The sports calendar hits a rich, early-spring crescendo this weekend, offering the kind of drama that reminds us why we spend half our lives glued to screens.

Rugby Union’s Six Nations (aka the sport of egg-chasers) sits firmly in that camp as the tournament reaches a simmering conclusion with three teams — France, Ireland and Scotland — still harbouring real hopes of securing the title. England, for once, are mere spectators, although Ireland will need them to beat France if the men in green are to have any chance of lifting the trophy. 

Elsewhere, engines are roaring as Formula One rolls on to Shanghai for the second race of the season with Mercedes carrying an early bounce in their step and Ferrari looking to mount a serious challenge.  

Here’s your inside track to the action.

The Six Nations reaches its Super Saturday finale with the sort of delicious uncertainty organisers, if not teams, dream of: three countries still in with a shot at the title and a handful of historical firsts waiting in the wings.

Last weekend turned the championship on its head. Scotland produced a thunderous upset against France, the title favourites, while Italy added another twist by beating England for the first time. The result is a table balanced on a knife-edge: France and Scotland level on 16 points, with Ireland lurking behind on 14. 

France remain favourites. They host England in the final match and carry a commanding points difference, meaning a bonus-point win would seal back-to-back titles. Anything less and the two Celtic nations are poised to pounce. 

For the Scots, the stakes are historic. Since the championship expanded in 2000, they have never gone into the final weekend with a realistic chance of winning it, nor have they finished in the top two. To change that, they will likely need victory in Dublin — a venue where they have not won for 16 years — against an Irish side that has beaten them 11 straight times. 

Ireland’s path is clear if not simple: defeat Scotland and hope England rediscover something resembling form in Paris. 

Judging by England’s ragged displays against Scotland, Ireland and Italy, that may be optimistic. But the English are not as bad a team as their record might suggest. Moreover, another defeat would also mark the first time England have lost four matches in a Six Nations campaign, if any more motivation were needed to stop the rot. 

Italy, meanwhile, travel to Wales chasing their own piece of history: three championship wins in a single season.

Read on for Ferrari's push in Shanghai and the Women's Super League title race that could crown a new champion.

Quilixios, guided by Irish jockey Darragh O'Keeffe, clears the fence in the BetMGM Queen Mother Championship Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, sending clods of turf into the air against the backdrop of a heaving grandstand.

The four-day meeting — considered the showpiece of Britain’s National Hunt season — draws around 200,000 racegoers annually and features some of the sport’s most prestigious contests, culminating in Friday’s Gold Cup.

With about £5 million ($6.7 million) in prize money on offer and some £450 million expected to be wagered during racing’s biggest betting week, the spectacle at Cheltenham combines elite competition on the track with one of the most celebrated gatherings in the British sporting calendar.