General Sports 3d Briefing
×Six Nations Shakeup
Scotland bbc.com will be without six key players including Gregor Brown and Duhan van der Merwe for Saturday's crucial Triple Crown decider against Ireland in Dublin. The Scots are riding high after their stunning 33-14 victory over France, with Kyle Steyn intercepting an Antoine Dupont pass to extend their lead in a performance described as Scotland's best in almost 40 years bbc.com. Ireland, meanwhile, kept their slim Six Nations hopes alive with a bonus-point victory over Wales, where debutant Nathan Doak said his first cap came "at the right time" after being introduced off the bench bbc.com. Ireland head coach Andy Farrell says his side will benefit from the pressure of having to secure a win to claim the Triple Crown bbc.com.
England's Crisis Deepens
England's struggles continued with a historic first-ever defeat to Italy in Rome, prompting calls for major changes ahead of their trip to France. Former World Cup winner Matt Dawson criticized England's "tedious" style of play that "doesn't allow players to express themselves" bbc.com. With three straight defeats and a backline overhaul already implemented, head coach Steve Borthwick may make significant changes to revive the team's fortunes bbc.com. The spotlight has turned to England's leadership both on and off the pitch following the demoralizing loss bbc.com.
UFC and Boxing Action
Charles Oliveira dominated Max Holloway from start to finish to win the BMF title by unanimous decision at UFC 326 in Las Vegas bbc.com. The BMF legacy is used to a certain type of fight that Holloway vs. Oliveira just didn't bring, raising questions about the future of the title espn.com. Meanwhile, a highly anticipated boxing clash between undefeated Japanese stars Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani is set for May 2 at the Tokyo Dome for Inoue's undisputed junior featherweight title espn.com.
College Basketball Highlights
No. 15 West Virginia avenged two regular-season losses to No. 10 TCU by beating the reigning Big 12 tournament champion 62-53 in the conference title game espn.com. Miami (Ohio) finished the regular season as the only unbeaten team in Division I men's basketball, winning 110-108 in overtime over Ohio espn.com. Duke's women's team rallied to win its second straight Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title, beating No. 12 Louisville 70-65 in overtime espn.com. UConn's star Paige Bueckers and Texas' Madison Booker headline the women's Wooden Award top 15 shortlist espn.com.
Winter Paralympics Drama
Britain's Neil Simpson said "a couple of mistakes" cost him as he finished fourth, one second outside of the medal places in Cortina bbc.com. Two-time Olympian Emanuel Perathoner won Paralympic gold at his home Games after a devastating knee injury and move into Para-sport bbc.com. Russia's first medal of the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics came via Varvara Voronchikhina's downhill bronze bbc.com. Iran will not take part in the Winter Paralympics, with the IPC confirming the nation's solitary athlete "cannot travel safely to Italy" bbc.com.
NASCAR and Motorsport
Ryan Blaney completed a Team Penske sweep at Phoenix Raceway by winning the Cup Series race, while Tyler Reddick is on the verge of rewriting NASCAR's history books after winning the first three races of 2026 espn.com. British rookie Arvid Lindblad said he "showed people a bit of what I am here to do" after finishing eighth on his F1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix bbc.com. George Russell knew his Mercedes was fast but was surprised by just how quick, while Lando Norris was unhappy after Australian Grand Prix qualifying bbc.com.
Tennis and Golf Updates
Britain's Emma Raducanu won only 11 points in the first set as Amanda Anisimova won 6-1 6-1 to reach the fourth round at Indian Wells bbc.com. Filipina tennis prodigy Alex Eala will take on Coco Gauff at Indian Wells after drawing enormous crowds everywhere she goes espn.com. Akshay Bhatia beat fellow American Daniel Berger on the first sudden death play-off hole to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill bbc.com. Thomas Detry was among eight players from LIV Golf stuck in the Middle East amid the Israeli-U.S. attacks on Iran, with Jon Rahm arranging a flight to get them to Hong Kong espn.com.
Other Notable Results
Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo regained the world half-marathon record as he claimed victory in Lisbon bbc.com. Former world 100m champion Fred Kerley is banned for two years for an anti-doping whereabouts violation bbc.com. Britain's Sky Brown became a skateboarding world champion for the second time after winning gold in a rain-disrupted park event in Brazil bbc.com. England's men won their Hockey World Cup qualification tournament with a 4-1 victory over Pakistan in the final in Egypt bbc.com.