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It is the question few have found an answer to: how do you stop Arsenal scoring from corner kicks?

The Gunners have scored 16 goals from corners this season – already the joint most in a Premier League season – as they continue to lead the charge for the title.

But maybe a solution has been found by Kidderminster Harriers in National League North, the sixth tier of English football.

Chelsea raised a few eyebrows when they left three up front when defending Arsenal’s corners in the Carabao Cup semi-final. Kidderminster have raised the stakes further.

In the 89th minute against an aerially dominant Alfreton this month, Kidderminster opted to leave five players forward when defending a corner – and it paid off in style as they broke clear to score a crucial winner.

Manager Adam Murray used the high-risk approach again in Tuesday’s 4-0 win against Peterborough Sports, and has hinted that they might take it even further.

He told BBC Hereford and Worcester: “A big part of the reason is why not do it?

“When you look at defensive set-plays – even at the very top level – clubs are trying to create that chaos in there.

“When you are looking at certain opponents and set-plays are their main strength – how can we get the players out of there?

“Can we take the opponents’ attacking set-play and turn it into an attacking set-play for us? You have to take a little bit of a risk.

“Sometimes you have to think outside the box. I’ve thought about it for a long time. You can get caught in that bracket that you do things because its always been done.

“It is going to be even more interesting when we leave seven up.”

Former Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given suggested earlier this season that keeping players up while defending corners could be an effective way to counteract Arsenal’s threat.

He said on BBC Match of the Day: “If they leave three up, Arsenal have to leave at least three, maybe four players back.

“That leaves a lot more space for the defenders and the goalkeeper.

“Yes, it leaves more space for the forwards as well, but all those numbers caused so much confusion.”

Monaco and Crystal Palace have also left players up against Arsenal – but leaving five players in attack is taking it to the next level.

That none of Wales’ scorers from their last Six Nations victory will be on the field against Italy this Saturday shows how much has changed since their win in Rome on this date in 2023.

Steve Tandy’s men suffered a 15th straight loss in the tournament last weekend despite a spirited and physical showing against Ireland in Dublin.

Points difference means they are highly unlikely to avoid a third wooden spoon on the bounce, even if they beat Italy with a bonus on Saturday and England have a pointless trip to Paris.

But Wales are desperate for a win to prevent the losing streak going into the 2027 championship, which starts with away assignments in France and Scotland.

Wales won in Rome when full-back Liam Williams, wing Rio Dyer and number eight Taulupe Faletau crossed to go along with a penalty try and eight points from fly-half Owen Williams.

The side featured captain and hooker Ken Owens, flanker Justin Tipuric and hooker Scott Baldwin, who have retired from professional rugby.

Full-back Williams, George North and Rhys Webb are no longer on the Test stage with the latter retiring from Test rugby before the 2023 World Cup and subsequently being banned from playing for four years for a doping violation in France..

Nine of the matchday squad that lined up in Rome are in the current squad – full-back Louis Rees-Zammit, wing Josh Adams, centres Mason Grady and Joe Hawkins, scrum-half Tomas Williams, loose-head prop Gareth Thomas, tight-head Tomas Francis, locks Dafydd Jenkins and Adam Beard.

Flanker Jac Morgan and number eight Faletau are injured while wing Dyer and open-side Tommy Reffell were overlooked.

Wales legends Alun Wyn Jones and Leigh Halfpenny were dropped for the fixture three years ago while fly-half Dan Biggar missed out due to a back injury.

The 2023 squad had a core of experienced international performers while just six of Steve Tandy’s matchday 23 in Dublin were Test half-centurions.

Wales v Italy 2023: L Williams; Adams, Grady, Hawkins, Dyer; O Williams, Webb; Wyn Jones, Owens (capt), Francis, Jenkins, Beard, Morgan, Tipuric, Faletau.

Warren Gatland returned for a second spell as head coach of the national team in December 2022 after the sacking of Wayne Pivac.

Gatland was assisted for the 2023 Six Nations by coaches Alex King, Jonathan Humphreys, Mike Forshaw, Neil Jenkins and Jonathan Thomas.

None of them are still part of the national set-up.

At the time, current boss Steve Tandy was Scotland’s defence coach and his assistants were in the club game, Danny Wilson at Leicester ahead of a move to Harlequins and Matt Sherratt with Cardiff.

A lot has changed in three years, but Wales are still hindered by off-field turmoil.

Gatland’s side travelled to Rome after defeats to Ireland, Scotland and England, with that Principality Stadium fixture against the English only taking place after strike action was averted.

There was a split in the camp about fulfilling the lucrative game amid financial uncertainty in Welsh rugby.

“Welsh rugby can’t keep going on this merry-go-round of crisis after crisis, because it is affecting everyone in the game,” said captain Ken Owens in a press conference after the last-ditch talks.

“We need to pull together now and find the best way forward, and do it together to put Welsh rugby at the top end of world rugby, and not the laughing stock, which I think we are at the moment.”

Few would argue that Welsh rugby has lost that tag.

The 2026 Six Nations takes place amid a Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) plan to cut from four men’s clubs to three due to financial pressures.

Swansea Council is taking legal action over the threat to Ospreys, there is an EGM looming and politicians have been criticising the governing body.

Three years ago Nigel Walker was interim chief executive after the resignation of Steve Phillips in January 2023 after a BBC Wales programme raised allegations of misogyny, sexism and racism in the WRU.

Current chief executive Abi Tierney has been in the role since January 2024 while Richard Collier-Keywood has been chairman since the summer of 2023 on a three-year term.

Wales travelled to Italy three years ago at risk of dropping outside the top 10 of the world rankings for the first time, that after briefly being top under Gatland ahead of the 2019 World Cup.

The squad had suffered 12 defeats in their last 15 games, but climbed to ninth in the rankings with victory in Rome.

They were 10th ahead of the 2023 World Cup when hopes were an awful lot higher than they will be next year.

“This group is in a good place and I promise you now we will surprise a few people,” said Gatland ahead of a tournament that ended with a disappointing quarter-final defeat by Argentina.

Wales have only beaten Japan twice since that loss to the Pumas and are currently ranked 12th after falling as low as 14th after a first Test loss to the Brave Blossoms last summer.

There have been signs of improvement under Tandy throughout the championship, with the boss stressing there are no shortcuts, but there is a chasm to the top teams in the world.

Gatland’s side travelled to Rome three years ago at risk of finishing with the wooden spoon for the first time since 2003.

Wales avoided a clean sweep of defeats on that occasion and ended up fifth.

German cross-country skiers turned their backs on the Russian gold medallists on the Winter Paralympics podium in protest against the nation’s inclusion at the Games.

For the first time since 2014, Russian athletes are competing under their nation’s flag at a Paralympics after the International Paralympic Committee lifted its suspension of the country in September.

Russia and its athletes had been banned following the state-sponsored doping scandal before further sanctions followed after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Anastasiia Bagiian and her guide Sergei Siniakin won gold in the women’s sprint classic vision impaired event, Russia’s second of three golds at the Games so far.

As the national anthem played, Germany’s Linn Kazmaier and her guide Florian Baumann, the silver medallists, turned their backs to the Russians.

Speaking to German outlet Bild, Kazmaier said: “The medal ceremony felt completely strange. I don’t know the [Russians], I don’t know if perhaps they also support the system in Russia as little as we do.

“Perhaps they are really nice people, who we could be friends with. That it is so totally overshadowed by politics is simply a complete shame.

In total, six Russian athletes and four from Belarus – an ally of Russia – are competing at the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics after the lifting of the IPC’s ban.

As a result, teams from seven countries – including Ukraine – boycotted Friday’s opening ceremony in Verona.

Para-alpine skier Varvara Voronchikhina won Russia’s first gold on Monday – her medal ceremony proceeded with no protest.

Bild also reported that Kazmaier and Baumann refused to be involved in the medallists’ selfie that takes place after every medal ceremony.

“Four years ago in Beijing we had a great exchange with the Ukrainians. We wanted to show solidarity to them,” said Baumann.

“It’s not about the Russian athletes, themselves. It’s also difficult for many of them, but the IPC’s decision to have Russia here under their flag, with their anthem and their full contingent in attendance, while the Ukrainians are also here, I find simply not correct.”

The IPC told BBC Sport it was aware of the protest and is gathering and analysing evidence on the matter.

Aberdeen have made an approach to Scottish Premiership rivals St Mirren for manager Stephen Robinson.

St Mirren have revealed that “Aberdeen have met a contractual clause in Stephen’s contract, so the club has granted them permission to speak to him regarding the vacancy”.

They “hope for a swift resolution to this matter”, with Aberdeen stating they are entering “formal talks” with the 51-year-old Northern Irishman.

Peter Leven has been in caretaker charge since Aberdeen sacked Jimmy Thelin in early January.

Robinson, meanwhile, led St Mirren to their second cup semi-final of the season on Sunday as the Paisley side defeated Partick Thistle having already gone on to lift the League Cup with a victory over league champions Celtic in November.

He led the Buddies to top-six finishes in his previous three seasons, although they currently sit 10th, one place and five points below Aberdeen, just three ahead of Kilmarnock in the relegation play-off spot.

The news of Aberdeen’s approach comes just over a week after chairman Dave Cormack confirmed that former Mainz, Hertha Berlin and Dinamo Moscow head coach Sandro Schwarz, who recently left New York Red Bulls, was in the city for talks about the vacancy.

However, Cormack stressed that the German was only one of “about four” candidates and that one of them presented “a personal challenge, family-wise, that we have to respect”.

Last month, Eirik Horneland had also emerged as a leading candidate after his departure from French Ligue 2 club Saint-Etienne.

However, the former Brann and Rosenborg head coach was subsequently quoted as saying he would not be taking up another post until at least the end of the season.

Former Northern Ireland midfielder Robinson began his managerial career with his country’s national youth set-up before spells in charge of Oldham Athletic, Motherwell and Morecambe.