England continue pursuit of perfection in Women’s Six Nations

Two years ago the criticism levelled at England was that their attack was predictable as they relied on their maul to get them over the line. When John Mitchell took over the Red Roses before the 2024 Six Nations, the head coach and his staff, particularly the attack coach, Lou Meadows, diversified that area of their game.While the maul was still lethal, the backs were getting their hands on the ball more with the top three try-scorers across last year’s Six Nations being England’s full-back Ellie Kildunne (nine) and the wings Abby Dow (five) and Jess Breach (four).With that fixed, England last year were criticised for their lack of discipline after two red and two yellow cards during the 2024 Six Nations. But that has not been an issue in the 2025 tournament, with no cards given to an England player in their opening three matches

Stuck on repeat: NHL’s playoff format keeps delivering déjà vu matchups

From Kings v Oilers to Leafs v Bruins, the league’s divisional structure has turned once-thrilling postseason clashes into stale reruns. Is it time for a change?“It’s the stupidest thing ever.” This was Washington Capitals’ forward Daniel Winnik’s review in 2017 of the NHL’s still (somewhat) new playoff format. Three seasons earlier, along with realigning its divisions, the NHL had abandoned it’s previous, simple playoff arrangement. For 20 years, the top eight teams from each conference qualified for the playoffs, with the first-placed team playing the eighth-placed team, the second-placed team played the seventh, and so on

Chess: Carlsen scores in Paris, leads Freestyle Grand Slam after two events

Magnus Carlsen, the world No 1, scored a low-key triumph on Monday when he won the Paris leg of the $3.75m Freestyle Grand Slam by defeating his old rival and world No 2, USA’s Hikaru Nakamura, by 1.5-0.5 in the final. It was patient attrition over the two games, worthy of a place in the Carlsen-David Howell book Grind like a Grandmaster

US Olympic committee sidesteps transgender athlete policy amid LA28 buildup

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has said it will not set any policy on transgender athlete eligibility ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games, despite growing political pressure from the Trump administration and increasing scrutiny over access and inclusion in women’s sport.Speaking Thursday after the committee’s first board meeting of 2025, chief executive Sarah Hirshland said the USOPC had no plans to define eligibility criteria, even as US president Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14201 – titled Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports – threatens to upend international participation protocols.“It wouldn’t be appropriate,” Hirshland said. “It’s not our role to take on that position.”Responsibility for athlete eligibility, she said, falls to international federations in global events and national governing bodies (NGBs) in domestic competitions

Aaron Rodgers keeping options open: ‘Dealing with a lot off the field’

Aaron Rodgers isn’t in a hurry: not to retire, not to return and not to sign with another team.The 41-year-old quarterback, released by the New York Jets last month, said Thursday he’s not ready to make a commitment for the upcoming NFL season. Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show, the four-time MVP stressed that his current focus is on matters off the field, including a serious relationship and close friends facing personal challenges.“I’m in a different phase of my life,” Rodgers said. “To make a commitment to a team is a big thing

Max Verstappen insists he is happy at Red Bull despite concern over car

Max Verstappen played down concerns that he may leave Red Bull after the world champion was left frustrated and disappointed at the last round in Bahrain but reiterated that he was unhappy with the car and that as things stand it will be hard to defend his title this season.Verstappen finished sixth in ­Bahrain, unable to make any impression against the frontrunners McLaren, Mercedes and ­Ferrari. The car struggles with balance problems and is proving a handful to drive, with the team identifying a disconnect between their data from the wind tunnel and its real-world performance.After the race, Red Bull’s motorsport adviser Helmut Marko called the performance “very alarming” and warned that “the concern is great” Verstappen, who has a performance-related escape clause in his ­contract, could leave. Senior ­personnel, including Marko and the team ­principal, Christian Horner, held crisis talks after the race to consider how to address the car’s problems