General Sports 24-Hour Briefing
×Rugby Union
England's Six Nations campaign faces a crisis after Italy's landmark win in Rome. The Azzurri's first victory over England in 18 years has raised serious questions about the Red Roses' direction with 18 months until the World Cup. Meanwhile, Scotland's seven-try demolition of France has blown the Six Nations championship wide open. The Scots' stunning victory at Murrayfield has ended French Grand Slam dreams and reignited their own title hopes. Ireland kept their slim Six Nations hopes alive with a bonus-point victory over Wales in Dublin, while England's Under-20 title hopes ended despite a five-try win over Italy.
Golf
Rory McIlroy's back injury forced his withdrawal from the Arnold Palmer Invitational before the third round. The world number one felt muscle spasms that weren't going away, marking another setback in his season. Thomas Detry shares the LIV Golf lead with Jon Rahm after an extraordinary travel situation. Detry was among eight players stranded in the Middle East due to Israeli-U.S. attacks on Iran, but Rahm arranged a flight to get them to Hong Kong for the tournament.
Basketball
Victor Wembanyama starred in a remarkable 25-point comeback victory for the San Antonio Spurs against the Los Angeles Clippers. The French superstar helped orchestrate one of the most impressive fightbacks of his young NBA career. In college basketball, Miami (Ohio) capped a perfect 31-0 season with an overtime win over Ohio, becoming the only unbeaten team in Division I men's basketball. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt's NCAA tournament hopes suffered after a quarterfinal defeat to Ole Miss that included head coach Shea Ralph's ejection.
Tennis & Track
Former 100m world champion Fred Kerley received a two-year ban for an anti-doping whereabouts violation. The American sprinter, who won silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, will miss the next two seasons due to the anti-doping breach. Hungary's Panna Udvardy revealed she received disturbing threats including a picture of a gun, warning her family would be harmed unless she lost a tennis match.
Winter Sports
Para-alpine skier Varvara Voronchikhina won Russia's first medal at the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics with downhill bronze. The 25-year-old's achievement marked a significant moment for the Russian Paralympic team. British doubles player Henry Patten shared his dramatic escape from Dubai amid Middle East conflict, describing explosions, fighter jets and aborted border crossings during his journey out of the region.
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar won Strade Bianche for a record fourth time, soloing to victory in the prestigious one-day classic. The four-time Tour de France champion further cemented his status as cycling's dominant force with another commanding performance on the white roads of Tuscany.
Football (Soccer)
Cliftonville, Dungannon Swifts and Coleraine advanced to the semi-finals of the Irish Cup after last-eight wins over Championship opponents. The Northern Irish clubs booked their places in the final four of the national knockout competition.
College Sports Politics
President Trump plans an "all-encompassing" college sports executive order, promising to "solve all of the problems" discussed in an unprecedented White House meeting about the future of collegiate athletics. The order, expected within a week, aims to address various issues facing college sports.
Other Sports
St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt is expected to retire after this season, ending a storied career as the all-time wins leader in program history. In figure skating, Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu withdrew from the world championships later this month, while New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said his team is keen to "break hearts" in the T20 World Cup final against all-conquering India.