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DeutschMatthieu Jalibert returns as France target Six Nations title against Scotland
Matthieu Jalibert has been passed fit to steer France from fly half as they target the Six Nations title against Scotland.
A bonus-point victory in Edinburgh would be enough for Les Bleus to secure the defence of their title with a round to spare, with Jalibert’s return a significant boost.
The Bordeaux Begles playmaker had been a late withdrawal from the side that beat Italy in round three, suffering a minor injury that forced a backline reshuffle after Thomas Ramos stepped in at No 10.
With Jalibert back, Ramos returns to full-back and Theo Attissogbe to the right wing, while the fly half’s club colleagues Yoram Moefana and Nicolas Depoortere are reunited in the centres after injury.
Mickael Guillard and Charles Ollivon are preferred to Emmanuel Meafou and Thibaud Flament in the second row, and Anthony Jelonch overcomes an injury scare to continue at No 8.
On the bench, scrum half Baptiste Serin is poised to earn a 50th cap as cover to captain Antoine Dupont.
France XV to face Scotland in Edinburgh (Saturday 7 March, 2.10pm GMT): 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 2 Julien Marchand, 3 Dorian Aldegheri; 4 Charles Ollivon, 5 Mickael Guillard; 6 Francois Cros, 7 Oscar Jegou, 8 Anthony Jelonch; 9 Antoine Dupont (capt.), 10 Matthieu Jalibert; 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 12 Yoram Moefana, 13 Nicolas Depoortere, 14 Theo Attissogbe; 15 Thomas Ramos.
Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Rodrigue Neti, 18 Demba Bamba, 19 Thibaud Flament, 20 Emmanuel Meafou, 21 Lenni Nouchi; 22 Baptiste Serin, 23 Pierre-Louis Barassi.
Paul Scholes aims sarcastic dig at “special” Michael Carrick after loss to Newcastle
Paul Scholes appeared to mock his former teammate Michael Carrick, just minutes after he was handed his first defeat as Manchester United caretaker boss by Newcastle.
Unbeaten streak ends
United suffered a 2-1 loss to Newcastle at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening, ending Carrick’s eight-game unbeaten run since he was named Ruben Amorim’s temporary replacement in December last year.
The Red Devils headed into the meeting with confidence, but they were rocked in first-half stoppage time when the hosts were awarded a penalty after Bruno Fernandes was judged to have fouled Anthony Gordon inside the danger area.
Gordon stepped up to take the spot kick and made no mistake despite Senne Lammens diving the right way.
But United didn’t trail for too long. Fernandes made amends, supplying the assist for Casemiro, moments before the two teams went down the tunnel for half-time.
Jacob Ramsey’s second booking handed United a golden opportunity on a plate, but Carrick’s men inexplicably failed to take it. What followed was a tepid display, completely devoid of the pace and intensity required to break down the opposition.
United were made to pay when William Osula scored a 90th-minute winner to secure the three points for the Magpies. United remain in third place in the table, but they certainly missed a chance to put some distance between them and their top-four rivals.
Scholes’ jab
Almost immediately after the final whistle, Scholes made it very clear how he felt about the loss in Tyneside.
He took to Instagram story and wrote, “Michael has definitely got something special about him… Cos Utd have been CRAP last 4 games… Night! Tonali (with a heart emoji).”
His Tonali reference goes back to when Scholes claimed that the Italian is a much better midfielder than Arsenal’s Declan Rice.
Given Scholes’s long-held and vocal stance that Carrick should not be appointed as United’s permanent manager, it was perhaps predictable that he seemed to take some satisfaction in witnessing his first defeat. The pair played 160 games together for United between 2006 and 2013.
Scholes and Carrick won eight major trophies together including five Premier League titles and one Champions League title.
Featured image George Wood via Getty Images
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IND vs ENG: Archer all set for cat-and-mouse face-off with Samson after T20 World Cup 2026 boomerang
However, the 30-year-old pacer showcased remarkable fortitude to spearhead England's upturn in fortunes, impressing especially during the powerplay. Archer has picked 10 wickets in seven T20 World Cup 2026 matches, recording eight dismissals during the powerplay which is the most by any bowler till the semi-finals. England have accounted for 18 wickets in the powerplay which is six more than India. Archer has also bowled 66 dots out of 114 deliveries in the opening six overs, which is the best tally in the ongoing edition.
'Archer's deliveries drift down leg-side when struggling'
Coach Zubin Bharucha, who has worked alongside the English pacer, dismissed concerns regarding his performance in the opening two matches. "Such express fast bowlers require regular competitive action to get into the flow. Archer's deliveries tend to drift down the leg-side when he is struggling and the wrist also seems a little bent, due to an improper follow-through and lack of synchronization" said Bharucha during an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com.
Archer's training sessions are very structured with focus on top-notch intensity. While critics have termed the pacer as lackadaisical, it couldn't be further from the truth. Archer is a very sharp and intuitive player who pays keen attention to every instruction, catching even Shane Warne off guard at one point.
Catching Shane Warne off guard
"Warne was once sharing an instruction during a meeting where it seemed like Archer was inattentive. However, he almost took Warne on regarding the communication afterwards, saying, 'You mentioned a certain thing but it didn't happen that way'. Warne later told me, 'We have to be careful around him. Jofra listens to everything'" jokingly shared Bharucha.
England will take on India in the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium where Archer could generate extra bounce and movement on red soil. The pacer's action is very deceptive, leaving batters in no man's land while attempting to negotiate his deliveries. India managed to recover from a powerplay collapse against the USA but it certainly won't be as easy against Archer who will be England's trump card.
Interestingly, the 30-year-old fast-bowler has dominated proceedings against Sanju Samson so far, dismissing the batter thrice in five T20Is off short deliveries. Samson has scored 25 runs in 23 deliveries bowled by Archer, perishing while attempting to play the pull shot. The batter's record will certainly be a dampener for Indian fans, considering the increased expectations following his 97* against West Indies.
'Samson-Archer face-off will be cat and mouse game'
"It will be a cat-and-mouse game between Sanju and Jofra. Samson needs to be prudent because Archer could well be devastating if allowed to settle. I won't be surprised if he gets a third over upfront. Samson should get into position and use the pace, playing off the back foot. Attacking off the opening delivery or the final ball will be a wise call," stated Bharucha.
However, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma enjoyed success against Archer during England's tour of India in early 2025. The former smashed Archer for 61 runs off 33 deliveries while the latter accumulated 36 runs off 16 balls, by creating room and slashing the ball. Abhishek smashed 135(54) in the last T20I played against England at the Wankhede Stadium, where the 30-year-old pacer conceded 55 runs and picked one wicket. A cracker of a contest awaits.