More than the Score

Italy's men's international rugby team have gone from perennial Six Nations strugglers to talk of one day winning the competition. In the not-too-distant past, they were almost certain to be awarded the wooden spoon for finishing bottom of the table behind England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In fact, throughout much of the late 2010s and the early 2020s, there was plenty of demand for Italy to be removed from the tournament, and a relegation and promotion system brought in to make up for their record 18 campaigns propping up the rest.
Francesco Palma, editor-in-chief at OnRugby.it and a contributor to Gazzeta dello Sport tells Ade Adedoyin how the arrival of Gonzalo Quesda as head coach in 2024, coupled with an exciting crop of young players, including Tommaso Menoncello, has changed the mentality of the side and its supporters.
Rugby Union Correspondent at the Times, Mark Palmer, explains why Italy's impressive win over Scotland in the opening round of the 2026 Six Nations was not considered to be the huge upset it would have been five years ago and proves the side is heading in the right direction ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoreline from all over the world of sport. From the Winter Olympics to the Super Bowl, the Australian Open to the Diamond League, and netball to Formula 1. We've got interviews with extraordinary athletes like skimo star Emily Harrop, snowboarding icon Scotty James and cycling sprint king Harrie Lavreysen, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from the referees who run VAR to the coaches keeping athletes in peak form. Plus, we've got the expertise of the BBC's top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels. And if you've got your own take on the stories we cover, we'd love to hear from you. Email [email protected], or WhatsApp us on 0044 800 032 0470. You can find more information, along with our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore

England's Women's Super League, or WSL, is one of the richest leagues in women's football, with players from many countries - but it's proven particularly attractive for Swedish footballers. Twenty-three Swedes play across the league, including such names as Manchester United's Fridolina Rolfo and Hanna Lundkvist, as well as Arsenal's Stina Blackstenius.
But has that damaged Sweden's own league, the Damallsvenskan, and what does the flow of players to other countries mean for the country's youth development?
Swedish football journalist Amanda Zaza and Mia Eriksson, communication manager at Swedish side Linköping, join the BBC's Sophia Hartley to discuss the qualities that make Swedish players so attractive to WSL clubs, whether the number of players moving abroad is having an effect on Swedish domestic football, and if the country's top clubs, like Häcken and Hammarby, are still forces to be reckoned with in Europe.
Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoreline from all over the world of sport. From the Winter Olympics to the Super Bowl, the Australian Open to the Diamond League, and netball to Formula 1. We've got interviews with extraordinary athletes like skimo star Emily Harrop, snowboarding icon Scotty James and cycling sprint king Harrie Lavreysen, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from the referees who run VAR to the coaches keeping athletes in peak form. Plus, we've got the expertise of the BBC's top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels. And if you've got your own take on the stories we cover, we'd love to hear from you. Email [email protected], or WhatsApp us on 0044 800 032 0470. You can find more information, along with our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore

World Cup-winning cricketer Smriti Mandhana has been named BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year for 2025 - the first cricketer to win the award. As vice-captain, she helped her country to win the 2025 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, scoring 434 runs across the tournament. Mandhana was chosen by a distinguished grand jury comprising tennis great Leander Paes, Paralympic medallist Deepa Malik and World Championship long-jump medallist Anju Bobby George.
Smriti Mandhana explains why she hopes her achievements can inspire India's next generation, while Sophia Hartley is joined by BBC News India's Ishadrita Lahiri to tell us more about the award and the other notable winners at the event in Delhi.
Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoreline from all over the world of sport. From the Winter Olympics to the Super Bowl, the Australian Open to the Diamond League, and netball to Formula 1. We've got interviews with extraordinary athletes like speed skating legend Arianna Fontana, snowboarding icon Scotty James, and Albania's teen skiing star Lara Colturi, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from the choreographers who design figure skating routines to the people who prepare the field for the Super Bowl. Plus, we've got the expertise of the BBC's top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels.
And if you've got your own take on the stories we cover, we'd love to hear from you. Email [email protected], or WhatsApp us on 0044 800 032 0470. You can find more information, along with our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore

Emily Harrop is the dominant force in the sport of ski mountaineering, or skimo – an intense, demanding discipline that combines cross-country and alpine skiing. The French racer has won the sport's overall and sprint World Cup titles for the past four seasons, and as skimo joins the Olympic programme at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, Harrop is the hot favourite to become its first gold medalist.
Raised in the French Alps by two English parents, Emily Harrop began her sporting life as an alpine skier, but took up skimo aged 20. Eight years later, she's preparing for the race of her life, while also dealing with the pressures that come with her sport receiving more attention than it ever has before.
Earlier this year, Emily Harrop talked to the BBC's Ed Harry about her journey through sport, her approach to skimo training, the role that the French military has played in developing her as an athlete, and what it's like growing up with British parents in France - as well as what she's drawn from both cultures. Harrop also explains why she hopes ski mountaineering will show audiences a new way of looking at the mountains
Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoreline from all over the world of sport. From the Winter Olympics to the Super Bowl, the Australian Open to the Diamond League, and netball to Formula 1. We've got interviews with extraordinary athletes like speed skating legend Arianna Fontana, snowboarding icon Scotty James, and Albania's teen skiing star Lara Colturi, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from the choreographers who design figure skating routines to the people who prepare the field for the Super Bowl. Plus, we've got the expertise of the BBC's top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels.
And if you've got your own take on the stories we cover, we'd love to hear from you. Email [email protected], or WhatsApp us on 0044 800 032 0470. You can find more information, along with our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore

Sturla Holm Laegreid won a bronze medal in the men's 20km biathlon at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina - then tearfully confessed to TV cameras that he had cheated on his girlfriend, and wanted to reconcile with her. It was the most unexpected moment of the Games, and suddenly put biathlon in the headlines all over the world.
And that's not the only controversy that's put the spotlight on biathlon in the past fortnight. French biathlete Julia Simon has won two golds at the Games so far, only a few months after being found guilty of theft and credit-card fraud after using bank cards belonging to a teammate and a French team staff member without their permission. After winning the women's 15km individual race, she very publicly made a shushing gesture in the direction of a journalist who'd criticised her.
It's led to biathlon receiving global attention like never before. Will that be good for the sport's future, and can it capitalise on its profile outside the Olympic window?
Jens Friberg is a sports journalist who's covering the Winter Olympics for the Norwegian newspaper VG. He explains how much biathlon matters in Norway, the most successful nation in Olympic biathlon history, and how the death of Norwegian biathlete Sivert Bakken in the run-up to the Games has affected both the sport and the country.
Will Prov is an English podcaster who covers the biathlon circuit in his podcast The Biathlon Podcast. He discusses some of the biggest Olympic biathlon stories that have received slightly less attention during the Games, including the historic triumph of Italy's Lisa Vitozzi, and shares how a BBC TV programme was responsible for drawing his attention to the sport in the first place.
Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoreline from all over the world of sport. From the Winter Olympics to the Super Bowl, the Australian Open to the Diamond League, and netball to Formula 1. We've got interviews with extraordinary athletes like speed skating legend Arianna Fontana, snowboarding icon Scotty James, and Albania's teen skiing star Lara Colturi, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from the referees who run VAR to the coaches keeping athletes in peak form. Plus, we've got the expertise of the BBC's top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels.
And if you've got your own take on the stories we cover, we'd love to hear from you. Email [email protected], or WhatsApp us on 0044 800 032 0470. You can find more information, along with our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore