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Stade Rochelais back Dillyn Leyds has warned that Leinster Rugby will be looking to come back firing shots in Saturdays Heineken Champions Cup final in Dublin.

The Irish province were beaten by rivals Munster Rugby in the BKT United Rugby Championship semi-finals last weekend and suffered defeat at the hands of La Rochelle in last years Heineken Champions Cup final.

Leyds, who was Heineken Star of the Match in the 2022 showpiece game in Marseille, says the loss to Munster will undoubtedly provoke a reaction from Leinster.

Like any team when you get beaten at home, especially in a knockout game, you take a bit of a hit, the South African said.

You want to come back firing shots early. You want to show maybe it was just a tough day as a team.

We had similar situations this season in the TOP 14 where we lost at home and the week leading up to the next game is all about training with a bit of pride.

They (Leinster) are a bunch of quality international players and they know how to react after a loss like that.

With the final in a couple of days, I dont think they will be focusing too much on what happened (against Munster), but (it will be about) how they can fix and react to this final.

La Rochelle are playing in the Heineken Champions Cup final for a third successive season, with last years triumph their first ever EPCR title.

Leyds explained the influence head coach Ronan OGara the former Munster and Ireland fly-half, who is the all-time leading points scorer in the Heineken Champions Cup has had on the club during his tenure.

I think everyone in the rugby world knows that ROG is the kind of guy who always wants to win, he said. Every little thing, every small detail, nothing is not important to him.

Thats what he has brought to this club. All we want to do is win and have that feeling every single time.

Whether its a little battle in training or whether its getting into the kick-chase line or something like that I think thats the kind of mindset that he has brought here.

Yes, we can have fun as a group off the field, there are certain times that we can joke and have a laugh, but when its time to do your job, do your job, and do it to the best of your ability.

The direction the club is going now, you can see the kind of players we are attracting, guys want to be a part of this, and he (OGara) has obviously done a hell of a lot for the club. The players and everyone involved really enjoyed working with him.

He has obviously a long-term deal to stay with the club, so hopefully as a group we can continue to work hard, not just for him, but for each other, and hopefully put the club in a position where we can continue to win trophies.

OGara is gunning for his second Heineken Champions Cup title as a coach, which would match the haul he achieved during his playing career he was a winner with Munster in 2006 and 2008.

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Leyds wary of Leinster response after domestic 'hit' - EPC Rugby

The New York Knicks put up quite a fight against the Miami Heat before they eventually went down in Game 6. After kick-starting the second round of the playoffs with a disappointing loss, the Knicks were able to secure two wins during the series. After the team won Game 5 on Wednesday night, Julius Randle found himself under scrutiny for displaying what seemed to be a simple gesture of affection. Following that, no one but the NBA stars wife came to her husbands rescue and ripped Randles critic apart with a savage response.

The Miami Heat officially progressed to the Eastern Conference Finals after defeating the NY Knicks 4-2 on Friday night. The team became the first eighth seed in over two decades to reach Conference Finals.

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The New York Knicks were down by 3-1 by the time they made it to Game 5. Therefore, every game became a knockout game for them. After they defeated the Miami Heat 112-103, the first thing Julius Randle did was go to his wife Kendra and his sons, Kyden and Jayce. The 28-year-old power forward greeted his kids and kissed his wife, a gesture that didnt sit well with former NBA star Kenyon Martin.

The basketball veteran heavily criticized Randle for leaving his teammates after their much-needed win and going to his family instead. Of course, Randles wife did not like Martins comments one bit and she made sure the former Denver Nuggets star was aware of that.

Kendra took to Twitter and responded to Martin by writing, slow news day I guess. Both of us grew up in single parent homes. We never saw our dads respect our mothers. Im so grateful my kids get to grow up watching their dad be the best father and husband.

However, the mother of two didnt stop there. Kendra also shared a follow-up tweet where she clarified that Randle displayed the gesture after winning the game. Had they lost it, he would not have even talked to anyone. Without mentioning Martin, she simply suggested that he should talk about real issues and not about a husband and father loving his family.

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After the Knicks Game 5 victory, Kenyon Martin appeared on the Gilbert Arenas podcast show Gils Arena where he gave his take on Randles actions. According to Fox News, Martin stated that he was bothered by the fact that the Knicks star went to his wife immediately after the clocks hit zero.

We just got done playing a hard fought game in a playoff series and the first thing [Randle does] is you go kiss his wife. Thats the first thing you do? Where is your mind at? The very first thing he did, dawg, when the game was over, said Martin.He concluded by stating that had it been him in Randles place, he would have been beside his teammates and not even thought about his wife at that particular moment.

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Do you agree with Martins points? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

WATCH THIS STORY: Carmelo Anthony Joins Emily Austin, Michael Rapaport, Pat Bev and Millions in Mourning Heartbreaking Knicks Legend News

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Never Saw Our Dads Respect Our Mothers: Julius Randles Wife Brutally Slams Ex-NBA All-Star for Lambasting Her Husband Before Playoffs Heartbreaker -...

Royal Challengers Bangalores (RCB) hero of the night Virat Kohli was delighted by his 103-meter six against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday. The former Indian skipper was at his absolute best to score his 1st century in this edition of the IPL 2023 to help his side register their 7th victory in the league stage.

The 34-year-old walked to bat alongside their skipper Faf du Plessis in the potential knockout game for them and played beautifully to give themselves a better chance to qualify for the playoffs, as he batted brilliantly against the 2016-champions as the duo took on the bowlers all around the park in Hyderabad.

Speaking on the video released by RCBs Social media handle, Virat Kohli said he is elated by his longest six of this season so far against SRH and reckons that he almost hit six of the wide ball by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, where he was caught on the line by Glenn Philips.

103m, I am taking that with me. Why are you surprised by that? That is my biggest six this season so I will take it anyways. I almost hit a wide for a six, in the end, almost went for six, Virat Kohli said.

Another star of Royal Challengers Bangalore, Glenn Maxwell applauded the knock by their openers Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli stating that they do these things at regular intervals and said that the team is not surprised by their knocks as they continue to perform at the same level consistency in IPL 2023.

That was brilliant, we are trying to keep a lid on it and stay calm. Stay calm, and relaxed, just another day. Got six of these so, 150 run-partnership is no biggie. It is what they do, we are not surprised. The rest of us are not surprised. They just need to keep doing it.

Faf du Plessis is the highest run-scorer in the league stage with 702 runs from 13 matches at an average of 58.50 with a strike rate of 153.94 and Indian maestro Virat Kohli has scored 538 runs in 13 games playing a pivotal role in the RCB campaign in 2023.

Virat Kohlis innings was lauded by their teammates, as he played one of his finest knock in the cash-rich league. South African pacer Wayne Parnell hailed Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis for their match-winning partnership and reckons that Virat deserves to get the century for his consistent performance throughout the league stage.

That partnership was very good, I think two very experienced players were playing, beautifully throughout this whole IPL, but to finally get to those three figures. I mean Virat Kohli in a chase, what more can you say, Wayne Parnell On Virat Kohli.

RCB coach Sanjay Bangar and Mike Hesson also praised Virat Kohli for his match-winning knock in the must-win game and Faf du Plessiss led side will take on defending Gujarat Titans in their final home game on Sunday.

See more here:
IPL 2023: That Is My Biggest Six This Season So I Will Take It ... - SportzWiki

Where to watch the T20 Blast

Derbyshire v LancashireSky Sports Cricket, 2pm Saturday

Birmingham Bears v YorkshireSky Sports Cricket, 6pm Saturday

Selected group-stage matches and every knockout game will be shown live on Sky Sports

Surrey to win T20 Blast3pts 8-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Leicestershire to win T20 Blast1pt each-way 33-1Betfair, Paddy Power

Daryl Mitchell to be player of the match in Lancashire v Derbyshire1pt 10-1 bet365

The T20 Blast tends to be an open betting heat with 13 different winners in the first 20 years of the English domestic Twenty20 competition.

This summer, however, it may pay to focus on a team who are prominent in the betting and Surrey, the inaugural champions in 2003, are the main selection to end their long wait for a second title.

Surrey fans were already plotting their routes to Finals Day at Edgbaston last season when their side needed just five runs off six balls to beat quarter-final opponents Yorkshire at The Oval.

Yorkshire's Jordan Thompson held his nerve to seal an improbable one-run win but Surrey, who topped the South Group after ten wins from 13 completed matches, can make up for that disappointment this term.

Despite injuries to England bowlers Reece Topley and Tom Curran, Surrey's squad is packed with international talent including captain Chris Jordan, dynamic openers Jason Roy and Will Jacks, and overseas stars Sunil Narine and Sean Abbott.

Off-spinner Jacks provides great balance to the side and Surrey look the main challengers to defending champions Hampshire, who beat Lancashire by one run in an extraordinary final last summer.

James Vince's side had eased past Yorkshire in the semis and thrashed Birmingham Bears by 104 runs in the quarter-final at Edgbaston and the signing of masterful T20 seamer Benny Howell from Gloucestershire gives them another high-class bowling option.

Somerset, who demolished Derbyshire by 191 runs in a remarkable quarter-final at Taunton, are respected after bringing in experienced fast bowlers Matt Henry and Peter Siddle but 33-1 shots Leicestershire are worth an each-way interest.

No team have won more T20 titles than the Foxes' three, although those triumphs came in 2004, 2006 and 2011. They missed out on qualifying for the quarter-finals by a single point last year, winning eight of their 14 North Group fixtures, and have made a promising start to the summer in four-day cricket.

Spinners Rehan Ahmed, who became England's youngest Test cricketer on the tour of Pakistan in December, and Callum Parkinson shared 39 Blast wickets last season while Afghanistan paceman Naveen-ul-Haq took 24 including 5-11 in a win over Worcestershire.

Leicestershire weren't far off making the knockout stage in 2022 and a little more consistency with the bat could see them outrun their massive odds.

The season starts with a double-header at Edgbaston where last season's runners-up Lancashire face Derbyshire before home side Birmingham Bears take on Yorkshire.

Daryl Mitchell marked his Lancashire debut with a Championship century against Somerset, having scored back-to-back ODI tons for New Zealand in Pakistan last month.

Mitchell's unbeaten 72 from 47 balls knocked England out of the 2021 T20 World Cup at the semi-final stage and he looks a big price to be named player of the match in the Blast opener.

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T20 Blast predictions and cricket betting tips - Racing Post

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) kept their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs alive after thrashing the Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on December 18.

Riding on a sensational century from the blade of Virat Kohli, RCB chased down a challenging target of 187 with four deliveries to spare.

This was the 6th time Kohli scored a century in the cash-rich league. Four of his centuries came in the 2016 edition, the year when he amassed 973 runs in a single season. RCB needs to win their final game against the Gujarat Titans to confirm their place in the playoffs.

In total, 16 centuries have been made by the RCB players so far which is more than any team. Among them, six have been scored by Virat and five by Chris Gayle. AB de Villiers also scored a couple of tons during his association with the franchise.

So, it's a good idea to look back at these hundreds and pick the five best ones. Here is a specially-curated list of the top 5 centuries scored by RCB batsmen over the years in IPL:

How do you look beyond this masterpiece from the 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle? It has to be one of the, if not the, most destructive knocks in the history of the game.

Playing against the now-defunct Pune Warriors India, Gayle treated the delirious Chinnaswamy Stadium crowd to some electrifying strokeplay. He remained unbeaten on 175 off a mere 66 deliveries.

It was power-hitting at its very best as Gayle kept clearing the fence with ease. His innings was studded with 13 fours and as many as 17 sixes.

None of the bowlers were spared as RCB posted 263 in their allotted 20 overs, the highest IPL score to date. They eventually went on to register a massive 130-run victory.

If not for Chris Gayle, ABDs special knock of 133 would have topped the list without an iota of doubt.

The class of the innings was perhaps even better than Gayles as the legendary South African smashed the listless MI bowlers to all corners of the Wankhede Stadium.

Batting first, RCB lost Chris Gayle early but ABD and Virat Kohli turned it around for the Challengers as they batted through the innings, taking the score to 235/1 in 20 overs.

ABD looked in ominous touch right from the word go and accessed every corner of the ground. What was amazing about this knock was the fact that he smashed just four sixes during his innings.

It was more about manoeuvring the field and executing the shots towards regions where the fielders were absent.

Lendl Simmons and Kieron Pollard ignited the hopes of MI with blistering knocks, but the target was way too much as MI went down by 39 runs in the end.

Another ABD masterclass was on display at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in the year 2016. Playing against the now-defunct Gujarat Lions, AB remained unbeaten on 129 off just 52 deliveries, which included 10 fours and 12 sixes.

While the innings at the Wankhede was more about finding the gaps, this particular knock from the original 'Mr. 360' was more about power and clearing the fence.

Yet again, the duo of ABD and Kohli shared a massive stand of 229 runs. This powered them to 248 in 20 overs. Gujarat Lions could never get going and went down by 144 runs in the end.

The former RCB skipper holds the record for the most IPL centuries, but this knock against the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) was a class above the rest. Modifying his natural game, Virat took the attack to the Punjab bowlers right from ball one.

In a match which was reduced to 15-overs-a-side, RCB needed to get off to a flyer to post a commendable score on the board. Sharing a 147-run opening stand with Chris Gayle, Kohli powered RCB to 211/3 in just 15 overs.

His knock was studded with 12 fours and 8 sixes and on a small ground, Kohli took full toll on some loose bowling by the Punjab bowlers. His knock set the platform for the bowling unit, as they eventually won the match comfortably by 82 runs.

Among all the big names, Rajat Patidar finds a place on the list courtesy of his superb knock in the eliminator clash against the Lucknow Supergiants last year.

The Royal Challengers went through to the playoffs as the 4th ranked team, with 8 wins in 14 matches.

In the knockout game against LSG, RCB was put into bat by KL Rahul and it backfired as Rajat played one of the finest T20 knocks under pressure. He was severe on the spinners and it was calculative hitting from the young bloke.

He smashed 12 fours and 7 sixes during his belligerent knock of 112 in just 54 deliveries. Powered by his century, RCB posted 207 on the board.

LSG was in the game for most of the run chase, but some tight bowling towards the death overs eventually gave RCB a 14-run victory.

The rest is here:
Ranking the top 5 centuries by RCB batters in the IPL - Sportskeeda