Archive January 28, 2026

Having missed last year’s Six Nations because of his British and Irish Lions commitments, Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has been quickly reminded of the headaches that are part and parcel of preparing a squad before the championship.

Farrell is, of course, no stranger to squad-related stresses. In 2023, Jamison Gibson-Park and Cian Healy both withdrew injured from the matchday squad just hours before Ireland’s Six Nations opener against Wales in Cardiff.

Ireland won that game 34-10 and went on to secure the Grand Slam, but the build-up to next week’s curtain-raiser against holders France in Paris has felt particularly trying.

A few issues at least emerged well in advance. In early December, Connacht said it would be “months for sure” before Mack Hansen, a strong option at wing or full-back, returns from a foot injury.

But the problems have continued to mount for Farrell since he named a 37-man squad on 21 January.

With Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy already sidelined, Farrell’s hand at loose-head prop was further weakened when Jack Boyle withdrew from the squad after sustaining a bad leg injury in Leinster’s win over Connacht last weekend.

Given Ireland’s chastening evening against South Africa’s scrum in November, their absence may be keenly felt.

Munster flanker Tom Ahern also withdrew, with the uncapped Billy Bohan and Cormac Izuchukwu drafted in, but further problems have emerged after Ireland touched down in Portugal for their usual pre-tournament training camp.

Having already admitted that his injury list is “larger than normal”, Farrell has lost full-back Hugo Keenan to a fractured thumb.

Keenan’s training-ground injury is a cruel blow for the 29-year-old after having only returned from the hip problem that has kept him out since his star turn for the Lions last summer.

With the fly-half debate ongoing, 15 is now a problem position for Farrell. Jamie Osborne started there against New Zealand and Japan in November, and while he is in the squad, he has not played since the win over the Brave Blossoms.

Keenan’s injury was confirmed shortly after the announcement from Ireland that Bundee Aki had not travelled to Portugal because of disciplinary reasons, with Ulster’s uncapped Jude Postlethwaite replacing him in the squad.

The 35-year-old Connacht centre faces an independent disciplinary committee on Wednesday after being cited for comments made to match officials during his side’s loss to Leinster on Saturday.

Last year, Aki’s Connacht team-mate Hansen was handed a three-match ban for comments he made about now-retired referee Chris Busby.

With uncertainty surrounding Aki’s involvement, Stuart McCloskey appears in pole position to start at inside centre in Paris next week after impressing there during an injury-hit autumn campaign.

Reigning champion Tigst Assefa is targeting a repeat of her record-breaking London Marathon victory when she resumes her fascinating rivalry with Olympic champion Sifan Hassan and world champion Peres Jepchirchir in this year’s race.

Four of the six fastest women in history will go head-to-head at the London Marathon on Sunday, 26 April, with Joyciline Jepkosgei also set to compete.

Assefa set a women-only world record by triumphing in a time of two hours 15 minutes 50 seconds in 2025.

But the Ethiopian was denied golds at the past two major global athletics championships in dramatic sprint finishes against rivals Hassan and Jepchirchir, themselves both past winners in London.

“Winning last year’s London Marathon and setting a women-only world record was one of the proudest moments of my career, and I want to repeat that again this year,” said Assefa.

The women-only world record applies to races that take place without male pacemakers or competitors.

Assefa previously held the outright women’s world record after running 2:11:53 in Berlin in 2023.

She remains the second-fastest female marathon runner in history, behind Ruth Chepngetich, who was banned from the sport for three years after the Kenyan admitted to anti-doping rule violations following a positive test in March last year.

Chepngetich’s achievements that pre-date that sample, including her world record time of 2:09:56 in Chicago in 2024, still stand.

While no female athlete in history had run below Paula Radcliffe’s long-standing record of 2:15:25 until 2019, eight have surpassed that mark in the past seven years – including Assefa, Dutch star Hassan (2:13:44) and Kenyans Jepkosgei (2:14:00) and Jepchirchir (2:14:43).

Also confirmed for this year’s London Marathon is Uruguay’s Julia Paternain, who was raised in the UK and made headlines for her stunned reaction to completing the world podium with an unexpected bronze last year.

The unveiling of the elite women’s line-up at the London Marathon follows the announcement of the elite British entries, which include Emile Cairess and Eilish McColgan.

Williams say it is “incredibly painful” to have failed to get their car ready in time to take part in the first Formula 1 pre-season test this week.

Team principal James Vowles said on Wednesday that the team’s decision to withdraw from the test in Spain was “the result of our determination to push the limits of performance under the new regulations”.

“It clearly wasn’t our plan, and it’s incredibly painful,” he added.

“If you want to transform at speed, you need to find the pain points and put them right very quickly, which is exactly what we’re doing.”

Vowles took over at Williams in 2023 and has been leading owner Dorilton Capital’s attempt to turn the team back into frontrunners, after years of poor performance and what Vowles has described as underinvestment.

The car has now passed all its impact tests, Vowles added, and drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon “stand shoulder to shoulder with me”.

“They’re clearly, as I am, disappointed,” said Vowles.

“They want to be out there testing the car, and whilst they’re in our driver and loop simulator in tandem now, to increase that programme, it isn’t the same.”

Vowles said the main problem was that the factory was unable to cope with the demand put on it by the car build process.

“It’s more of an output than anything else, of pushing not just the boundaries of design but the boundaries of just simply how many components can be pushed through the factory in a very short space of time,” said Vowles.

“The car we’ve built is about three times more complicated than anything we have put through our business beforehand.

“So, to put that in perspective, it means the amount of load going through our system is about three times what it used to be.

“And we started falling a little bit behind and late on parts. There are compromises you can make as a result of it.

“In addition to that, we have absolutely pushed the boundaries of what we’re doing in certain areas. And one of those is in certain corresponding tests that go with it.”

However, he said the team were on target to make it to the second pre-season test, which takes place in Bahrain on 11-13 February.

Vowles added: “We could have made Barcelona testing. Simple as that. But in doing so, I would have to turn upside down the impact on spares, components, and updates across Bahrain, (the first race in) Melbourne, and beyond.

“And the evaluation of it was that for running in a cold, damp Barcelona, against doing a (rig) test, against the spare situation, and frankly, there was zero points for running in a shakedown test, we made the decision, and I stand by it, that the right thing to do is to make sure we’re turning up at Bahrain, correctly prepared, and prepared in Melbourne as well.”

Vowles did not directly answer a question as to whether the car was significantly over the minimum weight limit, saying it was impossible to respond to “murmurings in the media” because it was not possible to know the answer until the car was assembled.

Raheem Sterling has left Chelsea by mutual consent after reaching an agreement to end his contract early.

The 31-year-old had 18 months remaining on his £325,000‑a‑week deal.

Sterling leaves after three-and-a-half seasons at Stamford Bridge following his move from Manchester City for £47.5m in 2022.

Sterling will receive a payout from Chelsea, while the club will save money as the settlement will be less than the figure of over £20m he would have been paid had he stayed for the remaining year and a half of his contract.

“We thank Raheem for the contribution he made while a Chelsea player and wish him well for the next stage in his career,” Chelsea said.

The England international made 81 appearances for the Blues but had not played a competitive match for Chelsea since May 2024.

He had been training separately with the so‑called “bomb squad” at the club’s Cobham base after failing to secure a move in the summer.

Several clubs, including Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen, explored a deal for the England winger, while a potential switch to Fulham did not materialise.

Sterling signed a five-year £325,000-per-week contract in 2022, relocating his young family in the process.

The £47.5m transfer was a statement of intent by Todd Boehly, who at the time was acting as sporting director, and Clearlake Capital.

However, the people behind the deal are no longer in charge at the club.

In addition to Boehly’s diminishing influence, Thomas Tuchel was the head coach who oversaw Sterling’s arrival.

Then came Graham Potter, then Frank Lampard, and then Mauricio Pochettino, all within Sterling’s first two seasons at the club, in which he played 81 times and scored 19 times as Chelsea finished 12th and then sixth.

But two years into his contract Chelsea effectively ended his role as a first-team player when new manager Enzo Maresca decided Sterling was not in his plans.

Security. Stability. Football. Those are the three factors at the top of Sterling’s checklist as he weighs up his next move.

After 18 months in the Chelsea wilderness, what next for the attacker?

Well, there has been a perpetuated narrative that the failure to find Sterling a new club last summer was rooted in his desire to stay in London.

That, having uprooted his family from Manchester to the capital following his move to Chelsea in 2022, he didn’t want to disrupt his family again.

Indeed, his loan move to Arsenal last season allowed him to stay in London, and it is true to say the fact his son was enrolled in the north London club’s academy meant that he, like any father, was reluctant to disturb his family’s routine.

But it became clear at the start of January that Sterling was open to moving to a club outside of the capital in a bid to resurrect his career.

And with his Chelsea exit now concluded, Sterling will not limit his options to within London’s perimeter.

But as he ponders his next move, there will be a set of crucial factors he will consider.

First and foremost is the security of his family. Sterling has been the victim of two house burglaries since 2022.

If Sterling is to leave London, he will look for an opportunity that can provide himself, his family and his career with long-term stability and peace of mind.

He didn’t envisage his return to London would encounter such upheaval. Sterling wants to avoid a repeat when he signs his next contract.

Sterling yearns for a settled life on and off the pitch.

Then last, but not least, there’s the football. He has spent the last six months training away from Chelsea’s first-team squad, cut off from the virtues afforded to professional footballers.

His loan spell at Arsenal last season didn’t go according to plan, he made just 13 starts in all competitions for Mikel Arteta’s side – scoring once in a EFL Cup win over Bolton.

It is understood Arsenal paid around 20% of his reported £325,000-per-week wages, so while his lack of action became an obvious frustration it cost the club relatively little financially, while Arteta often praised Sterling’s influence – especially around the younger players.

Indeed, Sterling’s next club will be signing a proven winner – five Premier League titles, one FA Cup and five League Cup wins is an impressive trophy haul.

At 31 there are still miles left in the tank, aided by the fact Sterling has never suffered a serious injury.