France, Scotland or Ireland will clinch the most fun Six Nations in years on Saturday.
Predictions have been torn up and one last twist in the final round of a gripping championship would not surprise.
France is in pole position to win successive titles for the first time since 2006-07. France leads Scotland in the table only on points difference. Its massive though. Ireland is two points behind.
The French have the advantage of closing the championship at a packed Stade de France against an underwhelming England, knowing what they will need to do four hours after Ireland hosts Scotland in Dublin.
Scotland blew open the title race after destroying France's Grand Slam hopes 50-40 in Edinburgh last Saturday.
Scotland's most basic route to a first title since the 1999 Five Nations is beating Ireland and France losing to England. But Scotland hasn't beaten Ireland since 2017 and not in Dublin since 2010. Ireland has been the graveyard of Scotland dreams in their last 11 contests.
Ireland's simplest path to a third title in four years is beating Scotland and also hoping England beats France.
A draw and/or bonus points spin out the scenarios.
Ireland and Scotland are also in the first showdown since 2009 for the Triple Crown, awarded to the home nation which beats the other three home nations. Ireland won it in 2022, 2023 and 2025. Scotland last won it in 1990.
The championship goes into the last round with a first three-way title shootout since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced an October finish. England won on points difference after Ireland and France couldn't meet scoring requirements.
The other Six Nations match on Saturday is also tasty: Wales hosts Italy in Cardiff. Wales is trying to end a 15-match losing streak in the tournament; Italy is trying for three wins in a single championship for the first time.
Fabien Galthié, France: “We don’t dwell on what just happened (against Scotland), we focus on what's coming next. What matters to us is that we've earned the right to play for the win on Saturday. We'll assess the tournament with its highs and lows later. In this Six Nations championship everything can change from one day to the next. All six teams have experienced positive periods and more challenging times. But the most important thing is that we have the opportunity to play for the win on Saturday night. And that's what motivates us.”
Gregor Townsend, Scotland: “No (I haven't thought of winning the title). It's out of our hands, really. We can only do a certain amount. It's a game against an opponent that's had the upper hand on us for years. It's a challenge but a real opportunity for us to go and deliver an even better performance than we did last week. If we win the game we know there's something at stake. That performance (against France) was close to the best that we've seen from this group and from probably any Scotland team. I think the belief is there that when we get our game right it can put pressure on any defense, and when we get our defense in place we can frustrate opposition. But this is a different challenge. Ireland seem to play very well against us so that's what we’re expecting.”
Andy Farrell, Ireland: “Of course you would like to dream (of the title) but the rest is out of our hands. But something is in our hands and we will focus on our performance, first and foremost. It would be nice to win something that is pretty special for us and that's the Triple Crown. It's been hard to come by over the years when playing for Ireland so we're desperate to get across that. (Scotland) were outstanding against France and we have been preparing for another Scottish performance like that. We'll have to be at our best to beat them as they are a side we have always respected.”
Super Saturday
Ireland vs. Scotland, Dublin, 1410 GMT
Wales vs. Italy, Cardiff, 1640 GMT
France vs. England, Paris, 2010 GMT
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
Ireland's players celebrate after their teammate Jamie Osborne scored a try during a Six Nations rugby union match between Ireland and Wales in Dublin, Ireland, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
Scotland's Kyle Steyn celebrates scoring a try during the Six Nations rugby match between Scotland and France in Edinburgh, Scotland, Saturday March 7, 2026. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
France's Antoine Dupont and Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu, left, in action during the Six Nations rugby match between Scotland and France in Edinburgh, Scotland, Saturday March 7, 2026. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Friday quashed Justice Department subpoenas issued to the Federal Reserve in January, a severe blow to an investigation that has already attracted strong criticism on Capitol Hill.
The investigation into testimony last June by Chair Jerome Powell about a $2.5 billion building renovation has also delayed Senate consideration of Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump's pick to replace Powell when his term ends May 15.
Judge James Boasberg said that the government has “produced essentially zero evidence to suspect Chair Powell of a crime” and called its justifications for the subpoenas so “thin and unsubstantiated" that they were simply a pretext to force Powell to cut rates, as Trump has repeatedly demanded.
“There is abundant evidence that the subpoenas’ dominant (if not sole) purpose is to harass and pressure Powell either to yield to the President or to resign and make way for a Fed Chair who will,” he wrote.
The unprecedented investigation into Powell and the Fed is the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration pressure the central bank, which has for decades been considered as independent from day-to-day politics. Trump has also sought to fire Lisa Cook, a member of the Fed's governing board, after a member of his administration accused her of mortgage fraud, though no charges were ever filed. The Supreme Court has blocked Cook's firing for now.
Boasberg's ruling blocks U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who issued the subpoenas, from obtaining records from the Fed related to the building renovation. Pirro blasted the ruling at a news conference and said she would appeal it.
Pirro said an “activist judge” has quashed the subpoenas, and has “neutered the grand jury’s ability to investigate crime“ and leaves Powell “bathed in immunity.”
“This is wrong and it is without legal authority,” she said.
The Justice Department’s investigation centers on testimony last June by Powell before the Senate Banking Committee, when he was asked about cost overruns on the Fed’s extensive building renovations. The most recent estimates from the Fed suggest the current estimated cost of $2.5 billion is about $600 million higher than a 2022 estimate of $1.9 billion.
Powell at the time disputed that the renovation included “rooftop gardens ... VIP elevators” and other amenities. But administration officials charged that earlier construction plans included some of those features, suggesting Powell was either lying or hadn't filed updated building plans.
Pirro, in her news conference, said she wanted to investigate “an atrocious cost overrun of $1 billion" but has so far been thwarted from doing so by Boasberg's decision.
Powell revealed the investigation in an unprecedented video Jan. 11, which prompted Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican and member of the Banking committee, to block consideration of Warsh until the investigation is dropped.
Tillis said the ruling confirmed “just how weak and frivolous the criminal investigation of Chairman Powell is.” Tillis has vowed to blockade all Federal Reserve nominees until the criminal probe into Powell is dropped.
“We all know how this is going to end and the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office should save itself further embarrassment and move on,” Tillis said Friday. “Appealing the ruling will only delay the confirmation of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed Chair.”
Tillis has also said that he has compiled a list of seven members of the committee who were present the day Powell testified, and none considers themselves “victims” of a crime.
In his ruling, Boasberg said he offered to let the government submit further evidence against Powell directly to him, so that they wouldn't have to tip their hand to the Fed or Powell. But the government declined to submit evidence under those conditions.
“The Court is thus left with no credible reason to think that the Government is investigating suspicious facts as opposed to targeting a disfavored official,” the judge wrote in his ruling.
Boasberg, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, has been at odds with the White House on other legal fronts since Trump returned to office last January. The Justice Department sought Boasberg’s removal from a high-profile case in Washington after he barred the Trump administration from carrying out a wave of deportation flights under wartime authorities from an 18th-century law.
Trump called for Boasberg’s impeachment, calling him an unelected “troublemaker and agitator.” The president’s searing criticism of Boasberg prompted a rare rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts, who rejected calls for impeaching judges.
AP Writers Michael Kunzelman, Alanna Durkin Richer, and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.
FILE -Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, at the Federal Reserve Board Building in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
FILE - Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
