victories in the Supertwin class, securing his fourth win of the week and extending his record-breaking tally of TT triumphs to 33.Get in touchTell us which stories we should cover on the Isle of ManContact formContact formRead more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.Related topicsMotorsportMotorbikes

Getty ImagesMantej MannBBC Sport Journalist19 minutes agoKylian Mbappe says he is not bitter over Paris St-Germain’s Champions League victory less than a year after leaving the club for Real Madrid.The forward left PSG as the club’s record goalscorer but was unable to win European football’s premier club competition in seven seasons with the French giants before signing for Madrid on a free transfer in July 2024.PSG cruised past Inter Milan 5-0 to win their first Champions League title on 31 May.”I didn’t leave too soon; my story with PSG was over. I am not bitter; I had reached the end of the road,” said France captain Mbappe, who scored 256 goals for PSG.Speaking on Saturday at a news conference before France’s Nations League third-place match with Germany, Mbappe added: “I tried everything, and it was destiny that meant it had to happen without me.”PSG winning the Champions League without me doesn’t affect me. I was happy – I think they deserved it.”They’ve had so many years where they struggled. I’ve been there too; I’ve played in every Champions League stage in Paris except for the victory.”They’re the best team in Europe. I don’t remember seeing a team win 5-0 in a major final.”The closes Mbappe came to Champions League success with his boyhood club was a runners-up medal following defeat by Bayern Munich in the 2020 final. Mbappe’s Madrid, who were knocked out by Arsenal at the quarter-final stage of last season’s Champions League, ended the campaign without a trophy for the first time in four years. The 26-year-old did enjoy some success, though, after scoring 31 La Liga goals to win the European Golden Shoe.Related topicsParis Saint GermainEuropean FootballReal MadridFranceUEFA Champions LeagueFootball

Fulham FCMantej MannBBC Sport Journalist53 minutes agoMalcolm Elias, the man responsible for developing Gareth Bale and Trent Alexander-Arnold, has died after a short illness.Elias, Fulham’s head of academy recruitment, joined the Premier League club from Liverpool in 2009, having previously worked at Southampton. In a statement, Fulham said: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our colleague and dear friend, Malcolm Elias, after a short illness.”The club’s head of academy recruitment, Malcolm had a fantastic reputation in football for unearthing and nurturing young talent.”The influence that Malcolm had on the modern game cannot be understated, having worked with and developed the likes of Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harvey Elliott, Luke Harris and Jay Stansfield, to name but a few.”Welshman Elias was born in 1953 and was key in the development of his compatriot Bale at the Southampton academy.Bale went on to win 111 Wales caps and enjoyed a successful club career with Saints, Tottenham and Real Madrid, where he won five Champions League titles. England’s Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, won eight major trophies with boyhood club Liverpool before joining Real Madrid earlier this month.”We are incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of Malcolm Elias, one of the influential figures in the club’s youth development history,” Southampton said.Related topicsSouthamptonLiverpoolFulhamPremier LeagueFootball

Getty ImagesSean KearnsBBC Sport8 minutes agoOlympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles has called former US swimmer and activist Riley Gaines “sick” over online comments about a transgender woman softball player.Gaines, who has regularly spoken out about transgender women athletes competing in women’s sport, mocked Minnesota State High School League for removing comments on their post about the Chaplin Park girls’ team celebrating the State Championship.Chaplin Park’s team includes a transgender woman player. “You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser,” Biles wrote on X. Gaines tied for fifth place with transgender woman Lia Thomas in the 200m freestyle swimming at the 2022 NCAA Championships.Later that year, World Aquatics voted to stop transgender women from competing in women’s elite races if they have gone through any part of the process of male puberty. Thomas has since failed with a legal challenge to change the rules. “You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports,” continued Biles. “But instead… You bully them… One thing’s for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around.”Biles, a seven-time gold medallist, has been an outspoken campaigner for mental health awareness throughout her career.She withdrew from the women’s team final at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, as well as four subsequent individual finals, in order to prioritise her mental health.Gaines responded to Biles in follow-up posts, saying the gymnast’s stance was “so disappointing” and saying she should not be advocating for transgender women in women’s sport with her platform.Since tying with Thomas in 2022, Gaines has said she felt “cheated, betrayed and violated”. She has become an advocate for banning transgender women athletes from competing against women and girls.In February, Gaines was present at the White House when United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order excluding transgender girls and women from competing in women’s sports.In April, judges at the UK Supreme Court ruled that a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law.Since that ruling, a number of UK sporting bodies, including the Football Association and the England and Wales Cricket Board, have banned transgender women from playing in women’s sport.Related topicsSwimmingAthleticsGymnastics

Getty ImagesMantej MannBBC Sport Journalist1 hour agoTottenham captain Son Heung-min says sacked manager Ange Postecoglou is a “legend” who has “changed the trajectory of this club”.Postecoglou, 59, was sacked on Friday just over two weeks after ending the club’s 17-year wait for silverware with victory in the Europa League final. Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League after losing 22 out of 38 matches.”Gaffer. You’ve changed the trajectory of this club,” Son posted on Instagram.”You believed in yourself, and us, since day one and never wavered for a second. Even when others did.”You knew what we were capable of all along. You did it your way. And your way brought this club the best night it’s had in decades. We will have those memories for life.”You trusted me with the captaincy. One of the highest honours of my career. It’s been an incredible privilege to learn from your leadership up close. I am a better player and a better person because of you.”Ange Postecoglou, you are a Tottenham Hotspur legend forever. Thank you, mate.”The South Korea winger was not alone in paying tribute to Australian Postecoglou.Goalkeeper Vicario said: “Boss, I just want to say a massive thank you for everything you have done for me and for all of us.”From that very first call, right from the beginning, you always showed so much belief in me.”Giving me the opportunity to be part of the leadership group… those moments, and many others, will stay with me forever.”You are not only a top manager, you are an incredible person to work for, a real leader, a mentor, and someone I’ll always look up to.”What we achieved TOGETHER will stay in the history books.”Wishing you nothing but success as I know you will go on to achieve more and more.”Thank you, Boss. Forever grateful, Vic.”Defender Micky van de Ven said: “Gaffer, Thank you for everything! “Believed in me from the first day I arrived at the club. Many ups and downs in the last two years but you kept believing in us and kept pushing us. “Big part of the success from the club this year, and forever grateful that u made me part of it.”All the best.”Forward Dominic Solanke said: “Thank you for bringing me to this wonderful club, thank you for bringing us a wonderful trophy.”Won’t ever forget the convo we had before I signed and we achieved a dream! All the best in your next adventure.”Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust said the vast majority of fans will will “love Ange forever” although league results were a “long way short” of expectation.The fans group called for Postecoglou’s replacement to be “fully supported” by the club’s board in order to build on the “cup success that Ange has lain”.Brentford boss Thomas Frank is among the leading candidates to replace Postecoglou, while Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, Fulham’s Marco Silva, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino are also linked with the vacancy. Related topicsPremier LeagueTottenham HotspurFootball