On your marks…get set…go! Buckle up for a fantastic weekend of sport!

Six Nations

Rugby fans the world over will be glued to their screens this weekend as the Six Nations draws to a thrilling conclusion with France and Ireland vying for the right to be crowned champions.

It’s a case of 4 down, 1 to go for France as they head into Saturday’s crucial showdown with England on course to end their 11-year wait to win the Six Nations with a grand slam after last weekend’s hard-fought victory over reigning champions, Wales. With 5 wins in their last 5 home games, Les Bleus will be brimming with confidence heading into Saturday evening’s showdown against England, who’ve come away from the Stade de France empty-handed on both of their last visits here.

Speaking of England, it’s their opponents from last weekend, Ireland, who’ll be hoping that Eddie Jones’ men can do them a favour as they seek to overhaul France by beating Scotland. Despite valiant resistance from England, Andy Farrell’s men managed to make their extra man count by cruising to a 32-15 victory at Twickenham. However, they’ll be without Ryan Baird and vice-captain James Ryan, the latter of whom was forced off against England after a head-on collision with Charlie Ewels, which resulted in the England forward being sent off.

No matter what happens, we’re in for a world of excitement this weekend!

Bahrain Grand Prix

Formula 1 fans! Start your engines and strap yourselves in for a rollercoaster ride this weekend as yet another season gets under way in Bahrain. With the dust barely settled on the unbelievable end to last season, which saw Max Verstappen snatch the title from Lewis Hamilton in circumstances befitting a Hollywood film, 2022 promises to have plenty even more twists, turns and drama in store.

Speaking of the D-word, the fierce rivalry between Red Bull and Mercedes is already back with a vengeance as Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner branded the design of Mercedes car “illegal” during the second round of testing last weekend, only to later backtrack somewhat by stating it was legal, but an “extreme interpretation of the rules”.

However, it was Verstappen and Red Bull who had the last laugh out on the track in the second round of testing as the reigning champion managed to outpace Silver Arrows’ main man, Lewis Hamilton. The Silver Arrows’ car also seemed to be particularly badly affected by “porpoising”, which has been rife in testing due to the new cars’ aerodynamics, prompting speculation that Mercedes could be off the pace as we head into the start of the new season.

That being said, it wasn’t a Red Bull driver, but Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. who set the fastest time on the final day of pre-season testing, which will no doubt be of encouragement to the Tifosi, who will be hoping this will be the year that the Prancing Horse recaptures their former glory and firmly establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with.

Even though he set the pace in the final day of pre-season testing, Sainz Jr. was quick to play down expectations of what Ferrari are capable of this season, dismissing talk of their car’s speed as mind games from Mercedes in order to hype up their rivals’ performance, whilst downplaying their own prospects.

Whether that’s the case or not, one thing's for sure, it’ll be interesting to see who takes the chequered flag on Sunday!

ESL Pro League 15 

Calling all CS:GO fans! Are you ready for another dose of crunch clashes that are guaranteed to have you on the edge of your seat? Well, look no further as Group B of ESL Pro League 15 kicks off this week. Whilst, at least on paper, it doesn’t look quick as tantalising as Group A was, with teams like FaZe and Vitality in the mix, there’s bound to be plenty of excitement in store over the coming few days.

Of the teams mentioned above, FaZe Clan look like strong favourites to come out on top in this group. Fresh from their recent triumph at IEM Katowice, FaZe are too hot to handle right now due to a truly formidable run of form which has seen them lose just 2 of their last 13 matches.

The competition will be in no mood to do them any favours, however. Vitality will be looking to bounce back from a poor showing at IEM Katowice, where they finished 12th, and could fancy their chances of derailing FaZe’s rich vein of form given that they know what it takes to beat them.

Of course, these aren’t only the two teams in this group, as the likes of Furia, ENCE and Outsiders will also be keen to make their presence felt and give the two favourites a run for their money in the race to qualify from Group B.

Whatever happens, one thing’s for sure, fireworks are bound to fly over the next few days!