F1’s Japanese GP, WSL derbies and international football – follow with us

Mercedes and Ferrari have adapted best to Formula One’s most radical change in power and chassis in more than a decade. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have won each of the first two races, and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have flip-flopped finishing third and fourth. Mercedes and Ferrari are the favorites on Suzuka’s figure-eight, a vastly different circuit from Australia – a street course in Melbourne – and Shanghai. Suzuka is old-school – narrow, twisting with only one major straight for passing. Hamilton has won the Japanese GP five times, four times at Suzuka as he surges back near the top of the standings after two races

McLaren and Lando Norris aim to put horror start behind them at Japanese Grand Prix

McLaren’s intent is clear as they enter the Japanese Grand Prix after a trying opening to the season: the only way is up. Suzuka’s singular and spectacular test will form another part of the team’s learning curve of the new regulations, with optimism that the defending champion Lando Norris’s title and the team’s constructors’ championship are still within reach.After Mercedes dominated the opening two rounds, McLaren found themselves third fastest but well behind Ferrari and as much as half a second off the pace. They were honest in acknowledging they had work to do on the aerodynamic side of the chassis and on understanding how best to exploit their new engines under the power management rules that are now a key part of performance.With both cars failing to even make the start at the last round in China after two separate electrical problems with their battery units, there is no little impetus to at least put in a full race distance in order to better get to grips with their cars

RFU stops short of delivering full backing for Borthwick but denies Farrell talks

Bill Sweeney, theRugby Football Union chief executive, has provided another strong indication that the head coach, Steve Borthwick, will lead England in this summer’s Nations Championship fixtures pending the outcome of a formal review into their disappointing Six Nations campaign.While Sweeney declined to state definitively that Borthwick will be in charge for a difficult run of Test matches against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina in July, he said the RFU’s main focus in the review is providing additional support to the existing coaching team. He also revealed that there have been no approaches made to Andy Farrell, the Ireland head coach whose contract expires after the 2027 World Cup.Sweeney’s frankness on Farrell could return to haunt him given the uncertainty over the British & Irish Lions coach’s long-term plans, and doubts over Borthwick’s future.Farrell has a chequered history with the RFU, serving as England defence coach under Stuart Lancaster before the entire staff were sacked after they were eliminated at the pool stage of the home 2015 World Cup

Can Adam Freier’s California Legion solve America’s rugby problem?

One day in March 2012, Adam Freier sat down to write a column for the Sydney Morning Herald. His Melbourne Rebels were on a losing streak and though he had 25 caps at hooker including a World Cup campaign for Australia, he was nearly 32 and staring at the end of a career at the coalface, 12 years in the front row of the scrum at the highest level. Describing a body breaking down, a struggling club, the agony of endless defeats, he imagined group therapy in front of “strangers in the local hall”.“My name is Adam Freier, and I hate to lose.”Fast-forward 14 years

The Strong, silent type: UConn’s standout is making basketball stardom look easy

Sarah Strong has the most jump-off-the-page talent in the women’s game since Caitlin Clark, and UConn greats say she could be the best of themFormer WNBA All-Star turned Boston Celtics executive Allison Feaster was recently asked about the differences between high-level female and male hoopers.“This is a very basic example,” the Celtics’ vice-president of team operations and organizational growth told the Far From the Tree podcast. “But most of the women have had exposure to different types of leadership. Most of the professionals have four-year degrees and even advanced degrees. Many of the professional women have lived outside of the US

Chess: iconic Reykjavik Open sparks memory of Bobby Fischer from 1973

The nine-round Reykjavik Open, which began on Wednesday afternoon at the Harpa Conference Centre, is an iconic event. It was first played as an all-play-all in 1964, when Mikhail Tal won, and is close to the Hotel Reykjavik Natura, formerly the Hotel Loftleidir, which featured prominently in the epic Bobby Fischer v Boris Spassky match of 1972.The top seed in the capacity entry of 422 players is Iran’s Amin Tabatabaei, the only 2700-rated player in the field, with Romania’s Bogdan-Daniel Deac (2655) next, and the veteran Ukrainian Vasyl Ivanchuk (2624) the fourth seed.England has a large contingent of more than 20, although most of them are low-rated amateurs. GM Matthew Wadsworth (2522) is the 21st seed, and GM Simon Williams (2443) the 39th, while WIM Bodhana Sivanandan, 11, is targeting her second WGM norm