Not so ‘namby-pamby’ now at Spurs, just a right royal dust-up

It would be almost a quarter of a century before the NFL decided there was enough appetite in Britain to bring a regular season match. In 2007, 81,000 watched the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins. From 2014, three league matches a season have been played in London with the New York Jets “hosting” the Denver Broncos at the Tottenham Stadium today (Channel 5, 2.30pm).

You’d think Jets fans might resent losing one of their home games but since they have started the season with five defeats and not had a winning season since 2015, perhaps not. The Broncos arrive on a high, having ended the 10-match winning streak of the Philadelphia Eagles, the Super Bowl champions.

Those who like less namby-pamby sportsmen may prefer Toulouse against Bordeaux (today, Premier Sports 2, 8pm) in rugby’s Top 14. Bordeaux won three of their four encounters last year, but Toulouse won an epic league final with a penalty in the last seconds of extra time. Both sides are wobbling this season, but you can expect them to fill most of France’s XV this autumn.

To the round-ball game: 18 nations have already qualified for next summer’s World Cup, including debuts by Jordan and Uzbekistan. England could also qualify with a win against Latvia (Tuesday, ITV1, 7.45pm). The sides have met only once, when England won 3-0 in March, and they have yet to concede a goal this campaign. Famous last words and all that, but as banana skins go, I’ve seen slippier. Wales have it tougher in Cardiff against Belgium (tomorrow, BBC One and S4C, 7.45pm).

Heather Knight rescued England against Bangladesh in the cricket World Cup on Tuesday, though she needed to be reprieved by the third umpire three times. They will hope for an easier time against Pakistan, a side they have never lost to, on Wednesday (Sky Sports Cricket, 10.30am).

Finally, should you be up very early on Saturday, the finals of the World Triathlon Championship are in Wollongong, Australia (TNT Sports 2, 4am). A brisk 1.5km dip in the Tasman Sea followed by a 40km coastal cycle and a 10km run sounds lovely so long as you don’t have to do it. Beth Potter, a bronze medal winner at last year’s Olympics, is Britain’s best hope.

Photograph by Romain Perrocheau/AFP via Getty Images