Author: Daniel Gallan

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Italy v England: Six Nations 2026 – as it happened

Italy beat England for the first time with a late try as Steve Borthwick’s men reach a new low in Rome.

Does regular contributor Guy Hornsby speak for all England fans?

“I am not full of confidence today, Daniel. We are coming to this in semi-disarray, falling apart off the back of our 12 match run, now a distant memory. Against a team on the up full of excellent players, there are so many big battles, no more so than their centre partnership. You feel Brex and Menoncello v Atkinson and Freeman could decide it. Atkinson is a huge talent but what a way to come back into the team. Freeman is arguably one of our best players, but a work in progress at 13. If their defence falters, we could get torn open. You feel the battle up front will go a long way to deciding it, but make no mistake: on form, Italy winning will be no shock. England have a mountain to climb. A gritty win today will be just fine with many England fans.”

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Wales v Scotland: Six Nations rugby union – as it happened

Scotland pinch victory over spirited Wales five minutes from time in thrilling Six Nations contest in Cardiff.

Yes, we know the team is struggling, but the Principality Stadium looks incredible!

If you are a rugby fan and you’ve not visited this cathedral, get your accountant on the line and book yourself a trip.

I am not a confident Welsh fan. There are so many issues at the moment, it’s hard to know where to start. The WRU is spectacularly badly run. We were fortunate to have a couple of generations of genuinely World Class players between the mid 00’s and 2020ish, and considering the resources available, population, player base etc, that was always likely to drop off at some point. But I don’t think anyone expected the drop-off to be quite so drastic. We kept being told that it was a young side who would gained experience and improve. But that’s been a stuck record for 4 years or so. There’s no identity to the team. When you watch them, you often cant see what they’re trying to achieve. The basics, the flipping basics(!), are repeatedly falling apart. The first quarter against England was as bad a spell of international rugby as you’re ever likely to see. I don’t know where to go from here. It’s hideous.

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England beat Italy by 24 runs: T20 World Cup cricket – as it happened

England get over the line against a spirited Italy thanks to Will Jacks’ half century and miserly bowling from Sam Curran and Jamie Overton

Alistair Connor writes in and wants to know, “what’s the record of this Italian side against ... Scotland?”

Hmmm. Well, according to a quick Google search, they’ve played each other once with Scotland winning by 73 runs.

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Ireland 20-13 Italy: Six Nations rugby union – as it happened

Ireland fought back to earn a narrow victory in Dublin after a resurgent Italy had threatened a major upset

The Opta supercomputer has crunched the numbers and chucked out a predicted result.

Drumroll please….

Hi Daniel.

I am REALLY looking forward to this match. I’ve been “with” Italy ever since they made it a 6 Nations but obviously reasons to be cheerful have been thin on the ground. Until now. Sergio Parisse was world class and was surely only a question of time before other high class Italians emerged.

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The Breakdown | A November to remember: let’s celebrate the good in international rugby

We turn the dial towards whimsy and revisit some of the moments that made the autumn internationals irresistible

South Africa and Ireland played out a slugfest for the ages and the discourse has been dominated by yellow cards and flying shoulders to the head. England held off a spirited Argentina to claim their 11th consecutive Test win and it seems all anyone can talk about is some alleged after-the-whistle shoving. Wales and New Zealand traded 11 tries in a ding-dong encounter and yet the narrative is weighed down by caveats concerning fading empires.

What, exactly, is the point of Test rugby? Beyond winning World Cups and regional crowns, does this chaotic sport hold any value? A bit of spice elevates almost every dish, sure, but it has felt as if this autumn’s brilliant rugby fare has been smothered in a sauce with a needlessly high Scoville count.

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England 27-23 Argentina: Autumn Nations Series rugby union – as it happened

Max Ojomoh scored one try and and set up two more as England held off a late comeback from Argentina.

This is Argentina’s third and final game of the autumn.

They spanked Wales by a record score and, as we’ve said multiple times, did the business as they came from behind to stun Scotland.

Wales 26-52 New Zealand

Ireland 13-24 South Africa

France 48-33 Australia

Italy 34-19 Chile

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Wallabies fans are entitled to be frustrated but it’s not all grim for this tired, talented side

There were enough sparks and signs of intent in Europe to suggest Australia are a team at the beginning of something, not the end

At the end of a frenetic first half, where Angus Bell ran in one of the great tries by a Wallaby prop, where Matt Faessler powered over for a brace, where Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored a solo stunner and Thomas Ramos and Nicolas Depoortère dotted down as well, Tane Edmed gathered a pass at first receiver.

The young fly-half, playing in his seventh Test, was having a decent game. He’d slotted two of his three shots at goal. He was brave to the line, carrying with zip, stitching moves together as he tried to spark a backline short on fluency. But with the clock in the red, he attempted a raking kick to the corner. Either he didn’t realise the 40 minutes had elapsed, or he thought he was in his own half and a 50-22 was on. Either way, after watching the ball skid into touch to end the half, he stood still, hands on head, stunned by his own misread.

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Ireland 13-24 South Africa: Autumn Nations Series rugby union – as it happened

Ireland lose five men to the sin-bin – including one red card – a South Africa’s power game secures Rassie Erasmus’ first win in Dublin.

Sam Prendergasr gets the nod at fly-half as an otherwise settled side takes aim at the world champions.

Experience duo Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier return with gnarled veterans joining them across the park.

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The Wallabies were meant to prove they’re back. But instead they have gone backwards

The 46-19 shellacking against Ireland is a stark reminder of how far behind the best teams Australia still sit

Three weeks ago, Australia arrived in Europe self-assured and quietly confident of taking a few prized scalps. And why not? They had come within a single refereeing call at the breakdown of claiming a British & Irish Lions series win. They had hammered the world champion Springboks in Johannesburg. They had shown great chutzpah to beat Argentina after the hooter and they still carried the glow of last November’s win over England.

This was a side developing shape and steel, a side capable of the sublime, a side beginning to coax long-dormant fans back to the code while tempting home several stars who had crossed to rugby league. This tour was supposed to confirm, unequivocally, that the Wallabies were back. Instead, they’ve gone backwards after a sorry performance against Ireland in Dublin where they received a 46–19 shellacking that still managed to flatter them on the scoreboard.

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Is it better to be occasionally brilliant or consistently good? Ask the Wallabies | Daniel Gallan

Australia show flashes of greatness, but costly lapses challenge the idea of a revival. They need to find their rhythm

Is it better to be a consistently good team or an occasionally brilliant one? We’ll find out by the end of Australia’s European tour. But now, after a 26–19 loss to Italy in Udine – their second defeat in as many matches on this crucial trip – the answer seems obvious. Because despite the Wallabies’ flashes of brilliance throughout the Joe Schmidt era, their inability to deliver steadily could yet prove costly.

At present, the Wallabies are ranked seventh on World Rugby’s charts. If that doesn’t change, the hosts of the 2027 World Cup will be drawn alongside one of the top six teams in the group phase. Even if they progress, Australia would likely face another stiff challenge at the first knockout stage. That’s not the kind of jeopardy a rugby nation of this pedigree should be flirting with.

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The Spin | Cricket and a custom-made diplomatic row over missing handshake

#Handshakegate between India and Pakistan reflects a sporting history dotted with moments when the clasp of palms stood for something

It is seen on village greens and in Test arenas alike. It is there at the start of the game, just after the coin toss, and it is there at the end when the final run is struck or wicket falls. According to research from the University of Dundee it should last between one-and-a-half and three seconds, just long enough to reassure both participants, but not so long as to feel overbearing.

In the tapestry of the sport it is less consequential than the colour of the captain’s socks or what the home team has laid out for tea. And yet its absence is instantly conspicuous, sometimes enough to spark controversy, fines or even diplomatic fallout.

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