Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FRED RAPS ALFA FAIL
ALFA ROMEO chief Frederic Vasseur says his Formula One outfit must move up the grid following a poor 2020 campaign.
The team scored just eight constructors points last year, and at the launch of their 2021 car in Warsaw, Vasseur said: “We have to do a better job tomorrow than we are doing today. We finished last season in P8, so have to target a better result.”
Alfa Romeo will head into the new campaign with the same driver line-up, having retained Kimi Raikkonen (above) and Antonio Giovinazzi.
A DECISION on whether to proceed with France’s home Six Nations clash with Scotland will be made tomorrow night.
The fixture is due to take place at Stade de France on Sunday, but Les Bleus currently have 14 positive Covid cases in their camp.
Head coach Fabien Galthie and world-class scrum-half Antoine Dupont (above) were among those who contracted the coronavirus last week, but three players were confirmed as positive cases on Sunday and a further five this morning, with two backroom team members also self-isolating as “suspected cases”.
A meeting of the Six Nations Testing Oversight Group (TOG) took place today to review the situation.
A statement released afterwards read: “The TOG was advised by the French Rugby Union representative that all players who returned to the National Training Centre yesterday were tested on arrival and put in isolation pending results.
“All five players who tested positive have now left the training base.
“The rest of the squad, all of whom tested negative are training with restricted movement and no close contact for the next 48 hours. All players and staff will be tested every 24 hours.
“The TOG will reconvene on Wednesday 24 February in the evening to review the situation. A decision on whether the France v Scotland fixture can go ahead will be made at that stage.”
Meanwhile Ibanez has questioned whether the positive Covid tests in the France squad could have originated in Ireland.
Les Bleus beat Ireland at the Aviva Stadium eight days ago to make it two wins from two at the start of their Six Nations campaign.
Speaking on French TV on Sunday night, Ibanez commented: “It is not uniquely a French issue.
“Eddie Jones was affected by it, and others too. Nobody can know how this happened.
“Was it in Ireland? Through the media who were allowed in to watch training? It only takes one infected person for the contamination to take hold.”
SIOFRA Cleirigh Buttner, Nadia Power and Georgie Hartigan will continue their battle to be Ireland’s top 800m runner at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Torun next month.
Cleirigh Buttner broke Power’s new Irish record in the US on Sunday night, finishing second behind
Heather Maclean in the American Track League meeting at Fayetteville in a time of 2.00.58.
Earlier on Sunday at the Irish Life Health Elite Micro-meet in Abbotstown, Hartigan won the 800m inside the European Indoors qualifying time in a time of 2.01.48.
All three are included in a team of 24 Irish athletes for the European indoors that take place in the Polish city on March 5-7.
Mark English, who broke his Irish 800m PB on Saturday with a 1.46.10 run, and Ciara Mageean return after medalling in the European Indoors in 2019.
English (inset) is joined by 18-year-old Cian Mcphillips who pushed him all the way in the thrilling Sport Ireland campus race, finishing in an Irish under-20 and under-23 record time of 1.46.13.
Phil Healy (right), who also set a 400m PB of 51.99 on Sunday – a time ranked sixth in the European rankings this year – also returns after she tripped in the European Indoors semi-finals two years ago.
Leon Reid posted 6.68 for second spot on the all-time Irish list over 60m behind Paul Hession – and he will be joined by new Irish under-20 and under-23 record holder Israel Otunde.
“It has been a remarkable indoor season so far in 2021, for many reasons, and this is reflected in both the size and quality of the team travelling to Poland,” said Athletics Ireland High Performance Director Paul Mcnamara.
Meanwhile, TG4 is to broadcast the World Athletics Indoor Tour Final live from Madrid on Wednesday.
Following one of the most successful indoor seasons in Irish athletics history, five athletes from Ireland will be participating in Madrid – Andrew Coscoran (1500m), Leon Reid (60m), Nadia Power and Louise Shanahan (800m) and Sarah Lavin (60m Hurdles).
The live coverage starts at 3.55pm and will include all the races up to the last one at 6.10pm.