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Author: Harry Howes

What to wear at all our major 2025 events

Posted on by Harry Howes

We offer exclusive hospitality packages at all of the major sporting events in the UK and we’d love for you to join us. But before you go, be aware that different venues operate their own dress codes. Luckily for you, we’ve put everything you need to know all in one place.

Royal Ascot

The fanciest festival in racing has a strict dress code and for good reason – the royal family often attend Royal Ascot. The policy varies slightly depending on the enclosure but typically, men must wear a matching suit with a shirt and tie, while women should wear a dress or top and skirt with shoulder straps, as well as a hat or fascinator.

No formal dress code is enforced for regular jump race meetings, although you are encouraged to dress in a smart manner. Book Official with Engage

Henley Royal Regatta

Events don’t get more British than the Henley Royal Regatta, which gives punters the chance to dress to impress. It’s a formal event, with ladies expected to wear dresses or skirts that fall below the knee. Hats are traditionally worn, although they’re not compulsory.

Meanwhile, men should wear lounge suits, or a jacket or blazer with flannels, paired with a collared shirt. Ties are encouraged but not mandatory, while shorts, jeans and trainers are strictly off limits.

Cheltenham

One of horse racing’s most prestigious event returns next month, with thousands of racing fans gearing up for the Cheltenham Festival. Men are required to wear a suit or a jacket and tie, while ladies should don smart wear. Hats are optional but fancy dress is strictly forbidden.

Chelsea Flower Show

Although every year guests flaunt incredible looks, there is no official dress code for the Chelsea Flower Show. Dressing to impress is encouraged at one of Britain’s most prestigious events. 

For women, skirts, dresses and trousers are all suitable choices, with floral prints and bright colours popular. As the event is mainly on grass flats or chucky heels are advised.

For men smart casual attire is recommended. Light coloured polo shirts and floral print smart shirts are commonly seen each year. Chinos and linen trousers are also a fan favourite for the bottom half.

Twickenham

The Six Nations comes around again in 2025 and with four Autumn Nations Series games to come later in the year, we know what you’re all thinking: “What do I wear?” Luckily, we’ve got you covered so you won’t look out of place in the home of rugby’s hospitality areas.

Twickenham has a relaxed dress code, meaning you can dress casually. The only rule is that you don’t wear scruffy trainers or ripped jeans. And if you’re there cheering your team on, nobody is going to stop you – you’re more than welcome to wear your favourite rugby shirts and scarves.

Salon Privé

Salon Privé guests do not shy away when it comes to vibrant, glamorous looks. Generally, the dress code at the event is labelled as ‘garden party’ attire, where gentlemen are recommended to wear blazers, chinos and brogues. Ladies should wear chic daywear including summer dress, skirts and trousers. Hats and fascinators may also be required on certain days of the event.

Shorts and T-shirts are not permitted at Salon Privé.

Lord’s

There’s plenty of cricket action to look forward to at Lord’s this summer, including England’s Test matches against the West Indies and Sri Lanka. If you’re watching Bazball from the best seats in the house, the dress code is smart casual. Feel free to wear casual trousers, smart jeans and tailored shorts – just make sure you’re not wearing ripped denim, sports trainers or flip flops.

Wimbledon

Pimms and tennis go hand in hand and you can enjoy plenty of both from our hospitality areas at Wimbledon this summer. There’s no need to splash out on a Ralph Lauren suit to match the umpires – they only operate a smart casual dress code.

Emirates Old Trafford

Is there any better way to celebrate the end of summer than by watching an England Test match at Old Trafford? Watch the cricket in style in Manchester, where they operate a smart casual dress code.

Smart jeans and trainers are allowed but tracksuits, shorts and offensive t-shirts are not. And while it may be just down the road from Manchester United’s iconic stadium, football shirts are also off limits.

Wembley

With England internationals and the FA Cup final to look forward to, Wembley is the place to be to watch football this year. We offer plenty of exclusive hospitality packages, with all areas operating a smart casual policy with no ripped jeans or sports trainers. There’s no official dress code in Club Wembley but you’re not allowed to wear replica shirts.

Silverstone

The British Grand Prix marks the midway point of the F1 season and Lewis Hamilton will be desperate to win at Silverstone for a record ninth time. Join us in hospitality for the best views of the track, where a smart casual dress code applies. Jeans and smart trainers are allowed and if it’s a baking hot day, don’t worry because tailored shorts are also fine.

Six Nations Week 3: England lose as Italy shock France

Posted on by Harry Howes

Following a two-week break, the Six Nations was back with a bang over the weekend. Ireland continued their pursuit of a Grand Slam double as they put struggling Wales to the sword.

Meanwhile, Scotland claimed bragging rights over England once again, while France’s struggles continued as Italy claimed a shock result.

Six Nations Table

 TeamPlayedWonDrawnLostPDBonusPoints
1Ireland330081315
2Scotland3201619
3England3201-408
4France3111-1706
5Wales3003-2733
6Italy3012-3913
Six Nations Hospitality

Scotland continue winning run against England

Following a masterclass from Duhan van der Merwe, Scotland claimed a fourth successive Six Nations win over England for the first time since the late 19th century.

The winger stole the show with a hat-trick of tries, including a breathtaking solo effort, to become the first Scotland player to score a treble in the Calcutta Cup. Finn Russell’s faultless kicking secured three conversions and three penalties to cement the win for the Scots.

After just about edging past Wales last time out, there were fears that England would be punished if they didn’t step up their unconvincing performances. And Scotland took full advantage at Murrayfield, meaning England missed out on winning their opening three games for the first time since 2017.

The good news for England is that their new-look team is still finding its feet and George Furbank and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso will take confidence from their first tries. The bad news is that their next game is against successive Grand Slam-chasing Ireland.

For Scotland, they’ll be confident of beating Italy next time out. Following that, their final game is against the Irish, which could end up being a Six Nations decider.

France held to surprise draw by Italy

The most surprising thing about Sunday’s match in Lille wasn’t that Italy held France to a draw – it was that Italy should have won.

Paolo Garbisi had a golden chance to claim just a second Six Nations win since 2015 for his nation as he stepped up for an injury-time penalty. But as the ball fell off the tee, he lost focus in an attempt to beat the shot clock and saw his effort cannon back off the post.

France were in control at half-time, winning 10-3, and would have expected to push on after the break. But after Jonathan Danty was sent off following a half-time review, Italy rallied in the second half to claim an historic result that should have been so much more.

Ahead of the competition, France wouldn’t have expected to have just one win from their opening three matches. But after their controversial win against Scotland, they can count themselves lucky they haven’t lost all three.

France take on Wales next time out, who are hungry for blood following three consecutive defeats. Meanwhile, Italy face Scotland in what will be another tricky test, although their second-half resurgence against France will give them confidence that they can get more points on the board.

Ireland continue Grand Slam pursuit

While the other two matches were reasonably close, Ireland continued their dominance with a 31-7 win over Wales in Dublin.

The hosts were out of sight at half-time, finding themselves 17-0 up thanks to tries from Dan Sheehan and James Lowe. And despite Wales’ threat of a comeback, they held firm to secure another bonus point win.

Their dream of back-to-back Grand Slams continues and if they can secure victory at Twickenham next weekend, they’ll set a new record of 12 consecutive Six Nations wins.

While Wales have now lost all three of their opening matches, they’re yet to be completely blown away, having only narrowly lost to Scotland and England. They could spring a surprise against France next time out, who will still be licking their wounds, while they face Italy in the final week, which gives them a chance to climb up the table.

Week 4 fixtures

Italy v Scotland – Saturday 9th March, 14:15

England v Ireland – Saturday 9th March, 16:45

Wales v France – Sunday 10th March, 15:00

India v England: Can England bounce back?

Posted on by Harry Howes

England’s Test series continues in India this week and following a disappointing showing last time out, Brendan McCullum’s side are looking to bounce back in style. A shock win to kick off the series gave England hope of causing an upset but India ultimately showed their class, winning the second and third Tests with relative ease.

But with two matches left to play, England remain confident and will be looking to reward the fans that have travelled with something to shout about, as well as make the 4am starts for those of us back home worth it.

The story so far

Given India haven’t lost a Test series at home for 12 years, there wasn’t too much optimism for England going into the series. Yet, as we have often seen with Bazball, McCullum’s side were able to spring a surprise in the opener.

In one of England’s best ever away victories, they stunned the hosts, winning a dramatic first Test by 28 runs. Ollie Pope stole the show with the bat, bouncing back from a solitary run in the first innings to show his class, producing a stunning 196 to record England’s second-highest ever score in a second innings in India.

And it wasn’t just Pope’s runs that made the difference. Lancashire bowler Tom Hartley was a surprise inclusion in the side but a magnificent 7-62 on his debut left India stunned. Hartley’s first ball in Test cricket was knocked for six but he shook off his early nerves to deliver an iconic performance.

While confidence was high in the England camp following the first Test, it didn’t take long for India to bring them back down to earth. They’ve lost just three of their previous 46 home Tests and they soon showed why.

They set England a target of 399 on their second innings and what would have been one of their greatest-ever run chases proved too much. India ultimately won by 106 runs, thanks in large part to opener Yashavi Jaiswal’s phenomenal first innings 209, which included seven sixes.

If India’s performance in the second Test didn’t shock England, they soon made up for it. The third match in the series was about as one-sided as you can get, with the visitors struggling to compete in Rajkot.

The hosts set a strong target of 445 and while England didn’t disgrace themselves in reply, securing 319 thanks to Ben Duckett’s 153, there was still a lot of work to do. But their hopes of a famous upset were soon over before they’d even started.

Jaiswal picked up where he left off, recording 214 not out as India declared, leaving England with a daunting target of 557. A pitiful batting response saw them bowled out for 122, with Mark Wood the only batsman to surpass 20 runs.

It was the biggest win in India’s history and England’s worst defeat for 90 years. Their only slim saving grace is that it surely can’t get any worse for the rest of the series.

England target historic turnaround

The fourth Test gets underway in Ranchi in the early hours of tomorrow and something needs to change following the capitulation last time out. McCullum has named Ollie Robinson in the side for the first time this series, while Shoaib Bashir is back after missing the previous Test.

Rehan Ahmed and Wood miss out from the bowling line-up, which could include Stokes for the first time since his knee surgery in November. The England captain has been seen bowling in the nets and there’s a chance he returns with the ball in hand in a bid to turn his side’s fortunes around.

Stokes has already commented on the conditions of the pitch in Ranchi, which is showing cracks on either side of the wicket before a ball has been bowled. The series has been unpredictable to say the least so far and the quality of the pitch may yet lead to further twists and turns.

While we don’t know what will happen on the pitch, one thing that’s certain is that England won’t make drastic changes to their approach and style of play. Since McCullum and Stokes took the reins, they’ve stuck to their Bazball principles for good and for bad.

Their full throttle, aggressive play looks great when it works, as we saw in the first Test, while it has the potential to lead to embarrassment when it doesn’t quite go England’s way. But with the players conditioned to it and raring to go, there’s every chance that it can yield another iconic result and cause an historic upset in the remaining two Tests of the series.

Looking ahead to a summer of cricket

Regardless of the result, it’s fair to say English cricket is alive and kicking right now and a strong performance in the final two Tests will really whet the appetite for the rest of 2024.

Ahead of the T20 World Cup, England host Pakistan in a warm-up series in May as they look to bounce back from a disappointing showing in last year’s ODI World Cup. Bazball will then be back in action as England host the West Indies and Sri Lanka in two Test series on home soil.

And the action continues well into September, with Australia visiting to take on England in a T20 and ODI series. To see all the action from the best seats in the house, enquire about our exclusive hospitality packages today.

April

May 2025

June

ICON Legends – Serena Williams – Queen of Tennis

Posted on by Harry Howes

As our ICON Legends series continues, it’s time to take another trip to the world of tennis to look back on the phenomenal career of Serena Williams. The American is undeniably one of the greatest performers in the history of sport, let alone tennis.

Williams won an incredible 23 Grand Slams across her career, making her the most successful female player in the Open Era. She’s just one major title behind Novak Djokovic and Margaret Court, who currently share top spot in the all-time rankings.

Having first turned pro in 1995, it took her just four years to claim her first major title. Her breakthrough came on home soil as she won the US Open in 1999 and she never looked back, sparking a new era of tennis dominance.

The GOAT?

Serena was almost unstoppable in both singles and doubles, winning a combined 39 Grand Slams across both disciplines. She spent a total of 319 weeks as world number one throughout her career, which adds up to more than six years at the top of the pile.

To this day, she remains the only player in history to land a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles. She claimed gold in both at the 2012 Olympics, beating Maria Sharapova in the singles final and losing just one game in the process.

In fact, such was her success, she even had a monumental achievement named in her honour. After winning four consecutive slams from the French Open in 2002 to the Australian Open in 2003, the feat was dubbed the ‘Serena Slam’. She repeated the accomplishment again in 2014-15.

Doubles dominance

As well as blasting through all contenders in the singles game, Serena was also a force to be reckoned with in doubles alongside sister Venus. Between them, the pair won an incredible 14 Grand Slam titles and went their careers unbeaten in major finals.

They particularly enjoyed playing at the home of tennis, winning at Wimbledon on six occasions. In fact, four of those titles came in the same year that Serena won the singles title at SW19.

Together, Serena and Venus also won three Olympic gold medals. While representing the USA, they secured the ultimate accomplishment at Sydney in 2000 and Beijing in 2008, before completing the hat-trick at London 2012. As a result of her Olympic success, Serena remains the only player in tennis history to complete the Career Golden Slam on three different occasions.

Sibling rivalry

While Venus Williams was a phenomenal player in her own right, it’s fair to say that she spent much of her career in the shadow of her sister. The siblings met in nine different Grand Slam finals, with Serena claiming victory in seven of them.

Appropriately, Serena’s final ever Grand Slam win came at the expense of Venus. The pair met in the 2017 Australian Open final and Serena won both sets 6-4 to secure major title number 23.

In a demonstration of her dominance, Serena didn’t drop a set throughout the entire tournament and went out with a bang. She continued for another five years, including a comeback having taken time out to have a baby, before officially hanging up her racket in 2022.

Tennis has seen some phenomenal players come and go over the years. Fans of the sport will never agree on who the best of all time is, with everybody having differing opinions. However, there’s one thing that everybody can unanimously agree on and that is that Serena Williams is more than deserving of her place in the conversation.

BRIT Awards 2024: Everything you need to know

Posted on by Harry Howes

Awards season is in full swing and they don’t get much more exciting than the BRITs. A celebration of British music and beyond, the iconic ceremony returns to London next month.

Once again, the BRITs will take place at the O2 Arena, with Clara Amfo, Maya Jama and Roman Kemp set to host proceedings. The event will take place on Saturday 2nd March and will be broadcast live on ITV.

RAYE, Dua Lipa and Kylie Minogue have been announced as performers for the show and all three will have their fingers crossed that they’ll be going home with one (or more!) of the famous Britannia statuettes. Jungle and Rema will also be taking to the stage, with more acts likely to be announced.

Harry Styles dominated last year’s BRITs, picking up four awards including ‘Album of the Year’, ‘Artist of the Year’ and ‘Song of the Year’. And fellow boy band member turned solo artist Robbie Williams is the most successful BRITs winner in history, having won a record 13 awards on his own, as well as another five as part of Take That.

Ahead of this year’s event, we’ve outlined everything you need to know.

Can RAYE make history?

Following an incredible 2023, British singer RAYE has broken the record for the most-ever BRIT nominations in a single year.

The 26-year-old is up for seven different awards including ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Artist of the Year’. RAYE also has two tracks up for ‘Song of the Year’, and she’ll be hoping to scoop gongs for ‘Best New Artist’, ‘Pop Act’ and ‘R&B Act’.

She’s the favourite to win ‘Album of the Year’ with her stunning record My 21st Century Blues, although the likes of Little Simz, Blur and J Hus will be hoping to pip her to the title. Meanwhile, Dua Lipa, Fred Again and Dave are her main rivals for ‘Artist of the Year’.

In fact, Dua Lipa is also in contention for ‘Song of the Year’ with Dance The Night as well as ‘Pop Act’ and she’ll be looking to add to her collection, having already previously won six BRIT awards.

RAYE’s hits Escapism and Prada are among those vying to be crowned the year’s best song, while Dave and Central Cee will be hoping they can claim the honours with Sprinter.

Who else could win at the BRITs?

Taylor Swift caught headlines this week as she proudly watched NFL star boyfriend Travis Kelce retain the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. And the singer could be celebrating again next month having been nominated for ‘International Artist of the Year’. But she’ll face stiff competition in a category that includes the likes of Kylie Minogue, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey.

Elsewhere, iconic britpop band Blur have a rich history with the BRITs. Damon Albarn and co. have won five awards and the 1996 ceremony saw their feud with Oasis peak. Blur made their comeback last year and have been rewarded with three nominations for ‘Album of the Year’, ‘Group of the Year’ and ‘Alternative/Rock Act’.

Watch the Brits from the best seats in the house

The iconic awards will be broadcast live on ITV but if you’d rather be there to see them in person, you’re in the right place. We’ve got three exclusive hospitality packages that give you access to the show and after party.

You can enjoy a delicious three-course pre-show meal with our Diamond Dining experience or watch all the action from the comfort of a private Sapphire Suite, complete with complimentary drinks. To book your place at this year’s BRIT Awards, enquire about our hospitality packages today.

Six Nations Week 2: England and Ireland win again

Posted on by Harry Howes

Another thrilling weekend of Six Nations action has been and gone, with Ireland refusing to slow down in their pursuit of another Grand Slam. But England are hot on their tail, which could set up a mouth-watering clash when the pair meet in week four.

Meanwhile, Scotland were denied a second win a row after cruelly missing out on a match-winning try late on against France. Following an entertaining second round of matches, we’ve taken a look at all the key talking points.

Six Nations Table

TeamPlayedWonDrawnLostPDBonusPoints
1Ireland220057210
2England2200508
3Scotland2101-315
4France2101-1704
5Wales2002-333
6Italy2002-3911
Six Nations Hospitality

England fight back to edge past Wales

Having scraped past Italy in an unconvincing performance last time out, there was pressure on England to step up as they welcomed Wales to Twickenham. It looked as though they were on their way to a limp defeat as they went into half-time 14-5 down, trailing at the break for the second game in a row.

Wales hadn’t won at Twickenham since 2015 and they were looking to bounce back after losing to Scotland the week before. But once again, Steve Borthwick’s half-time team talk seemed to work as England fought back to claim their second win in this year’s Six Nations.

George Ford’s first-half conversion attempt was run down and he then failed to convert Fraser Dingwall’s try after the break, leaving his side short. But the fly-half was ultimately the hero as his late penalty secured a narrow 16-14 win for England.

They’re now second in the table but they’ll need to step things up once again when they head up north to face Scotland on 24th February. Meanwhile, Wales face a daunting test against table-toppers Ireland, who they beat in this competition back in 2021.

Scotland denied famous win over France

After losing their opening match to Ireland, France got their Six Nations campaign up and running with a win over Scotland. They ran out 20-16 winners at Murrayfield on Saturday but it wasn’t without controversy.

The hosts thought they’d secured their fifth consecutive home victory when Sam Skinner looked to have planted the ball over the line at the death. But with the TMO unable to conclusively confirm the ball was grounded, Scotland were denied what would’ve been a match-winning try.

The Scots were understandably frustrated, particularly having played so well to get to that point. They led 13-10 at the break and perhaps should’ve been further ahead. But ultimately France showed just enough quality to win for the 10th time in their last 12 Six Nations outings.

Having lost out to Ireland, France are now a game behind in their hunt to come out on top and they’ll be hungry to build their momentum as they take on minnows Italy next week. Meanwhile, Scotland host old rivals England and they’ll be looking to beat them in the Six Nations for the fourth time in a row.

Ireland continue Grand Slam defence against Italy

Having got off to the best possible start by beating main challengers France in their opening game, Ireland continued their Grand Slam dream by brushing Italy aside with ease. The reigning champions are looking to become the first ever team to claim back-to-back Grand Slams and they were in full flow in Dublin.

Ireland ran out 36-0 winners and once again, new fly-half Jack Crowley grew into his role as the heir to Johnny Sexton. The 24-year-old scored a first-half try and recovered well from a poor early kick to convert twice.

Ireland also claimed another bonus point from Dan Sheehan’s second try which edged them clear at the top of the table. It was far from Ireland’s best performance and some of their sloppier play may have been punished by a stronger opponent.

However, they’ll learn from their mistakes going into the next round of fixtures where they face Wales. For Italy, it was always going to be a difficult day and things don’t get much easier next time out as they travel to France.

Week 3 fixtures

Ireland v Wales – Saturday 24th February, 14:15

Scotland v England – Saturday 24th February, 16:45

France v Italy – Sunday 25th February, 15:00

The ones to watch at this year’s Cheltenham Festival

Posted on by Harry Howes

They say the first sign of spring is the emergence of daffodils but for sports fans, it’s the start of the Cheltenham festival. Horse racing’s biggest event returns next month, with thousands of excited punters set to flock to Gloucestershire for the four-day event.

Ahead of the famous festival, we’ve taken an early look at all the key races and which horses are likely to be contenders.

When is Cheltenham?

The festival gets underway on Tuesday 12th March and if you want to see the world’s finest racehorses from the best seats in the house, you can make the most of our exclusive hospitality packages.

March 2026
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Who are the favourites for the big races?

Cheltenham Gold Cup

One of horse racing’s most iconic races returns to Cheltenham next month and reigning champion Galopin Des Champs is the favourite to retain his crown. Paul Townend rode the star to glory last year and the pair are in good form having secured a second successive Irish Gold Cup last week. Willie Mullins is looking to win the Gold Cup for the fourth time having secured back-to-back victories with Al Boum Photo in 2019 and 2020.

Their likeliest competitor is Fastorslow, who has got the better of Galopin Des Champs twice in recent months. But Fastorslow, who came second in the Handicap Chase last year, had no reply as he was left in Galopin Des Champs’ wake at Leopardstown over the weekend.

Shishkin is also targeting Gold Cup success and will look to race into form in the Denman Chase at Newbury on Saturday. Nicky Henderson’s contender fell at the second last on his latest outing in the King George on Boxing Day. Meanwhile, Bravemansgame and Conflated return to the field having finished second and third in the Gold Cup a year ago.

Champion Hurdle

Just like the Gold Cup, the reigning champion is back to defend their title in the Champion Hurdle. Having won it last year, Constitution Hill and Nico de Boinville will reunite and they’re in strong form following a dominating performance in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.

But State Man is out for revenge. Mullins’ horse came second to Constitution Hill last year and will be desperate to make amends this time around. The seven-year-old has won all four of his races since, including the Irish Champion Hurdle last weekend.

Zanahiyr did well to finish third in last year’s event but is unlikely to threaten again, while Mullins’ Lossiemouth could challenge.

Queen Mother Champion Chase

Another pair of rivals will go head-to-head in the Queen Mother Champion Chase in the form of El Fabiolo and Jonbon. The pair finished first and second in last year’s Arkle, with Mullins’ El Fabiolo coming out on top by 5 ½ lengths.

Ridden by Townend, he’s the favourite to go all the way again having won all three of his races since, including the Dublin Chase. Meanwhile, Jonbon is well practised against his opponents. He’s seen off challenges from fellow Champion Chase contender Edwardstone twice recently, while he suffered a narrow defeat to Elixir De Nutz last month.

Energumene has been victorious in the last two editions of the Champion Chase but will be denied the chance of a hat-trick having been ruled out through injury.

Stayers’ Hurdle

Sire Du Berlais was the shock 33/1 winner in last year’s Stayers’ Hurdle, ridden by Mark Walsh. The 12-year-old will run again this time around but is unlikely to repeat the feat.

Stablemate Teahupoo was third that day and is the favourite to come out on top this time. Gordon Elliott’s prospect has only run twice since the Stayers’ a year ago, winning just once. However, that victory came at the expense of Impaire Et Passe, who would have been among the favourites if he was racing this year.

Horse Racing Hospitality

Six Nations Week 1: Ireland show they mean business

Posted on by Harry Howes

After months of anticipation, the Six Nations finally got underway on Friday night as France and Ireland kicked off a dramatic opening weekend. Reigning champions Ireland were victorious as the heavyweight pair met in Marseille.

Meanwhile, England and Scotland also both made winning starts, coming out on top in narrow away victories. Following an action-packed first round of matches, we’ve taken a look at all the key talking points.

Can Ireland achieve another Grand Slam?

As Ireland travelled to take on fellow France, there was a feeling that the winner of the opening clash would likely go on to win the competition. And that may prove to be Ireland, who ran riot in a dominant performance.

The reigning champions are looking to become the first ever team to win back-to-back Grand Slams and they’ll have to do it without legendary captain Johnny Sexton. But the iconic fly-half wasn’t needed at the weekend as the inexperienced Jack Crowley stepped up, converting all five of his side’s tries and adding a penalty.

The win was Ireland’s biggest ever away victory in France and with Italy up next, they’ve got a real chance to build some momentum as they look to defend their Six Nations crown.

While France were among the favourites to win the competition, they looked shell shocked as they were run ragged. They lacked creativity without star player Antoine Dupont, who has elected not to play as he saves himself for the rugby sevens at this summer’s Olympics.

A lack of spark going forward, combined with a red card for Paul Willemse after just half an hour, condemned France to a miserable opening day defeat. They visit Scotland this weekend and they’ll be desperate to put this behind them.

Six Nations Hospitality

England end opening game hoodoo in Italy

Italy have finished bottom of the table in each of the last eight Six Nations tournaments, winning just one game in the process. But England had to come from behind to edge a narrow contest in Rome.

It brought an end to four consecutive opening game defeats for England but they were far from convincing. While getting the win was the most important thing, they’ll be punished if they play like that against stronger opposition.

With Owen Farrell not involved in this year’s Six Nations and Marcus Smith injured, it was George Ford on kicking duties against Italy. And the fly-half was very much needed as he scored five penalties and a conversion to pull England clear.

They welcome Wales to Twickenham at the weekend and Steve Borthwick’s side will be keen to build on a promising result with a performance to match.

Despite the defeat, Italy will take huge positives from their display. However, while they’d love to continue in that vein in their next outing, they face a daunting trip to high-flying Ireland on Sunday.

Scotland survive comeback to see off Wales

If Saturday’s game in Cardiff had ended after 43 minutes, rugby fans across Europe may have been tipping Scotland for a surprise run at their first Six Nations title this century. Yet an almost incredible comeback from Wales made the end result much closer than the Scots would have liked.

The visitors looked to be running away with it, racing into a 20-0 lead at half-time before adding another seven points just after the break. But it truly was a game of two halves and they just about held on to win by a point.

Wales scored four second-half tries and put the pressure on but didn’t quite have enough as it finished 26-27 and Scotland claimed their first win in Cardiff for 22 years.

The hosts rang the changes at half-time time, with Warren Gatland trusting his younger contingent to rescue the game. Their promising performance showed that the new Wales era has real potential and if they can replicate their second-half performance at the weekend they’ll give England a real contest.

For Scotland, they’ll need to quickly put their collapse behind them. They welcome France to Murrayfield on Saturday who are looking to get their Six Nations campaign up and running.

Formula One: Can anyone end Max Verstappen’s reign?

Posted on by Harry Howes

It’s almost time for the green flag to wave to signal the start of the 2024 Formula One season and Max Verstappen will have a fourth consecutive title firmly in his sights.

The Red Bull maestro raced to glory last year, winning all but three races in a dominating season. However, he’ll face stiff competition in the form of Lewis Hamilton, who is looking to edge ahead of Michael Schumacher in the all-time rankings.

When does the Formula One season start?

It feels like just yesterday that the curtain closed on last season but the new campaign is just over a month away. The Bahrain Grand Prix will get proceedings underway on 2nd March and it’s a course that Hamilton knows well having won there a record five times.

Verstappen claimed his maiden win there a year ago and he’ll be targeting another fast start this time around. The 2024 season marks the 75th edition of the F1 Drivers’ Championship and it will host a record-high 24 races.

All of the 22 Grands Prix from last year are included, while the Chinese Grand Prix returns for the first time since 2019 following complications related to the pandemic. Elsewhere, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is also back on the schedule after being called off last time out due to flooding.

The British Grand Prix marks the midway point of the season. The iconic race takes place on 7th July and is another course where Hamilton holds the record with eight wins. Much like in Bahrain, Verstappen won at Silverstone for the first time in 2023.

Once again, the season will finish with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which takes place on 8th December.

Formula 1 racing at the 2023 British Grand Prix in Silverstone

2024 British Grand Prix Hospitality

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Verstappen looks to make it four in a row

It’s fair to say that Verstappen has dominated the sport in recent years and he stepped things up in 2023 as he finished almost 300 points clear at the top of the standings. He was unstoppable as he won all but three races, as well as twice finishing as runner-up.

The 26-year-old is looking to become just the fifth driver in history to win four titles in a row and it’s a feat that would put him in esteemed company alongside Hamilton, Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Juan Manuel Fangio.

It could be argued that Verstappen is yet to reach his peak and the only way is up. If he can carry on driving for as long as Hamilton, there’s no knowing how many titles he could finish his career with.

However, this season is inevitably going to be more difficult. Verstappen is unlikely to win 19 races again so he’ll need to find a different gear in order to see off the challenges of his rivals.

Can McLaren and Ferrari spoil the party?

The F1 championship has been won by a driver from Red Bull or Mercedes every single year since 2009, when Jenson Button claimed it for Brawn. McLaren last won it in 2008 thanks to Hamilton while Ferrari, despite their early noughties dominance with Schumacher, haven’t won it since Kimi Raikkonen’s success the year before.

While Red Bull will be banking on another title this season, McLaren and Ferrari both have contenders in their ranks. The main man for McLaren is Lando Norris, who managed to finish sixth in 2023 despite a disappointing start to the season.

The Brit bounced back strongly and finished on the podium in six of the final nine races, including on home soil at Silverstone. He’ll be confident of taking his end of season form into the campaign and challenge Verstappen for the title.

Meanchile, Ferrari star Charles Leclerc finished fifth last year, finishing in the top five on eight occasions, including three podiums. The 26-year-old finished second overall in 2022, winning three races, and he’s shown he’s capable of getting the better of Verstappen in the past.

Both Norris and Leclerc have recently signed new deals with their respective teams, ending speculation that they could be tempted to jump ship and join Verstappen at Red Bull with Serio Perez’s contract set to expire at the end of the year.

Hamilton looks to become GOAT

While Verstappen’s dominance in recent years has shown he’s clearly the best at the moment, he’s got a long way to go to match the legacy of Hamilton.

The Mercedes star has won seven titles in his glittering career, although he’s on a drought by his high standards having not finished on top since 2020. Hamilton is level with Schumacher in the all-time rankings and he’s determined to clinch a record-breaking eighth before calling it a day.

The 39-year-old came third last year and despite finishing almost 350 points behind Verstappen and failing to win a race, he still performed admirably, finishing on the podium on five occasions.

Australian Open: Sinner claims first Grand Slam

Posted on by Harry Howes

The Australian Open title and Novak Djokovic have almost become synonymous in recent years but remarkably, the Serbian didn’t even make the final this time around.

Just as Carlos Alcaraz made the headlines for his stunning win at Wimbledon last summer, there’s a new kid on the block in Melbourne. Remember the name: Jannik Sinner.

The Italian stormed to his first Grand Slam win following a dominant few weeks in Australia. In fact, his impressive semi-final display condemned Djokovic to a first defeat at the tournament in six years.

Elsewhere, Aryna Sabalenka picked up where she left off a year ago and she now has her eyes firmly set on Iga Świątek’s crown as the queen of tennis.

Sinner claims maiden Grand Slam

There’s never a bad time to claim your first Grand Slam and Sinner has started 2024 in style as he dominated for much of the tournament. Alongside Alcaraz, there are hopes that the 22-year-old can build on this and start a new era in tennis once Djokovic and Rafael Nadal call it a day.

Sinner dropped just one set on his way to the final – a narrow tie-break against Djokovic – and he reacted superbly to come back from two sets down to stun Daniil Medvedev in the final.

History repeated itself for Medvedev, who also lost a two-set lead against Nadal in the 2022 final, and he’s now tasted defeat in three of the last four Australian Open finals.

Sinner has gone from strength to strength in the last year and has now won 20 of his last 21 matches. He’s emerged as one of the biggest threats in the men’s game following a first semi-final at Wimbledon last year, where he was beaten in straight sets by Djokovic.

Djokovic made to wait for record-breaking Slam

Ahead of the tournament, Djokovic was looking to make history and become the all-time leading Grand Slam winner. The 36-year-old is currently tied on 24 major titles with Australian legend Margaret Court.

He looked to be on his way to a fifth Australian Open title in six years as he stormed to the semi-finals, dropping just three sets in the process. But Djokovic was swept aside by Sinner, who claimed the first two sets 6-1 and 6-2 before finishing the job in the fourth.

It was Djokovic’s first defeat at the Australian Open in 2,195 days and put an end to an incredible 33-match winning run at the tournament. The loss to Sinner was his first in Melbourne since 2018 and it was the first time in his career that he failed to create a break point in a Grand Slam match.

Djokovic has been hugely critical of his performances throughout the tournament and he’ll be more determined than ever to claim his record-breaking Grand Slam title at the French Open later this year.

Tennis Hospitality

Sabalenka strolls to Australian Open title defence

In the women’s tournament, Sabalenka claimed her second successive Australian Open title as she saw off Qinwen Zheng in the final.

In fact, the Belarusian won every single set on her way to glory and Coco Gauff in the semi-final was the only opponent to take more than three games off her in a single set.

It was only Sabalenka’s second Grand Slam win and puts to bed a successful but ultimately frustrating 2023. She followed up last year’s Australian Open win with semi-final defeats at both the French Open and Wimbledon before losing the US Open final to Gauff.

She’ll now want to build on this and rival world number one Świątek to be the best female player on the planet. Świątek was the pre-tournament favourite to triumph in Melbourne but she unexpectedly crashed out in the third round at the hands of Czech player Linda Nosková.

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