Minnesota Vikings offensive guard Will Fries celebrates in the end zone after a second-quarter touchdown midway through Jan. 4, 2026, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during a matchup with the Green Bay Packers. The moment captured linemen pride as Minnesota’s offense capitalized on strong execution. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett–Imagn Images.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first three seasons as the Minnesota Vikings general manager all led up to the 2025 free agency, when the Vikings spent the second-most money on players, second only to the New England Patriots.
While the Patriots were playing in the Super Bowl, the Vikings’ season had long since finished after failing to make the playoffs. Finally given the chance to spend big, Adofo-Mensah got it horribly wrong, and it cost him his job.
Overall Assessment of the Vikings’ 2025 Free Agency Class
The 2025 free agency class was his last, and Adofo-Mensah hasn’t left the Vikings with much for the long term, after also failing in the short term. In total, Adofo-Mensah made 16 signings for a total of $269,532,500. A year later, how has the class aged? The short answer is not very well.
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Will Fries (Guard) – 5-year, $87.7 million contract.
Minnesota made a significant commitment to Will Fries, investing time and money in a five-year contract worth over $87 million to make Fries their long-term right guard. There was an element of risk to this move, with Fries having a breakout season in 2024 but only from a five-game sample due to a broken tibia. Fries was fit and ready to start the season and was the only Vikings linemen to play every game—a major plus on an OL that was ravaged by injury.
Sep 21, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings guard Will Fries (76) against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second half at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
Fries was solid in his debut season in Minnesota, being called for 3 penalties and allowing 37 pressures and 3 sacks across 989 snaps on offense, earning a 61.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. Those stats would be acceptable if Fries were being paid $3-4 million, but his contract is worth $17 million a year.
Verdict: Minnesota needs more from Fries to justify that contract and will hope that a year on the field post-injury and more comfort in the system will help bring that about. The Vikings also have a new OL coach for the 2026 season in a bid to improve the whole unit.
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Byron Murphy (Cornerback) – 3-year, $54 million contract.
Byron Murphy got a big payday on the back of his first-ever Pro Bowl season, where he was a ball hawk – leading the league in interceptions (6) among CBs in 2024. Murphy didn’t snag his first INT until Week 15, following it with another in Week 16. Simply put, he failed to recapture that Pro Bowl form that got him paid.
Verdict: Murphy is a good CB, but he’s not a lockdown CB1 and never has been. The decision to pay him $18 million a year doesn’t look wise right now.
Jonathan Allen (Interior Defensive Lineman) – 3-year, $51 million contract.
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The Vikings invested heavily in the interior of the defensive line, emphasizing interior pass rush. Once one of the league’s best interior defenders, the gamble on Jonathan Allen re-finding his form after injuries and a down year didn’t pay off. Allen brought 34 pressures and 4 pressures to the team, and a solid run defense, but we have another case of a player not living up to his contract.
Verdict: The three-year deal given to Allen means there are no significant savings this year, so it is set to be another year of solid veteran play on top-end wages for the Vikings – unless Allen suddenly returns to his best football at 31.
Javon Hargrave (Interior Defensive Lineman) – 2-year, $30 million contract.
Rinse and repeat. Former top-end interior pass-rusher who’s had injuries and a drop in play. Big money was paid, but the contract was not honored. Hargrave had a better season than Allen, but is two years older and only got a two-year contract. Significant cap savings can be made on Hargrave this year.
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Verdict: Needing to find $40 million get salary cap compliant, saving $11 million by cutting Hargrave looks imminent. Baltimore has been rumoured as a trade candidate for Hargrave, which would save a further £5 million – an even better result. It’s for the Vikings to get younger at this position through the draft.
Ryan Kelly (Center) – 2-year, $18 million contract.
Ryan Kelly was just what the Vikings needed at center: experienced, knowledgeable of the position’s nuances, and solid in both the run and pass games. Unfortunately, his history of concussions followed him to Minnesota, and his future has to be in doubt heading into the 2026 season.
Verdict: Kelly played in just eight games because of three separate concussions. Most concerning was Kelly coming back to play with a guardian cap only to suffer another concussion. The Vikings need to start looking at a long-term solution at center.
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Isaiah Rodgers (Cornerback) – 2-year, $11 million contract.
Week 3 saw one of the single greatest individual performances you will ever see from a defensive player. Isaiah Rodgers was inspired against the Bengals. Rodgers scored two defensive touchdowns, one from an interception and one from a fumble he forced and recovered himself. He added another forced fumble and a couple of passes defended in an inspired performance that earned Pro Football Focus its first-ever perfect grade. That was Rodgers’ ceiling, and the floor was a lot lower.
Oct 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers (2) practices before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images.
Verdict: Rodgers spent too much time playing closer to his floor than his ceiling. He never got near the level of performance he had in that Bengals game again. 2025 was his first season as a starter in the NFL. If he is going to keep that role, he needs to find a lot more consistency.
Eric Wilson (Linebacker) – 1-year, $2.6 million contract.
Undoubtedly, the signing of the season. Eric Wilson returned to where his NFL journey began, and with great success. An injury to Blake Cashman gave Wilson a chance to start, and when Cashman returned, he kept his place ahead of Ivan Pace. Brian Flores used him as a pass rusher to great effect, with Wilson tallying 6.5 sacks – more than double his previous season best.
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Verdict: With Wilson and Pace both hitting free agency, I don’t think there’s much argument that Wilson is the one the Vikings need to bring back.
Jeff Okudah (Cornerback) – 1-year, $2.35 million contract.
The last in a lengthy line of Adofo-Mensah failed first-round pick reclamation projects. Once the third overall pick by the Detroit Lions, it’s never quite worked out for Jeff Okudah, who has had several injury problems across his career. He played in the first six games of the season before getting a concussion and never being seen again after being put on IR.
Verdict: Okudah wasn’t good when he played, and the first-round reclamation projects should be binned now that Adofo-Mensah has left town.
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Rondale Moore (Wide Receiver) – 1-year, $2 million contract.
Rondale Moore was set to be the team’s punt returner and WR4 before a knee injury suffered in a preseason game saw him ruled out for the entire 2025 season.
Verdict: A sensible signing with a glaring need at return specialist, but with his injury leaving the path clear for undrafted rookie Myles Price to shine. I don’t expect Moore to return next season.
Justin Skule (Tackle) – 1-year, $2 million contract.
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Minnesota needed a backup tackle who could start if Christian Darrisaw wasn’t ready to assume his role at left tackle when the season started. Not only did that prove to be the case, but Brian O’Neill has also missed time due to injury, and Darrisaw finished the season back on IR with the same troublesome knee. The Vikings opted for Justin Skule, and he was called upon more than would have been preferable, with nine starts and 578 snaps on offense.
Sep 28, 2025; Dublin, Ireland; Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Justin Skule (67) during an NFL International Series game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second half at Croke Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
Verdict: There were times when Skule visibly struggled, giving up 29 pressures and 7 sacks across the season. However, he held down the fort reasonably well for a backup tackle. The veteran deserves to come back again for training camp, at least with Darrisaw’s knee issue still lingering.
Carson Wentz (Quarterback) – 1-year, $1.4 million contract.
Minnesota was initially set to go with Sam Howell as QB2, but after undrafted rookie Max Brosmer outshone him, it was time to think again. Carson Wentz was brought in to be the veteran presence behind JJ McCarthy and found himself thrust into action as early as Week 3. Wentz had his struggles, but a 2-3 record while toughing it out through a dislocated shoulder that included a torn labrum and fractured socket, before eventually having season-ending surgery, was a commendable effort.
Verdict: The boy raised in North Dakota got to live out his childhood dream for five weeks and kept the Vikings competitive. I wouldn’t hate seeing him back to compete in training camp.
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Proud UK Viking. Family Man. Enjoy writing about my team. Away from football an advocate for autism acceptance.
Sir Alex Ferguson had been the king of Manchester since the 1990s and his retirement left a hole the club is yet to fill
Abbie Meehan Sports Writer U-35s
17:00, 14 Feb 2026
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Sir Alex Ferguson cemented his legacy as Manchester United boss with one final Premier League triumph in the 2012/13 season. Over almost three decades at Old Trafford, the Scottish manager won an incredible amount of trophies.
These included a record 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, five FA Cups, the European Cup Winners’ Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. He is regarded as the greatest coach the English top-flight has ever seen and became the man many clubs loved to hate.
After announcing his departure from the club in May 2013, Fergie helped the club to another Premier League title and qualification for the UEFA Champions League. United beat their closest opponents, Manchester City, by 11 points and lost just five games throughout the season.
In his farewell interview with Sky Sports, the boss was questioned on several topics. But two things struck me specifically in relation to the modern game.
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.
The reporter questioned the absence of Wayne Rooney in the starting line-up and the bench. Ferguson was extremely honest and revealed that the United icon had requested a move – and he even gave a reason for Rooney’s decision.
At the time, Fergie said: “I don’t think Wayne was keen to play simply because he’s asked for the transfer.
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“I think he wants to think it through in his mind, I think that’s a good idea. We’re not going to let him go and I think he’s maybe just a little bit frustrated [after] being taken off once or twice in the last few weeks.”
This revelation would never happen in the Premier League today with many managers opting to protect their players by keeping transfers as under wraps as possible. And it seems like even though Ferguson left in 2013, he still held stature at the club afterwards, as Rooney didn’t end up leaving Manchester until 2017 – four years after Ferguson’s departure.
Another shocking claim made by Sir Alex was the fact that the club was “leaking” information. This was in relation to his planned exit from United being shared around in the public before his official announcement.
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When asked why he waited for months to reveal the departure – after making his decision during the festive season – Ferguson stated that he wanted to keep it secret as long as he could. After telling family members and his squad of players on the Tuesday, rumours began to circulate.
The United icon said: “Unfortunately there were rumours going around on Tuesday [but] wherever it comes from, you never know. Our club’s a sieve, stuff leaks out and it shouldn’t leak out but we then started to speed it up a bit.”
This is a pattern that continued over the years at United, with an internal investigation being launched just weeks ago in January 2026 to find the source of current leaks. This decision came after the starting XI was ‘leaked’ to press hours before the club’s 2-0 derby win over City.
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Ferguson’s legacy at United is one that is unlikely to be tainted given just how successful he was at the helm. But he laid down a few home truths in his final words as the manager of one of the most successful teams in England.
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After a 2024 season in which Scottie Scheffler claimed half of the PGA Tour’s signature events, all eight were won by different players in 2025. Parity was the name of the game as winner’s checks worth $3.6 million and $4 million for the player invitationals were doled out to a variety of names, including not only Scheffler but Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, among others.
This week, the 2026 signature events get underway as the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am takes center stage. McIlroy enters as the reigning champion after kicking off a memorable spring in California last year, not only winning at Pebble Beach but adding The Players Championship and his first Masters green jacket to three early season wins. He will be playing his first PGA Tour event of 2026, as will Tommy Fleetwood, who won the FedEx Cup a year ago.
The stakes are elevated when a signature event falls on the calendar, which means the payouts are raised, too. Not only will $3.6 million of the $20 million purse be awarded to the winner, every player inside the top 10 will clear $500,000 and those inside the top 20 will each earn north of $250,000.
Let’s take a look at how the payouts for the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am will be divided among the 80 players at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
The double-touch curling controversy at the Winter Olympics just reached a whole new level.
Canada’s Rachel Homan had her first stone removed for a rules violation called by officials while facing Switzerland in the first end on Saturday.
The skip couldn’t believe it.
“Like absolutely not,” Homan said on mics picked up by the broadcast. “Zero per cent chance (she double-touched the rock).”
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The officials kept insisting she did.
“I’ve never done it in my life,” said Homan.
Eventually the rock was pulled off the ice by the officials. Homan was left an open draw for one with her last stone and made the draw.
She had words for the same officials afterwards.
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“It’s the same throw as my (first) one, it’s unreal.”
The disagreement happened less than 24 hours after the heated exchange between Canada’s Team Brad Jacobs and Sweden’s Team Niklas Edin on Friday.
Edin’s third Oskar Eriksson accused Jacobs’ third Marc Kennedy of double touching the stone. After multiple conversations with the officials, and nothing resulting of it, Eriksson went at Kennedy after the ninth end.
They got into a heated exchange that blew up the curling world.
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As a result, World Curling released a statement on Saturday.
“During forward motion, touching the granite of the stone is not allowed. This will result in the stone being removed from play.”
Rule R.5 (d) of the rule book states:“The curling stone must be delivered using the handle of the stone.”
Violation of this rule results in the stone being removed from play.
One of the annual highlights of NBA All-Star Weekend features the league’s best marksmen competing from beyond the arc, and the 2026 NBA 3-Point Contest will take place on Saturday. The NBA 3-Point Contest field features two past winners in Devin Booker and two-time champion Damian Lillard, as well as All-Stars Donovan Mitchell, Tyrese Maxey, Jamal Murray and Norman Powell. Veteran Bobby Portis and rookie Kon Knueppel round out the field. The event takes place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles during NBA All-Star Saturday Night, which has a start time of 5 p.m. ET.
Knueppel (+250) and Lillard (+430) are the top-two favorites to win, per the latest 2026 3-Point Contest odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, with Booker at +600. Maxey and Murray are both at +650 to utilize in NBA bets, followed by Mitchell (+750). You can potentially find value at the bottom of the NBA odds board in Powell (+1100), a former LA Clipper who is familiar with the Intuit Dome rims, and in Portis (+1500) who leads the field in 3-point percentage. Knueppel and Lillard are -180 and -120, respectively, to reach the finals.
Barner is one of the most respected voices in the industry, and his work has appeared in Sports Illustrated and on Yahoo, RotoWire and KFFL. He’s also been featured on ESPN Radio. He digs deep into the data, examining team trends and projecting game outcomes. If there’s anybody who can spot an edge in a matchup or identify a player in position to break out, it’s him.
Barner’s expertise has been on full display lately as he enters the All-Star break on a 40-17 run on NBA picks (+2014). He is coming off a dominant 2024-25 NBA season, finishing 239-178-2 and returning $3,209 to $100 bettors. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Barner is fading Damian Lillard (+480), despite him being one of the favorites and a two-time winner of this event (2023, 2024). Lillard has not played this season as he recovers from a torn Achilles, which poses two issues. One is that his movement around the ball racks may be a bit limited compared to his prior contest appearances. Another is that he will likely lack rhythm having not played a competitive game in nearly 10 months.
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While Lillard has played just one game at the Intuit Dome, which came last season, it’s worth noting his 3-point shooting in that contest. He went 1 for 9 from beyond the arc for an 11.1% rate. Among his 50 games last season with at least 7 attempts from downtown, that 1 for 9 performance was his worst all year. Thus, Barner doesn’t see Lillard joining Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only three-time winners of the NBA 3-Point Contest. See more predictions at SportsLine.
Barner has studied the NBA 3-Point Contest from every angle and predicts the winner will “make history” with his performance. See who it is over at SportsLine.
There will be a new slam dunk champion as three-time winner Mac McClung won’t be taking part in the 2026 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contest. Carter Bryant (Spurs), Jaxson Hayes (Lakers), Keshad Johnson (Heat) and Jase Richardson (Magic) compries the 2026 NBA Slam Dunk field. The dunk contest features a two-round format, with judges scoring each dunk. In Round 1, all four players will attempt two dunks, and the combined score will determine the top two who advance to the final round. Each finalist will then attempt two more dunks, with the higher combined score determining the champion. The 2026 Slam Dunk contest will be the third and final event on All-Star Saturday Night, which begins at 5 p.m. ET and also includes the Shooting Stars and 3-Point Contest.
Bryant enters as the 2026 Slam Dunk contest favorite at +170 at FanDuel. He is followed by Jaxson Hayes (+240), Keshad Johnson (+310) and Jase Richardson (+430). Before making any 2026 Slam Dunk contest picks or All-Star weekend predictions, you need to see the picks and best bets from SportsLine’s NBA expert Mike Barner.
Barner is one of the most respected voices in the industry, and his work has appeared in Sports Illustrated and on Yahoo, RotoWire and KFFL. He’s also been featured on ESPN Radio. He digs deep into the data, examining team trends and projecting game outcomes. If there’s anybody who can spot an edge in a matchup or identify a player in position to break out, it’s him.
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Barner’s expertise has been on full display lately as he enters the All-Star break on an 40-17 run on NBA betting picks (+2014). Last year he finished by going 239-178-2, returning $3,209 to $100 bettors on against-the-spread NBA picks. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
One shocker: Barner is fading Hayes. The 25-year-old Los Angeles Lakers center is a seven-year veteran, who has played in 43 games, including six starts, averages 6.5 points in 17.3 minutes per game. He is known for impressive highlight dunks. In a 129-118 win over the Chicago Bulls last month, he made a steal before racing to the other end for a between-the-legs dunk to end the game. It whipped the road crowd at the United Center in Chicago into a frenzy.
Barner, however, doesn’t like the fact that Hayes is tall. “Hayes is listed as 7-feet tall. Dwight Howard (6-11) and Larry Nance (6-10) are the only players at least 6-10 to win the award, so I’m eliminating Hayes from consideration,” Barner told SportsLine. Barner prefers another player over Hayes. You can see who to back here.
Feb 5, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Kings left wing Kevin Fiala (22) warms up before a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Kevin Fiala underwent surgery on his left leg after being removed from the ice on a stretcher late in the third period of Switzerland’s 5-1 loss to Canada on Friday in a Group A preliminary round game in the Milan Cortina Olympics.
The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation announced the surgery on Saturday for Fiala, a forward for the Los Angeles Kings, and said he will miss the remainder of the Olympics.
Fiala was injured after getting his legs tangled with Canada’s Tom Wilson with just less than three minutes left in the game. Fiala was unable to get to his feet and medical personnel attended to him after a stoppage in play.
“Obviously it doesn’t look very good,” Switzerland coach Patrick Fischer said after the game. “Tough moment for Kevin and the whole team, obviously.”
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Fiala, 29, has recorded 40 points (18 goals, 22 assists) in 56 games this season with the Kings, who reside three points in back of the Anaheim Ducks for the final wild-card spot in the NHL’s Western Conference.
“We need that guy on my team back home, big time,” said Canada defenseman Drew Doughty, who plays for the Kings.
For Fiala’s career, the 2022-23 All-Star has 229 goals and 299 assists across 707 games. He is in his 12th NHL season.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about his team’s performance in their 2-0 win over Salford in the FA Cup
17:52, 14 Feb 2026Updated 17:52, 14 Feb 2026
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Pep Guardiola said the only good thing about Manchester City’s afternoon against Salford City in the FA Cup was that they won. The Blues are through to the fifth round of the competition but it was an afternoon to forget at the Etihad otherwise.
City’s manager had been clear before the game about the need for his squad to have a break. They have played two games a week for almost all of the season and they have also had the psychological highs and lows of the Premier League title race to contend with over recent matches.
However, Guardiola did not look to use tiredness as an excuse as he instead said that the City XI he put out simply weren’t good enough at realising where the spaces were on the pitch so that they could attack their opponents. The only part of the game that the City boss was happy with was after they had gone 2-0 up in the 81st minute.
“We didn’t read the spaces where we were,” he said. “The spaces in attack depend on how they defend and we didn’t read it. We spent a lot of time to make the process a little quicker than that. The only good news [is] that we go through. That’s all.
“It would be nice for me to say mentally we’re exhausted, we’re tired. It has been a tough two or three weeks for many reasons but it’s our job. We have to do what we have to do. The calendar says to play every few days. We just didn’t read where the spaces were and that’s why everything was flat and slow and not good.”
The draw for the fifth round will be on Monday evening ahead of the game between Macclesfield and Brentford, with the game taking place before the first leg of City’s last-16 clash in the Champions League. They will find out who they face in that match at the end of the month after the play-off games between Inter and Bodo/Glimt, and Real Madrid and Benfica.
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The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.
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Ireland achieved their first Guinness Six Nations win of the season as they took their 35th test match victory against Italy at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Playing their 771st test match, and their 39th with Italy since the first meeting of the nations at Lansdowne Road on 31 December 1988, Andy Farrell’s side just held on for the home win.
On an historic day for rugby, Scottish referee Hollie Davidson became the first woman to referee a men’s Six Nations match.
In a rather disappointing first half from an Irish viewpoint, the hosts found themselves behind after 40 minutes.
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An early Irish opportunity was spurned as Dan Sheehan attempted to leap over the Italian defence from a standing start. The Italians stood up, as though they expected the move, and blew the Irish hooker back into the ground.
Lynagh sent to sin bin
Italian winger Louis Lynagh, son of Australian rugby legend Michael, was yellow carded for what referee Hollie Davidson adjudged to be a deliberate knock on. The Scottish official consulted the TMO, and on viewing the screen, immediately made the decision to sin bin the Italian number 14.
A number of unforced errors from Ireland saw the home side lose possession in the opening quarter – much to the frustration of fans in the stands.
On the positive side, dangerous and effective runs from James Lowe on one wing and Robert Baloucoune on the opposite helped Ireland make field progress.
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Osborne Try
It took 17 minutes of the game before either of the try-scoring lines was breached. Ireland, with the advantage of a man, made the most of their numerical superiority, with fullback Jamie Osborne given the easy task of touching down, as the Italian defensive line was stretched.
Sam Prendergast missed the conversion attempt which followed. Though positioned just left of the posts, the kicked miscued and saw his effort drift harmlessly left of the posts.
Italian soon reduced the deficit as Paolo Garbisi slotted over a penalty attempt. By that stage the Italians must have been satisfied to be only two points behind the Irish, despite the loss of a man for ten minutes.
Yellow card for Craig Casey
On 32 minutes Craig Casey was yellow carded for foul play. With the Munster player remaining upright in the tackle, he was deemed guilty of dangerous play and Ireland were reduced to 14 men.
Italian made the home side immediately pay for their yellow card. Winning a lineout, the Azzurri drove Ireland back over their own defensive line, and hooker Giacomo Nicotera of Stade Francais dived over the line for a try.
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Paolo Garbisi maintained his 100% kicking record on the day, as he successfully slotted over his second kick of the afternoon.
Half-time: Ireland 5 Italy 10
Ireland began the second half at pace. Tadhg Furlong replaced Tom Clarkson in green. Soon Andy Farrell made more changes as the fresh players immediately had an effect across the field.
Conan’s early second-half try
With the the Irish winning the lineout, Ireland drove for the Italian line. With Caelan Doris and Jack Conan at the back of the maul, the Number 8 touched down for the opening score of the second period
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Unfortunately for Ireland, Sam Prendergast again missed the kick at the posts – his second miss of the game to that stage.
Rob Baloucoune, later named Man of the Match, put the hosts back into the lead as the game approached the final quarter. The Ulster winger, with options to pass, showed great self-confidence on his Six Nations debut, as he ran and then stretched out for the line.
With Jack Crowley now playing at 10, the Munster man kicked the conversion attempt which followed, and Andy Farrell’s men moved into a 17-10 lead.
Crowley soon made it a two-score game as he dissected the posts with his first penalty attempt of the game. In a game of swinging fortunes, Italy were next to score, as Garbisi kicked his second penalty of the fixture.
In an anxious final few minutes of the game, Italy were camped on the Irish line until a relieving interception from James Lowe reduced the pressure on the Irish defence.
Lowe’s pace of old was evident as he raced down the field, giving Ireland one last chance of achieving a bonus-point try, with the clock well past 80 minutes.
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Jack Crowley, aiming for the touchline, misjudged his kick which went too far, and brought a sudden end to the game, giving Ireland their first Guinness Six Nations win of the 2026 season.
Final score: Ireland 20 Italy 13
Ireland Team
15. Jamie Osborne, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 13. Garry Ringrose, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 11. James Lowe, 10. Sam Prendergast, 9. Craig Casey.
1. Jeremy Loughman, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Thomas Clarkson, 4. Joe McCarthy, 5. James Ryan, 6. Cormac Izuchukwu, 7. Caelan Doris (captain), 8. Jack Conan.
Ireland Replacements:
16. Ronan Kelleher, 17. Tom O’Toole, 18. Tadhg Furlong, 19. Edwin Edogbo, 20. Tadhg Beirne, 21. Nick Timoney, 22. Jamison Gibson-Park, 23. Jack Crowley.
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Italy Team
15. Lorenzo Pani, 14. Louis Lynagh, 13. Leonardo Marin, 12. Tommaso Menoncello, 11. Monty Ioane, 10. Paolo Garbisi, 9. Alessandro Fusco.
1. Danilo Fischetti, 2. Giacomo Nicotera, 3. Simone Ferrari, 4. Niccolo Cannone, 5. Andrea Zambonin, 6. Michele Lamaro (captain), 7. Manuel Zuliani, 8. Lorenzo Cannone.
Italy Replacements
16. Tommaso di Bartolomeo, 17. Mirco Spagnolo, 18. Muhamed Hasa, 19. Federico Ruzza, 20. Riccardo Favretto, 21. David Odiase, 22. Alessandro Garbisi, 23. Paolo Odogwu.
Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson announced Saturday that the 2027 Daytona 500 will be his last in the Cup Series.
Johnson, who has taken home the checkered flag in the big race twice, wants to continue racing in other series, maybe even in other NASCAR events, but won’t return to stock car racing’s premier level again.
“I’ve been fortunate to accomplish more than I ever imagined in this sport,” Johnson said. “The last six years have given me the freedom to choose where I compete and, more importantly, the clarity to understand where I’m needed most. I am going to focus all of my energy on leading and building a world-class organization.”
Jimmie Johnson (#84 Legacy Motor Club Carvana Toyota) waves to the crowd prior to the running of the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 Duel 1 on Feb. 12, 2026, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.(Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“Jimmie Johnson is a champion in every aspect of his life – with his family, as the leader of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and with his incredible success behind the wheel,” Toyota vice president Tyler Gibbs said in a statement. “As he prepares to close the chapter of his iconic on-track NASCAR career, we celebrate his legacy in the sport and look forward to what we’ll continue to achieve together in the years to come.”
His seven titles are tied for the most ever in NASCAR history, along with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. His first five were won consecutively from 2006 to 2010, followed by titles in 2013 and 2016.
Jimmie Johnson (48) wins the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship after winning the FORD EcoBoost 400 race on Nov. 20, 2016, at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.(Stephen A. Arce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Johnson walked away from full-time driving after the 2020 season and has racked up 83 Cup Series victories.
He competed in the IndyCar Series for two seasons (2021-22), became a partial owner at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, and drove in a number of bucket-list events such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Rolex 24 at Daytona and an Unlimited Hydroplane at Seafair.
He is making his 23rd start in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, having won in 2006 and 2013.
“It’s the only race you get a title,” Johnson said earlier this week. “I was fortunate to experience that. You leave here and anything you do, you got a title. I never had a title in my life. That speaks to the importance of the race, the magnitude of the race, the history behind it all.
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Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 24, 2013, in Daytona Beach, Florida.(Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
A major title match for AEW Revolution has been confirmed after the results of Grand Slam Australia. Fans now know about Maxwell Jacob Friedman’s (MJF) next title defense.
Several top stars of the Jacksonville-based promotion were down under for Grand Slam 2026. The show featured several big-money title matches and some hard-hitting encounters. Major stars such as Friedman, Hangman Page, Jon Moxley, Toni Storm, Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Andrade, and many more were in action during the event.
In the main event of the show, Max defended the AEW World Championship against Brody King. Despite King’s physical dominance, The Salt of the Earth managed to walk out with the win, continuing his title reign. Earlier in the night Hangman Page faced off against Andrade in a high-stakes one-on-one matchup. The winner of the match would go on to challenge the AEW Champion at Revolution. Page won the match with a brutal Buckshot Lariat and ended Andrade’s undefeated streak in AEW. With this win, Page is set to reignite his rivalry with MJF for the AEW title. The two men will face off in a high-profile championship match at Revolution 2026.
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MJF was confident of his chances at AEW Grand Slam Australia
The AEW World Champion was confident of beating Brody King ahead of their match. Despite a loss to the challenger on Dynamite in less than two minutes, MJF was sure of a win in Sydney.
During an interview, the star stated that he allowed himself to be distracted by Hangman Page during the match on Dynamite. However, the champ promised to be super focused during rematch, and claimed that Brody was not on his level.
Friedman held on to the AEW title for a record 406 days during his last title reign. It will be interesting to see how his current reign pans out in the coming months.
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![Heathrow has said passenger numbers were 60% lower in November than before the coronavirus pandemic and there were “high cancellations” among business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas for Christmas as Omicron spreads. The UK’s largest airport said the government’s travel restrictions had dealt a fresh blow to travel confidence and predicted it was likely to take several years for passenger numbers to return to pre-pandemic levels. This week ministers said passengers arriving in the UK would have to take a pre-departure Covid test, as well as a post-flight test, because of fears about the spread of the new variant. “[The] high level of cancellations by business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas because of pre-departure testing shows the potential harm to the economy of travel restrictions,” the airport said in an update. Heathrow said the drop in traveller confidence owing to the new travel restrictions had negated the benefit of reopening the all-important corridor to North America for business and holiday travel last month. Eleven African countries have been added to the government’s red list, requiring travellers to quarantine before reuniting with families. “By allowing Brits to isolate at home, ministers can make sure they are reunited with their loved ones this Christmas,” said John Holland-Kaye, the chief executive of Heathrow. “It would send a strong signal that restrictions on travel will be removed as soon as safely possible to give passengers the confidence to book for 2022, opening up thousands of new jobs for local people at Heathrow. Let’s reunite families for Christmas.” Heathrow said that if the government could safely signal that restrictions would be lifted soon, then employers at Heathrow would have the confidence to hire thousands of staff in anticipation of a boost in business next summer. The airport is expecting a slow start to 2022, finishing next year with about 45 million passengers – just over half of pre-pandemic levels. This week Tui, Europe’s largest package holiday operator, said it expected bookings for next summer to bounce back to 2019 levels. However, Heathrow said on Friday not to expect the aviation industry to recover for several years. “We do not expect that international travel will recover to 2019 levels until at least all travel restrictions (including testing) are removed from all the markets that we serve, at both ends of the route, and there is no risk of new restrictions, such as quarantine, being imposed,” the airport said.](https://wordupnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/shutterstock_1100012546-scaled-400x240.jpg)
![Heathrow has said passenger numbers were 60% lower in November than before the coronavirus pandemic and there were “high cancellations” among business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas for Christmas as Omicron spreads. The UK’s largest airport said the government’s travel restrictions had dealt a fresh blow to travel confidence and predicted it was likely to take several years for passenger numbers to return to pre-pandemic levels. This week ministers said passengers arriving in the UK would have to take a pre-departure Covid test, as well as a post-flight test, because of fears about the spread of the new variant. “[The] high level of cancellations by business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas because of pre-departure testing shows the potential harm to the economy of travel restrictions,” the airport said in an update. Heathrow said the drop in traveller confidence owing to the new travel restrictions had negated the benefit of reopening the all-important corridor to North America for business and holiday travel last month. Eleven African countries have been added to the government’s red list, requiring travellers to quarantine before reuniting with families. “By allowing Brits to isolate at home, ministers can make sure they are reunited with their loved ones this Christmas,” said John Holland-Kaye, the chief executive of Heathrow. “It would send a strong signal that restrictions on travel will be removed as soon as safely possible to give passengers the confidence to book for 2022, opening up thousands of new jobs for local people at Heathrow. Let’s reunite families for Christmas.” Heathrow said that if the government could safely signal that restrictions would be lifted soon, then employers at Heathrow would have the confidence to hire thousands of staff in anticipation of a boost in business next summer. The airport is expecting a slow start to 2022, finishing next year with about 45 million passengers – just over half of pre-pandemic levels. This week Tui, Europe’s largest package holiday operator, said it expected bookings for next summer to bounce back to 2019 levels. However, Heathrow said on Friday not to expect the aviation industry to recover for several years. “We do not expect that international travel will recover to 2019 levels until at least all travel restrictions (including testing) are removed from all the markets that we serve, at both ends of the route, and there is no risk of new restrictions, such as quarantine, being imposed,” the airport said.](https://wordupnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/shutterstock_1100012546-scaled-80x80.jpg)
