"I think they will need to rely on their bigger players now - and they need to step up even more. You look at someone like Finn Russell, Blair Kinghorn has been playing over in France, and I think they'll really be looking to them now to really shine."

Hastings believes "we can still be very positive" going into the Six Nations.

"There's a tiny bit more pressure on the depth of the squad, but boys have been playing brilliantly for their clubs, some of the best form I've seen," he said.

A home game against the Italians is viewed by some as the perfect game to open the championship for Scotland, but after defeat in Rome in last season's Six Nations - and having been taken to the wire by the Azzurri in victory in the 2023 championship - Hastings says nobody in the Scotland camp will be looking past the threat Italy pose.

"It's funny, even some of my mates from school, they all kind of have that mindset like, 'we're going to smash Italy', but it's not a thing [within the camp]," Hastings said.

Speaking of the Lions, no fewer than eight of Ireland's playing squad, plus coaches Easterby and Paul O'Connell, know the feeling of pulling on the famous red jersey.

However, with the tourists' last trip coming after a season when Ireland finished third in the Six Nations and were still finding their feet under Andy Farrell, there are a host of key players who come into this championship targeting a first call-up to the invitational side having missed out on South Africa four years ago.

Josh van der Flier, for example, may be a former World Rugby player of the year, but at 31 years old has never represented the Lions.

The three-Test series against the Wallabies will likely represent a final chance to do so in his prime.

While slightly younger, Garry Ringrose, 30, Hugo Keenan and James Ryan, both 28, will be in the same boat.

Kiwi-born Jamison Gibson-Park and native Australian wing Mack Hansen will be in the mix having become key Test players since the last tour, while Caelan Doris has been tipped as not just a potential first-time tourist but as a Lions captain too.

There will be plenty of talk of taking things game by game and focusing on the task at hand in the coming weeks, but as Doris himself noted, Lions selection will be an "extra factor" to each round of the championship.

The Toulouse fly-half is no stranger to the Six Nations, having played in his first championship in 2019 as a 19-year-old.

The 25-year-old is hoping to make his first appearance in the competition for nearly two years after a nasty knee injury forced him to miss the 2023 World Cup and last year's championship.

Ntamack was France's starting fly-half when they won the Grand Slam in 2022, and it comes as no surprise their below-par campaign last year came with him absent.

Toulouse's European and domestic double last season came as result of Ntamack's return to the side as he ably supported the brilliance of half-back partner Antoine Dupont.

Thomas Ramos, the Toulouse full-back, started three of France's Autumn Nations Series games at fly-half after a calf injury ruled out Ntamack.

His other main competitor for the starting shirt is Matthieu Jalibert, who was sent back to play for Bordeaux-Begles on Saturday, indicating a likely return for Ntamack on Friday against Wales.

Fenway Sports Group is taking the Pittsburgh Penguins to market this week to explore selling a minority stake, multiple sources told ESPN on Monday.

It is still to be determined what percentage of the team Fenway is looking to sell, but FSG still expects to be the controlling owners, sources told ESPN.

FSG did something similar with Liverpool in 2023, selling a minority stake of the EPL team to New York-based sports investment firm Dynasty Equity.

Fenway bought controlling interest of the Penguins in 2021 for $900 million. The Penguins were previously owned by Ron Burkle and franchise legend Mario Lemieux, who had bought the team and saved it from bankruptcy in 1999. That group helped keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh, then the club went on to win three Stanley Cups from 2009 to 2017 with its current core player group of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. Lemieux has remained involved with the team after the sale to Fenway.

FSG's portfolio includes several sports properties, such as Liverpool of the EPL, the Boston Red Sox of MLB, Fenway Park, NESN, RFK Racing of NASCAR and Boston Common Golf of TGL.

Any change of ownership structure in the NHL is official only after it gets approved by the league's board of governors. Fenway Sports Group selling off a minority stake of the Penguins would not be viewed as unusual, especially in this era of private equity involvement in sports ownership.

In October 2024, Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik sold a majority stake of his team to a new group of investors.

Through 52 games, the Penguins are 20-24-8 and in eighth place in the Metropolitan Division -- putting them at risk of missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for a third consecutive season. On Monday, Crosby scored his 15th goal but couldn't prevent the Penguins from a 2-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks, the club's third straight defeat.

FSG publicly and privately has said it would like to help Crosby win more Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh. Crosby, 37, signed a two-year extension (carrying a $8.7 million cap hit) with the Penguins in September. The Penguins are poised to be active ahead of the March 7 NHL trade deadline to help the team transition to a younger roster while staying competitive.

NEW YORK -- Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg has been suspended two games without pay for interference against Detroit Red Wings forward J.T. Compher on Saturday night.

Lilleberg, 23, received a minor penalty for the incident, which occurred in the second period of the Red Wings' 2-0 victory.

On Sunday, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced the hearing had been set for Monday, and acted quickly in determining the punishment, which was announced Monday on the department's social media feed.

Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement, Lilleberg will lose $9,062.50, which will go to the players' emergency assistance fund.

The Lightning play host to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday and the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Captain Connor McDavid returned from his three-game suspension for cross-checking Vancouver's Conor Garland, and scored a goal in leading his Edmonton Oilers to a 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Monday night.

McDavid tied the score 2-2 at 1:57 of the second period with his 21st tally of the season, before Corey Perry scored to give Edmonton the lead for good en route to its third straight win.

"It was a good game. [Seattle] pushed, especially late in the game. They had their opportunities and they didn't let up," Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. "Tonight, we played just well enough to win."

Mattias Ekholm had a goal and an assist, and Mattias Janmark also scored for the Oilers in the victory. Edmonton has now won 11 of 14, sweeping back into first place in the Pacific Division, one point ahead of the idle Vegas Golden Knights. Ekholm's tally was an empty-netter with 58 seconds left, which secured the win.

"There was a lot of north. We were playing north, and playing with the puck," Perry said, referring to the amount of offensive zone time Edmonton had in the win. "We had some shifts where we were cycling the puck and moving the puck well and getting shots. And that's our game."

Calvin Pickard had 26 saves for the Oilers, allowing goals to Eeli Tolvanen and Vince Dunn for the Kraken, who led 2-1 after one period. Joey Daccord stopped 27 shots for Seattle in the loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has said there is "no way back" for Marcus Rashford at Old Trafford after his commitment to the team was questioned by manager Ruben Amorim.

The 27-year-old has not played for United since Dec. 12, with Amorim saying he would rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital unless the forward starts to "give the maximum every day in training and in life."

ESPN reported last week that Rashford's representatives held face-to-face talks with Barcelona about a potential move before the transfer deadline, and Ferdinand said the forward will have to leave Old Trafford following Amorim's statement.

"If I was the player the manager said that about, my heart, my pride, my ego -- it's embarrassment," Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.

"For someone to question your application, to question you giving 100 per cent for the team, saying you're lacking effort and taking shortcuts, that's a damning comment. There's no way back for Marcus after that.

"If he did come back that means other players can take their foot off the gas and have a way back into the team and take shortcuts."

Rashford has made more than 400 appearances for United since joining the club at aged seven and won the Europa League, two FA Cups and two EFL Cups.

His start under Amorim was positive, he scored in the managers first game in charge and a week later scored twice in United's 4-0 win to Everton.

However, he said last month that he was ready to seek a "new challenge" away from Old Trafford after being dropped for United's 2-1 win against Manchester City.

Ferdinand added that he felt Rashford would have made a public statement if Amorim's comments about his commitments were false.

"For me, if it isn't true, I'm coming out all guns blazing. I'm holding a press conference and saying 'I'm not having anyone say that about me'," Ferdinand said.

"I would love to sit across the table from Marcus and look into his eyes and see if he could say that. If you can't, you have to look at yourself."

Kyle Walker has said it was "not a comfortable conversation" when he told Pep Guardiola he wanted to leave Manchester City for more game time.

Walker, 34, has joined Serie A giants AC Milan on loan until the end of the season, while the club also have an option to make the move permanent in the summer.

The England defender has made 319 career appearances for City and won 17 trophies but, having started just nine Premier League games this term, he told his manager earlier in January he wanted a new challenge abroad.

Guardiola, while insisting it was "impossible" to replace Walker, ultimately decided to grant his wishes having convinced him against a move to Bayern Munich two years ago.

"When I spoke with Pep it was not a very comfortable conversation because of the respect that we both have for each other and what we've achieved at Manchester City," Walker revealed at his unveiling in Milan on Monday.

"Everything that he's won at Manchester City, I've also won.

"I would like to think that he knows what I bring to the dressing room and the atmosphere that I create.

"I'm here to play football. I'm here to work with my teammates. But at Manchester City, it was my family, from the cooks to the cleaner to the kitman to the physios. I have to try to find the same here."

Walker is determined to win things at AC Milan, who are seventh in Serie A and sixth in the Champions League standings.

"Obviously things at City weren't going too well and I wasn't playing as much football as I wanted," Walker explained.

"I could have stayed in Manchester. I still had a contract there. And I would have [respected] that contract if they wouldn't have let me leave. But I think it comes down to challenges in life.

"I don't want to just win things in one country. I want to come to another country and also win there as well. If I wasn't going to a big club I think I would have stayed in the Premier League, stayed at Manchester City and continued my career there.

"But when a club like this comes knocking on the door for you -- I think there's only certain clubs in the world that you can kind of not say no to."

Walker will wear the No. 32 in Milan in honour of David Beckham's spell there and plans to learn Italian. He could make his debut in the derby against Inter on Sunday.

"There's no need to present Kyle Walker, his time at Manchester City has already done this," Milan advisor and former striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic added.

"He's a great addition, he's a leader on and off the pitch, he has a lot of character. Even though we have a lot of full-backs, we couldn't say no, it was an opportunity that we couldn't pass up on. For me, he can also play as a centre-back, he did so at City. He will give us a lot, we are confident that he will be important for the team."

Former Premier League referee David Coote apologised for the actions that led to his sacking last month by England referees' body PGMOL, saying that the pressure of the job and fear of abuse due to his sexuality triggered his behaviour.

Coote was fired after being suspended in November following a video circulating on social media showing the official allegedly abusing Liverpool and their ex-manager Jurgen Klopp.

The 42-year-old, who officiated more than 100 top-flight games, said a fear of coming out as gay led him to turn to drugs and added that he "was not sober" at the time of the video.

"I want to apologise to anybody who I've offended by my actions. You can tell by the video I wasn't sober," Coote told The Sun in an interview released on Monday. "I have received deeply unpleasant abuse during my career as a ref and to add my sexuality to that would have been really difficult.

"My sexuality isn't the only reason that led me to be in that position. But I'm not telling an authentic story if I don't say that I'm gay, and that I've had real struggles dealing with hiding that.

"I hid my emotions as a young ref and I hid my sexuality as well, a good quality as a referee but a terrible quality as a human being."

Coote was suspended by PGMOL on Nov. 11 and the controversy escalated a few days later when The Sun released a video allegedly showing him snorting white powder while officiating at Euro 2024, prompting a new UEFA investigation.

He also officiated at last year's Olympics and said he had been in an "incredibly dark place" since the video was published while struggling with pressure due to his workload.

"In 2023 I lost my mum very suddenly. At the same time my uncle was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. After COVID and the introduction of VAR, six officials were suddenly needed for each game," Coote said. "I don't recognise myself in the cocaine video. I can't resonate with how I felt then, but that was me. I was struggling with the schedule and there was no opportunity to stop. And so I found myself in that position, escaping.

"I received nothing for it. I'm really disappointed that anything like this has come out because it tarnishes the integrity of the game."

The former referee said he was over his drug habit after having therapy, but still felt shame over his actions.

"I'm guilty of doing what I did, but I'm trying to be the best person that I can be now. I've taken steps to try and be the best I can be both from a physical and a mental wellbeing," Coote said. "To other people who are in my situation, I'd say seek help and talk to somebody because if you bottle it up like I have done, it has to come out in some way."

Coote also cited his own example to show how relentless abuse from the stands and on social media could impact the mental health of officials.

"Every official that takes to the pitch up and down the country from a local playing field to the Premier League is a human being, not just a referee," he said. "They have feelings. They may not show them, but it will impact them when they're receiving abuse. I've struggled and I've tried to get through it in my own way and made poor decisions in doing so."

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.