England sweeps another Women's Six Nations after beating France by one point
LONDON — England won a seventh successive Women's Six Nations title after surviving a sensational France fightback by 43-42 at Twickenham on Saturday.
Both unbeaten teams were playing for a Grand Slam. England trailed only once, very early, and only for two minutes.
But there was nothing inevitable about its fourth successive Grand Slam even though it led 31-7 after 24 minutes, 38-21 after halftime, and 43-28 near the hour mark after winger Abby Dow's second try and England's seventh.
France, the last team to beat England in the championship when it won the 2018 title, stormed back in the last 10 minutes with tries by Morgane Bourgeois and Joanna Grisez, both converted by Bourgeois.
Only seconds remained after France's sixth and last converted try in front of an entertained crowd of 37,573.
England has won 34 consecutive games in the championship, the longest streak by any side in the men's or women's tournaments. The English have also won 21 of the 30 women's titles since the first championship in 1996.
They host the Women's Rugby World Cup in August.
Ireland finished third even though it lost to Scotland 26-19 in Edinburgh. At 19-19 and the clock nearly in red, Scotland waived a penalty kick while goalkicker Helen Nelson was in the sin-bin, forced a corner lineout and worked winger Francesca McGhie over in the left corner. Nelson converted from wide out.
Whether Scotland finishes fourth for a third straight year depends on the Italy-Wales game in Parma on Sunday, which was postponed a day because of the Pope's funeral.
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New York Times
19 minutes ago
- New York Times
Inside Thomas Frank's Tottenham Hotspur appointment
Thomas Frank is probably the greatest manager in Brentford's history. He spent nearly seven years in charge of the west London side and guided them from the Championship into the Premier League. Despite having one of the lowest wage bills in the division, they recorded two top-half finishes in four seasons under him. Supporters will never forget the memorable victories over Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea, while Frank helped Ivan Toney, David Raya and Bryan Mbeumo to become superstars. It is conceivable there will one day be a statue of him outside their stadium but he is walking away from Brentford, and 'leaving a big piece of (his) heart' behind, for a daunting new challenge. Advertisement On Thursday evening, Frank was announced as Tottenham Hotspur's new head coach on a three-year contract. The 51-year-old is the successor to Ange Postecoglou, who became the first Spurs manager to lift a trophy since 2008 when they won the Europa League final last month. Chairman Daniel Levy sacked Postecoglou 16 days after that famous victory over Manchester United in Bilbao, in large part because Spurs' Premier League performances under the Australian were woeful in 2024-25, losing 22 times and finishing 17th. Tottenham's fanbase are torn over the decision to sack Postecoglou and some members of the first-team squad are deeply upset. There is upheaval in the boardroom, with the arrival of new chief executive officer Vinai Venkatesham, along with the departures of chief football officer Scott Munn and long-serving executive Donna-Maria Cullen. Fabio Paratici — the former managing director of football — is lurking in the background. His 30-month ban from football activity for alleged financial malpractice during his time with Juventus expires on June 30. The conditions of Paratici's ban mean he has been able to act as a consultant for Spurs over the past two and a half years and he has been spotted at home games. It will be a tricky situation to navigate but Frank has patiently waited for his opportunity at a bigger club. This is the inside story of why he decided to join Spurs. Frank has never been shy about his long-term ambitions and there were multiple occasions where he nearly left Brentford. In October 2021, a few months into Brentford's first season in the Premier League, he was interviewed by Aston Villa after they sacked Dean Smith. If he had been successful, it would have been the second time in his career that he had replaced Smith. Frank spent just under two years as Smith's assistant at Brentford and was promoted when he joined Villa. Advertisement Johan Lange was Villa's sporting director at the time and he conducted the interviews with then-chief executive officer Christian Purslow. Lange left Villa in October 2023 to become Tottenham's sporting director. Frank and Lange have known each other for nearly two decades — they worked together at Danish top-flight side Lyngby in 2006 — and will be reunited in north London. Lange and Purslow were impressed by Steven Gerrard's presentation and interview so decided to appoint the former Liverpool captain as Smith's replacement. In January 2022, Frank and his then-assistant Brian Riemer signed new long-term contracts with an improved salary at Brentford. At the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign, Leicester City were interested in Frank but they decided to stick with Brendan Rodgers. When Graham Potter took over at Chelsea that September, Frank publicly praised the decision because it would have 'been easy' for them to appoint Mauricio Pochettino or Zinedine Zidane. There are lots of similarities between Frank and Potter. Neither of them had playing careers at the highest level and they coached in Europe before punching above their weight with Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively. Frank's comments made it feel as if he was becoming restless in west London and talking up his own credentials as much as Potter's. When Villa sacked Gerrard a month later, they considered Frank again but hired former Arsenal, Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain manager Unai Emery. In December 2022, with all of the interest swirling around Frank, Brentford rewarded him with a pay rise and a new contract until 2027. Potter lasted less than seven months at Chelsea before he was sacked and Frank's tone changed. He suddenly sounded wary of leaving Brentford. 'It was difficult for (Potter) to turn down and of course he believed in himself,' Frank said. 'He was aware he was going into a big club and it could potentially be difficult but I don't think he predicted the amount of injuries they had or the amount of players they bought. Advertisement 'You never know what's going to happen in the future. I'm very privileged to be working at Brentford. We need to constantly remind ourselves of what we have, even on a day when it's grey or we are losing or a day where I wake up with big ambitions, because it's not always better on the other side.' Frank's stock was at its highest by the end of that campaign as Brentford finished ninth and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Europa League. They recorded memorable victories over Manchester United, Liverpool and his future employers Spurs. Antonio Conte was sacked by Tottenham in March but Frank was overlooked and they hired Postecoglou instead. In the 2023-24 season, Brentford struggled with injuries and Toney's eight-month suspension for betting offences, finishing 16th. Yet it did not damage Frank's reputation and he spoke with senior figures at Manchester United around the FA Cup final when they were considering sacking Erik ten Hag. Then he reached the final two for the vacancy at Chelsea but was overlooked for Enzo Maresca. In an interview with The Athletic in May 2024, he said he had 'close to the perfect football life at Brentford'. 'I can see myself being here for a long period,' Frank added. 'Can I stay here for seven more years? I don't know and that's not that I don't love Brentford, it's just: do I want to try something different? But I'm very aware the grass is not greener in the garden next door even if it looks like it. Then you get in there, take a closer look and see there are a lot of weeds in the grass.' Just over a year later and Frank has been convinced to sacrifice his near 'perfect football life'. There are lots of issues to solve at Spurs but he has not been deterred by the challenge. The Athletic reported in March that Postecoglou's long-term future was in serious doubt and that Frank, Fulham's Marco Silva and Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola were identified by Spurs as potential replacements. Iraola was their top target but he decided to stay at Bournemouth. There was a mixed reaction at Brentford. Some senior figures were not too concerned because they had become used to the constant interest in Frank. Others were worried as they thought Spurs would be the perfect fit. He would be reunited with Lange, inherit a young squad with vast potential and would not have to relocate from his family home in west London. Multiple club sources during conversations with The Athletic wondered if potential new investment — owner Matthew Benham has been open to selling a minority stake for the past few years — would tempt him into staying. Equipped with better resources, Brentford could then consistently challenge in the top half of the table. Advertisement Towards the end of the season, it became clear Spurs had made Frank their top choice and that he wanted the role. Frank's pre-existing relationship with Lange helped and Levy has been a big fan for some time. Lange was heavily involved but Levy drove the pursuit. Conversations were held about the finances it would take to prise Frank and his staff out of Brentford before the season had finished. Brentford never attempted to persuade him to stay. They accepted his ambition and are well aware their business model is all about developing and selling talent. They did not stand in Smith's way when he joined Villa and have recovered from losing star players including Ollie Watkins, Toney and Christian Eriksen. Brentford told Frank's representatives they did not want to be contacted by any interested club until after the season ended so they could focus on finishing as high as possible. Brentford were warned to expect a phone call in the evening after their final game on May 25 but it never came. Spurs winning the Europa League threatened to change everything. Nobody knew what was happening with Postecoglou. The Australian went on holiday to Greece while Levy took time off too. Brentford acted as if Frank was staying and he was even involved in the signing of Caoimhin Kelleher from Liverpool as their new first-choice goalkeeper. He then spent a couple of weeks in Denmark, with a short trip to Munich in between to watch Paris Saint-Germain's victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final with his family. In a strange quirk, Frank's first competitive match with Spurs will be the UEFA Super Cup against PSG on August 13 in Italy. On June 6, just over two weeks after winning the Europa League, Spurs announced they had sacked Postecoglou. They sent an email to club staff shortly before the public announcement but lots of people, including first-team players, found out through social media. Spurs did not make direct contact with Brentford until June 9. Levy and Brentford's director of football Phil Giles spent the next few days discussing the specifics of the deal. 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Yahoo
24 minutes ago
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Everything to know on Soccer Aid 2025 including how to watch and the squads
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New York Times
34 minutes ago
- New York Times
Richard Carapaz interview: ‘When I'm at altitude in Europe, I never feel that burden'
'Ever since I was training in Ecuador beforehand, I was open that my goal was to win the Giro,' says Richard Carapaz. 'In that sense, it was the race that we were preparing for. We (EF Education–EasyPost) didn't have the most powerful team, but with the team we did have, we were brave enough to dare to dream. Advertisement 'It was one of the most beautiful experiences. It was the very fact of feeling again, of being plugged in every day to try to win. That itself is something, hey? And well, it's not easy. But it makes me feel alive, because I think that's my essence.' It has been two weeks since the Giro d'Italia, and Richard Carapaz can speak to The Athletic with considered analysis about the events of the past month. His distinctive silhouette animated the race as its most aggressive rider — low on his bike, crucifix poking out from behind a half-undone zip, barely appearing to breathe but for the sheen of sweat. During his fiercest attacks, such as those up to Castelnovo ne' Monti or San Valentino, his torso sways vigorously from side to side, chin still aerodynamically tucked. He resembles Pernell Whitaker evading punches while throwing them himself. Entering the climactic stage 20 as the in-form climber in the race, 43 seconds behind Isaac del Toro, the surprise 21-year-old wearer of the pink jersey, Carapaz was arguably favourite for the Maglia Rosa. In the event, as Carapaz and Del Toro marked each other, British rider Simon Yates surged forward to victory. Carapaz finished third, his fifth Grand Tour podium, and first since 2022. Back in Ecuador, where he is training for next month's Tour de France, Carapaz is proud of the result. Six years after first winning the Giro, the 32-year-old remains on its podium — even if he is still confused over how the final racing day played out. 'I never fully understood why it went that way on the (Colle delle) Finestre,' he says. 'But those kinds of things are difficult to control. When it's not in your hands, it's impossible to change. Everything that was within my reach, or everything I could do as a rider, I did.' Over a 90-minute conversation, Carapaz gives his version of what transpired on the Finestre and discusses his plans for the Tour de France — but to begin to understand the man, how he races and who he is, you have to understand the Ecuadorian highlands. Carapaz was born in Carchi, one of Ecuador's most remote and mountainous provinces, lying on its northern border with Colombia. It provides potatoes, sweetcorn, and spring onions, with its largest settlement, Tulcan, the highest city in the country at 2,900 metres. In an era where the sport's top riders go on altitude training camps to acclimatise, Carapaz is at a natural advantage. But it is uphill still to Playa Alta, his hometown, which is over 1,000m higher than the 2,178m Finestre, the high point of this year's Giro. Advertisement 'When I'm at altitude in Europe, I never feel that burden,' Carapaz says. 'It's something normal. It's maybe a little different to the altitude we have here, because there's humidity in Ecuador — in Europe, the air is drier and better at 1500m. 'But I must be the professional that lives at the highest altitude in the whole peloton. You can see there's a benefit, because it's not the same thing to live at sea level and go uphill to adapt. My family has lived at altitude for five generations — genetically, my body is made to survive 3000m.' But there's more to the mountains than height alone. Two hundred kilometres from Quito, life is harder — Carapaz first picked up a bike out of necessity, rather than dreams of stardom. 'Every sport needs a lot of research, a lot of work, a lot of sacrifice, right?' argues Carapaz. 'It's not purely genetic construction — you can't go out and win a Tour de France like that. You need preparation, proper nutrition, proper work. When I was a kid, I didn't do these sorts of things. 'When I went to school, I rode my bike, but it's because it was easier than walking. I didn't have in my head that I wanted to be Marco Pantani or Miguel Indurain. It was part of daily life.' And life almost got in Carapaz's way. As a 13-year-old, his mother Ana Luisa was diagnosed with breast cancer. 'She had to go and live in Quito for treatment,' says Carapaz. 'The farm was left alone, and so my grandfather and I had to take care of the pigs, the chicken, the cattle. My siblings were at university — I was left in charge.' He rose every morning at 5am, spending an hour and a half milking the family's seven cows by hand. Sometimes, jobs were not done until it was too late to cycle to class. He continued doing these jobs even once his parents returned — on one occasion, Carapaz missed the visit of the man who would become his first coach to his school. Hearing about the opportunity, the teenager raced to join his cycling group the next day. Advertisement 'Certain activities I did, whether you like it or not, also shape your character,' he says. 'That defines a lot of when I am riding, of being fierce, of persevering, and having that beast character when things do not work out to turn the situation around — because it happens here very often, doesn't it? 'Country life is not easy. If your parents work in agriculture, the condition of their crop makes a big difference. That is how I was shaped.' It was a mentality that allowed him to fly. With his mother recovered, and his cycling talent recognised, Carapaz devoured the training and nutrition he needed to turn professional, first cracking South America, and then Europe. Over the video call, Carapaz is wearing a T-shirt from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where he won the road race, capturing what was Ecuador's second-ever gold medal. Carchi was to thank for that as well, with the area's humidity mirroring the oppressive summer conditions of Japan. He was strong enough to ride away from the chasers on unfamiliar, flatter terrain. For this season, Carapaz promised EF that he would arrive at the Giro in the best shape of his career. Rather than doing the team's typical training camp in the Sierra Nevada or Andorra, he wanted to remain in Ecuador, taking advantage of his home's natural features. 'This year has been a little different,' he says. 'The team wanted to give me a certain freedom. And being here has always been a plus — I'm a boy who is used to living above 3,000m. But in a certain sense, it's also a commitment to show that I can prepare for the objective just as I have in previous years.' His team quickly had that proof. Entering somewhat under the radar as a general classification (GC) rider, Carapaz realised in Albania that he had good legs — moving into overall contention after winning stage 11, and again taking significant time out of Del Toro on stage 16. Entering the final two mountain days, his director sportif, Juanma Garate, himself a stage winner in all three Grand Tours, addressed the team on the bus, Carapaz having his battered body stretched out by a soigneur at its back. 'We are second in GC, we have the strongest rider in the race, and we have 40 seconds to a rider who is struggling on the long climbs,' Garate said. 'You're not going to find yourself in this scenario much in your career. But you'll remember this for the rest of your life.' Advertisement After a stalemate on stage 19, the 18km climb of the legendary Finestre would be decisive — a climb Carapaz had ridden well back in 2018, with its gravelled slope reminiscent of his local Volcano Chiles, just across the Colombian border. EF hatched a plan. 'We knew we didn't have the best team in the race,' Carapaz says. 'So we had to do a slightly different race — we didn't want Del Toro and UAE Team Emirates to control everything like the day before, when he always had four or five teammates with him. You couldn't move, because they were always in the majority. 'So the plan on the Finestre was to break the race in the first kilometre, to try everything and make them play their cards. To isolate Del Toro was our first objective. And well, we did that, didn't we? There was chaos where Del Toro, me, and Yates were left alone from the third kilometre onwards.' But unable to shake Del Toro, and with the young Mexican unwilling to chase down Yates' subsequent attacks, Carapaz was left in a difficult tactical position as the Visma–Lease a Bike rider soloed away towards overall victory. 'When several days have passed, you can think about everything with a cooler head,' says Carapaz. 'The plan was to show who the strongest was. But Del Toro was obsessed with me. He stayed with me until the last minute. 'Yates had already attacked once, I'd closed the gap for him (Del Toro), and this time Yates had 20 to 30 seconds. I asked Del Toro to help me, but he refused. So my thinking was, 'If you aren't going to work, I'm going to let people go'. If you're the leader of the race, the Maglia Rosa (pink jersey), that's the point that you have to take the lead, because you're the one who's losing the jersey. 'I rode again, when Yates was almost two minutes away, with the idea of cresting the Finestre much closer to him. And we brought it back to 1.20. And that's when Del Toro really had to take the baton. He could have won the Giro, but I don't understand why they didn't make that decision. He became so obsessed with me — that however good he was the day before did not matter. 'In the end, Yates had a teammate (Wout van Aert) in front who helped him a lot. You see, then, that Isaac came and asked me for help. I told him: 'Man, the race is over now. I can't do anything anymore, I'm sorry'.' Despite his frustration with UAE's tactics on the final day, Carapaz still rates Del Toro highly. Advertisement 'He had been in front for many days,' he says. 'For that, you've got legs, you don't need to prove it. I already knew a little about his quality, we raced together last year and he showed a very good level. And in that sense, it showed that there's a replacement of a new generation of talent that is coming from behind. It's been a demonstration of what he can do.' And in a wider sense, this year's Giro was significant as a race animated by Latin American riders. Del Toro and Carapaz both finished on the podium and won stages. Colombian Egan Bernal showed his best form since his 2022 crash, sparking the chaos of the gravel stage to Siena. 'The role of Latin Americans has been clear,' he remarks. 'Everyone has been working for their own team but it has been very important for our entire continent, because we have been the main movers in the race. We all had the same objective to win.' Just over a month from riding into Rome, Carapaz will be on the Tour de France startlist in Lille. Here, the reigning King of the Mountains has been tasked with an alternative brief. 'The Tour is a bit of a different race,' he says. 'In a certain sense, I don't have the team to fight for the overall victory with. You need that for the first 10 stages. So to go for the general classification would be a little absurd. We're going to do things that we can do. 'So our objectives are different. It'll be similar to last year — I'll go for a few stages, for the mountains jersey, which I really like. It's a beautiful jersey. 'And in the end, it's also going to be a bit more fun for me, isn't it? Taking away the pressure of fighting every day for a Grand Tour, I've done that this year. In that sense, it's a little bit better for me, too.'
