Women’s Six Nations

After the highs and more highs of the men’s Six Nations tournament (for Irish fans anyway), the women’s edition begins next weekend. First up for Ireland is a trip to Cardiff. Wales won the corresponding fixture on the opening weekend of last season’s tournament at the RDS Arena in Dublin, so the Irish women will be hoping to get the 2023 edition off to a better start. In truth, there is a massive gap currently between the top two sides, England and France, and the rest of the competing nations. Closing that chasm will be a major goal. – Saturday, RTE 2

MotoGP

The premier class of motorcycling racing is one of those sports where fans just can’t get enough of it, but, for the rest of the world, it seems to pass by largely unnoticed. The 2023 season begins this weekend in Algarve International Circuit in Portugal. The championship is divided into four classes: MotoE (which uses electric bikes), Moto3, Moto2, and the top-level, MotoGP. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) starts as favourite to retain the MotoGP riders’ championship, though team-mate Enea Bastianini will something to say about that, as will Marc Márquez (Honda), who already has six MotoGP crowns, and 2021 champion Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha). – Friday-Sunday, BT Sport

The Boat Race

One of those curiosities where 99.9% of people tune in to watch a sport for just one day each year. The University Boat Race is rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London by the best Cambridge University Boat Club and Oxford University Boat Club have to offer. There is some Irish interest, with Tom Lynch rowing for the Cambridge men’s team, Caoimhe Dempsey competing for the club’s women’s side, and Alannah Burdess in the Oxford women’s boat. The 2022 women’s race was won by Cambridge in a record time, while Oxford won the men’s race, ending a run of three successive Cambridge victories. It is surely one of the most quintessentially British annual sporting occasions. – Sunday, BBC

MONDAY (Mar 20th)

• CYCLING – Eurosport 1, 2.15pm-4pm – Stage 1 Tour of Catalunya
• RUGBY – RTE 2, 8pm-9pm Against the Head
• GAA – TG4, 8pm-9pm League highlights
• CRICKET – BT Sport 2 from 9.30pm – 2nd Test, D5 New Zealand v Sri Lanka

TUESDAY (Mar 21st)

• CRICKET – Sky Sports Cricket from 7.30am – 3rd ODI South Africa v West Indies
• CYCLING – Eurosport 1, 2.15pm-4pm – Stage 2 Tour of Catalunya
• SOCCER – DAZN – Women’s Champions League Quarter-finals – 5.45pm Bayern Munich v Arsenal; 8pm Roma v Barcelona
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Football – League 1 – 8pm Barnsley v Sheffield Wednesday

WEDNESDAY (Mar 22nd)

• CYCLING – Eurosport 2, 1.45pm-4pm – Men’s race Bruges-De Panne
• CYCLING – Eurosport 1, 2.15pm-4pm – Stage 3 Tour of Catalunya
• GOLF – Sky Sports Golf, 2.30pm-midnight – Texas WGC Match Play
• SOCCER – DAZN – Women’s Champions League Quarter-finals – 5.45pm Lyon v Chelsea; 8pm PSG v VfL Wolfsburg
• SOCCER – RTE 2 & Premier Sports 1 – Friendly – 7.45pm Republic of Ireland v Latvia
• NBA – BBC 1 from 11.40pm – Joined Warriors @ Mavericks

THURSDAY (Mar 23rd)

• CYCLING – Eurosport 2, 1.45pm-3.45pm – Women’s race Bruges-De Panne
• CYCLING – Eurosport 1, 2.30pm-4.30pm – Stage 4 Tour of Catalunya
• GOLF – Sky Sports Golf, 2.30pm-midnight – Austin CC WGC Match Play
• SOCCER – Premier Sports 1 – Euro 2024 Qualifier – 3pm Kazakhstan v Slovenia
• SOCCER – Channel 4 & Virgin Media Two – Euro 2024 Qualifier – 7.45pm Italy v England
• SOCCER – Premier Sports 1 – Euro 2024 Qualifier – 7.45pm San Marino v Northern Ireland
• SOCCER – Premier Sports 2 – Euro 2024 Qualifier – 7.45pm Denmark v Finland
• DARTS – Sky Sports Action, 7pm-10.30pm – Newcastle Premier League
• RUGBY LEAGUE – Sky Sports Arena – Super League – 8pm Huddersfield Giants v St Helens

FRIDAY (Mar 24th)

• RUGBY – Sky Sports Action – Super Rugby – 6.05am Crusaders v Brumbies; 8.35am Waratahs v Chiefs
• MOTOGP – BT Sport 2 from 9am – Practice GP of Portugal
• CYCLING – Eurosport 1, 1.15pm-4pm – Men’s race Harelbeke Classic
• CRICKET – BT Sport 3 from 3.45pm – 1st T20 Afghanistan v Pakistan
• CYCLING – Eurosport 1, 4pm-4.30pm – Stage 5 Tour of Catalunya
• SOCCER – Virgin Media Two & Premier Sports 1 – Euro 2024 Qualifier – 7.45pm France v Netherlands
• RUGBY – TG4 & Premier Sports 2 – URC – 7.35pm Leinster v Stormers
• RUGBY – BT Sport 1 – English Premiership – 7.45pm Newcastle v Gloucester
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Football & Showcase – Women’s Super League – 7.30pm Everton v Liverpool
• RUGBY LEAGUE – Sky Sports Arena – Super League – 8pm Wakefield Trinity v Hull KR

SATURDAY (Mar 25th)

• CRICKET – BT Sport 2 from 0.30am – 1st ODI New Zealand v Sri Lanka
• RUGBY – Sky Sports Action – Super Rugby – 3.35am Highlanders v Fijian Drua; 6.05am Moana Pasifika v Hurricanes; 8.35am Melbourne Rebels v Reds
• MOTOGP – BT Sport 2 from 10am – Qualifying GP of Portugal
• CRICKET – Sky Sports Cricket from 11.30am – 1st T20 South Africa v West Indies
• GOLF – Sky Sports Golf, 12.30pm-10pm – Austin CC WGC Match Play
• GAA – TG4 – Women’s Football League – 1pm Cork v Meath
• RUGBY LEAGUE – Channel 4 – Super League – 1pm Leeds Rhinos v Catalans Dragons
• HORSE RACING – Virgin Media One & ITV4, 1.30pm-4pm – Kelso LA Memorial Handicap Chase
• GAA – TG4 YouTube – Hurling League Division One Relegation Play-off – 2pm Westmeath v Laois
• GAA – TG4 YouTube – Munster Under-20 Hurling – 2pm Clare v Tipperary
• SOCCER – Premier Sports 1 – Euro 2024 Qualifier – 2pm Scotland v Cyprus; 5pm Armenia v Turkey
• RUGBY – RTE 2 – Women’s Six Nations – 2.15pm Wales v Ireland
• CYCLING – Eurosport 2, 2.15pm-4pm – Stage 6 Tour of Catalunya
• GOLF – Sky Sports Golf, 2.30pm-midnight – Texas WGC Match Play
• RUGBY – TG4 & Premier Sports 2 – URC – 3pm Connacht v Edinburgh
• RUGBY – UTV & BT Sports 1 – English Premiership – 3pm Saracens v Harlequins
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Football & Showcase – Women’s Super League – 3pm Tottenham v Arsenal; 5.30pm Manchester Utd v West Ham Utd
• RUGBY – BBC 2 & Virgin Media Two – Women’s Six Nations – 4.45pm England v Scotland
• SOCCER – BBC Red Button – Under-21 friendly – 5pm England v France
• SOCCER – Premier Sports 2 – Euro 2024 Qualifier – 5pm Belarus v Switzerland; 7.45pm Spain v Norway
• RUGBY – S4C – URC – 5pm Scarlets v Sharks
• RUGBY – RTE 2 – URC – 5.15pm Munster v Glasgow
• RUGBY – BT Sport 1 – English Premiership – 5.30pm London Irish v Northampton
• BOXING – Sky Sports Action from 7pm – Manchester Lawrence Okolie v David Light
• GAA – TG4 – Hurling League Division One Semi-final – 7.30pm Limerick v Tipperary
• RUGBY – RTE 2 & BBC 2 – URC – 7.35pm Ulster v Bulls
• SOCCER – Virgin Media Two, Premier Sports 1 & S4C – Euro 2024 Qualifier – 7.45pm Croatia v Wales
• NBA – Sky Sports Arena – 9pm Pacers v Hawks
• GOLF – Sky Sports Golf, 10pm-2am – Arizona LPGA Drive On Championship
• SOCCER – BBC 1, 10.30pm-11.50pm Match of the Day
• UFC – BT Sport 2 from 11pm – San Antonio Marlon Vera v Cory Sandhagen

SUNDAY (Mar 26th)

• NBA – Sky Sports Arena – 2am Bucks @ Nuggets
• BOXING – Sky Sports Action from 2am – Fresno Jose Ramirez v Richard Commey
• RUGBY – Sky Sports Mix – Super Rugby – 3.35am Blues v Force
• CYCLING – Eurosport 2, 11.15am-1.15pm – Final stage Tour of Catalunya
• CRICKET – Sky Sports Cricket from 12.30pm – 2nd T20 South Africa v West Indies
• SOCCER – BBC 1 – Women’s Super League – 12.40pm Manchester City v Chelsea
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Football – League 1 – 1pm Forest Green Rovers v Sheffield Wednesday
• CYCLING – Eurosport 2, 1.15pm-5.15pm – Men’s & women’s races Gent-Wevelgem
• MOTOGP – BT Sport 2 from 1.30pm GP of Portugal
• GAA – TG4 – Football League – 1.45pm Galway v Kerry; Hurling League Division One Semi-final – 4pm Kilkenny v Cork
• GAA – TG4 App – Football League – 2pm Dublin v Louth (deferred coverage on TG4 TV)
• SOCCER – Premier Sports 1 – Euro 2024 Qualifier – 2pm Kazakhstan v Denmark; 5pm Liechtenstein v Iceland
• RUGBY – BT Sport 1 – English Premiership – 3pm Bath v Exeter
• RUGBY – BBC Red Button – Women’s Six Nations – 3pm Italy v France
• GOLF – Sky Sports Golf, 3pm-midnight – Texas WGC Match Play
• ROWING – BBC 1, 3.30pm-5.45pm – The Boat Race Oxford v Cambridge
• CRICKET – BT Sport 3 from 4.45pm – 2nd T20 Afghanistan v Pakistan
• SOCCER – Channel 4 & Virgin Media Two – Euro 2024 Qualifier – 5pm England v Ukraine
• SOCCER – Premier Sports 2 – Euro 2024 Qualifier – 5pm Slovenia v San Marino; 7.45pm Luxembourg v Portugal
• NBA – Sky Sports Arena – 6pm Mavericks @ Hornets; 8.30pm Bulls @ Lakers
• SOCCER – Virgin Media Two & Premier Sports 1 – Euro 2024 Qualifier – 7.45pm Northern Ireland v Finland
• GAA – RTE 2, 9.30pm-11.30pm League Sunday
• RUGBY – Virgin Media Two, 10.30pm-11.30pm Women’s Six Nations highlights