In the end, no arguments. England may have done all they could to put France under some pressure – and Scotland went on to exert a bit more, testing France as few others can – but Les Bleus can play rugby any which way. They ran through the full gamut in the third quarter, blasting … Read more
That Everton fans drifted away from Goodison Park somewhat disappointed with a point against West Ham, despite their side equalising in the 91st minute, tells its own story about David Moyes’s influence this season and the recent spike in expectations. Every moment at this grand old ground is to be savoured, with four more home … Read more
Daniel Farke blamed himself after his Leeds side were forced to battle back from two down to salvage a 2-2 draw against QPR. Farke considered starting with the defensive midfielder Ilia Gruev but instead opted for a more attacking approach, which backfired as goals from Koki Saito and Steve Cook put Rangers, who had lost … Read more
Sir Jim Ratcliffe says he “doesn’t mind being unpopular” at Manchester United, but would draw the line at the toxic level of abuse aimed at the Glazer family and walk away from the club that he bought a 28.94% stake for £1.3bn. The 72-year-old co-owner has embarked on a wide range of staff and spending … Read more
The prevailing sensation while watching El Chavo del Ocho is to wonder how this thing ever got made in the first place. It’s a low-budget Mexican sitcom that ran from the 70s to the 90s, centred on an eight-year-old orphan who lives in a barrel in an apartment complex. The boy is played by Roberto … Read more
Build it and they will come – but you should be aware that you will be left with significant debt repayments, an element of the story to which Kevin Costner took a characteristically cavalier attitude. Which may be why Field of Dreams was about building a baseball stadium in Iowa for Shoeless Joe Jackson and … Read more
It was 12 years ago that England came here chasing the grand slam. It was Stuart Lancaster’s second Six Nations in charge and though an unconvincing home victory over Italy had come the week before, hopes were high that England could seal a first clean sweep since 2003. They ended up being beaten so emphatically, … Read more
A time when the clubs were old Third Division mainstays may be a distant, chintzy memory now both are upwardly mobile, model organisations but Bournemouth have still not beaten Brentford in the Premier League. For a club with now very different horizons, this was a most costly defeat. If Thomas Frank’s hopes of taking his … Read more
There is no cauldron quite like Cardiff on a big match day. On this occasion, though, it was England who ran white hot on the final day of this see-sawing Six Nations season to secure a record-breaking 10-try demolition job, sealed by two eye-catching tries on his debut from the 20-year-old Northampton flanker Henry Pollock. … Read more
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Preamble After the absolute powdering of Wales by England in Cardiff we arrive at the final game of the tournament with a simple ask for France: win the game and take the trophy in front of a home crowd. The performances … Read more