The Player of the Tournament at the last e d ition of the Africa Cup of Nations looks back on the fi n al and how close he came to becoming a champion w ith Nigeria

A KIND SCHEDULE AND POST-LIONS FATIGUE SWINGS THE BALL INTO FRANCE’S COURT. WILL ALLDRITT AND CO TAKE ADVANTAGE BY RETAINING THEIR TITLE?

AN OUTSTANDING AUTUMN UNDERLINED THE ITALIAN FLANKER’S VALUE TO AN AZZURRI TEAM SHOWING NEW LEVELS OF MATURITY

THE COMING MAN IN ENGLAND’S FRONT ROW IS SOAKING UP KNOWLEDGE – AND HE’S READY TO MAKE HIS MARK

Whether it was the formation of the Premier League in 1992 or the World Cup expanding to 48 teams this year, a competition rebrand always seems to ruffle a few feathers. That was certainly the case 10

SATURDAY 3—FRIDAY 9 JANUARY 2026