Beware Australia smarting from France defeat, warns Lancaster November 12, 2012 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster has warned his team to prepare to face Australia at their best on Saturday, despite the Wallabies’ crushing defeat in France at the weekend. Lancaster is wary of England underestimating the task of beating a team who held New Zealand to a draw just weeks ago, regardless of the 33-6 [...]
Hosts honing mystery ball November 12, 2012 THE ENGLAND camp has shrugged off Indian hopes that they could be undone by an innovative type of spin when the Test series begins this week. India bowler Ravichandran Ashwin is honing a carrom ball similar to that used by Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis, in which the thumb and middle flinger flick the ball to [...]
Coach Sutton going back to work November 12, 2012 CYCLING: British head coach Shane Sutton could return to work at this week’s Track World Cup in Glasgow. Sutton suffered bleeding on the brain and a broken cheekbone in a bike accident last week, just hours after Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins broke a rib in a crash with a van while training in [...]
HRT owners’ green light to sale November 12, 2012 FORMULA ONE: Struggling team HRT have been put up for sale by their owners, Spanish private equity group Thesan Capital. The outfit, which boasts drivers Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan, is bottom of the constructors’ championship. The owners said they were in talks with a number of potential buyers and hoped for a [...]
Di Matteo: We will battle on with or without Terry November 11, 2012 CHELSEA 1 vs LIVERPOOL 1 CHELSEA boss Roberto Di Matteo last night insisted his team can cope without John Terry and keep challenging for the Premier League title, after the club’s captain was stretchered off in agony during a disappointing home draw against Liverpool. Terry opened the scoring on 20 minutes but the injury, suffered [...]
Murray hails best ever year despite ATP loss November 11, 2012 BRITAIN’S Andy Murray remained upbeat last night despite losing in straight sets to Roger Federer, insisting that the ATP World Tour Finals defeat has not marred the best year of his career to date. The Scot, who earlier this year won an Olympic gold medal before also claiming his first Major title at the US [...]
Broad and Finn close in on first Test fitness goal November 11, 2012 ENGLAND captain Alastair Cook has received a welcome boost ahead of his side’s opening Test against India on Thursday after key seamers Stuart Broad and Steven Finn came through a practice session unscathed. Cook played in England’s final warm-up game yesterday, which ended in a draw against Haryana, yet attention quickly turned to the nets [...]
Evolving England can blow big beasts out of water, insists Goode November 11, 2012 ENGLAND full-back Alex Goode believes the burgeoning attacking threat displayed in Saturday’s rout of Fiji proves they are capable of dismantling the southern hemisphere’s big beasts. Goode was named man of the match for an influential display as Stuart Lancaster’s men began their autumn internationals campaign with an erratic yet emphatic 54-12 victory over the [...]
Spurs beaten at death by supersub Dzeko November 11, 2012 MANCHESTER CITY 2 vs TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1 TOTTENHAM manager Andre Villas-Boas could only praise Manchester City supersub Edin Dzeko last night after the Bosnian climbed off the bench to volley a superb winner two minutes from time. Spurs defender Steven Caulker gave the visitors a first-half lead as the north Londoners threatened to end the [...]
Rugby must stop hindering smaller nations November 11, 2012 THOSE of you reading this who went to Twickenham on Saturday to see England’s demolition of Fiji know you were sold something of a pup. The blame lies at the door of the International Rugby Board who continue to allow the distinction between the haves and have nots of the game to be a blight [...]