RUGBY: England head coach Stuart Lancaster has confirmed Dylan Hartley’s chances of participating in next month’s tour to New Zealand are diminishing.

Hartley has been out for six weeks with a shoulder injury that is taking longer than expected to heal due to a failure to regain strength in the joint.

“Dylan, as you’ve heard from Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder, is making slower progress than hoped for with his shoulder,” Lancaster said.

BOXING: Olympic gold medallist Anthony Joshua will face Matt Legg on the undercard of the world super-middleweight title rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves at Wembley on May 31.

Joshua is aiming to make it six inside-the-distance wins out of six in his professional career against the Milton Keynes 38-year-old, who has won seven and lost two of his paid contests.

Joshua said: “It’s going to be an unbelievable experience.”

FOOTBALL: World Cup organisers insist an incomplete roof at Sao Paulo’s Itaquerao Stadium will not affect it hosting matches when the tournament begins next month.

Constructors completing the project have admitted they will not finish the intended design until after the tournament but the event’s local organising committee have stressed this will not be a problem.

“It will not impact the effective protection of the stands,” said an organiser.

GOLF: England’s Justin Rose believes he can again follow in the footsteps of his friend Adam Scott and become world number one.

“I am thrilled for him,” said 33-year-old Rose. 

“It is a big moment. It doesn’t matter how you get to number one. 

“Being number one in the world for a day, a week or whatever, just to get the photo of you at the top of the world rankings is a huge achievement.

Scott overtook Tiger Woods at the top of the world rankings yesterday.