Lancaster: You’re playing for your World Cup spots March 4, 2015 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster has reminded his squad that they are playing not just for long-awaited Six Nations glory but also their Rugby World Cup places. A chastening defeat to championship leaders Ireland in Dublin on Sunday has left Lancaster needing to conjure a strong response from his team when Scotland visit Twickenham next [...]
Premier League: Arsenal find touch of quality to post fourth successive league win March 4, 2015 QUEENS PARK RANGERS 1 ARSENAL 2 ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger insisted his side rediscovered their customary flourish in the second period of their clash with QPR at Loftus Road last night to record a fourth successive Premier League win. France striker Olivier Giroud notched his fifth strike in as many games, taking his season’s tally [...]
Sotherton gold medal found in nearby postbox March 4, 2015 BRITISH heptathlete Kelly Sotherton has been reunited with a stolen Commonwealth Games gold medal less than 48 hours after making a television appeal for the missing item. A postman found the medal yesterday in a pillar box near Sotherton’s home in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, which was burgled last month. The discovery came after a [...]
Horner: Cap engine costs or risk further F1 team departures March 3, 2015 FORMULA One must agree measures to reduce the cost of engines if it is to head off the threat of further teams falling into financial difficulty, according to Red Bull principal Christian Horner. The insolvencies of Marussia and Caterham blighted the end of last season, while monetary turmoil is also casting a shadow over the [...]
Premier League: Pardew bemoans over-physical Saints March 3, 2015 SOUTHAMPTON 1 CRYSTAL PALACE 0 CRYSTAL Palace boss Alan Pardew insisted his side deserved greater protection from Southampton’s over-physical defenders as he suffered his first away defeat since taking the Selhurst Park reins in January. Senegal forward Sadio Mane proved the match-winner in the 83rd minute, chipping over Julian Speroni after the Eagles keeper failed [...]
Golf Comment: Harrington vindicated over Ryder Cup captaincy stance March 3, 2015 WE GOT a huge indication of Padraig Harrington’s mindset when he was asked about the Ryder Cup captaincy in the run-up to Darren Clarke’s appointment last month. Would the three-time Major winner like to be in the reckoning, he was asked. After all, it had been almost seven years since he had won on either [...]
Terry guaranteed new Blues deal, insists Mourinho March 3, 2015 CHELSEA boss Jose Mourinho has confirmed that skipper John Terry will be handed a contract extension to take him into an 18th season as a first-team professional at Stamford Bridge. The 34-year-old’s current deal expires at the end of the season, while it is Chelsea policy that players over the age of 30 are only [...]
Wenger focused on Arsenal hunt for second place March 3, 2015 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has backed his side to chase down reigning champions Manchester City and secure the Premier League’s runners-up spot. The third-placed Gunners head to relegation-haunted QPR tonight in a rich vein of form having won six of their last seven league matches, and lie four points adrift of Manuel Pellegrini’s stumbling outfit. [...]
Grid gets £52m boost as last of 2013 prize pot finally trickles down March 3, 2015 FORMULA One’s 10 teams have received a £52m boost ahead of the start of this new season in Australia next week. The increase in funding comes at a crucial time after two teams – Caterham and Marussia – went into administration at the end of last season and with several others currently facing a cash-flow [...]
Doctors insist Alonso misses season opener March 3, 2015 TWO-TIME world champion Fernando Alonso has been ordered to miss the first grand prix of the Formula One season in Australia next week due to fears that he could suffer fatal second-impact syndrome. Anyone who has suffered even the most minor concussion is at risk of the condition, in which a second serious blow to [...]