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A young female rugby player who was left screaming in agony after a transgender rival tore apart her knee ligaments has accused sporting chiefs of letting her down. Elena King, 20, suffered a torn ACL and MCL in January in the Netherlands after her biologically male opponent popped her left knee out of its socket with a rash challenge. Now facing lifelong pain and six months of physiotherapy just to run again, she is asking why the Dutch Rugby Association allows transgender athletes to compete against women.

Scientists have discovered that lead-208, once thought to be spherical, is actually elongated. This challenges nuclear theory and sparks fresh questions about atomic structure and stability. Credit: SciTechDaily.com ==================================================================================== For decades, scientists believed that lead-208, a “doubly magic” and highly stable atomic nucleus, was perfectly spherical. However, groundbreaking new research has shattered this assumption, revealing that its nucleus is actually elongated, much like a rugby ball. By using an advanced gamma-ray spectrometer and high-speed particle collisions, researchers uncovered unexpected quantum behavior that contradicts long-standing nuclear theory. This revelation forces physicists to rethink fundamental principles of nuclear structure, potentially reshaping our...

(CNN)-Choirs have banned from performing Tom Jones hit "Delilah" during Wales' international rugby matches at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff due to the song's "problematic" nature, the UK's PA Media reported. The lyrics of the 1960's hit, which was taken off the half-time entertainment list at the Principality Stadium in 2015, allude to a woman being stabbed by her jealous partner....

Owen Jenkins is now hooking for Wales, just as his father did for more than a decadeHaving ploughed his own rugby path over the years, Owen Jenkins is now very much following in the footsteps of his old man. Jenkins’ father, Garin, won 58 caps for Wales at hooker from 1991 to 2002. Owen’s career has up to now taken him down a different positional path, as a winger for Pontypridd, Cardiff Blues and the Dragons. But, at the minute, you will find him in the middle of the front row, as a hooker for Wales Sevens. “You see these...

A rugby fan, who was brutally tackled by security for invading the pitch in her bra during the Parramatta Eels’ win over the Gold Coast Titans on Saturday, took another L after the streaking stunt. SNIP Johnson reportedly took to social media to share news about the stunt, and posted a screenshot of a text message from her boyfriend: “You’re an idiot and a disgrace. Thank you for an absolute embarrassment. Don’t try contact me.” SNIP “It’s the adrenaline of the crowd… I used to play AFL and rugby and I have three brothers, so getting tackled was not a...

French Pro D2 outfit Rouen have confirmed the sudden death of star fly-half Jordan Michallet, who was recently married and was poised to become a fatherRouen rugby player Jordan Michallet has suddenly died at the age of 29, the French Pro D2 club has confirmed. French fly-half Michallet was previously an age-grade star who featured for the likes of Grenoble, Strasbourg and Bourgoin. “The Rouen Normandie Rugby family is deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear Jordan Michallet," the club confirmed in a statement. “This awful news plunges the whole club into immense pain. “The management and...

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has dropped the nickname “Saxons” for one of the top England teams following a Black Lives Matter-inspired diversity review into the sport. England’s second team, which has been referred to as the “Saxons” since 2006, will have its name changed back to the old “England A” team when they face off against Scotland A in Leicester in June, in order “to reflect the diversity in society”. Announcing their decision to scrap the “inappropriate” nickname, an RFU spokesman told The Times: “We have chosen to revert to the traditional name of ‘England A’ for this fixture...

Few Scotland players chose to kneel to Black Lives Matter ahead of a historic victory over England in the Six Nations rugby tournament, triggering a woke backlash. The Scots won the Calcutta Cup from England on their much larger neighbour’s home soil for the first time since 1983 — in a stadium which was largely empty, thanks to the anti-coronavirus lockdown — but the win has been somewhat marred by a furore over what the BBC has dubbed “kneegate”. “#AsOne is the message from Scottish Rugby. But the players don’t seem to be ‘as one’ in their stance against racism,”...

Prince Harry has backed the moves to ban Swing Low, Sweet Chariot from rugby games due to its association with slavery. He has sung the rugby anthem many times since childhood and he is a fan and patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU). Prince Harry has signaled support for the RFU’s review into the song, written by Wallace Willis, a freed Oklahoma slave, in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, The Sunday Times reported. The anthem rings around the stands at Twickenham and is being reviewed by the RFU, which has launched a wide-ranging probe into racism. Written...

England rugby fans could soon be banned from singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot at matches because of the song's ties with slavery, it has emerged. The iconic anthem which rings round the stands at Twickenham is being reviewed by the Rugby Football Union, which has launched a wide-ranging probe into racism. Written by a black slave in the American South during the nineteenth century, the song was first belted out by supporters when two black wingers - Martin Offiah and Chris Oti - became sporting heroes on the pitch at the end of the 1980s.

Catalans Dragons' controversial signing Israel Folau can expect to face protests on his first visit to England. The 30-year-old dual-code international, who has not played since being sacked by Rugby Australia last May for making homophobic comments on social media, joined the French Super League club on Tuesday. The signing has caused a storm, with even Super League executive chairman Robert Elstone condemning the move, and Wigan responded by declaring their home game against the Catalans in March a 'Pride Day'. Former Wales international Gareth Thomas said he is "really upset" by Dragons' decision to sign the controversial player. Thomas,...

When Australian rugby star Israel Folau’s team contract was terminated after he voiced the principles of his Christian faith, he turned to GoFundMe Australia to crowdsource funds for his legal action against Rugby Australia. Three days later, the popular fundraising platform took down his page with plans to refund all donors. “As a company, we are absolutely committed to the fight for equality for LGBTIQ+ people and fostering an environment of inclusivity,” GoFundMe Australia manager Nicola Britton said, according to The Guardian. After his fundraising page was shut down, a “non-party partisan, non-denominational” group called Australian Christian Lobby reached out...

Remember him? I blogged about his case last month. Israel Folau’s a major rugby star in Australia and a Bible-believing Christian prone to posting things on social media which — well, which Christians believe. Like this: View this post on Instagram Those that are living in Sin will end up in Hell unless you repent. Jesus Christ loves you and is giving you time to turn away from your sin and come to him. _______________ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these , adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions,...

Because of the Christian views and Bible verses he posted on his social media accounts that were critical of homosexuality and so-called gay marriage, Australian rugby star Israel Folau was fired today by Rugby Australia, which claimed Folau had committed a "high-level breach" of the association's code of conduct. Folau's $4 million contract was terminated. In several Instagram posts over the last year, Folau, who is a Pentecostal Christian, has said that "Hell Awaits" for unrepentant "drunks, homosexuals, adulterers," among other sinners. He also said of making gender optional on birth certificates, "The devil has blinded so many people in...

Israel Folau, an evangelical Christian and rugby football star, was found guilty of breaching the Rugby Australia code of conduct for quoting St. Paul’s biblical teachings against fornication and homosexuality. A three-person independent tribunal wrapped up on Tuesday three days of deliberations and found Folau guilty of a high-level breach of the code of conduct enforced by the governing body of Australian rugby teams. So far, no sanction has been announced against Folau. However, he may face cancellation of his $4 million contract and forgo a chance to appear in the forthcoming rugby world championship. “The panel has today provided...

Rugby Australia and the New South Wales Rugby Union say they intend to terminate Israel Folau's contract after a social media post by the full-back in which he said "hell awaits" gay people. Folau, 30, has 73 caps and was expected to play at this year's World Cup. "He does not speak for the game with his recent social media posts," the governing bodies said. "In the absence of compelling mitigating factors, it is our intention to terminate his contract." Rugby Australia and the NSW Rugby Union, which is responsible for Super Rugby side NSW Waratahs, said they have made...

If you're considering eating raw or undercooked snails, slugs or centipedes — you may want to think again. Some of these delicacies may carry "rat lungworm," a parasite that can infect critters through rodent feces. Here's what you should know about the parasitic roundworm, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, and how it can be avoided. Where is the parasite found? Rodents have the adult form, with sickened rats passing the parasite's larvae in feces, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says online. How are snails, slugs and humans infected?Infections occur in snails and slugs when they consume the parasite's larvae, the agency says, adding that humans...

A man in Australia has died from rat lungworm caused by a garden slug he ate for a dare eight years earlier. Sam Ballard, who was a promising rugby player, died at the age of 27 after developing a series of complications from the disease. Ballard was 19 in 2010 when he and some friends were drinking wine with his friends in a garden. “We were sitting over here having a bit of a red wine appreciation night, trying to act as grown up and a slug came crawling across here,” his friend Jimmy Galvin told news.com.au. “The conversation came...

Health officials have confirmed 12 cases of rat lungworm disease in the continental United States since January 2011 — including six patients who had not traveled abroad but still contracted the illness caused by a parasite endemic to tropical regions in Asia and Hawaii. [...snip...] The disease is also known as angiostrongyliasis, after the parasitic roundworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis whose larvae hatch in the lungs of rats and then are expelled in the rodents’ excrement. At that point, the larvae can be picked up by snails and slugs, and then passed along to humans if the snails and slugs are eaten...

Centipedes mean business. They can slay animals 15 times their size, even devour whole snakes if they want. But the true horror of the centipede may be something else, hiding unseen inside their many-legged forms: a dangerous parasite, which scientists say has never been observed in these segmented critters – until now. The stowaway in question is the parasitic roundworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis – aka 'rat lungworm' – a food-borne parasite typically found in snails and other mollusks, which has now for the first time been detected in centipedes too. As for the strange reason we know this? It starts with...