Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has hailed a “special day” after his side secured a record-breaking 42-21 Six Nations victory over England at Twickenham.
The visitors produced a ravenous performance to score five tries, sealing their biggest ever away win against the English and reigniting their title ambitions.
Farrell, who had been critical of the team following a heavy defeat by France a fortnight ago, expressed delight at the grit shown to deliver a vintage display.
“It is a special day, 100% is, to come here and perform like that,” said the Ireland boss.
“We are delighted with that, but even more so than that for us, I thought the respect the lads showed for one another out there was immense.”
“The respect they showed for the jersey and what it meant to them and respect for the Irish people really.”
He added: “To learn some lessons and grow as a group and a team was the overriding feeling for me.”
Doris looks for steep incline
Ireland captain Caelan Doris produced a standout performance, with his head coach noting it was one of his best games in some time.
The back-row forward believes the result will serve as a crucial benchmark for the squad moving forward.
“I spoke to you guys about Paris being a reference point and hopefully we will see a pretty steep incline in performances,” said Doris.
“I think this will now be a reference point that we look back on as a proper good performance that has given us a lot of belief.”
“It was an unbelievable atmosphere out there.”
‘Proper performance with no egos’
The emphatic result serves as a significant boost for Farrell, who had faced increasing scrutiny following recent losses to New Zealand, South Africa, and France.
He was particularly thrilled with how his players “got out of their own way” to execute a game plan defined by hunger and desire.
The head coach highlighted a specific moment where Stuart McCloskey chased down Marcus Smith late in the game as a telling indicator of the team’s spirit.
“What that accumulated to was some fantastic rugby that was broken-field stuff,” added Farrell.
“The telling parts of Stu McCloskey chasing Marcus back and being able to put him in touch just shows the fight.”
“The Rob Baloucoune one [turnover] on the far side shows the fight and the spirit these lads have got for one another and what it means to them.”
When asked if the visitors simply wanted the victory more than an England side wounding from a loss to Scotland, Farrell suggested his team were “hunting people down” throughout.
“It is one thing getting a good start and getting the bonus point but how we kick-chased, how we kept hunting down the breakdown, all that type of stuff shows that that is a proper performance where there are no egos.”
Jorrit Bergsma has claimed a sensational gold medal in the men’s mass start to become the oldest speed skating medalist in history at the age of 40.
The Dutch veteran produced a masterclass in tactical racing to secure victory for the Netherlands.
His triumph secures his place in the record books as the oldest skater ever to reach the podium in major competition.
A historic achievement on the ice
Bergsma displayed remarkable endurance to outlast his younger rivals in the chaotic pack-style event.
The 40-year-old’s victory has been hailed as "sensational" given the intense physical demands of the discipline.
It adds another chapter to a distinguished career for the long-distance specialist.
Enduring Dutch dominance
This latest gold medal further cements the Netherlands’ status as the pre-eminent nation in the sport.
With the 2026 Winter Olympics approaching, the result demonstrates that the seasoned campaigner remains a serious contender at the highest level.
The T20 World Cup Super Eight opener between New Zealand and Pakistan has been abandoned without a ball being bowled following heavy rain in Colombo.
Spectators arriving at the R Premadasa Stadium initially found the covers on, though conditions briefly improved enough for the toss to take place on time.
Pakistan won the coin flip and elected to bat, hoping to set a target in the first match of this tournament phase.
However, the weather closed in again before play could commence, forcing umpires to call the game off just over two hours after the scheduled start.
Points shared in Colombo opener
Both nations have taken a point each for the no result, leaving the group standings level at this early stage.
It marks only the second abandoned match of the competition, following the washout between Ireland and Zimbabwe in Pallekele on Tuesday.
The Black Caps and their Asian opponents had both finished second in the group stage, having suffered defeats to pool winners South Africa and India respectively.
Monsoon season causes disruption
Adverse weather has frequently blighted fixtures in the Sri Lankan capital recently, coinciding with the island’s monsoon season.
During October’s Women’s World Cup, seven of the 11 matches held at this venue were affected by rain.
The tournament is scheduled to resume on Sunday with England playing the hosts Sri Lanka in Pallekele.
What comes next?
Later on Sunday, India will face South Africa in Ahmedabad as the Super Eight stage continues.
Pakistan will hope for drier conditions when they face England on Tuesday.
New Zealand are set to resume their campaign on Wednesday against Sri Lanka, returning to the R Premadasa Stadium.
Jake Paul has undergone a second surgery on his broken jaw two months after his knockout defeat by Anthony Joshua, admitting he failed to follow recovery advice.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer suffered a double fracture during his sixth-round stoppage loss to the former heavyweight world champion.
Paul revealed on social media that the hardware used to repair the initial break had begun to fail.
The American confessed that his inability to rest caused the plates and screws to come loose, necessitating a return to hospital.
Paul admits ignoring medical advice
Writing on Instagram, Paul explained the necessity of the follow-up procedure to his followers on Friday.
He acknowledged that his own actions had contributed to the setback in his rehabilitation.
“Had to get another jaw surgery. The screws and plates were coming loose because apparently I didn’t rest for the past 2 months.”
The 27-year-old shared footage documenting his return to the operating room and images of the intended surgical outcome.
Paul’s manager Nakisa Bidarian had initially estimated a recovery timeline of five to six weeks immediately following the bout.
That schedule has now been extended significantly as the “Problem Child” attempts to heal fully from the punishing encounter.
Recovering from a brutal defeat
The highly publicised fight was broadcast live on Netflix to an audience of 33 million viewers.
Despite the emphatic nature of the finish, Joshua praised his opponent’s resilience in the aftermath of the contest.
The British heavyweight noted Paul’s determination to continue despite absorbing heavy punishment.
“Jake Paul has done really well tonight. He got up time and time again. It takes a real man to do that.”
Paul skipped the post-fight press conference to receive immediate medical attention at Miami University Hospital.
He must now prioritise rest to ensure his return to the ring is not delayed further.
England enter the T20 World Cup Super 8s knowing they must drastically improve performance levels after captain Harry Brook admitted to underestimating their group stage opponents.
The defending champions have arrived in central Sri Lanka facing intense scrutiny following a scrappy progression through the tournament’s initial phase.
Pressure is mounting on head coach Brendon McCullum, with the upcoming fixtures likely to determine if he continues in the role into the English summer.
While the team has battled external noise regarding player availability for The Hundred, it is their on-field planning that has raised the most significant concerns.
Captain concedes homework failures
Brook made the startling revelation that the side possessed “minimal stats” on some of the Associate nations they faced.
The Yorkshire batter suggested the squad had been caught off guard during their unconvincing victories over Nepal, Italy and Scotland.
“We obviously didn’t know all the players and we had minimal stats on some of them. That’s something that we can definitely improve on in the future, especially in tournaments further down the line – getting your homework done a little bit earlier.”
England captain Harry Brook
It was a candid admission, yet one that reinforces the perception that the setup has been too loose with its tournament preparation.
The 2022 winners scraped through the group, suffering a defeat to West Indies in Mumbai and being taken to the final ball by Nepal.
Struggles on the field
Performances with both bat and ball have done little to suggest the team is ready to threaten the latter stages of the competition.
Batters have struggled to convert starts into match-defining scores, with Tom Banton’s unbeaten 63 standing as a solitary highlight.
Concerns also remain over the bowling attack, as the usually dependable Adil Rashid has proved expensive.
The leg-spinner has conceded nine runs per over or more in three of the four matches played so far.
McCullum’s future in the balance
Unless there is a sharp upturn in fortunes, this campaign risks becoming a fourth consecutive underwhelming major tournament for the side.
Other major nations have also struggled to build a compelling case for the title, with Australia’s Mitchell Marsh already on a flight home.
However, the stakes remain highest for England’s management.
While Brook suggested it was human nature to relax against lower-ranked opposition, such complacency will not be afforded in the Super 8s.
The coming week presents McCullum with a definitive opportunity to save his job and prove this squad can still compete for silverware.
India have inflicted a first home bilateral series defeat on Australia in nine years after winning the deciding T20 by 17 runs in Adelaide.
The victory secured a 2-1 series triumph for the tourists, marking a significant milestone in their rivalry with the world’s dominant side.
Smriti Mandhana was the architect of the first innings, smashing a superb 82 off 55 balls to set the tone.
Record-breaking partnership
The opener was ably supported by Jemimah Rodrigues as the pair combined for a match-defining second-wicket stand.
The duo put on 121 runs, establishing a new record partnership for India in the shortest format of the game.
Their efforts propelled the visitors to a competitive total of 176-6, despite Annabel Sutherland claiming 2-34 for the hosts.
Patil spins out Australian top order
Australia’s chase began disastrously as they slumped to 32-3 early in the powerplay.
Off-spinner Shreyanka Patil made the initial breakthroughs, dismissing Georgia Voll and the experienced Ellyse Perry.
Ash Gardner attempted to salvage the innings, keeping her side in the contest with a resilient 57 from 45 deliveries.
However, the task proved too great for Sophie Molineux in her first series as Australia captain.
Patil returned to finish with impressive figures of 3-22, while left-arm spinner Shree Charani claimed 3-28 to stifle the chase.
The hosts eventually finished on 159-9, falling 17 runs short of the target.
What happens next?
This result caps a fluctuating series, following India’s rain-affected win in the opener and Australia’s 19-run victory in the second match.
Attention now turns to the 50-over format, with a three-match ODI series scheduled to begin in Brisbane on Tuesday.
The tour will conclude with a one-off Test match in Perth starting on 6 March.
Team GB face a difficult battle for a Winter Olympic medal in the four-man bobsleigh after dropping to seventh place at the halfway stage in Cortina.
Pilot Brad Hall initially demonstrated why the British crew are considered contenders with a superb first run of 54.39 seconds, placing them third.
However, the quartet fell off the pace in their second attempt, clocking 55.04secs to record the 12th-quickest time of the heat.
That loss of momentum saw them slide four places down the standings ahead of Sunday’s medal-deciding heats.
German dominance in Italy
The three German sleds remain the ones to beat, occupying the top three spots on the leaderboard.
Johannes Lochner, who already claimed two-man gold earlier this week, leads the charge with an overall time of one minute 48.61 seconds.
Hall’s crew currently sit on a combined time of 1:49.43, leaving them with significant ground to make up on the final day.
Crash delays competition
Proceedings at the Cortina sliding track were disrupted by a long delay after Austria suffered a crash during the second heat.
One athlete required treatment on the ice for a lengthy period before being stretchered off.
Action resumed after approximately 20 minutes, but rising temperatures meant the track had become slower for the later runners.
Consequently, the British team were unable to replicate the blistering speed of their opener in the deteriorating conditions.
Austria bobsleigh driver Jakob Mandlbauer has been taken away on a stretcher following a severe crash during the four-man final at the Winter Olympics.
The terrifying incident occurred during heat two of the competition when the Austrian sled lost control attempting a left turn.
The vehicle flew off the side of the track, drawing audible gasps from the crowd in attendance.
While Mandlbauer’s three teammates were able to exit the sled and walk away unassisted, the pilot remained at the scene requiring immediate medical attention.
Race delayed for medical assistance
Medics rushed to the track to treat the driver, leading to a significant pause in the proceedings.
The Austrian was eventually carried away on a stretcher, though the extent of his injuries has not yet been confirmed.
Officials were subsequently required to repair a section of the ice that had been damaged during the collision before the event could resume.
It marks a second accident for this specific crew, who previously crashed during unofficial training sessions at the start of the Games.
Team GB make strong start
Despite the disruption, Team GB managed to deliver a composed performance once the heat continued.
The British quartet finished third, trailing only the dominant German teams who secured the top two spots.
Switzerland and Italy rounded out the chasing pack, finishing with times of 54.49 and 54.55 respectively.