Stephen Curry was left frustrated after having no win to show for his 60-point haul in the Golden State Warriors' loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Curry scored a season-high 60 points, while recording six rebounds and four assists, but the Warriors went down 141-134 in overtime on Saturday.
The Warriors are now 21-25 for the season, and 12th in the Western Conference.
Having fallen just two shy of his career-best 62 points, Curry became the 10th player in NBA history to register multiple 60-point games.
Yet the four-time champion was left with a sour taste in his mouth after watching Trae Young lead the Hawks to a fourth straight win with his 35 points.
"It sucks to not have something to show for it," Curry said.
"It's frustrating, obviously, not coming away with the win knowing a couple plays here, a couple plays there could have been a different outcome. It just adds to our frustrating season."
Draymond Green chipped in with seven points, six rebounds and eight assists for the Warriors, and despite the result, he was delighted to see Curry shine.
"It just seems he continues to get better, which is special at his age," Green said of Curry, while coach Steve Kerr added: "We competed like crazy but just couldn't get over the hump."
Young and Curry embraced on the court after the game, with the latter offering some advice to the Hawks star, who is averaging 27.3 points per game but missed out on an All-Star pick.
"I told him after the game it will all come back to him if he continues to approach the game in the right way," said Curry.
Scotland captain Finn Russell reflected on a range of emotions after his team ended their Cardiff hoodoo by thwarting an astonishing Wales fightback at the Principality Stadium.
A nerve-shredding 27-26 victory was Scotland’s first win in the Welsh capital since 2002, but it did not come before they were left staring at a 12th successive defeat as Wales threatened arguably the greatest Six Nations recovery act.
Having helped orchestrate a 27-point lead two minutes into the second half, Russell could have been excused for thinking it was a case of job done.
But Wales had other ideas, scoring four tries during 20 minutes of mayhem that included yellow cards for Scotland pair George Turner and Sione Tuipulotu, transforming what had been a hopelessly one-sided encounter.
Scotland also conceded 14 successive penalties, such was the ferocity and unrelenting nature of Wales’ all-court game.
Just when it was required, though, Scotland showed courage and composure during the closing minutes to dominate territory and go close to claiming a bonus-point fourth try.
“We had a really good first half and a brilliant start to the second, then a bit of complacency crept in,” Russell said.
“We had discipline issues in the second half which led to two yellow cards and them really getting on the front foot.
“But it showed that we’ve come quite a long way that we managed to win the game in the end. We held tough and did not allow them to get anything towards the end.
“I am probably a little bit disappointed with the second half, but overall it is a great start to the tournament for us. We’ve not won here in 22 years.
“We managed to dig it out in the end, but it shows how tough a place it (Cardiff) is to come. Wales never went away, and that was the pressure the team put us under, but also that the crowd getting involved.
“I’ve played in games with Scotland like that when we have lost, and that was the most pleasing thing, that we managed to find a way to win even though momentum, the crowd, everything was against us towards the end.
“There was loads of good stuff in that first half. With the way everything unfolded in the second half, I am a little bit down, a little bit frustrated, but when we look back there will be loads of positives to take.
“It (the second-half performance) was nowhere near where we need to be. But that is something we will address on Monday and we will build on the back of it and get ready for France (next weekend).”
Les Bleus will arrive at Murrayfield following a crushing defeat against Ireland, and Scotland can also take heart from beating France five times out of the last seven attempts in Edinburgh.
Their mission, though, will be undertaken without lock Richie Gray, who could miss the rest of this season’s Six Nations due to a biceps injury.
And flanker Luke Crosbie is a major doubt after hurting his shoulder, with Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend stating: “Both are in a lot of pain.
“Richie and the medics knew straight away it was a biceps injury. So that doesn’t look good for this Championship.
“Luke was a shoulder injury. It’s a painful one and that might settle. Let’s hope he has not done any significant damage there.”
Ireland, England and Scotland made winning starts to the Guinness Six Nations on a dramatic opening weekend that provided many twists and turns.
Here, the PA news agency examines five things we learned from round one.
England broaden their horizons
While a too-close-for-comfort victory over Italy hardly paints a flattering picture of their performance in Rome, tactically the game was a welcome change in direction for England.
True to the word of Steve Borthwick and Jamie George, their head coach and captain, greater ambition was shown in attack than at the World Cup.
Marauding wing Tommy Freeman roaming the Stadio Olimpico provided the most obvious evidence of a change in thinking, but the sight of scrum-half Alex Mitchell taking on defenders in a way not seen at a kick-heavy France 2023 was possibly more telling.
Italy’s near miss
Italy making an encouraging start to the Six Nations before falling away in the later rounds is a familiar theme, but in Rome there were many impressive moments from the tournament’s perennial strugglers.
Not only was it the smallest margin of defeat in their 31 Tests against England, but the inspired Azzurri were sharp in attack with Tommaso Allan’s first-half try brilliantly constructed and finished.
They led 17-14 at the interval and outscored England 3-2 on the try count and should march into round two with a renewed sense of purpose even if it is Ireland they face.
A star is born
What Ireland’s rivals would give to have their own ‘Big’ Joe McCarthy, the hulking second-row who laid waste to France’s pack in a remarkable victory in Marseille.
A man-of-the-match performance on his Six Nations debut was evidence of his nation’s depth at lock with even the outstanding James Ryan unable to force his way into the starting XV.
McCarthy’s physicality was a throwback to old school tight five forward play and he took on the role of enforcer by bossing the collisions and breakdown as well as carrying hard. Every team should have one.
Les Bleus in post-World Cup limbo
The question of how France would recover from the crushing disappointment of exiting their home World Cup in the quarter-finals was answered emphatically at the Stade Velodrome.
Their hangover from the tournament was most visible in a passive defence, which was breached easily by Ireland.
It could be a long Six Nations unless Fabien Galthie finds the right buttons to push psychologically as well as providing a new sense of purpose in the wake of their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity being snatched away by a one-point defeat by South Africa.
The great entertainers
Scotland feature heavily in the recent Netflix documentary on the Six Nations and they are undoubtedly box office, although not always for reasons they would appreciate.
From amassing a sensational 27-0 lead against Wales in swashbuckling fashion to almost falling victim to the greatest comeback in Championship history, they can dazzle and confound in equal measure.
And with magician fly-half Finn Russell – the self-anointed Lionel Messi of rugby – pulling the strings, you can not take your eyes off them.
Stephen Curry scored 60 points for the second-most in his career and made 10 3-pointers, but the Atlanta Hawks started fast in overtime in a 141-134 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
Curry had eight points in overtime to notch the second 60-point game of his career, falling two points shy of matching his career high set against Portland on Jan. 3, 2021. He was 22 of 38 from the field, 10 of 23 from long range, and made all six free throws.
Dejounte Murray scored the last seven points in an 11-0 run to open overtime for the Hawks and finished with 19 points.
Curry’s second 3 of overtime drew Golden State within 136-131 with 67 seconds to play but Trae Young hit a floater and Jalen Johnson’s layup with 20 seconds left sealed the win.
Young scored 35 points with seven 3-pointers, and Onyeka Okongwu added a career-high 22 points and a season-best 16 rebounds for Atlanta, which has won a season high-tying four straight.
Lakers snap Knicks’ 9-game streak
LeBron James scored 24 points and the Los Angeles Lakers pulled away down the stretch for a 113-105 victory to end the New York Knicks’ nine-game winning streak.
Austin Reaves had 22 points, D’Angelo Russell and Taurean Prince each scored 16 and Anthony Davis added 12 with 18 rebounds.
It was the second straight impressive road win for the Lakers after their 114-105 victory at NBA-leading Boston on Thursday.
Jalen Brunson poured in 36 points and Donte DiVincenzo added 26 before fouling out. The Knicks were done in by a nearly seven-minute scoreless stretch in the fourth quarter, as the Lakers turned a 96-94 deficit into a 105-96 lead.
Antetokounmpo outduels Doncic in Bucks’ win
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 48 points and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied from a 25-point deficit for their first win under coach Doc Rivers, 129-117 over the Dallas Mavericks.
Antetokounmpo shot 20 of 28 from the field to go with 10 assists and six rebounds as Milwaukee avoided a season-high third straight loss.
The Bucks, who lost their first two games under Rivers, started the rally with a 15-0 run in the final two minutes of the first half to get within five.
Damian Lillard added 30 points on 10-of-11 shooting and hit all five 3-point attempts.
Luka Dončić had 40 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to fall just shy of his 10th triple-double of the season.
Maxi Kleber scored 21 points and Josh Green had 20 with nine rebounds for Dallas, which had its biggest blown lead in a loss this season and dropped to 2-6 in its last eight games.
Conor Benn saw off the challenge of American Peter Dobson in Las Vegas with a unanimous decision victory to keep his unbeaten record.
The 27-year-old from London, who is unable to fight in the UK due to failed drug tests, won his second straight fight in the US as he went 12 rounds for the first time in his career.
The judges scored the welterweight fight 119-109, 118-110 and 118-110 in Benn’s favour to extend his record to 23-0.
After the fight, Benn said he would fight anyone promoter Eddie Hearn puts in front of him.
Leading in to the fight, Benn said he had fallen out of love with boxing after the failed drugs tests but was willing to “spend every last penny” to prove his innocence in the appeal.
His career was thrown into turmoil in October 2022 after he twice tested positive for the banned drug clomifene in the lead-up to a bout against Chris Eubank Jr that was called off in fight week.
His provisional suspension was lifted by the independent National Anti-Doping Panel, although the British Boxing Board of Control and UK Anti-Doping have lodged an appeal against that decision.
Hearn said on Friday that Benn must be allowed to fight again in Britain to fill the void left by Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
American Wyndham Clark shot a course record 60 to take the lead heading into the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am.
The US Open champion made five putts of at least 25 feet in his 12-under-par round with two eagles, nine birdies and one bogey, eclipsing the previous record of 62.
Clark, who had a lengthy eagle putt at the last to break 60, said he had a “really good feel on the greens”.
He said: “I was just, ‘See ball, hit ball, try to hit it where I wanted to’.
“So in my mind I was like, ‘All right, let’s just get us to where we’re putting,’ because the hole seemed like a bucket today.”
Clark’s round does count as a course record on the PGA Tour, despite the players being able to clean and place balls on the fairways.
Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg continued his strong tournament with a five-under-par 67 to sit one shot off the lead with France’s Matthieu Pavon a further shot behind as he chases a second successive victory on tour.
Justin Rose shot a 66 to move to 11-under par – six off the lead – but Rory McIlroy is a further none strokes adrift after a 69.
The final day’s play could be determined by weather with strong winds and rain threatening to delay or cut short play.
With another display of his tremendous riding prowess, Jamaican-born United States-based jockey Shaun Bridgmohan registered his first ever win on Jamaican soil, with a come-from-behind effort aboard Phillip Feanny’s Fearless Soul, in Division One of the George HoSang Trophy at Caymanas Park on Saturday.
Bridgmohan’s 4-1/2 lengths triumph with the four-year-old chestnut colt, in the Restricted Allowance IV contest for native-bred four-year-olds and upward (non-winners of three) and imported four-year-olds and upward (non-winners of two), over five and a half furlongs (1,100m), marked another milestone in a decorated career –his 3,400th career win –and where better to have secured it that in the land of his birth.
The 44-year-old jockey, a Spanish Town native, who migrated to the United States at age of 13, dedicated the win to his father Gerald, who was unable to make the trip.
“It is nice to come down here and win a race. I want to thank my trainer Mr. Feanny for giving me the opportunity to ride a nice little horse today. Obviously, I couldn’t mess it up because he had him in great shape, so all I had to do was just keep him out of trouble,” Bridgmohan told SportsMax in a post-race interview.
“I watched him (Fearless Soul) race the last time he won, and he seemed like he was a much better horse on the outside, so my strategy going in was just to keep him wide and give him a clear path. When I pushed the trigger, he accelerated so fast and I thought I asked him a little too soon, but I just followed through. Dad this one is for you, and I love you,” he added.
Breaking from the number two draw, Bridgmohan and Fearless Soul, the 4-5 favourite, were slow from the gate and their trouble was compounded as they were crowded for space in the early exchanges.
With Strike Smart (Phillip Parchment) and Loyal Action (Tevin Foster) setting some decent early fractions of 23.2 and 47.2 seconds, it wasn’t until they left the half-mile (800m) point, that Bridgmohan and Fearless Soul found some racing room, and launched their attack from there.
After Strike Smart turned for home first, Bridgmohan and Fearless Soul entered the stretch run three wide with Royal Ash (Raddesh Roman) for company. However, with just a few more shake of the hands, followed by a flash of the whip by Bridgmohan, Fearless Soul easily rounded rivals and sprinted away in the final furlong to win in a final time of 1:07.2.
Strike Smart, Royal Ash and She’s Myhedgefund (Trevor Simpson), completed the frame behind the Balkrishen Sagan-Maraj-owned charge.
Meanwhile, Tevin Foster, who starred on the day with a dazzling four-timer, won Division Two of the George HoSang Trophy aboard Paul Swaby’s Kem in a time of 1:08.2.
His other winners on the nine-race programme were Howard Jaghai;s Speed On Wheels in the Eight Thirty Sprint; She’s A Godgift for trainer Leroy Tomlinson, and the Rohan Crichton-conditioned Bern Notice.
Andy Farrell insists he had no concerns about Ireland suffering a World Cup hangover during Friday’s thumping Guinness Six Nations win over France.
Both sides went into a blockbuster championship opener in Marseille on the back of having their dreams of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup shattered by narrow quarter-finals exits.
Reigning Grand Slam champions Ireland emphatically responded with a 38-17 bonus-point success at Stade Velodrome to begin their title defence with a bang and help ease memories of a painful last-eight loss to New Zealand in October.
“There are no hangovers with us,” said head coach Farrell.
“There’s a realisation of where we’re at and where we need to go to next and what we need to learn and that’s it.
“Hangovers are for tomorrow; we’re three months down the line – that’s a big hangover, if you can’t get over it in that time.
“We talk about our past performances all the time, sometimes we go back three years to say we learnt this or whatever.
“Of course we’ll learn big things from the All Blacks defeat but it’s not a hangover, it’s just the next step in how we progress going forward as a team and that’s how it should be in my opinion.”
Tries from Jamison Gibson-Park, Tadhg Beirne, Calvin Nash, Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher stunned France to silence the majority of a capacity crowd at Stade Velodrome.
Les Bleus had little answer to their dominant visitors and played around 60 minutes of the match with 14 men after Paul Willemse was sin-binned and then sent off following high tackles on Andrew Porter and Caelan Doris.
Despite Ireland registering their biggest victory away to France, new captain Peter O’Mahony, who succeeded Johnny Sexton following the World Cup, believes there is significant room for improvement moving towards a round-two clash with Italy.
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“We’ve been on a journey for a long time and we’ve had lots of great experiences and banked them and we’ve had some tough ones and banked them as well,” said O’Mahony.
“It’s always about getting better and it was another step for the group.
“We spoke about it being a huge occasion for us but, at the same time, it’s just another game for us and how calm and composed we could really be in an environment like that out there.
“It was a great test for the group. We’ve plenty to work on but there were parts of the game that felt like a good performance.”
Things remain evenly poised between Jamaica and Barbados at 1-1 in their World Group II Davis Cup playoff tie, as Darian King bettered Jamaican counterpart Rowland Phillips in an entertaining second rubber at the Eric Bell Tennis Centre in Kingston on Saturday.
After Jamaica’s Blaise Bicknell recovered from a second set slump to beat Kaipo Marshall 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 in the first contest, King outlasted Phillips 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in a tough encounter that took two hours and 54 minutes to decide a winner.
The contest, as expected, was characterized by long grinding rallies given the style of play of both King and Phillips.
In the end, it was the 31-year-old Barbadian ranked at 547 in the world that took top honours over his 30-year-old opponent, who played with a heavily bandaged right knee.
Action concludes on Sunday with the doubles rubber and reverse singles.
Gregor Townsend feared another dramatic Cardiff collapse would cost Scotland their first win over Wales at the Principality Stadium for 22 years.
Head coach Townsend was an assistant to Andy Robinson in 2010 when Wales scored 17 points in the final few minutes in Cardiff to incredibly turn a 14-24 deficit in to a 31-24 victory.
But this time Scotland – who were 27-0 ahead a few minutes into the second half – withstood a Welsh onslaught to win 27-26 and get their Guinness Six Nations campaign off to a positive start.
“It was a bit like 2010 and it went into my thoughts as the second half went on,” said Townsend after Scotland had ended a run of 11 straight defeats in Cardiff stretching back to 2002.
“I remember the atmosphere that day when Wales had the momentum behind them and came back on the scoreboard.
“The same happened today, fortunately we stayed ahead and we were able to play well in the final five minutes.
“A lot of effort went into that last five minutes – we should have scored a try and we felt there were a couple of penalties that could have gone our way in the last passage – but it was past 80 minutes and we got the win.”
Wing Duhan Van Der Merwe scored two tries and prop Pierre Schoeman also touched down, while skipper Finn Russell was flawless with the boot in landing 12 points.
After Van Der Merwe sliced through for a stunning second try just after the restart, Scotland were on course to eclipse last year’s record win over Wales.
But that was not to be and Townsend was grateful to see Scotland hang on while cursing significant injuries to forwards Richie Gray and Luke Crosbie.
“Both are in a lot of pain,” Townsend said. “Richie and the medics knew straight away it was a bicep injury. So that doesn’t look good for this Championship.
“Luke was a shoulder injury. It’s a painful one and that might settle.
“Not for next week (against France at Murrayfield), but let’s hope he’s not done any significant damage there. It’s a blow to lose two players from our starting team.”
On the nail-biting victory, Townsend added: “We were accurate and put Wales under pressure in the first half.
“Those two tries were really good reward and to have that cushion should have made it a more comfortable second half.
“The fact that it didn’t is a concern for us, but a lot of that was due to the penalty count (16 to four against Scotland) and the numerical advantage Wales had for 20 minutes.”
Wales made the most of second-half yellow cards for George Turner and Sione Tuipulotu to turn the contest on its head.
James Botham, Rio Dyer, Aaron Wainwright and debutant Alex Mann crossed, with Ioan Lloyd kicking three conversions, as Wales secured two losing bonus points.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland, whose young side head to Twickenham next Saturday to play England, said: Did we give Scotland too much respect in that first half?
“They were fully loaded and we’re a young team. To do what we did, be 27-0 down, other teams might have shown less character and start thinking about next week, even throw in the towel.
“We didn’t do that. They kept fighting and put themselves in a position to win. That showed real character and we’ve just got to play like we did in the second half.
“You can’t coach experience. When you’re out there in front of 75,000 people making that much noise and the pace is quicker than club rugby, sometimes that takes time for players to get used to.
“We’ll need a little bit of leeway, but it’s still Test rugby and it’s about winning. That’s what we’ve got to focus on.”
Tyson Fury’s undisputed world heavyweight title fight with Oleksandr Usyk has been rearranged for May 18, promoters have announced.
The much-hyped encounter had originally been due to take place in Saudi Arabia later this month but was postponed this week after the Briton suffered a “freak cut” above the eye in training.
A statement from Queensbury Promotions on X, formerly known as Twitter, read: “The undisputed heavyweight championship fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk has been rescheduled to May 18th in Riyadh.”
Fury, holder of the WBC belt, required medical attention after suffering the injury during a sparring session.
It is the second time his planned fight with Usyk has been delayed after an initial slot in December failed to materialise.
The winner of the fight, when it eventually takes place, will be crowned as the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
Ukraine’s Usyk holds the WBO, WBA and IBF titles.
Blaise Bicknell recovered from a second set slump to beat Kaipo Marshall and give Jamaica the advantage against Barbados following the first rubber of their World Group II Davis Cup playoff tie at the Eric Bell Tennis Centre in Kingston on Saturday.
Bicknell prevailed 6-1 3-6 6-1.
Despite a sluggish start, and the first three games going to deuce, Bicknell saved break point in the opening game of the contest and fought to a 3-0 lead, before ultimately running away with the set 6-1.
The 21-year-old Barbadian responded in the second set, breaking early, before shocking the partisan crowd by rushing to a 3-0 lead.
However, the 22-year-old Bicknell, ranked 319 in the world and number one in the Caribbean, momentarily pulled his game together with precise serving and strong forehands to level at three apiece.
The momentum again shifted with Marshall breaking once on his way to winning the next three games and take the set 6-3.
He saved three break points and squandered three set points, before holding his nerve when Bicknell dumped a backhand return in the net.
Last year, Marshall heroically, came from a set and 4-5 down to beat Pacific Oceania's Clement Mainguy to keep Barbados in group II, but he couldn't complete this mission, as Bicknell, sensing the challenge, stepped up and ran away with the third 6-1, punctuating the victory with a second serve ace.
"I didn't play my best but I found a way to get the job done," Bicknell said following the win in sweltering heat.
"I played a good first and third set and once I relaxed I was comfortable,” he added.
Marshall also felt he was far from his best.
"I definitely didn't play the level I wanted to today, I felt definitely like I was right there with him, but I felt like I defeated myself,” he lamented.
Neither player hit their best game on the day, but ultimately, Bicknell's superior quality was the difference.
There were moments he looked like the man who is coming off his first ATP challenger title. His serve out wide on the deuce court in big moments was a major factor, and his heavy forehand also did a lot of damage.
Marshall struggled on second serve. He hit four doubles in his first service game, a problem which persisted throughout the match.
The day's second rubber between Darian King of Barbados and Rowland Phillips of Jamaica is currently underway.
Action concludes on Sunday with the doubles rubber and reverse singles.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with a displaced flap of the meniscus in his left knee and could undergo surgery, The Athletic reported on Saturday.
Another option for the reigning NBA MVP would be to rest and rehab the injury instead of having a procedure on the knee.
Embiid was injured in the 76ers' loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday in his first game back after missing two contests due to an issue with his left knee.
Embiid is the NBA’s leading scorer with 35.3 points per game and is averaging 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 34 appearances.
He had a franchise-record 70 points to go along with 18 rebounds on Jan. 22 against the San Antonio Spurs.
Scotland ended 22 years of hurt in Cardiff after they thwarted a spectacular Wales fightback to win an extraordinary Guinness Six Nations clash 27-26.
It was Scotland’s first win in the Welsh capital since 2002 – ending a run of 11 successive defeats – to set up a mouth-watering Murrayfield encounter against France next Saturday.
But Wales made them fight every inch of the way after the Scots had breezed into a 27-point lead after 42 minutes, with wing Duhan van der Merwe scoring two tries including a virtuoso long-range effort while prop Pierre Schoeman also touched down.
Captain Finn Russell kicked three conversions and two penalties, but it only told half the story.
Flanker James Botham’s try sparked the Welsh recovery then he was followed over the line by Rio Dyer, Aaron Wainwright and debutant Alex Mann, with Ioan Lloyd kicking three conversions.
Scotland found themselves on the rack after hooker George Turner and centre Sione Tuipulotu were sin-binned during the second period, yet they successfully closed the game out and left Wales wondering what might have been.
Both teams started brightly under the stadium’s closed roof and Scotland struck first when Russell kicked an angled 20-metre penalty, before quick lineout ball gave Tuipulotu a chance that Wales managed to defend.
Wales, though, could not stop wave after wave of attacks that led to the game’s opening try after 11 minutes.
Russell created initial space and after a strong run by wing Kyle Steyn, Scotland’s forwards took over and Schoeman crossed from close range. Russell’s conversion made it 10-0.
Scotland enjoyed scrum and lineout dominance and they controlled the opening quarter, even if Wales established promising attacking positions at times.
Russell extended Scotland’s lead with a second penalty – Wales wing Josh Adams was punished for throwing the ball away and denying Scotland a quick lineout throw – and alarm bells were beginning to ring for Gatland’s team.
Inevitably, Russell was at the heart of everything good about Scotland’s magic and he weaved his magic to devastating effect 10 minutes before half-time.
Scotland set up a strong position inside Wales’ 22 and the rest was all about Russell, who ghosted into space, threw a half-dummy pass, then delivered a try on a plate for Van der Merwe.
There appeared no way back for Wales, with their problems showing no sign of abating as fly-half Sam Costelow went off for a head injury assessment as Scotland led 20-0 at the interval.
It got even worse for Wales just two minutes into the second period when Van der Merwe carved them open from deep to claim a blistering solo touchdown, and Russell’s conversion put further daylight between the teams.
Costelow failed his HIA and Gatland made three half-time changes, sending on scrum-half Tomos Williams, hooker Elliot Dee and prop Keiron Assiratti, and Wales opened their account when Botham crashed over.
Turner was sin-binned for an offence in the build-up to Botham’s try and Wales struck again, this time through Dyer, with Lloyd’s conversion cutting the gap suddenly and unexpectedly to 15 points.
It was panic stations for Scotland when Tuipulotu went into the sin bin and Wales punished them immediately as Wainwright touched down for a third try in 13 minutes, with Lloyd converting.
The capacity crowd could scarcely believe what they were witnessing, but it was Williams’s influence off the bench that proved key as he injected pace and purpose into Wales’ game.
And when Mann claimed a 68th-minute try, again converted by Lloyd, the improbable dream edged closer, with Scotland looking bewildered and devoid of answers.
But they somehow held out, Wales left with the consolation of two losing bonus points.
Jamie George is convinced England can win the Guinness Six Nations but accepts they must learn fast after edging Italy 27-24 in Rome.
England were outscored 3-2 on the try count and were outplayed in the first half, which they finished 17-14 behind, but they rallied with an important Alex Mitchell try and two penalties from George Ford.
It was the closest Italy had come to beating them in 31 Tests between the rivals and even allowing for the five new caps in Red Rose ranks, it was a shaky start to post-World Cup rebuilding.
While England were labouring to victory at the Stadio Olimpico, Ireland looked sensational in a crushing win over France in Marseille the previous evening.
When asked is there is enough quality in the team to challenge Ireland, George said: “Absolutely. I don’t want anyone to be involved in this squad if they don’t genuinely believe we can go and challenge the best and win this tournament.
“Looking at Ireland, they were very impressive. Not many teams go to France and perform like that. It’s a blueprint for us, and any team, to look at how they approached that game.
“For us, we’re going to be learning fast and we need to make sure we learn our lessons, being very clear about what we want to go after this game.
“We’ve got a great opportunity to be back in front of our fans against Wales next weekend and really give them something to smile about.”
England have a new defence coach in Felix Jones and at times they were exposed by an inspired Italy, who took advantage of the lack of familiarity with the new system to engineer three tries.
“I’m very pleased the players found a way to change and win the game,” head coach Steve Borthwick said.
“There were areas we improved upon and it was brilliant to see five players making their debuts in the Six Nations, which doesn’t happen very often.
“But having said that there were plenty of areas we need to be better. Italy scored too easily and we need to look very closely at things that need to be improved around our defence.
Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada took little comfort from knowing that it was the closest the Azzurri had come to beating England in 31 attempts.
“When I spoke to the players and coaches in the changing room, no one was happy with this narrow defeat,” Quesada said.
“That’s something that’s very important for me because I didn’t care to look at the closest gap in history.
“I’m proud of the spirit showed by the team. England were close to our tryline many times but we kept them out, which is the team we want to be.”
Emmet Mullins appears to have another potential star on his hands given the way Jeroboam Machin cruised to victory in the Donohue Marquees Future Stars I.N.H. Flat Race at Leopardstown.
Continuing the dominance of the Mullins family on the opening day, Mullins’ uncle Willie was responsible for four winners, while cousin Danny rode three of them. This time is was Grand National winner Emmet taking the limelight.
The race saw the reappearance of last year’s winner, A Dream To Share, who went on to follow up at Cheltenham and Punchestown. But despite being sent off the 8-11 favourite, a repeat victory never looked likely.
Jeroboam Machin (12-1) was ridden by Derek O’Connor, who sported the light blue colours of Paul Byrne, owner in their early days of the likes of National hero Noble Yeats and The Shunter.
Having travelled sweetly to the lead, he had no problem in pulling four and a quarter lengths clear of You Oughta Know.
So impressive was the win that a number of firms promoted him to favouritism for the championship event at Cheltenham.
Mullins said: “Watching him work the last few weeks wouldn’t inspire confidence and I think I said the same after his debut, he doesn’t show much at home.
“But any time we take him away he lights up and I don’t mind what he does at home if he saves his best for the track.
“He’s green but I don’t know if that will come out of him, he comes up the gallop at home as quick with a 90-rated horse as he does a 140-horse, that’s just him. I’m just glad he’s got that bit of class.
“There’s plenty of horses we have that fall by the wayside, but Paul’s very good, he gives me free rein. I picked this lad out of an auction point-to-point which may not have been that sexy, but I loved the way he winged the last that day.”
When asked if he could go to Cheltenham, he said: “Well we came in the right-hand side of the parade ring instead of the left today, so we could go either way!”
Madara, one of only three runners from the UK declared at the Dublin Racing Festival, ran out a ready winner of the Ryanair Handicap Chase.
Claimed by Sophie and Christian Leech out of an Auteuil chase in October, his three previous runs for the yard had all been at Cheltenham, winning on the most recent of them.
No stranger to running their horses in France, they snapped up James Reveley to ride, a former champion jockey over there.
British and Irish race fans had a recent reminder of the Yorkshireman’s qualities on Boxing Day when Il Est Francais led his rivals a merry dance at Kempton.
Reveley bided his time on this occasion, making sure not to hit the front too soon on the seven-year-old – but approaching the final fence, he could wait no longer.
Once over that obstacle, he put the race to bed, stretching clear to win by two and three-quarter lengths as the 4-1 joint-favourite.
Sophie Leech said: “He’s a fantastic horse and I’m so happy. My son Ed and my husband Christian do all the race planning and this fitted timing-wise.
“We are used to travelling, as we have more runners in France than we do in England. It looked like a really nice opportunity and Bryan (Drew, owner) and all the lads involved were really keen to come over and have a go.
“We’re a very small yard and the team at home work tirelessly, so thank you to them. We’re delighted.
“We’re staying for the racing tomorrow, so it’ll be a good old night tonight!
“We’ve had runners at Punchestown before and love coming over here.”
When asked if Madara could now head for the Grand Annual, she added: “We were thinking of the Plate for him (at Cheltenham), because we thought he’d like a step up in trip.
“He was beat over the Old course and I think the New course suits him better. I don’t know now because he looked to have plenty of pace there. It’s a nice problem to have.”
Reveley commented: “I’m over the moon, it’s my first winner in Ireland. To be fair, it was a good bit of placing by Sophie and Christian.
“I watched his Cheltenham race over and over and thought yeah, Leopardstown will suit him down to the ground – big fences, stiff track and a bit of soft ground, it was ideal for him.”
Maxxum produced a fine weight-carrying performance to give young jockey Carl Millar by far the biggest success of his fledgling career in the Race And Stay At Leopardstown Handicap Hurdle.
Millar only had eight previous winners to his name but proved great value for his 7lb claim on Gordon Elliott’s top weight.
Maxxum had won at Leopardstown last Christmas and went off 7-4 favourite for this very race 12 months ago, only to disappoint.
Having looked in the grip of the handicapper, Elliott sent him chasing.
He had been back over hurdles for his last two outings but was sent off at 28-1, having been pulled up on the most recent of those.
Millar was positive from the outset, though, and while Gaoth Chuil travelled much better, Maxxum stuck to his task to win by three-quarters of a length.
“Carl is a good lad. He’s well able to ride and just needs to tidy himself up a little bit now, get on the simulator. He’s a good lad and works hard,” said Elliott.
“Maxxum is a bit hot and cold and I thought the ground might have gone a bit soft for him. When you are in these handicaps, you never know.
“We said we’d keep it simple, pop him out handy and see what happens.”
Nickle Back galloped to a memorable Grade One victory in the Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown following a bold front-running ride from James Best.
It was a fairytale first success at elite level for the jockey and West Wratting trainer Sarah Humphrey, although the race was marred by a fatal fall for Hermes Allen at the second-last.
Best and 10-1 shot Nickle Back established a healthy lead in the early stages, with 8-13 favourite Hermes Allen heading the chasing pack.
Some exuberant leaps allowed the pacesetter to extend his advantage to fully 20 lengths with three to jump and he was again foot-perfect at the Pond Fence.
After Nickle Back bounded clear from two out, Djelo clawed back some of his lead up the stiff home stretch but Best’s mount was not for catching, prevailing by seven lengths,
“I just cannot believe it,” Best told ITV Racing. “As a small child growing up, you watch these races on the television on a Saturday and you dream of becoming a jockey and winning races like this.
“A massive thank you to Sarah and all the team, I’m just gobsmacked, as I was when winning on him in his first chase at Warwick.
“For them to put their faith in me on this wonderful horse, it means so much and I just can’t believe it.
“He was a bit brave early on and that kind of twisted my arm second time down the back – for goodness sake, just go with him!
“He loves galloping and he loves jumping, so just get a breather when I could.
“Congratulations to Sarah, as she has done a wonderful job with this horse, who is quite fragile and not easy to train.”
Nickle Back was cut from 50-1 to 20-1 for the Turners Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham by Betfair, with Defi Du Seuil having done the same double five years ago.
Humphrey said: “I’m elated and it hasn’t really hit me yet, because to be perfectly honest, we never thought we would win.
“We thought we would put up a good show and give them a good run for their money, but to win is what dreams are made of. There will be a big party when it all sinks in.”
She added: “James does a very good job and if you just leave him alone, he knows what he’s doing. If you interfere, you are in trouble.
“James did a brilliant job today, he knows him well now and he trusts him and that’s just what you’ve got to let him do – get into that rhythm.
“He’s very slick from the front to the back of the fence, so let him pop away and trust him.
“He’s quite quirky, but in a very nice way – he’ll jump out of his field on a regular basis. You just have to keep a lid on him really and keep everything nice and calm.
“Like all good horses, they all have their quirks don’t they, but we’ve found a way to manage him.”
England survived a scare at the Stadio Olimpico to launch their post-World Cup rebuild with a 27-24 victory over Italy in their Guinness Six Nations opener.
For only the third time in the history of a rivalry spanning 31 Tests, inspired Italy led at the interval, but their 17-13 advantage was methodically picked apart by Steve Borthwick’s men.
Tommy Freeman proved England’s most effective weapon in attack, the Northampton wing roaming the pitch in search of impactful moments, but it was Elliot Daly and Alex Mitchell who finished the tries.
As promised by new captain Jamie George, the favourites played with greater freedom and there was less kicking than in the first year of Borthwick’s reign, at least until the focus switched to grinding Italy down in the final half-hour.
But overall the more exciting rugby was played by the Azzurri, who showed ingenuity and ambition in their pursuit of a maiden victory against their rivals and their second try scored by Tommaso Allan was a beauty.
New caps Ethan Roots, Fraser Dingwall, Fin Smith, Chandler Cunningham-South and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso brought a freshness to England, who ended their four-year stretch of beginning the Six Nations with a defeat, but the initial outlook was far less rosy.
They lost replacement prop Ellis Genge to a foot injury shortly before kick-off and that was only the start of their problems as early enterprise from Italy engineered a try for Alessandro Garbisi.
It rewarded their brighter start and came when Lorenzo Cannone was sent through a gap, with Garbisi able to scoop up the offload.
With Allan and George Ford exchanging penalties the score read 10-3, but the deficit provided the jolt England needed as Freeman glided into space and delivered the scoring pass to Daly.
The try had been coming but it was quickly overshadowed by a stunning riposte from Italy, whose precise passing and clever running off set-piece ball was executed beautifully for Allan to score.
Two penalties by Ford kept England snapping at the Azzurri’s heels at half-time and they needed to regroup quickly, particularly in defence, to spare themselves an unwanted slice of history.
Reassurance came when Mitchell jinked and spun his way over the whitewash in the 45th minute and for the first time the visitors led.
Italy’s play now lacked its earlier precision and they were pinned deep in their own half as England tightened the screw with Ford landing successive penalties to propel them 10 points ahead.
Handling errors cost the Azzurri time and again and their line-out continued to malfunction in an exasperating period for the hosts that also saw Allan miss an important penalty.
Daly was sent to the sin-bin for a trip as Italy hunted the try that would haul them back into contention, but they were unable to produce any more magic as the upset slipped from their fingertips despite a last-gasp Monty Ioane touch down.
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