Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been named as the NFL MVP for the fourth time in his glittering career.
Rodgers was confirmed as the MVP for the second successive season at the NFL Honours ceremony in Los Angeles on Thursday. He was not in attendance, choosing instead to spend his week playing golf at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
He becomes the first player to win back-to-back MVPs since Peyton Manning achieved the feat in 2009.
It follows another hugely impressive season for Rodgers, one which saw him lead the Packers to an NFL-best 13-4 record and the top seed in the NFC.
However, the season ended in more playoff disappointment for Rodgers as the Packers were upset by the sixth-seeded San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round of the postseason.
That prompted more speculation about his future, Rodgers having entered 2021 after a tumultuous offseason in which made clear a desire to part with the Packers and skipped their pre-training camp preparations.
Despite his play on the field, Rodgers' 2021 campaign was partly defined by controversy after a positive coronavirus test revealed misleading statements about his vaccination status, while his continued spread of misinformation regarding vaccines has unquestionably damaged his reputation.
His on-field play still draws admiration, however. Rodgers finished the regular season with 37 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions, giving him the best touchdown to interception ratio in the NFL. Among quarterbacks with 200 passing attempts, only Justin Herbert (2.30) threw a lower percentage of interceptable passes than Rodgers (2.36).
No quarterback delivered more throws that resulted in a first down than Rodgers, who did so on 40.1 per cent of his attempts, while he was second in passer rating on third down (112.2) behind Kyler Murray (118.5) among quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts in that situation.
The combination of his continued brilliance and apparently more amiable relations with the franchise hierarchy may lead to Rodgers staying in Green Bay for at least one more year despite the disappointing finish, the Packers still likely his best hope of adding a second Lombardi Trophy to his growing collection of MVPs.
If the NFL was ever going to give a non-quarterback the MVP this season, it probably would have been Cooper Kupp.
As such, Kupp will have to settle for the Offensive Player of the Year award, which he won on Thursday.
Kupp will hope to add the Super Bowl trophy on Sunday, with the individual and team success he and the Rams have enjoyed just reward for one of the most dominant receiving seasons in NFL history.
Racking up 1,947 receiving yards, Kupp finished just 19 yards shy of breaking Calvin Johnson's all-time record for single-season yardage. Johnson finished with 1,965 receiving yards for the Detroit Lions in the 2012 campaign.
Kupp's 16 receiving touchdowns were also a season high, his ability to excel lined up out wide and in the slot making him a mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses.
According to Stats Perform data, he produced a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup with his defender on a play where he is targeted, on 65.5 per cent of targets, just above the average of 62.
However, no receiver averaged more burn yards per route (4.1) than Kupp, doing so while running more routes (670) than anyone else.
In other words, Kupp did a better job at creating clear separation from his defenders than all of his contemporaries while also taking on the heaviest workload in the NFL.
There are many subplots to Super Bowl LVI, but the receiver battle between Kupp and the man named Offensive Rookie of the Year, Cincinnati Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase, may be the most compelling.
Ja'Marr Chase will head into Super Bowl with the title of Offensive Rookie of the Year, while Micah Parsons won Defensive Player of the Year for his astonishing 2021.
Chase, who will hope to help the Bengals to their first Super Bowl title in franchise history on Sunday, was named as the top rookie on the defnsive side at the NFL Honours ceremony in Los Angeles.
It follows a spectacular regular-season campaign in which Chase broke the rookie record for receiving yards set by his former LSU team-mate Justin Jefferson.
Chase finished the season with 1,455 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns, the third-highest tally in the NFL, justifying the Bengals' decision to reunite him with Joe Burrow, with whom he and Jefferson won the National Championship in 2019, instead of taking an offensive lineman in the first round.
Parsons never reached such heights at Penn State but has quickly established himself as one of the most dominant defensive players in the NFL.
Drafted by the Dallas Cowboys as an inside linebacker, Parsons thrived instead in his role as a designated pass rusher.
Parsons finished the season with 13 sacks, the sixth-most in the NFL, while he also racked up 20 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.
His pressure rate of 32.2 per cent on 211 pass rush snaps was even superior to that of even Aaron Donald (27.9 per cent). His run disruption rate of 13.7% was fourth among all linebackers.
That extraordinary level of performance did not translate to playoff success for Dallas. Yet Parsons can console himself with some individual success while the Cowboys can rest safe in the knowledge that they have a young stud who can derail opposing offenses, and there are few assets in the NFL more valuable than that.
Brooks Koepka made a strong start to the Phoenix Open as he heads into day two in a tie for third at five under par, with the four-time major winner looking to put an "embarrassing" fall from grace behind him.
Koepka has not won a tournament since succeeding in Phoenix a little under a year ago – while he impressed at the PGA Championship in May, finishing joint-second, Koepka is not happy with how the past 12 months or so have gone.
He teed off in Arizona ranked 20th in the world, something of a far cry from spending 47 weeks at number one across 2018 and 2019 – three of his four major wins came in those years.
Koepka, rarely one to mince his words, feels ashamed of his slide, even if he puts it partly down to injury.
"That's embarrassing to be 20th, I feel like," he said after his first round on Thursday.
"A lot of it has to do with injury, man. I've been hurt, on the sidelines. Not playing, playing through injury, you can't compete with guys out here.
"It's nice to be somewhat healthy and get out here, and I mean, I'm not too worried about it [the ranking], it will bounce back up."
Indeed, there was nothing embarrassing about his performance at TPC Scottsdale on day one, his six birdies – offset by a single bogey – putting him right near the top of the leaderboard.
Nevertheless, he still has a plenty of work to do.
Lee Kyoung-hoon is one shot better off thanks to a glorious showing after the turn, playing the front nine five under par after starting on the ninth hole.
But leading the way is a surprise contender: 24-year-old Sahith Theegala, who is competing as a sponsor's exemption.
Theegala has a one-shot lead over Lee, though he had to finish his round while putting on his 17th hole of the day as play was suspended due to bad light.
Additionally, his next shot when he resumes in the morning will be a 16-foot putt for par, so his lead may not last for long.
A host of familiar names are not too far behind those leading the way, with Xander Schauffele, Louis Oosthuizen, Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm and Bubba Watson among a large group on four under.
Jordan Spieth is three shots further back.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant confirmed their 2022 All-Star teams in Thursday's draft, with James Harden picked last.
James was voted in by fans as the Western Conference's captain, while Durant was chosen out of the East.
The All-Star draft took place ahead of Thursday's slate of games and came at the end of a thrilling trade deadline day, in which Harden took centre-stage.
Harden has left the Brooklyn Nets to join up with the Philadelphia 76ers, who finally solved their Ben Simmons conundrum by sending him – as well as Seth Curry and Andre Drummond – the other way.
Interestingly, his former Nets team-mate Durant seemingly opted to pick anyone but Harden.
The 32-year-old ended up being given to James by default at the end when Durant chose Rudy Gobert as his final selection.
Despite being captain, Durant will not be taking part in the All-Star game later this month due to a lingering knee injury, meaning he was granted five picks to James' four in the first round of the draft.
James went first, though, and selected the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo – in fact, the Los Angeles Lakers star's starting team will be almost identical to last year's, with DeMar DeRozan instead of Luka Doncic the only difference.
Team LeBron defeated Team Durant 170-150 in 2021 and James will be hoping for a similar outcome this time around.
NBA All-Star Teams
Team LeBron
Starters: LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Jokic
Reserves: Luka Doncic, Darius Garland, Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Fred VanVleet, James Harden
Team Durant
Starters: Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, Trae Young, Andrew Wiggins
Reserves: Devin Booker, Karl Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, DeJounte Murray, Khris Middleton, LaMelo Ball, Rudy Gobert
The Philadelphia 76ers solved their Ben Simmons conundrum with a blockbuster trade for James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets before the NBA trade deadline passed on Thursday.
Simmons has refused to play for the Sixers this season after coach Doc Rivers and center Joel Embiid were critical of his performances in the Eastern Conference semifinals loss to the Atlanta Hawks last season.
Philadelphia had been trying to trade the fifth-year guard/forward ever since, but the former Rookie of the Year's value plummeted after he came up short against the Hawks.
However, according to multiple reports a deal was finally struck to send Simmons to Brooklyn in exchange for the 2018 NBA MVP Harden. Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, an unprotected 2022 first-round pick and a protected 2027 first-round pick were also sent to the Nets, with Paul Millsap going in the opposite direction.
Harden can become a free agent in the offseason, while Simmons is under contract until 2025 after signing a five-year, $177.2million deal in 2019.
While the 76ers seemingly boosted their chances of contending by adding Harden, the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors remained idle. However, there were still plenty of other deals reported on Thursday.
Mavericks move on from Porzingis
The Luka Doncic-Kristaps Porzingis era is over in Dallas.
The Mavs sent Porzingis and a second-round pick to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
Injuries have continued to trouble the 7ft 3in center, who averaged 20 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in two and a half seasons in Dallas.
Kings trade Bagley, Bucks get Ibaka
The Sacramento Kings made Marvin Bagley III the second overall pick in the 2018 draft but brought an end to his time in California as part of a seven-player, four-team trade.
Bagley was sent to the Detroit Pistons, with Josh Jackson and Trey Lyles going to Sacramento. The Kings also received Donte DiVincenzo from the Milwaukee Bucks, who swapped Serge Ibaka for Semi Ojeleye and Rodney Hood. The reigning NBA champions also received two future second-round picks and cash considerations.
Bagley has started just 17 games for Sacramento this season, averaging 9.3 points and 7.2 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game.
Celtics bring Theis back, send Schroder to Houston
Daniel Theis is back for a second spell with the Boston Celtics.
Less than a year after he was traded to the Chicago Bulls by the Celtics, Theis was brought back from the Houston Rockets in exchange for Dennis Schroder, Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernando. Freedom is expected to be waived by the Rockets, though.
Boston also sent Bol Bol and PJ Dozier, who are both out for the season, to the Orlando Magic and offloaded Josh Richardson and Romeo Langford to the San Antonio Spurs. The Celtics' brought in Derrick White.
Elsewhere...
Goran Dragic's time with the Toronto Raptors is up after he was traded to the Spurs for Thaddeus Young, Drew Eubanks – whom they were set to waive – and a 2022 lottery-protected first-round pick. Dragic is expected to be bought out, with the Chicago Bulls, Mavs, Bucks, Warriors, Nets and Clippers all credited with an interest.
The Charlotte Hornets added Montrezl Harrel from the Wizards. Ish Smith and Vernon Carey Jr went the other way.
Torrey Craig is back with the Phoenix Suns following a deal that saw Jalen Smith land with the Indiana Pacers. Aaron Holiday was also acquired from the Wizards.
Andy Murray suffered defeat in the second round of the Rotterdam Open as he fell in straight sets to Felix Auger-Aliassime, while Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas progressed.
Murray, who triumphed at this tournament in 2009, battled past Alexander Bublik in his opening match but struggled to replicate that form against Auger-Aliassime on Thursday.
The Scot was never in control against the world number nine, who will face Murray's fellow Briton Cameron Norrie in the quarter-final, as he was downed 6-3 6-4 by the third seed.
"From the start of the match I was ready and focused and I think that is why I was able to produce a high level from the first point," Auger-Aliassime said on court after his victory.
"He made me bring out my best tennis and I am really happy with the way I played and that I was able to stay ahead. [To] win in straight sets is a great relief."
Top seed Tsitsipas, who was a beaten semi-finalist in this event last year, made light work of Ilya Ivashka as he raced to a 6-4 6-1 triumph in just one hour and 11 minutes to tee up a last-eight meeting with Alex de Minaur.
Reigning champion Rublev cruised past Soonwoo Kwon in similar fashion with a 6-3 6-3 win to secure his seventh straight victory at the ATP 500 tournament.
Meanwhile, qualifier Jiri Lehecka recovered from a first-set scare against Botic van de Zandschulp to succeed 1-6 6-4 6-4, with Lorenzo Musetti awaiting the Czech in the next round.
James Harden is leaving the Brooklyn Nets to join the Philadelphia 76ers, according to reports.
The teams have agreed a trade that will see Harden move to Philadelphia, while Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond head the other way, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said.
The deal reportedly also includes the Sixers sending the Nets an unprotected 2022 first-round pick as well as a protected 2027 first-round pick. The Nets will also include Paul Millsap in the deal.
Simmons was the subject of trade rumours in January 2021 when the Sixers pursued Harden from the Houston Rockets. Harden instead headed for the Nets, and Simmons saw out the season in Philadelphia, only for speculation to ramp up again after a deeply dissatisfying playoff exit.
Simmons has not played since June when Joel Embiid and Doc Rivers appeared to blame the former first overall pick for a Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
The 25-year-old Simmons averaged 14.3 points per game last season from his 58 appearances, plus 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists.
Harden, 32, has failed to settle in Brooklyn since arriving from Houston last January, averaging just 22.5 points per game this season, his lowest average since the 2011-12 season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as 8.0 rebounds and 10.2 assists.
Curry has been enjoying the best season of his career in Philadelphia, averaging 15.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, while Drummond has managed just 6.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, the worst return of his career.
The Los Angeles Rams are in the Super Bowl thanks to stunning seasons from the likes of Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald, but it turns out Dr Dre might have had something to do with it too.
Sunday's Halftime Show will be a parade of hip hop royalty, with Dre set to be joined on stage by Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige.
A cultural icon in Los Angeles, Dre is delighted to be sharing the spotlight with the hometown team, claiming to have spoken their success into existence.
"Who else could do this show here in LA, who else could perform the Halftime Show other than these amazing artists that we put together for this thing?" Dre said during the Halftime Show media conference on Thursday.
"Not only that, I've been manifesting the Rams, since the beginning of the season, I'm just thinking about it every day, I'm meditating on it and I'm like: 'Okay, it would be perfect if we are in the Super Bowl performing and the Rams are in the game as well.'"
Dre promised surprises in the show, though he would not go into any further detail.
He and Snoop vowed there would be no wardrobe malfunctions. Dre joked he had dissuaded him and Eminem from any provocative displays during the performance.
Snoop, though, expects to have the greatest impact during the show.
Asked what he wants the audience to take from the concert, Snoop replied: "[That] I'm the greatest to ever do it.
"Somebody gotta say it, Tom Brady wouldn't say it, I'm the GOAT."
And although Snoop is a fully fledged Pittsburgh Steelers fan, he is backing the Rams to keep the Lombardi Trophy at SoFi Stadium. "I gotta go with LA," he said.
In a moderated conversation, Dre, Snoop and Mary J all emphasised how much work has gone into the show.
Asked what will be on her mind once the performance is done, Mary J said: "A drink. A really nice tall drink because I've just been so focused on me and the Super Bowl."
With Dre describing their act as "f*****g incredible" and Snoop labelling it "magnifico", one of the most anticipated Halftime Shows in Super Bowl history appears set to be one not to forget.
A four-team trade deal between the Detroit Pistons, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Sacramento Kings will include Marvin Bagley III heading to the Pistons and Serge Ibaka being picked up by the Bucks, according to reports.
Donte DiVincenzo is among the players heading to the Kings, while the Clippers receive Rodney Hood and Semi Ojeleye from Milwaukee.
Bagley, who was the second overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, averaged 13.5 points and 7.4 rebounds with the Kings having faced numerous injuries and struggled to fully establish himself in Sacramento.
Ibaka will join the Bucks as the NBA champions add someone with Finals experience from his time at the Toronto Raptors and Oklahoma City Thunder. The 32-year-old averages 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 35 games this season.
The Bucks also receive two future second-round draft picks as well as cash considerations.
Sacramento, who only added Domantas Sabonis in a trade with Indiana on Tuesday, procured DiVincenzo from Milwaukee, as well as Josh Jackson and Trey Lyles from Detroit.
DiVincenzo has an average of 7.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in his 17 games so far this season, while Lyles is currently enjoying a career-best average of 10.4 points this year.
Hood and Ojeleye bolster the Clippers' depth having only featured from the bench this season for Milwaukee.
James Harden is leaving the Brooklyn Nets to join the Philadelphia 76ers, according to reports.
The teams have agreed a trade that will see Harden move to Philadelphia, while Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond head the other way, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said.
The deal reportedly also includes the Sixers sending the Nets an unprotected 2022 first-round pick as well as a protected 2027 first-round pick. The Nets will also include Paul Millsap in the deal.
Simmons was the subject of trade rumours in January 2021 when the Sixers pursued Harden from the Houston Rockets. Harden instead headed for the Nets, and Simmons saw out the season in Philadelphia, only for speculation to ramp up again after a deeply dissatisfying playoff exit.
Simmons has not played since June when Joel Embiid and Doc Rivers appeared to blame the former first overall pick for a Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Petra Kvitova crashed out of the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy, but Jelena Ostapenko is safely through to the quarter-finals.
Two-time grand slam champion Kvitova was comfortably beaten in straight sets by Irina-Camelia Begu, with the Romanian winning 6-4 6-0 in just one hour and nine minutes.
The effectiveness of the first serve was the main difference-maker, with Begu winning 73.1 per cent of her first-serve points, while Kvitova – who has 28 singles titles to her name in contrast to her opponents' four – could only manage 50 per cent.
Begu was set to face the winner of Tereza Martincova's tie with Elena Rybakina, but the latter withdrew because of illness.
Seventh seed Ostapenko made light work of Andrea Petkovic as she beat the German 6-1 6-2 in just 58 minutes, helped largely by winning 85.3 per cent of her first serves, as well as saving all five of the break points she offered up.
Ostapenko has now won two of her four meetings with Petkovic and will next face Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who eased to a 6-2 6-3 victory over Jaqueline Cristian.
Dan Biggar and Grant Gilchrist are set to make landmark appearances when Wales and Scotland clash in the Six Nations on Saturday.
Wales skipper Biggar will make his 100th Test appearance, with Jonathan Davies in line to join him in the century club when he comes off the bench in Cardiff.
Wales boss Wayne Pivac hailed the pair's achievements at international level as he named his team on Thursday, revealing delight that both players get to reach the milestone in the same game.
"To get 100 Test matches in total for any player from any country, it's just a magnificent achievement," Pivac said. "It shows the hard work and dedication they have put in and the sacrifice they have made over a number of years to get to this stage.
"I'm very, very happy for both of those players to achieve it and to do it on the same day. They've played a lot of Test matches together in the past – it's just going to be fantastic to see them both out there at some stage."
Off the back of a humbling 29-7 defeat to Ireland in Dublin, Pivac's side to face the Scots features four changes.
Ross Moriarty, Alex Cuthbert, Owen Watkin and Jac Morgan - making his Test debut - start ahead of Aaron Wainwright, Ellis Jenkins, Johnny McNicholl and Josh Adams, with Wales facing a Scotland side who began the championship with a gutsy victory over England.
Pivac said: "We expect Scotland to come down full of confidence. They've started with a good win. Across the board, they are a very competitive and committed side that throws everything at every play."
Scotland boss Gregor Townsend makes five alterations to his team, despite clinching the Calcutta Cup 20-17 last Saturday, although Gilchrist is retained as he reaches his own milestone of 50 Scotland appearances.
Sam Skinner, Pierre Schoeman, WP Nel, Stuart McInally and Sione Tuipulotu come into the starting line-up.
Scotland team: Hogg (c), Graham, Harris, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe, Russell, Price; Schoeman, McInally, Nel, Gray, Gilchrist, Skinner, Watson, M Fagerson.
Replacements: Turner, Sutherland, Z Fagerson, Bradbury, Darge, White, Kinghorn, Redpath.
Wales team: L Williams, Cuthbert, Watkin, Tompkins, Rees-Zammit, Biggar (c), T Williams; Jones, Elias, Francis, Rowlands, Beard, Basham, Morgan, Moriarty.
Replacements: Lake, Thomas, Lewis, S Davies, Wainwright, G Davies, Sheedy, J Davies.
Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel has not ruled out a trade involving Russell Westbrook ahead of Thursday's deadline.
Nine-time NBA All-Star Westbrook missed his first game of the season on Wednesday as the Lakers fell to a 107-105 defeat against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The 33-year-old's absence was put down to a back injury sustained the previous evening against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Westbrook spent the final quarter of that game watching from the sidelines, having earlier been jeered by his own fans, and later questioned Vogel's rotation policy.
That has done little to help the relationship between Westbrook and Vogel, with strong suggestions the 2017 MVP could be on his way out.
And rather than put an end to those rumours on the back of the defeat to Portland, Vogel instead offered a rather cryptic response.
Asked if there is a chance Westbrook will not be a part of the team once the trade deadline passes, Vogel said: "If there's a way to improve our team, we'll improve our team.
"I've got nothing else to say about the trade deadline."
Westbrook, traded to the Lakers from the Washington Wizards last August, has 1,006 points for the season, a tally bettered only by LeBron James (1,133) among Lakers players.
But Westbrook's 18.3 average through 55 games is his lowest since 2009-10, and down from the 31.6 managed with Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016-17 when crowned MVP.
He was on court for just 26 minutes against the Bucks prior to hinting at his displeasure with Vogel, who in response insisted no player is bigger than the team.
"The needs of the team always come first," he said on Wednesday. "We have to be willing to do whatever it takes to get the Lakers a win.
"Sometimes he's going to be in there for that, sometimes he's not."
The Lakers have now lost six of their last eight games and are 26-30 for the season, with a winning percentage of .464 placing them ninth in the Western Conference.
James, who top-scored for the Lakers against the Trail Blazers with 30 points, admitted the trade rumours are having a negative impact on his side.
"Obviously it's something that's weighing on this group that we're trying to all get through," he said.
"It almost feels like fog in the air and we're all trying to see what's on the other side of it."
Johnny Sexton will miss Ireland's Six Nations clash with France on Saturday due to a hamstring problem.
Ireland captain Sexton surpassed 500 points in the competition last week, as he helped Andy Farrell's team to a 29-7 defeat of reigning champions Wales in Dublin.
However, the 36-year-old will not feature in Paris after sustaining an injury in training on Wednesday, and James Ryan will captain Ireland instead.
Joey Carbery will replace Sexton in Farrell's line-up, which was announced on Thursday. It is the only change Ireland have made.
Iain Henderson, Robbie Henshaw and Jack Carty have come into the squad and will be on the bench, with Ryan Baird and James Hume dropping out.
France, meanwhile, have made two alterations to their side, with Francois Cros and Yoram Moefana replacing Dylan Cretin and Jonathan Danty respectively.
Antoine Dupont was one of 11 players to assist a try across the opening weekend and now has 12 assists to his name in the Six Nations, the most of any France player.
The scrum-half will again look to dictate the play as Les Bleus aim to win their opening two games in an edition of the Six Nations for the third year in a row, this after managing it just twice in their previous eight campaigns in the Championship.
This will be the 101st meeting between the nations, with France winning 58 times and Ireland triumphing on 35 occasions.
Les Bleus have the edge in the Six Nations, winning half of their 22 encounters, including the two most recent games.
They thrashed Italy 37-10 in their opening fixture to go top of the standings after round one.
Ireland team: Hugo Keenan, Andrew Conway, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, Mack Hansen, Joey Carbery, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan.
Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, Iain Henderson, Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray, Jack Carty, Robbie Henshaw.
France team: Melvyn Jaminet, Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Yoram Moefana, Gabin Villiere, Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupont; Gregory Alldritt, Anthony Jelonch, Francois Cros, Paul Willemse, Cameron Woki, Uini Atonio, Julien Marchand, Cyril Baille.
Replacements: Peato Mauvaka, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Demba Bamba, Romain Taofifenua, Thibaud Flament, Dylan Cretin, Maxime Lucu, Thomas Ramos.
The Montreal Canadiens have fired head coach Dominique Ducharme, with former Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis replacing him on an interim basis.
Ducharme, 48, was dismissed following a 7-1 rout at the hands of the New Jersey Devils, with Montreal rock-bottom of the league.
That defeat means Montreal have lost 30 of their 45 games this season, the most of any NHL team the campaign after making the Stanley Cup final.
St. Louis, 46, takes over as a head coach for the first time in his career, having previously held the position of consultant with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2018-19 campaign.
"We are very happy to welcome Martin to the Canadiens organisation," general manager Kent Hughes said in a statement.
"Not only are we adding an excellent hockey man, but with Martin, we are bringing in a proven winner and a man whose competitive qualities are recognised by all who have crossed his path."
Hughes released another statement thanking Ducharme for his work over the past year, having stepped into the role of head coach in February 2021.
"We would like to sincerely thank Dominique for his work and contributions to the Montreal Canadiens organisation," Hughes said.
"At this point in the season, we felt it was in the best interest of the club to make a change."
St. Louis' NHL career saw him play a combined 1,134 games for the Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers, racking up 391 goals and 642 assists in that time.
Montreal are on a run of seven consecutive defeats – and 13 from their past 14 games – and have conceded 33 times in their most recent five outings, leaving their new head coach with a mountain to climb to turn things around.
Russell Westbrook played no part as the Los Angeles Lakers fell to a 107-105 defeat against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.
A day after hinting at his unhappiness at coach Frank Vogel, and with lingering doubts over his future ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, Westbrook watched from the bench.
It is the first game the nine-time All-Star has missed all season, though Vogel could at least still call upon the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis from the beginning.
James scored 30 points for the Lakers, who led 54-47 at half-time, only for the depleted Trail Blazers to slowly turn things around before rallying in the fourth quarter.
Anfernee Simons led the scoring for Portland with 29 points, while Jusuf Nurkic added 19 points and 12 rebounds as the hosts held on to snap a six-game losing streak.
Bogdanovic and Mitchell inspire Jazz to victory
The Golden State Warriors' nine-game winning streak was ended in emphatic style as they fell to a 111-85 defeat to the Utah Jazz.
Without the injured Rudy Gobert for an eighth game, the Jazz were inspired to victory by 23-point Bojan Bogdanovic and Donovan Mitchell, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Warriors, without Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and James Wiseman, finished with a shooting percentage of 36 per cent in what was their heaviest defeat of the season.
DeRozan stars again
Five-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan was serenaded by "MVP!" chants after scoring 36 points in the Chicago Bulls' 121-109 victory over the out-of-form Charlotte Hornets.
DeRozan hit 30 points for a fourth game running, during which time he has averaged 37.5 points, while Nikola Vucevic finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, Darius Garland's 27 points on his return from a back injury helped the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 105-92 win against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Toronto Raptors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-98 for their seventh straight win and the Sacramento Kings were 132-119 victors against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Los Angeles Rams' preparations for the Super Bowl have been efficient, but they haven't been without issues, albeit relatively minor ones.
Southern California is in the grip of unusual heat for February and the Rams' matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium could be the hottest Super Bowl ever.
Yet the Rams did not feel the full effect of the heatwave at their base in Thousand Oaks, which was hit by winds of around 22 miles per hour during Wednesday's practice.
With those winds expected to increase in strength, the Rams are moving practice for Thursday, by which time head coach Sean McVay will hope to have his voice back.
"I feel great, I just sound like s***," McVay said in Wednesday's media conference after it became evident he had lost his voice.
"Hopefully, we'll get this voice to come back, but it was like yesterday I was in my office for a minute then I went to talk to some of the coaches and then my voice sounded like this, I'm like 'what the hell happened?' I've got the honey, I've got all the remedies. We'll get this voice back."
Undeterred by his vocal cords failing him, McVay also has little qualms about switching practice to Pasadena to escape the difficult conditions.
"We're going to go practice at the Rose Bowl tomorrow, kind of anticipating the winds," he added.
"If that's the biggest inconvenience of playing the Super Bowl playing at home that we have to get on a bus, we do that pretty regularly anyways going down to SoFi."
An outwardly optimistic person, McVay's swiftness in brushing off such inconveniences is no surprise, and the speed with which the Rams have installed their Super Bowl gameplan can only have helped his mood.
McVay, according to the pool report, said after practice: "Today kind of represented the finality of it. We can tweak and adjust as we go, but they [the players] did a good job of getting ahead of stuff.
"Guys felt really good. We ran through all the different situations that can come up…and then the next couple of days we'll just be tightening up."
McVay will be able to make any tweaks knowing that he will likely have all three of his top running backs available, with Darrell Henderson Jr. appearing poised to return from a knee ligament injury.
"I think Darrell’s going to go," said McVay. "So, you'll have Cam [Akers], Darrell and Sony [Michel]. You'll be able to see a good, three-back rotation, based on how the game unfolds.
"The situations that arise will dictate which one you're seeing. Like anything else, if we're able to get into a rhythm running it, we're going to go with the hot hand."
McVay might be straining to communicate but, with his running back room returning to full health and the gameplan ready, there's every reason for him to be confident of a career-defining victory that would taste as sweet as his honey remedy.
Casper Ruud began his Argentina Open title tilt with an impressively routine defeat of Roberto Carballes Baena.
The Norwegian, who is the top seed, saw off his opponent 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 to set up a quarter-final clash with home hopeful Federico Coria, who defeated Dusan Lajovic 4-6 7-5 6-4.
Ruud was taking to the court for the first time since being in ATP Cup action in early January, with ankle injury ruling him out of the Australian Open.
But on the scene of his maiden ATP title win in 2020, Ruud – who has won five tournaments since – looked in good shape.
"I feel, obviously, very good in Buenos Aires. I was a bit nervous coming back because it's the first time I have to defend a title," he said.
"Everything is a bit different since two years ago. When I won here it was a surprise. I was young.
"[This] was a good start. First time playing on clay in six months, so everything is a bit new again.
"Of course, I prefer to play on clay, but it takes some time to get used to the court and playing points."
Third seed Lorenzo Sonego also advanced through to the last eight in straight sets, the Italian beating Sebastian Baez 6-3 6-3 to set up a meeting with Fernando Verdasco.
Unseeded Spaniard Verdasco, seeking an eighth career title, progressed thanks to a hard-fought 2-6 6-3 7-5 win over Thiago Monteiro.
At the Dallas Open, John Isner won his opening match on home soil with a 7-6 (7-1) 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-5) victory over Kevin Anderson.
Isner will next take on either Vasek Pospisil or Jurij Rodionov, with the qualifiers scheduled to meet on Thursday.
Marcos Giron and Jordan Thompson are also in the quarter-finals after seeing off Liam Broady and Brandan Nakashima respectively.
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