Alan Cumming has apologised for the ‘trauma triggering s***show’ sparked by the Baftas.

Last Sunday night, the annual British film awards ceremony was overshadowed by an incident in which Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson experienced a series of tics, one of which included yelling out a racial slur at Sinners stars’ Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo whilst they were on stage presenting an award.

Despite a two-hour delay of the broadcast, the BBC still aired the moment in its coverage, before taking the awards down from iPlayer following significant backlash.

Addressing the outbursts during the event, host Alan said that Davidson had ‘no control’ over the outbursts. He explained: ‘You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people, as the film explores that experience. Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.’

However, a week on he’s now shared a lengthy statement on social media addressing what unfolded.

‘It’s now a week since I hosted the BAFTAs,’ the 61-year-old Scottish actor began.

‘What should have been an evening celebrating creativity as well as diversity and inclusion turned into a trauma triggering s***show.

‘I’m so sorry for all the pain Black people have felt at hearing that word echoed round the world. I’m so sorry the Tourettes community has been reminded of the lack of understanding and tolerance that abounds regarding their condition.’

‘The only possible good that could come of this is a reminder that words matter, that rushing to judgment about things of which we are not fully cognisant is folly, that all trauma must be recognised and honoured.’

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Concluding his statement, Alan alluded to mistakes made by Bafta and the BBC.

‘We were all let down by decisions made to both broadcast slurs and censor free speech,’ he wrote, before offering his congratulations to ‘all the artists whose work was overshadowed by the night’s events’.

Soon after the event, Delroy said he and Jordan ‘did what we had to do’ while presenting, but he wished ‘someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterward’.

The day after the awards, John issued an apology saying he was ‘deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.’

In an interview with Variety, he also explained that he had an ‘expectation’ the BBC would blur out his comments, also questioning why he’d been sat close by a microphone too.

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‘I had an expectation that the BBC would physically control the sound at the awards on Sunday. I was so far from the stage. From the lack of response from the early presenters to my tics, and with no one turning around to look at me, I assumed, like everyone else, that I could not be heard on the stage,’ he said.

‘The only time I became aware that my tic had reached the stage was when Delroy and Michael B. Jordan appeared to look up from their role as presenters, and soon after that I decided to leave the auditorium.’

Reflecting on his tics being broadcast, he explained that StudioCanal and Bafta had confirmed that ‘any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast’. ‘I have made four documentaries with the BBC in the past, and feel that they should have been aware of what to expect from Tourette’s and worked harder to prevent anything that I said — which, after all, was some 40 rows back from the stage — from being included in the broadcast.

‘As I reflect on the auditorium, I remember there was a microphone just in front of me, and with hindsight I have to question whether this was wise, so close to where I was seated, knowing I would tic.’

Last week Bafta also issued an ‘unreserved apology’ for the ‘very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many’.

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‘We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all. We will learn from this and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy,’ it said.

Meanwhile the BBC has also apologised, while its Executive Complaints Unit will now complete a ‘fast-tracked investigation’ into the incident.

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MORE: SNL condemned by Tourette’s charity for ‘mocking disability’ in controversial sketch

MORE: Bafta insider claims the BBC ‘knew what happened’ before N-word slur aired on TV

MORE: John Davidson became ‘poster boy for Tourettes’ as a teenager after this BBC documentary

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​A motion calling on North Yorkshire Council bosses to urgently reconsider their plan to permanently shut Whitby’s historic Cliff Lift in the interest of residents and visitors has been passed unanimously.

​At a packed meeting on Monday (March 2) dozens of residents gathered at Whitby Pavilion and told councillors that the landmark lift “is not a luxury, it’s a necessity”.

​​​The lift on Whitby’s North Terrace, which opened in 1931, has been out of service since 2022 due to corrosion and water ingress, with “worst-case” repair costs estimated at £5.5 million.

​The cost of the options to decommission the lift ranges from £199,000 to £538,000.

​Cllr David Chance, who used to work at the Cliff Lift in 1964, said: “It was always damp in the tunnel.

​“I think the £5 million figure has been plucked out of the air to justify inaction. I think that was the aim of Scarborough Borough Council to kick it down the road.

Scarborough And Whitby Area Committee 02.03.26. Courtesy Numminen/Ldrs

​“I’m absolutely convinced that it should be repaired.”

​Speaking at the meeting, a local resident said that the council’s replacement bus service – the future of which is uncertain – was not adequate for elderly people and those with disabilities and asked: “How is it right to deny many people with disabilities access to our beautiful Blue Flag beach?”

Chris Bourne, the council’s head of harbours and coastal infrastructure, said the council was not denying disabled people access to the beach and that slipways and ramps could also be used.

​Cllr Rich Maw said “we cannot row back on accessibility options”.

​He added: “NYC has accrued capital in reserves, and we should send a message to the executive that it has to commit to restoring the lift.”

Whitby Cliff Lift. Google Maps

​Councillors also highlighted the importance of maintaining the lift in a town where tourism is of major economic importance and which “benefits the rest of the county”.

​Cllr Janet Jefferson said: “We have to preserve our economy and employment.”

​Former chairman of the British Resorts Association, Cllr David Jeffels, said: “We need to look at the wider picture.

​“I think a case can be made for making the Cliff Lift a heritage feature, where everyone can go, not just disabled people and the elderly. In Scarborough, we lost the cliff lift on the North Bay, and it’s still sorely missed decades later.”

​A motion was passed recognising the importance of the historic heritage asset for Whitby and “requesting that the executive looks again at the Cliff Lift with a view to repairing and reopening it”.

​The motion added that there was a “lack of information to support robust decision-making” and an up-to-date survey with robust costings and a business plan should be completed to “ensure the valuable asset remains as a going concern for residents and visitors of Whitby”.

​North Yorkshire Council’s executive committee is set to make a decision on the Cliff Lift’s future at a meeting on March 17.

A Minnesota prosecutor announced an investigation Monday that may lead to charges against federal officers, including Border Patrol official Greg Bovino, for misconduct during an immigration enforcement crackdown.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a news conference that her office is already looking into 17 cases, including one where Bovino threw a smoke canister at protesters on Jan. 21. Another on Jan. 7 involved federal officers making an arrest outside a high school and deploying chemical irritants while students and staff were in the area.

“Make no mistake, we are not afraid of the legal fight, and we are committed to doing this correctly,” Moriarty said. “Operation Metro Surge caused immeasurable harm to our community.”

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement, responded in a statement Monday night that such enforcement is a federal responsibility and states cannot prosecute federal officers.

“What these States are trying to do is unlawful, and they know it,” the statement said. “Federal officials acting in the course of their duties are immune from liability under state law.”

The statement added that local officials should instead consider how their actions have endangered federal law enforcement officers.

A message to Bovino seeking his response was not immediately returned.

Bovino, who emerged as a key figure in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, is known for bringing aggressive tactics to crackdowns in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago and Los Angeles. In Chicago, federal officers frequently deployed chemical irritants as crowd control measures in residential neighborhoods, and a judge ordered Bovino to wear a body camera and appear in court daily to answer questions about the crackdown. That order was overturned before his first mandated appearance.

Officers at times took a forceful approach to corralling protesters in Minneapolis-St. Paul and detained numerous people blowing whistles and recording arrests.

Bovino was eventually removed from his leading role in the Minnesota effort after federal officers fatally shot 37-year-old mother Renee Good and 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti on different days in January, leading to nationwide demonstrations and criticisms of DHS use-of-force policies.

Moriarty’s office has set up an online portal where photos, videos and eyewitness accounts from any point during Operation Metro Surge can be uploaded.

The Trump administration has defended federal officers, but Moriarty is making clear that her office is “collecting evidence about all sorts of possible crimes,” said Rachel Moran, a professor of criminal law and policing at University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis.

In cases where officers unjustifiably used chemical weapons, threw people to the ground or smashed car windows, Moran said as examples, prosecutors may be investigating assault or property damage.

“These would be situations where the state has to determine: Is there evidence that agents acted unlawfully and outside the scope of their authorized duties?” Moran said. “I think agents did illegal things here. I watched it.”

Though federal officers conducted immigration enforcement throughout the Twin Cities, Moriarty’s investigation will only focus on incidents in Hennepin county, which includes Minneapolis and many of its suburbs.

Her office is also investigating the deaths of Good and Pretti, and she is “confident” they will be able to pursue charges. She said Monday that her office is prepared to sue the federal government to get the evidence she has requested for the investigations if she does not hear from them by Tuesday.

“The question is, should we charge in federal court? Do we expect the federal government to obstruct us? I would say they’re already doing that,” Moriarty said.

The Department of Justice opened a civil rights inquiry into Pretti’s death, but said it saw no reason for a civil rights investigation of Good’s death. The Federal Bureau of Investigations barred state investigators from accessing evidence in her case.

The DOJ and FBI did not immediately return requests for comment.

While Moriarty addressed the challenges her office would face in bringing charges against federal agents, she said they are committed to transparency and accountability.

Mark Osler, who served as director of the criminal division for a year under Moriarty in 2023 and 2024, said regardless of whether there are charges, he thinks the public can look forward to more clarity.

“One of the most important roles that prosecution has … is truth-telling, is to bring to the surface what actually happened at a given time,” said Osler, who is currently a law professor at University of St. Thomas. “We’ll all know more than just what we saw in those initial videos by the time she’s done. I’m confident of that.”

___

Raza reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Fingerhut reported from Des Moines, Iowa.

Trump claimed the US now is now more allied to other European nations.

Donald Trump has launched yet another attack on Keir Starmer, and claimed the UK is “not such a recognisable country” anymore.

The US President suggested his relationship with the PM had changed, and other European nations were now stronger allies. Speaking with The Sun, Mr Trump also repeated his baseless attacks on the London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, reports the Mirror.

Discussing the PM, he said: “He has not been helpful. I never thought I’d see that. I never thought I’d see that from the UK. We love the UK. This was the most solid relationship of all. And now we have very strong relationships with other countries in Europe..

“It’s also not such a recognisable country. I mean, you look at what happened over the last period of time and it’s very different. London is a very different place, with a terrible Mayor. You have a terrible Mayor there, some terrible people. But it’s a very different place.”

Speaking just days after Labour slumped to third in Gorton and Denton, Mr Trump wished the PM “luck” in turning things around. Suggesting the PM “has got his own difficulties”, he continued: “The people of the UK, who I have a great relationship with, who I love, are sorry to hear it also… I don’t get it. But you know what? I just… I wish him a lot of luck.”

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There have been other very sharp declines in stock market prices, but most of them have taken longer to shed their valuation. In 2002 the DJIA shed 27%, with FTSE easing by 23%. These losses were due largely to the ‘fall out’ from ‘9/11’ terrorist attacks in September of the previous year. Then came the banking crises of 2008/9. The DJIA lost 18.2% of its value between 6th and 10th October 2008. It hit a market low of 6,469.95 on March 6, 2009, having lost over 54% of its value since the 9th October, a 2007 high. The FTSE also experienced a torrid time, shedding 18.2% in value in 2008.

Food security worries are the perennial objection to large-scale solar projects, with critics claiming they gobble up farmland that might otherwise be used for agriculture. However, new work by Canadian researchers backs the growing consensus that the opposite is true: solar can boost harvests rather than hinder them.

A team led by Prof Joshua Pearce from Ontario’s Western University found that agrivoltaic systems – where crops grow beneath solar arrays – create a shady microclimate which shields plants from heatwaves, hail and other weather extremes. The setup also improves soil health and fuels nutrient recycling.

Interestingly, Pearce’s team found the microclimate is even more favourable when the panels are not in use, meaning even decommissioned solar farms could still provide a windfall for farmers.

Modelling suggests passive agri-cultural shading from unpowered panels could lift crop yields to the tune of $580bn (£435bn) worldwide.

“Decommissioned or unpowered arrays should not be dismissed as obsolete but rather reconsidered as durable agronomic assets,” wrote Pearce. “These systems can continue to support soil conservation, reduce crop heat stress and sustain livestock grazing even beyond their energy-producing lifespans.”

Main image: Lisa Miri 

For some parts of the world, the full Moon will be visible as it undergoes a total lunar eclipse, becoming what is known as a Blood Moon.

A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth moves directly between the Sun and Moon, casting a shadow onto the Moon’s surface. During this, the Moon can turn a rusty red colour, which is where it gets it nickname, the Blood Moon.

Those most likely to see the phenomenon include observers in parts of North America, South America, East Asia, and Australia.

The full eclipse starts on Tuesday morning at 11.04 GMT and concludes at 12:02 GMT. It’s estimated that almost a third of the world’s population will see the total phase.

WITH the warmer and sunnier weather has come the beautiful sound of birdsong, slowly growing into a chorus from the stalwart solos of those few birds who have kept us company over the winter.

Glancing out of the window of a morning, you might spot a blackbird foraging its way through the undergrowth, a robin singing its heart out on a fence, and – in the next few weeks – chiffchaffs and swifts making a return to our shores.

It may seem contradictory as a result that visitors to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s reserves in recent months may have noticed the number of artificial bird feeders on-site decreasing. Historically there have been bird feeders present on a number of our nature reserves – Adel Dam, Potteric Carr and North Cave Wetlands to name a few.

The Trust is very aware that these bird feeders are popular with visitors because of the more guaranteed opportunity to spot some of our reserves’ more enthusiastic and colourful birds like goldfinches, great tits and nuthatches, and because of the greater ease they offer for keen wildlife photographers.

Our decision to remove bird feeders from our sites has been made for a number of reasons. We want to encourage natural behaviours and food sources in our wild spaces, and research has shown that having feeders can boost some populations to the detriment of others.

Common species like great tits and blue tits use feeders, but rare and declining species like willow tit, which still has a stronghold here in Yorkshire, do not. Having feeders means we get more great tits and blue tits on our reserves, and these out compete the rarer species like willow tits that really rely on reserves to survive.

Blue tit on feeder. Photo – Gillian Day

In addition, feeding stations have been shown to be a factor in the spread of avian infectious diseases in the UK, such as trichomonosis, salmonellosis, avian pox and papillomatosis.

Where there are strong conservation reasons to keep feeding birds on reserves we will do so – for example, where there are colonies of rarer tree sparrows that do use bird feeders and need support. However, as a general rule we will be removing all feeding stations on our reserves. We would ask visitors to respect this and not bring food onto nature reserves themselves.

Bird feeding at home

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is not asking you to stop feeding birds in your own garden! Our gardens are a vital space for our garden wildlife to find food and shelter over the winter months, and we will still make high quality bird food and feeders available in our Nature Discovery Centres.

We know that watching birds at home is a great joy to many of us, and an important way to connect with nature.

However, we would encourage you to follow some good practice guidelines. Most important is hygiene; feeders should be cleaned weekly, or at least between ‘top-ups’. You should use an animal-safe disinfectant and scrub them clean – make your life easier here by using good quality feeders that can be easily taken apart and put back together again!

It is also worth periodically moving where your feeders are situated. This stops the build up of debris and droppings in one place and makes it harder for predators to target a single spot. Research has shown that flat feeders such as tables and window feeders have a much higher risk of spreading disease, so we would suggest not using this type of feeder. If you do, again it is vital you keep it clean.

Clean drinking water is one of the most valuable things you can provide wildlife in your garden, but again this should be changed daily with the bowl cleaned regularly. It is also worth considering only feeding in late autumn and winter when natural food supplies are lower; in spring and summer, especially when feeding chicks, natural food sources are better.

If you’re looking for more wildlife-friendly gardening tips, please check out our ‘Wildlife Gardening Hub’ webpage; it’s filled with toolkits, guides and more, as well as information on how to apply for our wildlife gardening award.

As we leap into a welcome spring, please continue to enjoy visiting Yorkshire’s wild spaces and keeping an eye out for some of our loveliest and brightest avian friends; whether you’re rambling your way along one of our many miles of reserves paths, or tucked up at home watching the world go by through your living room window.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. State Department evacuations of non-emergency personnel and family reached six nations Tuesday with the inclusion of the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi and long considered a safe corner of the Middle East, has been dragged into the Iran war with interceptions and attacks.

The other countries include Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan. Kuwait and Qatar.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Airstrikes targeting an air base in southeastern Iran killed at least 13 Iranian troops there, local media reported.

The semiofficial Tasnim news agency and the Hammihan daily newspaper reported the strike in Kerman, 800 kilometers (500 miles) southeast from Iran’s capital, Tehran. The Kerman Air Base is known to house military helicopters.

Earlier, Iran struck the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital with a drone early Tuesday as it kept hitting targets around the region, while the United States and Israel pounded Iran with airstrikes in what U.S. President Donald Trump suggested was just the start of a relentless campaign that could last more than a month.

The attack from two drones on the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh caused a “limited fire” and minor damage, according to Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry, and the embassy urged Americans to avoid the compound. It followed an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait, which announced Tuesday it had been closed until further notice. The U.S. State Department also ordered the evacuation of non-emergency personnel and family in Kuwait, as well as Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar and Jordan as a precaution.

Across Iran’s capital, explosions rang out throughout the night into the early morning, with witnesses describing hearing aircraft overhead. It was not immediately clear what had been hit. And in Lebanon, Israel launched more strikes on Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia group, and said its soldiers are “operating in southern Lebanon.” Explosions could be heard and smoke seen in a southern suburb of Beirut.

The expansion of Iranian retaliation across the Gulf and the intensity of the Israeli and American attacks, the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the lack of any apparent exit plan portend a possibly prolonged conflict with far-reaching consequences.

Many countries deemed safe havens in the Mideast have been hit by Iran in retaliation for the U.S. and Israeli strikes, with recent targets including two Amazon data centers in the United Arab Emirates and a drone impact near another in Bahrain that caused damage, the company said Tuesday. Iran has also hit energy facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and attacked several ships Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes, sending global oil and natural gas prices soaring.

“The Strait of Hormuz is closed,” declared Iranian Brig. Gen. Ebrahim Jabbari, an adviser to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, threatening to set fire to any ships attempting to transit. “Don’t come to this region.”

The U.S. State Department urged U.S. citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries due to safety risks, as have many other countries, though with much of the airspace closed many remain stranded.

Trump said operations are likely to last four to five weeks but that he was prepared “to go far longer than that.”

He later added on social media that the U.S. had a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and pre-positioned “high grade weaponry.”

“Wars can be fought ‘forever,’ and very successfully, using just these supplies,” he wrote.

Hundreds dead in Iran and dozens in Lebanon along with 11 in Israel

The Iranian Red Crescent Society said the U.S.-Israeli operation has killed at least 555 people. In Israel, where several locations were hit by Iranian missiles, 11 people were killed. Israel’s retaliatory strikes against Hezbollah killed 52 people in Lebanon.

“Military escalation would force more families from their homes and hit civilians hard,” said Amy Pope, director general of the International Organization on Migration as she called Tuesday for the international community to press for de-escalation.

“Millions are already displaced in the region,” she said.

The U.S. military has confirmed six deaths of American service members. All six were Army soldiers in a logistics unit in Kuwait, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Three people were killed in the United Arab Emirates, and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain.

The chaos of the conflict became apparent when the U.S. military said Kuwait had “mistakenly shot down” three American fighter jets while Iran was attacking it with aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones. U.S. Central Command said all six pilots ejected safely.

Israel and U.S. target nuclear facilities and missile infrastructure

Iranian state TV said strikes caused two explosions early Tuesday at a broadcasting facility in Tehran, but said no one was injured.

Reza Najafi, Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters that airstrikes targeted the Natanz nuclear enrichment site on Sunday.

“Their justification that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons is simply a big lie,” he said.

Israel and the U.S. have not acknowledged strikes at the site, which the U.S. bombed in the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June. Israel has said it is targeting the “leadership and nuclear infrastructure.”

Trump said the military campaign’s objectives are to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, wipe out its navy, prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon and ensure that it cannot continue to support allied groups like Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which fired missiles at Israel on Monday.

Iran has said it has not enriched uranium since June, though it has maintained its right to do so and says its nuclear program is peaceful.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained, however, that Iran was rebuilding “new sites, new places” underground for making atomic bombs in an interview broadcast late Monday on Fox News Channel’s Hannity.

“We had to take the action now and we did,” said Netanyahu, who offered no evidence to support his claim.

Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press showed limited activity at two nuclear sites in Iran before the war. Analysts said Tehran was likely assessing damage from the 2025 U.S. strikes and possibly salvaging what remained.

Attacks on Iran have drawn in proxy forces from around region

The conflict has also spread to Lebanon, where the Iranian-supported militant group Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on Monday, prompting Israel to retaliate.

At least 52 people have been killed and 154 wounded so far, according to Lebanese authorities.

Israel hit Beirut with more airstrikes early Tuesday morning, saying it was targeting “Hezbollah command centers and weapons storage facilities.”

Hezbollah also said it launched drones targeting an Israeli air base. The Israeli military said it downed two drones.

An Iranian-linked militant in Iraq has also claimed strikes on U.S. military facilities there. The Israeli military said its troops operating in southern Lebanon were positioned at several points near the border in what it described as a “forward defense posture.”

It said the deployment is part of a broader effort to increase security for residents in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon. It has also beefed up troops and air defenses in the area.

The army said there are no plans to evacuate Israeli residents of border areas.

___

Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Hallie Golden in Seattle, Washington and Giovanna Dell’Orto in Miami contributed to this report. Rising reported from Bangkok and Magdy from Cairo.

Here are you rugby headlines on Tuesday, March 3.

Wales to stick with midfield strategy

Wales look set to stick with the strategy of a second playmaker at inside centre despite calls to switch Eddie James to 12 and utilise a more direct approach.

Attack coach Matt Sherratt’s preference for a ball-playing 12 has seen Ben Thomas and Joe Hawkins share the jersey under Steve Tandy, with Hawkins the incumbent over the past two matches.

After two disappointing performances against England and France, Wales were much-improved against Scotland last time out, with James in particular having his best game for his country.

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The likes of Jonathan Davies and Graham Price, as well as a number of fans, have called for Wales to ditch Sherratt’s preferred strategy to give Wales some much-need gainline power at 12. James has played more as an inside centre at regional level, with many feeling that is his best position.

But Sherratt believes Wales are on the right path. Asked if the centre combination of Hawkins and James was now settled, he said: “Certainly the style of it is. I do think what helps as well is that familiarity. Against Scotland, Sam, Joe and Eddie play for the same team so in the white hot atmosphere of a Test match, they’re used to each other, they know each other’s traits so that helped. I think we’ve got a really good array of centres coming through.

“They all need time in the saddle, so there will be different combinations at different times because we have to develop people for the future. But Joe and Eddie; that kind of second-receiver type player, Joe is physically very good as well to be fair and Eddie, a very big athlete, runs good lines coming off him.

“We’re starting to see some nice combinations. It is genuinely that type of competition is that we’re trying to get into the team. Ben steps in, Louie, Max when he’s back available, so we’re growing some good depth in that area.”

Lions star dies

Scotland and Lions back row Ken Smith has died at the age of 96, it has been announced.

Smith represented Scotland between 1957 and 1961, earning selection for Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1959. He made 17 appearances for the Lions, including playing in four of the Test matches.

Smith, who won 18 caps for Scotland, went on to be a huge figure in rugby administration. He served as tour manager for Scotland when they travelled to New Zealand in 1981 before becoming chairman of World Rugby (then known as the IRB) in 1990/91.

He then became president of the Scottish Rugby Union in 1994/95 and was made a CBE during that time.

Scottish Rugby said: “Scottish Rugby is saddened to learn of the death last week of former Scotland and British & Irish Lions back-row forward, SRU Past President and IRB past Chairman, Ken Smith. He was 96.”

England hold clear-the-air meeting

Ben Earl insisted England have a “glint in their eye” following a clear-the-air meeting in which players put their hands up to underperforming against Scotland and Ireland.

Senior players gathered last Wednesday to pick apart the reasons for the successive emphatic losses which removed the team from Guinness Six Nations title contention with two rounds still to play.

Italy in Rome are the next assignment and Earl, who will win his 50th cap at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, believes England are ready to emerge from the ruins of another disappointing championship.

“These are the weeks where boys have a little glint in their eye. They mean business,” the British and Irish Lions back row said.

“You look at some of the big guys in our squad and go ‘something good is coming’. We’re all hoping that is going to materialise on Saturday.

“It’s come from within. If we’re being honest, there’s been some challenge from within the playing group. A few of us had a meeting last Wednesday and we’ve stripped it bare.

“There are people in the squad who don’t feel like they’ve pulled their weight or performed well enough. Some people have come forward and said they need to be a lot better at this or have been a bit off on that.

“Once you get that out there, it’s about how you move forward. There’s no point sulking about it.

“Hopefully it’s something we can look back on again when we play more big games over the next 18 months and we can say ‘I won’t forget those conversations’.

“I don’t want to say it’s a turning point and I don’t want to downplay it. But it’s another big moment on our journey – what’s happened over the past couple of weeks.

“This team has always performed well when it’s been challenged from within and from outside.

“Whether the result comes on Saturday or not is kind of indifferent for us, it’s about the feeling within the group.”

Ireland play down Triple Crown talk

Assistant coach Paul O’Connell insists Ireland will not be sidetracked by talk of a potential Triple Crown following the jubilation of a historic win over England.

Andy Farrell’s side return to Guinness Six Nations action at home to winless Wales on Friday evening after celebrating a record 42-21 victory at Twickenham in round three.

Ireland, who retain an outside chance of winning the championship title, will then take on Scotland in Dublin on Saturday, March 14.

“I think particularly after a good result against England, you just want to focus on the next game and the next thing, and even the next training session really is what the lads were talking about,” O’Connell told reporters on Monday.

“It’s only about getting better from the last performance, even though it was a good result.

“There’s plenty of things we have to improve on and that’s been the sole focus. We haven’t discussed trophies or silverware or anything like that.

“We might. I think we always come into a campaign trying to win it and we don’t shy away from it. I’m sure Andy has a meeting tomorrow, he might mention it, I don’t know.

“Really, the focus for us as coaches and players has just been about getting set for the Welsh game.”

Following an emphatic 36-14 opening defeat in France and an unconvincing 20-13 home win over Italy, Ireland silenced their critics with an outstanding performance in south-west London.

Wales slipped to an agonising 26-23 loss to Scotland before the rest week in the tournament and have suffered 14 successive Six Nations defeats.

“I think the week off was good for us, probably came at a good time, three weeks in after a win, it gives you a chance to reflect as you head into the next game,” said forwards coach O’Connell.

“With the group that will play this weekend, I think they will be very hungry to produce a similar and better performance.”

Bundee Aki has bolstered Farrell’s squad following his four-match suspension for “verbal abuse and disrespect” towards match officials.

Fellow centre Robbie Henshaw and versatile back Jimmy O’Brien have recovered from injuries to also join the group.

“Yeah, it’s great, he’s a brilliant personality to have around the place,” O’Connell said of Aki’s return to camp. “He trained quite well today and it just adds to the group.

“It’s great to have that leadership, that kind of personality around the place, helping guys, talking to guys.”

Head coach Farrell will name his team for the Wales match on Wednesday afternoon.