South Africa were important opponents in shaping the career of Paul O’Connell.

Specifically, the year 2009 was vital. It pitched the legendary lock into action against the Springboks four times. He led the Lions in three Tests against South Africa, including the ageless, brutal second match that clinched the series for South Africa.

It was a gruelling tour for the captain, who commanded widespread respect from coaches and players, but whose leadership was subjected to lingering focus from parts of the media once the series was lost.

Four months after that tour came one of the signal triumphs of his playing career in Ireland colours.

It was a night of freezing fog in Croke Park on Saturday, November 28 that year. And it was second only to the England game in 2007 as rugby’s greatest 80 minutes in the home of the GAA.

Ireland won the game 15-10, thanks to five penalties from Johnny Sexton; he was winning his second cap for his country.

But the game became famous for the extent of O’Connell’s preparation. It emerged afterwards that he had asked Gert Smal, the South African who was Ireland’s forwards’ coach at the time, to teach him to count to ten in Afrikaans. This helped him to decode the opposition line-out calls, and so the best set-piece in the world, led by the mighty Victor Matfield and captain John Smit, came apart.

You wonder late on Saturday night in Nantes, with the crowd now fully dissipated and management urging the Irish players to conclude their media chat and get on the bus home, if O’Connell misses being a player in a week like this one.

His response begins with a deep laugh.

‘No, not any more, not any more,’ he says. ‘I enjoy what I do. This is a different group. They’re kind of different to us, they do things differently so I enjoy where I am.

‘I try not to think about playing too much.’

Coaching is a consolation that allows him to pursue the standards that led him to captaining the Lions. And so given his meticulousness and the expectations created by the Andy Farrell regime generally, the line-out creakiness of recent Tests must have been a frustration.

It could have descended into a much more serious state if it hadn’t come right against Tonga, because it is an aspect of the game with a two-fold significance next Saturday.

Firstly, Ireland’s attacking game makes fruitful use of the line-out, both from mauls and as a way of starting wider attacks. And secondly, South Africa go after the opposition throw with frenzied relish. If there is any weakness, they’ll exploit it and Irish ambitions will be in a vulnerable state.

To see Ireland repair theirs as an attacking weapon in Nantes was important.

‘It was something the lads identified,’ explains O’Connell, ‘that Tonga stay down in a lot of their defence, and they hit you quite hard at the start, so we just transferred it.

‘And we had Bundee in there as well adding a little bit of weight to the maul. It’s always great.

‘It’s hard to score maul tries in international rugby. It’s a tricky thing to do. To be able to go to the corner and be able to grab one of those in a game is always excellent.

‘You’re building generally when you end up five meters from the line. It’s on the back of a penalty already. You’ve already created something, so to be able to go to the corner and score something is great.’

The presence of Aki was significant in the try scored by Caelan Doris on the night. It seems obvious to add such a powerful presence, but it’s also characteristic of the clever moves that have characterised Ireland’s attack.

‘Sometimes you don’t know exactly how it’s going to go, those little trick plays, but we drilled it well all week and it worked, so we’re happy enough with that,’ says James Ryan.

‘There was good variation as well. We had a couple of drives and peel, and obviously played off the top as well. It was good, so we’re happy enough with it.’

Ronan Kelleher was accomplished with his throwing, succeeding with 11 of 12, while Ireland’s overall return, with Rob Herring playing the second half, was 21 from 23.

‘We’ve just been working on a few little tweaks here and there,’ says Kelleher, who had an outstanding game in the loose as well. He must be in strong contention to start in the Stade de France, especially if there is any concern that Dan Sheehan is not ready to go from six weeks on the sideline to the incomparable challenge of taking on the Boks.

‘Not that we’ve been bad, but we’ve been really trying to focus on ourselves,’ he says. ‘Yeah, it was good to see that, all that work kind of pay off. The forwards did the job to make sure they were drilled each time. It made our job a lot easier as hookers.’

Then it’s suggested to Ryan that the entire challenge Ireland faces, in every facet of play, goes up this week. ‘We’re happy with that,’ he instantly replies.

South Africa are world champions, and an enormous obstacle.

But they are now peers for this Ireland generation. This is not a group that cowers before reputations, or that is stooped by history’s miserable burden.

They play and beat the best teams in the world, not because of luck or cosmic flukes, but because of talent, preparation and belief.

‘It was one of our better performances for a while,’ says Ryan. ‘I think it will give us confidence, but it’s a whole different level next week. We’ll get excited about it now as well.

‘The support tonight was just crazy, wasn’t it? Crazy stuff. The colour as well, walking around. I mean, the expectation and level of support next week is going to be unbelievable. So, we’ll get excited about that as well, but obviously we know it’s a huge step up.’

They are relishing the colour and noise inside the Stade de France. Unlike the past two weeks, when the only support for the opposition came from locals picking the underdogs, there will be a vast South African support.

Given the number of South African ex-pats living in the UK, expect two shades of green to flood the French capital.

‘Yeah it doesn’t get any better,’ smiles Ryan, quietly excellent on Saturday.

‘Well, maybe it does but it’s going to be hard to beat. The World Cup, in Paris, against the champions: it’s pretty cool alright.’

And you know and he knows how it could get better, but talk like that must wait. Saturday governs everything now.

Rachel Stevens detailed the emotional tribute to bandmate Paul Cattermole on Sunday as S Club 7 prepare to reunite.

The singer was found dead on April 6 – just two months after he and the band announced they were due to go on a reunion tour this autumn.

The band’s 25th anniversary reunion tour – which kicks off in October – has been renamed The Good Times Tour, after one of the tracks on which Paul had lead vocals. 

She told The Mirror: ‘We have renamed the tour. It’s called the Good Times tour, that was Paul’s solo song that he was going to do an acoustic version of, so we just felt like that was so fitting. 

‘Paul is with us on so many decisions that we make, we think of Paul and there’s so many sort of elements that are there with him in mind. It’s definitely gonna be a huge celebration. It is so much fun, so much joy, lots of memories, and it’s a tribute to him.’

S Club has released new single These Are The Days in Paul’s honour, with the accompanying music video showing a montage of Paul over the years.

As the five remaining members of the band flip through a photo album of memories, each shot turns into a video clip of the band as they rose to fame and achieved chart topping pop success.

Paul died at the age of 46 from natural causes at his home in Dorset on April 6, it was announced in a statement released by his family.

His body was discovered in his ground floor flat, devastating his bandmates and fans.

Paul left the group in 2002, citing ‘creative differences’, and the group changed their name from S Club 7 to simply S Club before splitting for good a year later. 

Hannah Spearritt, 42, will also be missing from the tour, but Rachel insisted that the ‘door is always open’ for her to return to the band.

She was there in February when the tour was announced, but later learned in July that she was not in the line-up.

The singer, 42, left the band unexpectedly in May, after the shocking death of her former boyfriend and bandmate Paul.

The remaining members of the group – Rachel, Jo, Jon, Bradleyand Tina Barrett – decided to rename S Club 7 as merely S Club and continue as a five-piece.

Rachel went on to say: ‘Nostalgia is such an incredible, powerful thing and there’s so much love for S Club, and there’s been so much support since our new single.

‘So to get back out there and perform music we love and that the fans are going to love is really exciting. Some of our fans might have kids now, so that’ll be lovely to bring their kids along, and I can’t wait for all of our kids to be a part of this too.’#

Hannah and Paul dated from 2001 before splitting in 2006, with the pair rekindling their romance in 2015 before finally going their separate ways just months later.

After his sudden death from heart issues in April at 46 , Hannah told The Sun: ‘I can’t stop crying. I still can’t believe I will never see him again.

‘I’m trying my best to hold it together but once I start, I can’t stop crying. And then I have to keep myself together for our two kids [with boyfriend Adam Thomas]. I can’t even imagine any mother losing her child.’

S Club has released new single These Are The Days in Paul’s honour , with the accompanying music video showing a montage of Paul over the years.

As the five remaining members of the band flip through a photo album of memories, each shot turns into a video clip of the band as they rose to fame and achieved chart topping pop success.

Speaking to The Sun, Rachel said the band are now closer than ever and have bonded over their shared grief.  

Jo added the band feel it is important to remember Paul for the ‘goofy’ bandmate he was and will pay tribute to him in their tour.

‘The smiles have replaced the tears, in a really positive way,’ she said

While filming the accompanying music video, they explained they saw a butterfly that they believed was their late bandmate.

Tina told the publication: ‘There was a butterfly. We were all sat down and a butterfly came from nowhere. It was a really bright, beautiful butterfly which flew down and went off. I don’t know why, but I just thought, “That’s Paul”. It came from nowhere.’

Celebrities stepped out in droves on Monday evening to see Ed Sheeran perform at a private show in The Hamptons.

Gwyneth Paltrow, 50, brought along her and ex-husband Chris Martin‘s 17-year-old son Moses Martin.

And Jerry Seinfeld, 69, was seen in good spirits as he arrived with his wife Jessica, 51, by his side for the concert at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett.

The Goop founder was casually stylish in a navy blue knit sweater and wide-leg denim trousers.

Her teenage son joined her in a dark jacket layered over a crew neck white T-shirt. 

Gwyneth rounded out her ensemble with a pair of white sneakers and wore a pair of aviator sunglasses.

Her graying blonde locks were arranged in a center part and soft, lustrous waves as she tucked the front pieces behind her ears.

She stacked multiple bracelets and wore a chunky chain link necklace around her neck.

After the show she reemerged with her sweater tied securely around her wait.

The lifestyle guru showed off her toned arms and flashed her cleavage in a low-cut white tank top.

Moses joined his Oscar-winning mother in a pair of textured red Adidas sneakers. 

His tousled dirty blonde hair was neatly styled in a tapered haircut that left the hair on top of his head a bit longer. 

Missing from the scene was his older sister Apple, 19, who sometimes makes appearances on their mom’s Instagram account. 

Jerry dressed comfortably in a pair of faded blue jeans and a short-sleeved navy blue polo shirt. 

He wore a pair of gray suede sneakers with white soles and his salt and pepper hair was neatly cut.

The Comedians In Cars With Coffee star wore very narrow, rimless eyeglasses and sported a black watch.

He was all smiles as he kept close to his longtime partner, who looked stylish in a clinging magenta dress.

Jessica elevated her look by cinching a yellow and gray horizontally striped belt around her waist.

The New York native, who has three children with Jerry, coordinated the accessory with her woven multicolor purse.

She wore oversized, glamorous glossy black sunglasses and small diamond drop earrings. 

Her bouncy blonde bob haircut was styled in an off-center part and fluffy waves. 

Living legend Paul McCartney was also in attendance at the celebrity-filled concert. 

The 81-year-old Beatles crooner looked fantastic in an all black look that included a crew neck sweater and denim pants.

He wore aviator sunglasses and his graying hair was in a shaggy cut that complemented his fully gray beard.

The iconic music artist wore a watch around his right wrist and flashed a thumbs-up as he arrived at the venue.

Joining in the fun on Monday evening was Christie Brinkley, 69, who brought along her daughter Sailor Brinkley Cook, 25.

The stunning supermodel wowed in a plunging blue and cream patterned mini dress.

She paired the flirty look – which had a tiered skirt – with to-the-knee gladiator sandals. 

Sailor joined her mom in a long-sleeved floral patterned red maxi dress that she wore with black ballet flats.

Ed Sheeran performed an exclusive concert featuring music from his latest album Subtract for SiriusXM subscribers.

The high-profile production is slated to air on SiriusXM’s The Ed Sheeran Channel on Wednesday, August 16 at 3:00 pm, 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm ET.

After that, the performance will re-air throughout the week – and the show will also  air on SiriusXM Hits 1. 

It comes after the redhead pop star performed for free at Sam Branson’s 38th birthday bash on Necker Island.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul is recommending the top prosecutor in Washington, D.C., pursue an investigation and possible criminal charges against Dr. Anthony Fauci for allegedly lying under oath about COVID-19 origins.

Paul sent a letter to D.C. U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves Tuesday, demanding an investigation into Fauci for allegedly committing perjury during a congressional hearing in 2021 when he said that COVID did not come from a Chinese lab.

‘Dr. Fauci testified that ‘the NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.’ In a subsequent hearing, I warned Dr. Fauci of the criminal implications of lying to Congress and offered him an opportunity to recant his previous statements,’ writes Paul in the letter exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com.

‘In response, Dr. Fauci stated that he had ‘never lied before the Congress’ and ‘d[id] not retract that statement.’ Dr. Fauci’s testimony is inconsistent with facts that have since come to light,’ the senator continues.

The move comes just weeks after he submitted an ‘official criminal referral’ to the Department of Justice. An aide to Paul confirmed to DailyMail.com that the DOJ never responded.

Perjury is a federal offense that carries up to five years in prison.

‘Before Congress, Dr. Fauci denied funding gain-of-function research, to the press he claims to have a dispassionate view on the lab leak hypothesis, and in private he acknowledges gain-of-function research at WIV to his colleagues  His own colleagues have acknowledged Dr. Fauci’s inconsistency,’ continues Paul in the letter to Graves. 

‘A congressional hearing, however, is not the place for a public servant to play political games – especially when the health and well-being of American citizens is on the line.’

Paul previously wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland on July 14 and July 23 calling for an investigation into whether Fauci lied under oath over his knowledge of dangerous virus research that was taking place at the Wuhan lab, in China. 

In July 2021, Dr Fauci testified how his former department ‘has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.’

Gain-of-function research refers to a type of scientific investigation conducted on  viruses, with the purpose of enhancing their transmissibility or virulence. 

The aim is to understand how viruses evolve and potentially predict and prepare for future disease outbreaks, but also raises concerns regarding biosafety and biosecurity.

Fauci was the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) until the end of 2022 and was responsible for signing off on such research grants.

On July 13, 2023 the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released emails sent by Fauci about a conference call regarding the origins of COVID attended by Dr. Francis Collins, former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, and other researchers.

In one email, Fauci admits the scientists had concerns that Covid might have been genetically engineered and that these were worsened by the fact that gain-of-function research was taking place in Wuhan before the pandemic.

Emails dated February 1, 2020 show Fauci acknowledged that ‘scientists in Wuhan University are known to have been working on gain-of-function experiments to determine that molecular mechanisms associated with bat viruses adapting to human infection, and the outbreak originated in Wuhan.’

While the emails show that Fauci was aware of gain-of-function going on in the lab, he never admitted that the NIH funded it.

But the Government Accountability Office (GAO) determined last month that the Wuhan Institute of Virology and Wuhan University did in fact receive NIH funding, Paul said in his letter to AG Garland.

Paul drew attention to the February 2020 email in which Fauci details a call between British medical researcher Jeremy Farrar, who was director of the Wellcome Trust at the time. 

On the call, Fauci, along with Francis Collins, former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, and other ‘highly credible’ scientists shared concerns about the ‘fact upon viewing the sequences of several isolates of the nCoV, there were mutations in the virus that would be most unusual to have evolved naturally in the bats and that there was a suspicion that this mutation was intentionally inserted.’

‘The suspicion was heightened by the fact that scientists in Wuhan University are known to have been working on gain-of-function experiments to determine the molecular mechanisms associated with bat viruses adapting to human infection, and the outbreak originated in Wuhan,’ Fauci wrote in the un-redacted email..

‘This directly contradicts everything he said in committee hearing to me, denying absolutely that they funded any gain of function, and it’s absolutely a lie. That’s why I sent an official criminal referral to the DOJ,’ Paul wrote on Twitter.

In July, Paul told Fauci that lying to Congress was a federal crime and suggested he had lied about the COVID-19 gain-of-function research conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.

Fauci went on to insist he ‘never lied before Congress’ during previous testimony in May.

‘You don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Fauci told Paul.

Paul, who studied at the Duke University School of Medicine said that a paper that credited the NIH saw the author take two bat coronavirus spike proteins to combine them creating a new virus, not naturally found in nature but would spread in humans, Paul said in a July congressional hearing.

‘Viruses that in nature only infect animals were manipulated in the Wuhan lab to gain the function of infecting humans,’ he said.

‘They took animal viruses that only occur in animals, and they increased their transmissibility to humans. How you can say that’s not gain of function – it’s a dance, and you’re dancing around this because you’re trying to obscure responsibility for 4 million people dying around the world from a pandemic.’ 

Fauci said the paper that Paul has been referring to ‘was judged by qualified staff up and down the chain as not being gain of function.’

But the newly released emails show Fauci referring to the research by scientists at Wuhan University as ‘gain-of-function experiments’.

FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed that a leak from a laboratory in the central Chinese city of Wuhan likely caused the COVID pandemic.

‘The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan,’ Wray said in February.

In June, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) determined that the Wuhan Institute of Virology and Wuhan University received NIH funding, Paul also noted in his letter to Garland.

It said: ‘The report noted that NIH funded the WIV’s project ‘Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence’ and included ‘genetic experiments to combine naturally occurring bat coronaviruses with SARS and MERS viruses, resulting in hybridized coronavirus strains.’

‘GAO also found that NIH funded the Wuhan University’s collaboration with WIV on viral detection in the Yunnan province.’

As the former head of the NIH, Fauci presided over the allocation of taxpayer-funded grants for virus-enhancing research at the WIV years before the pandemic began.

A federal watchdog found the NIH ‘did not effectively monitor’ those experiments or check whether they involved pathogens with pandemic risk.

The Energy Department, FBI and several government committees believe the virus leaked from a lab, pointing to a number of coincidences and indirect evidence.

The history of the world’s most popular combat sports – mixed martial arts and boxing – are inexorably linked. While both can trace their roots to the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece, MMA’s modern history owes itself to boxing.

After all, the first mixed rules fight to be televised saw ‘Judo’ Gene LeBell take on boxer Milo Savage in 1963 in an early attempt to answer the question of whether a good grappler could defeat a good boxer.

And Savage’s exploits soon convinced other boxers to compete in proto-MMA, with Muhammad Ali infamously facing Japanese pro wrestling icon Antonio Inoki in a 15-round mixed rules bout in 1976. 

These days however, with MMA having grown into a legitimate sport in its own right it has become much more common to see fighters transition into the sweet science rather than the other way around.

Conor McGregor set himself up for life while putting up an admirable performance in defeat against Floyd Mayweather in 2017, but not all fighters have come away from their forays into pugilism with such happy memories.

Conor McGregor – 0-1

Regardless of your opinion on the crossover era of combat sports that it birthed, it’s hard to judge Conor McGregor’s sole outing as a professional boxer as anything other than an unqualified success.

In just over three years in the UFC, McGregor went from a highly-touted yet relatively unknown prospect to the promotion’s first simultaneous two-weight world champion with a popularity that transcended the sport as a whole.

Though there is debate whether Mayweather intentionally carried the Irishman to the later rounds when they fought, it is undeniable that McGregor’s performance surpassed the expectations of many and enshired him place as one of the world’s most recognisable athletes.

Anderson Silva – 3-2

Possibly the greatest striker ever to compete in MMA, in his prime Anderson Silva was a force of nature; capable of exposing just how rudimentary many of his opponents were on the feet.

Prior to signing with the UFC in 2006, Silva had competed in a pair of boxing matches in his native Brazil before putting his pugilism career on hold as he embarked on his legendary run inside the Octagon.

Though he suffered an ignominious exit from the promotion, Silva would find success returning to his first love, defeating former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and fellow MMA veteran Tito Ortiz before dropping a decision against Jake Paul last year. 

Israel Adesanya 5-1

Much like his spiritual predecessor in the UFC’s middleweight division, Israel Adesanya combined his early MMA career with several forays into the squared circle.

Unlike some of his contemporaries on this list, the UFC Middleweight Champion fought accomplished opposition right from the start of his boxing career, losing a decision to 38-fight veteran Daniel Ammann in his pro debut.

In the following twelve months, Adesanya would fight a further five times, twice triumphing in one-night Super 8 Boxing boxing tournaments in the cruiserweight division before turning his attention back to kickboxing and MMA. 

Francis Ngannou – 0-0

Much like McGregor, Francis Ngannou will make his first foray into professional boxing – whilst in the prime of his MMA career – against an elite opponent when he faces Tyson Fury in October.

Unlike McGregor though, Ngannou has ventured into the sweet science without the blessing of the UFC, and with a significantly more mixed reaction to the news from the general public. 

If any fighter in the history of MMA has possessed the kind of power necessary to topple an elite heavyweight it would be Ngannou. However, the gargantuan difference in skills and boxing experience will likely see his crossover into boxing be unsuccessful, though highly lucrative.

Tom Aspinall – 1-0

Having enjoyed a successful return to the Octagon last month, Tom Aspinall is riding a wave of momentum that has seen him emerge as a potential contender for Jon Jones’ heavyweight crown.

In 2017, however, Aspinall found himself struggling to get fights on the UK’s regional circuit and briefly embarked on a career in boxing. 

Training alongside Tyson Fury, Aspinall stepped into the ring for his one, and thus far only, professional boxing match that year, comfortably defeating Hungarian journeyman Tamas Bajzath via first-round knockout.

Tyron Woodley – 0-2

After Ben Askren became the first MMA fighter to be defeated by Jake Paul, his teammate Tyron Woodley was drafted in to face the ‘Problem Child’ in August of 2021.

The former UFC Welterweight Champion proved to be a tougher out for Paul, but ultimately suffered from a gun shyness that plagued his later career inside the Octagon en route to a decision defeat.

Woodley would receive a shot at redemption against Paul that same year as a late replacement, but this time would find himself on the receiving end of a brutal sixth-round KO.

Kimbo Slice – 7-0

An early star of the internet for his success in bareknuckle street fight videos, Kimbo Slice instantly became must-see TV on his transition to MMA in 2007.

After participating in the first MMA event to be shown on prime time network television in the US Slice would embark on a brief run in the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter, but was released by the promotion in 2010.

In the following years Slice would make a total of seven professional boxing appearances, winning all of his fights against low level opposition before returning to MMA to sign with Bellator in 2015 before his untimely death the following year.

Michael ‘Venom’ Page – 2-0 

One of the most skilled fighters ever yet to have competed in the UFC, Michael Page has nevertheless transitioned his skills in point kickboxing into a successful career in professional combat sports.

After scoring some of the most unique KO’s in the history of MMA during his time with Bellator, Page announced he would transition to ring in 2017 after signing with former heavyweight champion David Haye.

A pair of fights under the Hayemaker Ringstar banner followed, with MVP receiving criticism from boxing analysts for showboating against in victories against opponents that were significantly below his skill level.

Clay Collard – 9-6-3

While most of his contemporaries on this list dabbled in boxing before committing to MMA, or transitioned for a high-profile crossover fight, Clay Collard took a need for quick money and turned it into an eventful career in the ring.

After winning just one of his first 5 fights, Collard developed a habit of upsetting prospects during later outings, defeating the previously 9-0 Quashawn Toler, 5-0 Raymond Guajardo and 6-0 David Kaminsky in successive fights in 2020.

Collard has since returned to pursuing MMA as his priority, and recently qualified for the PFL lightweight playoffs where he will face fellow UFC veteran Shane Burgos later this month’s for a place in the promotions final with $1million at stake. 

Nate Diaz – 0-0

Though he has long been admired for his boxing skills within MMA, Saturday’s clash with Jake Paul will mark Nate Diaz’s maiden outing as a professional boxer.

The Stockton native’s combination punching, seemingly endless cardio, and ability to absorb punishment has seen him defeat several top names in the UFC including Conor McGregor and he will hoping those skills carry over to the boxing ring when he takes on Paul in the event broadcast on DAZN on Saturday night.

While Nate hasn’t competed in boxing, brother Nick Diaz did make a sole foray into the sport in 2005, defeating Alfonso Rocha before returning to the UFC.

Sir Paul McCartney watched from the sidelines on Sunday evening as Sir Elton John performed the final live UK performance of a glittering six decade career at Glastonbury. 

Just 12-months after headlining on the festival’s legendary Pyramid Stage, where 10,000 people watched him belt out a medley of Beatles classics, the celebrated musician was back to watch close friend Sir Elton bring the curtain down on his last tour. 

McCartney, 81, was joined by fashion designer daughter Stella as the pianist performed a two hour set that opened with a cover of The Who’s Pinball Wizard and ended, some 21 tracks and four duets later, with the instantly recognizable Rocket Man. 

Sir Elton, 76, was close to tears as hundreds of thousands gathered at Worthy Farm for the final UK show of his sprawling Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

The performance conjured images of McCartney’s own headline performance in 2022, a concert that has been delayed by three years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and featured guest appearances from Foo Fighters legend Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen. 

And fans were quick to praise the singer, with one tweeting: ‘I just love seeing #PaulMcCartney watching all the artists from the sidelines, what a guy.’ 

While a second quipped: ‘McCartney spotted watching Elton from the wings!’ 

Elsewhere a third joked: ‘#Elton rocking it at #Glastonbury so many hits and his piano playing sensational! Love the shots of #PaulMcCartney who must be jealous of EJ voice quality.’ 

Sir Elton walked on to the stage in a gold suit before taking a seat at the piano as fireworks went off, before saying he never thought he would play the festival for a ‘special and emotional’ show.

The star removed his famous red-tinted glasses to wipe away tears as his musical guests paid tribute to him on stage.

During the evening, he dedicated his penultimate song Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me to the late George Michael on what would have been the singer’s 60th birthday, saying: ‘This is a very special day today, I wondered how I was going to approach it.

‘One of Britain’s most fantastic singers and songwriters was George Michael. He was my friend, he was an inspiration, and today would have been his 60th birthday, so I want to dedicate this song to his memory. All the music he left us with is so gorgeous. This is for you George.’

He opened his set with Pinball Wizard before playing The B***h Is Back and then said: ‘I never thought I would ever play Glastonbury and here I am.

‘It’s a very special and emotional night for me because it might be my last show ever in England, so I had better play well, and I had better entertain you, you’ve been standing there so long, and I really appreciate all the outfits and everything.’

He then followed up with Bennie And The Jets and Daniel to a capacity crowd at the Pyramid Stage.

Sir Elton was joined by Jacob Lusk of Gabriels and The London Community Gospel Choir for Are You Ready For Love?

Following a performance of Someone Saved My Life Tonight, he told the crowd: ‘When I chose my guests for this show I wanted to have newer artists, save for one person, and this boy I heard last year on the radio…

‘I’ve asked him to come to Glastonbury to do his song and he’s an amazing young talent.’

He was then joined by Stephen Sanchez for a performance of Sanchez’s song Until I Found You.

Sir Elton then welcomed the Killers frontman Brandon Flowers to perform with him, who took to the stage in a red jacket, with the pair performing Tiny Dancer.

Brit-nominated singer Rina Sawayama took to the stage with him to perform Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.

He also performed renditions Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Your Song and Candle In The Wind to the huge crowd.

Washington Wizards ‘finalize trade to send Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors… with Jordan Poole and draft assets going the other way’

By Ben Nagle For Dailymail.Com

Published: 15:20 EDT, 22 June 2023 | Updated: 15:23 EDT, 22 June 2023

Chris Paul ‘to become a free agent as the Phoenix Suns waive future Hall of Famer’ with franchise starting to retool under new coach Frank Vogel

• The move will free up around $15million in salary cap space for the Phoenix Suns
• Chris Paul plans to play for several more years and sign with a title contender
• DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news

By Tyrell Feaster For Dailymail.Com

Published: 17:33 EDT, 7 June 2023 | Updated: 20:34 EDT, 7 June 2023

It does not get any more emphatic than this. There can have been few more one-sided games in the long history of Test cricket. England have simply destroyed Ireland.

Such has been England’s brutal superiority at Lord’s that the benefits of this whole futile exercise for the much more important business to come can only be negligible.

Certainly, this one-off game will bear no relation to what faces England when they come up against an Australia side with much more thorough preparation for the Ashes in the form of next week’s World Test Championship final against India under their belts.

But England can hardly be blamed for that, nor for the pitifully weak state of an Ireland team who left their best bowler in Josh Little out of this Test and instead fielded an attack barely up to county standard.

In the absence of meaningful opposition England did what this England team have done for the last year, blitzed the opposition with both ball and bat over the first two days to leave themselves in sight today of their 11th win in 13 matches under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. And by some distance the easiest and most predictable of them.

Yet instead of dwelling on Ireland’s inadequacy let’s celebrate the fastest double hundred by anyone in a Test in England from Ollie Pope. 

Plus an equally swashbuckling century from Ben Duckett in his first Test innings on home soil.

Then there was the single just before tea that took Joe Root to 11,000 runs in Test cricket, only the second Englishman to do so, with just Sir Alastair Cook ahead of him.

And, finally, before Ireland closed on 97 for three, a mere 255 behind, there were two wickets in his first over in the Ireland second innings and three in all, his first victims in Test cricket, for a bowler in Josh Tongue making a huge impression on debut here.

Nothing summed up this mauling more than the rare feat of both Pope and Duckett scoring more than a hundred runs in a single session.

Duckett cruised along with ease to that landmark in the morning and the new vice-captain did the same in the afternoon, as Ireland wilted in the face of an assault they could do absolutely nothing to withstand.

Only when Ireland managed to get an out of shape ball changed, with England on the small matter of 353 for one off just 59 overs, did they manage to even get past England’s broad bats, the replacement starting to swing and Duckett falling for 182 off 178 balls.

This was the best contribution yet for an opener in Duckett for so long appeared lost to the highest level because of his off-field indiscipline but who has matured and flourished like few others under the uber-positive Stokes and McCullum regime.

When Duckett was bowled by Graham Hume Pope simply carried on, racing along to his fourth Test century and his third since he rang Stokes ahead of last summer and asked to bat in the problem No3 position that has now brought the very best out of him.

There was the possibility of an England declaration with Pope unbeaten on 197 at tea but Stokes rightly let him reach the magical milestone of a Test double century at Lord’s, Pope advancing to smash Andy McBrine for six to get there before falling off the next ball.

That was the key for Stokes to withdraw in search of the two-day finish he quietly targeted ahead of this Test, with England on a monumental 524 for four off just 82.4 overs, racing along at more than six an over and never really seeming to get out of second gear.

The biggest minus for England is that Stokes and Jonny Bairstow did not get a bat and Harry Brook faced just seven balls, meaning all three will go into the Ashes with little red-ball practice behind them. 

But there was then another big plus in the form of Tongue.

What another excellent decision the selection of Tongue here ahead of Chris Woakes has been and what another brilliant piece of captaincy there was from Stokes when he brought the debutant on for just the seventh over of the Ireland second innings.

Clearly the captain wanted Tongue to feel he belonged and he did so by trapping Peter Moor plumb with his first ball and then forcing Andy Balbirnie to edge a cut through to a tumbling Bairstow, again keeping well on his return to the side.

Tongue was the bowler when James McCollum tried to take evasive action and managed to badly twist his ankle when falling in a heap, forcing him to retire hurt.

But it was Tongue, putting himself very much in the Ashes frame, who struck again when Paul Stirling gloved one down the legside to Bairstow and departed after a review.

It should not take long for England to wrap things up on Saturday – and then all thoughts really will turn to what will surely be a much more competitive contest.

MEMOIR 

Hidden Valley 

by Paul Richardson (Abacus Books £20, 288pp) 

Thirty years ago, journalist Paul ­Richardson left London to make his home on the island of Ibiza, where rents were cheap and life was idyllic. 

Within a few years, though, Ibiza had begun to change, becoming ‘a fiefdom of the super-rich’ and a raucous party destination. 

Dismayed by the transformation of their tranquil island, Richardson and his partner Nacho decided to move to the Extremadura, a rural region in the far west of Spain which couldn’t have been more different. 

They bought some land and set about pursuing their dream of a pared-down, self-sufficient lifestyle, where they could eat ‘clean’ food: ‘Not in the prissy Gwyneth Paltrow sense, but food that tastes vibrantly of itself and, importantly, doesn’t need to be paid for,’ Richardson writes. 

At first their new plot was nothing more than ‘a clearing in a forest of brambles, like something out of a fairy tale’, but they could imagine building their own house there and living surrounded by orchards of citrus fruit, cherries, peaches and apricots, with a vegetable garden and contented animals grazing nearby. 

This memoir is firmly in the mould of Peter Mayle’s A Year In Provence and Chris Stewart’s Driving Over Lemons: bumbling outsiders move into a rural area in southern Europe, make lots of mistakes, meet eccentric locals and are eventually embraced as part of the community. What makes Hidden Valley different is that Richardson is far more interested in the land than in the people. 

He revels in the beauty of the countryside, from the nightingale’s ‘peals of melody’ in spring to the ancient fruit trees which emerge from the brambles that had swamped them for years. 

As they get to grips with the terrain, Richardson writes lyrically of their increasingly bountiful harvests, ‘the year’s first lustrous black aubergines, the green peppers and courgettes, the strawberries and apricots, the French beans so fresh they squeaked as you bit them’. 

Be warned, there are also some graphic accounts of the despatching of the rabbits and pigs they raise. 

Richardson doesn’t shy away from the pitfalls of this lifestyle. Building their eco-friendly house takes forever, not least because the builders disappear for a whole year before returning, with no explanation, to complete the work. Drought and wildfires are a constant worry; one summer the fire races right up to their property, leaving the surrounding countryside blackened and scorched, yet miraculously sparing their house. A violent hailstorm wrecks the garden, wiping out that year’s harvest. 

Other disasters, amusingly, are self-inflicted. The couple’s attempts to make drinkable wine are an epic failure: ‘The harder we tried to correct our errors, the worse our wines became,’ Richardson laments. 

There is some compensation in the fact their vinegar, topped up with bottles of ‘failed wine’, is superb. 

Although there is much talk of living off the land, Richardson concedes that true self-sufficiency is almost impossible to achieve. They still have to buy salt, sugar, pasta, rice, tea, coffee, and fuel for their car. 

Luckily they have their other jobs to sustain them: Nacho travels the world as an agricultural consultant for aid projects, while Richardson regularly comes back to Britain for his journalistic career. 

When they first moved to their hidden valley, Richardson was fearful that their new neighbours would be hostile to a gay couple. 

The book ends with his marriage to Nacho in the local town hall. Guests come from all over the world, ‘but a greater number of the well-wishers are villagers, who crowd the square to hurl rice, confetti and compliments’. 

It’s a happy ending to a beguiling book about a lifestyle that many of us dream about, but few achieve