Martin Brassil’s Fastorslow is none the worse for his unsupervised trip around Cheltenham and will now take aim at Punchestown.
The eight-year-old started at 8-1 under J J Slevin with some eyecatching form to his name, including a second-placed finish in the Ultima behind subsequent Grand National winner Corach Rambler 12 months ago.
From there he headed to the Punchestown Gold Cup and notably defeated both Galopin Des Champs and Bravemansgame, the 2023 Gold Cup first and second.
That form held when he returned to action this season as his debut came in the John Durkan at Punchestown, where he beat Galopin Des Champs again as Willie Mullins’ stable star could only come home in third.
The two horses did switch roles next time out, however, with Fastorslow the runner-up in the Irish Gold Cup as Galopin Des Champs returned to winning ways and staked his claim on a Cheltenham repeat.
As such Galopin Des Champs was a well-justified 10-11 shot on Friday and eventually prevailed by three and a half lengths, whereas Fastorslow met with misfortune at the 16th obstacle and parted ways with Slevin.
Horse and rider were unharmed and Fastorslow’s herd instincts kept him amongst the field right until the end, as he crossed the line in second place without his rider having briefly threatened to interfere with the progress of the winner.
Brassil reports him to show no ill effects for the jaunt and he will now be aimed at a repeat of last season’s Punchestown success.
“He’s fine, he’s come out of it well,” the trainer said,
“The race hadn’t really developed (when he unseated at 16th).
“He’ll go to Punchestown all being well.”
Olympic champion Max Whitlock took pommel horse gold at the British Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool on Sunday.
The 31-year-old, who returned to action last year after retaining his Olympic pommel horse title in Tokyo in 2021, won with a score of 15.250 at the M&S Bank Arena.
Whitlock is building up to what would be his fourth Games this summer in Paris, and he said: “It feels good. It feels good to be back.
“Since after Tokyo it’s been a bit of a roller coaster for me with a year out of the sport, coming back in, and it’s crazy that we’re in the Olympic year now.
“So 2024 has really started…and I’m really pleased with that.”
Paul Gilligan left Cheltenham full of pride after Buddy One’s brave effort when fourth in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle.
Although a 40-1 outsider in the hands of the trainer’s son Jack, the seven-year-old left his previous disappointing efforts in Grade One company in the past to be right in the mix on the run to the final flight.
Buddy One was eventually beaten just over eight lengths by the impressive winner Teahupoo and although unable to match the Cheltenham Festival heroics of Gilligan’s Bertie’s Dream in 2010, the stable’s latest standard-bearer lost little in defeat.
“It was a massive run and I’m over the moon with it,” said Gilligan.
“He could have done with the ground being a bit better, but that’s not making excuses and with that said he has run a super race.
“I knew he was better than his previous run in Grade Ones and he was fantastic, we have no complaints and it was a great day.
“Jack gave him a master ride and he came up the inner and just for one split second, one stride he had his nose in front. I suppose the others just picked up and quickened better on the ground.
“He was only beat eight lengths and that is nothing to be ashamed of, it was fantastic. He had a lot of very good horses behind and if I could have more horses like him it would be great.”
Buddy One followed his second to Iroko at last year’s Festival by going to Aintree and again running with real credit and Gilligan is toying with following a similar plan this time around, with a shot at the Jrl Group Liverpool Hurdle on Grand National day preferable to a visit to the Punchestown Festival.
“I’m half thinking he will go to Aintree because we have an extra week compared to last year and that will probably wrap up his season,” continued Gilligan.
“I’d rather not go to Punchestown and it would be great if we could get a result in Aintree with him as he ran well there last year.
“There’s no reason not to go there. I couldn’t be happier.”
Despite proving himself to be a top operator over timber, Gilligan is now looking ahead to a novice chase campaign next season with Buddy One, confident his jumping ability will help him take higher rank over the larger obstacles.
“He might not win a Grade One over hurdles but with his jumping, he never misses a beat and I think he is going to make a fantastic chaser, I just get that feeling with him,” continued the Athenry-based handler.
“He will probably start off his chasing career at Galway or something like that in October.
“He got home Saturday morning and he travelled home brilliantly. He got off the box with not a bother on him.”
Although there was no joy for any of Gilligan’s three runners at the Festival, he ended what he described as a “special week” by watching his son Danny return to the winner’s enclosure having steered Gordon Elliott’s Better Days Ahead to Martin Pipe glory.
Gilligan himself had a runner in the race in the hands of Buddy One’s pilot Jack, but once Sequestered’s challenge began to wane, he quickly turned to cheering Better Days Ahead home.
He said: “Even without getting a winner it was just a great week and then Danny rattled it off with his winner in the last. Cheltenham is one of the places you want to be.
“I was watching our own horse through the race and when our chance was gone of course we were then looking for Danny and we roared him home.
“He’s a super rider and Gordon has given him some great opportunities, he’s very good to him.
“It’s what dreams are made of and we have one picture from Friday where Jack went over to Danny after the last and the two of them gave one another a hug.
“That was a very proud moment for us and to have two sons riding in Cheltenham and one to have a winner and the other to be in the same race was a proud moment, a special week.”
Gordon Elliott is already plotting how Gerri Colombe can bridge the gap with Galopin Des Champs in next year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The eight-year-old made Willie Mullins’ dual blue riband hero pull out all the stops at this season’s Festival, and Elliott feels there is still more to come from his charge.
He told Racing TV’s Luck On Sunday: “I’d say Gerri Colombe was definitely a career best. We were delighted with Gerri and the winner is very, very special.
“The loose horse has done us absolutely no favours – we’d have never won on the day, but we might have been a little bit closer.
“I think with another summer out at grass, he’s going to be even better. He probably jumped his best throughout the race on Friday but I still think he needs to learn to come down and get from A to B a little bit quicker.
“If you look at Galopin Des Champs, he’s a lot quicker through the air than we are, but that’s getting better all the time.
“Whether we run him again this year or not, I’m not sure. If I do, it’ll likely be Punchestown, Aintree will probably come a bit soon. But if not, it’ll be all systems go again for the Gold Cup next year.”
Elliott enjoyed Grade One glory with Teahupoo in the Stayers’ Hurdle and he is set to target a repeat success in that contest next term.
The seven-year-old had just one previous outing this season, when winning the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse, and another light schedule is on the cards.
“He suits the race,” said the Cullentra House handler. “He’s a laid-back type of horse, he doesn’t take too much energy out of himself.
“So, we’ll probably look at going back to Punchestown, all being well, and then maybe going the same path again next year, with just two or three runs in the season again.
“He’s probably not the biggest or most robust horse in the world, so maybe he doesn’t need a whole lot of racing, but he’s very honest and we’re very lucky to have him.
“His form suggests he runs best with a nice break between runs, so we’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing – he’s done us proud so far.”
Irish Point was rerouted from the Stayers’ Hurdle to the Champion Hurdle following the defection of Constitution Hill and performed admirably when chasing home State Man.
He is now in line for a step back up in trip to two and a half miles for the William Hill Aintree Hurdle, where he could clash with the Henry de Bromhead-trained Bob Olinger, who carries the same Robcour colours.
Elliott said: “Irish Point is probably more of a stayer than a two-miler but just the way the race was working out, we had to roll the dice.
“I’d love to go to Aintree. They are in different camps – Henry can worry about his horse and I will worry about mine.”
Parallels can be drawn between Willie Mullins and Sir Alex Ferguson in the aftermath of a memorable Cheltenham Festival for both.
Ferguson is no stranger to standing at the helm of one of the most successful operations in sport and was the manager who led Manchester United’s dominance in English football for 20 years.
His involvement in racing began on the Flat and he still has an involvement in that code, with Spirit Dancer a notable recent success having won the Bahrain International Trophy and the Neom Turf Cup over the winter.
Ferguson owns Spirit Dancer alongside Fred Done and Ged Mason, the latter of whom joins John Hales in making up the Ferguson-Mason-Hales trio that own both Protektorat and Monmiral.
Monmiral landed the Pertemps at 25-1 and Protektorat was a brilliant four-length winner of the Ryanair Chase, providing Ferguson with his first and then his second Cheltenham Festival winner in quick succession.
While Ferguson’s trainers, Paul Nicholls and Dan Skelton, trained four winners and a single winner respectively, it was Willie Mullins who dominated the meeting with nine winners, six seconds and six thirds.
Among those winners was his 100th Cheltenham Festival victory, a landmark achievement that makes him the most successful trainer in the history of the fixture – a figure akin to the Ferguson of the racing world.
“What Willie Mullins is doing is fantastic, brilliant,” Ferguson said of the Closutton trainer.
“You can only admire the man.”
Ruby Walsh, former stable jockey to Mullins, identified the similarities between the role of football manager and trainer, saying: “It’s awesome, an incredible achievement as a manager, because that what he is, a sporting manager.
“He is like the CEO, his wife is the CFO, his son is the managing director and he’s doing it all.
“He’s just an incredible manager, that’s what he is and the sport is lucky to have him.
“If he was in any other sport they wouldn’t be telling him he was too dominant.
“He’s just an incredible manager, that’s what he is and the sport is lucky to have him.”
A fundraising lunch in aid of Motor Neurone Disease is taking place at Newbury racecourse on March 22, organised by Triumph Hurdle-winning jockey Steve Jobar and his committee.
Jobar was diagnosed with MND himself in April 2022, when he was shocked to discover there was no cure or effective treatment for his illness.
During his career in the saddle, Jobar rode over 130 winners, which included the 1980 Triumph Hurdle on Heighlin.
His former weighing-room colleague John Francome and trainer Richard Phillips will be on hand at the lunch conducting the auction of a host of attractive prizes.
All 45 tables have been sold and a raffle will be held, where the first prize is a new car or £13,000.
An online auction with 75 items is also taking place, with options to bid on sports tickets, stable visits and sporting memorabilia.
All monies raised will go to the Motor Neurone Disease Association and the event is on course to raise over £100,000, with half going into research into finding a cure for MND and the other half going to the local branch which has supported and offered pastoral care to Jobar and his wife, Dottie.
The items van be viewed at www.stevejobarsupportsmnd.com.
Jamie Snowden is eyeing a shot at the Coral Scottish Grand National with Git Maker after his gallant second at the Cheltenham Festival.
The eight-year-old has proven a stout stayer since upped to three miles and was tasked with the challenge of the Kim Muir at Prestbury Park, where he was partnered by top amateur Will Biddick.
He led three out, but had no answer in the home straight once passed by Gavin Cromwell’s Inothewayurthinkin who proved his class by carrying top-weight to a wide-margin victory.
However, Snowden is taking plenty of positives from the performance – especially how far the front two pulled clear of the remaining finishers – and feels his charge could now be ready for a challenge such as the Ayr marathon on April 20.
“I think he bumped into a graded horse in a handicap,” said Snowden.
“The two of them were 20 lengths clear of the third horse as well, so it was a fair performance. You hope the handicapper doesn’t crucify him for it, but he could now be a nice one for the Scottish National maybe.
“He’s won six of his 11 starts and knows how to win, he’s a tough and hardy sort who stays well. He’s probably ready for a test like that (Scottish National), but we’ll let him get over the Kim Muir, it was a fairly hard race and we’ll have to see how he is and go from there.
“But I suppose the Scottish Grand National could be something to look forward to now.”
Ollie Lawrence finished Saturday’s agonising defeat by France alongside boyhood idol Manu Tuilagi in what was a symbolic moment for England’s midfield.
Lawrence produced a coming-of-age performance in the 33-31 defeat at Groupama Stadium, crossing either side of half-time in an impressive display of power running that was a continuation of his stellar form for Bath.
It was evidence that the 24-year-old centre is ready to provide the ball-carrying might that has been Tuilagi’s calling card since making his debut in 2011.
England have longed to find a defence-smashing alternative to Tuilagi during his regular spells out through injury and in Lyon they finally witnessed a passing of the baton, with the 32-year-old veteran almost certainly playing his final Test before joining a French club next season.
Eddie Jones drew a comparison between the punch they offer in attack in 2021 and, after the similarities were made clear in a riveting climax to the Guinness Six Nations that saw Tuilagi step off the bench for the final 21 minutes, Lawrence paid tribute to a unique team-mate.
“Manu’s been class. You ask anyone in the squad, he’s one of the best people around,” Lawrence said.
“He was my hero growing up, he was someone I looked up to and tried to emulate my game around.
“The way he was playing at a young age in an England shirt was amazing. To keep going playing at this level is testament to him really.
“To have the pleasure to take the field with him on the amount of occasions I have now is special and a memory I will look back on.
“Who knows what is going to happen in the future, but it has been a pleasure playing with Manu. He’s a great bloke on and off the field.”
Lawrence missed the opening two rounds with a hip injury and the current Gallagher Premiership player of the season has grown in influence since making his comeback in a dispiriting defeat by Scotland.
Now 24 caps into his international career, he is proving that his marauding club form translates to the highest level.
“Test rugby is very different to Premiership rugby in a lot of aspects. You get fewer opportunities and have to be more decisive with them. That was one thing I was focussed on this Six Nations,” he said.
“Coming out of the injury, I didn’t want to use that as an excuse, I just wanted to get in there and offer my bit to the team.
“I’ve managed to progress my game to a level where I am confident I can keep pushing to see where I can take it.”
England finished only third in the table but having inflicted Ireland’s solitary defeat and dazzled against France, who triumphed through a final-minute Thomas Ramos penalty, clear progress was made.
“It was a massive step forward for us as a team. Throughout this tournament we’ve progressed nicely. It was unfortunate that we didn’t get over the line,” Lawrence said.
“We fell short and that’s definitely something we’ll keep working on, but it’s really exciting being part of this group. We don’t know where we can take it as a team and that’s the exciting part.”
Crambo is likely to seek redemption in the Jrl Group Liverpool Hurdle after his disappointing display in the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.
The seven-year-old headed to Festival as Britain’s leading hope in the day three feature, having downed Paisley Park for Grade One honours prior to Christmas in the Long Walk Hurdle.
He was sent off at 7-1 in the hands of Jonathan Burke and having not hurdled at his most fluent as the race began to develop, trailed home some 15 lengths adrift of race winner Teahupoo in ninth.
Full of confidence prior to the race, O’Brien has been left scratching his head after the event and is now poised to give Crambo all the necessary post-race assessments before he attempts to get back on track on Merseyside on Grand National Day.
O’Brien said: “We had no excuses really and Johnny said he felt great for the first half of the race and then just down the back for the second time he just felt like he just came back underneath him a little bit.
“We can’t really find out why, so we will run some tests on him and see where we are. I was delighted with him going into the race, so it will be a bit of a headscratcher, but we’ll keep trying.
“He’ll go to Aintree.”
BB Coke High school, led by national players Nassandra Miller and Yiana Wilson, won the 2024 Rugby League Jamaica Girls 13-a-side Championship on Wednesday at The Cedar Grove Academy. Playing in a round robin format, the St Elizabeth school secured wins over Norman Manley High and The Cedar Grove Academy to secure the coveted title.
The champions defeated Norman Manley 16-10 in their first game, with tries from Miller, Wilson, Talesha Russell, and Rickayla Rochester. For Norman Manley, tries came from national player Yashemer Briggs and Doniehsa Clarke, with Brittany Briggs kicking a goal. BB Coke then dominated Cedar Grove 18-0 in their second match. Rochester led with 6 points from a try and goal, whilst Russell, Miller, and Tanya Mckence each bagged a try. Norman Manley finished second with a 14-8 win over Cedar Grove. Their tries from Shereece Jemison (2) and Yashemer, whilst Brittany kicked a goal. Cedar Grove’s two tries came from Evanne Parchment and Zade Harris.
Winning coach Kamar Findlay is ecstatic for the win, “It’s a morale booster and we are excited! The entire team fired on all cylinders and it a big moment for girls’ rugby league with all teams fielding 13 players, it shows the growth of the program in the institutions.”
Meanwhile, in boys’ quarterfinals U16 action, Calabar High defeated St Georges College 18-4 to progress to the final.
For the winners, Chadwick Brown, Timari Johnson, and Jahzeel Francis each scored a try, whilst Shamar Walker kicked two goals. Meanwhile, for St Georges, Allando Williams replied with a try.
Kingston College had a bye in the quarterfinals and will face Calabar, whilst Cedar Grove progressed after Kingston High failed to show. Cedar Grove awaits next Thursday’s final quarterfinals when Campion College hosts BB Coke. The Semis will be contested on April 12 and the finals on April 18, venues to be announced.
In U14 action, Calabar overpowered Cedar Grove 26-4 and drew 10-10 with BB Coke. In their second match, BB Coke also dominated Cedar Grove 28-8. The schools face off again in round two on Friday April 12, before the top two meet in the finals on April 18.
The 2024 Guinness Six Nations Championship was ultimately decided by events on the opening night when Ireland beat France in Marseille.
Although the Irish subsequently lost to England at Twickenham, they still successfully defended their title by a margin of five points from runners-up France, while Wales hit rock bottom with a wooden spoon.
Here, the PA news agency looks at five things that were learnt from the tournament.
Ireland back on track after World Cup woe
Ireland emphatically bounced back from familiar Rugby World Cup quarter-final disappointment to underline their status as the northern hemisphere’s top Test side by clinching a second successive championship title.
A record win away to France set the tone for another dominant campaign, with only the finest performance of Steve Borthwick’s reign as England boss – and a last-gasp drop goal – scuppering the pursuit of back-to-back Grand Slams.
Ireland will now turn their attention to backing up widespread claims of being the world’s best. A tantalising two-Test summer series against world champions South Africa should settle that debate. Mouthwatering autumn matches against New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji and Australia will follow before head coach Andy Farrell temporarily departs his role to take charge of the British and Irish Lions.
England find their mojo
Finishing third at the 2023 World Cup was a significant achievement, but Steve Borthwick’s reign has really been given lift-off by the last two rounds of the Six Nations.
Toppling defending champions Ireland was their greatest win of the last four years, and it was in the result only that they failed to back it up against France, losing to a Thomas Ramos penalty with seconds left.
England have their mojo back, emboldened by a new-found appetite for attack, and they can look ahead to their summer tour to Japan and New Zealand with genuine excitement. Given how grim it looked when they were beaten by Scotland at Murrayfield on February 24, it is a remarkable turnaround.
Warren Gatland’s Wales in freefall
Wales have gone from World Cup quarter-finalists to finishing bottom of the Six Nations in just five months as they suffered the ignominy of a first wooden spoon since 2003.
Head coach Warren Gatland said that he offered his resignation – which Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Abi Tierney rejected – immediately after a demoralising home defeat against Italy. It was Wales’ fifth successive loss of a tournament when they ultimately propped up the table by seven points.
Gatland’s post-World Cup rebuilding job is an extensive one, and while there was promise provided by newcomers like Cameron Winnett and Alex Mann, Wales ultimately could not overcome the absence of such key performers as Dan Biggar, Liam Williams, Louis Rees-Zammit, Jac Morgan and Taulupe Faletau. George North has now followed Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny into Test retirement, and Wales’ next game is against world champions South Africa. A long and painful road lies ahead.
A familiar story for Scotland
It was a missed opportunity for Scotland to post their best finish of the Six Nations era after somehow managing to end up with just two wins from five despite being well in contention in each of their matches – and establishing commanding positions in four of them.
Concentration issues proved costly in narrow defeats by France, Italy and Ireland, while they were fortunate not to pay the penalty for an alarming second-half collapse in the opening match against Wales.
Gregor Townsend’s side had chances to put the French away, before being left to rue the officials’ controversial decision not to award them a late match-winning try; they had victory firmly within their grasp in Rome before losing their way badly in the second half; and then in Dublin, a poorly executed lineout in front of their own line ultimately undermined a spirited away performance. Scotland must find a way to cut out the flakiness that continues to hold them back from being considered a truly top-class side.
Italy deserve the highest acclaim
While Ireland were once again crowned kings of the Six Nations, a strong case could also be argued for Italy as team of the tournament.
They might have finished only fifth, but their level of improvement under new head coach Gonzalo Quesada was something to behold. Italy had collected the wooden spoon for eight successive seasons, yet this time around there was a quality, purpose, direction and dynamism about their rugby that underpinned victories over Scotland and Wales, an away draw against France and narrow loss to England.
Michele Lamaro was an an inspired captain, the centre pairing of Juan Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello proved on a par with any midfield partnership in the competition, newcomer Louis Lynagh looked a Test natural, Paolo Garbisi ran things impressively from fly-half and there was so much better tactical appreciation and execution from Italy than for several seasons. They were a joy to watch.
Warren Gatland faces the biggest challenge of his coaching career after Wales’ alarming demise was confirmed by a first Six Nations wooden spoon for 21 years.
Wales finished seven points adrift of fifth-placed Italy following the Azzurri’s 24-21 victory in Cardiff, which was their 14th defeat in the last 16 Six Nations games.
They have lost seven successive matches in the tournament at home, and Gatland has a miserable 10 per cent Six Nations win-ratio since he returned for a second stint as head coach.
During his trophy-laden first spell in the job between 2008 and 2019, Wales won Six Nations titles, Grand Slams, reached two World Cup semi-finals and were briefly the world’s number one-ranked team.
There are significant mitigating factors behind Wales’ slump, including Dan Biggar, Leigh Halfpenny and now George North retiring from Test rugby, Jac Morgan, Taulupe Faletau and Dewi Lake all recovering from long-term injuries, Louis Rees-Zammit quitting rugby union to pursue a possible American football career and Liam Williams playing club rugby in Japan.
But much of their performance against Italy was scarred by schoolboy errors and a chronic lack of composure. In truth, Italy were at least 20 points better.
Wales’ post-World Cup rebuild has witnessed some green shoots, notably the arrival of newcomers like full-back Cameron Winnett and flanker Alex Mann, while they threatened an unlikely comeback win against Scotland, ran England close and were competitive for an hour before subsiding to France.
The Italy performance, though, illustrated how big Gatland’s task is. Wales’ next game is against world champions South Africa in June, followed by a two-Test tour of Australia.
Asked if he was confident of turning things around, Gatland said: “Absolutely. I’ve never shied away from that.
“We have had glimpses where we have been really good in this tournament. We need to do that for longer periods.
“We need to start better in games and make sure we are more accurate.
“Probably the amount of turnovers in those games have allowed opposition teams some easy outs where they haven’t had to play too much rugby and have waited and relied on us shooting ourselves in the foot with some mistakes.
“We just need to win, don’t we. We need to get some confidence and self-belief, whether that is first of all at the national level, but also at regional level.
“When you start winning and get confidence, it makes a huge amount of difference.
“I know that the regions and (Welsh Rugby) Union are talking collectively and trying to put strategies in place for the future. That will make a huge difference to everyone.”
Gatland said he had offered his resignation – which was rejected – to WRU chief executive Abi Tierney immediately after the Italy game.
The painful Six Nations review process will now take centre-stage, in addition to starting preparations for some demanding assignments against heavyweight southern hemisphere opposition.
Gatland added: “There is planning to be done over the next few weeks, in terms of the summer tour and making sure as a coaching group we are visible in the regions as well.
“I can promise you we will go away and review this really carefully. We have already done some review stuff, and we will work on areas that need to improve.
“I think collectively we have all got a lot of work to do to make sure we can continue to improve the state of Welsh rugby.”
An eventful Guinness Six Nations has seen a crop of emerging talent announce their arrival on the Test stage.
Here the PA news agency picks five players who enjoyed a breakthrough tournament.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, England, wing, 21
It is indication of Feyi-Waboso’s impact in only three caps that he was missed when ruled out against France because of concussion.
A genuine X-factor player with pace and power who had Twickenham on their feet for the visit of Ireland in round four.
Joe McCarthy, Ireland, second row, 22
McCarthy’s coming of age display against France on the opening weekend went unmatched in the rest of the Six Nations but his status as a second row enforcer was already assured.
Bristles with aggression on both sides of the ball.
Cameron Winnett, Wales, full-back, 21
One of the slightest players on the international stage but Winnett’s speed, footwork and handling have proved a handful for opponents.
Not bad for a player with just 15 professional appearances for Cardiff to his name before the tournament began.
Tommaso Menoncello, Italy, centre, 21
Menoncello’s international appearances before this Six Nations lacked consistency but he is now becoming the force his talent suggested was possible.
Powerful and direct, has has the physicality to make an impact in attack and defence.
Nolann Le Garrec, France, scrum-half, 21
An outrageous 35-metre reverse pass headlined a man of the match display against Wales that was also his first start.
Faced with the impossible task of replacing Antoine Dupont, Le Garrec has showed there may be life outside the France superstar after all.
Gregor Townsend insisted Scotland have proved they are capable of being genuine Guinness Six Nations title contenders as he reflected on what might have been following a frustrating bottom half finish.
The Scots showed plenty of promise during an inconsistent campaign but slipped to fourth place in the final standings after being denied a first Triple Crown in 34 years by Saturday’s 17-13 loss to champions Ireland.
Defeat in Dublin was a third from five championship fixtures following a controversial round-two reverse to France and last weekend’s shock loss away to Italy.
Head coach Townsend, who faced questions about his future after a chastening experience in Rome, is adamant his side are making progress.
“We were in contention over the last couple of weeks, which hasn’t been the case before in championships,” said the 50-year-old, who masterminded wins over Wales and England.
“We would have been more in contention if we’d been awarded that try against France, so I think the evidence is there.
“We’re still searching, like any team, to back up performances.
“It is difficult during the Six Nations, every team has found that. And in particular this Six Nations with the competition and the quality of the teams we were up against, if you don’t get your performance spot on then you’re going to be really challenged to win that game.
“We have to be at our very best every time we play.”
Scotland have not won the championship since winning the final Five Nations in 1999.
Huw Jones’ late try offered hope of ending on a high but it proved to be a consolation as Ireland held on to retain their crown.
Co-captain Finn Russell, who kicked eight points at the Aviva Stadium, spoke of mental frailties undermining his country’s development following the largely positive performance.
While head coach Townsend hailed Scotland’s tenacious defensive display as their best in years, he concurred with the assessment of his influential fly-half.
“Yeah, I agree with him, it happens in every sport,” he said.
“The mental side is the same as the strategy, the same as the skill side, the physical side.
“Teams will have moments that go against them – every team in this championship will have had it – and it could be focus, it could be how quickly you reset.
“We’ve had chances to win all our games. The three games we lost were all within a score – that’s even more disappointing for us.
“We felt we should have won against France. We underperformed against Italy but we performed well (against Ireland) and we performed well in the two victories.
“Two wins is not what we set out to do or what we believe this team are capable of achieving.”
Andy Farrell believes falling short of back-to-back Grand Slams will be the “best thing” for the development of his triumphant Ireland squad after masterminding another title success.
Farrell’s men retained the Guinness Six Nations trophy on Saturday by beating Scotland 17-13 in Dublin to bounce back from having their 100 per cent record extinguished in agonising fashion against England.
Ireland’s current crop of stars are largely unfamiliar with losing thanks to a remarkable run of 33 wins from 37 Tests during the past three years.
Head coach Farrell feels last weekend’s 23-22 Twickenham defeat will ultimately prevent complacency creeping in moving towards a two-match summer series against world champions South Africa and autumn appointments with New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji and Australia.
“It was a fantastic campaign for this group and we’re continuing on from where we left off and trying to improve as a group,” he said.
“But we all know things change year on year as far as personnel’s concerned and injuries and whatnot, staff leaving, staff coming in, new staff.
“I reckon the loss last week will be the best thing for us as a group because some of these lads, subconsciously now, not through their own doing, they’ve been used to winning.
“For some of the lads who are not used to losing at all, they get to point where they’re turning up for games actually thinking, ‘we’re doing it’.
“You’re never, ‘doing it’. You’re never doing it in the Six Nations because things changes week to week and that Test match last week was a proper Test match in Twickenham.
“We’ll learn the lessons from that and that will be powerful for us going forward like this one (against Scotland) was.”
Tries from Dan Sheehan and Andrew Porter, plus seven points from Jack Crowley, put Ireland on course for championship glory at the Aviva Stadium before Huw Jones’ late consolation set up a nervy finale.
Farrell, who will miss next year’s Six Nations campaign as he takes a break to lead the British and Irish Lions’ 2025 tour of Australia, is “unbelievably proud” of his players’ achievements.
“I’ve no doubt that Scotland will be proud of their performance but ultimately we’re delighted,” he said.
“It’s about winning championships for us and that’s unbelievably pleasing because it’s so hard to do.
“Everyone constantly talks about Grand Slams and we get carried away with it so much, back-to-back Grand Slams have never been done before, there’s obviously a good reason for that.
“But for us to be in a position to win back-to-back Six Nations is a nice feeling because it goes down in history for Irish rugby. We’re unbelievably proud of the group.”
Farrell may have to appoint a new captain when his squad reconvene to face the Springboks in July as current skipper Peter O’Mahony contemplates international retirement.
The Englishman is set for imminent talks with the veteran Munster flanker.
Asked if he will try to convince O’Mahony to continue, Farrell replied: “Whatever its right for him.
“I’ve been an unbelievably big fan of Pete all his career and we’ve a close enough relationship to be honest with one another.
“We’ve been talking about his career, certainly over when it’s getting to the end, for the last year. We’re realists as far as that’s concerned.
“I’ve no doubt we’ll chew the fat on all that over the coming days.”
Ireland became the first team since England in 2017 to win successive Guinness Six Nations titles as they dominated this season’s competition.
Although back-to-back Grand Slams eluded them following defeat against England at Twickenham, Ireland ended five points clear of a chasing pack led by France.
Here, the PA news agency selects its team of the tournament.
15: Hugo Keenan (Ireland)
Although the Ireland full-back missed two games because of injury, he was still a class apart in that position. A major attacking threat who also never flinched in defence.
14: Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland)
The Scotland wing claimed a stunning try hat-trick in his team’s Calcutta Cup victory over England. His five touchdowns overall left him one behind Scotland’s record Test try-scorer Stuart Hogg.
13: Juan Ignacio Brex (Italy)
Claimed successive player of the match awards in Italy’s victories over Scotland and Wales as he forged an outstanding centre pairing with Tommaso Menoncello for the resurgent Azzurri.
12: Bundee Aki (Ireland)
Another huge shift from one of Ireland’s most consistent players, who brought watertight defence and attacking power in abundance. An inspiration to those around him.
11: James Lowe (Ireland)
Arguably has the best all-round game as a wing in Britain and Ireland. An outstanding kicking game, brilliant positional work and try-scoring prowess make him the complete package. Topped the lists for most metres carried and metres gained.
10: Jack Crowley (Ireland)
It seemed that replacing retired fly-half Johnny Sexton would be Ireland’s biggest challenge this season, but 24-year-old Crowley stepped up in magnificent fashion, barely putting a foot wrong.
9: Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
There is an effortless ease and quality about everything Ireland’s immaculate scrum-half does. He dictates the tempo, drives the forwards relentlessly and was once again hugely influential.
1: Andrew Porter (Ireland)
The tough-as-teak loosehead prop provided a strong scrummaging foundation, while his work around the pitch was of its usual high standard. Scored a try in title-clinching victory over Scotland.
2: Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
Ireland’s livewire hooker maintained top-end performance levels that have become his trademark. Scored five tries to finish as the tournament’s equal top try-scorer with Van der Merwe.
3: Uini Atonio (France)
It proved to be an erratic Six Nations campaign for France, which included a thrilling victory over England and home draw against Italy, but juggernaut prop Atonio made a consistent impact at scrum-time.
4: Maro Itoje (England)
Showcased all the experience gained from more than 80 England caps. The Saracens lock soared to exceptional heights during a memorable win against Ireland, and there are few who can match him when he is on his game.
5: Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
The beating heart of Ireland’s pack, he was again to the fore in every aspect. A world-class forward with set-piece mastery, his work in disrupting opposition lineouts proved particularly impressive.
6: Caelan Doris (Ireland)
Has a commanding on-pitch presence as a natural leader in everything he does. A model of consistency, he is emerging as a major contender to captain the British and Irish Lions in Australia next year.
7: Tommy Reffell (Wales)
It was a Six Nations to forget for Wales, but their openside flanker provided some rare highlights. He was king of the breakdown, claiming 11 turnovers and equalling the tournament record.
8: Ben Earl (England)
Barely put a foot wrong. His 73 carries saw him top that category by a distance, and his standards never dropped. Made an extremely strong case to be named player of the tournament.
Roman Josi scored twice in the third period and Juuse Saros stopped 23 shots as the Nashville Predators extended their point streak to 14 games with a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
Filip Forsberg had a goal and an assist and Tommy Novak also scored for the Predators, who have gone 12-0-2 since their last regulation loss to Dallas on Feb. 15 to tighten their grip on the top wild card in the Western Conference.
The 14-game streak is tied for the second-longest in franchise history, matching a 14-game run during the 2015-16 season. Nashville earned points in 15 straight in the 2017-18 season, a stretch during which it went 14-0-1.
Andre Burakovsky had the lone goal for Seattle, which dropped its fourth straight (0-3-1) to fall further back in the playoff race.
Streaking Avs top Oilers in OT
Artturi Lehkonen scored with one second left in overtime and the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 for their sixth straight victory.
Defenseman Sean Walker scored the other two goals to help the Avalanche improve to 10-2-1 in their last 13 games. They kept pace with Dallas, each with 91 points, to remain tied for the Central Division lead.
Nathan MacKinnon assisted on the winning goal to extend his point streak to 15 games. MacKinnon, who has 10 goals and 21 assists during his run, leads the NHL with 116 points.
Sam Carrick and Warren Foegele scored for the Oilers, who have points in nine of their last 10 contests (7-1-2).
Connor McDavid was held without a point to end his home point streak at 26 games.
Panarin stars in Rangers’ win
Artemi Panarin scored twice and added three assists to lead the New York Rangers to a 7-4 win over the sliding Pittsburgh Penguins.
Chris Kreider and K’Andre Miller each had a goal and two assists for the Rangers, who have won four of five to remain four points ahead of Carolina in the race for the Metropolitan Division title.
Panarin has seven goals and 14 assists in his last 14 games. He has 93 points on the season to become the first player in the franchise’s 97-year history with at least 90 points in three consecutive seasons.
Lars Eller and Bryan Rust had a goal and an assist apiece as the Penguins lost for the eighth time in 10 games and dropped seven points behind the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Stephen Curry scored 31 points in his return and the Golden State Warriors overcame LeBron James’ 40 points and 13 rebounds in a 128-121 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
Curry was 12 of 24 from the field and had six rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes after missing three games due to a sprained right ankle.
Klay Thompson scored 26 points, Jonathan Kuminga had 23 and Draymond Green added six points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists after he missed the last game due to back soreness.
D’Angelo Russell tallied 23 points and 13 assists for the Lakers, who played the final three quarters without Anthony Davis, who suffered an eye injury.
Golden State inched ahead of Los Angeles by a percentage point into ninth place in the West after winning a game that dragged to the finish because of a pair of replay reviews and a malfunctioning clock.
Brunson’s big game lifts Knicks
Jalen Brunson scored 42 points for his second straight 40-plus effort and the New York Knicks pulled out a 98-91 win over the Sacramento Kings.
Brunson, who had 45 points in Thursday’s win at Portland, registered his seventh 40-point game of the season. He’s the first Knicks player to reach that total in consecutive games since Carmelo Anthony on Feb. 19 and 21, 2014.
Brunson joins Hall of Famers Bernard King and Patrick Ewing as the only other Knicks to score 40 in back-to-back games.
Domantas Sabonis had 21 points and 14 rebounds for his 49th straight double-double but Sacramento lost for the second time in six games.
Streaking Rockets down Cavaliers
Jalen Green had 26 points and 11 rebounds and Jabari Smith Jr. added 20 points to lead the Houston Rockets to their fifth straight win, 117-103 over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Amen Thompson scored 18 points and Fred VanVleet contributed 13 points and 16 assists for the Rockets, who have won seven of eight to stay in contention for a play-in spot in the Western Conference.
Caris LeVert scored 21 points and Donovan Mitchell added 13 in his second game back from a seven-game absence. Mitchell appeared to sustain a bloody nose in the second half and sat for much of the fourth quarter.
The Cavs dropped their third in four games and fell one game behind Milwaukee for second place in the Eastern Conference.
Carlos Alcaraz ended Jannik Sinner’s winning run as he claimed a place in the BNP Paribas Open final 1-6 6-3 6-2.
Australian Open champion Sinner had won 16 straight matches to begin the year – and 19 in all stretching back to last season – but the number three seed had no answer to the Spaniard after winning the first set.
Defending Indian Wells champion Alcaraz was broken twice after a three-hour rain delay as Sinner raced to a 6-1 first set victory.
But having faced deuce on his opening service game of the second set, the Spaniard grabbed the initiative with an early break.
He saved break points in successive games and served out to level the match.
Alcaraz, who would have surrendered the world number two spot to Sinner with a defeat, again broke early in the deciding set.
He dropped just three points on his serve, rattling off five straight games to lead 5-1, clinching victory on his third match point in just over two hours.
“I stayed strong mentally,” said Alcaraz. “I think that’s a really important part in this game. You have to be strong mentally if you want to overcome these kind of matches, a set down against someone that’s playing an unbelievable game.
“I changed my style a little bit, I changed my game a little bit and I think it worked very well. I’m really happy to beat Jannik and be in the final again.”
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