I Dig Sports
Why have teams fallen short in Six Nations three-peat bid?
After winning the Grand Slam in 2012 and another title the following year, Wales fell just two points short of making three Six Nations titles in a row in 2014.
Wales and Ireland both won their opening matches, while Gael Fickou's last-gasp try saw France defeat England in a thriller.
Ireland blew holders Wales away in Dublin in round two, while England and France collected big wins.
The championship took a big twist in the third round as Wales bounced back to defeat France, while England edged past Ireland at Twickenham.
It looked like it was anyone's title, but Wales' hopes were ended by England, as Ireland and France both won again.
Going into the final day, Ireland, France and England could all still claim the title.
England hammered Italy to pile the pressure on Ireland in Paris. Johnny Sexton's 17 points helped Ireland over the line by two points, despite a late French fightback.
It was one of the most competitive years in Six Nations history, and it was Ireland who prevailed.
New England captain Maro Itoje says losing is not what he is about as his side prepare to open their Six Nations campaign against Ireland on Saturday.
Itoje replaced Jamie George as skipper earlier this month after England only won five of their 12 Tests in 2024.
Steve Borthwick's side beat Ireland, who are seeking a historic third championship in a row, at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium last year and will be hoping to start positively in Dublin to help their bid for a first Six Nations title since 2020.
"I don't want to lose and losing is not what I am about," Itoje told the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly.
"There is no greater honour than winning with England. You win with your club and that is special, but winning with England is a different kettle of fish.
"I want this team to feel that and achieve that and I think we can."
Itoje led England to the Under-20 world title in 2014 but only stepped up to lead Saracens this season in the wake of previous captain Owen Farrell's departure to France.
The 30-year-old lock made his debut in England's 2016 Grand Slam-winning campaign and enjoyed a successful start to his international career under Eddie Jones, reaching the Rugby World Cup in 2019.
In a 2021 book, Jones questioned whether Itoje was suited to captaincy, writing that the second row was "very inward-looking" and did not "usually influence people off the field" - a view Itoje later denied.
Courtney Lawes, who captained England during their Australia tour in 2022, said Itoje is not a loud talker, external when it comes to pre-game team talks, but the new England captain is happy to hand over those duties to louder squad members.
"If there are swearing obligations I will hand that over to the 14 members of the team!" Itoje added.
"Everyone has things to work on. I like to think I am a reasonably self-aware person and I think I am humble enough to acknowledge where I need support from others."
MONTEREY, Calif. Racing legends Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Bill Elliott, Ken Schrader, Bobby Labonte, Danny Sullivan and Scott Pruett will compete in the IROC race group during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion Aug. 13-16 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Ray Evernham, co-owner of IROC and former crew chief for Jeff Gordon from 1993 to 1999, is eager to reunite the cars with many of their original drivers at the legendary Laguna Seca road course.
I think this is the first time several of these drivers, including Jeff Gordon, have raced at Laguna Seca, and to do so during the renowned Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is something I know they will enjoy, said Evernham. Im also excited to give fans the opportunity to get up close and personal with our drivers and the incredible group of IROC cars that will be on display.
Two drivers who may have a leg up with their extensive experience racing at Laguna Seca is McLaren Racings CEO Zak Brown and Friends of Laguna Seca Vice President Bruce Canepa. Brown recently acquired the 1977 Chevrolet IROC Camaro that was originally driven by Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Alan Jones, Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, James Brolin and Paul Newman.
Canepa will be driving a Dodge Avenger formerly driven by Dale Earnhardt, George Follmer, Emerson Fittipaldi, Richard Petty and various other motorsports icons.
Im so pumped that theyre bringing back the iconic IROC series, when we used to be able to answer the question of who was the best of the best. Cant wait to get it out on the track, Brown posted on social media.
Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Jeff Gordon, has raced nearly every circuit in his 30-year racing career and amassed 93 wins, 477 top-10 finishes and 81 poles while racing for Hendrick Motorsports. He was named one of NASCARs 50 Greatest Drivers and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2019.
Five-time IROC champion Mark Martins 31-year NASCAR Cup Series history includes 40 wins, 453 top-10 finishes and 56 poles. Among his many awards are the 1989 Richard Petty Driver of the Year, and an inductee in the 2015 Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame. Martin is the winningest IROC series driver of all time.
The 2000 Winston Cup champion and 2001 IROC Series champion, Bobby Labonte will get behind the wheel to defend his title run. Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020, Labonte captured 21 wins during his NASCAR career.
The 1988 Winston Cup Series champion Bill Elliott is a multi-race winner and was one of NASCARs most popular drivers. Over his 37-year career, he had 44 wins, 320 Top Ten finishes and 55 poles. Elliott was named one of NASCARs 50 Greatest Drivers in 1988 and was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2007.
Indy car legend Danny Sullivan returns to his home track in Monterey. Sullivan won multiple races and captured the 1988 CART Championship. He also won the 1985 Indianapolis 500. Sullivan competed and won in IROC during the 1989 season.
The versatile Pruett won nine American road racing championships with 60 wins over four decades. He won the 24 Hours at Daytona a record five times while also achieving success in IndyCar, NASCAR, Trans Am, 24 Hours of Le Mans and IROC.
Schrader is best known for his driving diversity, having competed in as many as 100 races annually that included championships in the USAC and Copper series. Over his 29-year NASCAR career, Schrader finished as high as fourth place in the 1994 championship.
In addition to this highly esteemed group of drivers, Al Unser Jr. will join the event to represent the Unser family as the honorary pace car driver and will be onsite for autograph sessions and other events.
Cindric Stepping Back From Team Penske Leadership Role
MOORESVILLE, N.C. Tim Cindric is taking a step back from his leadership of all Team Penske racing programs.
Cindric will relinquish day-to-day management of the operation, while remaining as Team President of Team Penskes NTT IndyCar Series operation. Cindric will also have oversight to the teams racing archives and historical assets.
I have lived my dream job for the past 25 years as the overall leader of the Penske Racing organization, Cindric said in a statement. Ive had the opportunity to work with some of the best people in the business while achieving many milestones together. Ive decided I need to make a change that provides me with the flexibility I need at this stage of my career.
I appreciate the understanding Roger has provided throughout our conversations and Im confident this team will continue to succeed as we have a proven leadership team in all areas.
Ron Ruzewski will continue as Managing Director for the IndyCar team.
Michael Nelson will remain as the President of Team Penskes NASCAR Program and Vice President of Operations while Jonathan Diuguid will continue in the role of Managing Director of Porsche Penske Motorsport. Both Nelson and Diuguid will report directly to Roger Penske.
The NHL is projecting a significant increase in the salary cap over the next three seasons, according to a memo the league and the NHL Players' Association sent to teams on Friday.
According to the memo, obtained by ESPN, the salary cap for 2025-26 will rise to $95.5 million, with a floor of $70.6 million. In 2026-27, it is projected to increase to $104 million with a floor of $76.9 million, and in 2027-28, it will again go up to $113.5 million with a floor of $83.9 million.
The NHL's current salary cap is $88 million with a floor of $65 million.
The NHL and the NHLPA agreed to the increased numbers to reflect the healthy growth of the league following the COVID-19 pandemic, which had kept the salary cap largely stagnant for several years. NHL revenue hit a record $6.2 billion last season, as the league also set new marks in attendance and saw a spike in sponsorship revenue, thanks to evolving attitudes on sports betting, helmet decals and showcasing individual players' personalities.
The memo told teams that there would be potential minor increases up or down for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 season, but sources told ESPN that both sides hope to hold true to these numbers barring unforeseen events.
The release of these projections early was a huge relief to NHL front offices, who can now better prepare ahead of the March 7 trade deadline and this summer's free agency.
This also comes at a crucial time for the league and players' association, which is expected to begin formal CBA talks sometime next month. The NHL and the NHLPA last negotiated during the pandemic; the current agreement expires in September 2026. Several NHL players told ESPN in the fall that their biggest concern in the upcoming CBA was getting a larger share of the pie.
Both sides have been hoping for a smooth resolution, with commissioner Gary Bettman saying he'd love to be able to announce a CBA extension as soon as June's Stanley Cup Final.
Former St. Louis Blues forward Brandon Saad is finalizing a contract with the Vegas Golden Knights, a source told ESPN's Kevin Weekes.
The Blues and Saad mutually terminated his contract after he was put on waivers on Wednesday.
The Blues had tried to trade Saad over the last several months, sources told ESPN, but did not find any partners.
Saad, 32, has just 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 43 games this season, along with a 9.3 shooting percentage -- the second worst mark of his 14-year career.
Saad was in his fourth season with the Blues. During the prime of his career, he helped Chicago win the Stanley Cup twice: in 2013 and 2015.
Information from ESPN's Emily Kaplan and The Associated Press was used in this report.
Wrexham have announced the signings of former England striker Jay Rodríguez and forward Sam Smith, with sources telling ESPN that the deal for Smith is a club-record.
Rodríguez, 35, joins Wrexham from Burnley after undergoing a medical on Friday. He won his sole England cap in 2013.
Smith's arrival from Reading was confirmed by Wrexham on Friday, and sources have told ESPN the deal is comfortably a club record for a transfer and has broken the 1 million ($1.2m) barrier. Smith has signed a three-and-a-half year deal.
"I'm excited to be a part of the journey now and I want to try to help the club achieve its ambitions," Smith said.
Manager Phil Parkinson added: "Sam is a player we've been pursuing for a while.
"He's a striker who's done really well over the last few seasons and he's at a great age."
Aston Villa are interested in signing Marcus Rashford before the transfer deadline, sources have told ESPN.
Rashford is available after being frozen out by Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim.
It is not yet known whether Rashford would be open to a move to Villa Park, although sources have told ESPN that there is little optimism on all sides that a deal could materialise.
A source has told ESPN that the 27-year-old's preference is to move to Barcelona. However, the LaLiga side's financial constraints have made a deal complicated.
Borussia Dortmund have also expressed interest in Rashford, but his weekly wage of around 350,000-a-week is proving to be a major stumbling block.
The Premier League could offer the England forward Champions League football in the second half of the season after they finished in the top eight of the league phase table.
Villa are looking at options to bolster their attacking line after agreeing to let striker Jhon Durán leave for Al Nassr.
They have made enquiries about the possibility of signing Rashford, who has not featured for United since the 2-1 win over FC Viktoria Plzen on Dec. 12.
Tom Brady stardust comes to cricket with Birmingham Phoenix acquisition
NFL legend Tom Brady could soon be seen at Edgbaston after Knighthead Capital Management LLC, where the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay quarterback has a business partnership, picked up a stake in Hundred franchise Birmingham Phoenix. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Knighthead made a winning bid of 82 million on Thursday, the opening day of the ECB's sale of the eight Hundred franchises.
The amount Knighthead bid was equivalent to 100% value of the franchise, which means they will pay close to 41 million for the 49% stake in Phoenix. None of the stakeholders, including the ECB, Warwickshire - Phoenix's host county - and Knighthead have made any comment.
Brady's association with Knighthead could prove a shot in the arm for the Hundred if he can draw interest - both from fans and commercially - to cricket, a sport that has been attempting for several decades to widen its footprint. Brady already has a presence in Birmingham after he bought minority ownership in Birmingham City, a third-tier football club in England.
Knighthead are understood to have declared the winner through the sealed bid exercise which was put in place by ECB for franchises with only two investors on the shortlist. While global fund manager CVC Capital were meant to be originally on the shortlist to buy a stake in Phoenix, it could not be confirmed if they made a bid.
Knighthead bought Birmingham City in 2023 and have proved popular with the club's supporters despite their relegation to League One last season. Tom Wagner, Knighthead's co-founder and the club's chairman, has pledged to invest over 2 billion in a new "sports quarter" in the city and has bought a new 48-acre site for a new stadium.
RIL were also on the shortlist for Manchester Originals. It is understood that RIL had successful conversations with Surrey management, the host county for Invincibles, with both parties agreeing to synergise cricketing decisions. Another significant factor was Invincibles, who have won the men's Hundred competition for last two seasons, being serial contenders for the title, something RIL has placed at the forefront of its investments in the T20 franchise circuit.
The losing bids from CVC and the tech consortium could not yet be confirmed. As part of the virtual auction bidders gave themselves a code name. Though the amount has not been revealed, the base price was determined by ECB from the floor valuation bids submitted by the shortlisted investors in the second round of the sale process in December. During the live auction, each bid was separated by 15 minutes with incremental bids in steps of 3 million.
The next step for the winners will involve them sealing the agreement withing eight weeks after the ECB's auction process, which is scheduled to finish on February 10. This process will include deciding whether to pay the money upfront or in instalments spread across five years.
Buttler: Rana for Dube 'not a like-for-like' concussion sub
"It is not a like-for-like replacement. We don't agree with that," Buttler said after India completed a 15-run win. "Either Shivam Dube has put on about 25mph with the ball or Harshit has really improved his batting. It's part of the game and we really should have gone on to win the match, but we disagree with the decision.
"Like I said, it was not the whole reason why we did not win the match. We had our chances to win the game which we could have still taken. But I'd like to have a bit more clarity on that."
Dube scored a half-century after walking in at 57 for 4 and stitched together an 87-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Hardik Pandya. It allowed India to post 181 for 9. On the penultimate ball of the innings, Dube was hit on the helmet by Jamie Overton's 141.5kph bumper.
"He [Rana] is not the like-to-like replacement for Shivam Dube," Pietersen had said on air. "You ask anyone in the world, and they will say the same thing. Dube is not a genuine pacer, but Rana is." Knight also echoed these thoughts.
"It goes to the powers above me - match referee makes the decision. We can only take the name forward and from there it is out of our hands."
Rana, who was playing his first T20I, was brought into the attack in the 12th over and he struck with his second ball. He got a short-of-good-length ball to bounce extra to take the outside edge of Liam Livingstone, who had looked to guide it through third. Rana bowled his full quota of overs and picked up three wickets. He also was at short third to catch out England captain Jos Buttler, who walked back fuming and had a few words with head coach Brendon McCullum, perhaps regarding the approval of Rana as the concussion substitute.
"Two overs into the chase, I was told [about being the concussion substitute]," Rana said after the match. "I have been preparing for a while, not just for this series. I have been waiting for this moment [his debut] to prove myself. When I got the chance, I did not think of the circumstances and just thought about delivering. I have experience of bowling at the death [for KKR in the IPL] and relied on that."
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
