General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 15, 2026, 4:44 PM ET
Rugby Union
France completed a first Under-20 Six Nations Grand Slam bbc.com since 2014 with a thrilling victory over England in La Rochelle, while the senior team's ruthless 43-21 win over Scotland bbc.com secured a fourth Triple Crown in five years and set up a championship decider. That decider saw France retain the title with a last-gasp victory over England bbc.com, snatching the championship from Ireland's grasp moments after Andy Farrell's side had pulled away from Scotland. The Irish, described as "ruthless" by Farrell bbc.com in their win over Scotland, were left to ponder a missed opportunity, with one analysis suggesting their "shot at history passed by amid Irish ferocity" bbc.com. For Scotland, Huw Jones admitted the wind was taken out of their sails bbc.com by the Dublin defeat, ending their Triple Crown hopes, and Tom English's dissection of their failed bid bbc.com highlighted the pain of coming up short again. Wales, meanwhile, savoured a rare success bbc.com with a win that offered a brief respite from broader struggles, and coach Gonzalo Quesada declared Italy "must win" bbc.com their final match against Wales in Cardiff.
College Basketball: Conference Tournaments
The final weekend of conference tournaments produced a series of dramatic conclusions. TJ Power's Ivy Madness-record 44 points espn.com propelled Pennsylvania to an 88-84 victory over Yale for the Ivy League title. In the Big East, a tenacious defensive effort espn.com carried No. 13 St. John's to a 72-52 blowout of sixth-ranked UConn at Madison Square Garden, securing a second straight tournament championship. No. 1 Duke showed mettle in holding off No. 10 Virginia espn.com for a second consecutive ACC tournament title under Jon Scheyer. The Big 12 final saw Arizona exact revenge on Houston espn.com with a 79-74 win, securing a nine-game winning streak entering the NCAA tournament. Michigan advanced to the Big Ten championship espn.com on Yaxel Lendeborg's tiebreaking three-pointer with 0.4 seconds left, beating No. 23 Wisconsin 68-65. In the Western Athletic Conference, Cal Baptist edged top-seeded Utah Valley 63-61 espn.com after the Wolverines' Isaac Davis missed a potential tying alley-oop dunk at the buzzer. UMBC climbed back to the NCAA tournament espn.com for the first time since its 2018 UVA upset, winning the America East title behind DJ Armstrong Jr.'s 33 points.
NCAA Tournament Outlook & Coaching Moves
With Selection Sunday looming, the top 16 seeds for the women's tournament were announced espn.com, with North Carolina and West Virginia among the hosts. For the men's field, the Big 12 commissioner predicted two bids espn.com despite Miami (Ohio)'s tournament loss, and bubble teams like the Red Hawks and Tigers remained focal points espn.com for the committee. UCLA's prospects were complicated by star Tyler Bilodeau suffering a mild knee strain espn.com, though he is expected back for the NCAA tournament, while the Bruins also lost him briefly espn.com but held off No. 8 Michigan State. Texas Tech received positive news on Christian Anderson espn.com, who will be available for the NCAA tournament after a groin injury, though he had slipped on the Big 12's new LED glass court espn.com during the conference tournament. On the coaching carousel, Pitt retained Jeff Capel for a ninth season espn.com despite a "well short" campaign, while Cincinnati fired Wes Miller espn.com after five seasons. Saint Louis extended Josh Schertz's contract espn.com after an Atlantic 10 regular-season title, and Providence fired Kim English espn.com following a loss to St. John's.
Formula 1 & Motorsport
Mercedes' dominance was on display at the Chinese Grand Prix, where the team locked out the front row in qualifying bbc.com and Kimi Antonelli secured his maiden victory bbc.com in a one-two finish with George Russell. Lewis Hamilton, rating fourth for the sprint espn.com, stated Ferrari is losing "a lot of time" to Mercedes espn.com primarily due to power unit deficits. The new F1 regulations continued to spark debate, with drivers and commentators split bbc.com on whether they have produced "the best racing ever" or a "battery world championship." In cycling, two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard claimed his first Paris-Nice title bbc.com after finishing second in the finale, having seen France's Dorian Godon win a shortened penultimate stage bbc.com. Over at LIV Golf, Graeme McDowell made history bbc.com by hitting a hole-in-one for a second consecutive week.
Alpine Skiing & Winter Sports
Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin tied a record with another World Cup slalom win espn.com, her eighth of the season. Fellow American Lindsey Vonn, recovering from an Olympic crash, stated she alone will decide her skiing future espn.com but is not yet ready to discuss it. At the Winter Paralympics, the United States completed a historic three-peat espn.com in hockey by defeating Canada for gold, three weeks after doing the same in the Olympic final. Great Britain, however, left with just one medal bbc.com but expressed positivity for the future. Britain's Menna Fitzpatrick, fifth in her event bbc.com, is already looking toward 2030. Haiti's Ralf Etienne became his nation's first Winter Paralympian bbc.com 16 years after losing his leg in an earthquake. Calls for moving the Winter Paralympics calendar bbc.com grew amid unseasonably warm, "tropical" weather, and British skier Neil Simpson's guide error bbc.com led to a disappointing exit. In horse racing, Gaelic Warrior won the Cheltenham Gold Cup bbc.com, though the festival was marked by a record average price for winners bbc.com and two additional horse deaths bbc.com on the final day.
Other Notable Results
In rugby union's Premiership, Leicester Tigers scored 10 tries bbc.com in a record 66-14 demolition of a youthful Exeter Chiefs to win the Prem Rugby Cup. In Premiership Women's Rugby, Alex Matthews' hat-trick bbc.com helped defending champions Gloucester-Hartpury overcome Saracens for a bonus-point win, and Exeter Chiefs thrashed Trailfinders 47-14 bbc.com behind Cliodhna Moloney-Mac Donald's first-half hat-trick. Loughborough Lightning beat Harlequins 43-33 bbc.com with the return of England stars Ellie Kildunne and Sadia Kabeya. In the United Rugby Championship, Ulster earned a bonus-point win at Edinburgh