Scottish men’s Rugby Union team kicked off their Six Nations campaign on Saturday with a stunning victory over England at Twickenham.
The 11-6 triumph was the first time Scotland had defeated their rivals on English soil since 1983 – winning the historic Calcutta Cup in the process.
Duhan Van Der Merwe scored the only try of the game for Scotland, who dominated the game in terms of possession, but were wasteful in terms of point scoring, with Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg missing important kicks.
Nevertheless, Scotland look to be the competition’s dark horses, and will be hopeful of causing an upset next Saturday against Wales – who defeated Ireland 21-16 on Sunday.
Elsewhere France made a thumping start to their campaign, defeating Italy 50-10 away from home.
The opening fixtures of the Six Nations were however overshadowed by a perceived boycott by some players of the Black Lives Matter ‘take the knee’ protest. The Scottish Rugby Union has since come out in defence of its players who did not take the knee, stating that: “our players are free to demonstrate their support for this important issue in the way they see fit.”
A more unified response is expected from players during next weekend’s games.
Brady leads Buccaneers to Super Bowl Title
Tom Brady claimed a record seventh Super Bowl title on Sunday, as Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated Kansas City Chiefs 31-9.
The quarterback passed for 201 yards and three touchdowns in the game, helping to win the Bucs their first Super Bowl since the 2002 season.
43-year-old Brady has now won the Superbowl with two different teams, having called an end to his 20-year spell with the New England Patriots last off-season.
The game was attended by 25,000 spectators, despite the US COVID-19 death toll close to reaching half a million.
Hamilton finally signs new Mercedes deal
Lewis Hamilton, Formula One’s most successful driver of all time, has agreed a deal for the upcoming 2021 season with Mercedes-AMG Petronas.
The deal, which appears to only be for one year, will give Hamilton the chance to win a record-breaking eight world titles, surpassing the great Michael Schumacher’s seven.
Hamilton, who has the most wins in the sport’s history, has used his platform as the sport’s only black driver to promote equality, diversity and sustainability in Formula One.
Speaking after signing his new deal, Hamilton said: “Our team has achieved incredible things together and we look forward to building on our success even further, while continuously looking to improve, both on and off the track.
“I’m equally determined to continue the journey we started to make motorsport more diverse for future generations and I am grateful that Mercedes has been extremely supportive of my call to address this issue. I’m proud to say we are taking that effort further this year by launching a foundation dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the sport.”
Fans return to Grand Slam Tennis at the Australian Open
And finally, fans have been able to return to Grand Slam Tennis at the Australian Open, thanks to the country enforcing some of the strictest COVID restrictions in the world, with a daily average of new cases at less than double figures in the whole country.
30,000 fans are to attend the event each day, with 10,000 permitted in each zone for social distancing. 800 sanitising stations are also available to use on sight.
Despite the precautions, some fans are staying away, with Melburnians worried about the potential risks of so many international players travelling to the area.
Currently, the tournament is underway with no COVID-related issues.
Featured Image Credit: PA/David Davies
4th Year Journalism Studies and Politics Student at Stirling University. Sports Editor. Bylines in Brig Newspaper and The Oban Times
