Eddie Jones has told England to attack their clash with Ireland at Twickenham as though they are playing a tournament semi-final.
The hosts' Six Nations hopes rely on them beating Ireland, and both teams head into the game with two wins and a loss from their opening three games.
Head coach Jones has included Sam Simmonds at number eight for the big game in London, with Alex Dombrandt on the bench after recovering from COVID-19.
Courtney Lawes again skippers the team, with vice-captain Tom Curry fit to feature after recovering from a head injury sustained in the win against Wales last time out.
Joe Launchbury features in an England match squad for the first time since December 2020 after being named among the replacements.
Jones said: "We've been looking at this game as a semi-final. Ireland are the most cohesive side in the world right now and it will be a good test this weekend.
"We've prepared really well for this game. We did some good team togetherness work in Bristol and had a solid week of training on the pitch here.
"We are looking forward to going after them in front of a great home crowd at Twickenham."
England can look at the game in a semi-final sense because their last match in the championship will be a tussle with France, who have a 100 per cent record so far, in Paris.
That has the potential to be a title decider, although Andy Farrell's Ireland could undo England's hopes this weekend.
Ireland have made six changes to the side that beat Italy 57-6 last time out, with veteran fly-half Johnny Sexton restored to the starting XV as captain, taking the place of Joey Carbery.
England team: Steward, Malins, Marchant, Slade, Nowell, Smith, Randall; Genge, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Ewels, Lawes (captain), Curry, Simmonds.
Replacements: Blamire, Marler, Stuart, Launchbury, Dombrandt, Youngs, Ford, Daly.
Ireland team: Keenan, Conway, Ringrose, Aki, Lowe, Sexton (captain), Gibson-Park; Healy, Sheehan, Furlong, Beirne, Ryan, O'Mahony, Van der Flier, Doris.
Replacements: Herring, Kilcoyne, Bealham, Henderson, Conan, Murray, Carbery, Henshaw.
Chelsea's shirt sponsor has suspended its deal with the Premier League giants after club owner Roman Abramovich was hit with UK government sanctions.
Three said it had asked Chelsea to remove its logos from team shirts and from the club's Stamford Bridge stadium.
The telecommunications company said the suspension was "the right thing to do". The deal is reportedly worth around £40million per year.
Russian oligarch Abramovich, who also has Israeli and Portuguese citizenship, has previously been photographed with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Putin last month ordered an invasion of Ukraine, which has led to death and destruction in that country.
Abramovich was one of seven oligarchs to face sanctions on Thursday, with his assets frozen, a move that has had major knock-on effects for Chelsea.
The Blues have been granted a special sporting licence to be able to continue trading as a football club, but their money-making avenues have been curtailed in many areas.
Now Three has declared its stance, with a spokesperson saying: "In light of the government's recently announced sanctions, we have requested Chelsea Football Club temporarily suspend our sponsorship of the club, including the removal of our brand from shirts and around the stadium until further notice.
"We recognise that this decision will impact the many Chelsea fans who follow their team passionately. However, we feel that given the circumstances, and the government sanction that is in place, it is the right thing to do."
Chelsea announced their tie-up with Three in January 2020, with the deal beginning the following season.
Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea side were set to face Norwich City on Thursday evening, with the Premier League confirming that game would go ahead.
In continuing to chart a path of inspiration, Jamaican Olympian bobsledder, Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian joined the Sandals Foundation on International Women’s Day to share her powerful story of triumph with young women at Iona High School in Tower Isle, St. Mary.
The three-time Olympian highlighted the positive impact that sports can have on charting paths beyond one’s wildest dreams noting that, “Sports opens pathways to not just create history but showcase that the impossible is very much possible.”
Fenlator-Victorian debuted the first female Jamaican sled at PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018, and earlier this year was among the 20-sled field representing Jamaica in the Beijing Games.
Her growth as an individual through participation in sports was insightful to the hall of students who were all in awe of her commanding but warm and inviting presence.
“Sport has so many lessons, more often ones unrelated to actual performance but rather life itself. Guiding you to collaborate, evolve and adapt towards becoming your best self and achieving your wildest dreams.”
With a passion for encouraging young people to tap into their full potential, Fenlator-Victorian also encouraged students to dare to dream big and remain steadfast in pursuit of their goals.
“I urge all of you to dive into the women before you, tap into these roots that were paved and take charge making your own way. You alone are in control of your destiny. Don’t allow other people’s opinions, projections or judgments to deter you from stepping into your best self and shining bright. Be your biggest cheerleader and big up yourself nuff,” said Fenlator-Victorian.
Sandals Resorts announced their sponsorship of the 2022 Jamaica Bobsleigh Team ahead of the team’s visit to the 2022 Winter Olympics last month helping to cover the substantial logistics and travel costs required to send qualifying athletes to Beijing, as well as additional bobsleigh events leading up to the 2023 world championship event.
As part of the partnership, team manager Chris Stokes and the athletes, including Fenlator-Victorian will continue to join forces with the Sandals Foundation on long-term initiatives geared towards grooming the next generation of athletes — including the recent visit to Iona High School.
Since its establishment in 2009, the Sandals Foundation has invested in youth engagement programs across the Caribbean, utilizing sports as one of its vehicles to help young people develop key life skills and take advantage of opportunities for higher learning and exposure to the global competitive arena.
“Sport is an incredible vehicle through which children learn discipline, teamwork, self-confidence, humility and so much more,” said Heidi Clarke, executive director at Sandals Foundation. “As we join the world in commemorating International Women’s Day and amplify the message and the need to ‘break the bias’, from one athlete to another, we could not think of a better way to share with the next generation of women, what hard work and perseverance can do.”
“Yesterday’s visit with the Olympian,” Clarke continued, “marks only the beginning of more to come. We are extremely grateful to Jazmine for helping to share incredible advice and powerful words to motivate these young women as they chart their unique courses of desire,” said Clarke.
Antonio Conte has expressed sympathy over the situation at his former club Chelsea after owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government.
Abramovich, who has previously been photographed with Russian president Vladimir Putin, had his assets frozen on Thursday, with the decision made in the wake of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Chelsea have been granted a special sporting licence to be able to continue trading as a football club, but measures have been placed upon them, including a ban on selling tickets, with only season-ticket holders permitted to attend matches.
Tottenham manager Conte spent two seasons at Stamford Bridge between 2016 and 2018, winning the Premier League in his first year and the FA Cup in his second term, before being sacked at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.
Speaking at a media conference ahead of Spurs' trip to Manchester United at the weekend, the Italian said the situation is a "pity" for the players, the manager and the fans.
"Honestly, I have just listened to this situation," he said. "It's not easy. It's not easy.
"It's a pity also because I was coach in this club, in Chelsea. I enjoyed two seasons [there]. Also, I won two titles. It's a pity to listen to this situation.
"It's not simple for the players, it's not simple for [head coach] Thomas Tuchel, for the fans, for the whole environment.
"Honestly, I hope that in general that this situation between Russia and Ukraine is going to finish and to find peace, because it's much too important.
"Other situations that are coming from this conflict, I think that it's not right. I hope for the best, for this club, because I worked in this club, I enjoyed the two seasons.
"For sure, I love the team, the club that I worked in the past. Every team that I worked in the past, I hope for the best for them."
The Premier League confirmed on Thursday that Chelsea's game against Norwich City on Thursday evening would go ahead as planned, while the club pledged to work with the UK government to ensure business as usual where possible.
Pep Guardiola dismissed the possibility of Manchester City winning a treble this season as "fairy tales" as he hailed Scott Carson as an inspiration to his young stars.
Veteran former England goalkeeper Carson made just his second appearance in almost three years for City as he came off the bench against Sporting CP in the Champions League on Wednesday.
City's goalless draw completed a 5-0 aggregate win over the Portuguese giants after the thumping win in Lisbon three weeks earlier, and that has only served to ramp up talk of a possible sweep of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles.
Leading the English top flight and through to quarter-finals in the two knockout competitions, it is a rosy picture for City with three shots at silverware remaining.
Asked about that prospect in a news conference on Thursday, Guardiola said: "It doesn't motivate me, absolutely zero, lower than zero. It is fairy tales.
"The reality is tougher than you suggest with this kind of things. You should understand sport at a high level is so competitive, so difficult.
"What I'm happy with is we are in the quarter-finals, the best eight teams in Europe. It will be so tough, the opponent we are going to face, and I guess for the opponent it will be tough to face us.
"Step-by-step, we now recover and increase and improve our level and at the end, we will see."
Guardiola handed Champions League debuts to teenagers CJ Egan-Riley, James McAtee and Luke Mbete, while Fernandinho made his 100th appearance in the competition, the fourth Brazilian to reach that mark, following in the footsteps of Roberto Carlos (120), Dani Alves (111) and Marcelo (101).
The youngsters that City hope to keep bringing through from their academy, in the manner that Guardiola's former club Barcelona have cultivated youth talent down the years, have plenty of international stars to admire.
Guardiola made a point that 36-year-old Carson should be the player they watch, to learn how he values every moment of his City career.
"One of the best advice I could give to young players is stay around Scott Carson as much as possible in the locker room and on the pitch," Guardiola said.
"It's the best advice they can get, the best learnings they can get. You have to be there to know him. He's experienced enough, he lived many, many things."
Carson's surprise and popular cameo against Sporting gave him just a second appearance in the Champions League, a full 16 years and 338 days after he played for Liverpool against Juventus as a 19-year-old. That made it the largest gap between appearances for any player in the competition's history, and Carson pulled off a fine stop to stave off a possible home defeat.
"He's at the end of his career, so every second he's training and every minute he gets on the pitch and off the field in the locker room, he values it," Guardiola said.
"It's like young actors need to be with old actors on the set. They are wiser, and they have the values in the football profession."
The Premier League confirmed Chelsea's game at Norwich City would go ahead on Thursday despite Blues owner Roman Abramovich being hit with sanctions.
Abramovich was one of seven Russian oligarchs sanctioned by the UK government on Thursday. He has had his assets frozen and cannot pursue efforts to sell the London club, with the decision made while Russia continues to invade Ukraine.
Chelsea have been granted a special sporting licence to be able to continue trading, but measures have been imposed that include a ban on selling tickets, with only season-ticket holders permitted to attend matches.
The Premier League said in a statement: "Following the UK government's announcement that sanctions have been imposed against Roman Abramovich, the Premier League can confirm tonight's match between Norwich City and Chelsea will go ahead as planned.
"The government has issued an initial licence to enable Chelsea to continue to train, play its fixtures and fulfil its obligations for the rest of the season.
"The league will now work with the club and the government to ensure the season will proceed as planned and in line with the government’s intention."
Chelsea said the club "intend to engage in discussions" with the government, and that they hope to operate "as normal as possible".
"Chelsea Football Club has been advised that its owner Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK government," the club stated.
"By virtue of his 100 per cent ownership of Chelsea FC plc and affiliated entities, Chelsea FC would normally be subject to the same sanctions regime as Mr Abramovich. However, the UK government has issued a general licence that permits Chelsea FC to continue certain activities.
"We will fulfil our men's and women's team fixtures today against Norwich and West Ham, respectively, and intend to engage in discussions with the UK government regarding the scope of the licence.
"This will include seeking permission for the licence to be amended in order to allow the club to operate as normal as possible. We will also be seeking guidance from the UK government on the impact of these measures on the Chelsea Foundation and its important work in our communities.
"The club will update further when it is appropriate to do so."
Pep Guardiola admits he feels sorry for rival boss Thomas Tuchel after Chelsea were left with an uncertain future by sanctions imposed on owner Roman Abramovich.
Manchester City manager Guardiola said he was unclear about the implications of the action brought about by the United Kingdom government, and he was unwilling to delve into what it might mean for European club champions Chelsea.
Long-time Chelsea owner Abramovich was one of seven Russian oligarchs facing new measures after Thursday's announcement, and the impact on Chelsea looks to be significant.
Abramovich, who has previously been photographed with Russian president Vladimir Putin, has had his assets frozen, with the decision made in the wake of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Chelsea have been granted a special sporting licence to be able to continue trading as a football club, but measures have been placed upon the club including a ban on selling tickets, with only season-ticket holders permitted to attend matches.
Guardiola said he did not "know exactly the reason why" the sanction had been imposed, but he understood the consequences for Tuchel and his Chelsea playing squad would be challenging.
"Of course with the position for the manager, for Thomas Tuchel and the players, it's uncomfortable, and I feel sorry for them because they're there to do their job as well as possible," Guardiola said. "For the rest, I don't know, I have to wait."
Chelsea beat City in last year's Champions League final, and they sit third in the Premier League this season, with Guardiola's team in a title battle with Liverpool further up the table.
Speaking in a pre-match news conference ahead of City's trip to Crystal Palace, which does not take place until Monday, Guardiola acknowledged Premier League managers and head coaches are often asked about subjects in which they lack specialist knowledge.
"We are the face of the club, we're here every day, and you ask freely whatever you want, but you have to understand there are subjects we don't know," he said.
"We don't have a one-hour lesson to speak or talk about what you're asking for.
"I always feel confident talking about my club. It was difficult last week talking about the situation for Man United: I don't know, I'm not there. Now the situation with Chelsea is the same.
"I'm empathic enough to put in the position of the manager of Chelsea and the players. It must be an uncomfortable situation, but it was this morning's headlines and I don't know what's going to happen.
"I prefer when I don't have the knowledge or opinion about any subject to wait, and this is what I have to do. I don't want to say something that's uncomfortable for Chelsea or for our club, or whatever."
Guardiola was asked about whether managers and coaches now needed to consider carrying out due diligence on the teams they might join.
"You're right, yeah. It looks like you have to know absolutely everything," Guardiola said.
"Maybe in the next press conference I will have more of a clear opinion. I would like to speak with my CEO about exactly what is the reason why, what happened, and after I can talk more comfortably."
World number three Alexander Zverev claims his expulsion from last month's Mexican Open in Acapulco represented the worst moment of his life.
The German, speaking ahead of the first Masters 1000 event of the year at Indian Wells, said his assault on the umpire's chair, for which he received a fine of $40,000 and a suspended eight-week ban from tennis, was a mistake he would not repeat.
The 24-year-old, who won the 2021 ATP Finals title last November, says he is still embarrassed by his actions in Mexico, having struck the umpire's chair with his racquet several times during a stunning outburst.
"It still is embarrassing for me now," Zverev said. "Walking around the locker room, it's not a nice feeling.
"But we all do mistakes. I'm also a human being, and I can guarantee you I will never act this way again in my life.
"It was definitely the worst moment of my life."
Zverev will begin the Indian Wells Masters as the third seed, although world number two Novak Djokovic has been forced to withdraw from the competition due to his vaccination status.
The 24-year-old, who exited at the quarter-final stage of 2021's delayed edition of the tournament, says he has been working hard to avoid a repeat of his Acapulco meltdown and knows there is no room for error given his suspended ban.
"I've been doing work, meditation-wise," he said. "I think there are stress[ful] situations in everyone's life where stuff like this happens. I'm not the first and I won't be the last for something bad to happen on the court.
"I know who I am as a person, and this doesn't reflect me. I had played until 5am the day before – the same day I went back to play doubles.
"I am somebody that gives it his all on the court. I would have never physically harmed anyone.
"If I do that again, they have every right to ban me – it's as simple as that.
"If I do that again, it means I haven't learnt. I think everybody in life deserves a second chance, but if you repeatedly do mistakes it means that you haven't learnt."
World number one Daniil Medvedev hopes that Russian and Belarusian tennis players will be allowed to continue competing but acknowledges there remains a chance of further restrictions.
The governing bodies of tennis (the International Tennis Federation, ATP, WTA, and the four Grand Slam events) recently announced that Russian and Belarusian players can no longer compete under the flags of their respective countries.
Russia launched a full-scale military assault on Ukraine last month, a move that received the backing of Belarus, leading the ITF to revoke Russian and Belarussian membership and suspend the countries' teams.
That decision followed in the footsteps of rulings relating to Russian teams or competitors in various sports, including football and athletics.
Medvedev, who recently talked of his wish to "promote peace", said he hopes to continue to play, ahead of the first Masters event of the year in Indian Wells.
"It's always tough to talk on this subject because I want to play tennis, [to] play in different countries," the 26-year-old said.
"I want to promote my sport.
"I want to promote what I'm doing in my country for sure, and right now the situation is that that is the only way I can play [without representing Russia]."
LeBron James was adamant his approach to the NBA season will not be dictated by the Los Angeles Lakers' results after they collapsed to a 139-130 loss to the Houston Rockets.
Despite James returning from a knee injury to register his fifth triple-double of the season, recording 23 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, the Rockets stunned Los Angeles in overtime to continue the Lakers' poor campaign.
The Lakers have now fallen to six losses in their past seven outings and sit ninth in the Western Conference, despite James averaging 29.4 points per game, the joint-second best record amongst NBA players.
Despite the team's dire form, James said his approach to the final 17 games of the season will be influenced only by his fitness and not the strength of their postseason chances.
"I probably would be in uniform no matter what," James said.
"No matter if we were nine games under .500 or nine games above .500. It's just all dependent on how [the knee] feels.
"My love for the game and the way I play the game, and me suiting up, has nothing to do with records and things of that nature.
"That's just not me."
James had an opportunity to prevent overtime with the scores tied at 120-120, opting to pass to Carmelo Anthony rather than attempt a layup to win the game, but the 37-year-old did not regret his decision-making and felt he was unlucky on the night.
"I ended up behind the backboard," said the four-time NBA MVP. "I was a little bit off-balance, and I could have forced a reverse layup, but I wasn't in the position to feel like I could have got a great look. I feel like Melo's look was a lot better than mine.
"I didn't feel like I took any bad ones or any bad shots tonight. It just wasn't falling for me."
Meanwhile, team-mate Russell Westbrook, whose 30-point haul was not enough to halt the Lakers' slump, said opposition teams are routinely raising their games.
"We kind of messed around with the game and they [the Rockets] had confidence throughout the night," said the 33-year-old.
"They're going to compete, they're playing the Lakers.
"As you guys can see, when they play the Lakers, people get up for those games... It's a thing for them."
The Lakers will now travel to the Washington Wizards on Friday as they look to prevent their season from unravelling further.
Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo says now is not the time to discuss the future of head coach Mauricio Pochettino and the club do not need to "start all over again" after their Champions League collapse against Real Madrid.
PSG had looked set for a quarter-final spot when Kylian Mbappe doubled their aggregate lead at the Santiago Bernabeu with a first-half opener.
But Karim Benzema's 17-minute hat-trick saw the Ligue 1 leaders eliminated from the Champions League after a first-leg victory for the fourth time, with only Madrid themselves have gone out in such a fashion on more occasions (six times).
Whilst adamant that Benzema had fouled PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the build-up to the first of his three goals, Leonardo conceded changes were needed but not a large-scale rebuild.
"It's a blow," Leonardo told RMC Sport after PSG's 3-2 aggregate reverse.
"We can't bury everything that has been done. It's difficult to analyse.
"The foul on Donnarumma was decisive, but we had difficulty managing this moment. We lost control, we have to look for solutions. It's a shame that a decision is decisive in this kind of moment, but we have to keep calm.
"We made mistakes, we have to change things, but we don't have to review everything.
"We must not throw everything away and put everything in the trash. We must not start all over again from scratch with each defeat.
"The objective is to win the Champions League, and until half-time of this match we were good."
The defeat is certain to lead to renewed speculation regarding the future of Pochettino, who has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United in the close season.
But Leonardo says the former Tottenham coach remains in their plans, at least for the time being.
"We must stay together. Pochettino is still in the project for this season," he added.
"This is not the time to think about that [the coach's future]."
Sacramento Kings interim head coach Alvin Gentry admitted it is "hard to believe" Nikola Jokic will not be named NBA MVP again this season.
The comments came after the Serbian scored 38 points in a 106-100 win for the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, helping Michael Malone's men to their fourth consecutive victory.
The reigning MVP posted 32 points against the Golden State Warriors and 46 against the New Orleans Pelicans in the Nuggets' previous two outings. He is the first NBA player to average 35 or more points, 15 or more rebounds and 10 or more assists over a three-game run since Wilt Chamberlain did so between March 16-19, 1968.
After seeing Sacramento dominated by the 27-year-old, Gentry said he deserved a second consecutive MVP prize.
"That guy is just a different beast," he said post-game.
"He doesn't get shaken, he just does what he needs to do to win the game.
"He's just playing at such a high level, 46 points, 32 points, 38 tonight, he's just a different guy.
"Watching him play, it's hard to believe he won't be the MVP.
"He's playing at such a high level and does so many things on the court, I think he's one of those guys you could take and put on any team, and that team's going to be pretty successful."
Denver have now won 12 of their past 14 games, while Jokic fell just three assists short of registering a third consecutive triple-double.
His average of 25.9 points per game, meanwhile, is the ninth-strongest record among NBA players this season.
Jokic himself was pleased after recording another dominating performance in Sacramento but was keen to look ahead, with the Nuggets facing a rematch with the Warriors next on Thursday.
"Lately, we're playing really good, we're winning games," said the 27-year-old.
"Hopefully, it's going to continue."
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is one of seven Russian oligarchs whose names have been added to a list of sanctions by the United Kingdom government.
Abramovich has had his assets frozen and cannot pursue his bid to sell the Blues, with the decision made in the wake of Russia's ongoing invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
Chelsea have been granted a special sporting licence to be able to continue trading as a football club, but measures have been placed upon the club including a ban on selling tickets, with only season-ticket holders permitted to attend matches.
A statement from the UK government added: "Given the significant impact that today's sanctions would have on Chelsea Football Club and the potential knock-on effects of this, the government has this morning published a licence which authorises a number of football-related activities to continue at Chelsea.
"This includes permissions for the club to continue playing matches and other football-related activity which will in turn protect the Premier League, the wider football pyramid, loyal fans and other clubs.
"This licence will only allow certain explicitly named actions to ensure the designated individual is not able to circumvent UK sanctions.
"The licence will be kept under constant review and we will work closely with the football authorities."
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