Some of you told us yesterday you wanted more/better rugby union coverage and honestly, fair enough.

Dad and I were at the Wallabies game on Saturday and it was a real thriller, even with the two point loss to Ireland (boo).

While it was a difficult start to the Nations Championship, a sellout home crowd kept the night alive. Even my All Blacks-supporter dad, who named our dogs after rugby greats Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, walked out of the stadium pleasantly surprised.

Australia faces France on Saturday night and we will have more Nations Championship coverage closer to that game.

P.S. You will be back in George’s hands tomorrow!

$5.3 billion
The value of the Australian Rugby League Commission’s (ARLC) broadcasting deal with Foxtel, Kayo, Nine, and Sky NZ from 2028-2034. It’s the largest-ever media agreement in Australian sport. ARLC Chair Peter V’landys said the NRL was the "most-viewed program in Australia and the Pacific".

“When somebody tries to divide people based on certain things, because you don't pick where you're born, the colour of your skin. You pick to be a good human being, yes, that's a choice. Some people, they choose to go against being good, then that's their own problem.”
Socceroos star Awer Mabil speaking to the media about One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s statements that Australia should be “monocultural,” and that it is not successfully multicultural. He said the Socceroos were not "distracted" by these comments during the World Cup.

North Sydney Olympic Pool has hosted more world records than any other pool on Earth. First opened in 1936 beside Sydney Harbour, record-setters at the pool include Dawn Fraser, Shane Gould, and Murray Rose. It’s set to re-open after extensive renovations on 7 August.

🏉 Melbourne Australian rules footballer Nathan Fitzgerald has died, two days after sustaining a head injury during a club match. The 27-year-old teacher is believed to have suffered several successive head knocks, including hitting his head on a covered cricket pitch after a heavy fall. Mernda Central College, where Fitzgerald taught, said he was “an exceptional young man who brought warmth, energy, kindness and genuine care to every part of his life.” On Monday evening, the club announced that Fitzgerald had died. Fitzgerald’s death has sparked a broader conversation about using cricket pitches for other sports, including AFL. A WorkSafe Victoria spokesperson said they have been notified and “inspectors will make inquiries to determine what further action may be required.” Epping FNC has also launched a GoFundMe for Fitzgerald's family, which had raised more than $104,000 as of Tuesday morning.

🎾 Alex de Minaur has been knocked out of Wimbledon in the fourth round, losing in straight sets to Italy’s world no. 10 Flavio Cobolli (7‑5, 7‑6[4], 6‑3). De Minaur led in both the second and third sets but could not convert his chances, later calling the defeat “truly gut wrenching”. He added that the loss came down to mental hurdles rather than his physical game. The result means there are no Australians left in the Wimbledon singles. However, Australia enjoyed a strong day in doubles, with Storm Hunter and Marc Polmans reaching the mixed semifinals, Thanasi Kokkinakis progressing to the men’s quarterfinals, and Ellen Perez through to the women’s quarters.

⭐ Former NRL player Jai Arrow has married his partner Berina Colakovic. It comes after the 30-year-old retired last month after announcing he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, a progressive condition that weakens the body’s muscles and currently has no cure. The pair got engaged in 2024 and held a small ceremony in Sydney. In a post to Instagram, Colakovic said “we did a thing,” and thanked family and friends for their help with the day. The NRL is running “Jai July” to raise money for MND research, including throwing “the World’s Biggest Birthday Party” for him at Sunday’s Rabbitohs-Knights clash, his 31st birthday.

Worksite safety, redefined by Claude

Aussies are transforming safety for construction workers using AI. Presien, a physical AI company built for heavy industry, used Claude to develop an agentic platform that analyses worksites around the clock - surfacing risks before they become issues, cutting critical safety events by over 70% in three months.

Here’s the latest on the World Cup - on and off the field.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career is over after Portugal fell 1-0 to Spain this morning. Having said before the match that this would be his last Cup, after the defeat, he added: “That’s the life of a football player.”

Spain advanced thanks to a stoppage time winner from Mikel Merino and will face Belgium in Los Angeles on Friday. The match stayed tight throughout, with both sides missing chances before Spain’s bench produced the decisive moment. Spain also became the first team ever to earn six straight clean sheets at the World Cup.

Meanwhile, all three tournament co-hosts have now exited the competition, after the U.S. lost 4-1 to Belgium.

It comes after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened to have striker Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension overturned for this match.

Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere scored twice in the first half to put the game out of reach early. America’s Malik Tillman briefly levelled the match but Belgium restored their lead less than two minutes later and controlled the rest of the contest.

Off the field, France captain Kylian Mbappé has criticised a Paraguayan senator after she posted racist remarks about him following France’s 1-0 win over Paraguay.

In a post to X, Celeste Amarilla called Mbappé a “colonized Cameroonian, pretending hard to be French, resentful, newly rich, arrogant, and ugly”. (Mbappé was born and raised in Paris. His father is from Cameroon and his mother is of Algerian descent.)

In response, Mbappé called Amarilla a “despicable woman” who is “unworthy of [her] position”. The French Football Federation says it will pursue criminal charges.

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The 2026 men’s State of Origin series decider is tomorrow tonight, with the Queensland Maroons hosting the NSW Blues in Brisbane.

Both teams arrive at Game 3 with a win each. The Blues pulled off the biggest comeback in Origin history in Game 1 winning 22-20, before the Maroons overturned a halftime deficit to take Game 2 44-24.

Here’s what to know before kick-off.

The Maroons are chasing back-to-back series titles after defeating the Blues 24-12 in last year’s decider.

Tonight, three experienced players return: Patrick Carrigan, Corey Horsburgh, and Jeremiah Nanai.

Carrigan has not played since May after an ankle surgery, but coach Billy Slater says “he’s done really well with his rehab”.

Nanai also comes back into the squad after a shoulder injury and will play his first Origin since Game 3 last year. Slater has long backed him at this level, giving him his debut for his state in 2022. The back rower has played 11 of a possible 14 Origin games.

On the return of Horsburgh, Slater said: “He's earned his opportunity to get back into this squad.”

The Blues enter the Origin decider with five changes to their squad.

Dolphins winger Jack Bostock will make his debut, shifting him from a reserve role in Game 2 to a starting spot on the wing. Stephen Crichton and Bradman Best take the centres, while Liam Martin returns to the back row. Haumole Olakau’atu and Blayke Brailey move to the bench.

Tolutau Koula and Victor Radley, who featured in the first two games, stay in the extended squad.

NSW coach Laurie Daley said: “We’ll play our best footy tomorrow night.”

Blues: 1) James Tedesco 2) Jack Bostock 3) Bradman Best 4) Stephen Crichton 5) Mark Nawaqanitawase 6) Mitchell Moses 7) Nathan Cleary 8) Payne Haas 9) Reece Robson 10) Mitchell Barnett 11) Hudson Young 12) Liam Martin 13) Isaah Yeo (c) 14) Cameron Murray 15) Addin Fonua-Blake 16) Haumole Olakau’atu 17) Blayke Brailey 18) Ethan Strange 19) Tolutau Koula

Maroons: 1) Kalyn Ponga 2) Selwyn Cobbo 3) Robert Toia 4) Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 5) Jojo Fifita 6) Cameron Munster (c) 7) Sam Walker 8) Thomas Flegler 9) Harry Grant 10) Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 11) Briton Nikora 12) Kurt Capewell 13) Reuben Cotter 14) Max Plath 15) Patrick Carrigan 16) Jeremiah Nanai 17) Trent Loiero 18) Reece Walsh 19) Murray Taulagi

This year, the Australian Rugby League Commission opened Origin eligibility to players who have previously represented New Zealand or England internationally.

Three players tonight match qualify under the rule change: Blues’ Addin Fonua-Blake and Victor Radley alongside Queensland second-rower Briton Nikora.

The series decider is at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

There have been 13 series deciders at the ground, of which NSW has won just three. The Blues will take heart from the most recent of those, having won the 2024 decider at Suncorp to reclaim the shield.

The match kicks off at 8:05pm on Wednesday night. State of Origin will air on Channel 9.