Archive February 2, 2026

The Six Nations is the most eagerly anticipated rugby competition in the northern hemisphere each year.

Fans this season, though, will have their wait reduced by 24 hours with the competition unusually starting on a Thursday evening when Ireland are the visitors to Paris to take on France (20:10 GMT).

Friday night fixtures have become the norm in the championship – dating back to France’s hosting of Wales in February 2009 – but this year’s Thursday start is because of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

While a first in the Six Nations era, the Stade de France fixture is not the only time a game in the championship has been staged on a Thursday.

The last time, back when the competition was the Five Nations, came in 1948 and Irish fans hoping for a good omen will note that was the year their side went on to win the first of their four Grand Slams.

Back then, it was again Ireland against France in Paris that was staged on a Thursday, although at that stage the competition began in January and the game was held on New Year’s Day.

While a February start and mid-March finish for the competition is now well established, that window has only been the norm since 2005. Prior to that, January starts and April finishes were both common.

Ireland have played on a Thursday more recently than 1948 however, beating Russia 35-0 in Kobe during the 2019 World Cup.

France, where second-tier Pro D2 fixtures are regularly staged on the day for television purposes, twice played on a Thursday at their own World Cup in 2023, beating Uruguay 27-12 and Namibia 96-0 in the pool stages.

Ireland lock James Ryan feels a quick start away to France in the Six Nations opener is “unbelievably important” for the visitors.

Andy Farrell’s side will begin their 2026 campaign at the Stade de France on Thursday (20:10 GMT) in a game brought forward to avoid a clash with the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics on Friday.

While Ireland beat France in Marseille two years ago, and won at the Stade de France against Scotland and South Africa during the 2023 World Cup, they have not beat Les Bleus at the venue since 2018.

“I think a big start is definitely unbelievably important for us,” said Ryan.

“They get the tails up and the crowd get behind them and they’re into their flow, so a fast start for us is always important but particularly so this weekend.

“I think going away from home over in Paris, you’ve got to start well.”

The Leinster lock, who has 76 caps for Ireland having made his debut in 2017, is expecting the set-piece to be an important battle ground in the game.

“The line-out drive and the scrum is a huge part of their DNA, it’s probably something that gives them a lot of belief,” he added.

“So it’s a big challenge for us as well up front in terms of the set-piece. We’re unbelievably excited about that too.”

Should Farrell choose to hand a debut, most likely from the bench, to Munster’s Edwin Edogbo, Ireland’s effort at the set-piece would be boosted by the uncapped 23-year-old’s 127kg frame.

Edogbo missed nearly two years with Achilles injuries but has impressed for his province this season to earn an Ireland call.

“He’s hit the ground running really well in here and he’s a serious athlete,” said Ryan.

Chelsea have gone from winning everything domestically without losing a game to falling 12 points adrift of the Women’s Super League leaders – all within the space of nine months.

The dominant force in England for almost a decade, Chelsea were attempting to clinch a seventh WSL title this season but find themselves in a battle to retain a qualification spot for next season’s Women’s Champions League.

The drop-off? Unimaginable. Their most recent 5-1 defeat by Manchester City on Sunday? A humiliation.

Afterwards, boss Sonia Bompastor pledged to keep searching for solutions but conceded she would be “happy” to leave if the Chelsea hierarchy felt her time was up.

The obvious sign that things are not as harmonious is the results.

Last season, Chelsea dropped just six points. A shock defeat by Everton, a surprising draw with Liverpool, and now back-to-back losses – for the first time in 11 years – to their rivals Arsenal and Manchester City, means they have already thrown away 15 points by 1 February in this campaign.

But Chelsea’s problems felt bigger on Sunday when, for perhaps the first time in her tenure, manager Bompastor dropped subtle hints of internal frustration.

She repeatedly highlighted the squad’s lack of depth, insisting it was not what it was last season, and touched on how that limited her ability to switch things up tactically, or to rotate players to keep them fresh.

Pressed on whether she had wanted more from their summer recruitment, Bompastor smiled and simply said: “Without making too many comments on that, I would have liked to have been in a better place from the last transfer window.”

Of their five signings from the summer, only Ellie Carpenter and Alyssa Thompson are starters. They broke their club record fee to bring in Thompson for almost £1m, and spent money on Carpenter too, but Bompastor wanted more.

Injuries to key players such as Mayra Ramirez, Nathalie Bjorn and Lauren James, have harmed them in defence and up front in patches this season.

And with the January transfer window closing on Tuesday and no incomings yet, Bompastor is clearly aggrieved.

WSL leaders Manchester City made a statement signing in American midfielder Sam Coffey in this window, while Arsenal are already lining up huge pre-contract agreements for Spain full-back Ona Batlle and England international Georgia Stanway to arrive in the summer.

“A lot of people talk about Chelsea being an example of having depth in the squad and of having players with different profiles they can bring into the game. Right now, I don’t think we are in that place,” said Bompastor on Sunday.

“I’m not saying that explains everything, but being in that position probably doesn’t help. As a manager I will always [accept responsibility for] the results of this team so I need to focus also on what the solutions are for me to be in a much better place.

While Bompastor’s frustrations may carry some weight, there are also concerning trends in their performances.

A squad still packed full of talent and experience has looked bereft of ideas and lacking ruthlessness.

The ‘mentality monsters’ of recent seasons are no longer perceived to be invincible as they look more vulnerable defensively and less clinical up front.

According to Opta, they are underperforming their expected goals tally by more than any other team (24 scored from 29 expected) and in their 2-0 defeat by Arsenal, they had 18 shots but only one on target.

This is the first WSL campaign in which Chelsea have recorded one or fewer shots on target in multiple games (also against Liverpool in their 1-1 draw).

They had 70% possession in the opening 15 minutes of the second half against Manchester City on Sunday – but their opponents scored twice in that period.

And that 5-1 defeat was the joint-biggest they have suffered in the WSL, placing them the furthest from the top of the table they have been since the final day of the 2018-19 season.

“It was two top teams playing against each other and one was efficient and the other was not. I’m not putting everything on the players, but we made too many mistakes and we need to solve that,” said Bompastor on Sunday.

“I always reflect on my own decisions and my tactics. I’m always hard on myself. We played the game against Arsenal with a back three. This game, we changed the system to a back four and tried something different with different players.

“As much as you always want to explain things in football, sometimes it doesn’t work. When it’s like this, it’s tough for sure.

“You need to find the solutions, stay strong, and make sure we work on the basics. We need to get back to a level where we are producing more.”

It was a rare sight to see Chelsea’s players look so dejected and they appeared to fall apart in a second half at Etihad Stadium in which City toyed with them.

Bompastor said she was not concerned, but with fans increasingly questioning her tactics and the players looking short of confidence, does she remain convinced she is the right person for the job?

“In the club, if people think I’m not the right person to stay in this job, then I’ll be happy to go if they think that’s the right thing,” she said. “But I will never give up.

“In football, I know sometimes it happens and you can be in this situation. I will always fight but the institution at Chelsea is a lot more important than myself.”

It seems absurd to question a manager who led the club to an unbeaten domestic treble in her debut season but such are the high expectations at Chelsea.

With a place in the Women’s League Cup final already booked, a Women’s Champions League quarter-final on the horizon and their Women’s FA Cup campaign still on course, it is not yet a crisis at Chelsea.

Chelsea have gone from winning everything domestically without losing a game to falling 12 points adrift of the Women’s Super League leaders – all within the space of nine months.

The dominant force in England for almost a decade, Chelsea were attempting to clinch a seventh WSL title this season but now find themselves in a battle to retain a qualification spot for next season’s Women’s Champions League.

The drop off? Unimaginable. Their most recent 5-1 defeat by Manchester City on Sunday? A humiliation.

The obvious sign that things are not as harmonious is the results.

Last season, Chelsea dropped just six points. A shock defeat by Everton, a surprising draw with Liverpool, and now back-to-back losses – for the first time in 11 years – to their rivals Arsenal and Manchester City, means they have already thrown away 15 points by 1 February in this campaign.

But Chelsea’s problems felt bigger on Sunday when, for perhaps the first time in her tenure, manager Sonia Bompastor dropped subtle hints of internal frustration.

She repeatedly highlighted the squad’s lack of depth, insisting it was not what it was last season, and touched on how that limited her ability to switch things up tactically, or to rotate players to keep them fresh.

Pressed on whether she had wanted more from their summer recruitment, Bompastor smiled and simply said: “Without making too many comments on that, I would have liked to have been in a better place from the last transfer window.”

Of their five signings from the summer, only Ellie Carpenter and Alyssa Thompson are starters. They broke their club record fee to bring in Thompson for almost £1m, and spent money on Carpenter too, but Bompastor wanted more.

Injuries to key players such as Mayra Ramirez, Nathalie Bjorn and Lauren James, have harmed them in defence and up front in patches this season.

And with the January transfer window closing on Tuesday and no incomings yet, Bompastor is clearly aggrieved.

WSL leaders Manchester City made a statement signing in American midfielder Sam Coffey in this window, while Arsenal are already lining up huge pre-contract agreements for Spain full-back Ona Batlle and England international Georgia Stanway to arrive in the summer.

“A lot of people talk about Chelsea being an example of having depth in the squad and of having players with different profiles they can bring into the game. Right now, I don’t think we are in that place,” said Bompastor on Sunday.

“I’m not saying that explains everything, but being in that position probably doesn’t help. As a manager I will always [accept responsibility for] the results of this team so I need to focus also on what the solutions are for me to be in a much better place.

While Bompastor’s frustrations may carry some weight, there are also concerning trends in their performances.

A squad still packed full of talent and experience has looked bereft of ideas and lacking ruthlessness.

The ‘mentality monsters’ of recent seasons are no longer perceived to be invincible as they look more vulnerable defensively and less clinical up front.

According to Opta, they are underperforming their expected goals tally by more than any other team (24 scored from 29 expected) and in their 2-0 defeat by Arsenal, they had 18 shots but only one on target.

This is the first WSL campaign in which Chelsea have recorded one or fewer shots on target in multiple games (also against Liverpool in their 1-1 draw).

They had 70% possession in the opening 15 minutes of the second half against Manchester City on Sunday – but their opponents scored twice in that period.

And that 5-1 defeat was the joint-biggest they have suffered in the WSL, placing them the furthest from the top of the table they have been since the final day of the 2018-19 season.

“It was two top teams playing against each other and one was efficient and the other was not. I’m not putting everything on the players, but we made too many mistakes and we need to solve that,” said Bompastor on Sunday.

“I always reflect on my own decisions and my tactics. I’m always hard on myself. We played the game against Arsenal with a back three. This game, we changed the system to a back four and tried something different with different players.

“As much as you always want to explain things in football, sometimes it doesn’t work. When it’s like this, it’s tough for sure.

“You need to find the solutions, stay strong, and make sure we work on the basics. We need to get back to a level where we are producing more.”

It was a rare sight to see Chelsea’s players look so dejected and they appeared to fall apart in a second half at Etihad Stadium in which City toyed with them.

Bompastor said she was not concerned, but with fans increasingly questioning her tactics and the players looking short of confidence, does she remain convinced she is the right person for the job?

“In the club, if people think I’m not the right person to stay in this job, then I’ll be happy to go if they think that’s the right thing. But I will never give up,” she said.

“In football, I know sometimes it happens and you can be in this situation. I will always fight but the institution at Chelsea is a lot more important than myself.”

It seems absurd to question a manager who led the club to an unbeaten domestic treble in her debut season but such are the high expectations at Chelsea.

With a place in the Women’s League Cup final already booked, a Women’s Champions League quarter-final on the horizon and their Women’s FA Cup campaign still on course, it is not yet a crisis at Chelsea.