Dan Biggar said Wales paid a high price for falling short at key moments after failing to halt mighty France in Cardiff.
A Six Nations Grand Slam is now within touching distance for Les Bleus after they overcame last year's champions 13-9 at the Principality Stadium, making it four wins from four.
Wales fought hard but rarely threatened a try, Jonathan Davies dropping the ball on the one occasion they looked like perhaps going over.
There was plenty to admire about the Welsh display, but Anthony Jelonch's early try was ultimately the difference between the sides.
In terms of metres carried, Wales edged France 353 to 284, and they were 156-96 ahead on the passes count, but France's defence was outstanding, and the hosts made too many errors.
Home captain Biggar told BBC One the outcome was "ultimately very, very disappointing".
He added: "This week I thought we were the better team for large periods of the game, and one or two big moments is what big Test matches hinge on, and we didn't quite nail those moments, and we paid the price.
"I'm so proud of the lads in terms of how well they stuck to it against probably the form team in world rugby at the minute, so we're really, really pleased with the effort.
"That's a bit more like us in terms of the attitude and probably something we didn't quite show in the first half against England and Ireland."
Wales have now lost three of their four games and wrap up their campaign against Italy next week, when they should get a second win of their campaign.
Biggar said the positivity behind his team's display made him "really, really pleased".
"But ultimately when you play against big teams and good teams in tight Test matches, one or two moments decide it," he said, "and we didn't quite come on the right side of them."
Emma Raducanu landed her first Indian Wells victory as the US Open champion said Andy Murray inspired her to see off Caroline Garcia.
There was a certain irony about that, given Garcia is the player Murray famously once tipped to become a world number one.
But seeing fellow Briton Murray battle past Taro Daniel prior to her own match fuelled Raducanu for her opening test at the WTA Indian Wells Open.
While it was not always comfortable for the 11th seed, Raducanu recovered from a shaky second set to win 6-1 3-6 6-1 against her French opponent.
Murray's pronouncement about Garcia's prospects came on Twitter in 2011 as he watched the then little-known player take on Maria Sharapova in the French Open.
Garcia reached as high as number four in 2018, and it is now Raducanu who looks the likelier future number one, having landed a breakthrough grand slam against all the odds in New York last year.
Raducanu was beaten on her Indian Wells debut by Aliaksandra Sasnovich last October, so to land a first win came as a relief.
She said in an on-court interview: "It's amazing to be back and I'm so happy to have got my first win in the desert here. I hope to come back for many more years.
"I thought the level of tennis was pretty high today, and it means a lot to have come through that because it could have gone either way."
Raducanu said Garcia "climbed on top" of her game in the second set, but, like Murray earlier, she kept enough back for a decider.
Speaking to Amazon Prime, she revealed how seeing Murray show his battling qualities against Daniel reminded her of what it takes in trying circumstances.
"I was watching pretty much the whole match until I had to go warm up," Raducanu said. "He was down, and it was a really tough one. To see him, I kind of wanted to follow him and learn from him and he kind of inspired me to dig in today when it got tough."
She added: "To get this win after a stop-start year that I've had at the beginning, it means a lot. I'm just really happy to have given myself another opportunity.
"For sure it's difficult after dropping a set. I knew I'd slipped up, and I'd missed too many first serves, and I was just thinking... 'Just think how bad you're gonna feel after the match if you let this one go'."
France lock Paul Willemse said the 13-9 win at Wales' Principality Stadium was the hard-fought slog that Les Bleus always expected.
The contest featured only three points in the second half, and a scoreless last half-hour after Melvin Jaminet's penalty in the 46th minute gave France their eventual winning margin.
The win moved France further clear atop the Six Nations standings, sporting a near two-to-one points ratio after scoring 116 and conceding 60 in the first four fixtures.
They have a 100 per cent record through four games, with a possible Grand Slam looming ahead of England's visit to the Stade de France next week.
Speaking to BBC One post-match, Willemse said: "We prepared during the week knowing this was going to be one of the toughest games in the season.
"We're really happy with the result even though it wasn't a clean match, but it's expected against a team like Wales.
"[We have to work on] the basic stuff. Discipline, being more secure getting out of our half, because they kept us in there for a long time.
"Definitely a lot of things to work on next week, and for sure we'll be doing that."
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While he acknowledged some of his side's shortcomings, the big Frenchman was full of praise for their character and chemistry.
"You see it on the field, you see it during the week's training, you see it after the games," Willemse said.
"This is a really amazing and incredible team to be a part of, and I'm really grateful to be a part of it because I think we can do big things."
France last completed a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2010, also the year of their last title in the competition.
The pre-tournament favourites are living up to their billing so far this year, and team manager Raphael Ibanez highlighted the rugged nature of the Wales clash, pinning the win on his side’s defensive efforts.
"I think it was a very tense game – it was a fierce battle, with many mistakes of course," Ibanez told BBC One.
"We were under pressure, especially in the second half. Wales had a great kicking game, but winning that game, it's a great opportunity for next week.
"Sometimes at the international stage you can't play fantastic rugby every weekend, you just have to be smart in the right areas, making sure your set-piece is working well and your discipline as well.
"I think our defence was outstanding, and that's what won us the game."
Deshaun Watson was not charged by a grand jury after it considered evidence of sexual assault and misconduct allegations on Friday.
The Houston Texans quarterback faces 22 civil lawsuits, but jurors did not find enough evidence for criminal proceedings.
Watson had strenuously denied the accusations since they emerged last year, overshadowing talk of a trade away from the Texans.
The 26-year-old did not play a single game in 2021, having led the NFL in passing yards in 2020.
"After a Harris County grand jury was presented all the evidence and had the opportunity to hear from all witnesses, grand jurors declined to indict Deshaun Watson," Dane Schiller, spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney's Office, said in a statement released to Stats Perform.
"Grand jury proceedings are secret by law, so no information related to their inquiry may be disclosed."
A widely released statement from Rusty Hardin, Watson's attorney, said: "We are delighted that the grand jury has looked at the matter thoroughly and reached the same conclusion we did.
"Deshaun Watson did not commit any crimes and is not guilty of any offences.
"Now that the criminal investigations have been completed, we are happy to move forward with the civil case depositions. We will vigorously defend those cases with every ounce we have."
Watson has been the subject of an investigation from the NFL, and the league said: "We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review of the personal conduct policy."
Andy Murray chalked up a 700th career win with a typically gutsy performance to see off Taro Daniel in round one of the Indian Wells Masters.
Murray, 34, began slowly but ground out a 1-6 6-2 6-4 win over a player he has faced three times in the early stages of this season.
The former rankings leader has bounced back into the ATP top 100 after career-threatening injury woes and is looking to push on from number 88, his current position.
He will play 31st seed Alexander Bublik next.
Murray was delighted to reach the 700-win mark, telling Amazon Prime: "It means a lot. It's a target I set myself towards the end of last year. With everything that's gone on in the last few years, it's not been easy to get there.
"It's a great achievement; not loads of guys have been able to do that, so I'm really happy about it."
The three-time grand slam winner becomes the fourth active men's player to reach 700 wins, after Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Murray was beaten by Daniel in the second round of the Australian Open before avenging that in the Qatar Open.
The Scot has 14 titles to his name from Masters 1000 events but surprisingly has never triumphed at Indian Wells, and he was given a thorough workout by qualifier Daniel.
Daniel dashed into a 5-1 lead, striking the ball more cleanly and moving better than Murray, who has recently agreed to bring Ivan Lendl on to his team for a third time.
The Japanese star had no trouble seeing out that opening set, but the second was dominated by Murray.
Daniel then won the opening eight points of the decider to surge 2-0 ahead, but Murray broke back in the sixth game. Murray saved break point at 4-4 and made Daniel serve to stay in the contest. That proved beyond the 29-year-old, with Murray carving out three break points and taking the third of those when Daniel sent a forehand long.
Murray said he took pride from the match because he "figured it out" after being outplayed early on.
He said Lendl had wished him luck before going on court, with the pair to begin working together after Murray plays the next event in Miami.
France will go for Grand Slam glory next week after resisting a determined effort from Wales to snatch a huge 13-9 win in Cardiff.
Coach Fabien Galthie's team were pushed hard by last season's Six Nations champions, and it was their tenacity more than their flowing rugby that secured the French victory.
The only try of the contest came from Anthony Jelonch in the first half, with Wales unable to breach their opponents' line.
It means France will welcome England to the Stade de France in eight days' time for 'Le Crunch', with a first Grand Slam since 2010 in their sights.
France snatched a third-minute lead through Melvyn Jaminet's penalty after an infringement by Josh Navidi, but Wales were swiftly back on terms when captain Dan Biggar drilled a confident reply.
Jelonch's second international try arrived in the ninth minute as France's snappy running rugby brought early reward, with the flanker the man to dash in on the left wing.
Jaminet booted the extras, and Wales, who lost Tomos Williams to an early injury, struggled to contain the blue shirts for a spell, until a Biggar penalty closed the gap.
With 10 wins in their last 11 Six Nations games at the Principality Stadium, Wales were not giving this up early and began to impose pressure on the French try-line.
The hosts lost Gareth Thomas to a head blow and were twice penalised after getting close to the French posts.
But Wales' luck changed with the award of a penalty in front, which Biggar drove through the uprights to snip France's lead to one point at the break.
Jaminet nudged France into a four-point lead once more with another penalty, but the game remained in the balance, the vaunted visitors struggling to put it away.
Jonathan Davies fumbled as Wales looked to go for the line down the left, but still the home side kept pressing.
Jaminet missed a late chance to boost France's lead when his long-range kick drifted wide, but Wales could not take advantage of that let-off.
The Chicago Cubs have re-signed manager and former World Series hero David Ross for at least two more seasons after two relatively positive campaigns under his watch.
Ross, who guided the Cubs to a division win with a 34-26 record in the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season, had different expectations this past season after the organisation opted to trade star players Kris Bryant, Javi Baez and Anthony Rizzo with an eye towards the future.
With a slew of young prospects, and plenty to prove, bookmakers have the Cubs at 100-1 to win the next World Series, indicating that Ross' extension will hopefully provide stability and a consistent voice throughout this rebuild.
The two-year extension through 2024 also includes a third-year team option, which means the organisation can tack on an extra year if things are trending in the right direction.
Ross finished his playing career with the Cubs, hitting a home run in game seven of the 2016 World Series to help break a 108-year championship drought for the franchise.
The Players Championship could drag into Tuesday due to bad weather at TPC Sawgrass, tournament chief referee Gary Young has said.
Five hours of play was lost on day one on Thursday and the 49th edition of the competition in Florida was further disrupted on Friday.
Play was initially suspended at 11:15 local time before round one could be completed, with confirmation following that it would not resume until at least 11:00 on Saturday.
A Monday finish now seems a likely outcome, though the event may yet stretch into a sixth day.
"The potential is there. The potential, but let's hope not," Young said at a news conference.
"I think everything that we're looking at, we feel very confident that we can finish this tournament by Monday."
More thunderstorms, rain and strong wind is forecast for Saturday, forcing tournament officials to put contingency plans in place.
"We're going to make some adjustments to prepare for that overnight," Young added.
"The superintendent and his crew are going to need proper time to pick up debris, get the golf course back in condition. So there's a lot of variables involved.
"I'm talking a little bit about scenarios down the road, but I want to be careful about too many expectations.
"It is highly, highly unusual to have this [weather] pattern for this prolonged period at this time of the year, looking back at the historical data on it. It's just bad luck."
Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge lead at six under par after finishing their rounds as scheduled on Thursday.
Brice Garnett also reached six under with five holes to complete once play resumes.
The likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson are among those yet to complete their first rounds.
McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo has tested positive for COVID-19, in a blow to his preparations for the first grand prix of the Formula One season.
The team expect the 32-year-old Australian to be out of isolation in time to compete at the Bahrain Grand Prix, with the race scheduled for Sunday, March 20.
The news still comes at an unfortunate time for McLaren, who are looking to build upon their fourth-place finish in last year's constructors' championship.
Ricciardo's positive test was confirmed on Friday's second day of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.
"McLaren Racing can confirm that after feeling unwell from Wednesday onwards in Bahrain, Daniel Ricciardo has now returned a positive PCR test for COVID-19," a team statement read.
"Daniel is therefore continuing to isolate in accordance with local regulations.
"Under these regulations Daniel will be released in time for next weekend's Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Daniel is already beginning to feel better, and we wish him well for a quick recovery.
"Following this, we can confirm that Lando Norris will remain in the MCL36 for the final day of the official pre-season test in Bahrain tomorrow."
Ricciardo said on Twitter that he was already "starting to feel better".
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner labelled Mercedes' new car as "extreme" but insisted it "ticks all the boxes" as a legal design.
Mercedes unveiled their W13 car on the first day of the pre-season testing session in Bahrain, with their new design featuring minimalistic vertical sidepods on either side of the cockpit.
Horner, who regularly battled with the world champions last season, reportedly told German outlet Auto Motor und Sport that the car was "not legal", but he has since clarified his comments.
"I think comments have been quoted that certainly weren't made," Horner said at Friday's news conference. "The car is obviously innovative, it's an interesting solution.
"As far as we're concerned it looks like the Mercedes car complies with the regulations. It's just a different interpretation, a different solution."
Horner was also quoted as suggesting the 'no side pod car' breached the spirit of Formula One rules, but the 48-year-old believes his words were misconstrued once more.
"There's not really anything that defines the spirit of the regulations, it either complies or it doesn't," he added.
"That's not really for us to judge, the FIA have the access to all of the drawings for a design like that which would have been submitted in advance. It's an interesting concept, it's a radical concept."
While impressed with the concept, Horner wants to wait and see whether it aids Mercedes on the track.
"Is it quick or not? Only time will tell. It's impossible to draw any conclusions other than it looks very different," he continued.
"Visually it is quite a departure from the concepts that certainly we've taken and a few others have taken.
"That's not to say it's naturally better or worse, it's just a different interpretation and compromises have been made with their layout to accommodate that."
Mercedes will look to defend their title at the start of the new campaign, which gets underway in Bahrain on March 20, but Horner believes Ferrari will be the team to beat in 2022.
"For me, the car that looks most settled on the circuit is the Ferrari," Horner said.
"I think they've had a very strong testing period so far, both in Barcelona and in Bahrain. They've looked extremely competitive whenever on track.
"But you have to remember these cars are still very immature, the rate of development will be very fast and intense. Mercedes are going to be a huge factor in this championship, I have no doubt."
Novak Djokovic is set to appear at next month's Monte Carlo Masters after his vaccination status left him unable to compete at Indian Wells.
The world number two has been forced to sit out the first Masters event of the year after not meeting the vaccination requirements to enter the United States, having been deported from Australia ahead of January's Australian Open for similar reasons.
Now, a post on the 20-time grand slam champion's official website suggests he will appear on the clay surface in Monaco, where the 34-year-old resides.
Monaco currently allows those who have recovered from COVID-19 in the previous six months to enter the city-state, with Djokovic claiming to have suffered from the virus in December.
"Novak will open his 2022 clay court season in Monte-Carlo, where he won the Masters 1000 title twice, in 2013 and 2015," the post reads.
The tournament now looks set to be the second to feature Djokovic in 2022 after he lost at the quarter-finals stage of last month's Dubai Tennis Championships.
The Monte Carlo Masters begins on April 10, lasting until April 17, and Djokovic will be looking to make amends after exiting last year's tournament to Dan Evans in the last 16.
Rafael Nadal, who overtook Djokovic for the most men's singles grand slam titles with his January triumph in Australia, holds the record for the most successes in Monaco, winning the tournament on 11 occasions.
Meanwhile, with France having loosened its travel restrictions for unvaccinated people this month, Djokovic will now hope to use the Monaco outing as preparation for a first grand slam appearance of the year at Roland Garros.
The Serbian now looks increasingly likely to be permitted to defend his 2021 French Open title in May after travel restrictions had originally cast doubt on his participation.
England are "really optimistic" Maro Itoje will be fit for Saturday's Six Nations showdown with Ireland.
The British and Irish Lions lock has been struggling with illness ahead of the round four clash at Twickenham.
Red Rose forwards coach Matt Proudfoot provided an encouraging update on Itoje on the eve of the game.
He said: "Maro was a little sick overnight so we're just giving him an opportunity to recover, but we're really optimistic he’ll be alright."
England prop Kyle Sinckler recovered from a back injury and will start against second-placed Ireland.
"Kyle fully trained. He had a great training session and looked really good," Proudfoot said.
England and Ireland have won two and lost one of their three matches ahead of a huge encounter in London.
Proudfoot says Eddie Jones' side are in great shape as they battle to win the title.
"For us it's a great opportunity to go after them. The team has trained really, really well and every week it’s got more and more competitive," he said.
"The preparation has been great and when they walked off the field today (Friday), you could see the confidence in the eyes of the players.
"We know we've got to go after them. Ireland have been together for a big part of the year because of their large Leinster contingent, so we know they have that as an advantage, but we're eager for the opportunity.
"It tends to be the deeper you go into the Six Nations, it gets more and more intense. This is probably going to be the most intense game we've played since the Springboks."
Sara Misir, the Caribbean’s first Formula Woman finalist, earned herself a top-four spot and has made the Formula Woman team that will compete for McLaren in the GT Cup Championships for 2022.
Russell Wilson joining the Denver Broncos is exactly what the team needed, says wide receiver Courtland Sutton.
After Aaron Rodgers opted to stay with the Green Bay Packers, the Broncos – who had been seen as a possible landing spot for the back-to-back NFL MVP – instead struck a blockbuster trade deal with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Broncos, who went 7-10 in 2021, will send a package of picks including two first-round selections to Seattle along with players, with quarterback Drew Lock among those to move in the other direction.
Even with Seattle's struggles as they themselves went 7-10 last season, Wilson still ranked sixth in big plays (25+ yards) passing with 36.
He now joins an offense boasting an extremely talented receiving corps featuring Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, K.J. Hamler and Tim Patrick.
With Denver also having a competitive defense, they were seen as being an elite QB away from contending, which Sutton hopes has been addressed with nine-time Pro Bowler and former Super Bowl winner Wilson arriving.
"We're so excited," Sutton told NFL Network. "Our room, an offense, team, we've had a lot of guys come in and contribute and every step that we've had, it's been appreciated.
"But to be able to have Russ come in and, having had the success that he's had, having the knowledge that he has, for us as young guys, all the young talent that we have, that's what we need.
"We need that guy who is going come in and be who he is, what he already brings to the table. We're excited.
"It sets the tempo for our entire team – everyone understands the time we are on now."
Wilson becomes the latest top-tier quarterback in a loaded AFC West that also includes Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes, Los Angeles Chargers sensation Justin Herbert and Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Chiefs have won the division for six straight seasons while the Chargers have just traded for star pass-rusher Khalil Mack to further boost a roster which is led by the impressive Herbert.
Sutton therefore is under no illusions that success will come easily despite the arrival of Wilson.
"We haven't been able to handle the West as we should and as we would like to," he said.
"Getting Russ is definitely going to put us in that spot that we want to be in. It's on us to go out there and put that work together.
"All these things sound really good, on paper but it's on us to go put this work in, all the way from now to the beginning of the season to be able to put ourselves in that spot to be able to say we are the best in the West.
"It's not just gonna be something that's given to us because we picked up Russ. It's on us, all of us, to put that work together and take it to that next level, max out that potential."
Wilson threw for 37,059 passing yards, 292 touchdowns and 87 interceptions during his Seahawks career.
During his 10 seasons with Seattle, only three quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson (8.32), Patrick Mahomes (8.10) and Peyton Manning (7.89) averaged more pass yards per attempt than Wilson's 7.83.
He also ranked fourth in touchdown percentage (6.2) and third in passing plays of 25+ yards (323).
Eddie Hearn says "caged lion" Anthony Joshua wants to fight the likes of Deontay Wilder, Luis Ortiz or Joe Joyce before a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk outclassed Joshua last September to win the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO world heavyweight titles.
With Usyk in Ukraine to defend his country following the Russian invasion, Joshua must wait for a second fight with the 35-year-old.
Hearn, Joshua's promoter, says Joshua is eager for a big challenge before doing battle with Usyk again.
"If we can't fight him in May or early June, we would like an interim fight before we go into the Usyk fight," he told the 5 Live Boxing podcast.
"AJ's idea of an interim bout is very different to mine. An interim bout while you're waiting should be a nice little stroll in the park.
"He's messaging me saying: 'What about Wilder? What about Otto Wallin? What about Luis Ortiz? What about Joe Joyce?'
"But this is AJ all over. He's like a caged lion."
Hearn added: "The most important thing is he rematches Oleksandr Usyk. He's turned down a lot of money not to and he's not about to let that opportunity go.
"I think now's the time to have an easy touch. He doesn't. He wants to prepare. Maybe Ortiz, maybe Wilder in that southpaw gearing him up for Usyk.
"I expect if he does have an interim, knowing Anthony Joshua, it'll be a real fight."
Stephen Curry said "I'm going to enjoy it for sure" after surpassing 20,000 career NBA points in the Golden State Warriors' defeat of the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
The superstar shooter needed 28 to reach the milestone and finished with 34 in the 113-102 triumph, with 24 of those coming in a resurgent second half.
It was a textbook three-pointer from just inside the midcourt logo at the end of the third quarter that brought up the latest achievement, the shot measuring in at an impressive 33 feet.
Consequently, Curry becomes the 49th player in NBA history to rack up 20,000 points and Antawn Jamison (20,042) and Tom Chambers (20,049) are within his sights in the coming days on the all-time highest scorers list.
Curry intends to celebrate the latest impressive addition to a career resume that includes three NBA titles and two MVP accolades.
"A wise man once said 'celebrate all the little moments that happen','" Curry said.
"I've done something that only 48 other people have done at this level and that's pretty crazy. I'm going to enjoy it for sure.
"This whole year has kinda been a steady reminder of just how blessed I am to play this game at the highest level, to be healthy, still enjoy the game and still love what I do.
"I don't see that changing any time soon but also, just a reminder that all the work you put in, everybody that helped you get to this point.
"Any accomplishment that you do, whether individually or as a team, is special. You work every day to keep getting better. The longer you stay at this level good things will continue to happen.
"I've been blessed to play this game and do it with some amazing people with hopefully a lot more to come. It's pretty special for sure."
The Warriors sit fourth in the Western Conference with a 45-22 record and face defending NBA champions the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
France are rolling towards a possible Grand Slam as they arrive in Cardiff for game four in their Six Nations mission, but Fabien Galthie's team must not switch off now.
The championship may yet see a France versus England title decider at the Stade de France next weekend, but whether 'Le Crunch' proves crucial will hinge on results this time around.
A mighty Welsh effort in Cardiff could knock the French juggernaut off course, while Ireland will believe they can achieve a result at Twickenham.
Scotland and Italy, meanwhile, tussle in Rome. That was once typically a Wooden Spoon decider; this time, the Scots are heavy favourites.
Ahead of the fourth round of fixtures, Stats Perform previews each match with help from Opta.
WALES V FRANCE
FORM
Wales have lost each of their last two meetings with France in the Six Nations, after winning seven of their previous eight clashes in the championship. France's 27-23 win at the Principality Stadium two years ago was their first success in Cardiff in the competition since 2010, and France have not won back-to-back away games against Wales since reeling off four in a row from 2000 to 2006.
Wayne Pivac's Wales won at home against Scotland last month but have lost on the road to Ireland and England. The Welsh have pulled off 10 wins from their last 11 matches in Cardiff in the Six Nations, with France the only side to beat them during that sequence.
This France team are living up to their billing as pre-tournament favourites and have won their last six Test matches, their best run since also winning six on the bounce in 2006. They have not won more consecutive internationals since a run of eight in 2004, which included a victory in Cardiff.
ONES TO WATCH
Among players to hit 20 or more attacking rucks in this season's Six Nations, Wales' Ross Moriarty has the best ruck effectiveness rate, cleaning out the opposition or securing possession at 96 per cent of the attacking rucks he has hit (27 of 28). Moriarty is not a starter this week, as Pivac rings the changes, but will surely have a role to play off the bench.
France's Damian Penaud would have been a strong contender here, having beaten 10 defenders in this year's Six Nations, the joint most of any player alongside Scotland's Darcy Graham, with Penaud also achieving a championship-best tackle evasion rate of 77 per cent. Penaud is ruled out by a COVID-19 positive test, so can his fellow wings Yoram Moefana and Gabin Villiere prove as elusive?
ITALY V SCOTLAND
FORM
There was a time when Scotland dreaded facing Italy, but those days appear long gone. The Scots have won their last six matches against the Azzurri in the Six Nations, last losing at Murrayfield in 2015. Prior to this dominant era, Scotland had won nine and Italy had won seven of their first 16 clashes in the championship. The Scots have won their last four away games against Italy.
Italy's losing run in the competition has now reached a dismal 35 games, and that Murrayfield victory seven years ago was their last success. Kieran Crowley's team have failed to score a try in their last two Six Nations games, the first time this has happened for Italy since they went on a run of three games without a try in the 2009 championship.
Ali Price is set to win his 50th cap for Scotland. The Glasgow Warriors scrum-half has scored just one try in his seven appearances against Italy, although he has four try assists across his last two Tests against the Azzurri.
ONES TO WATCH
Michele Lamaro has made 59 tackles in this year's Six Nations, at least 13 more than any other player. That is the upside. The downside is that he has also missed the most tackles of any player (13); however, only one of those missed tackles led to a break, with the other 12 seeing the opposition player tackled by a team-mate.
By contrast, Scotland's Hamish Watson has made 31 tackles without missing one so far in this year's competition. Only Ireland's Caelan Doris has made more without missing (36/36). Watson has now made 180 tackles in the championship since his last miss, which came back in 2019 against England.
ENGLAND V IRELAND
FORM
England have tended to like this fixture of late, having won four of their last five home games against Ireland in the Six Nations. A 24-15 defeat in 2018 was the exception in this run which started in 2012. England have also won 22 of their last 25 home matches – taking all opponents into account – in the Six Nations (D1, L2).
Yet Ireland are the only side that England have a losing record against in the Six Nations era, winning just 45 per cent of their meetings in the championship (W10, L12).
Whoever leads at half-time seems nailed on for the win. None of the previous 22 Six Nations matches between England and Ireland have seen an interval deficit overturned to bring about a victory for the trailing team.
ONES TO WATCH
England's Marcus Smith is the leading points scorer so far in this year's championship. He has 48 points, meaning Smith is two shy of becoming the fifth different England player to notch up 50 points in an edition of the Six Nations (Jonny Wilkinson 7 times, Toby Flood once, Owen Farrell 6 times, George Ford once).
Ireland's Doris has been a 'nuisance' (slowing the opposition ball) at more rucks (7) than any other player in this year's tournament, Opta data shows.
Wild card Nick Kyrgios admitted he was "pretty good" as he won in the opening round at the Indian Wells Masters over Sebastian Baez on Thursday.
The Australian cruised past Baez in one hour and 12 minutes, winning 6-4 6-0 to secure a second-round meeting with another Argentine, 32nd seed Federico Delbonis.
Kyrgios, who had not competed since January's Australian Open, was full of his typical flair, highlighted by 27-15 winners and 12-1 aces.
"When I play good, I'm pretty good," Kyrgios said after the match. "I'm just going back to basics."
Fabio Fognini made history in his 3-6 6-3 6-3 victory over Pablo Andujar, with his 392th career ATP win clocking up the most ever for an Italian, surpassing Adriano Panatta.
Compatriot Lorenzo Musetti also progressed on Thursday with a 6-3 7-5 win over American Marcos Giron.
Rising American talent Jenson Brooksby defeated Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1 6-4, while countryman and wild card Jack Sock brushed aside Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-1 6-1 in little over an hour.
Pedro Martinez made light work of Joao Sousa 6-4 7-5, while Tomas Machec got past Alexei Popyrin 6-3 7-5.
Naomi Osaka produced a spirited performance as she defeated Sloane Stephens in three sets at Indian Wells on her return to the court.
Osaka was in action for the first time since a shock early exit at the Australian Open in January, but she ultimately had too much for Stephens in a 3-6 6-1 6-2 success.
Stephens initially looked the sharper of the two former major champions in the second-round clash, impressively taking a first-set lead, but Osaka found her groove after a slow start to level the contest.
Osaka then had to save three break points at 2-0 down in the decider, and that appeared to inspire another surge as she rattled off six successive games to roar to an emphatic win.
Shelby Rogers got past Nuria Parrizas-Dias in almost three hours, winning 6-1 5-7 7-6 (7-3), and last week's Monterrey Open runner-up Camila Osorio retired down 6-4 5-0 against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
Yulia Putintseva got past Ashlyn Krueger 6-3 6-2 and Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk won in three hours and nine minutes over Maryna Zanevska 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (8-6) 7-5.
Last month's Abierto Zapopan runner-up Marie Bouzkova eased past China's Wang Qiang 6-3 7-6 (7-5), while American Amanda Anisimova defeated compatriot Emma Navarro 6-2 6-2.
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