LeBron James has quashed suggestions he is set to leave the Los Angeles Lakers, while repeating that he hopes to continue his career long enough to eventually play alongside his son.
The 37-year-old, one of the NBA's most successful superstars of the twenty-first century, joined the Lakers in 2018, leading them to a 2020 championship - the fourth of his prolific career.
Yet, following comments around the league's All-Star game over wanting to play alongside his son Bronny, speculation had run rife that James could leave the Lakers to finish his career with another franchise.
Speaking after the 105-102 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday though, James sought to shut down discussion, saying he is committed to the franchise through the end of his contract and beyond.
"This is a franchise I see myself being with. I'm here. I'm here," he said. "I see myself being with the purple and gold as long as I can play."
James' current deal has one more season to run, though he is eligible to pen a two-year extension later this year, while high schooler Bronny would not be available to be drafted until the 2024-25 campaign.
"I also have a goal that, if it's possible - I don't even know if it's possible - that if I can play with my son, I would love to do that," James added.
"Is that, like, something that any man shouldn't want that in life? That's like the coolest thing that could possibly happen. That doesn't mean I don't want to be with this franchise."
James - who top scored with 21 points in the loss to the Clippers, as well as managing 11 rebounds - also admitted he remains frustrated by the lack of game time he has shared with Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook this season, with the trio often split by injury.
"I do wish that we were just playing better basketball and between me, AD and Russ on the floor at the same time," James said. "That's the biggest disappointment so far, that us three, because we all wanted to see this work. We just haven't been on the floor."
Dan Biggar says he will not have to plan his pre-match speech when Wales face England in the Six Nations, adding that the emotion should prove enough for his side.
The Northampton fly-half will skipper Wayne Pivac's side at Twickenham as they look to give their Championship hopes a shot in the arm.
Wales have not won at the home of English rugby since 2015, having lost on their last five visits – and Biggar admits that his side should need no motivation to deliver.
"Sometimes very little is needed to be said," he stated. "It's very much down to the individual.
"I'd like to think that in a pivotal weekend in the Six Nations against England at Twickenham there won't be too much needed [to be] said from an emotional level to get us going.
"At some point you have to roll your sleeves up. Do we want to be enjoying a beer after putting everything in and enjoying the result?
"Or do we want to feel that we haven't given it our all and are really quite disappointed with how we played and let the country down?"
Biggar admitted that Wales need to ensure they make a sharp start, having historically sunk to defeat against England after falling behind early on.
"We need to make sure that when we go away to tough places, like the Aviva, like Twickenham, we start well," he added. "It's important we don't give them a start.
"It's such a difficult task. Even if you get yourself back in the game, one more score for England takes you out. They've got some serious strength in depth and they're a very good side."
Rafael Nadal continued his tremendous form as he beat Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to set up a final with Cameron Norrie at the Mexican Open.
Nadal found this victory over Medvedev to be more straightforward than his remarkable five-set comeback win in last month's Australian Open final between the pair, winning 6-3 6-3 in Acapulco.
The victory means the Spaniard moves on to 14-0 for the new season, which is already his best ever start to a year.
The soon-to-be world number one Medvedev at least made him work for it in the second set and earned 11 break points across two consecutive service games, but a determined Nadal rescued all 11 of them, including seven in a marathon nine-deuce game at 6-3 3-2.
"I played some amazing points on the break points," said Nadal following the win. "The second set was very emotional. Daniil was playing very aggressive – drop shots, winners. It was a very difficult set. I feel lucky to win that set because he had a lot of chances."
He will now face sixth seed Norrie on Sunday, who also came through his semi-final against third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, 6-4 6-4.
The Brit – who won the Delray Beach Open last week – was particularly impressive on his serve, making 92 per cent of his first serves in the opening set. That dropped to 57 per cent in the second, but the quality of his baseline shots took him to victory.
Meanwhile at the Chile Open, local wildcard Alejandro Tabilo continued his good run, having already knocked out top seed Cristian Garin, with a 6-1 6-4 win over sixth seed Miomir Kecmanovic.
Tabilo will face Pedro Martinez in the semi-finals after the Spaniard won 6-2 6-2 over Yannick Hanfmann.
Sebastian Baez will meet second seed Albert Ramos Vinolas in the other semi-final after he got past Facundo Bagnis 7-5 6-2.
James Harden scored 27 points with 13 assists on his Philadelphia 76ers debut and formed a strong partnership with Joel Embiid in a 133-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
Harden, who crossed from the Brooklyn Nets in an NBA Trade Deadline move earlier this month, almost registered a debut triple-double, with eight rebounds.
Embiid has been in irrepressible form this season, although there had been some concern Harden's arrival may blunt some of his offensive impact, but the center contributed 34 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.
The new-look 76ers had immediate cohesion, scoring 65 points in the first half, before a 41-point final quarter with Tyrese Maxey finishing with 28 points while Harden also drained five three-pointers, shooting seven-of-12 from the field.
The 76ers recorded a season-high 19 three-pointers for the game, with head coach Doc Rivers admitting "that was pretty good" when asked post-game if Harden's debut could have gone any better.
Lakers fall to Clippers again
Terance Mann led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers won a tight game with the Los Angeles Lakers 105-102, the sixth time in a row they have beaten their local rivals.
LeBron James top scored with 21 but was unable to stop the Clippers from taking charge in the closing moments, with Amir Coffey adding 12 of his 14 points for the night in the fourth quarter.
The San Antonio Spurs edged the Washington Wizards 157-153 in double over-time, with both teams setting season-highs in scoring. Spurs guard Dejounte Murray recorded a triple-double, although he missed potential winning shots in both regulation and the first over-time.
RJ Barrett scored 46 points including six three-pointers but the New York Knicks went down 115-110 to the Miami Heat, while Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points and Rudy Gobert had a double-double (14 points and 17 rebounds) as the Utah Jazz beat Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks 114-109.
Suns streak halted
The table-topping Phoenix Suns' eight-game winning streak came to an end, going down 117-102 to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans. Devin Booker top scored with 30 points for the Suns, who were without injured veteran guard Chris Paul. CJ McCollum scored 32 points for the Pels as he continues to thrive following his trade.
Sloane Stephens fought back from a set down to reach her first hard court semi-finals since 2018 as she defeated Daria Saville at the WTA Abierto Zapopan on Friday.
The 2017 US Open champion triumphed in two hours and 29 minutes over the Australian, winning 4-6 6-3 6-2 in Guadalajara.
Stephens, who will play Russian Anna Kalinskaya in the last four, had not reached a hard court semi since the 2018 WTA Finals.
But the American was forced to do it the hard way after losing the first set, saving nine of 13 break points across the match, with her ability to win second serve points proving key.
Colombian fourth seed Camila Osorio was bundled out in 80 minutes by Kalinskaya 6-4 6-1.
There was also a straight-sets win for Marie Bouzkova after she defeated third seed Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4 6-1.
She will face Wang Qiang in the last eight, who proved too good for Slovakian Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2 6-3.
Joel Embiid could not hide his smile in the fourth quarter of the Philadelphia 76ers' 133-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves as his partnership with debutant James Harden thrived.
Harden was making his 76ers debut after his NBA Trade Deadline move from the Brooklyn Nets, with the 2018 MVP scoring 27 points including five three-pointers along with eight rebounds and 12 assists.
Embiid's influence remained as strong as ever, finishing with a game-high 34 points along with 10 rebounds and three assists.
The 76ers piled on the points showing Embiid and Harden had struck immediate cohesion with 65 first-half points, while they added another 41 in the fourth quarter.
"You should’ve seen my face every single time especially in the fourth," Embiid told NBC Sports after the game. "The first three quarters obviously making plays for all of us.
"That was probably the most wide open I've ever been in my career. I had a lot of easy baskets.
"I used to have to work for everything but I the fourth quarter the shot-making ability and shot creation, you should’ve seen my face.
"I've never had this. Nothing close to it. Hopefully it continues. We didn’t even play our best. I think we can be way better than that."
The combination quelled fears that Harden's arrival may stifle Embiid's offensive impact, which has him among this season's MVP candidates.
Instead, Harden's influence enabled others to make strong impacts, including Tyrese Maxey who finished with 28 points, while the Sixers managed a season-high 19 three-pointers.
"Easy shot after easy shot. You've just got to be winning shooters. That's what we were tonight," Embiid added.
"[Harden] attracts a lot of attention. When you've two guys on the floor who do that, me and him, it becomes a little easier for everybody else. it's on everyone else to just make shots."
Hometown hero Daniel Berger opened up a three-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the Honda Classic in Florida after carding six birdies on Friday.
Berger, who is ranked 20th in the world, backed up his opening day five-under 65 with a repeat score, highlighted by a 38-foot birdie putt on the par-three seventh hole, to be 10-under at Palm Beach Gardens.
The Florida native leads by three shots from Chris Kirk and first day leader Kurt Kitayama, the latter carding a one-under-69 to slip from the summit.
“Just one of those days when I kept the momentum going,” Berger told reporters. “I hit a lot of quality shots, even though they don't look like they're five feet from the hole, or 10 feet from the hole.
“I know that they're so difficult, that to hit it to 20 feet is a good shot. And that's the challenge for this golf course is the pins are tucked, the greens are firm, wind's up, so you have to be really on point with where you're going to miss.”
Mark Hubbard surged up the leaderboard into a tie for fourth alongside Canadian Adam Svensson with the pair carding rounds of 64 and 65 respectively to be six-under overall.
Pre-tournament favourite Louis Ousthuizen produced a strong round to avoid the cut, after his opening day five-over-75.
The South African is even after two rounds, behind Berger by 10 strokes, but managed six birdies on his back nine to stay in contention after a double bogey on the 11th hole seemed to condemn him.
Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka is among a large group alongside Oosthuizen that are even after two rounds with the American carding a two-over-72.
Padraig Harrington, Brian Harman, Charl Schwartzel and last week's Genesis Invitational winner Joaquin Niemann were among those to miss the cut.
Russia's Andrey Rublev wrote "no war please" on a camera lens as he joined compatriot Daniil Medvedev in calling for peace.
Rublev beat Hubert Hurkacz 3-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5) on Friday to progress to the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
After confirming his place in a showdown with Jiri Vesely, the 24-year-old world number seven took a pen and scribed "no to war" on the lens of a television camera.
Vesely later wrote 'no war' on a camera lens after defeating Denis Shapovalov to book his place in the final.
It is not uncommon for players to write messages on camera lenses, but a plea for peace was an emotive move from Rublev.
On Thursday, Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine following weeks of rising political tensions. The conflict escalated further still on Friday, with reports of fighting within the capital city of Kyiv.
Rublev's actions came after Medvedev – who will succeed Novak Djokovic as world number one next week – said he wanted to "promote peace".
Medvedev has reached the final four of the Mexican Open in Acapulco.
Rublev had previously expressed his wish for peace in a news conference at the Dubai event.
"In these moments you realise that my match is not important," Rublev said, with a video clip shared to his official Instagram account.
"It's not about my match, how it affects me. What's happening is much more terrible.
"You realise how important it is to have peace in the world and to respect each other no matter what, to be united.
"We should take care of our Earth and of each other. This is the most important thing."
Anett Kontaveit defeated Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets, while Iga Swiatek overcame Maria Sakkari to secure her place in the Qatar Ladies Open final.
Swiatek advanced to the Doha showpiece for the first time after managing her first win over Sakkari in four attempts with a 6-4 6-3 triumph on Friday.
The Pole was in imperious form as she delivered 20 winners to overcome sixth seed Sakkari in an hour and 28 minutes, collecting her seventh top-10 win and second straight such win after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals.
The seventh seed will now meet Kontaveit, who continued her impressive streak with a 6-1 6-4 win over Ostapenko in just 68 minutes.
Ostapenko headed into the clash on a career-best nine-match winning run, but succumbed to her fourth loss in five meetings with the fourth seed in Qatar.
Ostapenko did have back-to-back break points at 5-5 in the final set, but Kontaveit managed to hold on for victory.
"She can outplay anyone, and then she might not find the consistency sometimes, so you have to be ready for that," Kontaveit said of Ostapenko.
"I was trying to play a consistent match and just do my best on my serve and hold on to it, especially in the second set when I was a break up.
"Sometimes when she's on fire, her returns are unplayable and it's just very difficult.
"But I kept repeating to myself, 'I'm really good at serving it out, I'm really good at serving it out,' and eventually managed to do that.
"How you approach the match, how you're approaching the service games, I think if you're trying to be aggressive [...] that has a lot of effect on the serve."
It will be the seventh final that Kontaveit has contested since last August, converting those appearances into five titles so far. Kontaveit and Swiatek share a pair of wins apiece in previous clashes.
Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte's heavyweight title fight will take place at Wembley Stadium on April 23.
WBC champion Fury was ordered to defend his belt against mandatory challenger Whyte, with the latter signing the contract on the brink of the deadline as he pushed for a higher share of the purse.
Frank Warren's Queensbury Promotions won the bid to stage the fight, which must take place by April 24, with Fury expected to pocket £24million to Whyte's £6m.
It will be Fury's first fight in the United Kingdom since 2018, with his previous five bouts taking place in the United States - three of those coming against Deontay Wilder who he displaced as WBC champion.
Whyte has long since been the WBC's top-ranked contender but has had to remain patient for his first crack at a world title, which he will now get in the all-British showdown.
Fury’s promoter Warren said upon confirmation: "Tyson Fury coming home to fight under the arch at Wembley Stadium is a fitting reward for the No.1 heavyweight in the world following his exploits across the Atlantic in his epic trilogy against Deontay Wilder.
"The fact that this mandatory defence of his WBC title comes against another Brit only adds to the occasion.
"They are two of the biggest characters in British sport and both normally have plenty to say for themselves.
"It is going to be an incredible night and a huge occasion for sport in this country that will capture the imagination of fans right across the world."
Meanwhile, Fury's US promoter Bob Arum believes Whyte has little chance of overcoming Fury.
"Tyson Fury conquered America, and it is only fitting that he defends the heavyweight championship in a packed Wembley Stadium," Arum said.
"Dillian Whyte has called for this fight for years, and while he is a deserving challenger, no heavyweight can match 'The Gypsy King.'"
Russia's Andrey Rublev wrote "no to war" on a camera lens as he joined compatriot Daniil Medvedev in calling for peace.
Rublev beat Hubert Hurkacz 3-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5) on Friday to progress to the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
After confirming his place in a showdown with either Denis Shapovalov or Jiri Vesely, the 24-year-old world number seven took a pen and scribed "no to war" on the lens of a television camera.
It is not uncommon for players to write messages on camera lenses, but a plea for peace was an emotive move from Rublev.
On Thursday, Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine following weeks of rising political tensions. The conflict escalated further still on Friday, with reports of fighting within the capital city of Kyiv.
Rublev's actions came after Medvedev – who will succeed Novak Djokovic as world number one next week – said he wanted to "promote peace".
Medvedev has reached the final four of the Mexican Open in Acapulco.
Rublev had previously expressed his wish for peace in a news conference at the Dubai event.
"In these moments you realise that my match is not important," Rublev said, with a video clip shared to his official Instagram account.
"It's not about my match, how it affects me. What's happening is much more terrible.
"You realise how important it is to have peace in the world and to respect each other no matter what, to be united.
"We should take care of our Earth and of each other. This is the most important thing."
Jhaniele Fowler scored 37 goals as the West Coast Fever defeated GIANTS 47-41 in the Suncorp Team Girls Cup at the Parkville Stadium in Melbourne on Friday.
The International Olympic Committee has called on international sporting federations to relocate or cancel any events set to take place in Russia or Belarus.
After weeks of rising political tensions, Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine on Thursday, with the conflict escalating further on Friday.
Russia's invasion has been widely condemned by governments, world leaders and sporting bodies.
UEFA has moved this season's Champions League final from St Petersburg to Paris, while Formula One has removed the Russian Grand Prix from its race schedule for this year.
On Thursday, the IOC condemned Russia for breaking the Olympic Truce and on Friday, the governing body urged sporting federations around the world to reconsider the hosting of any events in Russia or neighbouring Belarus, which has helped facilitate the Ukraine invasion.
It has also called for the Belarusian and Russian flags and national anthems not to be displayed or played at any sporting events.
"The IOC EB [executive board] today urges all International sports federations to relocate or cancel their sports events currently planned in Russia or Belarus," a statement read.
"They should take the breach of the Olympic Truce by the Russian and Belarusian governments into account and give the safety and security of the athletes absolute priority. The IOC itself has no events planned in Russia or Belarus.
"In addition, the IOC EB urges that no Russian or Belarusian national flag be displayed and no Russian or Belarussian anthem be played in international sports events which are not already part of the respective World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) sanctions for Russia.
"At the same time, the IOC EB expresses its full support to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for the upcoming Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
"The IOC EB expresses its deep concerns about the safety of the members of the Olympic Community in Ukraine and stands in full solidarity. It notes that the special IOC task force is in contact with the Olympic Community in the country to coordinate humanitarian assistance where possible."
New world number one Daniil Medvedev said he wants to "promote peace all over the world", after the Russian achieved a career highlight amid the crisis in Ukraine.
Medvedev's 6-2 6-3 victory over Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka saw him advance to the final four of the Mexican Open in Acapulco on Thursday, where he will face Rafael Nadal in a repeat of last month's Australian Open final classic.
The Russian advanced shortly after Novak Djokovic's shock loss to Jiri Vesely at the Dubai Tennis Championships, which ensured that he will start next week atop the ATP world rankings for the first time.
The news came shortly after Russian president Vladimir Putin launched a military assault on neighbouring Ukraine, an act that has attracted condemnation from across the sporting world.
"Watching the news from home, waking up here in Mexico, was not easy," Medvedev told reporters.
"By being a tennis player, I want to promote peace all over the world. We play in so many different countries. I've been in so many countries as a junior and as a pro.
"It's just not easy to hear all this news. I'm all for peace. In these moments, you understand that tennis sometimes is not that important.
"It was not easy to play and I'm happy that I managed to win the match, but it was a bit of a rollercoaster day for me."
Medvedev's compatriot Andrey Rublev had earlier spoken out in favour of peace, calling the situation "terrible" in an Instagram post.
"In these moments you realise that my match is not important," Rublev's post read. "It's not about my match, how it affects me. What's happening is much more terrible.
"You realise how important it is to have peace in the world and to respect each other no matter what, to be united.
"We should take care of our Earth and of each other. This is the most important thing."
Rublev teamed up with Ukrainian Denys Molchanov to win the Open 13 Provence doubles title in Marseille just days ago, having also won the singles title at the tournament in southern France.
The Russian Grand Prix has been cancelled for 2022, Formula One announced on Friday.
The decision was taken following a meeting on Thursday between organisers, teams and governing body the FIA to discuss the sport's position in relation to the Ukraine crisis.
Russia president Vladimir Putin ordered a military invasion of Ukraine, which continued into a second day on Friday. There were reports that fighting had reached the capital city of Kiev at around 14:00 local time (12:00 GMT).
"The FIA Formula One World Championship visits countries all over the world with a positive vision to unite people, bringing nations together," the F1 statement said.
"We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation.
"On Thursday evening, Formula One, the FIA and the teams discussed the position of our sport, and the conclusion is, including the view of all relevant stakeholders, that it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances."
The race at the Sochi Autodrom was due to take place over the weekend of September 23-25. Reports suggest it will be provisionally replaced on the calendar by a race in Turkey.
Earlier on Friday, UEFA moved the Champions League final from St Petersburg to Paris and ordered all Russian and Ukrainian club and national teams to play home matches in UEFA competition at neutral venues, amid increasing pressure for sporting bodies to take action against Russian interests.
Stephen Curry is aiming to help the Golden State Warriors "peak at the right time" after Thursday's 132-95 rout of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Fresh from the All-Star break, where he hit 16 threes in a 50-point showing, Curry provided 14 assists and put up 18 points in Portland.
Steve Kerr's side had lost four of the previous five games, but Curry hopes the Warriors are set for a strong run leading into the playoffs.
"I'm just trying to enjoy the process, I'm trying to peak at the right time with my guys," he said.
"It's a strong start to the last home stretch and we've got to keep building.
"There's 22 games left where we've got to be our best selves come playoff time, and it's going to be nice to be back on that stage."
The dominant nature of the performance provided plenty of room for optimism for Curry, whose team shook off a slow start after trailing at the end of the first quarter.
"I'm very encouraged," he said. "I thought defensively we asserted our will after the first quarter, really understood how to get stops and turn it into easy offense.
"Portland's different now but they still require your attention, they've got a couple of guys that can light it up."
Curry's display helped seven of his team-mates reach double-figure points tallies and coach Steve Kerr was thrilled with his star man.
"Steph was brilliant," said Kerr. "I loved his patience and the way he ran the team. He played a beautiful game."
Scotland denied France glory in last year's Six Nations, with their dramatic victory in Paris meaning Les Bleus missed out on the title.
Now, France will be out for vengeance as they head to Edinburgh at the top of the standings with two victories from their opening two matches.
England, meanwhile, bounced back from their defeat to Scotland in round one with a hammering of Italy, and Eddie Jones' second-placed team host Wales at Twickenham.
Wales lost convincingly to Ireland in their first game, yet defeated Scotland 20-17 last time out, though the defending champions are down in fifth place as it stands.
The final match of the weekend sees Ireland take on Italy in Dublin. The Azzurri are staring down the barrel of a 100th Six Nations defeat.
Ahead of the third round of fixtures, Stats Perform previews each match with help from Opta.
SCOTLAND V FRANCE
FORM
Scotland have won four of their last six games against France in the Championship, including the last two in a row and a first win in Paris since 1999. They have not won three in a row against Les Bleus in the tournament since 1956-1958.
This will be the 99th meeting between Scotland and France in all competitions, with Les Bleus leading the head to head with 56 wins (L39, D3). However, honours are even across the last 10 clashes, with both sides picking up five wins each.
France opened their campaign with a pair of wins, something they also managed in 2021. The only time since 2011 when they have won their opening three games was in 2020, when they missed out on the title and a Grand Slam after a fourth-round defeat to Scotland at Murrayfield.
ONES TO WATCH
Darcy Graham has beaten a Championship-high nine defenders so far. He is just ahead of French duo Gabin Villiere, Damian Penaud, and Marcus Smith.
France's Gregory Alldritt has made more carries (30) than any other player, while he has also gained 83 post-contact metres, the most of any forward and fourth most of any player, after Ireland's Mack Hansen (107), Scotland's Graham (86) and team-mate Penaud (84), as well as hitting 10 more defensive rucks (36) than anyone else.
ENGLAND V WALES
FORM
The last four Six Nations matches between these sides have been won by the home side on the day. Indeed, England have won their last four home games against Wales in the Championship, only once since 1930 have they enjoyed a longer such streak, a nine-game run between 1990 and 2006.
England have lost just two of their last 24 home games in the Six Nations (W21, D1), defeats to Ireland in 2018 and Scotland in 2021. Wales' last win at Twickenham in the Championship was in 2012. Since the start of the 2016 tournament, Wales have picked up just one away victory outside of Scotland or Italy, a 24-19 win in Paris in 2019.
England (49) and Wales (34) have made more maul metres than any other sides so far in this edition of the Six Nations.
ONES TO WATCH
Jones has named Ben Youngs on England's bench. If he comes on, Youngs will win his 115th Test cap, overtaking Jason Leonard as the country's most capped men's player. The scrum-half has been involved in five tries in his last six starts against Wales (three tries, two assists).
Alex Cuthbert is set to play for Wales for a 50th time. He is looking to score his first try in the Six Nations since crossing against Italy in 2014.
IRELAND V ITALY
FORM
Ireland have won 21 of their 22 previous Six Nations matches against Italy, their sole defeat coming in 2013 (15-22), in what was the Azzurri's last home victory in the Championship.
Italy's next defeat will be their 100th in the Championship, they are currently on a record 34 match losing run, almost seven years since last claiming a victory (22-19 v Scotland, 28 Feb 2015).
Ireland hold a 100 per cent win rate against Italy at home in the Six Nations (W11), with the Azzurri the only side that has never won at the Aviva Stadium or Croke Park. Indeed, Ireland have scored 50 or more points in each of their last three home games against the tournament's whipping boys.
ONES TO WATCH
Hansen, Jamison Gibson-Park and Bundee Aki are three of just six players to both score and assist a try, the trio all scoring once and assisting one try after two rounds.
Italy's Federico Ruzza has won more lineouts (16) than any other player, including one steal, and team-mate Michele Lamaro has made the most tackles (41) in the tournament.
New world number one Daniil Medvedev says Friday's Mexican Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal is his "chance to get my revenge" after last month's epic Australian Open defeat.
Medvedev progressed to the final four in Acapulco on Thursday with a routine 6-2 6-3 victory over Yoshihito Nishioka, while Nadal triumphed 6-0 7-6 (7-5) over Tommy Paul to set up their semi-final meeting.
The Russian's win capped a fine day after Novak Djokovic's loss to Jiri Vesely at the Dubai Tennis Championships meant he would next week become the new world number one for the first time in his career.
Before then, however, Medvedev must take on Nadal in Acapulco, with the pair having not faced off since last month's epic Australian Open decider, where the Spanish fought back from two set downs to clinch a record-breaking 21st major title.
"It’s always special to play against him,” Medvedev said following his win over Nishioka. “Kind of a chance to get my revenge.
“I have to learn from the best, which is him, Roger [Federer], Novak [Djokovic], Andy [Murray]. Always when they were losing a tough fight, they were trying to get their revenge. Sometimes they managed to do it, sometimes not. That’s what I’m going to try to do if I play Rafa."
Medvedev revealed he did not realise that Djokovic's loss would mean he would become number one until he started receiving congratulatory messages on Thursday.
"It’s not easy to play a match when you get this news during the day," Medvedev said.
"The first goal for me was to still win today because I’m here to try to win every match I play. But it’s definitely some great news."
Nadal was full of praise for the new world number one, admitting his excitement at their re-match.
The Spaniard prevailed in five hours and 28 minutes over Medvedev in Melbourne, winning 2-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4 7-5 and was ready for the re-match.
"Everybody knows how difficult it is to play against Daniil," Nadal said after Thursday's win over Paul.
"I know I have to play at my highest level if I want to have any chance, and that's what I'm going to try. I have to play my game.
"Everybody knows how difficult the final was in Australia. Tomorrow is going to be another battle.
"I know he's playing well, plenty of confidence... I am excited to play that match."
Rafael Nadal set up a semi-final meeting with new world number one Daniil Medvedev after cruising past Tommy Paul 6-0 7-6 (7-5) at the Mexican Open in Acapulco on Thursday.
The Spanish fourth seed, who won last month's Australian Open against Medvedev in a five-set epic for a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title, beat the American in two hours and three minutes.
Nadal was at his tenacious best early, winning the first set 6-0 for the second consecutive match, before Paul hit back in the second.
The Spaniard dropped only 10 points in the opening set with errors creeping into his game early in the second set allowing Paul to get 2-1 up a break.
The pair exchanged a string of four games against serve, with Nadal breaking again with Paul serving for the set, before triumphing in the tie-break.
Top seed Medvedev secured his spot in the last four with a 6-2 6-3 victory over Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka.
Medvedev, who will officially become world number one for the first time in his career next week after Novak Djokovic's loss to Jiri Vesely in Dubai, brushed aside the Japanese in one hour and 10 minutes.
The Russian sent down 12 aces and won 69 per cent on his first serve, while he converted six of eight break points across the match.
Third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will meet Briton Cameron Norrie in the other semi-final after both triumphed on Thursday.
Tsitsipas won his quarter-final against Marcus Giron 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 17 minutes, while sixth seed Norrie made light work of Peter Gojowczyk 6-1 6-0.
At the Chile Open in Santiago, local top seed Cristian Garin was stunned by countryman Alejandro Tabilo 6-3 6-3.
Sixth seed Miomir Kecmanovic won 6-2 6-0 over Matheus Pucinelli de Almeida, while Yannick Hanfmann eased past Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-1 6-3.
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