Six Nations: Ireland’s Andy Farrell could learn something from France’s fresh approach under Fabien Galthie February 27, 2020 Watching last weekend’s Six Nations games I was struck by a huge contrast between two of the teams on display. Once again France provided the highlight of the weekend, beating Wales 27-23 in a thrilling contest in Cardiff which kept the youthful visitors’ Grand Slam hopes alive. On Sunday it was a different story, as [...]
Inter Miami: How David Beckham’s dream of establishing an MLS franchise became a reality in Florida February 27, 2020 It has taken a long time, but this weekend Club Internacional de Futbol Miami will finally play their first competitive match. When they take to the pitch against Los Angeles FC on Sunday, Inter Miami’s players will be fulfilling the ambitions of one of their owners. David Beckham has been attempting to establish a team [...]
The Invisible Man review: A brilliant self-contained horror story February 27, 2020 It is absurd to think The Invisible Man was conceived as a foundational part of a ‘Classic Monsters’ shared universe, the beginning of a franchise that might sit alongside Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. The project was unveiled with a now-infamous, heavily photoshopped picture of celebrities including Johnny Depp, Russell Crowe and Tom Cruise, who were to [...]
A Number at the Bridge Theatre review: Caryl Churchill’s sci-fi drama asks what it means to be human February 27, 2020 A second Caryl Churchill play opens in as many weeks, with the Donmar’s production of political dystopia Far Away followed by this sci-fi drama, which somehow condenses more than 2,000 years of ontological philosophy into a razor-sharp 60 minutes. The two-man production opens with a father and son (Roger Allam and Colin Morgan, respectively) embroiled [...]
Dark Waters review: Mark Ruffalo’s Virginia lawyer takes on Teflon in this gripping thriller February 27, 2020 Dark Waters is a frustrating watch. Todd Haynes’ gripping thriller tells the true story of a Virginia lawyer taking on the powerful manufacturers of Teflon, who over the course of several decades dumped vast quantities of a dangerous chemical into rivers and landfill, poisoning an entire town with the toxic byproduct of producing non-stick frying [...]
Lair of the Clockwork God review: Point-and-click meets platforming in this genre-melding comedy adventure February 27, 2020 You might think that Lair of the Clockwork God, a game that’s one half classic point-and-click adventure, and the other half a modern indie darling platformer, would tend to pull the player in two painfully opposing directions. These are seemingly irreconcilable genres of the past and present, a square peg and a round peg, violently [...]
Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City: Pep Guardiola’s tactical master plan comes to fruition in slow burn away win at the Bernabeu February 26, 2020 Pep Guardiola lives for nights under the lights at the Bernabeu. As a former Barcelona player and manager – not to mention a prominent advocate for Catalan independence – he is not a popular man inside Real Madrid’s gigantic famous stadium. But so often in the past he has thrived in the lions’ den. His [...]
England Lions’ success in Australia comes as a welcome boost for Sri Lanka tour and the 2021 Ashes February 26, 2020 Coming at the end of a successful tour of South Africa for England and in the same country as the current Women’s T20 World Cup meant the exploits of England Lions in Australia were always likely to fly under the radar. But the achievements of England’s development side deserve attention, because earlier this week they [...]
Chelsea 0-3 Bayern Munich: Gnabry, Lewandowski and Davies run riot as Blues are put to the sword at Stamford Bridge February 25, 2020 Four years after he left Arsenal, Serge Gnabry now looks at home in London. He has only played two games in the capital this season and yet has scored a barely believable six goals against Tottenham and Chelsea in the Champions League. With 38 goals in 32 matches, and 10 in just five group stage [...]
Champions League ban threat can play into Manchester City’s hands against Real Madrid February 25, 2020 Manchester City’s possible two-year ban from the Champions League, starting next season, has added a couple of extra dimensions to their last-16 clash against Real Madrid on Wednesday night. Firstly, there is the question of whether City draw extra motivation from knowing this may be their last shot at the trophy until 2022, or whether [...]