The IRFU is seeking clarification from the Irish government about Saturday's Women's Six Nations game in Dublin, with France about to be added to Ireland's mandatory hotel quarantine list.

"The IRFU have been in contact with the Department of Sport seeking clarification," an Irish Rugby spokesman told BBC Sport NI on Sunday.

The new rule concerning French visitors to Ireland could also potentially affect Leinster's European Champions Cup semi-final against French opposition on the weekend of 30 April/1 May.

A Six Nations spokesperson said they were exploring "all possible options to play the Ireland v France match".

One of these could be moving the game to Kingspan Stadium in Belfast.

"We are in close contact with the IRFU who are addressing with the Irish authorities the latest travel restrictions," said the Six Nations spokesperson.

Ireland's women opened this season's condensed Six Nations campaign with a thumping 45-0 win over Wales on Saturday.

If Saturday's game does go ahead, the winners secure a Six Nations decider against England on 24 April.

ROME – Mercedes-EQ’s Stoffel Vandoorne launched himself into the Formula E championship mix with the race win during Sunday’s second race of the Rome E-Prix after another frantic encounter at Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR.

As they did on Saturday, Sunday’s race got going behind the safety car with a few slimy patches left around the circuit under the trees after the morning’s wet practice and qualifying sessions.

It was a disastrous start for Nick Cassidy once the field was released, as the polesitter locked up the rear tires to spin in turn seven, which saw him fall to 11th position. That handed the lead handed on a platter to Norman Nato.

Three laps in and the Kiwi set about battling back, moving past both Sam Bird and Sebastien Buemi for ninth while race leader Nato had Pascal Wehrlein’s Porsche all over his rear diffuser.

The Frenchman couldn’t hold on long, with Wehrlein snapping out of the slipstream to take the lead on lap three and Vandoorne followed immediately with a muscular pass at the Marconi Hairpin.

After the opening throes, Wehrlein led from Vandoorne, Nato, Maximilian Guenther, Alexander Sims, Edo Mortara, Cassidy, Oliver Rowland, Nico Mueller and Bird.

Cassidy’s recovery reached the seventh spot on lap four, but Rowland gave the Envision Virgin Racing car a nudge into turn 14, forcing the Kiwi into the Tecpro barriers and all the way to the back of the pack. Cassidy reported his earlier lockup from the lead was the result of a software glitch.

As the first round of Attack Mode activations began to shake out, it looked like Vandoorne had been the big winner. Wehrlein was last of the front-runners to jump and it cost him the lead – the Mercedes man getting the better of the Porsche driver in the battle of the Stuttgart manufacturers.

Heading inside the half hour plus one lap, and contact between Buemi and Lucas di Grassi in mid-pack resulted in a mess of carbon fiber – the latter accusing the former of a “crazy move” that spun him on the back straight into the wall. A full course caution was the result while the Audi was cleared.

Five minutes later as the race went green once again and Sims caught Wehrlein napping to steal second spot with Vandoorne scampering five seconds clear of the pair – the Belgian using his advantage to use Attack Mode number two.

Through the second round of Attrack Mode of three for this race, and into the final 20 minutes plus a lap, Antonio Felix da Costa was also making progress – slicing beyond Mitch Evans and Buemi in quick succession for eighth, up from 15th on the grid at the start. Five minutes later, he jumped by Rowland for seventh in that tricky turn seven braking zone, though in any case, the Brit was slapped with a 10 second penalty for that earlier move on Cassidy.

The podium positions didn’t change, with Vandoorne leading Sims and Wehrlein. Nato held fourth, his teammate Mortara fifth and Guenther sixth. That was, until lap 17 when Nato slipped up the inside of Wehrlein for a provisional podium.

With a little more than five minutes plus one lap to run, a shunt for Rene Rast as the Audi driver scrapped on the cusp of the points and pushed a little too far meant another appearance this weekend for the Mini Electric Pacesetter Safety Car. Leader Vandoorne saw his ample advantage quashed with the pack now backed up – it had all looked to be in-hand for the Belgian.

The race became a one lap dash and the Mercedes led away, using FANBOOST as a defense. Behind Vandoorne it was all going off with Mortara producing the save of the season to hold Guenther off and keep it out of the wall.

Meanwhile, the pre-race championship leader Bird, and the man third in the running, Nyck de Vries, were wiped out in contact as they fought for points on the cusp of the top 10 with Rowland also involved.

Vandoorne held firm to take the checkered flag and redeem his race weekend after falling from pole after contact Saturday.

“Today was all about redemption for yesterday,” said Vandoorne. “The pace of the car has been great the whole weekend and today we managed to get a decent qualifying session despite the challenging track conditions. I want to congratulate my team. We had a very good strategy with Attack Mode and managed to build a gap when needed. It feels good to achieve this today with this team.”

Sims followed second just .6 seconds back with Nato taking a first Formula E podium on track. A post-race penalty for energy overuse saw him unceremoniously demoted though, with Wehrlein profiting to fill that final podium berth.

Mortara came home fifth, followed by Guenther, Evans, da Costa, Buemi, Tom Blomqvist and Mueller completed the top 10.

Grimsby Town player Stefan Payne was sent off during Saturday's League Two defeat at Bradford for head-butting his teammate Filipe Morais, and manager Paul Hurst has said he may not play again for the side this season.

The incident happened as the players were heading off the pitch at the end of the first half, shortly after Bradford had scored.

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The two players were seen arguing and then Payne head-butted Morais. Referee James Bell immediately showed Payne a red card.

"Town fall behind at the end of the first half...which has seen Payne see red for headbutting Morais at the end of the half...unforgivable," Grimsby tweeted from its account after the incident.

Said Hurst after the game: "It is something you just cannot defend.

"The two players have let the club down, the pair of them. They have let their teammates down and the fans down. As far as the game is concerned, they made it more difficult than it needed to be.

"I didn't see it because I was making my way down the tunnel, but clearly it merited more than being a little spat.

"Now I have to concentrate on what to do next for the good of the team. The club will be taking action. That will remain private, but it won't swept under the carpet. [Payne] will get a three-match ban for being sent off, but I have got some thinking to do before I decide whether he plays again for the club before the end of the season."

A rare goal from full-back Matteo Darmian earned Inter Milan a 1-0 victory over Cagliari on Sunday, as Antonio Conte's side closed on their first Serie A title in 11 years.

Struggling Cagliari were proving to be a tough nut to crack in the San Siro, with debutant goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario making several fine saves to keep the league leaders at bay.

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But the visitors' resistance was broken by an unlikely source in Darmian, whose second league goal of the season in the 77th minute secured Inter a ninth successive league win.

Inter moved 11 points clear of AC Milan in second with eight games to play while Cagliari remained languishing down in 18th place, five points from the safety zone.

"I like to repeat -- these matches are starting to feel like victories are worth six points," Conte told DAZN.

"Milan won [on Saturday] and it was important for us to keep our lead. It is not easy but we are getting used to it.

"For many it is the first time being under pressure like this, playing always to win. I am very satisfied with what we are doing."

With such a healthy lead at the top of the table, Conte shuffled his pack for Cagliari's visit, with Lautaro Martinez and Achraf Hakimi given a rest, but Inter's cohesion did not suffer early on as they created plenty of chances.

Christian Eriksen forced the best save from Vicario in the first half -- a fine one-handed stop to claw out a goalbound effort.

As the match wore on, Inter started to look more nervous, and Conte brought Martinez and Hakimi on, with the latter instrumental in brilliantly setting up the chance for Darmian, who celebrated with a jubilant bench.

Inter's 12th successive home league win left them needing 14 points from their last eight matches to guarantee the Scudetto.

Juventus eased to a 3-1 victory over Genoa on Sunday to keep alive their faint hopes of winning a 10th successive Serie A title.

The champions raced into a comfortable lead inside 22 minutes thanks to goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Alvaro Morata, the striker converting after Cristiano Ronaldo had hit the post.

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Juventus have not been convincing recently, however, and let the visitors back into the match four minutes after the break with Gianluca Scamacca finding the net.

Genoa had chances to level but Weston McKennie stepped off the bench to make sure of the victory 20 minutes from time as third-placed Juventus moved on to 62 points after 30 matches, one behind AC Milan and 12 adrift of leaders Inter Milan.

Napoli climbed to fourth in the standings thanks to a 2-0 win at Sampdoria while Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's stoppage-time goal earned sixth-placed Lazio a 1-0 victory at Hellas Verona.

AS Roma host Bologna and fifth-placed Atalanta travel to Fiorentina later on Sunday.

With Inter winning earlier on Sunday, and Milan beating Parma on Saturday, it was important Juve kept pace at the top of the table, with only domestic honours to fight for.

They appeared on course for an easy win after Kulusevski scored his first goal since the end of January before Morata added a second to put Juve in control.

Scamacca could have levelled before the break but was not to be denied early in the second period and Marko Pjaca wasted a glorious chance to restore parity moments later.

But McKennie, making his return to the side after being fined by the club for breaking COVID-19 protocols, raced clear to seal the win.

Somerset 172 (de Lange 51, Murtagh 4-46) and 285 for 6 (Abell 84, Bartlett 76*, Gregory 64*) beat Middlesex 313 (Robson 165, Gregory 5-68) and 143 (Eskinazi 53, Davey 3-16) by four wickets

A nerveless, unbroken stand of 98 in 19 overs between George Bartlett and Lewis Gregory took Somerset to an improbable win at Lord's, as they chased down their target of 285 with four wickets to spare.

Victory had appeared unthinkable, both when they fell to 89 for 9 in their first innings and when Middlesex had compiled a lead of 254 with seven second-innings wickets in hand, but two spirited fightbacks - with Jack Leach at the centre on both occasions - set up an attainable target under cloud cover and floodlights on the third afternoon. Tom Abell's fluent half-century laid the foundation before bad light and drizzle brought an early close, and once he had found his rhythm again under blue skies on the final morning, Somerset became favourites for the first time in the match.

Then, a twist. Ethan Bamber took two wickets in 13 balls - Abell edging behind, Steven Davies trapped lbw by an in-ducker - to peg the chase back, and when Tim Murtagh induced the thinnest of edges from Craig Overton on the stroke of lunch as the clouds began to roll in, it seemed that the chase would prove too steep even for Somerset's long batting line-up.

But Gregory, fresh from a first-innings five-for, strode out after the interval and realised after poking defensively at his second ball, which jagged past his outside edge, that there was nothing to be gained from hanging in while Murtagh was nibbling it around. Instead, he used his considerable limited-overs experience to thrash 62 not out off 72 balls, dominating the seventh-wicket stand alongside the more reserved Bartlett. Gregory crashed Bamber through the covers to level the scores just as the drizzle returned, then clipped him behind square on the leg side to draw a guttural roar from the Somerset balcony.

Bartlett has prevailed in tough situations before in his Somerset career, most memorably in another successful chase at Edgbaston two summers ago, but this innings - which spanned nearly four hours - was one of his best. It was not always pretty - plenty of his runs came through third man - but his support role in partnership with Gregory was vital. He was particularly strong cutting and pulling against the change bowlers, and vindicated the decision to pick him ahead of Eddie Byrom.

Defeat would have left Somerset stuck in the red, following the rollover of their eight-point pitch penalty into the 2021 season, but instead they will head into their local derby against Gloucestershire on Thursday feeling bullish. "We tried not to read too much into it [the points deduction]," Abell said afterwards, "but this has done our confidence the world of good.

"We speak about it quite often: it's one thing being good as front-runners, but it's another thing when your backs are against the wall, coming from behind in games and still getting results. The mindset was really positive, with the way we'd got ourselves back into the game. We let ourselves down in the first innings - I don't think that was a true reflection of the wicket or how good we are as players - and we wanted to put that right."

Abell's own innings in the cold had set things up overnight, in a 79-run stand with Tom Banton for the second wicket, and with Gregory finishing things off with his counterpunch after lunch, all three of Somerset's Covid contingent made significant contributions despite their abbreviated pre-season following three weeks in solitary confinement. "When we were in the field yesterday and it was freezing cold, I said to Lewis, 'It could be worse - at least we're not in hotel isolation in Karachi'," Abell said. "We're so happy to be back playing for Somerset - it's very special to be back with the group, and to get the first win is even sweeter."

For Middlesex, this was a chastening loss. Stuart Law had dished out some hard truths in the dressing room on Saturday night, but all five of their bowlers conceded more than three runs an over across the third innings and struggled to keep a lid on the scoring rate. Leach's success in the holding role served to highlight the lack of a spinner in the Middlesex attack - though Thilan Wallawawita might well have played if he had been fit - and Stevie Eskinazi, the stand-in captain, was not proactive enough on the final day, particular when Gregory was seizing the initiative after lunch. He will be relieved to hear that Peter Handscomb should be out of quarantine in time to lead the side in the Surrey fixture on April 22.

Since Law took over at the start of the 2019 season, Middlesex's five first-class wins have all been relatively comfortable - four by 78 runs or more, and one by five wickets. Their title win in 2016 featured close wins at Taunton and in the decider against Yorkshire at Lord's, and they prevailed in a number of tight games in the two difficult seasons that followed, but on this week's evidence, that killer instinct seems to have deserted them.

Kent 455 (Stevens 116, Robinson 84, Leaning 79, Cox 62) and 42 for 1 drew with Northamptonshire 434 (Vasconcelos 154, Keogh 124, Podmore 4-77)

Rob Keogh's resolute century saw hosts Northants through to maximum batting points as their LV= Insurance County Championship clash with Kent petered out into a draw on the final day at Wantage Road.

The middle-order stalwart batted a shade over six hours to make 124, including 12 fours, and record his 10th first-class hundred for the county, one more than both current coach David Ripley and former skipper Alex Wakely.

Keogh's effort ensured Northants raised their fifth batting point off the final ball of the 110th over before they were finally dismissed for 434, 21 in arrears of Kent's first-innings total of 455. Harry Podmore proved the pick of the visitors' attack with 4 for 77.

England man Zak Crawley was left unbeaten on 19 as Kent reached 42 for 1 in their second innings before the weather closed in.

The combination of a slow pitch and 50-odd overs lost to the weather meant the final day was always likely to be about accumulating bonus points and so it proved. Kent signalled they had settled for a draw by leaving veteran Darren Stevens out of the bowling attack despite the new ball being just two overs old, protecting the 44-year-old allrounder's limbs for more promising match situations.

Adam Rossington showed early intent with two fours in an over off Matthew Milnes, this despite appearing troubled by a finger injury sustained when keeping wicket at the back end of the Kent innings. The partnership reached 85 before Grant Stewart bowled Rossington for 35 with a beauty which beat the outside of the bat.

Keogh moved sedately to his hundred in 302 minutes, meaning Northants still needed 28 from four overs to make maximum batting points. A game within a game ensued during which both Keogh and Tom Taylor broke their bats, but a crashed four through the covers by the former and a scrambled bye off the last ball of the 110th got the job done.

Podmore ended Keogh's vigil caught at midwicket, before claiming the scalps of Gareth Berg and Ben Sanderson with successive balls.

Daniel Bell-Drummond's hope for time in the middle didn't materialise when Sanderson pinned him in front for the second time in the match. Snow sent the players to an early tea and returned soon afterwards before a draw was agreed.

The PCB has decided to release the head of its Medical Department Dr Sohail Saleem, officially accepting his resignation, which had been tendered on March 5 in the wake of the PSL's postponement last month. The PCB believes there is a need to revamp its Medical and Sports Sciences department, elevating it in line with the international standards.

The PSL was curtailed last month after an outbreak of Covid-19 among a number of players made its continuation untenable. That came after a number of incidents raised questions about the security and implementation of the protocols put in place in the bio-secure environment during the tournament. It is unclear if Saleem was underlined and held accountable by the fact-finding panel - formed to review the fiasco. Nevertheless, his exit was always on the cards.

The PCB said that Sohail wasn't removed but had made the decision to leave himself, a decision the board respects. But his performance has been under scrutiny for some time - and for reasons other than the bio-secure issues. Over the years during his time as the medical head, several players have struggled to return after rehabilitation from injuries. There had been a lack of trust from a number of players in his department, some of whom have opted to seek treatment from external doctors, with a number of players travelling to the UK for independent assessment and rehabilitation.

In their virtual meeting yesterday, the PCB Board of Governors reflected on the findings of the two-member panel. They expressed their disappointment at the failures that were pointed out in the report, urging "remedial actions". The PCB opted to outsource bio-security to a foreign management company to resume the remainder of the PSL from June 1. In all, 20 matches remain, with all of them to be played in Karachi following a seven-day quarantine period that starts on May 22.

The PCB, have consulted pioneering cricket playing countries to help refurbish the medical department, the England Cricket Board understood to be amongst them. This will be the second time the PCB has reworked the department following an earlier tweak, when it was merged with the National High-Performance centre. On that occasion, Dr Saleem had been promoted to a director role.