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England handed major boost as key player passed fit for Six Nations opener against Ireland

ENGLAND have received a major boost ahead of their opening Six Nations clash against Ireland in Dublin.

Scrum-half Alex Mitchell is set to return for the Aviva Stadium opener in Dublin on Saturday.

21 January 2025; Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby, left, and England head coach Steve Borthwick during the launch of the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship at Spazio Field in Rome, Italy. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Ireland and England clash in their Six Nations opener this Saturday in Dublin
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 10: Alex Mitchell of England controls the ball during the Guinness Six Nations 2024 match between England and Wales at Twickenham Stadium on February 10, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
England scrum-half Alex Mitchell has been cleared to play in a boost for Steve Borthwick’s side

The 27-year-old participated fully in training on Monday after recovering from a knee injury.

Steve Borthwick’s side are in Girona, Spain,ahead of their opening game in the Irish capital.

Mitchell missed the Autumn Nations Series due to a neck injury but now looks ready to face the defending champions.

The Northampton star’s availability will come as a major boost to under pressure Borthwick.

The travelling boss has faced multiple squad changes with Jamie George, Alex Coles, Alex Dombrandt, and Jack van Poortvliet all withdrawing last week.

England beat Ireland in Twickenham last year but haven’t won in Dublin since 2019.

Meanwhile, Ireland Prop Tadhg Furlong has been ruled out of the clash due to a reoccurrence of a calf injury.

The Wexford ace missed the entirety of Ireland’s November Nations Series test clashes before making his return for Leinster in January.

The 32-year-old forward has been blighted with calf issues for a number of seasons.

Leinster’s Furlong will be replaced by Connacht’s Jack Aungier, who is expected to join up with the squad as the prepare for the clash against their rivals in Portugal.

Finlay Bealham is likely to start after news of the injury was confirmed.

Ireland host their rivals on Saturday at 5:45pm.

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Luxury car brand discontinues game-changing saloon from its UK line-up after 35 years on sale

A LUXURY car brand has discontinued its game-changing saloon from UK sales after 35 years on the market.

Lexus’ LS first arrived for British drivers in 1990 but had recently suffered a sustained period of poor sales.

Lexus LS 500h driving on a desert road.
Lexus
Lexus has announced its LS series had been dropped from its UK line-up[/caption]
Lexus LS 500h driving on a road.
Lexus
Just 39 of the hybrid V6-powered saloons have been sold in the past five years[/caption]
White Lexus LS 400 on a dock.
Getty
The original Lexus LS 400 was first released in the UK in 1990[/caption]

Just 39 of the hybrid V6-powered saloons have been purchased since 2020, of which just three were sold last year.

This means drivers in the UK looking for a Lexus saloon have just one choice left, the ES.

A Lexus spokesperson said: “LS has been removed from sale in the UK though it does remain on sale in other European markets.

“Reasons for this are down to homologation and legislation issues but also the successful introduction of the LM model which is proving extremely popular in this segment.

“We also still sell the ES for those who prefer a Lexus saloon.”

Before it was removed, the LS range’s price tag began at £101,000, rising to £128,000 for the Takumi version.

Each one is powered by a hybrid system that combined a 3.5L V6 petrol engine with two electric motors and a lithium ion battery.

Together, the motor produces 354bhp and can do 0-62mph in just 5.4 seconds, when four-wheel drive is engaged.

The luxury brand’s decision closes the curtain on the 35-year history the LS had in the UK.

1990 saw the first-generation LS 400 hit the market, just after it had been launched in the US.

Lexus’ first model was used to establish the Toyota offshoot as a leading luxury vehicle manufacturer that could challenge the elite carmakers of Europe and America.

Marketed with a cheaper starting price, four further generations followed, with the final one, the LS 500, launching in 2017 before it was updated in 2020.

Following the removal announcement, Lexus’ UK line-up now consists of the LBX, UX, NX, RZ, RX, ES and LM.

This comes less than a year after the luxury carmaker dropped two other models from its UK catalogue.

Lexus removed its LC and RC sports cars from sale in April, meaning it no longer had a V8 on offer for Brits.

The two-door GTs were approaching the end of their expected life cycles, at seven and 10 years old respectively.

However, a spokesperson for the brand cited “legislative and homologation issues” as the reason for their withdrawal.

According to AutoCar, it is still unclear whether the decision was made in light of GSR2 safety regulations, the EU’s new cybersecurity directive or fleet emission quotas.

However, the outlet states that both motors are no longer available in mainland Europe, and the UK allocation for each has been sold out.

Lexus LS 500h parked in front of a castle.
Lexus
The Lexus LS series has been discontinued from UK sales[/caption]

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Lottery results LIVE: National Lottery Set For Life draw tonight, January 27, 2025

THE National Lottery Set For Life numbers are in and it’s time to find out if you’ve won the top prize of £10,000 every month for 30 years.

Could tonight’s jackpot see you start ticking off that bucket list every month or building your own start-up as a budding entrepreneur?

Can you imagine what you could enjoy if you had £10,000 every month for 30 years?
Can you imagine what you could enjoy if you had £10,000 every month for 30 years?

You can find out by checking your ticket against tonight’s numbers below.

Good luck!

Tonight’s National Lottery Set For Life numbers are: 05, 16, 19, 21, 36 and the Life Ball is 08.

The first National Lottery draw was held on November 19 1994 when seven winners shared a jackpot of £5,874,778.

The largest amount ever to be won by a single ticket holder was £42million, won in 1996.

Gareth Bull, a 49-year-old builder, won £41million in November, 2020 and ended up knocking down his bungalow to make way for a luxury manor house with a pool.

  1. £1.308 billion (Powerball) on January 13 2016 in the US, for which three winning tickets were sold, remains history’s biggest lottery prize
  2. £1.267 billion (Mega Million) a winner from South Carolina took their time to come forward to claim their prize in March 2019 not long before the April deadline
  3. £633.76 million (Powerball draw) from a winner from Wisconsin
  4. £625.76 million (Powerball)  Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts claimed the jackpot in August 2017
  5. £575.53 million (Powerball)  A lucky pair of winners scooped the jackpot in Iowa and New York in October 2018

Sue Davies, 64, bought a lottery ticket to celebrate ending five months of shielding during the pandemic — and won £500,000.

Sandra Devine, 36, accidentally won £300k – she intended to buy her usual £100 National Lottery Scratchcard, but came home with a much bigger prize.

The biggest jackpot ever to be up for grabs was £66million in January last year, which was won by two lucky ticket holders.

Another winner, Karl managed to bag £11million aged just 23 in 1996.

The odds of winning the lottery are estimated to be about one in 14million – BUT you’ve got to be in it to win it.

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