Category News

British number one Katie Boulter has been named in a five-player team for Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in April.

Boulter, 28, is joined by former US Open winner Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal, Harriet Dart and Olivia Nicholls for the new round-robin format at Sportcampus Zuiderpark in The Hague between 10-12 April.

Great Britain face the Netherlands and Germany, with the top nation from the week sealing a place in the Finals later this year.

“With the change in format, the competition will be even more challenging but I’m confident I’ve got a group of players who will rise to the occasion and give it their best”, GB captain Anne Keothavong said.

“Representing our country is always an honour and we look forward to the challenge with the fans ‘ support behind us”.

Great Britain lost against Slovakia in the semi-finals of the Billie Jean King Cup in 2024.

Heather Watson has dropped out of the squad, with British number three Kartal named in her place.

Men’s Six Nations: Italy v Ireland

Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome Date: Saturday, 15 March Kick-off: 14: 15 GMT

Ireland interim boss Simon Easterby has expressed his disappointment with France head coach Fabien Galthie’s comments regarding the Antoine Dupont injury incident in last week’s Six Nations game.

Les Bleus won 42-27 in Dublin to end Ireland’s Grand Slam hopes, but the France skipper’s serious knee injury dominated post-match discussion.

Dupont was attempting to steal the ball in the 28th minute and was challenged by Tadhg Beirne, who then fell on to the scrum-half’s right leg as Ireland prop Andrew Porter joined the ruck.

Galthie reported Porter and Beirne to the match’s citing commissioner and called their actions in the incident “reprehensible”, but no action has been taken against the Ireland pair.

“Without getting myself into trouble here, I just think it’s the game unfortunately”, said Easterby.

“No player goes out to intentionally injure another player. For everyone, or for the majority of people watching, looking at it afterwards, everyone felt like it was a rugby incident which was really unfortunate.

Easterby said the French camp’s post-match comments created a situation where” people are getting abuse”.

” It’s just unnecessary and not acceptable, “he added.

” It happens, we know it happens, but those things could have been avoided had maybe other things been said post-game by certain individuals. “

When asked to clarify who he meant by” certain individuals”, Easterby said:” The French camp have obviously come out pretty strongly post-game about the incident.

Asked to clarify whether players have received online abuse in the wake of the incident, he said: “I’m just saying that it’s unnecessary, the coverage on social media, that’s all I am saying.

” I don’t read it, I don’t necessarily take a lot of notice of it but when it’s directed at certain individuals and certain individuals ‘ wider family group, then it becomes an issue.

“We talk as coaches all the time and we chat post-game. I think it could have been a different discussion, a different platform to air those frustrations that maybe France had.

” We and World Rugby and the Six Nations believe there was no case to answer and certainly it didn’t help, it almost sort of fanned the flames of what was a really unfortunate incident.

Easterby was speaking after restoring Jack Crowley as Ireland’s starting fly-half for Saturday’s final Six Nations encounter with Italy in Rome.

Crowley, who has been second-choice behind Sam Prendergast recently, returns amid reports linking him with a move to English Premiership side Leicester Tigers when his Munster deal expires in the summer.

Easterby, however, is “confident” the 25-year-old will remain in Ireland.

“Jack knows how important he is to us”, said Easterby, who added he does not think speculation will affect Crowley’s performance on Saturday.

“Regardless of selection across the last four games, he understands the role that he has and the standing he has in the group.

” He’s a brilliant person first and foremost. He’s a great pro, he’s always looking to get better.

Should you play your Free Hit chip this week?

The Carabao Cup final means Liverpool, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Crystal Palace are blanking in gameweek 29.

That’s a lot of popular Fantasy Premier League assets potentially missing from your team, so everyone has a decision to make.

You usually want to Free Hit in a gameweek where you can pack your side with exciting attacking players with great fixtures, but this week’s games aren’t super enticing.

And further down the line you might need your Free Hit to navigate a potential double gameweek in 33 and blank gameweek in 34. We don’t know what those fixtures will be yet as they depend on FA Cup quarter-final results.

So any decision you make this week involves a bit of guesswork, but here’s a guide to help you.

I can get 10 players out with no hits – save your Free Hit.

I can get nine players out with no hits – probably save your Free Hit – it will have more impact later.

I can get eight players out with no hits – are seven of those midfielders or forwards? If so probably worth still saving your Free Hit. If not, then use the Free Hit.

I can get seven or fewer players out with no hits – definitely Free Hit to avoid falling behind.

No. It is almost never worth a -4 for a defender.

Yes. If it is a case of taking a hit to get a full attacking complement out and save your Free Hit then do it – as long as you are bringing in players with high upside and not a £4.5m midfielder! This week’s team of the week should give you some ideas.

The strikeforce of Eddie Nketiah and Beto had a combined expected goals (xG) of 1.34 last week but both ended with two-pointers – so unlucky!

Still, super Marc Cucurella (15 points) and captain Mohamed Salah (30) led the team to a tidy 67 points.

Jordan Pickford, Everton, keeper, £5.1m – West Ham (h)

FPL’s second-highest scoring keeper is a safe choice at home to a West Ham side that is not scoring a lot of goals.

In their past seven games the Hammers have an xG of just 6.81 (third lowest in the league) and a league-low 18 shots on target.

Pickford makes plenty of saves, has earned a save point on 13 occasions this season and 10 bonus points – the best among keepers.

Josko Gvardiol, Manchester City, £5.9m – Brighton (h)

No other defender has more goals than Gvardiol’s five this season.

City’s chances of a clean sheet against Brighton aren’t high, the way they are defending at the moment, but the Croatian has attacking upside in a week with few obvious defensive picks.

Diogo Dalot, Manchester United, £5m – Leicester (a)

Leicester haven’t scored for five games and their xG in that time is just 1.62. That’s awful!

You have to pick a defender against them, even if it is a Manchester United one.

Dalot has the highest xG (2.11) of any defender who is yet to score this season and gets into some very attacking positions.

Ola Aina, Nottingham Forest, £5.3m – Ipswich (a)

With back-to-back clean sheets against Arsenal and Manchester City, this Forest defence now has 12 for the season and must fancy another one against Ipswich.

Justin Kluivert, Bournemouth, £6.2m – Brentford (h)

Bournemouth haven’t really capitalised on a superb run of recent fixtures but Kluivert has been the most reliable attacking asset in that time.

Brentford at home is a great fixture, he’s in form and on penalties. Easy choice.

Bruno Fernandes (captain), Manchester United, £8.4m – Leicester (a)

Fernandes has played Leicester twice this season in all competitions and has four goals and an assist.

He’s United’s attacking talisman and has a great chance to haul this week.

Bryan Mbeumo, Brentford, £8.1m – Bournemouth (a)

Bournemouth have a very good defensive record at home but, with Salah blanking and Cole Palmer facing Arsenal away, the third top midfielder points-scorer comes in this week. That’s three of the four midfielders on penalties.

Morgan Gibbs-White, Nottingham Forest, £6.5m – Ipswich (a)

Callum Hudson-Odoi has grabbed headlines recently, with three goals, but Gibbs-White has far better underlying numbers.

In his past seven games, he has 16 shots and an xG of 1.79. Hudson-Odoi’s xG in that time is 0.31!

Erling Haaland, Manchester City, £14.7m – Brighton (h)

One goal in his past three isn’t amazing but Haaland has hat-trick potential in any game and is hard to ignore in a week with four teams missing.

Looking ahead, can you get him into your team next week? As Leicester at home is a potential points bonanza.

Chris Wood (vice captain), Nottingham Forest, £7.3m – Ipswich (a)

Wood is a potential captain choice this week and the highest-scoring striker is an easy pick.

Evanilson, Bournemouth, £5.6m – Brentford (h)

The Brazilian’s return from injury was earlier than expected and he looked sharp at Spurs in gameweek 28, his first league start.

Jose Sa, Wolves, keeper, £4.3m – Southampton (a)

Savinho, Manchester City, midfielder, £6.2m – Brighton (h)

Jurrien Timber, Arsenal, defender, £5.6m – Chelsea (h)

Jarrad Branthwaite, Everton, defender, £4.8m – West Ham (h)

Total team cost: £99m

Bukayo Saka, Arsenal, midfielder, £10.2m

Saka is back in training and could return after the upcoming international break.

Bournemouth – Brentford (h), Ipswich (h), West Ham (a)

With doubles and blanks in the upcoming weeks that are yet to be announced, you could start thinking a bit more short term with your transfers.

“A third in a row would put him into a very select category of greats”.

Looking at the odds for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, it isn’t obvious that Galopin Des Champs is bidding to do something so rare.

Only four horses, including the legendary Arkle and Best Mate, have ever won a hat-trick of Gold Cups.

And yet the Willie Mullins-trained horse is the odds-on favourite for Friday’s Gold Cup, which goes off at 16: 00 GMT, and meaningful challengers seem thin on the ground.

So what makes Galopin Des Champs so special?

“I think he’s got just lots of heart”, Mullins told BBC Sport at his sprawling Closutton stables in County Carlow.

“He’s obviously got athletic ability, he’s better than average. But when push comes to shove in those last two furlongs, when you’ve got to dig deep, this guy seems to have reserves of energy.

” And it’s also mental. It’s his heart. He just gets down, you know, when the going gets tough, the tough get going and that’s what he is. He’s tough. “

Mullins has more than 200 horses in training, and over the past 35 years has trained some stars of the sport.

But he said Galopin Des Champs – affectionately nicknamed” the good one “by stable staff – will rank as the best of them all if he wins the Cheltenham Festival showpiece on Friday.

” I’ve had some wonderful horses here. If he does the treble, we’ll probably have to give him that accolade, but until then we’ll wait, “said Mullins, 68.

But does he know how good he is?

Eight horses will be trying to deny Galopin Des Champs on Friday, as the nine-year-old bids to become the first triple winner since Best Mate in 2004.

December’s King George VI Chase winner Banbridge is the closest rival according to the market, while the third favourite is the market leader in the Grand National – Inothewayurthinkin – whose owner JP McManus paid £25, 000 to enter him for the Gold Cup.

There are only three British-trained runners – Ahoy Senor, The Real Whacker and Royale Pagaille – and they are all outsiders.

Mullins knows the hat-trick won’t be easy, having come up just short when attempting the feat with Al Boum Photo, who won the race in 2019 and 2020 but finished third in 2021 and sixth in 2022.

However, no-one knows how to train a Cheltenham Festival winner better than Mullins, who celebrated a century of them last year and is the leading trainer so far this week.

Galopin Des Champs stormed to a seven-length victory in 2023, and defended his crown last year despite having to contend with the unwelcome presence of a loose horse.

Retired jockey Barry Geraghty, who rode 43 Cheltenham Festival winners, is confident he has what it takes to win it again.

” He’s an absolutely brilliant horse. He’s won good Gold Cups and has won them with authority as well, “he told BBC Sport.

” There’s no concern about his form this year. As a nine-year-old, he still looks to retain all of his ability and his runs leading into Cheltenham have been of a very high standard.

“If the same Galopin Des Champs turns up this year, he’s going to be very hard to beat.

” He’ll already be remembered as a high-class winner of the Gold Cup, as he’s already in an elite club having retained it, but a third in a row would put him into a very select category of greats. “

Mullins said he believes Galopin Des Champs is in better form than in previous years but will face stiffer competition as he tries to emulate some of racing’s all-time greats.

Men’s Six Nations: Wales v England

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 15 March Kick-off: 16: 45 GMT

Wales have brought in Joe Roberts and Aaron Wainwright as two starting changes for the Six Nations finale against England in Cardiff on Saturday.

Scarlets centre Roberts will make his first professional start on the wing as he replaces the injured Tom Rogers.

Roberts impressed after coming on as a 10th-minute replacement in the 35-29 defeat by Scotland at Murrayfield.

Wainwright will pack down in the back row instead of Tommy Reffell who drops down to the replacements bench, which also includes Saracens centre Nick Tompkins.

Wales ‘ back three options are limited with Rogers ruled out after suffering a fractured thumb.

His fellow wing Josh Adams sustained a hamstring injury in training and has not featured since the opening two Six Nations games.

Full-back Liam Williams was ruled out of the tournament after sustaining a knee injury in the competition opener against France.

Sherratt opted not to call up any reinforcements this week with Cardiff full-back Cameron Winnett and Dragons wing Rio Dyer overlooked for this campaign.

Gloucester wing Josh Hathaway was the only specialist squad option remaining but Sherratt has opted to utilise Roberts out of position and put Saracens centre Tompkins on the bench.

“Getting the chance to wear the shirt in any position is a huge honour”, said Roberts.

“I have never really started the game there but have a bit of experience. Early on when I first started to play for Scarlets, when I was on the bench and you have the likes of Jonathan Davies and Johnny Williams there, I would come on on the wing”.

Roberts was exposed to 70 minutes last weekend when Rogers was forced off.

“There is always a chance it can happen, so I prepared for it during the week but you never think it will happen that early”, said Roberts.

Wainwright, 27, will pack down in the back row alongside Taulupe Faletau and captain Jac Morgan with the trio reunited from the start of a game for the first time since Wales defeated Australia 40-6 in Lyon at the 2023 World Cup.

Wainwright makes his second start of the campaign after starting at number eight in the opening 43-0 defeat by France in Paris. He only lasted a few minutes before being forced off with a facial injury.

The Dragons back-rower came off the replacements bench in the next three games with Taulupe Faletau returning to the number eight role and flankers James Botham and Tommy Reffell selected alongside captain Jac Morgan.

Sherratt decided to employ two openside flankers in Reffell and Morgan in his first two games in charge for the defeats against Ireland and Scotland.

Wales, who have been beaten in all four games in this campaign, are bidding to avoid a 17th successive Test defeat and 11th Six Nations loss on the bounce.

Wales ‘ most recent Test match victory came against World Cup pool opponents Georgia in October 2023.

They have also lost their previous eight home games in Cardiff and been defeated in the past eight Six Nations matches at the Principality Stadium.

Wales are also bidding to avoid a clean sweep of defeats in successive tournaments for the first time in their history.

Warren Gatland departed as head coach in February following a dismal 22-15 defeat by Italy in February, with Sherratt in charge for the final three games of the tournament.

In contrast, England will arrive at the Principality Stadium as title contenders, although a France bonus-point victory against Scotland later on Saturday night will guarantee Les Bleus top spot.

“Wales England is always a special occasion and we know it will be an incredible atmosphere at Principality Stadium”, said Sherratt.