England coaches tell Lawes and Marchant they need to prove themselves…

• Pair have joined Sale after spells in France

• Duo last played for England at 2023 World Cup

Courtney Lawes and Joe Marchant have been warned they must go “over and above” the performances of their rivals in the first five weeks of the new seasonto earn England recalls this autumn. afnews.co.za

Lawes, 37, and 30-year-old Marchant have both joined Sale this summer after spells in France and stated their ambition to resurrect their international careers, having last represented England at the 2023 World Cup.

Leaders of the Southeastern Conference will meet Thursday to discuss whether to kick LSU out of the conference in the wake of a simmering feud over whether players who spent time in the NFL should be allowed back on the team's roster. On Tuesday, the SEC amended the federal lawsuit it filed last week, asking the judge in the case to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent LSU from taking action to block or interfere with the Thursday meeting of school presidents and chancellors. A vote of at least two-thirds of the conference's CEOs would be needed to dump LSU, which is a founding member of the conference that started in 1933. An LSU spokesman declined immediate comment. The SEC established a rule forbidding teams to bring players with NFL experience back on their roster. Two of those players, Zxavian Harris and Dae’Quan Wright, have been practicing with the team but were not placed on the roster in advance of last Saturday's 51-10 win over the Clemson Tigers. They still could be added. In a statement, the SEC said it has the right to establish rules and "a commitment to those rules and to the core principles of the Southeastern Conference is an essential element of SEC membership." "Today's filing is necessary to defend that right and preserve the Conference's ability to govern competition among its members," the statement said. Reporting by The Associated Press.

Last year’s winner Ousmane Dembélé, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé are among the top contenders for the men’s Ballon d’Or. The 30 men’s and 30 women’s nominees were revealed by France Football magazine on Tuesday, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in London on Oct. 26. In the women's field, two-time winner Alexia Putellas, Ewa Pajor and Melchie Dumornay are among the favorites to take over Aitana Bonmatí. The winner of the past three women’s awards, Bonmatí did not make the cut after missing most of the season through injury. She returned at the end of Barcelona’s quadruple-winning season that included another Champions League title. Dembélé and Mbappé both played for France at the World Cup, where their team lost to eventual champion Spain in the semifinals. Although it's difficult to win the accolade without a major trophy, Mbappé made history when he overtook Lionel Messi for the most all-time World Cup goals (22) in less games. After claiming a second straight Champions League title with Paris Saint-Germain, Dembélé has a chance to retain the Ballon d'Or. Kane had one of his best seasons, scoring 73 goals for club and country and winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich. Kane also led England to a third-place finish at the World Cup. The 39-year-old Messi, who has a record eight Ballon d’Or awards, was on the shortlist after guiding Argentina to a runner-up finish at the World Cup and winning Major League Soccer with Inter Miami. The other three Ballon d’Or winners still active, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luka Modric, were not in the list. PSG Dominatess Dembélé was one of nine PSG players nominated for the men’s award, including Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha. In an interview with France Football, Dembélé said he expects the award to remain at PSG. Asked to name his top three in no particular order, he cited PSG teammate Kvaratskhelia, Kane and Mbappé. He also mentioned Michael Olise, Lamine Yamal, Ruiz and Pacho, but did not include himself. "I don’t think the trophy is undecided. I think it will remain in the hands of a Paris Saint-Germain player," he said. The other men’s nominees include Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, Ferran Torres — who scored Spain's winner in the World Cup final — Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham. Italy, which did not qualify for the World Cup, and the Netherlands and Germany had no representatives. Only one player from Serie A, Lautaro Martínez of Inter Milan, was selected. There was no goalkeeper nominated, ensuring Lev Yashin remains the only keeper to win the coveted trophy (1963) for another year. The Ballon d’Or ceremony is moving from its traditional Paris home to London this year to mark the 70th anniversary of the first award won by England great Stanley Matthews. The Voting System The Ballon d’Or was created by France Football and has been awarded since 1956 for men, and since 2018 for women. It is voted for by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings for the men’s award and the top 50 FIFA-ranked countries for the women’s award. Each journalist, one per country, selects players in ranked order with points attributed to each position. The winner is the player who receives the most points. Organizers say the trophy is awarded based on three criteria, in order of importance: 1, individual performances, decisive and impressive character; 2, collective performances and titles won; 3, class and fair play. Reporting by The Associated Press.