Around 11.30am this morning Andy Farrell will name his team for Ireland's 2021 Six Nations finale against England and the head coach has some decisions on his hands. With James Ryan and Garry Ringrose ruled out, Farrell will be forced into some changes and this morning Gerry Thornley writes that it is likely Jacob Stockdale and Bundee Aki will be restored to the starting 15 while James Lowe could also lose his place on the wing. Switches in the midfield have been common for Farrell throughout the campaign and it will be interesting to see who gets the 13 jersey today, a decision which John O'Sullivan writes must "identify the specific responsibilities of the player in the 13 jersey in attack and defence to determine who is best suited to the role. A primary aspect of the deliberations has to be how and where Ireland are going to attack England assuming a reasonable platform." In the final game of the evening on Saturday Wales will meet France knowing that a win will secure a Grand Slam title while France can still win the championship but the permutations get a little more complicated on that one.
Moving to Cheltenham and it was a stellar day for Irish horses yesterday with Tiger Roll in particular lighting up Prestbury Park with his fifth festival victory. There were questions around the mount of Keith Donoghue heading into yesterday's race but he answered them all with aplomb as he stormed home in the Cross-Country Chase on a St Patrick's Day when Irish horses took six of the seven races and Rachael Blackmore's dream week continued. Earlier, Put The Kettle On had taken Champion Chase success ahead of Chacun Pour Soi while today all eyes will be on Envoi Allen in the Marsh Chase after the recent move away from Gordon Elliott's yard. "The infamous photo of Gordon Elliott sitting on a dead horse emerged and suddenly Envoi Allen's imperious progress to a third festival victory was disrupted," writes Brian O'Connor. The feature race on day three will be the Stayers' Hurdle and, while Paisley Park will take most of the attention, The Storyteller could upstage him and take the title. You can follow all of the action on our Cheltenham liveblog from 12.45pm.
Moving to soccer and Chelsea secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals last night with a comfortable 2-0 win over Atlético Madrid thanks to goals from Hakim Ziyech and Emerson Palmieri. It means Chelsea take their place in Friday's draw and manager Thomas Tuchel has been talking up his side's chances, saying no team will want to face them. In the night's other match Bayern Munich eased past Lazio to ensure their defence of the competition remains alive. This evening Manchester United face AC Milan in the Europa League last-16 after a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Old Trafford. However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes that consistently challenging for the league is the real mark of a team's progress rather than cup wins which can sometimes play into a manager's "ego".
Moving on and the news broke overnight of another sexism controversy in the Tokyo Olympics organising committee after creative director Hiroshi Sasaki announced his resignation following reports that he had suggested Naomi Watanabe, a popular celebrity, should be lowered into the Olympic stadium dressed as a pig in an opening ceremony segment he called "Olympig".
Meanwhile, in his column this morning Dave Hannigan remembers Marvin Hagler and writes that the American boxer's recent passing is like another piece of his childhood being stripped away while, in our women in sport pages, Joanne O'Riordan laments the loss of home advantage in the Covid-19 era with no fans in grounds.
