Shaun Edwards will not become head coach of Wigan Warriors as planned at the end of the Super League season.

Edwards, 52, was presented to the media in August 2018 when he talked of "testing himself" in league, having coached exclusively in union.

However, after a successful Six Nations campaign as part of Warren Gatland's Wales coaching team, Edwards is expected to remain on the staff.

"I will not be taking up the head coaching role at Wigan," Edwards said.

"The reason is my lack of preparation. World Cup preparations have been brought forward a month and, as a result, I will be unable to spend eight weeks in Australia as planned on rugby league.

"I feel Wigan need a more experienced rugby league head coach than myself, to give the club and the people of Wigan the best team possible."

The first signs that Edwards would not return to his boyhood club surfaced earlier this year when he confirmed there was not a written contract in place for him to join Wigan - only a verbal agreement.

Edwards, who played in all eight of Wigan's consecutive Challenge Cup wins and featured in every game of every round between 1988 and 1995, was part of Wigan's late 1980s and early 1990s dynasty in which he lifted every available honour.

However, his last involvement in rugby league came with London Broncos in 2000, and that inexperience in his old code has prompted the U-turn.

Warriors chairman Ian Lenagan added: "He clearly feels that he is not the best man to take the team forward currently and I have to respect and accept this.

"Like every Wiganer, I wanted Shaun to lead the team and this very honest admission has taken me by surprise. I have always admired Shaun and I wish him well with whatever he does next."

What next for Wigan?

Wigan appointed former player Adrian Lam as an interim coach for this campaign, to fill the gap before Edwards' anticipated arrival in 2020.

Ex-Papua New Guinea international Lam, who took over from club legend Shaun Wane after a Grand Final-winning campaign, has had a tough start, with Wigan 10th after seven defeats from 10 games.

"For us now our next steps are to confirm the coaching structure for 2020 and beyond," Lenagan said. "We need to draw a line under the last few months and give our loyal fans the clarity they deserve.

"I'd like to thank our supporters for their patience and understanding in what has proven to be a very difficult situation to navigate and now we can concentrate on building more strong foundations to drive this wonderful club forward. We will announce our plans in due course."

'Statement a piece of diplomacy' - analysis

Dave Woods, BBC rugby league correspondent

Most Wigan fans have been pretty certain for some time that Shaun Edwards would not be returning to the club next year.

He appeared at a press conference last August to be unveiled as head coach from 2020 on a three-year deal but recently it has been shown that all was not as it seemed.

Edwards has been dropping lots of hints that he wanted to stay in rugby union.

He revealed he had not signed a contract with Wigan, that he was open to offers from anyone in union or league and that he wanted to repeat the successes he has enjoyed in international rugby union.

For Wigan fans, that was a show of great disrespect to his home town club.

The statement today that a lack of "preparation time" means he won't be coming back to Wigan reads like a piece of diplomacy aimed at saving some face for both him and the club.

At least now Wigan can look for a new permanent coach for 2020 now this mess has been concluded.

The question will now arise over the future of Adrian Lam. Success this year would put him in prime position to continue his role as head coach.

But the way the season has begun, Wigan have struggled. Lam will rightly point to a number of injuries amongst key forwards as being one major factor, but Wigan will hope to announce an appointment for next year soon.

And there is no certainty that Lam himself will want to stay anyway. He has family back in Australia, is living over here on his own, and initially stated he was happy to spend only one year in England.

Whether he and the club change their minds on that commitment remains to be seen.

Sale Sharks have announced that prop Alexandru Tarus will leave at the end of the season.

The Romania international, 29, is moving to Italian side Zebre Rugby.

Tarus, who joined the club two years ago, has made 29 appearances for Sale, scoring one try.

He was presented with the Sale Sharks Community Player of the Year Award last season for holding walking rugby sessions with over-50s around the north west region.

Sale Sharks director of rugby Steve Diamond said: "Alex has been a great lad to have around and we wish him every success in the future.

"I am sure he will be a great asset to Zebre in the Pro 14."

Tarus is a former Junior World Cup winner, with 33 caps for his country.

Saracens have warned Billy Vunipola about his behaviour and said he made a "serious error of judgment" defending Israel Folau's social media post claiming "hell awaits" gay people.

England forward Vunipola liked the post by Folau and called for people to "live their lives how God intended".

He has issued a statement saying he had not intended to "cause suffering".

"The player has been formally warned about his future conduct," said Saracens in a statement.

"At Saracens, we are one family, open to all, with the firm view that everyone should be treated equally with respect and humility.

"We recognise the complexity of different belief systems and understand Billy's intention was to express the word of God rather than cause offence.

"However, he made a serious error of judgement in publicly sharing his opinion, which is inconsistent with the values of the club and contravenes his contractual obligations."

Vunipola's statement, released at the same time, said: "I can see that my recent post has hurt people. My intention was never to cause suffering.

"My intention was to express my belief in the word of God. These beliefs are a source of great strength, comfort and guidance in my life.

"Anyone who knows me, knows I live with kindness and love towards ALL people."

Folau's contract was terminated by Rugby Australia on Monday due to a 'high-level breach' of his code of conduct.

He had posted a photo on Instagram earlier, with the message: "Warning. Drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists, idolators. Hell awaits you. Repent! Only Jesus saves."

Vunipola - who was booed during Saturday's Premiership defeat by Bristol - was criticised for liking Folau's post and the Rugby Football Union has said it intends to hold a meeting with the player this week.

The Australian rugby union authorities have ended Israel Folau's contract over a social media post in which he said "hell awaits" gay people.

He has 48 hours to accept his sacking, or face a code of conduct hearing.

Rugby Australia said the 30-year-old "had committed a high-level breach of the Professional Players' Code of Conduct warranting termination of his employment contract".

He has won 73 caps and was expected to play at this year's World Cup in Japan.

Full-back Folau, who signed a four-year deal with Sydney-based Super Rugby side the Waratahs in March and had a contract with Rugby Australia until 2022, escaped punishment for similar comments last year.

Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle said: "Israel was warned formally and repeatedly about the expectations of him as [a] player for the Wallabies and NSW Waratahs with regards to social media use and he has failed to meet those obligations.

"It was made clear to him that any social media posts or commentary that is in any way disrespectful to people because of their sexuality will result in disciplinary action."

'I live for God now'

The committed Christian last week posted a banner on his Instagram account that read: "Drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolators - Hell awaits you."

The post remains online and on Sunday the player said he was standing by "what the Bible says".

Following a service at the Truth Of Jesus Christ Church, he told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper: "I share it with love. I can see the other side of the coin where people's reactions are the total opposite to how I'm sharing it.

"First and foremost, I live for God now. Whatever He wants me to do, I believe His plans for me are better than whatever I can think. If that's not to continue on playing, so be it," he added.

"In saying that, obviously I love playing footy and if it goes down that path I'll definitely miss it. But my faith in Jesus Christ is what comes first."

In addition to his rugby union career, Folau has also played professional rugby league and Australian rules football.

Last week Australian rugby league's governing body ruled out Folau returning to the National Rugby League.

LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. – Springtime at Lawrenceburg Speedway has been an annual tradition for the AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Series over the years.

This Saturday marks the second attempt to accomplish that tradition, after Mother Nature’s interruption of racing a few weeks back at the three-eighths-mile, high-banked dirt oval.

Eighteen such events have been held at Lawrenceburg since 1984, and four expected entrants for Saturday’s upcoming race have enjoyed an early-season USAC Sprint Car win in recent times at the track.

Chris Windom (2017), Dave Darland (2016), Justin Grant (2014) and Kevin Thomas Jr. (2013) have all won the spring Lawrenceburg stop in the last six years, and all four have hopes of doing so again this weekend.

On the most recent of those occasions, USAC Sprint Car and Silver Crown titlist Windom raced to victory. the Canton, Ill. driver captured this year’s season opener in Ocala, Fla.

Windom holds down sixth in the standings in his first campaign for Goacher Racing, who finished second during a USAC Sprint stop at Lawrenceburg in 1992 with Dave Darland.

No driver has tasted victory at Lawrenceburg in USAC Sprint Car competition more often than Darland has. His seven victories, of which the most recent was in the spring of 2016, are most among all drivers.

Perhaps even more impressive is that the 1999 series champion has accomplished those seven victories with six different teams. He has a chance to tack on another this weekend.

Like Windom, Grant has won this season and is also a spring Lawrenceburg winner to boot. The Ione, Calif., native won in Ocala back in February and is fourth in the standings following three finishes inside the top-six during the first four events of the season.

Not only did Grant’s first career USAC win come at Lawrenceburg, he also was victorious in the most recent visit by the series last fall, in addition to his April 2014 win.

Following last Friday’s Bloomington round, Thomas took over the series point lead, and is now up by three markers over C.J. Leary coming into this weekend.

Thomas is certainly knocking on the door for his first victory of the season you could say, but this door is seemingly almost off the hinges, with three runner-up finishes in his first four outings this season.

Thomas is the only driver to have placed in the top-five in each of those four starts, and the Cullman, Ala., driver owns three total wins at Lawrenceburg.

Robert Ballou will arrive at this Saturday’s race as the most recent winner at Lawrenceburg. The Rocklin, Calif. native was in winning form last Saturday at Lawrenceburg, leading 15 laps, including the last 14, to capture the 25-lap unsanctioned main event.

The 2015 series champion, from Rocklin, Calif., won with USAC at Lawrenceburg in 2011.

Brady Bacon is fresh off his first USAC National Sprint Car Series win of the year, last Friday at Bloomington. He’s returned in the Dynamics Inc. colors for 2019, for whom he won at Lawrenceburg in 2015.

The Broken Arrow, Okla. driver was the hard charger in the unsanctioned season opener at Lawrenceburg two weeks ago, advancing from 17th to fourth by race’s end.

C.J. Leary is a past track champion at Lawrenceburg and that experience showed with a USAC victory during the 2017 season. The Greenfield, Ind., driver dropped back to second in the standings following last weekend’s affair at Bloomington, where he established a new one-lap track record earlier in the evening.

Leary’s new foray in the Reinbold/Underwood Motorsports car for 2019 has already netted a victory, which came in the Winter Dirt Games X finale at Ocala back in February.

Reigning series champion Tyler Courtney is beginning to heat up, with finishes of third, third and fourth in his last three races.

The Indianapolis wheelman has been in victory lane at Lawrenceburg with USAC recently, dominating all 30 laps of last year’s Indiana Sprint Week stop.

Similar to Grant, Chase Stockon and Josh Hodges have a fondness for Lawrenceburg, as that is where each driver captured his first career USAC National Sprint Car feature victory.

Stockon wired the field, leading all 30 laps, to win in the fall of 2012. Meanwhile, Hodges took the lead just past the halfway mark to score his first, and to date, only career USAC win.

He did so in track-record fashion that night as well, ripping around the joint in seven minutes, 21.09 seconds, a 30-lap record which still stands today.

Additional springtime USAC National Sprint Car winners at Lawrenceburg over the years include Rick Hood (1984-86), Jack Hewitt (1988), Jon Stanbrough (1994, 2006), Kevin Doty (1998), Kevin Briscoe (1999), J.J. Yeley (2003), Jay Drake (2003), Levi Jones (2007), Josh Wise (2009), Jerry Coons Jr. (2010) and Logan Jarrett (2015).

ASBURY, N.J. – There’s not too many teenagers that can say they successfully balance high school, driving race cars and building an up-and-coming graphics business.

Then again, 15-year-old Connor Gross isn’t like most teenagers.

Gross is racing with the USAC Speed2 Eastern Midget Ass’n for the second year in a row, hoping to improve on a challenging rookie season last year that left his seventh in the series standings.

When you combine that with his workload at school and cutting decals and other vinyl for not just his own car, but his competition as well, it makes for an often-hectic and very diverse weekly calendar.

“It’s a lot of fun, though,” Gross told SPEED SPORT. “Bouncing between the shop and home and the race track is something I enjoy. It definitely keeps me busy.”

The Asbury, N.J., young gun spent plenty of time during the offseason becoming much more in tune with his No. 14 Beast Chassis midget, something he called “critical” to his growth as a driver this season after running half the schedule with EMA last year.

“Getting comfortable with the ins and outs of the car, mechanics-wise, has really been the biggest part of the learning curve for me,” said Gross. “My dad and I do all this ourselves, so it’s just been a lot of learning what to do or how a car reacts now, after 10 years of quarter-midget racing.

“Yes, they’re similar in the way that they react, but they do differ slightly.”

Gross opened his Eastern Midget campaign over the weekend at Dillon (S.C.) Motor Speedway, battling the handling on his car all afternoon en route to a seventh-place finish in the 35-lap feature.

“In practice on Saturday morning, we were about to knock down the wall, and we just struggled to get better after that,” explained Gross. “I was talking to everyone and going from pit to pit, trying to get a plan together, and just way over-adjusted for the feature. We went past the center line, where we should have been to get a balanced race car, and got way too loose.

“I was about dirt-tracking it like a dirt midget out there, which is fun in a way, but not what you want.”

Though his season opener didn’t go how he planned it to, Gross is carrying confidence ahead of a busy spring stretch, which will include a visit to Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, N.C., on April 27.

Six months ago, Gross nearly went to victory lane at the three-eighths-mile oval, but was overhauled by three-time series champion Chris Lamb coming to the white flag. This time, he wants redemption.

“Last year, we went to Orange County and led 34 out of the 35 laps. I just couldn’t close it on the last lap,” Gross noted. “That alone gives us a lot of optimism going into our return there next weekend, because it’s probably the track where I feel the most comfortable since I really know what I need to be fast there.

“We want a little revenge; that’s really the one so far that I feel like got away from me, for sure.”

When you compare Gross’ single-car, family-owned operation to the multi-car N2 Racing and Radical Race Gears stables in the series pit area, the difference is slightly staggering at first glance.

However, Gross said he wouldn’t have it any other way, especially on a night when things go right.

“It really is gratifying for us, as a family, when we can have a night like we did last year at Orange County,” said Gross. “If you look at Neal and Nolan Allison, or Butch (Lamb, series owner) and the Radical (Race Gear) crew, they’ve all got multiple cars … compared to just me and my dad.

“It’s a lot to handle as a one-car team at times, but it’s cool to see what we can do when we get it right.”

Away from the race track, Gross’ business – CPG Graphix – is making strides and has kept him working steadily, even when he hasn’t been turning wrenches on his race car or hitting the books.

“It’s been fun to handle all of that while still working in the shop and making sure I do everything I have to do to have my own car competitive,” Gross explained. “I did up Levi Riffle’s car, which he’ll be racing next time out, and have done some smaller stuff for a few other guys as well.

“It’s a small sense of pride, for sure,” he added. “It’s cool to see the CPG Graphix logo on some of the other cars besides just my own.”

As far as his on-track goals, Gross isn’t points-counting for now. That may come later in the year, if he can put himself in contention in the season standings.

Right now, Gross just wants to win.

“I don’t want to sound cocky, but I really do believe we can get a victory – if not more than one – after how close we were to breaking through last year,” Gross said. “Top threes are what I’m aiming for from here on out, and with those types of finishes, the points will hopefully take care of themselves.

“We know we’re capable of getting the job done; now we just have to go out and seal the deal.”

ST. AUGUSTA, Minn. – Wollak Construction WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series officials have announced the addition of Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, S.D., to the series schedule.

The Wollak Construction WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series will return to Brown County Speedway on May 31 as the opening night of the season for the series drivers. Defending series champion Pat Doar will be looking to start the season off on a high note in his quest to defend the series title.

This event sponsored by Bullet Sportswear is not only the season opener for the series, it is also the start of a three-day road trip that will visit Miller Central Speedway in Miller, S.D., on Saturday, June 1 sponsored by Holt Ranch. The opening weekend will end with an exciting event at Casino Speedway on Sunday, June 2 sponsored by Cloud 9 Bar & Casino.

The returning partnership with Wollak Construction is a crucial part in the ability of the series to support the traveling drivers as well as the local drivers that race with the series.

“I cannot thank Ernie and Terri Wollak enough for their support of our series,” said Carson Gramm, WISSOTA executive director. “They are a big supporter of WISSOTA Auto Racing in their area, and it is because of the support that people like them offer that we have successful race tracks around WISSOTA.”

After the trip the South Dakota, the series will have a few weeks off before returning to action at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis., with back to back events on July 4-5. From there the drivers will head for northern Wisconsin for the famed Gondik Law Speedway and Rice Lake Speedway before a full schedule in August.

NAPLES, Maine – After sitting dormant for nearly a decade, officials from the Pro All Stars Series and Lanier Raceplex announced Monday that asphalt stock car racing will return to North Georgia later this year.

The PASS Super Late Models will headline the PASS National Championship season finale on Nov. 15-16 at the track formerly known as Lanier National Speedway.

Details regarding the race, along with support divisions, will be announced in the coming days.

A practice day for all divisions competing is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 15, while additional practice, qualifying, and all features will take place on Saturday, Nov. 16. Sunday, November 17 will be reserved as a rain date if needed.

“This is something we have been working on for a very long time,” said PASS President Tom Mayberry.  “We plan to announce more details soon but wanted to let drivers and fans know as soon as possible that stock car racing will be returning to Lanier in 2019 so they can make their plans to join us.”

Now entering its 12th season, the PASS National Championship will bring drivers together from all over North America to compete this Fall at Lanier Raceplex.  In addition to the grandstands being open, Lanier’s famed trackside parking will be available to the fans for this event.

The track was repaved and all infield buildings were torn down at Lanier Raceplex as the facility was transformed to host drifting events and Go-Kart racing for the public. All race cars will be pitted outside the track so fans will be able to enjoy an unobstructed view of the action from any vantage point at the speedway

When PASS began sanctioning super late model races in the south, Lanier was one of the first tracks to come on board to host an event.  Georgia native Jason Hogan won the first PASS race there in 2006, while Maine’s Corey Williams took the checkered flag the final time PASS held a race at Lanier in 2007.

After two serious incidents in consecutive playoff series against the Boston Bruins, the NHL's Department of Player Safety has decided it doesn't want Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri facing the Bruins again this postseason.

The NHL suspended Kadri for the remainder of the first-round series between Toronto and Boston after his cross-check to the face of Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk in Game 2 on Saturday. That means a maximum five-game ban for Kadri. Game 3 of the series is Monday night, with the Bruins and Leafs tied at 1-all.

Kadri was suspended three games in the 2018 first-round playoff series between the clubs for charging and delivering a blow to the head of Boston forward Tommy Wingels. The NHL cited a similar cross-checking incident involving Kadri and the Detroit Red Wings' Luke Glendening in 2016 that also earned the Leafs center a suspension.

The latest incident occurred at 14:01 of the third period Saturday. DeBrusk delivered a hard hit on Toronto's Patrick Marleau, crushing him against the stanchion at the players' bench. As DeBrusk stood near the boards, Kadri skated over to avenge his teammate -- and perhaps gain a measure of revenge for himself for a questionable DeBrusk hit earlier in the game -- and cross-checked DeBrusk high with his stick, knocking him to the ice.

Kadri was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for cross-checking. DeBrusk didn't return to the game but was due to play in Game 3 for the Bruins.

"This was not a hockey play. Instead, it's a player retaliating against his opponent, using his stick as a weapon for forceful and direct head contact," the Department of Player Safety said in a release.

Kadri has the right to appeal through the NHL Players' Association to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. However, since the suspension is for fewer than six games, he is ineligible to eventually take his case to a neutral arbitrator in an effort to get it reduced.

Kadri had 16 goals and 28 assists in 73 games for the Leafs this season, following consecutive seasons of 32 goals. He plays a valuable third-line role for Toronto.

"Instinctively, Nas wears his emotions on his sleeve and cares about the group in this room. You can see where the emotions got to him, sticking up for a teammate. It's obvious the result wasn't what he intended," Toronto center John Tavares said. "Nas is a big part of our team. He brings so many elements that are key. It's obviously not ideal at playoff time, but with the intensity of these games, anything can happen."

As this is his fifth suspension in his 561-game NHL career, Kadri is still having difficulty controlling his impulses while playing on the edge.

"I think the edge for anybody is a little different. But anytime you put yourself in a situation where someone else gets to decide your future? Probably not a good thing," Toronto coach Mike Babcock said.

San Jose star center Joe Thornton has been suspended for Game 4 of the Sharks' series against Vegas for an illegal check to the head of Golden Knights forward Tomas Nosek in Game 3, the NHL's Department of Player Safety has announced.

In the second period of Saturday night's 6-3 win for the Golden Knights, Nosek played the puck in his defensive zone while skating toward the back of the Vegas net. Thornton was skating toward Nosek and delivered "a direct shoulder into Nosek's head," according to the NHL.

While the Knights player was slightly crouched, he didn't change the position of his body before Thornton delivered the hit. The NHL argued that Thornton could have delivered a full check through Nosek's shoulder rather than his head.

Thornton earned a minor penalty for the hit at 16:54 of the second period. His last suspension came during the 2010-11 season.

After Game 3, Thornton defended his hit on Nosek. "Honestly, I thought I barely touched him. He came right back. It's just one of those plays. I think my son hits me like that six times a day, it's just a weird position he put himself in. That's all," Thornton said.

Ryan Reaves, Nosek's teammate, disagreed with that assessment on Monday. "I've got a buddy with a grandpa who's going through the same thing. He can't see very well because he's getting old. Needs glasses. If he gets suspended, he's going to have a hard time seeing from the press box," he told the Las Vegas Sun.

Thornton, 39, had 16 goals and 35 assists in 73 games this season despite his lowest average ice time (15:33) since 1998-99, his second year in the NHL. He has a goal and two assists in the three games of this series, skating on the Sharks' third line.

The Golden Knights lead their series 2-1; Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday night.