The Breakdown | Erin King looks to lift Ireland: ‘It was tough some days to keep showing up’

After overcoming a debilitating injury, the Ireland captain is relishing the prospect of a grudge match against FranceTwelve months ago Erin King was not only told she may never play rugby again but faced the possibility of being unable to even run. Fast forward to now and the 22-year-old is ready to lead Ireland in their revenge mission against France this Saturday after their rivals knocked them out of last year’s Rugby World Cup in King’s absence.King, who transitioned from sevens rugby after the 2024 Olympics, had sustained a serious knee injury against England at the 2025 Six Nations which ruled her out of the global showpiece. It was a blow for Ireland’s campaign with the back row going from strength-to-strength in the 15s game. In 2024 she had been named the World Rugby breakthrough player of the year after standout performances that included scoring two tries in the team’s historic win over New Zealand at the WXV tournament

Vibrating crotches, anal beads and suspicious minds: the long, strange history of chess cheats | Sean Ingle

There really is, it turns out, a true story involving cheating in chess and a vibrating crotch. Only this one is a whodunnit that dates back more than 30 years and was only solved last week.Imagine the scene at the World Open in Philadelphia in 1993 when a mysterious unrated player with fake dreadlocks and headphones, and with a bulge that vibrates in his trousers, shows up. Now multiply it 100-fold when this unknown amateur, who calls himself John von Neumann after the founder of game theory, draws with a grandmaster, Helgi Ólafsson, in round two.“I was sure I was playing a complete patzer,” Ólafsson said afterwards

‘I’m not the boss’: Lando Norris is articulate, open and intelligent – when he’s allowed to be

F1’s latest world champion speaks with deep candour about overcoming his insecurities but questions about Max Verstappen and regulations? Off limitsThere are always complications and difficulties in Formula One, as there are in life and even in this interview. On a beautiful evening at a lavish golf club in Surrey, Lando Norris and I are tucked away in an anonymous yet brightly lit room crammed with a television crew and representatives from his management team and Laureus, the global organisation driven by a belief that “sport has the power to change the world”.At first Norris talks thoughtfully and honestly about his struggles with profound insecurity before becoming world champion last year. But we reach a low point when a young man from his management company feels sufficiently empowered to answer questions on the 26-year-old’s behalf, as a way of controlling our interview.The racing driver has just been filmed in this room as he makes a short acceptance speech to accept the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year – an award previously given to Rafael Nadal, Lewis Hamilton, Andy Murray, Rory McIlroy, Jude Bellingham and Lamine Yamal

Barking dogs and a real estate agent: how a farcical AFL tribunal could prompt change | Jo Khan

In words no one could have predicted using two weeks ago, in the end it was a real estate agent who ostensibly brought down the AFL’s case against Zak Butters. The Port Adelaide player was cleared of umpire abuse on Monday night, after the AFL appeals board overturned the tribunal’s verdict based on an “error of law” through a “miscarriage of justice”. It brought to a close a farcical chapter that started with missing evidence and ended with barking dogs. And between those unusual bookends, Butters’ case took several other unexpectedly comical turns.Umpire abuse is a serious issue – one that permeates every level of sport from grassroots to the elite – and cracking down on it at the top level sends an important message

‘I hope it doesn’t get him down’: Usain Bolt tells Gout Gout to get ready to lose

Like running fast, growing pains are something sprint lord Usain Bolt knows something about. So when he tells teenage phenomenon Gout Gout that his first steps into the world of senior athletics will not be easy, the Australian ought to take heed.“I know it’s going to be an eye-opener,” Bolt told CNN of Gout’s first year as an adult, and an impending succession of showdowns against the world’s best sprinters. “And I hope it doesn’t get him down, but motivate him to work even harder.”Bolt showed huge promise as a teenager, winning the world juniors as a 15-year-old, but it was not until he overcame injury struggles and off-track distractions that he was able to become a world beater, when he won gold in Beijing as a 21-year-old

Fitness influencer drowns during swimming portion of Ironman Texas

A Brazilian fitness influencer has died after getting into difficulty during the swimming portion of an ironman event in Texas.Mara Flavia Souza Araujo was reported as a “lost swimmer” around 7.30am at the Ironman Texas in Lake Woodlands near Houston on Saturday. According to KPRC 2 News, safety crews could not immediately locate Araujo. The 38-year-old’s body was discovered around 90 minutes later in 10ft of water by divers