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What next for English rugby as Sweeney survives vote?
Despite suggestions before the SGM that it would be just the start, not the end, of the rebellion, Sweeney's opponents struck a more conciliatory tone when they spoke to the BBC afterwards.
They stressed that forcing the SGM and making the RFU board answerable to the game at large was a victory in itself.
Meanwhile, a second motion, which the board brought forward, to devolve more responsibility to the community game seems to have gone a long way to quelling the uprising.
"We want to work together," said Paddy McAlpine, chair of Chichester Rugby Club and co-chair of the Whole Game Union (WGU).
"What is really encouraging about tonight is that all those rugby players across the nation from the smallest club up to the Championship now have a voice.
"And we will hold those responsible for the leadership of our game to account. We look forward to all the changes and improvements that they are going to put in place."
"This was never really about one individual," added Alistair Bow, chairman of Championship club Nottingham and co-chair of the WGU.
"We felt the game was suffering to the point that we needed to have a look at the top. We went to the game and the vote has been cast.
"But actually we got what we needed. There was no winner and loser from the outset, but what we have done is we have taken our plight to the whole game.
"The game has had an opportunity [to voice concerns] and there were some very interesting questions raised in there tonight.
"And you could see there was a good percentage of people voted for him to go."
England have won 20 of their previous 22 Six Nations matches against Wales, and given the strong team named by Mitchell, matching their average winning margin (over the last eight championship wins) of 46 points looks likely.
World player of the year Ellie Kildunne, who scored two tries against Wales in last year's 46-10 victory, returns to the starting XV to win her 50th cap.
The 25-year-old full-back is joined by wings Abby Dow and Jess Breach, with the trio ready to chase down their 18 combined tries in last year's championship.
Zoe Harrison gets an opportunity to press forward her case to be the starting fly-half in a star-studded backline also containing regular centres Meg Jones and Tatyana Heard.
Quality returns to the pack in the form of prop Sarah Bern, who was at her barnstorming best off the bench in York, while 22-year-old Morwenna Talling and Abbie Ward form a balanced second-row partnership that brings work-rate and line-out nous.
"You could field two completely England different 23s and both could win the Six Nations, that is the calibre we are talking about," former Wales player Philippa Tuttiett told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly.
"There are some superstars throughout that team, it is an incredible team."
To cap off the exciting team selection, Olympian Abi Burton, who nearly lost her life in 2022, is set to make her England debut from the bench.
The 25-year-old back row spent 25 days in an induced coma after being diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis, which occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the brain.
When Burton came out of her coma she was unable to walk and talk, and had lost more than three stone, but she miraculously returned to rugby sevens in time for her second Olympics in Paris.
England centre Jones said when Burton came out of her coma she "manifested" playing for the Red Roses and the back rower has impressed following her switch back to XVs with Trailfinders.
"Since I've been ill and come back into playing rugby at the Paris Olympics and coming back into XVs, I feel like I am thriving as a person on and off the pitch," Burton told BBC Sport.
"My family are now finally seeing me fully play rugby like I will never play again, every single game, and they love seeing that enjoyment on face.
"It will be a really special moment for them just seeing me happy and enjoying myself."
LAWTON, Okla. Kerry Madsen and Tony Vermeer rekindled their racing relationship in the summer of 2023, and that led to the duo teaming back up for a full slate in the Midwest last year.
While Vermeer continues to field a full-time team with the World of Outlaws, the Vermeer-Madsen Racing team will again be back in action for a 60-race slate that kicks off with Friday nights World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series race at Lawton Speedway.
I am thankful to have built a solid relationship with Tony Vermeer all those years ago, and when we started racing together again in 2023 it was pretty special that it came back full circle, Kerry Madsen said. Last year was great running together for a full season and were really excited to do it again in 2025, and I am eager to get rolling tonight with the World of Outlaws.
The Elite Installations/TK Concrete/Maxim Trucking backed No. 55 team has no set schedule at this time, but the focus will be a heavy Midwest presence as the team aims to hit the crown jewel events over the year as well as planning to hit and miss with various World of Outlaws and High Limit shows as well as Knoxville Raceway and Husets Speedway weekly shows.
We dont have a schedule locked in, and the plan will be to run where things are going well for us, Madsen said. We have a great group of partners behind us that do so much to make this possible and we want to make them all proud and put this car in victory lane as much as possible.
While Madsen will continue the driving duties, he will team up with long time mechanic Doug Rankin, who will make the calls on the Zip Bonds/Pave Grade/CLK Landscaping mount.
Doug Rankin is a super knowledgeable mechanic, and I am excited to have him on our side, Madsen added. The team has done a great job while I was away in Australia and I really want to thank Tony, Doug, and everyone who helps us out for all of their efforts.
MARTINSVILLE, Va. The last two weeks have brought an embarrassment of riches to JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier.
The 38-year-old veteran from Riverton, Ill., scored maiden victories at two intermediate tracks Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway winning consecutive races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the second time in his career.
In addition, Allgaier claimed the first $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus of the season for his win at Homestead, bringing his career total to a record six such bonanzas.
On Saturday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway, Allgaier will try to win a third consecutive race for the first time in his career when he drives the No. 7 JRM Chevrolet in Saturdays US Marine Corps 250.
Martinsville has been a really strong track for us since it came back on the schedule (in 2020), said Allgaier, who won the fall 2023 race in a wild last-lap scramble in overtime. Ive always enjoyed racing there and I know that (crew chief) Jim (Pohlman) and all the guys on this BRANDT Professional Agriculture team will give me a great car when we unload for practice on Friday.
Weve had a lot of momentum on our side here lately, and hopefully we can keep that going this weekend.
To extend his record in Dash 4 Cash bonuses, Allgaier will have to beat fellow qualifiers Sam Mayer, Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed.
Allgaier has finished sixth or better in his last five Martinsville starts, but hell have plenty of competition from part-time Joe Gibbs Racing Driver Aric Almirola, who swept both events at the 0.526-mile short track last year.
In three starts this season, Almirola has a win at Phoenix, a second at Las Vegas and a third at Atlanta.
WELCOME, N.C. Richard Childress Racing announced that NASCAR Xfinity Series standout Jesse Love will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 13.
Love will pilot the No. 33 C4 Ultimate Energy Chevrolet on the high banks of the Last Great Colosseum.
Racing in the Cup Series has always been my main goal and dream, said Love. Everything that I have done up to this point in my career has been building to this moment. To make my Cup Series debut at this age is very special, and Im grateful for the opportunity to make it with RCR. Everyone has welcomed me with open arms over the last year and the organization feels like family.
Love has quickly climbed the motorsports ranks and continues to add to an impressive resume. During his Xfinity Series rookie campaign in 2024, the 20-year-old claimed his first series win, a series-leading five poles, and Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.
Love became the youngest champion in NASCAR history by clinching his first ARCA Menards Series West title at the age of 16 in 2020
Earning his first Xfinity Series victory of 2025, Love captured the checkered flag in the season-opening event at Daytona Intl Speedway.
Im excited to have Jesse make his Cup Series debut in the No. 33 Chevrolet, said Richard Childress, chairman and chief executive officer of RCR. From the moment I started watching Jesse race, I knew that he had the talent. He has the passion for wanting to win and doing the best possible for his team. To be a great driver, you have to have passion behind the wheel and Jesse has that. Weve seen him develop over the last year since he joined RCR, and I look forward to helping him compete at the highest level of our sport.
MARTINSVILLE, Va. For the first time in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, drivers in the top division will compete on a bona fide short track when the series visits Martinsville Speedway for Sundays Cook Out 400.
With a few exceptions, Martinsville traditionally has been a feast-or-famine track. Alex Bowman, who won the fall race in 2021, has no other top-five finishes in 17 starts at the 0.526-mile paper-clip-shaped venue.
Similarly, Christopher Bell, who secured a Championship 4 berth with a Martinsville victory in 2022, hasnt scored another top five at the track in his nine starts there.
Of course, there are exceptions. In his last five races at the track in southern Virginia, Kyle Larson, the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, has posted an average finish of 2.8, and he comes to Martinsville fresh from his first victory of the season last Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
When I started at Hendrick Motorsports, the car was probably a little bit better than I was at Martinsville, Larson said. But weve gotten better as a whole, and I think its one of our best tracks now.
We got a win there in 2023 and had solid runs and finishes there last year, so were looking forward to this weekend.
The introduction of the Next Gen car into NASCARs top series in 2022 has proven to be a real line of demarcation. In the Gen 6 era, drivers such as Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. took center stage at Martinsville.
In the Gen 7 era, those four competitors are winless at the paper clip, and Hendrick drivers have moved to the forefront. Defending race winner William Byron led a 1-2-3 Hendrick finish in last years spring race, marking the first time a single organization has swept the podium positions at Martinsville.
The victory was Byrons second at the track since 2021, with Larson accounting for another Hendrick win in the spring Race of 2023. Byron, however, approaches the Cook Out 400 with some degree of trepidation.
Yes, he has won two of the last three spring races, but the No. 24 team has struggled at Martinsville in the fall, barely making the Championship 4 with finishes of 16th and sixth in 2023 and 2024.
Im confident but also not extremely confident, Byron said. Weve had some good runs, and weve also had some just OK runs. We have some work to do from Bowman Gray (at the Clash in February) on our short-track package, but I think well still be in a good place.
Its really about having a good long-run car, and thats what we will really focus on.
Ryan Blaney has won the fall Playoff race for the past two seasons with his 2023 win leading to a series championship and Bell has the other triumph in the past six Gen 7 races.
Hamlin leads all full-time active drivers with five Martinsville victories, and its not as if the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota hasnt been in the mix in the Next Gen era. He simply hasnt been in victory lane.
In four of the last five Martinsville races, Hamlin has finished in the top five. He also leads active drivers in career top fives (20), top 10s (26) and laps led at the track (2,448).
Another radical change in the Next Gen era is the apparent diminishing importance of starting position at Martinsville. The last five winners have come from starting spots outside the top 10. In the previous 14 races, only twice did the eventual winner start from a grid position worse than 10th.
MARTINSVILLE, Va. Corey Heim claimed the pole for Friday nights Boys and Girls Club of the Blue Ridge NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
The TRICON Garage Toyota driver turned a best lap of 19.654 seconds at 96.347 mph to earn his second pole of the season.
Heim, who has won two races already this season, will start from the pole for the ninth time in his 69 Craftsman Truck Series starts.
Reigning series champion Ty Majeski qualified second in his ThorSport Ford.
Kaden Honeycutt was third in a Niece Motorsports Chevrolet.
Chandler Smith will start fourth in a Ford, with Daniel Hemric fifth in a Chevrolet.
Brad Marchand is ready for his Florida debut.
The Panthers said Marchand -- who, because of an upper-body injury, hasn't appeared in a game with Florida since being acquired in a trade with Boston three weeks ago -- will be in the lineup Friday night when the team hosts the Utah Hockey Club.
It will be the first time in 1,091 NHL games, 1,248 when adding in playoff contests, that Marchand takes the ice in something other than a Bruins sweater. The plan is for Marchand to jump into Florida's second line with Sam Bennett and Mackie Samoskevich -- who grew up in New England watching Marchand play for the Bruins.
"It's been a lot of fun," Samoskevich said of playing with Marchand. "He's such a good player. So silky. I feel like when he has the puck, he sees you -- he's got eyes in the back of his head. It's a lot of fun. Excited for the future with him. He's such a good guy off the ice, too."
Marchand had 21 goals and 26 assists in 61 games with the Bruins this season, and Panthers coach Paul Maurice said when the deal got done that Marchand, he believes, helps fill what Florida will need in its playoff run and its quest to win a second consecutive Stanley Cup.
"He's had an incredible career," Maurice said. "He's a Stanley Cup champion, 1,000 games, 1,000 penalty minutes, lots of points. I don't want to see it all in one game. ... You know how tenacious this guy is, how physical he is, how hard he plays. Then you get him in practice and you're like, 'Oh my God, he's got hands on him.' And you start to realize how good the skill level is there."
It might have been strange at first, with the former captain of the Bruins wearing Florida colors after those teams had tough playoff battles -- both won by the Panthers -- in 2023 and 2024. But by all accounts, Marchand has fit perfectly into the Florida mix.
"He brings a lot of energy to the locker room, a lot of compete on the ice," Panthers defenseman Gus Forsling said. "A huge veteran that's going to be big for us."
Luke Shaw has returned to training with Manchester United after nearly four months on the sidelines.
Shaw trained with Ruben Amorim's squad at Carrington on Friday morning. He hasn't featured since the 4-0 win over Everton on Dec. 1 because of an unspecified muscle injury.
The 29-year-old has only made three appearances for United since February, although he did start the Euro 2024 final for England against Spain in July.
He was able to make three appearances at the tournament in Germany despite missing the end of United's season because of another muscle problem.
Amorim's squad have a free weekend following their FA Cup exit to Fulham. They're next in action against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Tuesday.
As well as Shaw, Amorim also had defenders Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro back in training on Friday. Maguire has missed the last three weeks through injury while Yoro has been absent since being forced off at half-time during the 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Mar. 9.
Ayden Heaven is still recovering after he was stretchered off during the 3-0 win over Leicester City before the international break. The 18-year-old has made four appearances since his January move from Arsenal, but looks set to miss the trip to Forest.
Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano has said that Lionel Messi will likely be called up for the MLS match against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, which would see him return to the field for the first time since March 16.
Messi suffered a muscle strain when playing against Atlanta United FC, featuring the entire 90 minutes before leaving the stadium with a hurt hamstring.
Due to the pain, the star forward was left off the Argentina national team for the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil.
Now, he's expected to return at some capacity with Inter Miami.
"Leo is good, God willing and if nothing weird happens, he will be named to the matchday roster," Mascherano said.
The club took a cautious approach to the player's rehabilitation process, slowly reintroducing him to training alongside Inter Miami teammates.
"Well, we've been taking it progressively. Leo is a very special player in that sense, a player who, well, obviously sometimes needs to be restrained so he doesn't take risks, but he also knows his body very well, and the reality is that he's been training progressively more and more." Mascherano said. "He's been doing more training sessions with us, and today, god willing, he'll do the entire training session."
Inter Miami player Yannick Bright went on to confirm that Messi had previously been doing work separately, recently joining the rest of the squad for 15 minutes only before going off to do individual work.
"He trained with us for the first 15 minutes but he didn't do much so that's up to the coaches and trainers. I haven't seen him but he looks good," Bright said.
Messi participated in the first 15 minutes of training open to the media on Friday morning.
Inter Miami faces Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union for the first time in 2025, hosting the opponent at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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