Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer says the team’s aim of finishing fourth in this year’s championship hasn’t changed despite its disappointing start to its 2023 campaign last weekend in Bahrain. Alpine’s results were a mixed back in Sakhir where Esteban Ocon qualified among the top ten while teammate Pierre Gasly inexplicably brought up the rear in Saturday’s session. On race day, Ocon’s evening turned into an unwilling penalty-fest that concluded with a DNF, but Gasly put in a spirited drive to carve his way through the field and finish P9. But it wasn’t the start Alpine was hoping for, especially as rival Aston Martin – Szafnauer’s former team – emerged…

Ex-New Zealand prop Campbell Johnstone has been hailed as a ‘trailblazer’ after becoming the first All Black to come out as gay. Johnstone featured in three Tests for the national team and also played for the Crusaders, Biarritz and Ospreys. The 43-year-old is hoping that coming out publicly can help other rugby players and remove the stigma of being gay. Helping other people “If I can be the first All Black that comes out as gay and take away the pressure and stigma surrounding the issue it can actually help other people,” he told Seven Sharp. “We’ll know that there is one amongst the All Blacks. “If I open up…

As reported by Fabrizio Romano, PSG striker Mauro Icardi (29) is nearing a loan move to Turkish side Galatasaray, which will include an option to make the move permanent.  Icardi has yet to feature for PSG this season and has fallen further down the pecking order at the Parc des Princes due to the arrival of Hugo Ekitike (20). The Argentine recently posted a picture of himself in Miami.  Now, according to Romano, Icardi is “close” to joining Galatasaray on loan with an option to make the deal permanent. The move, first revealed by Romano, has been confirmed by RMC. According to the French publication, the deal is “on the right path, and only a few details need…

Jolyon Palmer believes that Aston Martin’s remarkable level of performance could see Fernando Alonso finally break his “long win draught” in Formula 1. Aston’s new-spec AMR23 has caught the attention of the sport’s front-runners since the start of the season, and especially after last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix which Alonso finished third. The remarkable result confirmed Team Silverstone’s rising power first noted in pre-season testing and the emergence of its package as a genuine top-three contender. “Fernando Alonso has been waiting a decade for a car that he can compete with at the sharp end of Formula 1, and finally in 2023 it seems he has one,” wrote Palmer in…

Wales have named their team to face Ireland in the opening game of the Six Nations, with Leigh Halpenny earning a first start since 2021. Halfpenny, who featured as a replacement against Georgia in the Autumn Nations Series, is handed a starting place by returning head coach Warren Gatland. He joins Rio Dyer and Josh Adams in the back three while Joe Hawkins makes his Six Nations bow at inside centre alongside George North in the midfield. Dan Biggar is back at fly-half Dan Biggar, who missed the Autumn Nations Series through injury, returns to Wales‘ XV at fly-half and is joined in the half-backs by Tomos Williams at nine. Up…

As reported by RMC Sport, Nice fans have been banned from travelling to Corsica ahead of their match tomorrow against Ajaccio, in the wake of the incidents in the stands that marred the build-up to their Conference League match against Köln on Thursday. The local police authority has indicated that the decision was taken due to the “numerous consecutive [instances] of trouble to the public order of violent behaviour from certain supporters of both clubs in the last few seasons”, as well as the “historic rivalry between the two clubs”. Supporters clashed in the stands in the build-up to the midweek European clash, after a day which was fraught with tension…

A bumper Sydney crowd doesn't faze Allan Alaalatoa and his Brumbies as they kick off their Super Rugby Pacific campaign against their biggest rivals.The Brumbies head to the new-look Allianz Stadium for the first time and battle the NSW Waratahs on Friday night, expecting a hostile environment and looking to again assert themselves as the nation's best club team.For Alaalatoa, that means excitement rather than intimidation, saying it is the latest symptom of the buzz around rugby in Australia in the lead-up to September's World Cup."It's everywhere … and that's awesome," he said."As players, we want to be performing in front of full stadiums, and we're looking forward to that."We…

Franceinfo report this morning that last night that Mathias Pogba, who was being held in police custody since Wednesday, is set to face an examining magistrate ahead of a potential investigation procedure. RMC were indicating last night that he was due to be taken to the legal tribunal this morning. All five of the people who were taken into custody since the start of the week, as part of the investigation into an alleged armed extortion and blackmail attempt against Paul Pogba, will face the judge this Saturday morning. Earlier on Friday, Mathias Pogba had told investigators that the video uploaded in late August promising “revelations” regarding his brother was…

A new season of Super Rugby Pacific is set to get underway on February 24.The Crusaders will be eager to defend their title, opening the competition against the Chiefs.This will be followed by a blockbuster Australian clash between the NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies.Ahead of the 2023 season, here is everything you need to know about Super Rugby Pacific.WHAT CHANNEL IS SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC ON IN AUSTRALIA AND HOW TO WATCH?Every game of the Super Rugby Pacific competition will be live and ad-free on Stan Sport.Along with this, one game per week on Saturday night will be shown live across the Channel Nine network.SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC 2023 DRAWRound 1 Friday 24…

Click:candle container France head coach Fabien Galthie has named his team to face Ireland in the second round of the Six Nations at the Aviva Stadium. The defending champions kicked off their 2023 campaign with a narrow 29-24 victory over Italy in Rome, with Galthie sticking with largely the same matchday squad for round two. Unchanged starting line-up Galthie has named an unchanged starting line-up to face Andy Farrell’s Ireland on Saturday, with two alterations made to the bench. Antoine Dupont captains the side from scrum-half, with Romain Ntamack retained at number 10 despite Matthieu Jalibert’s impact from the bench against Italy. Yoram Moefana and Gael Fickou continue their combination…