Coe brushes off Pistorius dual Games row September 7, 2011 LONDON 2012 chief Lord Coe has sidestepped the row over double amputee runner Oscar Pistorius, who wants to compete in both Olympics and Paralympics next year. British Paralympic great Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson has called on the South African, nicknamed Blade Runner, to opt for one or the other. Asked yesterday whether Pistorius should choose, Coe [...]
SPORT | IN BRIEF September 7, 2011 Russia hockey stars among crash fatalities ICE HOCKEY: A leading professional ice hockey team was on board a Russian plane which crashed on take off yesterday, killing 43 people. The plane was carrying the Lokomotiv team, who play in the Kontinental Hockey League, whose website confirmed that Canadian coach Brad McCrimmon and Czech Republic internationals Jan Marek [...]
Back All Blacks for tries not trophies and England to reach last four September 7, 2011 RUGBY TRADER DAVID WILD, OUR RUGBY BETTING EXPERT, SURVEYS THE MARKET AHEAD OF THE BIG KICK-OFF WILL hosts New Zealand finally manage to shake off their underachiever status at the 2011 World Cup? An entire nation of devoted rugby union fans expect them to go all the way and lift the Webb Ellis Cup for [...]
RUGBY UNION COMMENT September 7, 2011 ENGLAND have had some difficult moments in the build-up to this World Cup but I think they should be fairly happy as they prepare to get their tournament underway tomorrow in Dunedin. There have been injuries, but not too many, and results in warm-up matches – those games that matter but not really – are [...]
England look to take world by storm September 7, 2011 Time for manager Martin Johnson to prove a year of improvements has not been a false dawn IN the autumn of 2003 an England squad jetted off Down Under, marshalled by Martin Johnson, then captain, and propelled by the unerring boot of one Jonny Wilkinson, on a mission to bring back the Webb Ellis Cup. [...]
False start not an option for Scots September 7, 2011 SCOTLAND are protecting a proud tradition of having never failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup, but the physically demanding nature of their schedule is likely to threaten that record. For a coach as meticulous as Andy Robinson it would seem he has taken a gamble by arriving in New Zealand [...]
ARGENTINA September 7, 2011 Lowdown The surprise package in France four years ago, Argentina are unlikely to be underestimated this time around. Santiago Phelan has crafted a side that is more than just a powerful scrummaging unit, with full-back Martin Rodriguez one of several talented youngsters. Phelan believes he will have his strongest possible team available for Saturday’s crunch [...]
GEORGIA September 7, 2011 Lowdown Scotland might not have a Scottish coach these days but Georgia do in Richie Dixon, who coached his homeland in the 1990s before being sacked by Murrayfield chiefs – making for a clash between the two teams laced with subplots. Dixon leads the former Soviet state into their third successive World Cup, although they [...]
ROMANIA September 7, 2011 Lowdown The rank outsiders in this pool, Romania look set to vie with Georgia for the wooden spoon. Former centre Romeo Gontineac coaches a team that includes one of Europe’s leading hookers, Perpignan’s Marius Tincu. Key matches v Scotland, 10 September, 2:00am v Georgia, 28 September, 7:30am
IRELAND September 7, 2011 DESPITE their far from encouraging pre-tournament preparations only a series of freak results would see Ireland fail to reach the quarter-finals for the second successive World Cup. Declan Kidney’s side are rooted in a transitional phase with the stars of the 2009 Grand Slam-winning side on the wane, and the young upstarts vying to replace [...]