Easterby urges Ireland to learn from past errors March 17, 2015 IRELAND forwards coach Simon Easterby has urged his side to avoid being haunted by a repeat of 2007 as they prepare for their crunch Six Nations clash with Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday. Reigning champions Ireland are level on points with leaders England and Wales in the championship reckoning, although Stuart Lancaster’s outfit hold a [...]
Alonso set for simulator session as he targets Malaysia F1 return March 17, 2015 TWO-TIME Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso is poised to step up his comeback from concussion by driving McLaren’s race simulator today. Alonso missed Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, the first race of the 2015 season, after being warned by doctors he was at risk of death by so-called second-impact syndrome if he suffered another crash. [...]
Formula 1 owner and Singapore fund weighs Center Parcs deal March 17, 2015 Formula One owner CVC Capital partners and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC have launched a joint bid of around £2.5bn for leisure group Center Parcs. The pair are one of several parties circling the group after its private equity owner Blackstone said it was considering an ownership overhaul yesterday, including “private or public equity or [...]
Wenger lays gauntlet at Giroud’s feet March 16, 2015 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has laid down the gauntlet to striker Olivier Giroud and challenged him to deliver the goals that secure the most unlikely of Champions League triumphs tonight in Monaco. The Gunners must become the first team ever in European competition to overturn a two-goal disadvantage in an away leg if they are [...]
Arsenal no strangers to a European mission impossible as they prepare for Monaco task March 16, 2015 THEY will have to rewrite records if they are to pull off a Champions League miracle at Monaco tonight, but Arsenal have had more practice than most at desperate European salvage operations. Every year for the past four seasons the Gunners have entered the second leg needing to overhaul a deficit. Every time they have [...]
Advocaat in the frame to replace dismissed Poyet March 16, 2015 FORMER Rangers boss Dick Advocaat has emerged as the leading candidate to manage Sunderland on a temporary basis until the end of the season after the relegation-threatened Black Cats sacked incumbent Gus Poyet yesterday. Poyet assumed the Black Cats’ managerial reins from Paolo Di Canio in October 2013 before instigating a near-miraculous escape from relegation [...]
Premier League: Rodgers: Let’s reel in City March 16, 2015 SWANSEA CITY 0 LIVERPOOL 1 LIVERPOOL boss Brendan Rodgers insisted his side can finish as high as second after moving to within touching distance of Champions League qualification with victory over Swansea at the Liberty Stadium last night. A fortuitous Jordan Henderson clincher has left the fifth-placed Reds just two points adrift of Louis van Gaal’s Manchester [...]
Gunners face Reading after Bradford felled March 16, 2015 HOLDERS Arsenal face a semi-final showdown with Reading after the Royals last night ended 10-man Bradford City’s FA Cup fairytale with a 3-0 victory at the Madejski Stadium. Strikes from Hal Robson-Kanu, Garath McCleary and Jamie Mackie burst the Bradford bubble as former Chelsea midfielder Filipe Morais was shown a second-half red card for a [...]
Lancaster: England can not take France lightly March 16, 2015 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster has vowed not to underestimate rivals France ahead of their crunch Six Nations title decider at Twickenham on Saturday. The championship could well be determined on points difference for the second successive year, with England currently holding a slender advantage over reigning champions Ireland, who conclude their programme against Scotland. [...]
Salary cap rise on agenda after £280m TV deal March 16, 2015 ENGLISH rugby’s bumper new television deal with BT Sport could trigger further relaxation of the salary cap as Premiership chiefs ponder radical changes to the top flight. The amount teams may spend on player wages is already set to increase next season from the current limit of £4.8m plus one marquee player exempt from calculations [...]