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A model of the reliable and durable: Mitchell Starc and a rare piece of cricket history | Geoff Lemon

The Australian quick’s modesty after passing Dennis Lillee’s mark of 355 Test wickets belies the fact the milestone is serious business

In the second week of March this year, Mitchell Starc passed a big number: Dennis Keith Lillee’s 355 Test wickets, which was still second for any Australian fast bowler. This coming Saturday, in the fourth week of March, Starc will pass another: as the most expensive player yet to take the field in the Indian Premier League, with a season’s contract a lick under US$3m.

In the modern era, with the focus on cricket’s shift from a long-form demonstration of international pride to a short-form instrument of commerce, most people would probably see the second number as more significant. Lillee was the sensation of the 1970s, but you would have to be nearing 50 to remember seeing him bowl.

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Six Nations produces vintage year despite the usual winners and losers

Even with Ireland once again top, a middle England, and Italy and Wales battling at the bottom, the tournament still thrills

At first glance not an awful lot changed during the men’s Six Nations championship this year. Ireland and France occupied the table’s top two positions, as they did in 2023, with Wales and Italy in the bottom two and England and Scotland once again the meat in the club sandwich. Ireland, for the third year in a row, had the meanest defence and only the winless Welsh, strangely, managed to score more tries than last year.

Yet if this was not a vintage Six Nations in absolutely all respects, the old tournament is enjoying a refreshing renaissance. The competition is now so tight that 10 of the 15 matches were decided by four points or fewer, including all three of the final-round games. If Netflix cannot stitch together an award winning series from the stunning “Super Saturday” footage alone it should abandon its fly‑on‑the‑wall cameras and walk away.

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Ireland ready themselves for South Africa as Scotland rue near misses

After a successful Six Nations Peter O’Mahony’s men will now face the sternest test of all against the world champions

It was not quite what the Irish were dreaming of after maximum points from the first three rounds, but back-to-back championships puts this Ireland team in a small elite of Six Nations champions. They become the sixth team to have managed the feat and, interestingly, only the third, after Wales in 2012-13 and England in 2016-2017, to follow up a grand slam with the title. It is as if teams really want to beat you when you are grand-slam champions.

Peter O’Mahony had the air of a satisfied man. Twelve years after his Ireland debut, this has been his first full campaign as captain. It was, perhaps harshly, pointed out to him that he had never won a thing in nigh on 15 years as a captain (of Munster and intermittently Ireland), and now he has won twice in 10 months (Munster won the United Rugby Championship in May).

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‘I feel like a different player’: George Ford hails England’s new approach

Performance against France leads to new belief that Borthwick’s men have turned a corner with attacking tactics

For England the sense of deja vu was inescapable on Saturday night. As Thomas Ramos lined up the 80th-minute penalty to seal the narrowest of victories for France, minds spooled back to Paris and South Africa’s Handré Pollard doing precisely the same thing in the World Cup semi-final. If the fact that they emerged on the right side of a thrilling denouement just a week earlier demonstrates the fine margins of professional sport, England could be forgiven for getting that sinking feeling once again.

But this one will not hurt for as long or cut nearly as deep. Optimism abounds for Steve Borthwick’s side. The World Cup exit was greeted with a degree of respect that a limited team had scraped their way to the last four but, on the evidence of their valiant defeat in France and thrilling win against Ireland, England have rediscovered themselves. They have finally found an attacking edge that went missing in the second half of Eddie Jones’s reign and their supporters are swooning again.

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France 33-31 England: Six Nations 2024 finale – as it happened

France needed a late Thomas Ramos penalty to win a nail-biter in Lyon

2 mins. England recycle the restart and boot it back to France who decide it’s the kind of night whereby they will go wide early, and have already had Fickou chucking the ball through his legs as an option. This move gets them outside the English blitz via a Depoortere run up the left touchline before England scramble and force him out.

At the second attempt (don’t ask), Thomas Ramos punts the ball deep to get us underway.

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Ireland 17-13 Scotland: Six Nations 2024 – as it happened

Ireland retained their Six Nations title after a tense 17-13 win over Scotland in Dublin

4 mins. An organised start from both sides, each taking a couple of carries up before dispatching the ball with the boot of their scrum-halves. Rinse, repeat.

There’s a slight variation when Ireland spin to Lowe and his kick is charged down by Christie rampaging out of the line with a block.

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Ireland Six Nations winners in all but name but bonus points cloud issue | Michael Aylwin

England, France and Scotland can still lift Six Nations trophy with Gregor Townsend’s men harbouring some regrets

Only sad old men in pubs indulge in “coulda, shoulda” talk, but we are legion among Six Nations followers, so why not? Dublin coulda, shoulda been a grand-slam decider.

As it is, we will almost certainly witness Ireland’s procession towards a second consecutive Six Nations title. Even if they lose.

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Six Nations: Townsend knows Scotland need ‘special’ day to beat Ireland

  • Tough task ahead with Ireland winning last nine successive ties
  • Gatland ‘loves’ pressure of avoiding wooden spoon with Wales

Gregor Townsend admits Scotland will have to “do something special” in Dublin as he challenged them to score at least 20 points against Ireland and give themselves a fighting chance of a first triple crown since 1990.

Scotland are heading to the Irish capital looking to save face after a shock defeat in Italy last weekend all but ended their hopes of winning the championship and left them staring at the possibility of finishing fifth if results go against them on Saturday.

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Professional darts player suspended after appearing to punch opponent in pub match

  • Adam Smith-Neale barred from competing during investigation
  • World No 82 suspended after incident at Nuneaton Darts Open

A professional darts player has been suspended after a video of him appearing to punch an opponent after losing a pub match went viral on social media.

The Darts Regulation Authority confirmed that the PDC world No 82, Adam “Big Dog” Smith-Neale, would be barred from attending or competing while it conducted an investigation into the incident, which took place at the Nuneaton Darts Open at the Lucky Break pub on Saturday.

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The Breakdown | Shooting for the stars: young guns are lighting up this year’s Six Nations

From Le Garrec’s mega pass to the mesmerising Menoncello and the mighty Martin, a new wave of impressive young talent is making its mark

There is still one final round of the 2024 Six Nations remaining but a striking trend is already apparent. Look across all the teams and a new wave of impressive young talent is announcing itself. While there will always be a place for cauliflower-eared experience at the highest level, it is rare for as many fresh faces to be making such a concerted impact on the grand old tournament.

Front and centre for France in Cardiff on Sunday was the 21-year-old l’homme du match Nolann Le Garrec, whose outrageous reverse Hail Mary long pass has rightly been delighting social media users from beyond rugby’s traditional audiences. Then there is Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, also 21, who was outstanding on his first start for England having missed training the week before to sit a medical exam. If his bedside manner is anything like his attacking instinct, the future of the National Health Service is in safe hands.

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Turning Luke Littler into a celebrity or brand is least interesting thing you can do | Jonathan Liew

The darting sensation’s story crossed over to the mainstream but his stage is on the oche not answering questions on a sofa

Luke Littler is sitting alone in the green room of the Jonathan Ross Show. By this point we have already heard: Liam Gallagher talking about his dog; Raye recounting her 6am trip to McDonald’s after winning six Brit Awards; Millie Bobby Brown from Stranger Things on her future wedding; the comedian Rob Beckett on his new quiz show. Gallagher and John Squire have played their new single. The chat is flowing. Famous people are laughing with polished, performative loudness.

There are about 10 minutes left when Littler is finally summoned to the famous brown sofa. He gets on exactly as you would expect of a 17-year-old with virtually zero experience of the celebrity milieu. Everything here is diffidence and shrugs, short even words delivered in a short even tone, not so much recalcitrance as a basic teenage refusal. He doesn’t hate your question. He doesn’t love your question. He doesn’t really think anything about your question at all. It’s just there, hanging, and he’s learned by now that if he says a few words the question will go away, a car is going to come and take him home and then he’s going to play on his Xbox.

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Alex Carey leads mighty run chase as Australia beat New Zealand in second Test

  • New Zealand 162 and 372; Australia 256 and 281-7
  • Carey unbeaten on 98 in three-wicket victory in Christchurch

Australia’s middle order squeaked out a mighty Test win in Christchurch, where Alex Carey’s fighting 98 not out defied New Zealand to wrap up a 2-0 series victory. Carey and Mitch Marsh, who made 80, did the business for Australia, which stumbled to 4-34 before reaching 281-7 to win.

Combining after the early loss of Travis Head (18) at 80-5, Marsh and Carey put on 140 runs together – the biggest partnership of the series, when the pressure was at its heaviest. New Zealand debutant Ben Sears gave Australia a mighty shake, removing Marsh and then Mitchell Starc in two balls to reduce the tourists to 220-7.

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Francesco Bagnaia begins defence of MotoGP title with Qatar GP victory

  • Ducati rider finished ahead of Brad Binder and Jorge Martín
  • Teenager Pedro Costa sets early pace but drops to ninth

Ducati’s defending world champion, Francesco Bagnaia, won the MotoGP season opening Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday after taking the lead in the opening lap to beat Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder and Pramac Racing’s pole sitter Jorge Martín.

Bagnaia had finished fourth in Saturday’s sprint but his faultless ride to take the chequered flag in the race moved him to the top of the championship with 31 points. Binder, who also finished second in the sprint, sits two points behind with 29 while last year’s championship runner-up, Martín, is a point further behind.

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