Here we go sports fans!

Italian Grand Prix

Calling all you petrolheads out there! Buckle up as the F1 season takes us to Autodromo Nazionale Monza for this year’s Italian Grand Prix and if this race proves to be anywhere near as eventful as it was last season, where title rivals Verstappen and Hamilton where both forced to retire after colliding into each other, then we’re in for an absolute treat!

That being said, when it comes to the race for the driver’s title this year, Formula 1 appears to have turned into show jumping. Reigning champion Max Verstappen cruised his way to yet another victory on home soil in the Netherlands last week, ironically in quite similar circumstances to the final race of last season, and one could argue that it would take nerves of steel to bet against him picking up another win here.

Of course, it goes without saying that last Sunday’s result must have been a bitter pill to swallow for Lewis Hamilton. Despite leading for much of the race, Hamilton was left ruing his team’s decision not to change his tyres during the caution period after the safety car came out. This mistake proved to be costly as he was passed by Verstappen, teammate George Russell and Charles Leclerc, meaning he had to settle for a 4th place finish. With that in mind, he’ll no doubt be eager to bounce back here as he continues his quest to pick up a first win of the season.

Likewise, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. will also be champing at the bit to give the Tifosi something to cheer about. After such a promising start, Ferrari have had a season of ups and downs with reliability and poor strategic decisions costing them on numerous occasions. However, with the advantage of home soil and the crowds cheering them on, could this race be the ideal opportunity for them to show what they are capable of?

Rugby Sevens World Cup

It’s going to be raining tries and conversions in Cape Town this weekend as teams from all across the globe descend on the South African capital for the Rugby Sevens World Cup. With more games than you can shake a stick at taking place over the 3 action-packed days, you can bet your bottom dollar this is one tournament that’s going to have us glued to our screens this weekend.

Coming into the tournament it’s New Zealand who arguably have everything to lose, having been crowned champions of both the men’s and women’s tournaments in San Francisco back in 2018. 

When it comes to the men’s tournament, one thing’s for certain for the All Blacks, they’ll have one hell of a fight on their hands to keep their hands on the trophy. 

First, they’ll have to contend with the irresistible force of Fiji, who famously triumphed over the Kiwis at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics to claim a second successive Olympic Gold Medal. What’s more, they’ll also have to deal with the might of noisy neighbours Australia and hosts South Africa, both of whom will be buoyed by their own respective recent medal hauls (the Aussies won the 2021/22 Rugby Sevens series, whereas the Springbox claimed gold at this summer’s Commonwealth Games.)

England could also potentially prove to be something of a dark horse in this tournament as well in what will be their last appearance as a separate team in this competition for some time, as from the 22/23 they will play as part of a Great Britain team with Scotland and Wales. 

As for the women’s tournament, it’s hard to look past defending champions New Zealand and their fierce rivals Australia, as they are the only two teams to have won this tournament since its inception in 2009. However, Fiji could potentially throw a cat amongst the pigeons and break their dominance after claiming Olympic gold in Tokyo last summer.

Whatever happens, one thing’s for sure, it’s going to be thrills galore this weekend.