The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has launched an investigation into racist abuse directed at Edwin Edogbo following his senior international debut against Italy.
The Munster lock was targeted on social media platforms after helping his country secure a 20-13 Six Nations victory in Dublin on Saturday.
Edogbo, who was born in Cork to Nigerian parents, became the subject of hateful comments under official posts celebrating his milestone achievement.
‘Zero tolerance’
officials confirmed they are working with data science company Signify and relevant authorities to identify the perpetrators.
An IRFU spokesperson described the online attacks as the actions of a “minority” that have no place in the sport.
“We will continue to fully support all affected by the cowardly actions of a minority and investigations are underway alongside our partners Signify,” the statement read.
“It is clear that racist abuse has no place in Irish society and the IRFU has a zero tolerance policy towards racism of any form.”
‘A different beast’
The 23-year-old entered the fray at the Aviva Stadium for the final 10 minutes, replacing James Ryan to a raucous reception from the home crowd.
Despite the hostility encountered online, the powerful forward remains focused on his development under head coach Andy Farrell.
“I think my main goal with this campaign – I’ve had a few chances with Faz and a few chats with Paulie – I just want to learn as much as possible,” Edogbo said.
“Obviously every player wants to play all the games but I understand this is a very special place, a very privileged place to be and it takes time.”
The former Cobh Pirates player acknowledged the steep learning curve required at the elite level.
“I suppose I got a taste of that and I know from that little block I had there, there’s a lot of work to be done and I’m looking forward to it,” he added.
Ireland resume their championship bid this Saturday with a trip to Twickenham to face England.
Hardik Pandya was left visibly enraged during the high-stakes clash against Pakistan after his Indian team-mates dropped two consecutive catches in a fielding disaster.
The dynamic all-rounder watched in disbelief as opportunities to dismiss key batters went begging.
It was a chaotic sequence of play that saw the Men in Blue squander back-to-back chances to seize control.
Pandya could not hide his frustration, gesturing wildly as the ball hit the turf on both occasions.
Fielding errors spark fury
The right-arm seamer had done everything right to induce false shots from the Pakistani batters.
However, the support in the field deserted him at the critical moment.
Such lapses are rare for a side that prides itself on athletic standards.
For the bowler, seeing hard-earned edges result in reprieves rather than wickets is the ultimate frustration.
High stakes in rivalry clash
Tension is always at a fever pitch when these two arch-rivals meet on the cricket field.
Every run saved and every catch taken can be the difference between victory and defeat.
The Surat-born star is known for his emotional investment in the game.
His reaction underscored the pressure resting on the team to deliver in this marquee fixture.
India will hope these missed opportunities do not come back to haunt them as the contest progresses.
Scotland have defeated England 31-20 to retain the Calcutta Cup, ending the visitors’ 13-match winning streak in emphatic fashion at Murrayfield.
Questions surrounded Gregor Townsend’s side following their opening weekend defeat by Italy.
Yet, the hosts delivered an emphatic riposte in Edinburgh to silence their critics.
Scotland started with high intensity and refused to relent against their erratic opponents.
The result hands Steve Borthwick’s charges a first defeat in 13 outings.
Calcutta Cup dominance
This victory significantly improves the Scots’ recent record in this historic fixture.
Townsend’s men have now emerged victorious in six of the past nine meetings between the old rivals.
“This was special. They were humbled last weekend in Rome and this time we had a chance to humble England here and came through.”
Former Scotland international Johnnie Beattie speaking to the Rugby Union Weekly podcast
Beattie noted that the errors of the previous week were rectified.
He praised the way the home side fought and scrapped for every ball.
However, the former international warned that consistency remains the elusive key for this squad.
“It’s how consistently can you find ways to beat these top-level opposition and Scotland don’t have the answer yet. Can you finish in the top three? There are some huge games. We have to back it up.”
Disjointed England falter
The visitors arrived seeking a first win in the Scottish capital since 2020.
Instead, they struggled to cope with the ferocity and energy brought by the Dark Blues.
Matters worsened when last week’s hat-trick hero, Henry Arundell, received an early yellow card which was upgraded to a red.
Any hope of a comeback was extinguished when a chargedown on a George Ford drop-goal attempt led to a try for Huw Jones.
Jones has now scored eight tries against the Red Rose, a record in the Six Nations era.
‘Taken apart’
The post-match analysis was scathing regarding the visitors’ tactical approach.
“Scotland were 20 points better not 11. They were comprehensive winners. In the cold light of day England were taken apart from minute one to minute 80.”
Ex-England scrum-half Matt Dawson
This loss marks England’s fourth defeat in their past five Championship away matches.
Dawson questioned the lack of a ‘Plan B’ once the initial kicking strategy failed.
“England didn’t adjust accordingly. It was a masterclass from the Scotland coaching staff because England were nowhere.”
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has been released on parole from a California state prison following an 11-month stint in custody.
The 43-year-old’s release was confirmed on Sunday by his longtime agent, Mike Fonseca.
Sentenced to a five-year term in March 2025, the retired fighter had previously been credited for 1,283 days served.
He had pleaded no contest to charges linked to a dramatic shooting incident that occurred in February 2022.
A vigilante pursuit
The legal saga began when the American Kickboxing Academy product chased a vehicle containing Harry Goularte.
Goularte is a man accused of molesting the former champion’s four-year-old son.
During a high-speed 11-mile pursuit, shots were fired at the vehicle, injuring Goularte’s father.
Prior to his final sentencing, the heavyweight icon had been granted bail of $1m and placed under house arrest in November 2022.
MMA community support
Throughout the high-profile case, the mixed martial arts community rallied around the two-time titleholder.
UFC CEO Dana White submitted a letter to the court describing him as a "model example" of how a professional athlete should conduct themselves.
Inside the octagon, the Californian is best remembered for dethroning Brock Lesnar to capture undisputed gold in October 2010.
While the fighter’s criminal case moves to the parole phase, Goularte continues to face a felony charge of lewd acts with a minor.
A civil case filed by the Velasquez family against Goularte is also ongoing.
Matt Weston has etched his name in history by becoming Britain’s first double Winter Olympic medallist, spearheading a golden skeleton campaign fuelled by high-tech innovation and sporting espionage.
The 29-year-old secured the men’s individual title on Friday before adding a mixed team gold alongside Tabby Stoecker on Sunday.
This remarkable feat cements the squad as the most successful nation in the discipline’s history, now boasting 11 Olympic medals with five being gold.
Yet, this global dominance hails from a country possessing zero ice tracks and where athletes spend mere hours annually on actual slides.
The ‘Cold War’ of winter sport
Success is instead manufactured at the University of Bath, utilising state-of-the-art push tracks and aggressive aerodynamic innovation.
In a sport defined by fractions of a second, the battle for supremacy has evolved into a technological arms race.
Dr Kate Baker, UK Sport’s director of performance, admits the rivalry has intensified into something resembling a spy thriller.
It isn’t quite to the extent of hiding in bushes to spy on other teams, but espionage between nations is very real. It’s big business for some people, and we know how powerful sporting success is for a nation.
We are an extraordinary nation in the way that we have consistently punched above our weight. Everyone wants to know what we’re doing.
Dr Kate Baker, UK Sport Director of Performance
The challenge for the British contingent is to constantly evolve their hardware to surprise rivals who monitor their every move.
Power over ice
Without a home circuit, the British focus shifts entirely to explosive power and “marginal gains” in equipment design.
The squad spends the vast majority of the year in the gym or on concrete push tracks, prioritising the start phase above all else.
Amy Williams, the Vancouver 2010 gold medallist, highlights how the team recruits elite sprinters to compensate for the lack of ice time.
We do not have that obvious thing in front of us, an ice track, so we have always gone out and tried to get the world’s best pushers.
We do so much hard training in the summer months for that pure speed, power, explosiveness off the block. The combination of already being powerful and fast at the top gives you that good edge.
Amy Williams, Olympic Champion
This strategic pivot has successfully redeemed the programme following a medal-less outing at the Beijing Games.
With Stoecker also finishing fifth in the women’s event, the ‘trackless’ nation has once again proven that laboratory precision can beat geographical advantage.
Scottish curler Bobby Lammie has been penalised for a controversial ‘double-touch’ infraction during Great Britain’s victory over Germany, as the row engulfing the Winter Olympics widens.
The incident occurred in the ninth end of the round-robin clash at the curling centre in Cortina.
Officials ruled that the Dumfries-born athlete had made illegal contact with the granite after its release, resulting in the stone being immediately removed from play.
Despite the contentious sanction, Bruce Mouat’s rink maintained their composure to secure a commanding 9-4 triumph.
North American giants under fire
This latest ruling suggests a zero-tolerance approach by officials following intense scrutiny regarding the Canadian delegation.
The historic heavyweights of the roaring game have found their reputation bruised by similar allegations over the past 48 hours.
Swedish athlete Oskar Eriksson sparked the debate on Friday, accusing Marc Kennedy of a double-touch violation.
While Kennedy responded with a furious denial, video footage circulated by Swedish broadcaster SVT appeared to contradict his stance.
The drama intensified late on Saturday when celebrated skip Rachel Homan faced the same accusation against Switzerland.
World Curling clarifies stance
An umpire halted play to remove Homan’s stone, leaving the Canadian visibly shocked as her team went on to suffer a narrow 8-7 defeat.
World Curling has since issued a firm statement reiterating that touching the stone during forward motion is strictly prohibited.
“During forward motion, touching the granite of the stone is not allowed. This will result in the stone being removed from play.”
The governing body confirmed that two roving officials are now monitoring matches to enforce the rule.
However, they noted it remains impossible to have umpires stationed at every hog line during every game.
With Canada’s mixed doubles team having already failed to medal, the pressure is mounting on one of the world’s most fervent curling nations.
U.S. Figure Skating has confirmed it did not file an appeal against the controversial judging that relegated Madison Chock and Evan Bates to silver, officially conceding the gold medal to France.
Deadline passes without action
The American federation declined to challenge the result despite a furore surrounding the scoring in Milan.
Officials had a strictly enforced 24-hour window to lodge a formal protest following the event.
That deadline has now expired, cementing the silver medal position for the US duo.
USFS CEO Matt Farrell acknowledged the intensity of the situation surrounding the outcome.
There has been a lot of thoughtful, and at times emotional, discussion about the ice dance competition in Milan.
Farrell insisted the organisation would now focus on supporting the athletes rather than pursuing litigation.
Working together with Madi and Evan after the Games, we will have thoughtful and intentional discussions about the best way to support them and the future of the sport.
The maths behind the outrage
Intense scrutiny had fallen specifically on the marks awarded by French judge Jezabel Dabouis.
Data analysis revealed Dabouis favoured the French pair, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, by nearly eight points in the free dance.
This margin was significantly wider than that of her colleagues on the panel.
Had the French judge’s score been removed from the aggregate, Chock and Bates would have been crowned Olympic champions.
Dabouis had also awarded a similarly wide margin to her compatriots during the earlier rhythm dance segment.
Calls for transparency ignored
Any hope of a successful overturn appeared slim after the International Skating Union (ISU) quickly backed the officials.
The governing body insisted they had “full confidence” in the panel’s integrity.
It is normal for there to be a range of scores given by different judges in any panel and a number of mechanisms are used to mitigate these variations.
However, the skaters at the centre of the storm believe such confusion alienates the audience.
Chock argued that the public struggle to understand why the results did not match the performance on the ice.
Any time the public is confused by results, it does a disservice to our sport. I think it’s hard to retain fans when it’s difficult to understand what is happening on the ice.
Her partner, Bates, maintained that their performance felt worthy of the top prize.
We felt like we delivered our absolute best performance that we could have. It was our Olympic moment. It felt like a winning skate to us, and that’s what we’re going to hold on to.
France centre Emilien Gailleton has silenced the Principality Stadium by finishing off a spectacular team move to score inside the first two minutes against Wales.
The visitors wasted absolutely no time in asserting their dominance on frantic Cardiff turf.
A rapid exchange of passes carved open the Welsh defence before the final finish was applied with clinical precision.
A nightmare start for the hosts
Les Bleus have immediately put the home side on the back foot in this crucial encounter.
The Pau midfielder was perfectly placed to capitalise on the break and dot down for the opening score.
It leaves the Dragons chasing the game almost immediately after the referee’s first whistle.
Fabien Galthié’s men set the tempo
This early breakthrough signals a clear intent from the French outfit to play expansive, high-tempo rugby.
Warren Gatland’s side must now regroup quickly to prevent the scoreline from spiralling away in the first half.
The devastating nature of the attack highlights the danger posed by the French backline.