Steve Borthwick may use three fly-halves for Six Nations finale in Wales

Steve Borthwick is prepared to unleash his triple threat of No 10s simultaneously against Wales on Saturday, with the head coach insisting England are heading to Cardiff intending to win the Six Nations title.Borthwick has selected Fin Smith and Marcus Smith as well as George Ford in his matchday squad for the first time and revealed deploying all three in harness is a possibility as England seek to keep their championship hopes alive on “Super Saturday”.The head coach has rolled the dice, making four personnel and three positional changes to his starting XV, with Marcus Smith recalled at full‑back and Ford on the bench. Fin Smith makes his fourth consecutive start at fly-half but, intriguingly, is also seen by Borthwick as an inside‑centre option. With Ford in line for a 99th cap and his first appearance of the 2025 championship, all three fly‑halves are poised to feature against Wales

Formula One 2025: team-by-team guide to the cars and drivers

Verstappen is under pressure from a revitalised Hamilton at Ferrari with McLaren’s Norris set to challenge from the offCar MCL39 Engine Mercedes Principal Andrea Stella Debut Monaco 1966 GPs 970 Titles 9 Last season 1st. In position to build on securing the constructors’ championship in 2024, McLaren will be quick out of the blocks. The car was the standout in testing and confidence is high. Lessons were learned through questionable execution last year and they have two outstanding drivers who are both hungrily eyeing the team’s first drivers’ title since 2008. How they manage them may be key from the off

‘That’s for Michael’: Marine Nationale leads poignant day at Cheltenham

At the moment of his greatest racing triumph, after a lifetime in the sport as a spectator, an amateur jockey, owner and now a trainer, Barry Connell’s thoughts after Marine Nationale’s victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Wednesday turned, immediately and inevitably, to Michael O’Sullivan, who rode the same horse to victory in the Supreme Novice Hurdle here two years ago and died last month, from injuries ­sustained in a fall.“The obvious thing is how raw and poignant it’s all been over the last four weeks,” Connell said. “Michael and myself went on a journey with this horse, he rode him in all his races in his novice season over hurdles. He started as a 7lb claimer with us and I asked him to turn pro, and he ended up winning three Grade Ones as a claimer and was leading rider [with two wins] on the first day [at ­Cheltenham two years ago].“It’s an absolute tragedy that he’s left us but he’s a record that he can be really proud of, he’s achieved more in a lifetime than a lot of riders who ride a lot longer ever achieve

Cheltenham festival: Marine Nationale lands poignant win on day two – as it happened

We’ll have a full day two report from Greg Wood shortly, but for now the last word belongs to Charlotte Giles. The late Michael O’Sullivan’s girlfriend was here to see two horses he previously led to victory at Cheltenham – Marine Nationale and Jazzy Matty –both win again on an emotional, extraordinary afternoon.“Michael loved the horse very much, they started their careers together and went on a journey together,” Giles told PA Media. “The horse has certainly put his heart and soul into today and it means a lot. Michael was certainly with him every step of the way and it was incredible to watch it

Cheltenham festival day three tips: Il Est Francais can score for French

While the Gold Cup on Friday revolves around the odds-on Galopin Des Champs and his bid for a third consecutive success, the Ryanair Chase over two and a half miles on Thursday is much more open, with live contenders from Britain, Ireland and France, and the prospect of seeing the bold front‑runner Il Est Francais tackling Cheltenham for the first time, with top-class opponents including Fact To File and Protektorat in hot pursuit, is one to savour.Il Est Francais (3.20) was a clear leader for much of the way in the King George VI Chase at Kempton at Christmas before Banbridge reeled him in on the run to the last, and his devastating front-running success in the Kauto Star Novices Chase at the same meeting in 2023 was one of the best performances by a novice in recent years.The fact that his best form outside France has come at a flat track is a slight concern, but the drop back on Thursday to an intermediate trip on decent ground should suit and Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm’s seven-year-old has a big chance to become only the second French‑trained winner at the festival meeting since 2005.Cheltenham 1

NFL free agency winners and losers: Bucs’ smarts to questions for Bengals

As the new league year gets underway, we take a look at the best and worst moves heading into the 2025 seasonThe Vikings letting Sam Darnold walk was the headline-grabber, but they had more intel on him than any other franchise and were happy to turn the keys over to JJ McCarthy rather than bring back the former Jets quarterback on what would have been a manageable contract. It’s the team’s work elsewhere that’s most intriguing, though. The Vikings retained starting cornerback Byron Murphy and fortified both sides of the line of scrimmage with tasty, affordable signings. They brought in center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries from the Colts. The duo are one of the most switched-on, savvy interior tandems in the league