TOPS
The XV of France in the legend
After two years when they had narrowly failed, the young Blues of Fabien Galthié did it!
In an ecstatic Stade de France and in front of 9 million viewers, Antoine Dupont and his band, all as combative as they were talented, dominated England 25 to 13. And thus completed a magnificent Grand Slam that French rugby had been waiting in vain for twelve years, to join their glorious predecessors in 1968, 1977, 1981, 1987, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2010 in the Pantheon.
536 days before the start of "his" World Cup, this impressive XV of France with power and vitality has struck the spirits.
All the beaten adversaries saluted without complaining the exceptional level of performance of the Blues during this mastered and accomplished Six Nations Tournament.
Read alsoThe notes of the Blues after France-England: Dupont superstar, the Alldritt tractor
The return to the forefront of Scuderia Ferrari
The
tifosi
will surely pinch themselves to believe it.
After Charles Leclerc's pole on Saturday, Ferrari scored a double on Sunday at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The first since Singapore in 2019. If the Monegasque dominated the race from start to finish at Sakhir, Carlos Sainz sailed in third place for a long time before taking advantage of Max Verstappen's retirement to validate a perfect weekend for the Scuderia.
“
It feels a lot of good because these last two years have been very difficult
, enthused Leclerc.
I knew that we were working well and that it was only a matter of time before we found the outposts, which we proved this weekend.
We finally have a car to fight for victories, it's really nice.
A pleasure destined to be extended from next Sunday in Saudi Arabia.
Read alsoTops / Flops of the Bahrain GP: Ferrari shines, Red Bull drowns
Fabio Qarararo and Johann Zarco bounce back in Indonesia
Passed through the opening round of the season in Qatar, Johann Zarco (8th) and Fabio Qaratararo (9th) admirably raised the bar on Sunday in Indonesia.
In appalling conditions on a wet track, the reigning world champion, who took pole position, took an excellent 2nd place with his Yamaha behind Portugal's Miguel Oliveira.
Zarco and his Ducati completed the podium.
Two results which completely relaunch the Blues in the World Championship, Qartararo rising to 3rd place and Zarco 5th.
Read alsoMotoGP: the unusual intervention of a priestess making incantations to stop the rain
Italy ends its black series in the Tournament
An explosion of joy, tears and a big sigh of relief.
By winning Saturday against Wales (21-22), Italy ended its black series of defeats, 36 in a row in the Tournament, which had lasted since 2015 and a success in Scotland.
A colossal feat for the young Nazionale, regularly mocked to find out if she has her place in the ancestral competition.
“We do not fully measure, it will come little by little.
It's a feat, it's beautiful.
With all due respect to Wales, which is such a great rugby nation, this is a special victory.
This is the result of the work of the last few weeks”,
savors the rear of the Azzurri Ange Capuozzo, who plays in Grenoble (Pro D2) and signed a decisive breakthrough at the very end of the match for the winning try.
And at the end of the match, while he was carried in triumph by his teammates, he received from the hands of winger Josh Adams the man of the match medal that the Welshman had just received.
A very classy gesture.
At the height of the performance of the Transalpins.
Read alsoSix Nations: Italy and its captain Lamaro "can't believe it"
Hurdles bring a smile back to French athletes
In a big crisis of results, French athletics found a smile again thanks to its hurdlers this weekend.
On Saturday, the great tricolor hope Cyrena Samba-Mayela offered herself a first world title by winning the indoor women's 60m hurdles in Belgrade.
And this triumph of 21-year-old Teddy Tamgho's protege was emulated even by his male compatriots since Pascal Martinot-Lagarde took silver over the same distance, only beaten by world record holder Grant Holloway.
Read alsoAthlé: Frenchwoman Cyrena Samba-Mayela crowned indoor world champion in the 60m hurdles
"Mondo" always higher
The most impressive thing about the story is that Armand Duplantis does not intend to stop there.
By jumping 6.20m in Belgrade, the 22-year-old Swedish prodigy erased his own record to claim his first indoor world title.
But he is by no means satisfied: "
I have now jumped enough over 6m to know that it is possible to break records at any time
", confided the Olympic champion after his new record this Sunday.
Sign of his impressive domination over the discipline, his pursuers Thiago Braz and Chris Nilsen remained blocked below 6 meters.
Read alsoAthlé: Duplantis improves (again) his pole vault world record
End of season in apotheosis for Tessa Worley
After complicated Games in Beijing, where she was standard bearer, Tessa Worley got back on track at the end of the season.
Victorious over the giant of Lenzerheide (Switzerland), the 32-year-old French skier offered herself two 4th places in Are (Sweden) then in Méribel on Sunday to afford the small giant slalom globe.
This is the second time that the skier with 16 World Cup victories has won the specialty classification (after 2017), which allowed her to celebrate with a very excited audience in the Savoyard resort.
Read alsoSki: Tessa Worley wins the small giant slalom globe
Mohoric as a balancing act
We were expecting a Slovenian on Via Roma and we got one.
Only not the one we expected since it was not Tadej Pogacar but Matej Mohoric who offered Milan-San Remo this Saturday.
Thanks to a descent of which he has the secret, the versatile runner from Bahrain-Victorious offered himself a first "Monument" in his career.
A time decried for his risky “Mohoric position” (lying on the frame, a position prohibited by the UCI), the Slovenian presented himself with a telescopic rod on his saddle, useful in his descent in the Poggio … and validated by the UCI.
"
Cycling has changed from today
," commented the interested party in all modesty.
Read alsoMilan-San Remo: the Slovenian Mohoric creates the surprise
FLOPS
Paris SG is still digging...
The international break is good for the stars of Paris Saint-Germain who will not have to meet their supporters at the Camp des Loges or the Parc des Princes this week.
The latter, who had loudly – and legitimately – expressed their anger after the elimination in the Champions League, still have reason to fume after the pathetic performance of theirs in Monaco on Sunday (0-3).
Without idea and without reaction, the Parisians displayed a worrying face, bordering on the lack of professionalism.
“
We have to respect each other, respect the supporters who support us
,” complained Mbappé.
"
It's catastrophic.
It's our worst game of the year
,” added captain Marquinhos.
Even the placid Pochettino sounded the alarm.
“
Unacceptable
”,
inadmissible
”, “
serious
”, commented the Argentine coach who speaks of “
sporting shame
”.
Not better.
Read alsoLigue 1: without soul or pride, PSG sinks into shame
...Bordeaux too
The state of emergency is officially proclaimed in Bordeaux.
Without a win for two months, the Girondins conceded a third defeat in a row, at home against Montpellier but above all... at 9 against 11 (0-2).
Picked cold by early achievements from Wahi (11th) and Mollet (16th), the locals never managed to find the fault despite … 32 shots, including 27 in the second half (8 on target), which the Héraultais passed new on the ground.
It is also the first time in 30 years that a team with nine does not concede a goal in Ligue 1. Result, supporters exasperated by the descent into hell of their club blocked the exit of the players after the meeting Sunday.
"It was important for everyone to be present, for the players to hear the dissatisfaction of the supporters",
reacted David Guion, who still has not won a single match with the Girondins, last in Ligue 1 with 5 points behind Saint-Etienne, play-off.
Read also200 Bordeaux supporters block the exit of players
The chaotic end of the race for Verstappen and Red Bull
It was certainly not the imagined debut for Max Verstappen.
For his first with number 1 at the front of his Red Bull, "Mad Max", yet firmly installed in 2nd place in the Bahrain GP behind Leclerc ... gave up following a loss of power.
One of the three retirements from the race... three cars powered by Honda.
The engine of Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) exploded about ten laps from the end while those of Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez gave up in the final laps.
If the French did not know the reason, the Dutchman knew more:
“The abandonment concerns the gasoline, it no longer reached the engine.
It also affected Sergio.”
Definitely annoying.
Especially since Red Bull does not score any points on Sunday and is already falling behind the competition.
In addition, the proximity of the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia, next Sunday, mechanically reduces the time to find where the fault comes from.
In any case, this worries both Red Bull and Alpha Tauri and the consequences are already significant for both teams.
Read alsoTops / Flops of the Bahrain GP: Ferrari shines, Red Bull drowns
Real Madrid sink in the Clasico
Only one being is missing and everything is depopulated.
Orphan of its captain Karim Benzema, Real took a collective lesson from FC Barcelona, crushing winner at the Bernabeu this Sunday (0-4).
After a demonstration in the great widths, the band of a Xavi - more and more influential at the head of the Catalans - offered a brilliant revenge on Madrid winners of the first two "Clasicos" of the season.
But this time, the Merengues, heroic against Paris 11 days ago, were below everything and experienced a brutal return to reality.
If the championship seems already settled (9 points ahead of Sevilla and 12 over Barça), Ancelotti's troops will have to get back in place before finding Tuchel's Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Read alsoTops / Flops Real Madrid-Barcelona: Aubameyang roars, Real's defense explodes