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Ireland assistant coach Simon Easterby said every member of the squad was available to train on Sunday as the panel continue preparations for their Six Nations opener away to France on Thursday night.

Ireland have based themselves in Portugal before the Paris curtain-raiser to the 2026 championship (20:10 GMT) with their camp in Quinta do Lago disrupted by news of Bundee Aki’s suspension and losing Hugo Keenan to injury.

Tight-head prop Tadhg Furlong had also missed training earlier in the week thanks to an ongoing calf problem but was fit to take part in Sunday’s sessions.

The 33-year-old was replaced after 16 minutes of Leinster’s Champions Cup win on 17 January.

“We’ve been happy with the majority of the lads who have been training, and some of them have come in with little niggles, but everyone’s progressing really well and we had everyone available to train,” Easterby said.

On Furlong, Easterby added: “He got through some good work, actually. He’s progressed really well.

“I think [Sunday] was important and obviously [Monday] will be another important training day, but so far, so good.”

On the other side of the scrum, Ireland are without their three first-choice loose-heads with Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle all out through injury.

Prior to the departure of that trio, 17 players in Ireland’s 36-man panel in Portugal had 10 caps or fewer but Easterby feels newer faces have integrated well into the set-up.

“The young lads have already stepped up, they’ve connected up,” Easterby said.

“I guess one of the real strengths of this group, and it always has been for the last four or five years, has been guys coming in who will get support from the more experienced players.

Ireland assistant coach Simon Easterby said every member of the squad was available to train on Sunday as the panel continue preparations for their Six Nations opener away to France on Thursday night.

Ireland have based themselves in Portugal before the Paris curtain-raiser to the 2026 championship (20:10 GMT) with their camp in Quinta do Lago disrupted by news of Bundee Aki’s suspension and losing Hugo Keenan to injury.

Tight-head prop Tadhg Furlong had also missed training earlier in the week thanks to an ongoing calf problem but was fit to take part in Sunday’s sessions.

The 33-year-old was replaced after 16 minutes of Leinster’s Champions Cup win on 17 January.

“We’ve been happy with the majority of the lads who have been training, and some of them have come in with little niggles, but everyone’s progressing really well and we had everyone available to train,” Easterby said.

On Furlong, Easterby added: “He got through some good work, actually. He’s progressed really well.

“I think [Sunday] was important and obviously [Monday] will be another important training day, but so far, so good.”

On the other side of the scrum, Ireland are without their three first-choice loose-heads with Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle all out through injury.

Prior to the departure of that trio, 17 players in Ireland’s 36-man panel in Portugal had 10 caps or fewer but Easterby feels newer faces have integrated well into the set-up.

“The young lads have already stepped up, they’ve connected up,” Easterby said.

“I guess one of the real strengths of this group, and it always has been for the last four or five years, has been guys coming in who will get support from the more experienced players.

With each captivating swish of his racquet, Carlos Alcaraz seemingly edges closer to more history.

The Spanish world number one has become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam – lifting all four of the sport’s major trophies – with his maiden Australian Open triumph.

Sunday’s victory over Novak Djokovic ensured the 22-year-old Alcaraz clinched the seventh major title of his career, just six years after making his senior debut.

Alcaraz has won five of the past eight slams and has astonishingly prevailed in all but one of his eight major finals.

He follows all-time greats Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi and Rod Laver as only the sixth man to achieve the career Grand Slam in the Open era.

The man he replaces as the youngest to achieve that feat is, fittingly, his sporting idol and 22-time major winner Rafael Nadal, who did so aged 24 in 2010 and watched his compatriot’s historic win over old foe Djokovic from the stands in Melbourne.

In tennis history, Alcaraz surpassed Don Budge, who had won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open by the age of 22 years and 355 days in 1938.

“Every year that I came to Australia I was thinking about winning but it didn’t happen. This year, I was hungry for more,” Alcaraz said.

In winning his seventh Grand Slam, Alcaraz now has the most major singles titles before the age of 23 than any other man during the Open era.

Only Bjorn Borg had won six slams at a younger age than Alcaraz, but Borg turned 23 on his way to lifting his seventh at Roland Garros in 1979.

By comparison, men’s record 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic had won just one major before turning 23.

Alcaraz has already triumphed twice at each of the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, but before this year his best Australian Open result was two quarter-final appearances in 2024 and 2025.

He won his first US Open at the second attempt, achieved a first Wimbledon triumph in his third appearance, claimed a maiden French Open on his fourth visit, and completed his sweep of successes at his fifth Australian Open.

Across the seven major finals he has won, Alcaraz has never faced a player seeded lower than fifth – overcoming Djokovic on three occasions and Jannik Sinner twice, along with victories over Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud.

After winning September’s US Open, Alcaraz stated his desire to begin the year with this historic achievement.

One key priority for Alcaraz was his serve.

Once considered the weakest aspect of his game, it now bears a striking resemblance to Djokovic’s rhythmic motion, from which the Serb produces devastating precision.

Alcaraz has turned his serve into another “important weapon”, as witnessed during last year’s US Open where he won 98 of his 101 service games.

It is a demoralising development for his opponents, who already had his dizzying combination of power, athleticism and inventive variety to contend with.

By adding his 25th tour-level singles title, Alcaraz is behind only Djokovic (101) for the most won by active players.

The next piece of history for Alcaraz will be emulating Laver as only the second man in the Open era to achieve a calendar slam – winning all four majors in the same year.

Asked about the possibility, Alcaraz said: “It is going to be a big challenge.

“I just want one at a time. The next is Roland Garros and I feel really special every time that I go there.

“I don’t want to put pressure on myself to have to do it.”

Sinner, as has been the case throughout each of the past two seasons, would appear to be his biggest barrier.

The Italian will have his chance to complete a career Grand Slam of his own at the French Open, having lost last year’s epic to Alcaraz.

Alcaraz or Sinner have been crowned champion at each of the past nine Grand Slam tournaments since Djokovic won the 2023 US Open.

Despite Alcaraz splitting with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero in December after seven years together, and Sinner’s loss to Djokovic in a thrilling five-set semi-final in Melbourne, their reign of dominance does not look set to end any time soon.

Praising Alcaraz after the final, Djokovic said: “The results are a testament to his already stellar career. He deserves every bit of the praise that he gets.

“He is already a legendary tennis player that made already a huge mark in the history books of tennis.

Winter Olympics organisers have admitted the new ice hockey arena in Milan will not be finished in time for the first match of the Games – but it is “absolutely certain” all scheduled fixtures will be played there.

BBC Sport visited the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Saturday, 31 January – five days before the venue is due to host its first match – and found a frantic construction site, with building materials and dust inside and outside the stadium.

Christophe Dubi, the International Olympic Committee’s executive director for the Olympic Games, was asked about the state of the arena on Sunday and whether it will be ready on time.

“Absolutely certain, yes”, he said about whether the full slate of fixtures – starting on Thursday, 5 February, when hosts Italy face France in their first game of the women’s competition – will be fulfilled.

The 11,800-capacity stadium is one of two new venues being constructed in Milan before the 2026 Games.

Santagiulia is due to host many of the biggest ice hockey fixtures at the Games, including the men’s and women’s gold medal matches.

But days before the Games, most roads remain closed around the arena while inside construction materials and rubbish litter the floor.

Many areas of the arena, including hospitality boxes as well as food and drink stalls, are unfinished, while there are no seats in the press area.

While core elements like electricity and running water are functioning, lifts and toilets remain covered in plastic wraps and are scruffy in appearance.

“No-one’s experience will be tainted by anything that needs to be painted after the games,” said Dubi. “Anything that is public facing will be top.

“Do we still have works to do? Yes, cleaning absolutely. There are still works ongoing, frantic as you say but it is to make it a great venue.”

Dubi praised the work done on the venue, which has been beset by delays and controversies – including a boycott warning from the National Hockey League (NHL).

The rink in Milan, approved by the International Ice Hockey Federation, is shorter than the minimum requirement in the NHL, leading to suggestions there could be an increase in high-speed collisions. The quality of the ice has also been questioned.

The NHL said it was “pleased” with the test event at the arena in January, although that did not pass without incident. During the event there was a short delay while a small hole in the ice had to be repaired.

Santagiulia is one of two ice hockey venues for the Games, with the Milano Rho Arena staging some group-stage matches.