Ireland back-rower Nick Timoney will make his first Guinness Six Nations start as part of five personnel changes for Friday evening’s round-four clash with Wales in Dublin.

The 30-year-old Ulster player replaces Josh van der Flier at openside flanker following impressive cameos in the opening defeat to France and subsequent victories over Italy and England.

Jack Conan, who was a late withdrawal from the bench ahead of the 42-21 bonus-point win at Twickenham on 21 February due to illness, is recalled at blindside flanker, while loosehead prop Tom O’Toole and hooker Ronan Kelleher also come into the forward pack.

Jacob Stockdale replaces the injured James Lowe on the left wing in the only alteration to the backline.

Jamison Gibson-Park will win his 50th Ireland cap following his man-of-the-match display against England, while Ulster scrum-half Nathan Doak, 24, is set to make his international debut from the bench.

Sam Prendergast has been left out of the matchday 23 for the second successive game, with Jack Crowley retained at fly-half and Ciaran Frawley again providing back-up.

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Centre Bundee Aki is also absent, despite returning to camp after competing the four-match ban which ruled him out of the start of the championship.

Lock Joe McCarthy and Van der Flier drop to the bench, while hooker Dan Sheehan has been given the evening off and prop Jeremy Loughman is unavailable because of a calf injury.

Ireland, who host Scotland on the final weekend, are chasing the Triple Crown to keep alive hopes of overhauling France in the battle for the title.

O’Toole and Kelleher will pack down alongside tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong in the front row.

Tadhg Beirne switches from blindside flanker to partner James Ryan in the second row, while captain Caelan Doris continues at number eight, between Conan and Timoney.

Centres Stuart McCloskey and Garry Ringrose, right wing Robert Baloucoune and full-back Jamie Osborne are also retained.

Ulster hooker Tom Stewart and Munster centre Tom Farrell are in line for Six Nations debuts from a bench which also includes props Michael Milne and Thomas Clarkson.

Head coach Andy Farrell said: “We have two special milestones in the squad this week at opposite ends of the scrum-half spectrum.

“I would firstly like to congratulate Nathan on his first international selection. Nathan has been around a few Ireland camps in recent years and has impressed with the consistency and quality of his play in training and with Ulster over a longer period.

“I know how much this means to Nathan and we are determined to make this a special few days for him and his family.

“Also, Jamison becomes the 61st Irish international to reach the 50-cap mark which is an incredible achievement for a top-class professional.”

Ireland team to face Wales on Friday 6 March:

Starting XV: 1 Tom O’Toole, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 3 Tadhg Furlong; 4 James Ryan, 5 Tadhg Beirne; 6 Jack Conan, 7 Nick Timoney, 8 Caelan Doris (capt.); 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 10 Jack Crowley; 11 Jacob Stockdale, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 13 Garry Ringrose, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 15 Jamie Osbourne.

Replacements: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Michael Milne, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Joe McCarthy, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Nathan Doak, 22 Tom Farrell, 23 Ciaran Frawley.

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The Minnesota Vikings’ offseason was rocked on Tuesday by news that the team is open to trading Jonathan Greenard, as the veteran outside linebacker wants a contract extension while Minnesota’s budget is tight. If Minnesota cannot figure out a way to appease Greenard and prolong his deal, he could be shipped elsewhere for the equivalent of a 2nd- or 3rd-Round pick or so.

If Minnesota shops Greenard for cap relief, these six defenses have the money, need, and scheme fit.

And here’s where he might land in the scenario.

The Clubs That Make Sense to Target Greenard via Trade

In all likelihood, the Vikings will figure out Greenard’s contract situation, but just in case…

6. New England Patriots

No overt general manager or coaching ties suggest Greenard to the Patriots; they just need EDGE defenders, plain and simple.

That’s right. The team that reached the Super Bowl last month is staring down an early March depth chart that has Anfernee Jennings and Harold Landry as its main EDGEs on tap for 2026. New England needs more. Mike Vrabel and friends have about $40 million in cap space ahead of free agency, more than enough to acquire Greenard and extend his deal if Minnesota cannot.

Without question, Vrabel would cook with Greenard.

5. Atlanta Falcons

Greenard was born in Georgia and went to high school about 40 minutes from the Falcons’ stadium.

Meanwhile, Atlanta’s rookie EDGE from last year, James Pearce Jr., is in legal hot water, and the Falcons may not be able to count on him for the long term. He may be suspended, at minimum, for some portion of 2026.

The Falcons don’t have oodles of cap space — $8 million as of March 4th — but they can probably find room in the budget to add Greenard if they’re concerned about Pearce Jr.’s new [and bad] trajectory.

4. San Francisco 49ers

The Kwesi Adofo-Mensah connection is in play here; Minnesota fired its general manager of four years at the end of January, and he landed in San Francisco, the club that gave him his first NFL job 13 years ago, as a personnel executive.

The 49ers’ EDGEs include the oft-injured Nick Bosa, injured Mykel Williams, and Bryce Huff. They need more stable commodities.

Perhaps general manager John Lynch could package quarterback Mac Jones in a deal that sends him to Minnesota for Greenard and change.

3. Baltimore Ravens

Greenard entered the NFL in 2020, and his first defensive coordinator was a man named Anthony Weaver. Six years later, Weaver is the Ravens’ new defensive coordinator at the start of the Jesse Minter era.

Baltimore is never, ever shy about adding veteran defensive talent. Why not Greenard?

The starting outside linebackers on paper for the 2026 Ravens? Mike Green and Tavius Robinson. Greenard would instantly replace Robinson as the OLB1 or OLB2, as Robinson logged a 50.4 Pro Football Focus grade in 2025. Not ideal.

The Ravens have about $18 million in cap space.

USA Today‘s Ayrton Ostly noted the Ravens as a potential landing spot for Greenard: “Baltimore has a new head coach and overall staff under Jesse Minter but one thing remains the same: the Ravens desperately need help off the edge, especially with proven players.”

“The Ravens have some cap space, so it would take some work to get Greenard’s money under the cap in 2026. They’re projected to have 11 draft picks in April, which could interest Minnesota. They could also offer a younger player on defense, like T.J. Tampa, at cornerback to help the Vikings at a position of need.”

2. Dallas Cowboys

Marcus Dixon joined the Vikings’ coaching staff as a defensive line coach in 2024 — right when Greenard signed on Minnesota’s dotted line. The Vikings did not renew Dixon’s contract this offseason, and he’s now the Cowboys’ defensive line coach.

Dallas is still reeling from the Micah Parsons trade. It needs EDGE help. Owner Jerry Jones also said this week that he sees his franchise as a big mover and shaker in free agency. A Greenard trade makes sense on all fronts.

1. Washington Commanders

A man named Dylan Thompson served as the Texans’ director of team development from 2021 to 2023 — he witnessed Greenard’s rise to power with a front-row seat. Thompson is now the Commanders’ senior director of team support and advancement.

What’s more, Minnesota’s defensive secondary coach from the last few years, Daronte Jones, is Washington’s new defensive coordinator. This is a recent and blunt-force player-coach connection.

The Commanders, at the moment, arguably has the league’s worst EDGE corps. They have basically nobody.

By leaps and bounds, Greenard landing in Washington, if traded by Minnesota, checks all boxes. The Commanders have over $70 million in cap space.

This September, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will collide for a second time in a professional bout. Super-welterweight star Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis believes that the judges will not be required.

After years of back-and-forth, Mayweather and Pacquiao finally squared off in 2015, where Mayweather scored a unanimous decision win – a legacy-defining moment in the career of one of boxing’s pound-for-pound greats.

The Michigan mastermind fought just twice more as a professional, but he has kept busy in a number of exhibition bouts. Pacquiao went on to fight until 2021, before his comeback against Mario Barrios last July.

Now, in a surprising turn of events, Mayweather is set to end nine years of professional inactivity and return to the sport at the age of 49 years old, as he seeks to defeat ‘Pac Man’ for a second time in what will be his third outing of the 2026 calendar.

Speaking to YSM Sports Media ahead of the rematch, former unified welterweight ruler, Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, revealed that he is predicting a stoppage win for Mayweather, who has not halted a recognised professional boxer since Victor Ortiz in 2011.

“He is older now, he ain’t going to be too much moving. He is going to be sharp and he is going to make Pacquiao run into something, watch … [The KO] is a possibility, I ain’t even gonna lie. I can see him catching Pacquiao.”

Mayweather-Pacquiao II is scheduled to take place at The Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 19, with the Netflix-streamed event expected to be one of the most viewed boxing cards in some time.

Harry Brook believes England’s tight-knit unit and a fierce competitive spirit can carry them to T20 World Cup glory rather than the pursuit of perfection.

England have been behind the eight-ball in all seven matches in the tournament but they have remarkably won six of them to set up a blockbuster semi-final against co-hosts India in Mumbai on Thursday night.

Captain Brook has hailed his team’s togetherness, as well as their ultra-ambitious natures as elite sportsmen, for getting them this far, insisting that trumps putting in a complete performance.

“I don’t believe we need a perfect game to win the competition,” Brook said. “I feel like it’s round the corner but the games we have won have been nowhere near perfect and we’ve managed to get the wins.

“The unity and the belief in each other and the belief that we can win games when we do get into those pressure situations, and the calmness that we’ve had, has been outstanding. This team is awesome.

“Everybody wants to win. But even when we’re playing golf, playing cards, whatever, everybody is always really competitive and they always have that slight edge and they take it out into the cricket.”

England did not name their XI on Wednesday, although fast bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton is expected to return ahead of spin-bowling alternative Rehan Ahmed, who starred last time out against New Zealand.

Back in Mumbai after three successive wins in Sri Lanka, England could again face mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who took 14 wickets in five matches during India’s 4-1 T20 series triumph last year.

Varun dismissed Brook on three occasions but the Yorkshireman bristled at suggestions England struggle against spin, arguing six T20 wins in Sri Lanka this year is ample evidence to reject that idea.

“I feel like England always get a bad rap for playing against spin,” Brook said. “We accepted that before coming into this competition, we were going to face challenges on pitches that can assist spin.

“But we’ve gone to Sri Lanka and we’ve won six games in a row against a subcontinent side who are very good in their own backyard. We’ve got a lot of confidence playing on turning pitches.”

Brook was similarly bullish about hopelessly out-of-form opener Jos Buttler, who has amassed just 15 runs in his last five innings and possesses a meagre tournament average of 8.85.

“You don’t have to talk to him too much,” Brook said. “Leaving him alone is probably the best thing to do. He’s been a powerhouse cricketer for many years as we’ve all seen.

“I’ve been asked this question 1,000 times and I think there should be no reason to question why he’s in the team.”

As well as facing the defending champions, who are favourites to become the first side to successfully defend their crown, England will also have to contend with a partisan 33,000 Wankhede Stadium crowd.

But Brook, who like many of his England team-mates has experienced the animated atmospheres of many Indian Premier League grounds in recent years, has urged his side to embrace the occasion.

“It’s a dream come true for most of us to play in a World Cup semi-final against the home nation at a very iconic ground,” Brook added.

“We wouldn’t say we are underdogs. It would be stupid of us to not be confident. They are probably the favourites but we’re going to go out there and give it a hell of a crack.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder battle the New York Knicks in a key NBA matchup on Wednesday night. OKC is coming off an NBA championship last season. New York, meanwhile, is looking to make the postseason for the fourth consecutive season. The Thunder, who are the top seed in the Western Conference, have a plus-11.3 points differential this season. The Knicks, who are third in the East, are 23-8 on their home floor in 2025-26. Both teams played Tuesday, and thus neither side has released its injury report.

Tipoff from Madison Square Garden in New York is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Thunder lead the all-time series 75-68, including wins in each of the last four meetings OKC is a 4.5-point favorite in the latest Thunder vs. Knicks odds from. DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 222.5. Before making any Knicks vs. Thunder picks, check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

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The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model entered Week 20 on a sizzling 41-18 roll on top-rated NBA spread picks dating back to last season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.    

Now, the model has simulated Thunder vs. Knicks 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Knicks vs. Thunder:

New users can also target the latest Underdog promo code CBSSPORTS2, good for $75 in fantasy bonus entries when you play $5 in select states.

Top Thunder vs. Knicks predictions

After 10,000 simulations of Thunder vs. Knicks, SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total (222.5). The Over has hit in six of the past seven head-to-head matchups between the teams. The Over has hit in four of their last five OKC games, and in four of the last eight New York games. The Thunder are 6-4 against the spread in their last 10 games. The Knicks, meanwhile, are 4-6 ATS in their last 10.

The SportsLine model is projecting the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to score 29.1 points on average and be one of five Oklahoma City players to score 9.1 or more points. The Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, meanwhile, is projected to score 24.8 points as five New York players score 10.7 points or more. The teams are projected to combine for 228 points.

How to make Knicks vs. Thunder picks

The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NBA picks. 

So who wins Thunder vs. Knicks, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Thunder vs. Knicks spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. —  As college athletics scrambles to fund the exploding cost of paying athletes, Arkansas may have landed on one of the sport’s most aggressive new models: a corporate sponsorship designed primarily to pay players.

The Razorbacks and Tyson Foods have entered into a sweeping five-year partnership that will place the company’s logo on the jerseys of all 19 Arkansas teams beginning in the 2026–27 academic year. But the branding is only part of the story — roughly 90% of the money generated by the deal is expected to flow directly to Arkansas athletes through name, image and likeness opportunities with the company.

Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek calls the agreement announced Wednesday “the largest true sponsorship agreement in college athletics right now.”

“The intention is that every student-athlete will be positively impacted by this partnership,” Yurachek said. “That was really important to Mr. Tyson and Donnie King, their president and CEO, and Kristina Lambert, their chief growth officer. And it’s really important to us as well.”

Specific financial details of the Razorbacks’ mega deal with Tyson Foods — headquartered just a few miles away in nearby Springdale — were not disclosed. Tyson Foods chairman John Tyson told CBS Sports, however, that speculation about a nine-figure agreement is misplaced.

“It’s not $100 million, let’s put it that way,” Tyson said.

Still, the structure of the deal is what could make it notable nationally. 

“The game’s changing so quickly,” Tyson said. “NIL sponsorships, funding for universities — the model is moving really, really quickly.”

The agreement also reflects the rapidly emerging market for jersey patch sponsorships in college athletics, which is in its infancy following the NCAA’s approval in January. 

Learfield CEO Cole Gahagan told CBS Sports earlier this year that early valuations for the new asset could range from roughly $500,000 to more than $12 million annually, depending on the program and market size. He also noted that most jersey patch partnerships in professional sports come from companies located within about 250 miles of the team, a trend expected to translate to college athletics — a dynamic that makes Tyson Foods, headquartered just miles from Arkansas’ campus in Springdale, a natural fit.

Tyson Foods’ partnership extends beyond jerseys. The company will also receive branding across Arkansas courts and fields and become the “Official Protein of the Razorbacks,” aligning its products with athletic performance and campus life through brand ambassador programs with athletes — the mechanism through which NIL compensation will be distributed. 

Arkansas and Tyson began discussing the concept roughly three to four months ago when it became clear the NCAA would soon approve jersey patches.

Arkansas is the second major school to announce an all-sport corporate jersey sponsorship, joining LSU, which struck a seven-year agreement with Woodside Energy in February. LSU has not disclosed financial details. UNLV signed a five-year deal worth $11 million with Accesso Biologics in December, one month before the NCAA formally approved the asset.

More schools are expected to land jersey patch sponsorships before the upcoming football season. In a CBS Sports survey conducted this week, 15 of 17 major athletic departments said they are actively pursuing deals.  

Tyson has long been one of Arkansas athletics’ most visible supporters, particularly in basketball, track and golf. He attends Razorbacks home basketball games from a courtside seat across from coach John Calipari, whom he helped recruit to Arkansas from Kentucky two years ago.

But Tyson said his interest in the sponsorship extends beyond Arkansas’ highest-profile programs.

For him, the university serves as what he called the region’s “economic sports engine,” particularly for Olympic sports that rely on college athletics as their primary development pipeline.

“My bigger worry in this NIL college sports day is where we develop athletes beyond the big three (sports),” Tyson said. “That still needs to be funded somehow.”

Arkansas and Tyson developed a formula to spread NIL opportunities to players across all 19 sports.

Arkansas athletics currently operates with roughly a $200 million annual budget, Yurachek said, while major SEC competitors like Texas operate with roughly double that.

“We’re trying to find every avenue we can to monetize our athletic program,” Yurachek said.

To remain competitive, Arkansas has aggressively pursued new revenue streams, including stadium and arena concerts, stadium naming rights and jersey patch sponsorships. The Tyson partnership represents one of the largest steps in that strategy.

Learfield Sports, which represents Arkansas, is also nearing an agreement on a naming-rights deal for Razorback Stadium.

“We’re really, really close to being to the finish line on that,” Yurachek said. “We’ll have some things that people will see in the very near future about that.”