The IRFU has announced contract extensions for Bundee Aki, Dan Sheehan, Jamison Gibson-Park and Josh van der Flier.

This secures the futures of four key players as Ireland Head Coach Andy Farrell builds his squad towards Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027.

Bundee Aki

Connacht’s Aki has signed a new one-year contract extension. Leinster duo van der Flier and Gibson-Park have put pen to paper on two-year deals up until the end of the 2027/28 season. Sheehan has committed his future to Ireland and Leinster for a further three years until the end of the 2028/29 campaign.

Since making his debut against South Africa in 2017, Aki has been an influential figure in Ireland’s midfield, winning 69 Test caps in green, most recently coming off the bench in Saturday’s victory over Scotland.

Aki has won three Guinness Men’s Six Nations titles with Ireland, including two Grand Slams, and in 2023 was nominated for the World Rugby Men’s XVs Player of the Year award.

Josh van de Flier

Van der Flier won his 79th Test cap in green at the weekend, with his performances throughout the Championship campaign underlining his enduring worth in Ireland’s back row.

The 2022 World Rugby 15s Player of the Year remains a key part of Farrell’s side and will continue playing his rugby with Ireland and Leinster until the end of the 2027/28 campaign.

Jamison Gibson-Park

Gibson-Park was one of Ireland’s outstanding performers throughout the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, most notably at Twickenham where his Player of the Match performance inspired Farrell’s side to a memorable bonus point win.

The scrum-half won his 50th Ireland cap against Wales earlier this month and news of his commitment to Ireland and Leinster for a further two years is a major boost.

Dan Sheehan

27-year-old Sheehan has established himself as one of the game’s leading players since breaking on to the international scene against Japan in 2021, winning 39 Ireland caps in that time.

On Saturday, the hooker scored his 15th Six Nations try in green and Sheehan is a central figure in Ireland’s pack.

Key leaders

Ireland Head Coach Andy Farrell said of today’s contract extensions:

“You cannot underestimate the outstanding contributions of these four players to Irish Rugby over many years. That they see their futures here is a significant boost, which I have no doubt will delight Ireland supporters around the world. They are all key leaders who put their bodies on the line time and time again in reaching the highest standards on the field.

“All four players are a pleasure to work with and have played key roles throughout the recent Guinness Men’s Six Nations. In congratulating Bundee, Jamison, Dan and Josh on their new contracts, we look forward to seeing them progress in Ireland in the months and years to come.”

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Stan Moody held his nerve to clinch a 5-4 win over John Higgins at the World Open in the veteran’s 2,000th professional match.

Higgins, 50, fought back from 4-1 down to square the second-round contest against England’s Moody in Yushan, China.

But the 19-year-old, ranked 47th in the world, made a break of 65 in the deciding frame to knock out the four-time world champion.

“I watched John growing up and learning the game. To beat him in an important match out in China and to do it with a lot of breaks as well is a good feeling,” Moody told World Snooker, external.

“John is a class act. I knew if I let him back in he would come back, so I’m glad I managed to hold my nerve in the decider.”

Moody’s reward for the victory over defending champion Higgins is a third-round meting with Welshman Ryan Day.

Elsewhere at the Yushan Sport Centre, Masters champion Kyren Wilson eased to a 5-2 win over Lyu Haotian, while world number one Judd Trump cruised to a 5-1 success over Florian Nuessle.

World champion Zhao Xintong claimed a 5-4 victory over Chinese compatriot Long Zehuang.

Mark Williams, Gary Wilson and Jackson Page progressed at the expense of Ricky Walden, Aaron Hill and Liu Wenwei respectively.

Bayern Munich may hand 16-year-old goalkeeper Leonard Prescott his first-team debut in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The German giants have three goalkeepers struggling with injury and if Jonas Urbig fails to recover from concussion then Prescott will play in the second leg of their last 16 tie against Atalanta, head coach Vincent Kompany said.

Urbig sustained his injury in Bayern’s 6-1 victory in Italy last week, while regular starter Manuel Neuer is working towards full fitness after a muscle tear and third-choice keeper Sven Ulreich picked up an adductor issue in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen.

“Jonas trained normally today [Tuesday]. The decision tomorrow will be a medical one,” Kompany said.

“If everything goes well then Urbig will be in goal. If not then we will have to find another solution.”

Prescott, a German youth international who plays for Bayern’s under-19s, will require clearance from German labour authorities to work in the evening as he is a teenager.

He has been on Bayern’s bench in their past two matches with fellow teenage keeper Leon Klanac, 19, also out with a thigh injury.

Reserve team keeper Janis Bartl, 19, has featured on the Bayern bench in two Bundesliga matches this season, but it is Prescott who Kompany will turn to if necessary.

“He [Prescott] is very calm. Overall, we as a staff are also calm. If he plays tomorrow he will have our full backing. Everyone will help,” Kompany added.

“There will never be a young player who will be forced to play a main role. We have full confidence in him whatever happens tomorrow.”

Neuer, a World Cup winner and 12-time Bundesliga champion with Bayern, has played 19 times in the league this season, with the 37-year-old’s last appearance coming on 6 March.

Urbig, 22, has played eight league matches, including six starts, while Ulreich, 37, made his first appearance of the season on Saturday.

Bayern, the defending Bundesliga champions and current league leaders, will face either Real Madrid or Manchester City in the last eight should they beat Atalanta.

The Braves saw their seven-year playoff streak come to an end last year as a number of their players underperformed. The likes of Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Raisel Iglesias and Jurickson Profar, who has now been suspended for all of this season after missing half of last season, all ended up as Fantasy baseball busts, whether due to injury, suspension, ineffectiveness or a combination. As anyone entering 2026 Fantasy baseball drafts knows, composing a winning squad will be as much about hitting on your top Fantasy baseball picks as it will be about avoiding selecting Fantasy baseball busts 2026.

Others like Adley Rutschman, Bryan Reynolds, Zac Gallen and Devin Williams are also coming off down years and failing to live up to their Fantasy baseball ADP. Thus, you’re faced with a decision as to if last year was the start of a trend of if they’ll bounce back and are worth taking in 2026 Fantasy baseball drafts. Before finalizing your 2026 Fantasy baseball draft prep, be sure to see the 2026 Fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Last season, SportsLine’s Projection Model identified several top Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts, including Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider.

Strider led MLB in both wins (20) and strikeouts (281) in 2023 before missing most of 2024 due to injury. He returned last year but the model predicted he would struggle to regain his pre-injury form and wouldn’t live up to his lofty Fantasy baseball ADP (97.81). Strider was the SP30 by average draft position, but SportsLine had him barely cracking the top 75 starting pitchers in its rankings.

The result: Strider posted a 7-14 record, with a 4.45 ERA and not even half as many strikeouts (131) as his dominant 2023 season. He also missed over a month of action due to another injury and ended up barely making the top 100 starting pitchers in Fantasy points, much closer to SportsLine’s projection of SP74 rather than his ADP of SP30. Anybody who followed the model’s advice and avoided Strider in their Fantasy baseball drafts avoided a major headache in their Fantasy baseball lineups.

The SportsLine model is engineered by the same people who powered projections for all three major Fantasy sites. And that same group is sharing its 2026 Fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets over at SportsLine, helping you find Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts long before your competition. Their cheat sheets, available for leagues on many major sites, are updated multiple times every day.

Any time more MLB news comes out about MLB free agency signings or Fantasy baseball injuries, the team at SportsLine updates its projections. Go to SportsLine now to see these proven Fantasy baseball cheat sheets.

Top 2026 Fantasy baseball busts

One of the Fantasy baseball busts 2026 the model is fading: Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski. A June call-up last year, the rookie became the first pitcher in over 60 years to record 11 no-hit innings to start his career and then made MLB history by becoming an All-Star after just five starts. He had the majors’ fifth-highest average fastball velocity (99.3 m.p.h.) across his 66 regular season innings and then posted a microscopic 1.50 ERA across 12 postseason innings.

However, in between the All-Star Game and the playoffs, Misiorowski looked every bit like a novice on the mound. He had a 6.03 ERA over his last eight starts as batters adjusted to seeing his arsenal, while Misiorowski failed to make adjustments to hitters. Many Fantasy owners are being overly influenced by his hot start as his No. 121 Fantasy baseball ADP puts him amongst the top 30 starters. However, SportsLine’s model has him barely cracking the top 100 starting pitchers, making Misiorowski one to avoid in Fantasy baseball drafts 2026.

Another of the 2026 Fantasy baseball busts the model projects won’t live up to their ADP: Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso. After seven years in Queens, Alonso left the Mets for Baltimore in the offseason, on the heels of a season with 38 homers, 126 RBI and an .871 OPS. He’s going in the third round on average, in 2026 Fantasy baseball drafts with a mean draft position of 28.

However, Alonso’s metrics from last year should be a bit concerning. His batting average on balls in play (BAbip) was a career-best of .305, indicating he was a bit lucky and could regress to the mean. Additionally, his home run rate (5.4%) was the second-lowest of his career, while his walk rate (8.6%) was the lowest of his seven seasons. Alonso’s greatest strength is his home run power, but the two lowest HR rates of his career have come in the last two seasons as the 31-year-old could be on the decline. The model has Alonso on par with Michael Busch in its Fantasy baseball 2026 rankings, but Alonso is being drafted seven rounds earlier on average. See more busts at SportsLine.

How to find proven 2026 Fantasy baseball rankings

SportsLine’s model is also fading a surprising ace who is coming off the board in the sixth round on average in early 2026 Fantasy baseball drafts. The model is predicting this All-Star fails to live up to his lofty daft status finishes outside the top 30 at his position. Avoiding him until later on could be the difference between winning your league or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.

So which 2026 Fantasy baseball busts should you avoid in your upcoming drafts? Visit SportsLine now to get 2026 Fantasy baseball rankings for every single position, all from the model that predicted Spencer Strider’s falloff in 2025, and find out.

India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams have learned their group-stage opponents for the upcoming FIH Hockey World Cup, with both sides placed in Pool D of their respective categories for the tournament to be co-hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium later this year.The Indian men’s team has been grouped with Pakistan, England and Wales. The draw ceremony took place at the Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam on Tuesday.The Indian women’s team will face China, England and South Africa in their group. The tournament is scheduled to be held from August 15 to 30.According to the International Hockey Federation, both Indian teams will play their matches in the Netherlands. The full match schedule is expected to be released on Wednesday.Reigning men’s champions Germany, who won their third World Cup title in 2023 in Bhubaneswar by beating Belgium, have been placed in Pool B along with Belgium, France and Malaysia.“The draw was done by hockey legends Naomie van As, Barbara Neelen and Teun de Nooijer, as well as DJ La Fuente, who was announced as Dutch Ambassador for the World Cup during the ceremony,” the FIH said in a release.The Pools:Men:Pool A: Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand, Japan (playing in the Netherlands)Pool B: Belgium, Germany, France, Malaysia (playing in Belgium)Pool C: Australia, Spain, Ireland, South Africa (playing in Belgium)Pool D: England, India, Pakistan, Wales (playing in the Netherlands)Women:Pool A: Netherlands, Australia, Chile, Japan (playing in the Netherlands)Pool B: Argentina, Germany, USA, Scotland (playing in Belgium)Pool C: Belgium, Spain, New Zealand, Ireland (playing in Belgium)Pool D: China, England, India, South Africa (playing in the Netherlands).

Folks who follow the Vikings are sometimes prone to gloom-and-doom thinking (possibly for good reason). When good news hits the Vikings’ airwaves, people perk up.

Recently, the decision was to move on from veteran DTs Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. The pair of trench defenders are still good ball players but didn’t fulfill the expectations that came alongside their contracts, leading Rob Brzezinski to move on via cut. Doing so carves out some cap space. What arrives as a breath of fresh air for the team is that the incoming cap influx could be more ample than originally believed.

Good News for the Vikings’ Skimpy Budget

Start off with a tip of the cap to Sean Borman, someone who focuses much of his attention on the salary cap and who writes for VT.

He writes, “Confirmed: The #Vikings are set to be completely off the hook for Jonathan Allen’s $8M guarantee in 2026. With the #Bengals giving Allen more than $8M cash, the full offset kicks in. Minnesota avoids the $8M cash payout and banks an $8M cap credit for 2027.”

Shortly thereafter, Borman adds, “Not only is the Allen offset confirmed, but the #Vikings are also fully cleared on Javon Hargrave’s $4M guarantee now that he’s getting $13M in 2026 cash from Green Bay. That’s $12M total in future cap credits banked between the two of them.”

If I’m not mistaken, Thor Nystrom was among the first — if not the first — to note the potential offset language. He has seen the news surrounding the well-paid, veteran DTs before commenting, “Officially official.”

Finally, note that Spotrac (a salary cap website) corroborates what is circulating. The thought gets passed along on social media: “Allen has an $8M guarantee with the #Vikings that is now set to be fully offset by this Bengals deal.”

Okay, step back to better understand where things stand.

At present, Minnesota is sitting on roughly $9.5 million in cap space. That’s a rough estimate that arrives due to the (roughly) $6 million in cap space on Over the Cap alongside the $3.5 million that still needs to be added for the Aaron Jones pay cut.

Even better for the Vikings is that there’s still more cap space to come. In particular, there’s the financial windfall (of sorts) that’s going to arrive due to pursuing a post-June 1 cut for Allen alongside Harrison Smith. Designating things as a post-June 1 cut means that the cap space is going to arrive in June. Combined, Allen and Smith are going to give back $12.5 million.

Furthermore, there’s good news in the updates being passed along by Borman, Nystrom, and Spotrac.

Cincinnati has scooped up Mr. Allen and Green Bay has opted for Mr. Hargrave. What makes those two realities good news for Minnesota’s front office is that those two new places of employment are taking on some of the cap charges for the veteran talents.

In 2027, Minnesota’s cap is going to get some added credits tacked onto the pile due to the contracts that the Bengals gave to Allen and the Packers to Hargrave.

In an NFL where money is malleable and cap charges are commonly kicked into the future, Minnesota can stand a touch taller when negotiating with external talent right now since there’s future abundance that was somewhat mysterious until recently. Alternatively, the Vikings can continue with the cautious spending approach, slow-playing things while looking ahead to a more prosperous future.

The top roster needs are at corner, running back, center, punter, linebacker, and defensive tackle.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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US President Donald Trump said Iran are still welcome to play in the 2026 football World Cup but maybe shouldn’t for their safety.

Iran have said the United States should be kicked out of the soccer tournament, which starts on 11 June, not them.

And FIFA President Gianni Infantino says the World Cup can bring people together.

There is nothing in the FIFA statutes against tournament hosts being at war. However, Article 3 of the governing body’s statutes do pledge to uphold international human rights standards.

Nevertheless, Infantino awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to Trump in December 2025 and was also at the launch of Trump’s Board of Peace. This despite Article 4 of the statutes “mandat[ing] neutrality regarding politics.”

Both Trump and Infantino “do as they please without serious commitment to the democratic principles of the organizations that they represent,” Alan Tomlinson, a professor at the University of Brighton in the UK, who specializes in the social history of sport and FIFA, told DW.

Iran war the tipping point?

The US’ decision to enter a conflict with Israel against Iran isn’t the first issue that causing fans to consider whether they should travel to the tournament, or if the games should even be played.

In the months before the war started on February 28, the actions of ICE agents rounding up migrants, travel bans on certain nationalities, visa hurdles and ticket pricing have led to numerous debates and concerns about the upcoming tournament. The games are spread over the US, Canada and Mexico, but 78 out of the 104 matches are being playing in the US.

Indeed, talk of a European boycott grew loud at the end of January in the midst of Trump’s threatened invasion of Greenland.

The question is, will the war in Iran prove a decisive moment for the 2026 World Cup?

“I don’t think Iran will be the tipping point, but maybe it should be,” Jake Wojtowicz told DW.

Wojtowicz is a researcher and author in the philosophy of sport and specializes in the ethics of sports fandom. Wojtowicz, who co-authored the book “Why It’s OK to Be a Sports Fan” in 2023, believes a lot of the conversation is about perception.

“In the West, America has a massive cultural impact, whereas [2022 World Cup host] Qatar is not culturally significant. So, when a nation comes along, and it’s going to get involved in the World Cup, and you find out that it does bad things that we aren’t used to, it’s easier to be critical. The United States does bad things, and we are used to it.”

Global sport is regularly confronted with ethical issues, as the last two football World Cups in Russia and Qatar respectively prove.

But is the US’ war with Iran creating a new dimension of thinking for all involved with the tournament?

“A host country at war, led by a political leader proud to accept a bogus Peace Prize, and now just months away from a five-week global sport spectacle, is without doubt a moral line that should not be crossed,” Tomlinson said. “But moral lines are not economic and commercial considerations.”

Wojtowicz has a similar view. “I think the problem slips in when you think this [the war in Iran] is a bad thing, and then you go to the World Cup or you watch the World Cup, and you think America’s pretty good actually,” Wojtowicz said.

“You start to think of the United States in terms of [England captain and striker] Harry Kane scoring two goals to sink Brazil in the final rather than thinking about ICE or the fact that citizens are getting deported. And that’s the worry, that the World Cup gets in the way of normal moral thinking.”

FIFA: The house of many truths

DW contacted both Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International for this article, but neither replied. Concerns from those organizations around FIFA’s decision were made public at the end of 2025, with both calling for FIFA to act on human rights issues.

“Infantino’s actions are in many respects politically and ethically unprecedented,” added Tomlinson.

That wasn’t the case when he arrived in office, succeeding former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter who didn’t exactly leave with a clean record. However, since then, Infantino has, in many ways, pushed the boundaries even further than many men before him.

“Infantino has accepted an award from Vladimir Putin following the men’s World Cup in Russia in 2018; he has supported Qatar, even taking up residency in the country, at every stage of the build-up to the controversial Qatar 2022 men’s World Cup; and, with little debate, has allocated the 2034 event to Saudi Arabia. In the build-up to the 2026 event he has taken up residency in Miami, pretty much on the doorstep of his mentor Trump,” Tomlinson explained.

“This is not the conduct of the representative of a global, democratic organisation. Infantino has without doubt escalated the ethical conflicts characterizing the contemporary game,” Tomlinson added.

The show must go on?

Many sports events around the world have been faced with challenging ethical considerations or political shadows, but in most cases the action on the field takes place.

A 2025 paper by Paul Bertin and Pauline Grippa published in Political Psychology revealed that many fans who intended to boycott the 2022 World Cup did not. This research is among the many reasons why Wojtowicz believes the draw of football makes ethical boycotts unlikely, but fans should be proactively engaged all the same.

“If someone turns around and says, ‘Well, Trump’s put on a great World Cup, hasn’t he?’ The correct response should be: ‘What are you talking about? He’s got nothing to do with this, and he is using this to look better’,” Wojtowicz said.

“I think the point is you just have to engage with it. You have to think about it and and make sure you don’t let it slip because the World Cup’s happening,” Wojtowicz said. “I think small acts of ethical resistance can be helpful.”

Edited by: Matt Pearson

Jarrell Miller is set for a speedy return to the ring after his unforgettable moment in January that caught the attention of people around the world.

It was just over a month ago when Miller clashed with Kingsley Ibeh at Madison Square Garden in New York, but the bout isn’t exactly remembered for the action inside the ring.

Instead, a hairpiece that Miller was wearing became loose, leading him to remove it and throw it into the crowd. Despite the adversity, ‘Big Baby’ managed to earn a split decision win, later claiming the hairpiece was needed after his hair was damaged by bleach.

Despite the initial embarrassment, the notable moment arguably worked in Miller’s favour, as it saw him gain a vast amount of publicity, which is certainly a good thing ahead of his next outing.

That will reportedly come in April, after Boxing Scene revealed that he is set for a battle against unbeaten contender Lenier Pero at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas on April 25.

Pero has won all 13 of his professional fights, eight of those coming by knockout. He was last in action in November, claiming a unanimous decision win over former cruiserweight world title challenger Jordan Thompson.

The winner of the bout could find themselves on the cusp of world title contention, with Oleksandr Usyk currently holding the WBC, WBA and IBF belts, while Fabio Wardley is the WBO champion.

Miller was pencilled in to face Wardley in Ipswich last June before withdrawing through injury, so that could be a match-up that is revisited in the future.

The godfather of the NFL draft has linked the Carolina Panthers to a relatively fresh name following their active adventure through free agency.

In his latest 2026 mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. connects the Panthers with University of Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at the 19th overall pick. Kiper writes the following of the 2025 second-team All-American, who has risen up the boards of late:

McNeil-Warren deserves to be here; he has the speed and instincts to make plays, accumulating 10 forced fumbles and five interceptions over his four seasons at Toledo. Carolina focused on defense this month, signing edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd to sizable contracts. It also brought back safety Nick Scott alongside Tre’von Moehrig, but McNeil-Warren could make a big impact in the secondary and give the team some options. The Panthers allowed 6.5 yards per dropback last season (22nd in the NFL).

As Kiper notes, Carolina did bring back safety Nick Scott—who posted a career-high 111 tackles over 17 starts this past season. They’re also rostering soon-to-be second-year safety Lathan Ransom, one of the team’s two fourth-round picks from 2025.

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McNeil-Warren, however, could provide a big-play element to the group—which combined for just three interceptions last year. The 22-year-old—in addition to the takeaways—posted 5.5 tackles for a loss, five passes defensed and an interception return for a touchdown in his final campaign for the Rockets.

Follow our free agency tracker for all the latest moves.

Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.

This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Mel Kiper links Panthers to fresh name in post-free agency mock draft