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Gatland's Wales hope for light through storm clouds
If he is a man who fears for his future, Gatland was in relatively relaxed mood when he conducted his press conference close to Nice Airport.
Gatland refuted Biggar's "biggest game" comments. This is a coach who has prepared Wales for Grand Slam matches and Six Nations deciders and two World Cup semi-finals.
Biggar's assessment was based on the consequences of another defeat, and the head coach acknowledged the importance of the match and that Wales are desperate for a win.
Gatland, who has a set of gates named after him at the Principality Stadium, continues to divide opinion in Wales.
There are some who point to his poor record since 2020, who believe his coaching methods are outdated and insist a change is required.
There are others who believe he is still the man to turn things around and he is doing the best he can with the quality of the squad at his disposal.
His supporters lay the blame for the malaise in Welsh rugby solely at the door of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).
There are also those who believe Gatland and the WRU must share responsibility for the respective failures on and off the field.
After an independent review, Gatland was given a vote of confidence for the 2025 Six Nations, despite a calendar year where he oversaw 11 defeats.
The mood music is the New Zealander might well be moving on at the end of the tournament, barring a miraculous turnaround.
Whether victory or defeat this weekend in the Eternal City affects this prospective scenario remains to be seen.
Peter O'Mahony has been recalled to the Ireland team for Sunday's Six Nations game against Scotland at Murrayfield.
The Munster flanker, who was not included in the matchday squad for last week's win over England, is handed his first start since last summer's tour of South Africa by interim head coach Simon Easterby.
Wing Mack Hansen and tight-head prop Finlay Bealham have been passed fit to start, while Robbie Henshaw replaces Garry Ringrose at outside centre as Easterby makes two changes.
Sam Prendergast is again given the nod at fly-half with Jack Crowley to be used off the bench.
Hooker Dan Sheehan and back row Jack Conan are kept among the replacements despite eye-catching displays off the bench against England.
Easterby said bringing O'Mahony back in for this game was a decision "we have been thinking about for a couple of weeks".
"Certainly after the England performance, we felt like it was a good chance to bring Pete in and bring his experience to the table and keep Bairdo [Ryan Baird] involved off the bench," said Easterby.
Saim Ayub ruled out of Champions Trophy, PCB confirms
At 40, LeBron passes MJ as oldest to score 40
LOS ANGELES -- After becoming the oldest player in NBA history to top 40 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 120-112 win over the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James stated the obvious about the achievement.
"What do I think? That I'm old," James said Thursday after scoring 42 points on 14-for-25 shooting to lead the Lakers to their 10th win in the past 12 games. "That's what I think. I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that's the first thing I think about."
James, at 40 years and 38 days old, is about a month older than Michael Jordan was when he scored 43 points on Feb. 21, 2003, for the Washington Wizards at 40 years and 4 days old.
"The biggest thing is we got the win, obviously," James said when asked about being linked to Jordan, his childhood hero, in yet another statistical category after 22 seasons in the league. "But throughout my journey, anytime I've been named or in the category or whatever the case, crossed paths with any of the greats, it's always humbling. Just to know where I come from. And I love the game so much. So it's pretty cool."
Facing a familiar foe in Stephen Curry on Thursday night, it was James' 3-point shot that was locked in. He hit his first five 3-point attempts, including three straight in a 28-second span in the second quarter -- the final one of the sequence came from the Lakers' logo at center court, 34 feet from the basket.
The moon shot put L.A. up 45-23 with 9:09 remaining in the second quarter, causing Warriors coach Steve Kerr to burn a timeout as James raised both his arms and egged on the raucous home crowd.
James has been dedicating part of his pregame routine to practicing the deep "logo" 3s this season, with Lakers assistant coach Greg St. Jean rebounding for him.
"I always work on things that I'm going to shoot in the game or plays that I'm going to do in the game," James said. "So, it pays off, for sure."
James is also the youngest player in league history to score 40 in a game. He dropped 41 for the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 27, 2004, when he was 19 years and 88 days old.
"I think with LeBron, we've run out of words and superlatives and descriptions to sort of capture what he's doing at this stage of his career and at this age," Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "It continues to be remarkable, it really does. And he really led us tonight."
James added 17 rebounds and 8 assists, with new teammate Luka Doncic watching from the bench in a black Lakers sweat suit.
L.A. is now No. 5 in the Western Conference standings, a game behind the No. 4 Houston Rockets with Doncic targeting Monday against the Utah Jazz for his Lakers debut, a source familiar with his plans told ESPN.
And then it will be James' turn to watch his teammate up close.
"I've been watching him since he got into this league," James said of Doncic. "And what he's capable of doing is special. He's a super-duper special talent."
PHILADELPHIA -- Alex Ovechkin scored his 879th career goal to move to within 16 of breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL goals record and the Washington Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 on Thursday night.
Ovechkin, 39, scored with 53 seconds left in the first period, taking a centering pass from Martin Fehervary and flicking it past Ivan Fedotov to tie the score at 1-1. It was Ovechkin's 26th goal of the season.
He has now had a goal in four straight games, the 34th time in his career that he has scored in four consecutive games, which ties Mario Lemieux for the most in NHL history. The only other player with at least 30 such streaks is Gretzky (30), according to ESPN Research.
Ovechkin's goal gave him 40 points for the season, making him just the ninth player in NHL history to record 40 points in at least 20 seasons.
The 39-year-old Ovechkin also has 51 career goals against the Flyers in his career, which is tied for his second most against a single opponent (Carolina Hurricanes 51, Winnipeg Jets 56).
"You become a little bit numb to it, but you still, after games, you take a step back and go, this is just incredible how he continues to score at this level, at the age he's at," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. "We just enjoy it, and we're glad he's on our side. It's exciting, and it brings a lot of energy to our team, teammates, coaching staff, to watch what he's doing and continuing to find ways to put pucks in the back of the net, and in big moments, big games, big goals, in tight games."
Jakob Chychrun scored the winner for Washington with 7:55 left off a cross-ice pass from John Carlson.
Connor McMichael and Lars Eller also scored for Washington, which trailed 3-2 after two periods. Charlie Lindgren made 19 saves.
Matvei Michkov scored two goals and Tyson Foerster had one for the Flyers, who dropped their fifth straight game and have lost seven of their past eight. Fedotov made 14 saves.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Champions Trophy 2025 FAQs: Who are playing, what are the venues, where to watch and more
When is Champions Trophy 2025 starting?
It has been a while since we had a Champions Trophy, right?
Why has there been such a long gap?
So Pakistan are the hosts this time?
Where will the opening ceremony be held then?
But why are India not going to Pakistan when everyone else is?
When was the last time an ICC tournament was held in Pakistan?
Are India playing Pakistan in Champions Trophy 2025?
How many teams are participating in all?
How were the participants decided?
What happened to West Indies?
Since West Indies had not qualified for the 2023 ODI World Cup, they could not compete for the Champions Trophy either. It was the same case for Zimbabwe and Ireland, the other missing Full Members.
What is the format for the Champions Trophy?
Each team will play its fellow group members once. After that, the top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, with A1 playing B2 and B1 playing A2.
If India qualify, they will play their semi-final in Dubai on March 4, irrespective of their position on the points table. Similarly, if Pakistan qualify, they will play their semi-final in Lahore on March 5.
The final will be played on March 9 in Lahore, unless India make it till there. In that case, the venue will once again be Dubai.
What will happen if a match ends in a tie?
All tied matches throughout the tournament will be decided via the Super Over. If the Super Over is also tied, then subsequent Super Overs will be played until there is a winner.
Is there a reserve day for the knockout matches?
Yes, the two semi-finals and the final have a reserve day. But every attempt will be made to finish the game on the scheduled day itself. If that is not possible, the match will resume on the reserve day from where it was stopped.
In the knockout matches, the team batting second should have the opportunity to play at least 25 overs - as opposed to 20 in the group stage - for the result to be decided via the DLS method.
What happens if there is still a washout?
In case of a no result in the semi-finals, the team that finished higher in the group stage will proceed to the final. If the final is washed out, the trophy will be shared.
Has there ever been joint winners?
What are some of the key things I need to know about the teams?
Finally, where can I watch the games?
Depending on your location, you can watch the games as per the following.
Afghanistan - Ariana TV
Australia - Prime Video
Bangladesh - Nagorik TV and T Sports
England - Sky Sports
India - Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar
New Zealand - Sky Sport
Pakistan - PTV, A Sports and tapmad
South Africa - SuperSport
Sri Lanka - Star Sports Network
UAE - Starz On
USA - Willow TV
As always, ESPNcricinfo will have full coverage, from scores, news and features to analysis and expert opinions.
Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
The Sheffield Shield is back - here's how things stand in the race for the final
Following a hiatus for the BBL, Sheffield Shield cricket returns on Saturday for the final four rounds of the regular season to see who will make it into the final at the end of March amid what is a very tight table after six rounds. Here's a reminder of how things stand.
1. South Australia
Leading the table, South Australia can dream of playing in their first Sheffield Shield final since 2016-17 and pushing for their first title since 1995-96.
Who will they be missing?
2. Victoria
Sitting a little over a point behind SA, Victoria are again well-placed for a spot in the final for the third time in four years having narrowly missed out last summer.
They lost out on a chance to go top when they fell to Queensland by 23 runs in the round before the BBL having overturned a deficit of 109 to beat the same opponents in Brisbane. They have three away trips in the final four rounds.
Who will they be missing?
3. New South Wales
NSW were declared champions in the Covid-disrupted 2019-2020 season but have not won the Shield in a full campaign since 2013-14. The game against Victoria in Sydney in round eight could be critical for them.
Who will they be missing?
4. Western Australia
The defending champions have given themselves a bit to do if they want to make it four titles in a row after suffering two defeats in their first six matches.
They had been looking good after an opening-round draw was followed by big back-to-back victories against Tasmania (who they beat in last season's final) but Victoria toppled them in Melbourne and they were just unable to hang on in Sydney.
Who will they be missing?
5. Queensland
Queensland kept their season afloat with the 23-run victory over Victoria at the MCG but there remains a significant gap to make up to reach the top two.
They had the better of a draw against NSW in Sydney where they weren't helped by the weather but were on the back foot against Tasmania after being made to follow-on. They have two home games during February before finishing on the road in March.
Who will they be missing?
6. Tasmania
Three defeats, including the last-ball meltdown against South Australia, and just one win in six leaves Tasmania at the foot of the table the season after they reached the final last summer.
Back-to-back defeats against Western Australia hurt them early in the season but they played superbly to beat NSW in Sydney with only 13 minutes remaining on the final day. In their favour for the latter part of the summer is that they have three home games out of four.
Who will they be missing?
Labuschagne falls cheaply as Sri Lanka's spinners threaten
Australia 85 for 2 (Khawaja 34*, Smith 23*) trail Sri Lanka 257 (Kusal 85, Chandimal 74, Starc 3-37, Kuhnemann 3-63, Lyon 3-96) by 172 runs
But despite the wickets of opener Travis Head and Labuschagne in consecutive overs, Australia will be satisfied to reach lunch at 85 for 2 on a very dry surface with cracks emerging.
There was intrigue over whether Sri Lanka's spinners would take the new ball, but lone quick Lahiru Kumara started and Head enjoyed the pace with three early boundaries.
Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva surprisingly decided to share the new ball having not bowled in the first Test due to a side strain. Bowling from around the wicket, he beat the outside edge of Khawaja with sharp spin in a sign of things to come.
Head rattled along at a run a ball pace until on 21 he used his feet to offspinner Nishan Peiris but was outdone by turn and a thick edge was taken at slip. All eyes were on Labuschagne, who only made 20 off 50 balls in Australia's massive 654 for 6 declared in the series-opener.
Having not scored a Test century since the 2023 Ashes tour, pressure is mounting on Labuschagne with his spot for this match attracting some attention.
Smith, wearing his baggy green, had a nervous start with a big lbw shout from Jayasuriya turned down as Sri Lanka burnt a review. Having made three tons in his last seven Test innings, Smith looked to counter the sharp spin by skipping down the pitch while Khawaja unfurled the reverse sweep to good effect just like he did in his double century last week.
They blunted Sri Lanka's spinners, but there were some nervous moments with Smith edging Jayasuriya just short of first slip moments before lunch.
Peiris was ineffective in the first Test with 0 for 189 off 41 overs and deemed fortunate to retain his spot over legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay. But he was far more dangerous in favourable conditions and bowled well in partnership with Jayasuriya.
Australia's three specialist bowlers Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Matthew Kuhnemann did the bulk of the heavy lifting and picked up three wickets apiece.
With Sri Lanka resuming at 229 for 9, Australia looked to wrap up the innings quickly amid stifling morning humidity. But they were left frustrated with Mendis thwarting Lyon's plans with superb sweeps that pierced numerous fielders on the leg-side boundary.
Lyon fired several uncharacteristic loose deliveries down the legside as Mendis lifted Sri Lanka past 250. He found a willing partner in Kumara, who in typical tailender fashion enjoys a slog but he knuckled down impressively and offered firm defence.
There were bizarre scenes when Mendis on 77 was given not out for a caught down the legside off Lyon. The Australians started to walk off after reviewing and so too a disappointed Mendis until the decision was upheld after no spike was detected on Ultra Edge.
Mendis had a century in his sights, but Kumara's resistance finally ended on his 26th delivery when he was well caught by Beau Webster at second slip to give Kuhnemann his third wicket.
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth
Sanders adds fellow HOFer Faulk to Buffs staff
Deion Sanders has added another Hall of Famer to his coaching staff at Colorado.
The Buffaloes announced Thursday night that former NFL great Marshall Faulk has joined the team as its new running backs coach.
Faulk knows a little about the position. He ranks 12th all time in rushing yards in the NFL with 12,279, accumulating the total across 12 seasons that saw him win one MVP (2000) and make six All-Pro and seven Pro Bowl teams.
Faulk, who turns 52 later this month, played five seasons for the Indianapolis Colts and then seven for the Rams, his last coming in 2005.
Faulk is the third Pro Football Hall of Fame member on the Buffs staff, joining Sanders and Warren Sapp, a senior quality assistant for the defense. Faulk and Sanders were part of the 2011 class.
This will be Faulk's first coaching job. He was asked about potentially taking the job in an interview with Front Office Sports this week in New Orleans ahead of the Super Bowl.
"Deion is an elevator," he said. "He's going to elevate you as a person, and he's going to force you to elevate your life. That's what he does. He lifts people up. A lot of the times the light may look like it's shining on him, but really he's shining the light on somebody.
"We're good friends. And whatever I can do to help him out I'm going to do."
Faulk replaces Gary Harrell, who was Colorado's running backs coach for two seasons.
Canelo changes course: Paul fight off, Crawford on
Canelo Alvarez was slated to meet Jake Paul on May 3 in Las Vegas, with sources telling ESPN that a deal was being finalized and a formal announcement imminent. But in a stunning development, Alvarez changed course and instead completed a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season.
Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, on Thursday evening announced the deal with Alvarez, boxing's top star, effectively killing the novelty fight with Paul that was expected to land on Netflix. Now, Canelo will fight in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, for the first time.
Alvarez replied to Alalshikh's announcement on social media: "Let's go brother."
Alalshikh told Alvarez that if he proceeded with the planned fight with Paul, his lucrative, previously agreed-upon three-fight deal with Riyadh Season was off the table, sources said. Alvarez expressed that he didn't want to fight a YouTuber but that he needed a fight in May, according to sources.
Alvarez and Alalshikh quickly closed the deal and added a fourth fight, shocking the boxing world.
"Canelo only fights real fighters," Alalshikh told ESPN.
The first fight of the deal, sources said, will be staged on Sunday morning, May 4, to accommodate a prime-time U.S. broadcast Saturday night, May 3, on Cinco De Mayo weekend for Alvarez. Two opponents being considered are Jermall Charlo and Bruno Surace, sources said.
Charlo's twin brother, Jermell, was knocked down in a lopsided decision loss to Alvarez in September 2023. Surace scored a seventh-round KO of former champion Jaime Munguia in December in ESPN's Upset of the Year.
The May bout will serve as a tune-up for Alvarez's Sept. 13 mega-fight with Terence Crawford at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. ESPN previously reported a deal was in place for Alvarez's 168-pound title defense against Crawford, the undefeated American who will move up two weight classes from 154 pounds.
Crawford, 37, is ESPN's No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer.
"I'm waiting on Canelo in September and going to shock the world in Riyadh Season" Crawford posted on X in response to Alalshikh's announcement of Alvarez's deal.
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), the former undisputed welterweight champion, scored a ninth-round TKO of Errol Spence Jr. in July 2023 in a career-best performance. He fought only once at 154 pounds, a title victory over Israil Madrimov in August in a Riyadh Season event in Los Angeles.
Alvarez, 34, is ESPN's No. 5 pound-for-pound boxer. A four-division champion, he defeated Munguia and Edgar Berlanga in 2024. Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) has never competed outside North America.
It appeared he would fight yet again in Las Vegas as he closed in on a deal to meet Paul, an 11-1 boxer who gained fame as a social-media-star-turned-boxer. Paul, 28, is one of boxing's top attractions despite his novice skill level. His November fight with the 58-year-old Mike Tyson, which Paul won via eight-round decision, peaked at a staggering 64 million concurrent streams on Netflix.
Netflix was slated to stream a second mega event involving Paul, this time against not just a legitimate boxer in his prime but one at the highest level of the sport. The Alvarez-Paul fight was set to be contested at 200 pounds and take place at T-Mobile Arena.
Earlier in the day, Alvarez's former promoter, Eddie Hearn, said there was a deal in place for Canelo to fight Paul. Paul cryptically posted on X that he is the "A-side in every fight I've been in and that's not changing for this one," alluding to the fight with Alvarez, the face of boxing.
Alvarez is the unified champion at 168 pounds and is a former 175-pound champion. He has surpassed one million pay-per-view buys several times, including twice during his legendary trilogy with Gennadiy Golovkin.
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