Ireland maintained their bid for back-to-back Grand Slams with a dominant 36-0 win over Italy in Dublin, joining England on two wins from their first two games of the 2024 Six Nations.

Andy Farrell’s side had been touted as favourites to retain their crown after recording an emphatic opening-night win over France last week, and they built on that success by avoiding an upset on Sunday.

The hosts needed just seven minutes to inch ahead at Aviva Stadium, with Jack Crowley crossing for his first international try after good work from Hugo Keenan and Robbie Henshaw.

Crowley was then heavily involved in the game’s second try, kickstarting a move which ended with Dan Sheehan crossing in the corner. Ireland continued to press their visitors back and saw their pressure rewarded again on the stroke of half-time, with Jack Conan driving over after a couple of near-misses.

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The bonus point was in the bag within 10 minutes of the restart as a dominant Ireland maul allowed Sheehan to grab his second try of the afternoon, and things went from bad to worse for Italy as Tommaso Menoncello saw yellow for a trip on James Lowe.

Ireland immediately made their numerical advantage pay for a 29-0 lead as Lowe shrugged off multiple defenders to dive across with just over 20 minutes to play.

Caelan Doris knocked on as Ireland let Italy off with nine minutes to go, but the hosts still finished with a flourish, Jamison Gibson-Park setting Calvin Nash free to cross before Harry Byrne added the extras.

Gibson-Park thought he had capped an impressive performance off the bench with a last-gasp score only to spill just short of the line, but that couldn’t take the gloss off an impressive shutout win for Ireland.

Jack Crowley is a joy to watch! 💚#IREVITA #GUINNESSM6N PIC.TWITTER.COM/HWC2CIINTM

— Guinness Men’s Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) FEBRUARY 11, 2024

Kalvin Phillips has revealed his 18-month stint at Manchester City negatively affected his relationship with football, though he feels “more alive” after joining West Ham on loan for the remainder of the season.

Phillips left his boyhood club Leeds United for City in 2022, but he struggled for regular gametime from the outset of his spell at the Etihad Stadium.

The England midfielder made 21 appearances across all competitions as City won the treble last season, though 17 of those outings came from the bench.

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Phillips fell even further down the pecking order ahead of the 2023-24 campaign as City acquired Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic following Ilkay Gundogan’s move to Barcelona, and he played just 93 minutes in the Premier League across the first half of the season.

City boss Pep Guardiola apologised for his treatment of Phillips ahead of the January transfer window, when he joined West Ham on a straight loan deal despite interest from Newcastle United.

“Now I’m here at West Ham and playing, I feel a lot more alive,” Phillips told The Observer. “I still loved the game, it [his time with City] just changed my way of thinking a little bit.

“The game wasn’t letting me down but the fact I had nothing to look forward to kind of pushed me away.

“Now I’m here, I feel a lot more alive. It’s not starting from scratch, it’s starting afresh.”

 

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A POST SHARED BY KALVIN PHILLIPS (@KALVINPHILLIPS)

The low point of Phillips’ short-lived spell with City came after he returned from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when Guardiola said he was “overweight” and not in the neccessary condition to train or play.

“It wasn’t a nightmare at City, it was just stressful,” Phillips said. “After the World Cup was probably the toughest, when Pep came out and said I was overweight.

“He was right to do so but there are different ways to go about it. I did not disagree with him but obviously I took a big knock to my confidence.

“My family were not happy about it, either, especially my mum. It was just a misunderstanding and I think he was very frustrated with me coming back 1.5kg over my weight target.”

England’s lead spinner Jack Leach has been ruled out of the remaining three Tests against India after suffering a knee injury.

Leach hurt his left knee while fielding during the first Test in Hyderabad, which saw England mount a stunning fightback to overturn a 190-run first-innings deficit and take the lead in the series.

The Somerset man then missed the second match in Visakhapatnam, where the tourists failed to chase down a daunting target of 399 as India triumphed by 106 runs.

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On Sunday, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed Leach would not be able to return for the upcoming third Test in Rajkot and would fly home from the team’s Abu Dhabi base in the next 24 hours.

Leach has taken 126 wickets in 36 Test appearances, and his latest fitness setback comes as a major blow after he missed last year’s Ashes series against Australia with a back issue.

England have confirmed they will not be calling up a replacement, with young trio Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir their remaining spin options, alongside former captain Joe Root.

The third Test begins on Thursday, with the series subsequently heading to Ranchi and Himachal Pradesh before wrapping up by mid-March.

We’re all with you, Leachy ❤️
Nobody braver than you 💪

Jack Leach has been ruled out of the remainder of our Test series with India.#INDVENG | #ENGLANDCRICKET

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) FEBRUARY 11, 2024

Caelan Doris will captain Ireland for the first time when they face Italy in the Six Nations on Sunday, with regular skipper Peter O’Mahony out after suffering a knock against France.

Ireland began their quest for back-to-back Grand Slams in emphatic fashion last week, beating France 38-17 in the tournament’s opening match to mark themselves out as favourites to retain their crown.

However, boss Andy Farrell has made six changes to Ireland’s starting XV for this weekend’s meeting with Italy in Dublin, after several players sustained knocks in France.

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Captain O’Mahony joins centre Bundee Aki, tighthead Tadhg Furlong, lock Tadhg Beirne, scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park and openside Josh van der Flier in dropping out of the lineup, with only the latter duo being named among the replacements.

Garry Ringrose is absent again after a shoulder injury caused him to sit out last week’s opener, but Ulster centre Stuart McCloskey has been recalled after missing the win in Marseille.

Craig Casey, Finlay Bealham, James Ryan, Ryan Baird and Jack Conan are the other players brought into the Ireland side as they look to make it two wins from two games.

Our team to face Italy at Aviva Stadium, captained by Caelan Doris! 👊#TEAMOFUS

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) FEBRUARY 9, 2024

Speaking to the IRFU’s website after being named Ireland’s 110^th different captain, Doris said: “Andy told me on Tuesday and I’m delighted to be in this position for the week.

“There are lots of nerves but also lots of excitement and it’s helped by having such a good group around me and such good leaders. It’s been made easy by them.

“Looking at some of the names that have done it in the past, it gives me a big sense of imposter syndrome but also reaffirms how big an honour it is, so I’m delighted to be in this position.”

Italy, meanwhile, have made four changes to the team which started last week’s narrow defeat to England, as they chase their first Six Nations win over Ireland since 2013.

Ange Capuozzo, Stephen Varney, Alessandro Izekor and Federico Ruzza have been recalled by Gonzalo Quesada, with Tommaso Allan, Alessandro Garbisi, Sebastian Negri and Lorenzo Cannone dropping out.

🇮🇹 The @FEDERUGBY side looking to knock Ireland off the top spot 🙌#GUINNESSM6N #IREITA PIC.TWITTER.COM/HQ9QY0RXZY

— Guinness Men’s Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) FEBRUARY 9, 2024

Ireland team: Hugo Keenan, Calvin Nash, Robbie Henshaw, Stuart McCloskey, James Lowe, Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Finlay Bealham, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Caelan Doris (c), Jack Conan.

Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Jeremy Loughman, Tom O’Toole, Iain Henderson, Josh van der Flier, Jamison Gibson-Park, Harry Byrne, Jordan Larmour.

Italy team: Ange Capuozzo, Lorenzo Pani, Juan Ignacio Brex, Tommaso Menoncello, Montanna Ioane, Paolo Garbisi, Stephen Varney; Danilo Fischetti, Gianmarco Lucchesi, Pietro Ceccarelli, Niccolo Cannone, Federico Ruzza, Alessandro Izekor, Manuel Zulani, Michele Lamaro.

Replacements: Giacomo Nicotera, Mirco Spagnolo, Giosue Zilocchi, Andrea Zambonin, Ross Vintcent, Martin Page-Relo, Tommaso Allan, Federico Mori.

Gareth Southgate is keeping a close eye on Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who the England boss believes may take up a more advanced position as he develops.

Mainoo has been a revelation since being handed his full Premier League debut in United’s 3-0 win at Everton in November, being named man of the match as he deputised for absent midfielders Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in that game.

The 18-year-old has kept his place in Erik ten Hag’s preferred lineup despite United recovering many of their injured players in recent weeks, and he scored his first Premier League goal to hand the Red Devils a dramatic 4-3 win over Wolves earlier this month.

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Mainoo’s fine form has led to suggestions he could win a spot in England’s midfield ahead of Euro 2024, alongside regular starters Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.

The Stockport-born teenager is also eligible to play for Ghana, who are hopeful of convincing him to switch allegiance.

But Southgate says Mainoo – who has been capped by England up to under-19 level – is on his radar and could play a more creative role if called upon by the Three Lions.

“He’s doing brilliantly,” Southgate said when asked about Mainoo following Thursday’s UEFA Nations League draw in Paris.

Erik has had his say on *that* photo 😍

Swipe to hear his thoughts on our exciting young Reds 👉#MUFC || #PL

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) FEBRUARY 8, 2024

“I’m not certain he’s necessarily going to be a defensive midfielder, as such.

“He’s quite a progressive player but he’s had a fabulous start to his career and it will be good to monitor him as we go forward.”

England will face Brazil and Belgium in high-profile friendlies at Wembley Stadium during the next international break in March, when Mainoo will hope to win his first senior call-up.

Meanwhile, the Three Lions were drawn alongside the Republic of Ireland, Finland and Greece in Group B2 for the 2024-25 edition of the Nations League on Thursday, and on Friday, it was confirmed that they will begin their campaign in Ireland on Saturday 7^th September.

Our full #NATIONSLEAGUE fixture schedule 🤩

🇮🇪 v 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Saturday 7th September
🇮🇪 v 🇬🇷 | Tuesday 10th September
🇫🇮 v 🇮🇪 | Thursday 10th October
🇬🇷 v 🇮🇪 | Sunday 13th October
🇮🇪 v 🇫🇮 | Thursday 14th November
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 v 🇮🇪 | Sunday 17th November PIC.TWITTER.COM/S4YUWFLKAG

— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) FEBRUARY 9, 2024

The possible introduction of blue cards into football has caused plenty of discussion over the past few days.

The game’s lawmakers IFAB were set to announce a trial in the lower leagues today, although reports have suggested the backlash has prompted a rethink.

A blue card would be received if a player shows dissent to a match official or commits a cynical foul. He, or she, would then be sent to the sin-bin for 10 minutes.

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Here’s what the Premier League managers said regarding the potential rule change.
Spoiler: They aren’t impressed…

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp: “It doesn’t sound like a fantastic idea in the first moment, but actually, I can’t remember when the last fantastic idea came from these guys, if they ever had one.”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola: “It is not something official, so when they give the final decision and explain the rules for everyone to understand, I will give my opinion. For now it is just an idea.”

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta: “We’ve got a lot going on now with decisions, with technology, I don’t know if we’re ready for that yet! Hopefully it’s going to be tested very, very well before it’s introduced at this level.”

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe: “I’m not a big fan to be honest, that’s what yellow cards are for. The system works but just needs to be refined. Blue cards would just add confusion so I’m against it.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea…” 🤔

Mauricio Pochettino says he is not sure about the idea of blue cards in football 🟦 PIC.TWITTER.COM/IE1UFREHUM

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) FEBRUARY 9, 2024

Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino: “I think it is going to create more divides, make it more complicated for referees, the players and the fans. My feeling now is that it’s not a good idea, but we’ll see what happens.

“Give it an opportunity to see how it works and after, we can have a better idea about how they want to apply it during the games, but my first feeling is that it’s complicated to add another colour, another card to the game. It’s too many question marks.”

Luton manager Rob Edwards: “No. We’re a long way off it coming into our game at the moment.”

Aston Villa’s Unai Emery: “I don’t care about it a lot, I think the referees and those making the decision have to analyse it deeply, but it is not my concern.”

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery believes Sunday’s clash with Manchester United is an old-fashioned ‘six-pointer’ with both clubs vying for a place in next season’s Champions League.

Villa go into the game in fourth place, eight points ahead of Erik ten Hag’s men, but in a slightly sticky run of form, having won just one of their last five games in all competitions.

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Their last Premier League outing did end positively, though, with a 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield United.

Emery said: “The message is the same as last week at Sheffield United. The Premier League is about consistency over 38 games. Our main objective this season is to be consistent. We are being consistent. 

“Each match is so special. Sometimes a key moment can matter. It’s an important match. This match we are playing for six points.”

The teams last met on Boxing Day when Villa led 2-0 at half-time only to lose 3-2 following a stirring second-half comeback from United at Old Trafford.

Asked if that game had left a scar, Emery added: “I’ve forgotten about it. We analysed the game with the players but Sunday will be a different match. 

“They are recovering very important players, like Casemiro. They are going to feel stronger and confident. 

“We are in front of them but they are contenders – more than us to be in the top four or five positions. But the reality is we’re being consistent. Even if we lose we’ll still be in front.”

The boss confirmed that both Lucas Digne and Pau Torres will be in contention for selection on Sunday. 💪 PIC.TWITTER.COM/MKQIX14VKB

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) FEBRUARY 9, 2024

Villa could be boosted by the returns of Lucas Digne and Pau Torres while Nicolo Zaniolo may be fit to start having played the last few minutes of the midweek defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup.