this exeter team arriving on the crest of a wave. it's taken them from the fourth tier to the very top of the game. ten years ago gareth steenson kicked the points that took them to the premiership for the first time, and in his final match before he retires he is desperate to go out in style. i have been very fortunate to be part of a lot of firsts at the club. to be involved in the first—ever double, it would mean come next week, whenever the boots are hung up, that i could go off very satisfied and know that there was nothing else i could do with exeter chiefs in terms of a player. the premiership final may have had its fair share of setbacks — even referee wayne barnes has had to pull out because of a positive covid test — but the showpiece has just about come out the other side, with twickenham ready to crown a new champion. austin halewood, bbc news. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. the next news on bbc one is at 5:10pm. bye for now. hello. you're watching the bbc news channel with sean

exeter into an early lead but this was a clash of styles. chiefs brought the muscle and racing 92 brought the muscle and racing 92 brought the muscle and racing 92 brought the flare. back to back tries bringing the french side back into the match but the biggest of finals are to set up of the smallest of margins and an interception thrown by fenn russell opened the doorfor thrown by fenn russell opened the door for exeter. the fine line between brilliance and foolishness. i pass equally desperate to have back and it was a gap that raised money tojust back and it was a gap that raised money to just could not close as exeter captain joe simmons sealed the win. from english minnows to european giants, a transformation the sport has really seen before. but for exeter, not long to celebrate. the premiership final is just a week away. let's take a quick look at some of the day's other sporting headlines. motogp championship leader fabio quartararo recovered from this crash in third practice to take pole position for the aragon grand prix. britain'

oh, the exeter boys are happy... joe wilson, bbc news, exeter. a former music teacher living with dementia has been reunited with some of the pupils he inspired, after video of him playing the piano became an internet sensation. the clip of paul harvey improvising went viral, and has prompted his former students to speak about his enduring influence. graham satchell reports. this is 80—year—old paul harvey doing what he loves best. paul was diagnosed with dementia last year. his memory is slowly deteriorating. b natural. a few weeks ago, nick gave his dad four notes and asked him to improvise a tune. he plays slow, romantic-style melody. this video has now been watched almost two million times on social media. and, yes, itjust took off. it was ridiculous. in the ‘70s, paul became a teacher. we set up a quick video call with some of paul's former students. hello, there! paul, hello, i'm dominic, dominic glynn. you did doctor who. there's no way i would be having a career as a composer now, if it hadn't had been for you, paul. my name was gri

simon simmons got a second for exeter chiefs. racing submitted information and finn russell picked out simon zebo. racing had been hit bya out simon zebo. racing had been hit by a coronavirus outbreak in the build—up and threw everything into the second half. simon zebo scored again but all initially afterwards finn russell was rumbled, his pass intercepted and henry slade of england trotted over for the racing still but not relent and with the penalty they were only one point behind. chiefs lost a man to the sin bin butjust as a decisive racing 92 try seemed inevitable exeter somehow w011 try seemed inevitable exeter somehow won a penalty and saved the match. now in the final seconds' time to make sure and joe simmons with the kick to the top of europe. what a moment and for exeter, what the decade. patrick geary, bbc news. the premier league and scottish premiership returned today after the international break. highlights of all the game follow the news, but i've got the results, if you want them. it was all square in the mer

oh, the exeter boys are happy... joe wilson, bbc news, exeter. time for a look at the weather. here's darren bett. some very unsettled weather on the way, and that starts this weekend, where we have another band of rain coming in, followed by some showers, but this time, stronger winds too. everything is coming in from the atlantic, and this is what is heading our way, this curl of cloud around a deep area of low pressure, bringing wind and rain. we have had some patchy rain today, but that is moving away, clearing south—eastern areas, then clearer skies for a while, but it won't be long before we see that rain coming into northern ireland in western scotland. almost a repeat performance of last night, but this time the rate will be heavier and the winds will be much stronger. i had a bit, with clearer skies, temperatures four or five celsius. the rain is moving eastward tomorrow, and it will be heavy, there could be a short short burst of heavy rain and squally winds, also might. then sunshine and showers, mainly scotland and normal are —— northern ireland. it will be ar

a big day for rugby, with exeter chiefs making history. they are double winners after lifting the premiership trophy, beating wasps 19—13 at twickenham in the final. it was only last week that exeter also won the champions cup final. austin halewood was watching. it's an image that's starting to look more at more familiar. exeter chiefs, european champions last weekend, now the premiership winners. after a season lasting more than 12 months exeter arrived at an eerily empty twickenham, filled with confidence and from the start that was plain to see. henry slade weaving his way through the wasps defence to put his side into the early lead. a nightmare start for wasps who had 11 players from their squad ruled out because of a covid—19 outbreak but umaga made sure they won't there just to make up sure they won't there just to make up the numbers as wasps drew level. as conditions worsened and the tension built, exeter went ahead through the boot of simmonds. a slender lead that wasps couldn't reach. mistakes in the end cost them. exeter k

exeter into an early lead, but this was a clash of styles. the chiefs brought the muscle, and racing brought the flare. back—to—back tries bringing the french side right back into the match, but often the biggest of finals are decided by the smallest of margins. an interception thrown by scotland's finn russell opened the doorfor the chiefs. the fine line between brilliance and foolishness. a pass he'll be desperate to have back, and it was a gap that racing just couldn't close as exeter captainjoe simmonds sealed the win. from english minnows to european giants, it's a transformation the sport has rarely seen before. but for exeter, there's not long to celebrate — the premiership final‘sjust a week away. austin halewood, bbc news. well, there was another big final today. it was incredibly close, but leeds rhinos won rugby league's challenge cup, beating salford red devils 17—16. this try from ash handley, his second of the game, pulled the rhinos level.

exeter, but seemed in a hurry in their semi against bristol. it took less than ten minutes to set the tone for their return. brute force work too, this try not as fashionable but no less enjoyable, wherever you are watching. for most onlookers, anyway. won after sacking their coach, languishing tenth in the table, wasps were now flying down the touchline is enough for the try line. for wasps, not long the touchline is enough for the try line. forwasps, not long to the touchline is enough for the try line. for wasps, not long to go now. elswhere, ulster have beaten 0spreys 24—12 in the pro14 in swansea. ulster have had little success from their recent away games but at the break, they lead 10—6 with jacob stockdale scoring the only try of the first half. they dominated possession and were rewarded with two further tries from first marcel coetzee and then john cooney. no bonus point for either side. the women's premier 15 rugby season is under way in england after last season was declared null and void in april due to the pandemic. gloucester

they reserved this shot against the exeter chiefs. he had coach, lee blackett, he spoke for the first time since this all unravelled earlier today. this is how it went for him in the early hours of wednesday morning when he found out that they had got the all clear. the staff were up at two o'clock. most of us never went back to sleep. you think you would get positive news and be able to go back to sleep, but the excitement, the realisation of what has just happened. and then we came in yesterday and the main thing for us was, you see the emotion, the finals are a big thing formation anyway, and for us it was an emotional week. we needed to lower our emotions yesterday. everybody was excited to be back but we needed to control ourselves because we need to save that emotion for the weekend. ourselves because we need to save that emotion for the weekendm ourselves because we need to save that emotion for the weekend. it is going to be a tough task for them after everything they have been through this week. do they still have a chance of

exeter will play racing 92 in the final of the champions cup in bristol. and joe lynskey is here to tell us more... joe this is the first time exeter have made it to the final — so this is a huge game for them isn't it? as with any sporting occasion presently we have to take a check on this status beforehand but exited of both important and he had no positive cases this week although it's not been an easy build up to this match which we will hear about ina this match which we will hear about in a moment. his competition had a nine month break in between its a group stage in the knockouts but since lockdown exit or have been impacted and securing that place in their first european finer which is happening at ashton gate that's been moved to the original venue. you see ita nap moved to the original venue. you see it a nap in the final three weeks ago. that means it's the first time they have not featured in either a champions cup or a domestic permission final. since 2013. this season going for a european and premier ship double it gives them the opportuni

they play exeter, arguably the in—form side. are they favourites? i think they will hundred percent art the favourites mainly because of this picture right here. well, this really is a remarkable story, one that shouldn't be understated. last weekend, the chiefs were crowned european champions, but that's a far cry from where the team first came from. they are very much riding the crest ofa they are very much riding the crest of a wave right now. just over two decades ago, this was exeter rugby, a very different picture to what it is now. the team were in the fourth tier. and it's from there that they slowly started to climb the ranks. now, it was ten years ago that they cracked into the premiership for the very first time. fly— half gareth steenson kicked the penalty that got them there. he's still at the club, and tomorrow will be his final game before he retires. and he told me that despite winning the biggest prize in club rugby last weekend, the celebrations didn't last for too long. if you cannot enjoy achieving something as big as that, you

exeter have beaten wasps 19 points to 13. in a rain—lashed premiership final in a near—empty twickenham on saturday a week after winning the european champions cup. they the european champions cup. have completed a cl winning they have completed a cup double by winning the trophy today against wasps who just managed to get a team out today after all of those positive covid—19 tests. that's all from sportsday. goodbye. hello, there. good evening. it's that night of the year when the clocks go back an hour, marking the end of british summer time, but, as far as the weather goes, well, summer feels like it's a long way behind us. a very autumnal satellite picture — you can see this big swirl of cloud. it's been bringing some outbreaks of really heavy rain eastwards through today, plenty of showers following on behind, brisk winds as well. so, as we had through tonight, still some rain to clear eastwards across central and eastern parts of england, some of that clipping into southern scotland for a time, and then we see c

do you think there would be any support of that, just cancelled the final and give the title to exeter? i think it is too late in the day to do that now. in an ideal world that may be most preferable, given exeter have been the standout team, given bristol to tap beaten by wasps in the semifinal. it is just a very unusual sub—ideal look, isn't it, to have a beaten semifinalist given a reprieve? that is not how it should work. the flip side is that this was written down in the regulations back in august, all the club signed up to it, and what is keeping rugby afloat at the moment is television money and the fact is the satellite broadcasters can still have their big day on saturday whoever is involved, people will be watching at home. a lot does go into this, but when you have got bristol themselves, players, coaches saying in an ideal world it will be wasps against exeter as planned, then you know where the sentiment is and where the light of the land is. most people are behind the fact that it would be much betterfor the integrity of the competition if wasps to get the all clear to

ben croucher reports. it's been a long wait but exeter are nearly there. a european final next weekend, premiership won there week at about. english rugby's new powerhouse budging their way past all before them in 2020. and if

to exeter with work to do. it could not be tighter as the giro d'italia reaches its conclusion tomorrow. britain's tao geoghegan hart is in with a great chance of winning his first grand tour title after victory in the penultimate stage today. there's nothing to split the ineos grenadiers rider and australia'sji hindley heading into tomorrow's time trial. nick parrott reports. tao geoghegan hart came to the gerard italia to help geraint thomas win. but after the welshman blocked out early on due to injury, the 24—year—old took charge. he won the stage but it wasn't until his team looks back... for britain starting the day third overall, 15 seconds behind and promising to get stuck in. withjust behind and promising to get stuck in. with just under six behind and promising to get stuck in. withjust under six miles behind and promising to get stuck in. with just under six miles to behind and promising to get stuck in. withjust under six miles to go, they took the lead. but there was a problem. australian jay t

but this pass from scotland's finn russell opened the door for exeter. henry slade crossing for their fourth try to seal a narrow win. harlequins followed up their century of points on the opening weekend of the women's premier 15s with a much harder victory this afternoon at wasps. abbie ward scored twice, making five in two games, as quins won 31—12. they stay above unbeaten loughborough and saracens. what a day it's been for hollie doyle. she's become only the third female jockey to win a group one race. she already had one victory in the bag at ascot when she won the british champions sprint stakes on 16—1 shot glen shiel. she also finished second in her other two races today. this all came just three days after she broke her own record for winners ridden by a woman ina year. doyle said it was a dream come true. now to one of the biggest fights of the year. tonight in las vegas, teofimo lopez will face vasiliy lomachenko for a winner—ta kes—all bout in the lightweight division. the covid protocols called for both fighters to stand behind the

and inform exeter side as well who finished top of the league. meanwhile bristol bears and only their second season back in the premiership face wasps. it's a start ofa premiership face wasps. it's a start of a crucial couple of weeks for the bears. with the european final next weekend before a potential partnership final the one after that. with covid cases authorised bristol haven't ruled out isolating for two weeks. it became a higher risk in society and we want to make sure that certainly would be an option. everyone is on high alert at the moment. a tickly and the decisions they are making and who they mix well. after the longest season in the sports history the biggest prize in english rugby is just two wins away. after that, a well—earned rest. so that's the men's season almost wrapped up. the women's season however was abandoned back in march. so there's great anticipation for the women's game that after six months off — it's back with the new allianz premier 15 season kicking off tomorrow. we've already lost one game due to covid —

exeter chiefs, european champions last weekend, now premiership winners. after a season lasting more than 12 months, exeter arrived at an eerie empty twickenham, filled with confidence and from the start, that was plain to see. henry slade weaving his way through the wasps defence to put his side into an early lead. so a nightmare start for wasps who had 11 players from their squad ruled out because of a covid outbreak. but jacob umaga made sure they weren't there to make up the numbers, as wasps drew level. but as the conditions worsened and the tension began to build, it was exeter that edged ahead through the boot ofjoe simmons. a slender lead that wasps just couldn't quite reach. mistakes in the end cost them as exeter kicked their way to a second premiership title, and became only the fourth team in english rugby history to do the double. we had to wait four months for that. nearly an eight month wait, the six nations returned as ireland thrashed italy 50 points to 17 in dublin. they scored seven tries in all, debutant hugo keenan getting two of them

exeter could do the domestic and european double. they‘re in the champions cup final next weekend too. elsewhere, ospreys are playing ulster in the pro14. ulster have had little success in recent away games but at the break, they lead ten—6 with them and scoring the only try in the first half. ulster were rewarded when marcel cuts across the line. there is about 20 minutes left. the women‘s premier 15s rugby season is under way in england after last season was declared null and void in april due to the pandemic. gloucester—hartpury got their campaign off to a flying start with a bonus—point win at home to exeter chiefs. this early score from kelly smith was the pick of the cherry and whites‘ six tries as they won 34—14. elsewhere, there were wins for saracens, loughborough and harlequins, who beat durham 103—0. next, it‘s been a day of mixed fortunes in formula 1. lewis hamilton‘s hopes of equalling michael schumacher‘s record of 91 wins in tomorrow‘s eifel grand prix have been dealt a blow by his team—mate

—— exeter chiefs. have said? -- exeter chiefs. it is a fairy tale ending for them, ten years later from being in the championship, here they are emulating the likes of the richer rivals, saracens. they have won the championship before but this was really important for them to get the european championship under their belt. you can imagine when you have won something like that, you can take your foot off the gas pedal. it was a tough game for them are difficult conditions, against a resurgent wasps team, missing some of the place. but to be fair to exeter, they deserve to have a fantastic campaign, they can be proud of themselves. i'm sure quite a few of themselves. i'm sure quite a few of the place can look on to potentially getting them england caps, like the captainjoe getting them england caps, like the captain joe simmons. the squad is a wealth of home—grown talent. the squad because much ability tojust talent. the squad because much ability to just slot in is just remarkable. he stands out for you? the likes of luke, i thin

it's in the absence of stuart hogg, who's still on club duty with exeter. finn russell returns to the bench for the first time since he was sent home from the squad injanuary for breaching team protocol. and the british and irish lions will play japan for the first time next summer. the match on the 26th ofjune at murrayfield will act as a warm—up for their three—test tour of south africa, which starts a week later. the champions league is back with a bang. last night saw manchester united beating paris saint germian 2—1, while chelsea ended in a goaless draw against sevilla. tonight, it's the turn of manchester city who host porto and liverpool who've travelled to the netherlands to play ajax. joining us to discuss this is former liverpool defender stephen warnock. they've travelled without virgil van dijk, his injury is a huge blow for them. put a dent in their champions league campaign? i think it probably does. i think when you think of the quality that he brings to liverpool as a team as ask what he has improved since he joined the club and you a

johnny has been doing thatjob for exeter, good in the line—out, goodin for exeter, good in the line—out, good in defence and around the ruck area, stopping the opposition, so he has been consistent in that. he's got a great attitude, great work ethic and he's a really fine example of what exeter produced. this weekend's women's six nations game between ireland and france has been called off due to an outbreak of coronavirus within the french squad, with ireland told to prepare fora training camp this weekend instead. it's not clear whether france will forfeit the match or if it will be postponed until december to coincide with italy and scotland's meeting. champions england go in search of a grand slam against italy, having prepared for the match in a covid secure bubble. we got told as soon as we were going in there, we have to keep two metres apartand in there, we have to keep two metres a pa rt a nd co nsta ntly wear face in there, we have to keep two metres apart and constantly wear face masks and when we go out to train, we have and when we go out to train, we have a training block

he joins us live now from exeter. congratulations. thank you so much. how much of a surprise was it? go it was a shock to me. i couldn't believe that i was given this award. it has been quite a journey, hasn't it, for you over your years spent in the uk? why do you think your nominated? i was told i was nominated? i was told i was nominated because of the work i have been doing in the probation service and prisons and especially during the lockdown when prisoners were not able to see their families and their partners. i was able to visit them and spend a lot of time with them, just reassuring them that they are not forgotten. i know exeter prison and it is a bleak old victorian building, isn't it? for people who don't know it, it is like pentonville. if you are inside, particularly if there is some reduction in the number of staff and you are not in your side for that —— locking yourself for that number of days, it can be a more demoralising experience. it can be difficult and challenging for them. but thankfully i like to think we are able to bring

but for exeter, there's not long to celebrate — the premiership final‘sjust a week away. austin halewood, bbc news. well, there was another big final today. it was incredibly close, but leeds rhinos won rugby league's challenge cup, beating salford red devils 17—16. this try from ash handley, his second of the game, pulled the rhinos level. before a late drop goal from luke gale won it for them. they were heading for their 14th challenge cup. guest of honour was rob burrow, the leeds legend who's living with motor neurone disease. and although he was watching the match from home, his presence was certainly felt at wembley. rob's with us in spirit, that's for sure, at the moment. we've carried him all the way through, and he's been very much, you know, an inspiration for us on this run. and ijust think it's really fitting that, you know, we've done it this year for rob, and it's gale with the number seven on his back that's come up with the big play. don't forget there's much more on the bbc sport website, but that's all for now. hello, and welcome to the film review wit

and 11 players missing, but the game will go on — covid—hit wasps scramble to take on exeter in this weekend's premiership final. thanks forjoining us. all that and more to come. but we start with another huge night of european football with five british clubs in europa league action. arsenal already under way against rapid vienna in austria. and there is a different atmosphere in the ground tonight — that's because there are 3,000 home fans in the stadium as arsenal become the first english club to play in front of crowds in europe. still goalless in the austrian capital, although david luiz has got close for arsenal in the first half. we will keep you updated if there is a change in the square line. well, this man, mesut ozil, isn't in action for arsenal. he's been left out of their europa league and premier league squads and has not played for the team since march the 7th. it means he can only feature for arsenal's under 23s until his deal expires next summer. well, the man who's excluded him — manager mikel arteta — has said, "my conscience is very calm because i have been

to twickenham next where exeter are hoping to add to their trophy collection today. as they chase an historic double. crowned champions of europe last weekend, they're hoping to become english champions with victory over wasps in the premiership final. henry slade had pulled exeter back in front early on after a jimmy gopperth penalty for wasps.

there haven't been any virus cases ahead of rugby union's saturday showpiece though — exeter and racing will contest the champions cup final in bristol, despite nine positive tests at racing two weeks ago. wasps are also trying to keep an outbreak under control — four of their players have the virus a week before they play exeter in the premiership final. and john with other problems like those at cycling's giro this is a challenging time for team sport across europe and the us, where nfl games are also being moved round because of positive cases. elsewhere today. two st mirren players returned positive tests and another member of the first team squad is self—isolating — all three will miss saturday's premiership tie with motherwell. ecuador‘s jhonatan narvaez of team ineos grenadiers won a soggy stage 12 of the giro d'italia. he braved heavy rain to take victory. joao almeida retains the overall lead. and it looks like conor mcgregor is coming out of retirement again. the former two—weight ufc champion has agreed a date to fight american dustin poirier next year. the 32—yea

and of exeter as well. the 2020 super league grand final will be played at the kcom stadium in hull a week on friday, the first time it's not been held at old trafford. meanwhile, there were two matches in rugby league's superleague tonight. in the late game wakefield beat hudderfield by 18 points to 14, earlier castleford beat hull kr 32-18 castleford dominated and ran in five tries to hull kr's three, the last claimed by greg eden with his second of the match. and that's all the sport, bye for now. hello there. we had some sunshine on thursday to get out and about to enjoy some of the automotive colours on offer. i suspect friday morning, cloudy affair. is that this obvious band of rave moving into resting areas and less obvious reign already across south west england spread to the midlands and east anglia was turning heavier and across process even as well for that brain at a time that sums up the weather as we get into friday morning. voters are our main band of rain. we can significantly across england

and the climb up the rugby union ladder is complete for exeter chiefs. they win their first european title. also coming up on the programme — the challenge cup trophy goes to leeds rhinos on a day dedicated to club legend rob burrow. rob's with us in spirit. that's for sure at the moment. we've carried him to all the way through and he has been very much an inspiration for us and i think it's really fitting we have done it this year for rob. hello, and welcome to sportsday. we were hoping for drama in the merseyside derby and it didn't disappoint. everton came from behind twice to draw 2—2 at goodison park, but liverpool were left bemused by a late var decision that denied them victory. patrick gearey was watching.

, exeter are going for a historic double. a week on from being crowned the kings of europe after victory in the champions cup, they're aiming to become champions of england. it's a remarkable rise for the club who were only promoted to the top flight ten years ago. gareth steenson was in their side that day — today he makes his final appearance. i have been very fortunate to be part of a lot of firsts at the club and i feel incredibly lucky, but to be involved in the first ever double as a player, it would mean everything to me. it would mean next week, whenever the boots are hung up, that i could go off very satisfied and know that there was nothing else i could do with exeter chiefs in terms of a player. as for wasps, they'lljust be glad to be playing at twickenham later. their place in the final was thrown into doubt after a host of postitive covid tests within the team which has left four key players out of the final. we cannot understate the emotion that has gone with it. it's the pinnacle of the domestic competition i

jonny has been doing thatjob for exeter, good in the line—out, good in defence and around the ruck area, carrying and stopping the opposition, so he has been consistent in that. he's got a great attitude, great work ethic and he's a really fine example of what exeter have produced. a huge moment for him, and a5 a huge moment for him, and as far as scotla nd a huge moment for him, and as far as scotland are concerned, a name familiar to many but hasn't been in the equation lately, finn russell, having mi55ed tho5e opening matches for scotland in the six nations. fans of scottish rugby will be mightily plea5ed he's back in the fold now. i think fans of scotland by fold now. i think fans of scotland rugby are all neutral5 a5 fold now. i think fans of scotland rugby are all neutral5 as well, watching that game. it's great to 5ee russell back in a scotland 5hirt and back doing what he does best. the hatchet looked up and buried with gregor townsend after the troubles earlier on this year. stuart hogg i5 troubles earlier on this year. stuart hogg is back as well, so an exciting scotland team.

and it was a lead that exeter never gave up. it caps a remarkable transformation for the chiefs, who were in the fourth tier of english rugby when rugby's european cup competition began. and while the champions cup final was played behind closed doors, earlier today over in auckland there was a crowd of over 116,000 at eden park to see new zealand beat australia 27—7 after coronavirus restrictions were lifted earlier this month. looks so strange, doesn't it? there was also plenty of drama in the first merseyside derby of the season, as everton and liverpool drew 2—2 at goodison park. everton twice came from behind to stay top of the table, dominic calvert—lewin scoring their second equaliser here. there was more var controversy though after liverpool thought they'd won it in injury time, only for sadio mane to be deemed offside. and the other big talking point came in the first half with virgil van dijk forced off injured after this tackle from jordan pickford. so, it is not good. virgil played for us i don't know how many

it's been a long wait but exeter are nearly there. a european final next weekend, a premiership one after that. english rugby's powerhouse charging their way past or before them in 2020. beneath the bodies, them in 2020. beneath the bodies, the bill, the beginning of bath's battering. even if you can't see it, you can feel it. the coach said they had nothing to fear. stuart hogg may have given him course to reconsider. a nightmare afternoon was only getting worse. a fifth st appearance in the twickenham showpiece and well worth the wait. wasps haven't been there since 2017 when they lost to exeter seemed in a hurry and their semi against bristol. it took less than ten minutes to set the tone for their return. brute force was working, the jack willis time may not have been as fashionable but was not have been as fashionable but was no less enjoyable wherever you were watching, for most onlookers anyway. eight months after sacking the coach, languishing 10th, wasps were flying down the touchline over the try line. bristol's 36 year abse

exeter are still on course for a domestic and european double after reaching rugby union's premiership play—off final. they thumped bath 35—6 at home — scoring five tries — to reach the season finale for the fifth successive year. and wasps will be their opponents at twickenham in a fortnight‘s time, in a repeat of the 2017 final — which exeter won. but wasps are in brilliant form at the moment, comfortably seeing off bristol today — 47-24. alex dowsett has won the eighth stage of cycling's giro d'italia. the british time—trial specialist finished more than a minute quicker than his rivals. portugal'sjoao almeida still leads overall, but britain's simon yates has been forced to withdraw after testing positive for coronavirus. lewis hamilton will match michael schumacher‘s record of 91 formula one victories if he wins germany's ‘eifel‘ grand prix tomorrow. but he'll have to get past his mercedes team—mate valterri bottas, who beat him to pole postition. bottas qualified a quarter of a second quicker around the nurburgring. championship leader hamilton will start

exeter lockjonny hill will make his international debut in rome. we needed to find a big, tall, strong lock to replace george cruz. he has been an outstanding member of our team. jonny has been doing thatjob for exeter, good in the line—out, good in defence and around the ruck area, carrying and stopping the opposition, so he has been consistent in that. he's got a great attitude, great work ethic and he's a really fine example of what exeter produced. this weekend's women's six nations game between ireland and france has been called off due to an outbreak of coronavirus within the french squad. it's not clear whether france will forfeit the match, or if it will be postponed until december to coincide with italy and scotland's meeting. champions england go in search of a grand slam against italy, having prepared for the match in a covid secure bubble. dan evans beat austria'sjurij rodionov in straight sets to reach the third round of the vienna open. his opponent had caused an upset beating world number 12 denis shapovalov in the opening round, b

yes, and exeter. it is basically rugby union really coming back and resuming and coping despite all the adversity and covid—19 interruptions, especially for wasps. in the week they were not sure if they could play this much because they had 11 players affected by covid—19 either directly or indirectly. the captain said they we re indirectly. the captain said they were having sleepless nights waiting for alerts to come through on their various tests. so it is attributed and they are actually involved, but it has been over a year since the premiership season started stop finally today we will see that concluded. exit achieves going for a historic double as well as they take on wasps for the league title to be champions. it's just a week after exeter became champions of europe, standing in their way at twickenham later, are a wasps side who will be missing 11 players including four key ones due to covid. exeter were only promoted to the top flight ten years ago. gareth steenson was in their side that

and it was a lead that exeter never gave up. it caps a remarkable transformation for the chiefs, who were in the fourth tier of english rugby when rugby's european cup competition began. so celebrations for exeter. congratulations to them. manchester united scored all five goals in their 4—1 victory at newcastle in the premier league. luke shaw put the ball in his own net afterjust two minutes to put newcastle ahead, but united scored three times in the closing stages. marcus rashford setting up two of them before scoring himself to wrap up the victory. manchester city gave raheem sterling the captain's armband for their game against arsenal and the england player scored the only goal of the game to give city victory as pep guardiola got the better of his former assistant and now arsenal manager mikel arteta. chelsea manager frank lampard says his side need to cut out the mistakes, after they threw away a two—goal lead against southampton. jannik vestergaard deflected theo walcott‘s shot in, for a stoppage time equaliser,

exeter lockjonny hill will make his international debut in rome. this weekend's women's six nations game between ireland and france has been called off, due to an outbreak of coronavirus within the french squad. it's not clear whether france will forfeit the match, or if it will be postponed until december, to coincide with italy and scotland's meeting. champions england go in search of a grand slam against italy, having prepared for the match in a covid—secure bubble. dan evans beat austria'sjurij rodionov in straight sets to reach the third round of the vienna open. his opponent had caused an upset, beating world number 12 denis shapovalov in the opening round, but evans proved too strong. he'll play either stefanos tsitsipas or grigor dimitrov next. the manager of irish side dundalk has compared his team's europa league game against arsenal to a boxing mismatch. dudalk will be massive underdogs when they travel to the emirates this evening. currently third in the irish top flight, this is the second time in five years that they have reached th

and that of exeter as well. and the 2020 super league grand final will be played at the kcom stadium in hull a week on friday, the first time it's not been held at old trafford. meanwhile, there were two matches in rugby league's superleague tonight. in the late game, wakefield beat hudderfield by 18—14. earlier, castleford beat hull kr 32-18. castleford dominated and ran in five tries to hull kr's three, the last claimed by greg eden with his second of the match. that's all of the sport. bye for now. hello there. thursday brought us a break from the rather unsettled run of weather we've seen. there was some sunshine to get out and about and enjoy some of the rather spectacular autumn colours on offer, but it was just a short weather window because, looking out in the atlantic, this swirl of cloud you can see here is the next area of low pressure that's going to be bringing rain across our shores for friday. and then further west, a developing area of low pressure. that's going to rapidly deepen to bring some

umaga have been included after impressing on their run to the premiership final where they lost to exeter. the match in rome will be england's first test for seven months after the weekend's game against the ba ra barians was cancelled. they then face georgia, ireland and wales in the nations cup in november. details of the full squad on the bbc sport website. england's women also head to italy for theirfinal game in the six nastions. they've already secured the title thanks to scotland, they staged a fightback against france to salvage a draw. it finished 13—13, meaning that england can't be caught at the top of the six nations table. they'll complete back—to—back grand slams if they beat italy next sunday. sir bradley wiggins says he hopes tao geoghegan hart gets a tilt at the tour de france next year after winning the giro d'italia, becoming only the fifth and the youngest british winner of a grand tour. the 25—year—old was in the ineos grenadiers team to help leader geraint thomas, but he crashed early on, and geoghegan hart won the race in a time trial on the final day. he

wasps said they were "delighted" they could take their rightful place in the match against exeter on saturday at twickenham. england will play the republic of ireland in a friendly next month, after the irish filled the gap left when new zealand pulled out.the game will be played behind closed doors at wembley on november the 12th. new zealand withdrew over concerns about travel and availablity in the pandemic. england's last meeting with the republic finished in a goalless draw in dublin five years ago. there's been strong criticism of the fledgeling plan to create a new breakaway league, involving the top sides from across europe. it apparently has the backing of fifa — and five premier league clubs have been approached to take part. joe lynskey reports. english football is at a crossroads. the grounds are closed, the games are silent. now those at the top could look elsewhere for more. reports say english clubs are in talks about a european premier league. 18 teams from five countries forming a super competition. any plans could replace the champions league, but even uefa, who r

well, we know the four teams that will contest the play—offs come exeter chiefs against bath and wasps against bristol bears. but we haven't had the latest test results, they will come through tomorrow. it won't just be they will come through tomorrow. it won'tjust be the club is looking to the test results, they will be public health england as well. about next season, it is interesting because rob baxter, the director of by because rob baxter, the director of rugby at exeter chiefs, he said that in the last few weeks, perhaps they could consider phasing out the test because of the low number of positives they were getting but speaking today ahead of the play—offs this weekend, he said it would clearly be foolish to do so now that we have had the situation with sale. he has suggested, actually, the regulations could be changed for next season to actually mean that the threshold for a cancelled fixture would be based on the number of tests, positive cases, not whether a club could fulfil 823 man squad because that clearly raises welfare issues in and of itself. laura scott, thank you

and of exeter as well. and of exeter as well. in rugby league's superleague, castleford beat hull kr by 32 points to 18, castleford dominated and ran in five tries to hull kr's three, the last claimed by greg eden with his second of the match. british cyclist tao geoghegan hart is just 15 seconds off the lead at the giro d'italia after finishing second on stage 18, he was just pipped to the line by the australian jai hindley at the end of the gruelling climb to the stelvio pass, the highest point of the race. the dutchman wilco kelderman has taken the leaders pinkjersey with just three more days before the tourfinishes in milan. dan martin is up to second at the vuelta a espana after winning stage 3 for the israel start—up nation team. the irishman battling up the final climb ahead of race leader primoz roglitch and the inoes grenadie, richard carapaz. that's all the sport for now. new research seen by the bbc suggests1 in 10 children's play centres have closed over the past two months with thousands of jobs lost. the organisat

three were recently made european champions with exeter. and there is motivation from outside the bubble. no, where our heads are at, and eddie made it very aware to us that obviously everyone is having a pretty horrific time at the minute. people are losing theirjobs, people are losing their lives, and we have got an opportunity to represent the country and try to put smiles back on people's faces. and as soon as he said that, it really struck a chord with me. but then all in rome must look to paris. a bonus point win for ireland over france would definitely give them the title, thanks to last weekend's big victory over italy. france won't roll over, though. they might still win the title themselves. at least in these strange times, ireland will face only 15 frenchmen, not the usual extra 80,000. but is that definitely a good thing? i've been in the stade de france before where the crowd have turned on them, and then it can become a positive for us and a negative for them, so you can look at it whatever way you want. obviously, we'd prefer

and ahead of the premiership final against exeter in 10 days time, wasps say four of their players and three staff members have tested positive for coronavirus. all are now self isolating. lots of live international football for you to enjoy this evening — all the home nations kick off their latest nations league matches in about an hour and a half's time. let's head to wembley where england take on denmark — still basking in the glory of beating the world's top side belgium over the weekend. our sports correspondent natalie pirks is there for us — a few key names missing for gareth southgate this evening, natalie? meanwhile, one of england's matches which had been scheduled yes, it's quite a big list. we have five changes from the team to be belgium on sunday, they will make theirfull belgium on sunday, they will make their full debuts tonight and he's gone back to chelsea with a pre—existing foot injury and he has not played a part it all in the welsh or the belgian

the last game of the season and secured the top four but means bath travel fourth and bath travel to exeter and wasp hosts bristol in the earlier game on saturday. this is nothing we have seenin saturday. this is nothing we have seen in sports. we have seen cases in football and rugby week and the women pass up premier 15th but 27 cases in all is an extra ordinary numberand cases in all is an extra ordinary number and now rf you are looking to invest it how it has got up to this because up until now clubs have been able to control their situation and isolate the odd case and make sure it doesn't sweep through the squad. this is swept through sale and an investigation will be ongoing and we do wish everyone the best was been affected at the club. we know a mrs pandemic that means no fans and we know how much of a loss that is for by. —— know how much of a loss that is for rugby. —— amidst this pandemic. but there are hopes the 2021 six nations could be played in front of crowds? this was set up by the whales head coach and he was saying that the 2020 16 coach and he was saying that t

wasps are scheduled to face exeter chiefs in the premiership final at twickenham in ten days‘ time. better news for rugby league side salford though. co—ca ptains lee mossop and mark flanagan will be able to play in saturday's challenge cup final against leeds after testing negative for coronavirus. both feared missing the wembley showpiece after "inconclusive" tests earlier this week. two other salford players tested positive yesterday and will continue to self—isolate. it was another day for the sprinters at the giro d'italia and another day to shine for arnaud demare. the frenchman came out on top at the end of the eleventh stage to claim his fourth win of the race. portugal'sjoao almeida retained the overall lead. britain's tay—oh gaygan hart remains 14th. mark cavendish says he has no "desire to stop" racing, three days after suggesting he was set to retire. he raced in belgium today and said confusion regarding the calendar was behind his previous emotional interview but the briton doesn't yet have a contract for next year. and that's all the sport for now. hello, wednes

tomorrow exeter play racing in the champions cup final. the english football league transfer window ended today without any massive movers but there are a few to tell you about. west ham have signed brentford winger benrahma. it's initially on a loan deal but the premier league side will have to buy him and the deal could end up costing £30 million crystal palace have bought another keeper — stoke's former england keeper jack butland who's still only 27 — is making the move to south london for around £1 million. and tottenham have signed the young wales centre—backjoe rodon from swansea on a five—year deal. the fee is 11 million plus add ons. and this is how rodon was greeted on arrival at the spurs training ground by his fellow players including gareth bale. we've got a well slide here that can't demand security gate. send him back, send him back. there was one match in the championship tonight in which watford beat derby i—o at pride park. goal—less for most of the game, the 19—year—old brazilianjoao pedro scored a bril